Author Archives: Thandar

Ch 40: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

The next morning, after breakfast, Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan headed straight to the county seat to visit Magistrate Xu. They spoke for a while in his office.

Jiang Ji asked anxiously, “Sir, Prefect Hu didn’t cause you any trouble, did he?”

Yesterday, when Magistrate Xu suddenly appeared with Lord Chen, Prefect Hu must have realized that Magistrate Xu had not only reported the seed matter to him but had also informed the Provincial Inspector. Otherwise, Lord Chen would never have come in person.

Jiang Ji had noticed yesterday how Prefect Hu’s expression toward Magistrate Xu had turned unfriendly—the kindly smile he’d worn back at the manor was nowhere to be seen. And since his scheme had been ruined, with Lord Chen overhearing some rather incriminating things, Jiang Ji doubted Prefect Hu would let it go so easily.

He truly thought Magistrate Xu was one of the rare good officials and didn’t want him to suffer retaliation from a superior because of this affair.

Seeing that Jiang Ji’s worry was genuine, Magistrate Xu smiled. “Don’t worry. I can handle him.”

Hearing that, Jiang Ji relaxed a little. That was true—after all, Magistrate Xu had been a magistrate for over ten years; he knew how to navigate such things.

“Then I’m relieved,” Jiang Ji said. “Oh, by the way, sir, what kind of person is Lord Chen?”

Magistrate Xu looked at him. “Why? You afraid he’s also after your seeds?”

Jiang Ji scratched his head. “Not really. I just thought it’d be good to understand what kind of person he is—so I’ll know how to deal with him properly.”

Magistrate Xu chuckled and nodded, then explained what he knew. “From what I’ve heard, Lord Chen is a fairly upright man. He’s from Lùzhou, our neighboring prefecture. He was born into a farming family, later became a disciple under the Provincial Inspector, Lord Fan, who took a liking to him and appointed him as adviser over agricultural affairs. Lord Fan trusts him deeply. The fact that he’s been sent here personally shows just how much importance the Inspector places on this project. So you must take it seriously.”

“I understand,” Jiang Ji said, nodding.

Jiang Yan asked, “Sir, do you know how long Lord Chen will be staying here?”

“Yes,” Jiang Ji added. “Is he only here for a few days, or will he come back periodically? If he leaves, won’t Prefect Hu try to trouble us again?”

“Don’t worry,” Magistrate Xu said. “I’ve already asked. He’ll be stationed here at least until the summer harvest. This matter is significant—Lord Fan has ordered him to monitor the growth of the rice and sweet potato crops throughout the season and report progress regularly.”

He furrowed his brows slightly, lowering his voice. “I believe Lord Fan wants to wait until there are tangible results before submitting anything to the court.”

“That makes sense,” Jiang Ji said with a nod. “The Provincial Inspector probably wants to be cautious. If he reports too early, boasting about how wonderful everything is, he’ll raise expectations at court. Then, if the crops fail halfway or the harvest doesn’t meet expectations, it’ll look terrible. Sweet potatoes are fine—they’re still food—but if the rice yields disappoint, the Inspector will lose face before everyone.”

Magistrate Xu saw that Jiang Ji understood and nodded. “Exactly. As long as you get that, it’s fine.”

Jiang Ji was curious. “Then how did you report it to Lord Fan in the first place?”

Magistrate Xu stroked his beard. “I told him that you’d brought back new crops and high-yield rice, that the rice might increase production by sixty to seventy percent, and that the sweet potatoes were edible and promising. Then I handed over the sample seeds I’d gotten from you, saying I wanted to test planting them in our county first to see how the harvest would turn out.”

“I see.” Jiang Ji grinned. “So you left yourself some leeway.”

Magistrate Xu glared at him. “What, you think I’d be like you—boasting about doubling yields right off the bat, only to get slapped in the face later?”

Jiang Ji blinked and smiled. “But you did tell Prefect Hu it could double.”

Magistrate Xu only smiled without replying.

Jiang Ji chuckled and didn’t push further. Just then, a yamen runner came in to report that both Prefect Hu and Lord Chen had arrived, so the group headed over together.

Today’s meeting was mainly to get everyone acquainted. Lord Chen, sent by the Provincial Inspector, was personally overseeing the seed distribution and wanted to understand the details of these new crops more thoroughly.

After exchanging greetings and taking their seats, Jiang Ji noticed several handwritten planting guides laid beside Lord Chen’s hand.

Lord Chen, noticing Jiang Ji’s gaze, picked one up with a smile. “Magistrate Xu told me these were compiled by you?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes, sir. They’re for teaching people how to plant properly.”

Lord Chen nodded approvingly. “Very thoughtful—and clearly written too. Simple, practical, and easy to understand. Well done.”

“You’ve read them, sir?” Jiang Ji asked, surprised.

“I have,” said Lord Chen. “I do have a few questions, though. I hope you can help me with them.”

“Please, go ahead,” Jiang Ji said.

Lord Chen flipped open the rice manual to the section on sowing. “Here it says that rice seeds should be started using the moist-bed method. That’s different from the flooded method most people use now. Can you explain this to me?”

So Lord Chen had read the manual carefully. Jiang Ji was delighted—it meant the man truly understood agriculture and genuinely wanted to learn.

He answered, “Sir, the common method we use now is water-seedling raising—keeping the seedbeds flooded. That does help maintain warmth and suppress weeds, but rice seedlings also need air—oxygen, that’s the gas we breathe in. Their roots have to breathe too. When the soil stays completely submerged, there’s not enough air in the mud for the roots, and that causes seed rot or weak seedlings, which lowers survival and makes them grow thinner.”

He continued, “With the moist-bed method, we use raised nursery beds. Between two beds are small ditches for water, so we can easily control the moisture level. This keeps the bed damp but allows plenty of air in the soil. That way the roots grow stronger, and the seedlings are thicker and healthier.”

“There’s also the dry-bed method,” Jiang Ji added. “That one’s for areas without good irrigation—it saves water, but you need higher temperatures for it to work, otherwise the sprouts won’t come out well. That method delays harvest time, which can affect the second rice crop, so it doesn’t suit our region.”

He went on comparing the pros and cons of each technique. Lord Chen and Magistrate Xu listened intently, while Prefect Hu looked like his mind had wandered somewhere far away.

Then Lord Chen asked a few more technical questions—about why potatoes produced smaller yields when reusing old seed tubers, and about crop rotation, intercropping, and mixed planting. Jiang Ji answered each one patiently.

Their discussion lasted quite a while. Lord Chen, being from a farming background himself, nodded repeatedly in approval.

Prefect Hu, who had already finished two cups of tea, saw an opening when they finally paused and quickly steered the talk toward what he considered the main issue.

“Lord Chen, we should also discuss which counties we’re expanding to next.”

“Yes, yes, my fault,” Lord Chen laughed. “I got caught up in our little agricultural talk.” He turned to Jiang Ji. “Brother Jiang, Magistrate Xu mentioned you still have some seeds available. Roughly how much do you have left? We’ll need to decide which counties to send them to.”

Jiang Ji had checked his system the night before. The generous Mr. Xiao had gifted him a large batch of rice seeds, plus more from other supporters—over 2.2 million catties in total. At ten catties per mu, that would cover about 220,000 mu of paddy fields.

Their own county’s supply had already been sold. Most farmers hadn’t dared to replace all their crops with the new rice, usually planting only half their fields with it. The big landlords were the exception. Altogether, the new rice covered roughly 30,000 mu so far.

He had earned more points these past days too, and since he needed to study textile production next—to unlock weaving-machine rewards—he planned to spend those points on cotton seeds to finish that task.

“There’s still plenty of rice seed left,” Jiang Ji said. “Enough for another 180,000 or 190,000 mu of paddies, though the exact number will depend on each county’s farmland. As for cotton, maybe enough for one or two counties. Sweet potatoes are running low, but the sweet—”

“You said yesterday you only had enough for half a county!“ Prefect Hu suddenly slammed the table, furious. “Now you’re saying you have that much?!”

Jiang Ji was cut off mid-sentence. He stared at Prefect Hu, speechless—was the man really outing himself in front of everyone out of pure temper?

Magistrate Xu and Lord Chen both turned toward Prefect Hu.

Realizing his slip, Prefect Hu quickly tried to recover. Years in office had taught him to find excuses fast.

“Ah, Jiang Ji,” he said, forcing a smile, “yesterday I told you that if you had more seeds, our prefecture office could help you distribute them across the region. But you didn’t tell me the truth then, did you? Don’t you trust me?”

Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan: …

Magistrate Xu: …

Lord Chen: …

Jiang Ji blinked innocently. “Oh, that? I’d had a bit too much to drink yesterday. I only remembered the corn. What I said about half a county, sir—it was the corn seeds.”

Magistrate Xu: …

Lord Chen: …

Jiang Yan calmly took a sip of tea.

Prefect Hu shot Jiang Ji a dark glare—but almost instantly, his face flipped into a broad smile, changing expressions faster than flipping a page. “Ah, I see. As long as there’s more rice seed, that’s good! That means even more people can plant it.”

“Prefect Hu is right,” Jiang Ji said, pretending not to notice the man’s sudden shift. He then turned to Lord Chen. “Lord Chen, judging from how things went in our county, most people planted half of the new variety and half of the old one. That ratio should probably be factored in. As for which counties to expand to, I’ll leave that to you gentlemen to decide. I just have two small requests.”

“What requests? Speak freely,” said Lord Chen.

“First,” Jiang Ji said, “could our next destination be Pingnan County?”

Jiang Yan glanced at him, lowering his eyes slightly.

Lord Chen agreed readily. “That’s no problem—Pingnan is just next door. Though, are you heading there for some personal matter?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes, we have a relative there, and I’d like to visit while we’re at it.”

“Very well,” said Lord Chen. “And the second request?”

“The second thing,” Jiang Ji continued, “is that I must return before the end of the month. In about half a month—no later than eighteen days—it’ll be time for sowing, and I have to be back in time to plant.”

Lord Chen considered this. “That’s a tight schedule. We’ll have to find ways to save time, then.”

“Actually, sir, I have a suggestion,” Jiang Ji said.

“I’m listening.”

Jiang Ji explained, “If possible, please decide on the target counties as soon as possible—preferably this morning. Then we can distribute the flyers and planting guides in advance, along with some sample seeds. Each county magistrate can then gather their village heads to read the materials aloud—just the first few pages of the flyers and guides will give everyone a clear idea of what these new crops are about.

“When I arrive, I can sell the seeds directly to the county offices, and they can handle distributing them to the villagers. That way, I’ll have enough time to cover multiple counties efficiently. The only thing is—pricing and oversight should be handled by the government side.”

Lord Chen thought for a moment, then asked, “Will your merchant partner be able to deliver the seeds on time?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes, but they’ll need advance notice to prepare storage—either a warehouse or a manor outside the city, so they won’t get stuck outside if the city gates close. They usually travel overnight with the goods.”

Magistrate Xu glanced at Jiang Ji but said nothing.

After some quiet discussion between the officials, Lord Chen nodded. “Alright, we’ll go with your plan.”

They talked for quite some time before deciding on six counties in total.

Curious, Jiang Ji asked Lord Chen, “Sir, there are seven counties altogether—aren’t you afraid that if the rice yield doesn’t turn out as expected, there’ll be trouble later?”

Lord Chen replied, “There’s always risk. But as long as your rice yields reach even sixty or seventy percent of the usual harvest, the farmers won’t lose money. And the rice from your seeds tastes far better than ordinary rice—we’ve all tried it. If it tastes good, it’ll sell well, even at a higher price. That alone makes up for any small loss in yield. Of course, if it produces more, that’s even better.”

Hearing that, Jiang Ji relaxed—clearly they’d already done the math.

He and Jiang Yan went back and rewrote a new version of the flyers and planting instructions, handing them to Magistrate Xu for printing.

“Oh, one more thing, Lord Chen,” Jiang Ji added. “We can’t depart until the day after tomorrow.”

Lord Chen, who had planned to leave that afternoon, looked up. “Why? Do you still have business here?”

Jiang Ji smiled. “Our potatoes are ready to plant. I’d like to finish that first. Don’t worry—it’ll only take one day. You can go ahead and make preparations; Pingnan’s not far, and Jiang Yan and I will catch up quickly.”

“Alright,” said Lord Chen. “I’ll have two fast horses prepared for you—you can ride them over.”

“Perfect.”

Once all arrangements were settled, the county office became busy preparing, and Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan returned home.

…

The next day, the entire Shanquan Village began transplanting potatoes, with people from several nearby villages coming to watch and learn.

Once they had learned, they even stayed to help Jiang Ji plant all two acres of his own potato field.

That evening, Jiang Ji invited the village chief and Uncle Tu Gen over, explaining the details of caring for the potato crops and letting them know he’d be gone for half a month, asking them to look after the household.

The village chief patted his shoulder. “Go without worry. We’ll take care of things here.”

After they left, Jiang Ji also went over a few things with Zhao Ru, Jiang Xia, and the twins, Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei.

Jiang Nan patted his chest confidently. “Brother, don’t worry—we’ll listen to Mother and behave.”

Jiang Bei nodded. “Yeah, we’ll help take care of her too.”

Jiang Ji ruffled their hair. “Good boys. You’re little men now—while I’m gone, I’ll be counting on you.”

“Mm!” the twins replied in unison, grinning at each other afterward.

After packing a few changes of clothes, Zhao Ru reminded them, “Be careful on the road. Watch out for each other. Don’t overwork yourselves, and rest when you can.”

“Got it, Mother. Don’t worry.”

Before bed, Jiang Ji asked Jiang Yan, “Do you want a small bag to keep your things in?”

He’d long felt ancient clothing wasn’t practical—everything fell out too easily.

Since Jiang Yan only carried a few things—some silver notes and a jade pendant—Jiang Ji exchanged for a small black leather waist pouch.

“Here, use this.” Jiang Ji unzipped it. “Put your silver notes and pendant in here, then zip it up. It’s secure and won’t fall out—much safer than our clothes’ pockets.”

Jiang Yan examined the little bag, tugged the zipper a few times, then put in his things and zipped it closed. “Do I wear it across my chest like you do? The strap doesn’t seem long enough.”

“No, no—it’s worn around the waist. Like this. Watch.”

“Press here to open.” Jiang Ji clicked open the buckle, then looped the pouch around Jiang Yan’s waist. “Now just clip it together—like that. Try it.”

Jiang Yan found the thing rather curious. He tried it twice himself and nodded. “This is good—very practical.”

“Right? I’m giving it to you,” said Jiang Ji cheerfully. “You can use it to carry little things from now on.”

“Alright. Thank you.”

“No need to be polite.”

…

The next morning, after breakfast, the whole family gathered by the gate to see them off.

Zhao Ru looked at Jiang Ji with worry, reminding him over and over, “You brought enough money, right? Make sure you have enough.”

“I did, Mother. Don’t worry. I’m going out to make money—when I come back, I’ll bring more with me.”

Zhao Ru smiled faintly and patted his arm, her eyes already moist. “You’ve never been that far from home before. Be careful, alright?”

“I will.”

Then she turned to Jiang Yan and patted his arm too. “Take care of yourself—and bring him back safely.”

“Yes, Auntie. Don’t worry, I’ll look after him,” Jiang Yan said calmly.

“Good,” she said. “I can rest easy with you around.”

Seeing Zhao Ru like this, Jiang Ji also felt a lump rise in his throat. He hugged her tightly. “Mother, we’ll be back soon. Don’t worry.”

“Alright, alright. Go on now. Don’t keep the officials waiting.”

Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan waved goodbye and set off. Zhao Ru and the rest stood at the gate, watching until the two figures disappeared down the road before going back inside.

The pair first went to the county yamen. Lord Chen had already left two days earlier, but as promised, he had left two horses for them. Prefect Hu wasn’t going; he had sent one of his agricultural officers to assist Lord Chen instead.

Prefect Hu himself happened to be at the yamen as well, preparing to return to the prefectural office.

When Jiang Ji saw the two horses, a thought suddenly struck him. “Wait—I don’t know how to ride.”

Magistrate Xu: “…Then I’ll prepare a carriage for you.”

Jiang Ji turned to Jiang Yan. “Do you know how to ride?”

Jiang Yan thought for a moment. “I… might.”

“…Might? Go try it then.”

Jiang Yan really did lead one of the horses out, mounted it in a single smooth motion, and once he took the reins and lightly pressed his legs to the horse’s flanks, the animal started trotting forward. His posture looked steady—surprisingly natural.

“Wow, you actually can ride!” Jiang Ji’s eyes widened.

Magistrate Xu: …

Jiang Yan circled the courtyard once, then dismounted neatly. “We’ll go on horseback.”

Jiang Ji hesitated. “Uh… I can’t, though, big brother.”

“I’ll take you with me,” said Jiang Yan. “We’ll lead the other horse along and take turns riding. We’ll get there quickly that way.”

“Oh. That works too.”

They switched to a double saddle. Jiang Ji climbed up first, then Jiang Yan mounted behind him. After bidding farewell to the officials, they rode out of the county gate together.

At the same time, Prefect Hu boarded his own carriage with his attendants and slowly left the yamen as well.

Inside the carriage, his adviser leaned closer and whispered, “My lord, don’t you think that Jiang Yan looks… familiar?”

Prefect Hu was already in a sour mood from coming away empty-handed. “What, you know that kid?”

“I don’t,” the adviser said, frowning in thought. “But I feel like I’ve seen his face somewhere before.”

“If you don’t know him, how could he look familiar? He’s just a village nobody. You’ve never even been to this county,” scoffed Prefect Hu, closing his eyes to rest. A maid beside him was gently massaging his legs.

The adviser’s brows furrowed deeper as he tried to recall. He really did think he’d seen that face somewhere… and after a while, his eyes suddenly lit up.

“My lord! I remember why he looked familiar!”

Prefect Hu, half-dozing, was startled awake. “What are you shouting for?!”

“Forgive me, my lord,” the adviser quickly apologized, then pointed upward slightly and whispered, “Don’t you think Jiang Yan looks like him?”

Prefect Hu yawned. “Who?”

“The Regent Prince,” the adviser said, enunciating each word. “Lu Huaizhou.”

Prefect Hu’s eyes snapped open. “Who did you say?!”

“The Regent Prince, Lu Huaizhou,” the adviser repeated. “You have a portrait of him, don’t you? I’ve seen it. He really looks like that Jiang Yan.”

Prefect Hu had never actually met the Regent in person, but being a cautious official, he’d paid someone in the capital to send him a portrait—just in case he ever did.

Now, thinking of that portrait… and trying to recall Jiang Yan’s face…

Wait—what did Jiang Yan look like again?

Prefect Hu realized he hadn’t really paid much attention before—just a vague impression: pale skin, tall build.

“Jiang Yan looks like the Regent, does he?” Prefect Hu snorted. “Then that boy’s got a fine face, I suppose.”

“I’m serious,” the adviser said. “They really do look alike. You don’t think they could be brothers, do you?”

Prefect Hu let out a sharp laugh. “Brothers? Are you out of your mind? How could the Regent’s brother be living out here in the sticks?”

The adviser thought about it—it did sound absurd. The Regent’s father was a Grand Scholar, and his maternal uncles were both generals. He’d heard the Regent had a younger brother around seventeen or eighteen… no way that could be Jiang Yan.

Still, the resemblance nagged at him. It was uncanny.

On the official road south of the city, the horses galloped in a cloud of dust, trees whipping past on either side in streaks of green.

“Wow! I didn’t know horseback riding could be this fast! This is amazing!”

It was Jiang Ji’s first time on horseback. Sitting in front, arms spread wide, he yelled excitedly into the rushing wind.

Jiang Yan held the reins with one hand and steadied himself with the other, gripping the saddle ring near Jiang Ji’s waist. Seeing Jiang Ji’s ecstatic antics, he could only sigh.

“Sit still. Stop moving around, or you’ll fall off.”

Jiang Ji just laughed. “But it feels so great!”

Jiang Yan gave up and slowed the horse a little.

“Hey, hey, don’t slow down! Faster, Jiang Yan! Faster! Yah!” Jiang Ji kicked the horse’s belly lightly, and it sped up again.

Jiang Yan: “…”

He smacked Jiang Ji’s thigh lightly. “Stop that! Falling off a horse isn’t funny. Hold on tight!”

“Ow—ow, fine, fine, I’ll hold on, alright?” Jiang Ji yelped, pulling his hand back—only to accidentally grab Jiang Yan’s instead.

He glanced down, then quickly shifted his grip to the side, muttering, “There’s barely any space on this handle anyway. You can hold it if you want. You’ve got your arms around me already—how could I fall off?”

Jiang Yan: “…”

Jiang Yan was tall and broad-shouldered, while Jiang Ji was smaller and slighter. Sharing a saddle, Jiang Yan held the reins with one hand and the handle with the other, effectively caging Jiang Ji against his chest, secure and steady.

“I may have lost my memory,” Jiang Yan said lowly near his ear, “so I don’t know how skilled I am at riding. Just behave and don’t move.”

The deep voice right beside his ear made Jiang Ji scratch at it awkwardly. “Oh… alright.”

He stayed quiet for a while, but soon turned his head again. “Hey, Jiang Yan—”

As he spoke, his nose brushed right past Jiang Yan’s lips, cutting his words short. Jiang Ji froze, staring at the man’s face so close to his own that he forgot what he was saying.

He hadn’t realized their faces were that near—just a small turn and they’d touched. He could feel Jiang Yan’s breath on his skin, ticklish and warm.

And—why the lips? Shouldn’t it have been the cheek at most?

Jiang Ji turned back around quickly and rubbed at his nose.

Jiang Yan paused for a heartbeat, glanced at him, then looked straight ahead again. “What did you say?” he asked beside his ear.

Jiang Ji tilted his head. “Oh, I was asking if you remembered anything.”

The wind was loud; Jiang Yan didn’t catch it and leaned closer, ear brushing near Jiang Ji’s lips. “What?”

Jiang Ji: “…”

He gave up, turned around, and cupped a hand around Jiang Yan’s ear. Leaning in, he shouted, “You can ride a horse—so I asked if it reminded you of anything! Did you hear that?”

Jiang Yan nodded, indeed feeling that the speed, the wind, and the rhythmic pounding hooves stirred a faint, familiar sense within him.

When he didn’t reply, Jiang Ji turned again. “So? Did it come back to you?”

Jiang Yan glanced down at him and shook his head. “No. Just… feels familiar.”

“Oh, got it.”

He turned his head, his posture crooked. Jiang Yan’s arm tightened around his waist. “Sit properly. Stop wriggling.”

“…Fine.”

Pingnan County was only seventy or eighty li from Changping. They changed horses once and arrived in about an hour.

It hadn’t felt too bad while riding, just bumpy, but once they dismounted at the county office, Jiang Ji’s legs gave out beneath him—he nearly stumbled.

Jiang Yan reached out immediately, steadying him with an arm around his waist. “You alright?”

Clinging to his back, Jiang Ji looked up pitifully. “Why do my legs feel weak?”

Jiang Yan chuckled softly. “You’re just sore from the long ride. It’s normal for a first time.”

“Oh.” Jiang Ji clung to his shoulder and tried to walk, only to suck in a sharp breath through his teeth.

“What is it?” Jiang Yan asked, looking down.

Jiang Ji rubbed at the inside of his thigh. “It hurts a little.”

“Probably chafed. We’ll check once we’re inside.”

At the gate, they were led to the main hall, where Lord Chen and the local county magistrate were already waiting.

Lord Chen stood with a smile. “You made good time.”

Jiang Ji grinned. “It’s thanks to the horses you left us, sir—they run fast.”

Lord Chen introduced them to the county magistrate and said, “Brother Jiang, it’s about lunchtime. Shall we talk while we eat?”

“Sounds good.”

Jiang Yan asked the magistrate, “Sir, would there be a spare room? We should wash up first.”

“Oh yes, yes—my oversight,” the magistrate said. “You’ve come a long way on horseback; of course you should rest and freshen up.”

He called for attendants to show them to a prepared guest room.

Once inside, they set down their packs. Jiang Yan lifted his chin slightly. “Take off your pants—let’s check your leg.”

Jiang Ji didn’t bother pretending to be shy. He pulled them down and looked.

Facing away, Jiang Yan asked, “How is it?”

“It’s red.” Jiang Ji touched the spot—it was hot and stung. “Hurts a bit when I press it.”

“Let me see.” Jiang Yan turned around and found Jiang Ji half-undressed, one trouser leg off. From the knee down his skin was tanned, but his thighs were pale enough to catch the light. The inside of his thigh was indeed bright red.

Jiang Yan crouched down for a closer look. “No broken skin. Wait here—I’ll get some ointment.”

He came back quickly. Jiang Ji had already washed his face and gotten dressed.

Handing him the medicine, Jiang Yan asked, “The other side’s not rubbed raw, is it?”

“No, it’s fine. Should be better by tomorrow after some ointment.” Jiang Ji took it and pulled his pants down again to apply it.

Watching the red patch on his leg, Jiang Yan couldn’t help but chuckle. “Didn’t expect your skin to be that delicate.”

Jiang Ji looked up, unconvinced. “This area never gets any use, of course it’s soft. What, your inner thigh isn’t?”

Jiang Yan shook his head. “I rode the same distance and I’m fine.”

Jiang Ji pouted. “I don’t believe you—prove it.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

He turned away and started washing his face instead.

“What are you walking off for? Seeing is believing, you know. I won’t believe you till I see it. Maybe you’re lying!”

Jiang Yan ignored him.

Once Jiang Ji finished applying the ointment and pulled his trousers back on, he lunged and wrapped his arms around Jiang Yan. “Come on—show me!”

Jiang Yan, steady as a rock, barely budged at the sudden attack. “I told you, I’m telling the truth.”

“You’re bluffing,” Jiang Ji accused. “You’re definitely hiding it!”

He reached for Jiang Yan’s waistband with a mischievous grin. “Heh, fine, I’ll check myself then!”

Jiang Yan grabbed his hand in an instant. “Stop messing around.”

“I just want to see what this ‘not-soft’ thigh looks like—”

One trying to look, the other trying to block him—in the scuffle, Jiang Ji accidentally bumped into a nearby shelf and lost his balance, falling backward.

“Careful.” Jiang Yan quickly caught him around the waist before he could fall.

Pulled straight into Jiang Yan’s arms, Jiang Ji looked up in surprise—right into his eyes.

For a moment, neither spoke. Their gazes locked, and even the air between them seemed to still.

After a few heartbeats, Jiang Ji blinked and came back to himself. Standing upright again, he said, “…Almost fell. Thanks.”

“Mm. Be careful,” Jiang Yan replied, letting go and turning to hang the towel back on the rack.

From outside came a call: “Brothers, are you done washing up? The officials are waiting for you to eat!”

“Coming!” Jiang Ji rubbed at his nose and said to Jiang Yan, “I bet you used to ride a lot before, that’s why it doesn’t hurt—you’re used to it.”

Jiang Yan glanced at him and nodded. “Mm. Probably.”

“Come on then, let’s eat.” Jiang Ji opened the door and walked out first.

“Alright.”

Jiang Yan watched his back for a second, then followed after him.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Ch 39: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

“Where is he?” Magistrate Xu shot to his feet.

The yamen runner wiped the sweat from his forehead—he had clearly run all the way there. “He should… he should already be on the country road, sir. I came ahead to report first.”

“Good, I understand.” Magistrate Xu thought for a moment, then walked over to Jiang Ji and whispered, “The Prefect has arrived—he’ll be here any moment.”

“What? The Prefect?” Jiang Ji paused mid-writing. He remembered what Magistrate Xu had said about this man’s greed and frowned. “Why is he coming now, of all times? We’re in the middle of work.”

Magistrate Xu lowered his voice. “Just stay put and keep busy. I’ll receive him myself. If he asks to see you, I’ll call you over. But be prepared.”

“Alright. Thank you, sir.”

Magistrate Xu went to the gate with his attendants to greet the visitor. Jiang Ji leaned toward Jiang Yan and murmured, “We should stay sharp—keep an eye out.”

Jiang Yan nodded.

About fifteen minutes later, two carriages stopped at the entrance to the manor. From one of them stepped a man nearing fifty, heavyset and richly dressed, assisted down by attendants.

Magistrate Xu and his men were already waiting at the gate. As soon as they saw him, they bowed deeply. “This humble official greets Your Excellency.”

The Prefect’s name was Hu Yuanwu. He wasn’t wearing his formal robe; instead, he held a string of prayer beads, rolling them idly between his fingers.

He first glanced around the manor yard, noting the villagers carrying sacks of seeds, before finally looking at Magistrate Xu. “Hmm. So this is the place selling those new rice seeds you mentioned?”

“Yes, Your Excellency,” Magistrate Xu replied with a nod. “Would you care to step inside and take a look?”

“Let’s go.” Prefect Hu lifted his chin slightly, signaling for Magistrate Xu to lead the way.

Magistrate Xu walked ahead, giving a report on their progress as they went.

Prefect Hu had brought about a dozen people with him—not only his adviser, clerks, and guards, but also two maidservants. The whole entourage looked imposing as they entered the manor.

Many villagers, upon seeing Magistrate Xu, greeted him warmly. When they noticed the richly dressed man following beside him, they quickly stepped aside to make way, sensing he must be someone of high rank.

Magistrate Xu had planned to welcome Prefect Hu into the main hall first—it had already been cleared and cleaned, perfect for receiving guests—but Prefect Hu waved his hand. “Let’s go to the back and see where the seeds are being sold.”

Magistrate Xu paused briefly, then led the group toward the rear warehouse.

Villagers were lined up there in neat order, some entering while others exited, each carrying baskets of seeds. Everything ran smoothly.

Prefect Hu glanced at the baskets filled with sweet potatoes and potatoes, then looked toward the entrance where two tables had been set up. Beside each table stood a large wooden chest—both nearly filled with copper coins and broken pieces of silver.

He looked into the warehouse, seeing that about half the stock of seeds was already gone. “How many people have bought so far?” he asked.

“Reporting to Your Excellency,” said Magistrate Xu respectfully, bowing his head. “About sixty to seventy percent of the villagers have purchased already.”

Prefect Hu pointed toward the room. “There’s still thirty or forty percent left. That doesn’t seem like enough seeds to supply the rest, does it?”

Magistrate Xu glanced at him and replied, “Indeed, but there’s another warehouse.”

“Oh? Is that so? Take me to see it.”

Magistrate Xu hesitated briefly. “Yes, it’s this way, please follow me, Your Excellency.”

He discreetly signaled to his adviser to fetch the key from Jiang Ji.

Jiang Ji came over with the adviser and opened the warehouse door.

Full—stacked to the rafters.

Prefect Hu’s eyes gleamed as he looked over the piles of seed sacks. He rolled the prayer beads in his hand and nodded approvingly. “Excellent. Magistrate Xu, you’ve done well to discover these high-yield rice seeds and new crop varieties, and to distribute them so quickly across the county. This is a great achievement—a true blessing for the people.”

“I am only doing my duty,” Magistrate Xu said humbly with a slight bow. “And actually, these rice and crop seeds weren’t brought back by me—they were brought by a villager here. I merely assisted in promoting them. I dare not claim credit.”

“Ah, Magistrate Xu, you are too modest.” Prefect Hu smiled broadly, his tone oily with flattery. “Under your governance, the people of Changping County live in peace and prosperity. You deserve great merit. I shall certainly report this to my superiors and recommend you for commendation.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency,” Magistrate Xu replied, clasping his hands and bowing slightly. “Your Excellency, the sun is rather strong out here. You must be tired from your long journey. How about we move to the front hall for some rest? Later, when we return to the city, I’ll host a banquet in your honor.”

“Hmm, very well. Let’s sit up front for a bit first.” Prefect Hu patted his round belly and nodded.

Magistrate Xu gave Jiang Ji a subtle look, then led Prefect Hu toward the main hall.

On the way, Prefect Hu made a few polite remarks before asking casually, “You mentioned that the villager who brought the seeds is here? I’d like to meet him.”

Magistrate Xu paused slightly, then replied, “I’ll send someone to bring him over right away.”

Not long after, Jiang Ji was summoned to the main hall. Jiang Yan, uneasy about the situation, followed with him.

As they entered, they caught sight of Prefect Hu spitting the tea he’d just sipped back into his cup.

Jiang Ji: “…”

Jiang Yan: “…”

Magistrate Xu immediately stood and apologized, “My apologies, Your Excellency. This is a rural place; we don’t have any good tea to offer.”

“It’s fine. Let me share some of mine.” Prefect Hu wiped his mouth and waved his hand.

At once, his two maids brought out fine porcelain cups and began brewing tea from a canister of leaves they had brought with them.

Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan exchanged a brief look, composed their expressions, and stepped forward together. They clasped their hands and bowed. “This humble commoner greets Your Excellencies.”

Prefect Hu looked them over. Both were dressed plainly in coarse short-sleeved shirts—the garb of peasants. One was dark-skinned and straightforward-looking; the other was fairer, appearing quiet and honest.

He turned to Magistrate Xu. “These two?”

“Yes, Your Excellency.” Magistrate Xu observed the pair—unlike their usual sharp, confident demeanor, they now appeared simple and deferential. He wasn’t sure what game they were playing, but said nothing. Instead, he gestured toward them and introduced, “Your Excellency, these are the two young men—this one is Jiang Ji, and that one is Jiang Yan.”

Then he turned to them. “This is Prefect Hu.”

The two bowed again. “Greetings, Prefect Hu.”

“No need for excessive formality. Sit.” Prefect Hu gestured to the seats beside him.

Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan sat down.

Magistrate Xu didn’t continue the conversation, leaving room for the Prefect to speak. The maids served tea, and Prefect Hu motioned to them. “Pour for the two young men as well.”

The maids handed each of them a cup.

“This is tea I got from a friend,” Prefect Hu said with a smile. “Have a taste.”

After a few sips, Magistrate Xu commented, “Rich aroma, clear liquor, and a lingering aftertaste—a fine tea indeed.”

Prefect Hu smiled, rolling his prayer beads. He turned to Jiang Ji. “And what do you think?”

Jiang Ji scratched his head and replied, “This humble villager isn’t refined enough to know good tea from bad, but since Your Excellency offered it, it must be good—and it tastes fine to me.”

Prefect Hu burst into hearty laughter. “As long as it tastes good, that’s what matters.”

He then asked, “I heard from Magistrate Xu that these seeds were brought from the south?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Prefect Hu continued, “You bought them from a traveling merchant, then?”

“Yes.”

“Oh?” Prefect Hu smiled, eyes narrowing slightly as he studied Jiang Ji. “That’s quite a large quantity of seeds. Must have been hard work, hmm?”

“It’s alright, I had some help,” Jiang Ji replied with an easy smile.

Prefect Hu’s expression was kindly. “Young man, bringing in these seeds is a great merit. Magistrate Xu told me you even recorded and organized all the planting methods yourself—excellent work. Keep it up. If the crops grow well and yield a good harvest this summer, I shall personally petition the court to recognize your service. The imperial government will surely reward you.”

He sounded every bit the benevolent official, offering grand promises. Jiang Ji played along, standing up and bowing gratefully. “Thank you, sir. I just wanted everyone to harvest more grain and not go hungry.”

“Ah, what an honest young man.” Prefect Hu smiled warmly. “No need for such formality—sit, sit.” Then he turned to Magistrate Xu. “Magistrate Xu, this young fellow is remarkable, isn’t he?”

Magistrate Xu nodded repeatedly. “Indeed, Your Excellency is right. Young Jiang Ji has a generous heart.”

Prefect Hu chatted a little longer with polite flattery before suddenly waving a hand to his adviser. The adviser immediately led everyone else out of the hall.

Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan exchanged a quick look—they both knew this was where the real conversation would begin.

Magistrate Xu glanced at Jiang Ji, then asked uncertainly, “Your Excellency, what is this about?”

Prefect Hu smiled. “Nothing much. I just wish to discuss a small matter with this young man.”

Magistrate Xu quickly stood. “Oh, then perhaps I should—”

“No, no need,” Prefect Hu waved his hand. “You stay. Just listen.”

So Magistrate Xu sat back down.

The hall fell silent—you could hear a pin drop.

Prefect Hu took a sip of tea and began, “Now then, these high-yield rice seeds and new crops are a fine thing indeed. I would like to promote them throughout the entire prefecture, so that everyone can plant them, have good harvests, and fill their bellies. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

Magistrate Xu nodded. “A good thing, of course.”

Jiang Ji nodded too. “That’s what I think as well.”

Prefect Hu smiled broadly. “Excellent. It’s wonderful that you’re willing to expand this across the prefecture. But you see, young man, your family’s means are limited and you don’t have enough people to handle this properly. So here’s what I suggest—bring this merchant of yours to meet me. I’ll speak with him directly and have him deliver more seeds here. Then the prefectural office can assign men to distribute them. That way, some areas can still catch the spring planting season. Don’t you think that would be much faster?”

Magistrate Xu: “…”
Jiang Ji, Jiang Yan: “…”

Jiang Ji scratched his head. “Well, to be honest, Your Excellency, I do want to spread these seeds around, but my family is poor—we also rely on selling them to make a little money to live.”

Prefect Hu raised his brows. “You’ve already sold enough seed to supply an entire county! That should be more than enough for your family to live comfortably for life. My young friend, you’re no longer struggling to eat—but across the prefecture, countless common folk are still starving. Can you bear to let that happen?”

Jiang Yan and Magistrate Xu: “…”
Jiang Ji: “…It’s really not that much money.”

Prefect Hu continued earnestly, tone dripping with moral righteousness. “This new seed is a blessing for the people of the whole prefecture. To ensure everyone can eat, rest assured—the government won’t take a single coin in profit. Whatever price the merchant sells to us for, that exact price will be passed to the villagers.”

Jiang Ji clasped his hands. “Such integrity! I deeply admire Your Excellency’s virtue.”

Prefect Hu sighed with mock humility. “It’s my duty as the parent official of Yun Prefecture—I must think of all my people’s hunger.”

Jiang Ji blinked innocently and followed up smoothly, “You’re truly kind, Your Excellency. In that case, why don’t I write a letter to the merchants, asking them to send as many seeds as possible to each county directly? That way, villagers can buy straight from them, and it’ll save you the trouble of managing all this personally. How about that?”

Prefect Hu: “…”

Magistrate Xu looked at Jiang Ji, lips twitching.

Jiang Yan took a calm sip of tea, hiding the smirk in his eyes.

Prefect Hu’s smile froze. He stared at the dark-skinned youth before him, trying to tell whether he was being deliberately obtuse. But no matter how he looked, the boy seemed perfectly sincere—straightforward, even grateful.

The prefect’s jaw ached with frustration. How can someone this simple be so difficult to handle?

He couldn’t just spell out what he wanted—not with Magistrate Xu sitting right there. The man was upright and incorruptible; if he caught wind of anything shady, he might even report it to the provincial governor.

Prefect Hu had hoped to take the clean, “official” route, but it was clear now—he’d need to find another opportunity to meet these two brothers privately.

He forced a genial smile. “Ah, young man, you don’t quite understand. As the Prefect of this region, I naturally have certain administrative privileges—it’s much easier for me to arrange these things.”

“Oh, then why don’t you issue an official decree to the other county magistrates?” Jiang Ji suggested brightly. “If they all cooperate like Magistrate Xu here, it’ll spread quickly!”

Prefect Hu looked at him, then at Magistrate Xu, and let out a laugh that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yes, Magistrate Xu is truly a model of benevolence—an example to his peers.”

Jiang Ji nodded earnestly. “Yes, coordination between the county offices is key. That’s the fastest way to spread it.”

Prefect Hu: “…”

“Well then,” he said finally, forcing his tone back to polite calm, “why don’t you think it over? I’ve just arrived and I’m rather tired. I’ll return to the county to rest, and we can talk more another day.”

He set down his teacup, turned to Magistrate Xu, and said, “Magistrate Xu, shall we head back?”

Magistrate Xu rose and replied smoothly, “You’ve worked hard, Your Excellency. I’ll accompany you back. Jiang Ji, take care of things here.”

“Yes, sir.” Jiang Ji stood, and he and Jiang Yan escorted the two officials out of the manor.

Watching the carriage disappear down the road, Jiang Ji’s expression changed—his previously naive look vanished as he crossed his arms and muttered, “That man really has no shame.”

“He’ll probably come back,” Jiang Yan said, glancing at him. “You acted the part well.”

“Heh, nothing to it.” Jiang Ji slung an arm over Jiang Yan’s shoulder. “Come on, back to work. Still plenty of people waiting.”

Jiang Yan glanced at the hand on his shoulder, then nodded. “Mm. Let’s go.”

The two of them walked back, shoulder to shoulder.

When Zhao Ru heard that the prefect had come, she hurried from the kitchen to find them. Seeing they’d returned safely, she asked in a low voice, “You’re alright?”

“Mother, we’re fine. Don’t worry.”

“Truly?”

“Truly. I can handle it.”

Only then did Zhao Ru relax and return to the kitchen.

…

The next day, Prefect Hu and Magistrate Xu didn’t show up. Instead, Hu’s adviser came with the assistant magistrate and met with Jiang Ji privately. He said that once the seed sale was finished, Prefect Hu would host a banquet in the city to honor him.

Jiang Ji acted surprised and grateful, agreeing readily.

Another day passed. By midday, all the seeds were finally sold out. While Zhao Ru and the village head’s family cleaned up the manor, Jiang Ji borrowed Magistrate Xu’s carriage. He and Jiang Yan loaded the large chests filled with silver coins onto it and went back to town with the yamen runners, then headed straight to the money exchange to trade them for silver notes.

There was so much silver that it filled several chests. Jiang Ji didn’t dare keep it at home—it wasn’t safe—so after discussing it with Zhao Ru, he decided to send everything to the exchange while they had the yamen guards as protection.

The counting took a long time. Most villagers had paid in copper coins or small pieces of silver; only the minor landlords had paid with silver notes. Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan counted once, the moneychanger’s clerks counted again—it wasn’t until mid-afternoon that the total was confirmed.

Twenty-seven thousand eight hundred taels. Jiang Ji converted nearly all of it into silver notes—some in large denominations, some smaller—and stored them separately, leaving only a little loose silver for personal use.

When they left the exchange, neither of them had eaten lunch yet. Jiang Ji dragged Jiang Yan into a restaurant and ordered a private room.

After ordering dishes, he told Jiang Yan to keep an eye on the door, then quickly pulled a modern shoulder bag out of his system’s storage. He packed all the silver notes inside, keeping only a bit of silver for the evening’s banquet.

He slung the small bag under his inner clothes, then put on a thicker outer layer. His waist looked a little bulky, but it was safer that way. The pockets on ancient clothing just couldn’t be trusted.

…

That evening, Jiang Ji hosted a banquet at the best restaurant in town for the yamen runners, the two bookkeepers, and Magistrate Xu’s adviser. Since Magistrate Xu and the assistant magistrate had to avoid appearances of favoritism, they didn’t attend; Jiang Ji planned to invite them privately in a few days.

After the meal, Jiang Ji discreetly handed each yamen runner a silver note worth ten taels.

By the time dinner ended, the city gates were already closed. He and Jiang Yan found an inn and stayed the night. The next morning, they stopped by the county office to greet Magistrate Xu before hurrying home.

Once home, Jiang Ji used his points to exchange for a sturdy wooden chest and a modern safe.

He placed all the silver notes inside the wooden box and handed it to Zhao Ru.

“Mother, we made twenty-seven thousand eight hundred taels this time. Here are twenty-seven thousand in silver notes. Only you, Jiang Yan, and I—and the money exchange clerks—know how much we earned. Everything goes in this safe.”

Zhao Ru stared at the thick stack of notes, eyes wide. “You said how much?”

“Twenty-seven thousand eight hundred or so.”

Her hands trembled as she held the chest. “T-twenty-seven thousand eight hundred?”

“Yes.” Jiang Ji clasped her shaking hands gently. “Mother, we’ll make even more in the future, so be prepared.”

“Good heavens, that much!” Zhao Ru had never seen so many silver notes in her life. Nearly faint with excitement, she hurriedly shoved the chest back into Jiang Ji’s hands. “Quick, put it away! You said it goes in that box? Hurry—lock it up, I’ll find a lock!”

Jiang Ji laughed, catching her by the arm. “Mother, this box doesn’t use a regular lock. It’s a divine one—let me show you.”

He placed the money chest inside the safe, reset the passcode to the date he’d first arrived in this world, and then showed Zhao Ru how to open it.

Just one look at the box told Zhao Ru it was something otherworldly—made of material she didn’t recognize, with markings she couldn’t read—but she memorized the positions and order of the buttons.

With both a passcode and a key, Jiang Ji had her practice twice until he was sure she remembered.

“This is much safer than our wooden chests,” Zhao Ru said, hefting the heavy safe. “Is it made of iron?”

Not knowing how to explain stainless steel, Jiang Ji nodded. “Something like that. Oh, and Mother—don’t tell Jiang Nan or Jiang Bei how much we actually made.”

Zhao Ru nodded. “I understand. What about the rest of the village?”

“Don’t give exact numbers—just say we earned a bit. Tonight, let’s invite the village head and Uncle Tu Gen for dinner to thank them for their help. I already gave the yamen brothers ten taels each as thanks, and I was thinking of giving the same to Uncle Tu Gen and the others. Do you think that’s alright?”

Jiang Ji wasn’t sure what was proper for village etiquette when it came to showing gratitude with money.

There were twelve people in total who’d helped: nine men including the village head and Uncle Tu Gen, and three women—Aunt Xiufang, the village head’s wife, and his daughter-in-law.

“That’s fine,” Zhao Ru said. In the past, she would’ve been reluctant to part with that much silver—but now, though she still winced inwardly, she knew it had to be done.

After a moment of thought, she asked, “Do you still have new seeds?”

“I do. Why?”

“You said we were going to plant that chili pepper, didn’t you?” Zhao Ru said. “Let them plant some too. It doesn’t matter how much—they’ll understand we’re showing goodwill. If they want to grow it, good; if not, that’s fine too.”

“Alright, that’s fine.”

These people had all seen the chests full of silver—so they could more or less guess how much Jiang Ji had earned. Winning them over now would make things much easier in the future.

Jiang Ji then asked, “By the way, is the manor all cleaned up?”

“It’s done. Everything’s been tidied. We used our own bedding, didn’t touch theirs. Oh, here’s the key.” Zhao Ru took the key from her chest pocket and handed it to Jiang Ji.

“Good. Tomorrow I’ll return it to the Lin family and thank them properly.” Jiang Ji took the key to Lin Manor, then handed her the key to the safe. “Mother, keep this one safe.”

“Alright.” Zhao Ru wrapped the safe in a piece of black cloth. “Will mice bite through this thing?”

“They can’t.”

Zhao Ru hesitated about where to put it. She first tried under the bed, but after thinking for a bit, she carried it back out. Jiang Ji watched as she fetched a hoe, moved aside two clothing chests, lifted the wooden boards beneath them, and started digging a large hole in the floor.

“Mother, you’re putting it in there?”

“Yes, it’s safer this way.”

Jiang Ji blinked. “Then let’s take out a bit of money first so you don’t have to dig it up every time.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

Jiang Ji thought for a moment, opened the safe, and took out a silver note worth a thousand taels.

When Zhao Ru finished digging, she found a wooden box big enough to hold the safe, placed it inside, then buried it under the floor again.

Finally, she replaced the boards and set the clothing chests back in place, covering every trace of the digging.

Jiang Ji: … This was extreme security.

Even if thieves came and rummaged through everything, they’d never think to pry up the floorboards beneath the chests.

Around noon, one of Prefect Hu’s attendants arrived to invite Jiang Ji to meet at a restaurant in the city the next day. Jiang Ji agreed.

That night, Jiang Ji’s family prepared good food and wine to host a dinner for everyone who had helped.

During the meal, he mentioned the plan to grow chili peppers. By now, everyone was curious about the new crops Jiang Ji kept introducing. Uncle Tu Gen and the village head immediately said they wanted to plant some, while the younger men—who weren’t heads of their households—said they’d discuss it with their families first.

When the feast ended, Jiang Ji slipped a silver ingot into each person’s hands. Everyone was shocked—it was a ten-tael ingot!

They all hurried to refuse.

But Jiang Ji insisted earnestly, “Uncles, aunties, brothers, please don’t be polite with me. There’ll be many things in the future where I’ll need your help. If you don’t take this, I won’t have the face to ask for help again.”

Seeing his sincerity, everyone smiled and accepted the gift.

…

The next day, Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan went to the city. First they returned the key to the Lin family, then stopped by the county office to greet Magistrate Xu. Around noon, they headed to the restaurant where Prefect Hu had arranged to meet.

When they arrived, they noticed the main hall of the restaurant was completely empty. Curious, they asked the waiter, who told them someone had reserved the entire place.

Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan exchanged a glance and followed the waiter upstairs, taking a table by the window, where they could see both the street below and the restaurant entrance.

Not long after they sat down, Prefect Hu entered with his adviser.

After some polite small talk and three rounds of wine, Prefect Hu, having tested Jiang Ji several times without getting a straight answer, gave a subtle signal to his adviser.

The adviser lifted the wine pot, poured Jiang Ji a full cup, and said, “Brother Jiang Ji, tell me—would you like to make even more money? Maybe buy yourself a grand house?”

Jiang Ji had drunk a few cups, but his mind was clear. He nodded readily. “Of course I would! I dream of it. I want to live in a big house and let my mother rest easy.”

“You’re a good, filial son.” The adviser smiled smoothly. “You’ve earned a bit already, yes—but there’s still a long road to real wealth. We happen to have a good way for you to make big money. The only question is—do you want to?”

“What way?” Jiang Ji asked.

Lowering his voice, the adviser said, “Introduce that southern merchant to us. We can expand sales across the entire prefecture. You’ll get a ten-percent share of the profit. How about it?”

Jiang Ji’s eyes widened. “Didn’t you say you weren’t taking any money?”

The adviser laughed awkwardly. “Ah, just a little compensation for labor, you know—distributing seeds takes manpower. You hired the county office and villagers too, didn’t you?”

“Well, that’s true,” Jiang Ji said, nodding vaguely.

Prefect Hu cut in, “So, how many more seeds can this merchant deliver?”

“I’m not sure,” Jiang Ji said, shaking his head. “He told me last time there wasn’t much left. For this spring season, he might only manage one more delivery—probably enough for half a county at most.”

Prefect Hu’s eyes widened. “What? Only that little?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Ji said, swaying a little as if tipsy. “It’s a long trip for him. Honestly, there’s not much profit in it. After paying him for the seeds, I only made a bit over a thousand taels.”

He smacked the table and grabbed the adviser’s arm, complaining tearfully, “A whole county! So many families! I worked day and night for over a month, ran myself ragged—and only made a thousand taels! Tell me, tell me, why is making money so hard?!”

Then he clung to the adviser’s arm, sobbing. “If I set the price high, farmers can’t afford it. If I set it low, I lose money! They were afraid to buy new seeds, so I had to write planting guides and go village to village to teach them! I talked until my mouth went dry and gave away so many sweet potatoes and potatoes just to prove it worked! Sir, why is earning money so hard?!”

The adviser froze completely, not knowing where to put his hands.

Prefect Hu stared at the weeping young man in disbelief, utterly speechless. He began to reconsider whether it was even worth asking further.

Only half a county’s worth of seeds left—and barely any profit to be made. Even if the second rice harvest came, there’d be no more sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, or cotton left to sell. Just rice seeds wouldn’t bring much.

If there was money to be made, it would have to wait until next spring. Still, he needed to at least find out who that merchant was—or where in the south he came from.

Jiang Yan watched Jiang Ji, the corner of his eye twitching, but still reached over to pull him away from the adviser. “What are you crying for? You drink a little and start bawling—look, you’ve gotten the adviser’s clothes all dirty. Stop crying.”

Jiang Ji turned and clung to Jiang Yan instead, wailing, “Jiang Yan, I’m so tired! How did I work so hard and still earn so little? If I build just one decent house, all the money’s gone—gone!”

Jiang Yan glanced toward the window, then pinched Jiang Ji’s arm lightly, muttering, “…If it’s gone, we’ll just find another way to make money.” He had no idea how to keep this act going.

Jiang Ji suddenly lifted his head from Jiang Yan’s shoulder. “You have a way to make money?”

Jiang Yan shook his head. “No.”

“Then why say that!” Jiang Ji scolded and promptly threw himself back into Jiang Yan’s arms, sobbing harder. Between hiccups he cried out toward Prefect Hu, “Lord Hu! You said you’d teach me how to make money—what do I have to do?”

The noise gave Prefect Hu a headache. He slammed his palm against the table. “Enough! Stop crying!”

Jiang Ji flinched, instantly falling silent—except for a small hiccup. His eyes were red and watery as he looked up at the prefect.

“You—” Prefect Hu pointed at him. “Tell me the merchant’s name and how to contact him.”

“Hic… Your Excellency, there’s no big money to be made in this.”

“Not talking, eh?” Prefect Hu’s patience snapped. He’d been hoping to profit from this seed trade, but now it seemed there were no seeds left—and his temper was already frayed. “Don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink the punishment wine! I’m warning you.”

At once, four burly men entered the private room, positioning themselves around Jiang Ji.

Startled, Jiang Ji let out another loud hiccup and shrank against Jiang Yan. “S-sir, what are you doing?”

Jiang Yan immediately stood, one arm shielding Jiang Ji’s shoulders. His voice turned cold. “Lord Hu, as a parent official of the people, are you resorting to coercion and violence?”

Prefect Hu sneered. “And what if I am? When I wish to buy, you must sell.” He rose, wiping his hands and mouth with a cloth, and ordered the men, “Take him. Get me the answers—whatever it takes.”

He tossed the cloth aside and turned to leave.

Just then, the door burst open. Magistrate Xu entered with several yamen officers.

He looked around the room in confusion. “Lord Hu, what’s going on here?”

Prefect Hu frowned. “What are you doing here?”

Seeing Magistrate Xu, Jiang Ji immediately shouted, “Sir! Help me!”

Magistrate Xu glanced at him—tear-streaked and trembling—and frowned. “Lord Hu, may I ask what offense this young man has committed?”

Prefect Hu gave a cold laugh. “Nothing serious. He was disrespectful to me. I was merely going to teach him a small lesson.”

“That’s not true!” Jiang Ji cried. “He demanded the merchant’s name—he wants to buy seeds from him and sell them at higher prices! I wouldn’t tell him, so he ordered his men to seize me and use torture!”

“Utter nonsense!” Prefect Hu snapped. “I am a prefect of the realm—do you think I’d stoop to eyeing your petty profits?”

“Oh?” Magistrate Xu didn’t press further. Instead, he stepped aside to reveal the people behind him. “Lord Hu, the Provincial Inspector has sent someone.”

“The Provincial Inspector?” Prefect Hu froze, and when he saw who it was, his expression soured. “Lord Chen.”

A man in a blue robe stepped forward from behind Magistrate Xu. He scanned the room, then cupped his hands politely toward Prefect Hu. “Lord Hu, the Inspector has sent me with an official letter for both you and Magistrate Xu.”

He drew a folded document from his robe and handed it over.

Prefect Hu accepted it, broke the seal, and read—his face darkened.

“What does the Inspector say?” Magistrate Xu asked.

Prefect Hu thrust the letter toward him and shot him a furious glare.

Magistrate Xu ignored the look, took the letter, and read it carefully. When he finished, he bowed toward the man in blue. “Please convey to the Inspector that I will devote my utmost effort to carrying out this matter.”

Lord Chen nodded, then turned to Prefect Hu. “And you, Lord Hu?”

Prefect Hu’s face was grim, but he nodded stiffly. “I understand. I will not fail in my duty.”

Lord Chen smiled faintly. “The Inspector places great importance on this project. He expects both of you to treat it seriously. He’ll personally come to inspect the results in a month’s time.”

Magistrate Xu bowed again. “Yes, we will ensure it’s done well.”

Prefect Hu nodded. “Understood.”

Then Lord Chen looked toward Jiang Ji. “Which of you is the young man who introduced the high-yield rice and new crops?”

Jiang Ji stepped forward. “That would be me.”

“Ah.” Lord Chen turned to Prefect Hu. “And how, may I ask, did this young man manage to offend you?”

Prefect Hu waved a hand irritably, and the guards released Jiang Ji.

Jiang Ji wiped his face, his eyes now clear and sharp. He stepped forward, bowed low, and said firmly, “Commoner Jiang Ji greets Your Excellency.”

Lord Chen studied him—and the quiet, watchful Jiang Yan behind him. “The Inspector has heard about your introduction of new seeds and crops. He is pleased and considers it an important achievement. He has ordered Prefect Hu and Magistrate Xu to fully support your work in spreading these seeds. I will also visit from time to time to oversee the progress.”

He added, “Please bring in as many seeds as you can, and make sure the people learn how to cultivate them. When the Inspector visits, if the results are satisfactory, he will personally submit a memorial to the court to have you rewarded. Take this seriously.”

Jiang Ji bowed deeply. “Yes, sir. I will not fail his expectations.”

“Excellent.” Lord Chen nodded, then turned to Prefect Hu. “The Inspector also asked me to deliver a few words to you, Lord Hu. Shall we discuss them elsewhere?”

“Of course. Please.”

Prefect Hu followed Lord Chen out to another private room.

Magistrate Xu led Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan downstairs.

At the entrance of the restaurant, Jiang Ji thanked him earnestly. “Sir, thank goodness you came when you did. He was about to have me beaten.”

“Frightened?” Magistrate Xu looked at his face and said dryly, “You cried so loud I could hear it from outside.”

Jiang Ji scratched his head awkwardly. “Ah, there wasn’t much else I could do. Sorry for the spectacle, sir.”

Magistrate Xu lightly tapped him on the shoulder, smiling without replying.

Jiang Ji lowered his voice. “He won’t dare try anything against me again, will he?”

“No, he won’t,” said Magistrate Xu.

Jiang Ji asked softly, “Who is that Lord Chen?”

“He’s the agricultural affairs adviser under the Provincial Inspector’s office,” Xu explained.

“Oh, impressive.” Jiang Ji didn’t really know what that title meant, but he caught the words “agricultural affairs.” In his mind, that probably meant something like the provincial head of agriculture—or even a minister.

Anyway, he was someone in charge of farming, and that was what mattered.

Magistrate Xu asked, “Can you still get more seeds? If you have enough, we can expand distribution to neighboring counties. Lord Chen can order the local governments there to assist you.”

“Yes, I can still get some rice and cotton seeds. A small amount of sweet potato seeds too, but not many left.” (His points were nearly all spent, after all.)

“Then make a rough count of what you have. Come to the county office tomorrow morning to discuss the details with the lord.”

“Alright.”

“Good. Everything’s fine now—you two can head home.”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

The two of them took their leave and exited the city. Jiang Ji let out a long breath of relief. Acting really was exhausting.

That morning, when they’d gone to the county office, Magistrate Xu had already told them that the Provincial Inspector’s envoy had arrived the day before. He’d told them to go to the meeting without worry, and that if they could make Lord Chen personally witness Prefect Hu’s greed, all the better.

So Jiang Ji had put on that whole act just to buy time for Magistrate Xu to bring Lord Chen to the restaurant.

“Magistrate Xu sure has a tough boss,” Jiang Ji sighed. “Even has to play mind games like that.”

Jiang Yan nodded. “The government is like a battlefield.”

“Luckily, it’s settled now!” Jiang Ji stretched his back.

Jiang Yan’s lips curved slightly. “You can finally sleep in peace.”

“Exactly. Come on, let’s go home and get a good rest!” Jiang Ji walked a few steps in high spirits, then said, “Jiang Yan, tomorrow when we meet the lord, let’s suggest sending the remaining seeds to Pingnan County.”

“Sounds good,” Jiang Yan replied.

Jiang Ji turned his head to look at him. “You know, I don’t think you’re from our county.”

Jiang Yan paused. “Why do you say that?”

“Think about it. These past few days we’ve sold seeds to nearly eighty percent of the families in the county—someone from almost every village came, but not one person recognized you. I’m guessing you’re not from around here.”

“Hmm, makes sense.” Jiang Yan asked, “You think it might be Pingnan County?”

“Yeah. Pingnan’s just south of us—maybe seventy or eighty li away. We could go there and have a look. Who knows, maybe we’ll find your family.”

Jiang Yan glanced at him and nodded. “Alright. Let’s go to Pingnan.”

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Ch 38: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

Of the four major households, three had sent people to spy on them—it was clear they wanted to find out where Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan were getting their seeds.

After circling the manor once more to make sure no one was around, the two returned inside, washed up, and got ready for bed.

They slept in the room on the east side of the main hall, which used to house the estate’s workers—a large shared sleeping space.

They had brought their own bedding and pillows from home. Once the blankets were laid out, they both lay down.

Jiang Ji asked, “Do you think they’ll send people again tomorrow?”

“If they come, we’ll deal with them—one by one,” Jiang Yan replied evenly.

“Mm. Three families sent spies, but the Lin family didn’t.” Jiang Ji yawned. “Guess they’re all dying to know who the merchant is.”

Jiang Yan glanced at him but avoided the topic. “Go to sleep. The magistrate’s men should be coming with the list tomorrow.”

“Yeah. I’ll fill up the rooms here first thing in the morning.” Jiang Ji turned on his side to look at him. “You’ve never asked me where the seeds came from.”

“…” Jiang Yan hadn’t expected the direct question. He turned his head toward him. “Aren’t you afraid I might betray you?”

The oil lamp was still burning, casting soft light across the room. Jiang Ji met his gaze and said quietly, “I trust you.”

Jiang Yan held his eyes for a long moment before replying softly, “…Thank you.” Then he added, “But trusting people too easily isn’t always a good thing.”

Jiang Ji grinned. “I don’t trust everyone, you know. You’re different—you’re an upright man.”

Jiang Yan looked at him in silence. The lamplight painted Jiang Ji’s face with a warm orange glow, and tiny sparks of light shimmered in his eyes.

Jiang Ji blinked. “Hey, Jiang Yan, aren’t you even a little curious?”

“I am,” Jiang Yan said, looking away.

“But you’ve never asked.”

“That’s your secret. You’ll tell me when you’re ready.”

“Heh, see? That’s what makes you dependable—and smart.”

Anyone else, upon discovering Jiang Ji’s mysterious ability to produce strange things from nowhere, would’ve been desperate to find out the truth—or worse, might have turned greedy and dangerous.

But Jiang Yan had never once pried. Instead, he’d focused on protecting him and coming up with ways to help.

The Zhang, Tian, and Sun families had sent spies only to trace the merchant working with Jiang Ji—all for profit.

But Jiang Yan clearly didn’t care about money. That much, Jiang Ji had already noticed.

Jiang Yan was silent for a while before saying, “I don’t even know what kind of person I used to be.”

“As long as you’re a good person now, that’s what matters,” Jiang Ji said casually. “Actually, people tend to show their true nature after losing their memories. Don’t worry—you’re definitely not a bad one.”

Jiang Yan gave him a look, then propped himself up and blew out the small oil lamp on the side table. “Sleep.”

…

The next morning, for convenience, Jiang Ji simply took out a few packs of instant noodles—ones that had been sent as gifts by viewers in his previous life.

“What’s this? Noodles?”

Jiang Yan curiously picked up one of the red, glossy packages. He touched it; the material was smooth and water-resistant, unlike anything he’d seen before.

“It’s called instant noodles,” Jiang Ji said as he boiled water. After getting the fire going, he tore open a pack and pulled out the dry noodle block, explaining, “It’s called instant because it’s quick to cook. Just soak it in boiling water for a few minutes, and it’s ready to eat—but it tastes better boiled.”

Jiang Yan sniffed the dried noodles. “Smells good.”

“They’re fried in oil,” Jiang Ji said. “That’s why they’re so fragrant and springy—you’ll like them.”

When the water boiled, Jiang Yan watched as Jiang Ji opened four packets, dropped the noodle cakes into the pot, and poured in the seasoning packets.

Before long, a rich aroma filled the kitchen—savory, spicy, and mouthwatering.

Jiang Yan stared at the reddish broth. “Why’s the soup red? What’s that red stuff?”

“That’s chili pepper. Ah…” Jiang Ji smacked his forehead. “Right, we don’t have chili peppers in this era. You’ve probably never had them.”

He used a ladle to scoop out most of the red chili oil from the soup.

“Why’d you remove it?” Jiang Yan asked.

“You’ve never had chili before. I don’t want it too spicy for you. If you can handle it later, you can add it back in.”

After a while, Jiang Ji served the noodles into two large bowls, cleaned the pot, and fried two eggs—one for each bowl.

“Alright, done! Time to eat.”

They sat at the kitchen table.

Jiang Yan lifted some noodles with his chopsticks. They were different from any he’d seen—curly, bouncy, almost alive as they wriggled between his chopsticks.

When he took a bite, the first sensation was springiness—then his brows furrowed as a sharp heat spread over his tongue.

“Hiss—” Jiang Yan opened his mouth slightly, tongue tingling. It wasn’t the pain of a bite, but a burning he’d never felt before.

Jiang Ji had been watching him closely. Seeing his frown, he asked, “So? Is it spicy?”

“This is chili flavor?” Jiang Yan asked, blinking. “It feels… stimulating?”

“Yep, that’s chili.” Jiang Ji grinned. “Spicy flavor. Good, right?”

Jiang Yan nodded. “Good. It’s intense… and hot? But after eating it, I kind of want more.”

“Chili excites the taste buds. And nobody can resist the smell of instant noodles,” Jiang Ji chuckled. “You can even eat the noodles dry—just crunch them.”

“You can eat them dry too?” Jiang Yan mused, eating another bite. “This really is good—and convenient. Would be great for traveling. Just need a small pot.”

He thought for a moment, then added, “It’d also be perfect for military supplies.”

Jiang Ji looked up at him. “Why’d you suddenly think of the military?”

Jiang Yan hesitated, frowning slightly. “…It just came to mind on its own.”

“I swear, you’ve got a real sense of duty,” Jiang Ji said sincerely.

“Isn’t that how it should be?”

Jiang Ji shook his head and gave him a thumbs-up. “That’s admirable.”

Jiang Yan looked at him. “You’re trying to spread new rice and crop seeds so people won’t go hungry—that’s also for the country’s good.”

“Yeah,” Jiang Ji said, sighing softly. “The people here live too hard. It’s painful to watch.”

“The people here?” Jiang Yan echoed.

Jiang Ji froze for a moment, then blinked. “Yeah. We live too hard. We need to change that. Anyway—finish eating. You wash the bowls; I’ve got to head to the front.”

Jiang Yan glanced at him. “Alright.”

In the city, as soon as the gates opened, Zhang Gui and Tian An ran into each other.

Both of them were bruised and battered. Since the gates had closed the previous night, neither could enter the city. One had slept in an abandoned temple, the other in a derelict hut. Now, seeing each other, they glared fiercely, spat on the ground, and went their separate ways.

At the Tian household, Master Tian had just woken up. When he saw Tian An’s face, his brows furrowed. “You were discovered?”

“Forgive me, Master. I don’t know how they spotted me—I thought I hid well.” Tian An rubbed his swollen cheek.

“Tell me everything.”

“Yes, Master.” Tian An recounted the events of the previous night. “…That’s about it.”

When he finished, Master Tian asked, “You said the Zhang family also sent someone, and he was caught too?”

“Yes, that bastard Zhang Gui. He sold me out,” Tian An said through clenched teeth. “But don’t worry, Master—I gave him up too.”

“You didn’t see anyone from the Lin household?”

“No.”

“Only those two brothers in the manor? No one else?”

“I followed them closely—never saw anyone else. The manor was quiet. Just the two of them.”

Master Tian thought for a moment. “I see. Go on then—find a physician to look at your face.”

“Yes, Master.” Tian An hesitated. “So… should we keep watching them?”

“No.”

Tian An blinked. “We’re giving up on finding the merchant?”

Master Tian replied, “That’s right. Drop it.”

Tian An scratched his head, confused, but obeyed and left.

After he was gone, the steward stepped forward and said, “Master, the Sun and Zhang families both sent people too. The Lin family didn’t. They seem closer to Jiang Ji—could they know something?”

Master Tian shook his head. “Not sure. But don’t be fooled by Lin Quan’s cheerful face—he’s a shrewd one. Otherwise, the Lin family’s business wouldn’t keep growing like this. He lent out the manor for free and didn’t send anyone to spy—that must be for a reason. The magistrate’s taking this matter seriously, so we’d best stay out of it.”

“But our men were discovered by Jiang Ji,” the steward said worriedly.

“So what? We were just gathering a bit of information, not stealing his business.”

The steward frowned. “What if he refuses to sell us seeds now?”

“Then do this,” Master Tian said. “Bring some gifts and apologize. Say it was a servant’s foolishness—make up an excuse, like the household has already punished the man.”

“Yes, Master.”

Meanwhile, at the Zhang household, Zhang Gui had also reported what happened to Master Zhang.

Master Zhang asked a few questions, then waved him away.

The steward approached. “Master, should we keep watching them?”

Master Zhang thought for a moment. “Send someone else—but don’t go near the manor. There’s only one road leading in or out, right? Have them wait by the official road instead. And this time, make sure they aren’t spotted.”

“Yes, Master.”

At the Lin family’s western manor.

After breakfast, Jiang Yan washed the dishes and returned to the front courtyard, only to find the main hall packed from floor to ceiling with sacks of seeds—so full they nearly touched the rafters.

Jiang Ji was in the next room. Jiang Yan found him and said, “Jiang Ji, you’ve stacked these so high you might crush the ones underneath. And you won’t be able to reach the top without stepping on them.”

“Don’t worry,” Jiang Ji replied. “I saw they’ve got special ladders here—in the storeroom. Several, actually. Tall ones, short ones. You can reach the top without stepping on the sacks, so nothing will get damaged.”

Jiang Yan recalled the ladders—different from those in the village, more like staircases with small platforms. Yes, that would work.

Jiang Ji continued, “I’ve distributed the seeds into different rooms according to rough proportions. Sweet potatoes and potatoes take up the most space, while rice, corn, and cotton are less. When one room’s stock runs out, we’ll move to the next. We’ll just shift a table and a scale near the door each time to save on hauling distance. What do you think?”

“Sounds good.” Jiang Yan saw the plan was well thought out, so he didn’t linger. “I’ll be in the main hall. Keep going.”

“Alright.”

Once Jiang Yan left, Jiang Ji quickly filled the eastern rooms too.

By late morning, two men from the county office arrived, carrying a thick stack of ledgers, over three hundred cotton-planting contracts, and a single sheet of paper.

“Brother Jiang Ji, these are from the magistrate. This stack lists all the villages, their seed orders, and quantities. The paper here—these are the totals, compiled by the accounting master.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes brightened. He hadn’t expected the magistrate to have already done the math for him. “Thank you both! Please thank the magistrate for me as well. Could you also tell him this—inform all the villages to come buy seeds the day after tomorrow, starting from the west side of town since it’s closer. The rest can follow his arrangement. Those farther away will need more travel time—he’ll know what to do.”

“Understood. We’ll pass it on.”

The two clerks glanced around the hall, amazed. “You’ve already moved all this in?”

“Still a few loads left. Should be done tomorrow,” Jiang Ji said. Then he paused. “Wait a moment—I’d like to send a letter to the magistrate through you.”

He asked Jiang Yan to write the letter, detailing the seed sale schedule and requesting the magistrate to lend them the accounting master.

After sending the officials off, Jiang Ji checked the totals from the county’s ledgers and now had a clear picture in his mind.

A while later, the Tian household’s steward arrived with some pastries and bolts of cloth.

Jiang Ji was surprised. “The Tian steward? To what do I owe the pleasure?”

The steward began apologizing at once. “Ah, it’s because of a foolish servant. I’ve come to make amends.”

“Apologize?” Jiang Ji raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion. “For what?”

The steward sighed. “It’s that Tian An. I saw him this morning—face bruised and swollen—so I asked what happened. I nearly jumped when I heard it! Turns out he caused trouble at your place yesterday. That brat’s been slippery since childhood, no sense of propriety. He said he went to steal your sweet potatoes of all things.”

“Steal sweet potatoes?” Jiang Ji’s mouth twitched. “That’s what he said?”

“Yes, yes! You gave our household some sweet potatoes before, right? His mother’s one of our cooks. He stole one to eat, liked it too much, and since we ran out, he thought of yours. Tch! Such a fool.” The steward smoothly shifted all blame onto Tian An. “Don’t worry—Master Tian already knows and has ordered a harsh punishment. He won’t cause you any more trouble.”

Jiang Ji just watched him perform quietly.

“My master was afraid you might misunderstand, so he sent me to explain personally.” The steward took the gift box from his attendant and offered it. “A small token of apology from the Tian household. Please accept it.”

Jiang Ji noticed the steward’s cautious gaze, studied him for a moment, then smiled faintly. “Master Tian is too polite. A servant’s mistake hardly calls for such a heavy apology. Just telling me would have been enough.”

“Not managing our servants properly is our fault,” the steward insisted, pushing the gifts forward again. “It’s just a small gesture of sincerity.”

Jiang Ji accepted the box with a smile. “Alright, I’ll take it, then. Please tell Master Tian not to worry about it anymore.”

“Of course, young master. You’re most generous—I’ll be sure to report back to my lord.” The steward cupped his hands. “I’ll take my leave now; there’s still work to do at the estate.”

“Safe travels.”

Watching the Tian family’s carriage disappear down the road, Jiang Ji turned to Jiang Yan and said, “The Tian household is really something—sending people to apologize after spying on us.”

Jiang Yan glanced at the gift box—two boxes of pastries and four bolts of cloth. He raised an eyebrow. “He’s probably just testing things out. Once he realized he’d been caught, he backed off. But since he’s worried you might stop selling him seeds, he sent someone to smooth things over.”

“These people really have too many little schemes,” Jiang Ji sighed. “Forget it. At least he came to apologize. Better that than tearing things open and adding another enemy.”

…

The next day, Jiang Ji had all the seeds prepared. The ones that didn’t fit in the rooms were neatly stacked under the eaves of the main hall.

Then he returned to the village and called Uncle Tu Gen and seven or eight trustworthy villagers to help for a few days. That night, they all came together to the manor to keep watch.

Early the next morning, Zhao Ru, Aunt Xiufang, and the village head’s daughter-in-law arrived to prepare breakfast. They would be helping here for the next few days, cooking and assisting with the work.

After breakfast, the manor gates opened. A desk was set up in front of the main hall, with registration ledgers and writing tools neatly laid out. Jiang Yan sat behind it, ready to handle records and accounts.

Uncle Tu Gen and the villagers stood by to help move and weigh the seed sacks.

The nearby villages had already received notice the day before, and soon villagers were arriving one after another, pushing handcarts to buy seeds.

“Line up properly, everyone—one household at a time!” Jiang Ji called out, keeping order while doing calculations with a pencil at the side.

Before long, Magistrate Xu arrived with the assistant county official, the scribe, and a few yamen runners. He had also brought the county accountant and his apprentice.

Magistrate Xu introduced them. “This is Accountant Luo from the county office. He and his apprentice will assist you for the next few days.”

“Perfect! That’s exactly what I needed.” Jiang Ji smiled, clasping his hands respectfully toward the middle-aged man. “Thank you both for your help.”

Accountant Luo returned the gesture. “You’re too polite, young man. Let’s begin.”

“Alright.” Jiang Ji handed him several ledgers and blank books, then called to the crowd, “Villages of Tupo, Xiaoqing, and Niushan—line up on this side!”

Another table was set up at the gate. Accountant Luo and his apprentice worked in perfect sync—one using the abacus, the other writing down the figures.

The buyers were split into two lines, and the process immediately sped up.

With yamen runners maintaining order and the magistrate himself present, no one dared cause trouble. Everything went smoothly.

Many villagers signed the cotton-planting contracts. Those from villages near Jiang Ji’s came earlier, so he selected mostly nearby households—easier for him to visit and supervise later.

Some from farther villages also wanted to sign, but Jiang Ji couldn’t take on that many.

“Sorry, we’ve filled the quota,” he told them, “but you can still buy cotton seeds. Trust me, cotton is valuable—there’s high demand. We can sell the extra outside the county. As long as you follow the planting guide I’ve written, your yield will go up a lot. Unless something unusual happens, you’ll all make a good profit. Don’t worry.”

Hearing that, the villagers quieted down.

The magistrate had also printed the planting methods for rice, sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, and cotton. Each village head could pick up a free copy to take home and teach the villagers.

Meanwhile, Zhao Ru and Aunt Xiufang were teaching people how to sprout and transplant sweet potatoes and potatoes—the same techniques Jiang Ji had shown them.

They had prepared a basket of soil and another of plant ash, demonstrating the steps on the spot.

“When the time comes,” Jiang Ji said, “the magistrate will gather all the village heads again at the county office for another lesson. After that, they’ll go back and teach everyone in their villages. Don’t worry—it’s simple.”

“That’s good, that’s good.”

“Ah, looks easy enough!”

The trade went smoothly. The road outside the manor was full of villagers pushing carts and carrying baskets—coming and going nonstop.

Magistrate Xu came by every day, staying until dusk before returning to town. The accountant and yamen runners remained to help Jiang Ji and his team.

Three days later, the manor was still busy. People from all over the county kept coming, but everything was orderly and efficient.

More than half the seeds were gone, and sales had moved to the large rear warehouse.

In the room where Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan slept, several large chests were now filled with silver—the profits from the seed sales.

At noon, a yamen runner suddenly ran in to report to the magistrate, “Sir, the Prefect has arrived!”

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Ch 37: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

After lunch, the villagers all gathered at Jiang Ji’s house to watch them cut the potatoes.

In the courtyard, Jiang Ji set up a wooden board, placing a pile of potatoes on one side and an empty basket on the other. As he sliced the potatoes, he put each finished piece into the basket. Zhao Ru and Jiang Yan then took the potato chunks, dipped them in wood ash, and laid them under the eaves to dry.

“Just like this—it’s simple,” Jiang Ji explained as he worked. “Make sure each piece has a sprout eye, and don’t cut them too small. Two to three pieces per potato is ideal.”

“It’s really that easy?” one villager asked.

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes, that’s all there is to it. Don’t stack them too high when you pile them up, or the ones at the bottom won’t sprout properly. Once they start sprouting, leave them in the sun for another two days, and then they’ll be ready for planting. Make sure your fields are prepared beforehand.”

“Alright, alright, we’re already drying the soil—then we’ll build the ridges.”

Jiang Ji reminded them, “I told you before—sprouted potatoes are poisonous, you can’t eat them. They’ve all started sprouting now, so don’t eat any.”

“Who’d eat them now? We’re all saving them for planting.”

“Yeah, if we eat them, we’ll have nothing to plant. No one’s touching the seed potatoes. I’ll go home and start cutting mine too.”

That afternoon, every household in the village began cutting their potatoes, keeping pace with Jiang Ji’s family.

The Jiang family was planting two mu of potatoes and needed several baskets’ worth of seed pieces, but the three of them finished their work quickly.

Afterward, Zhao Ru led the cow out and went with Jiang Ji to turn compost again, while Jiang Yan stayed home to continue copying manuscripts.

Jiang Ji had gotten into the habit of writing every evening. He had already filled two notebooks. Writing with a brush was slow, so Jiang Yan couldn’t keep up. And sometimes, Jiang Ji’s handwriting was so cursive that Jiang Yan couldn’t read it; he’d just leave those spots blank and wait for Jiang Ji to come back so he could ask.

…

After dinner, two tables—one big and one small—were lit with tung oil lamps in the main hall.

At the large table, Jiang Ji was writing about planting methods. There were so many types of vegetables and fruits that he wanted to record all their growing techniques.

Jiang Yan was copying the notes, and Jiang Xia was doing her homework and practicing calligraphy.

At the small table sat Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei, each on one side, working on their schoolwork. Zhao Ru sat beside them with her sewing basket, making undergarments.

The tailor shop’s Shopkeeper Sun had just returned from the prefectural city and told Zhao Ru and Aunt Xiufang to keep supplying them with clothes. So, Zhao Ru and Aunt Xiufang worked whenever they had time, and even Jiang Xia helped after finishing her studies. They had managed to earn quite a bit of silver that way.

Everyone in the family was busy with their own work, chatting occasionally. The warm yellow lamplight swayed gently, filling the room with quiet comfort and contentment.

…

The next day, Steward Lin Fu from the Lin household came by to say that the manor was ready.

Jiang Ji immediately went with Jiang Yan to inspect it.

The manor was located between their home and the county town—less than half an hour’s walk away. They arrived quickly.

At the gate, a man of about fifty was waiting. When he saw Lin Fu, he opened the door and handed over the key.

Jiang Ji looked around. The manor was surrounded by farmland, with only one road leading in and out. It was the only estate in the area, and the nearest village was about two li away.

Being far from the other villages made Jiang Ji very satisfied.

“This is the place,” Lin Fu said, leading them inside. “We’ve already had all the rooms cleaned and prepared.”

The manor was large—right past the entrance was a wide courtyard, and the living quarters were further in the back.

“Wow, it’s so spacious,” Jiang Ji couldn’t help but exclaim.

Lin Fu smiled. “This manor used to house the workers who managed the Lin family’s farmland. This open space here is the drying yard—we spread the rice out here during harvest season.”

“All those fields outside belong to your estate?” Jiang Ji asked.

“That’s right.”

No wonder there were no other houses around.

The three crossed the drying yard, and Lin Fu showed them around. “This is the main hall. Since you’ll be storing seeds here, I had them clear the space completely—just left a few tables and benches.”

Jiang Ji looked around. Only a few sets of tables and chairs remained in the center, and both sides were cleared out. He smiled brightly. “Perfect! Steward Lin, you really thought of everything.”

Flattered, Lin Fu smiled. “The side rooms have all been emptied. Two of them still have bedding—you can stay overnight here if you need to. This one over here holds all the blankets; if you need any, just take them. And there are two storerooms in the back—I’ll show you.”

“Alright, thank you.”

The side rooms had belonged to the manor’s workers, now tidied up. The two storerooms in the back were also quite large.

“These storerooms used to hold grain,” Lin Fu explained. “There was still some left, but our master was afraid you wouldn’t have enough space, so he had it moved out overnight.”

“Please thank Master Lin on my behalf,” Jiang Ji said sincerely. “Once everything’s settled, I’ll visit personally to express my gratitude.”

“Brother Jiang Ji, no need to be so polite. My master is glad to be of help.”

Lin Fu then led them to the back courtyard. “Here’s the kitchen. Since you’ll be staying for several days, you can cook for yourselves. There’s firewood in that shed—you’re welcome to use it.”

“That’s great, thank you, Steward Lin.”

After the full inspection, Jiang Ji was very pleased. He looked over at Jiang Yan, who nodded in agreement.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Ji said, “Steward Lin, could you ask that older gentleman from earlier to guard the place for one more day? We’ll come tomorrow morning.”

“Of course,” Lin Fu replied. “I’ll tell him to hand you the key directly. The gate’s a bit far from the main hall—do you want him to stay and keep watch?”

“No need. The magistrate will be sending someone to help guard.”

“Alright then.”

After settling the details, Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan returned home.

The next morning, after breakfast, they packed two sets of clothes, their washing items, and Jiang Yan brought his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Then they moved into the manor.

Zhao Ru worried about their meals. “Should I bring food to you?”

“No need, Mother, it’s too far. Three meals a day would be too much trouble for you.” Jiang Ji patted his chest confidently. “I can cook. We won’t starve. It’s just for two days—come visit after that.”

Zhao Ru still packed them some vegetables and rice, which Jiang Ji carried on his back.

Halfway there, Jiang Yan suddenly spoke quietly. “Someone’s following us. Don’t stop—keep walking.”

Jiang Ji stiffened but didn’t slow down. Covering his mouth with one hand, he whispered, “How many?”

“One.”

“One?” Jiang Ji’s eyes lit up. “Should we capture him?”

“Don’t you want to know who he’s with?” Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow.

Jiang Ji grinned. “If we catch him and question him, won’t we find out?”

Jiang Yan said flatly, “…What if he lies?”

“…” Jiang Ji had to admit that was possible. “Then what do you plan to do?”

“We’ll head there first,” Jiang Yan said. “In the afternoon, you’ll go out toward town. He’ll probably follow you. Once you’re in town, wander near an inn or teahouse, then lose him. I’ll trail him afterward and see which house he reports to.”

Jiang Ji looked at him with admiration. This “white-cut-black” man really was calculating beneath the calm. His eyes lit up. “Alright, let’s do it that way.”

When they reached the manor, the gatekeeper handed Jiang Ji the key and left.

Everyone in the village knew the two would be gone for a couple of days—they’d said they were going to meet traders to arrange seed distribution.

In truth, they had nothing of the sort to do. They sat face-to-face in the main hall of the manor, continuing to write planting instructions.

Around noon, Jiang Yan looked up. “It’s midday.”

“Hm? You hungry?” Jiang Ji glanced outside at the sun and set his brush down. “Then let’s make lunch.”

As they walked toward the kitchen, Jiang Yan asked, “Do you even know how to cook?”

“Of course,” Jiang Ji said confidently. “Cooking’s easy.”

Jiang Yan gave him a look. “I’ve never seen you cook at home.”

“Uh…” Jiang Ji hesitated. “I probably can… I think.”

Jiang Yan stopped walking. “You can’t cook?”

Jiang Ji stopped too. “I’ll figure it out! Come on, you won’t starve.”

“…Alright.”

In the kitchen, Jiang Ji rinsed the rice and lit the fire. “Watch the fire, don’t let it go out.”

“I know.”

Jiang Ji took out the salt, oil, and other seasonings he’d brought, plus a piece of pork Zhao Ru had packed. He thought for a moment. “Let’s make braised pork with potatoes. Should be simple—I saw Mother make it before. Just fry the meat first, then add the potatoes and stew them together.”

“Fine, as long as it’s edible,” Jiang Yan said. Seeing the fire burn steadily, he went over to wash the vegetables.

Jiang Ji raised an eyebrow, washing the meat. “Don’t underestimate me. I’ve never cooked, but I’ve watched.”

“Mm, I know.” Jiang Yan peeled the potatoes while speaking. “Be careful not to cut yourself.”

“Got it.” Jiang Ji tilted his head to glance at him. Jiang Yan’s movements were smooth and precise, the potato skins coming off in thin, perfect curls. “Jiang Yan, you handle a kitchen knife pretty well. Don’t tell me you’ve cooked before?”

Jiang Yan paused, staring down at the kitchen knife in his hand with a hint of confusion. “Maybe I did.”

“I’ve always found you kind of contradictory,” Jiang Ji said, studying him. “Look at you—you’ve got the air of a young master from some wealthy family, all scholarly and refined, yet you know how to handle a kitchen knife? And your body—come on, eight-pack abs?” He clicked his tongue in amazement. “That’s not something an ordinary scholar gets from reading books.”

Jiang Yan glanced at him. “Abs?”

“Yeah, abdominal muscles—you’ve got eight of them, don’t you?”

Jiang Yan hesitated for a moment. “So you’ve been looking at that.”

“Of course! When I was checking your injuries, I couldn’t exactly not see it.” Jiang Ji finished slicing the meat and put it into a bowl. “Anyway, your build doesn’t look like a scholar’s. Maybe you practiced martial arts before.”

“The potatoes are ready,” Jiang Yan said as he peeled two, washed them, and put them in a bowl. “It’s possible I did.”

Jiang Ji froze and turned to him. “How do you know?”

“After my wounds healed, my body felt light and strong,” Jiang Yan said slowly. “There’s a sort of energy inside—like a force running through me.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Wow, is it internal energy?”

Jiang Yan shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t remember, and I don’t know how to use it.”

“Oh, that’s a shame.” Jiang Ji blinked, then nudged his arm playfully. “Don’t worry, you’ll remember eventually.”

“Mm.” Jiang Yan took a cabbage from the basket and began washing it.

Once the ingredients were ready, Jiang Ji tried to recall what he’d seen his mother do and began cooking. Jiang Yan tended the fire.

The wok heated up; Jiang Ji poured in some oil. When it was hot enough, he tossed in the meat to fry until it released some fat, then added slices of ginger to stir-fry.

“Should I add water and stew it now?” Jiang Ji muttered to himself, staring into the pot.

“Go ahead,” Jiang Yan replied.

“Yeah, as long as it’s cooked, that’s all that matters.” Jiang Ji poured in two bowls of water and tossed in a star anise. “Let it simmer for a bit, then add the potatoes.”

After adding the potatoes, he felt there wasn’t enough liquid, so he poured in a bit more water, covered the pot, and let it stew.

“Did you add salt?” Jiang Yan asked after a while.

Jiang Ji blinked. “Ah! I knew I was forgetting something.”

He lifted the lid, added two spoonfuls of salt and a bit of soy sauce, then covered it again. After a short wait, he uncovered the pot, peered inside, and said, “Should be done now, right?”

“Try it.”

Jiang Ji picked up a piece of potato with his chopsticks and tasted it. “Potatoes are cooked.”

“And the meat?”

“After simmering this long? It must be cooked too. The broth’s almost gone—it’s done.”

He dished out the braised potatoes and pork, then stir-fried the cabbage.

“All done—time to eat!” Jiang Ji said happily, looking at the two dishes on the table, one meat and one vegetable. “See? I told you I wouldn’t let you go hungry. Look at that—not burnt, and fully cooked!”

Jiang Yan picked up a piece of meat and tasted it. Jiang Ji watched eagerly. “How’s it taste?”

Jiang Yan looked at him, chewed, swallowed, and said, “Not bad.”

Jiang Ji’s face brightened, and he took a bite himself. After just two chews, his brows furrowed. “Why’s the meat so tough? It’s been stewing forever—my mother’s never turns out like this.”

“No idea. Ask her when we’re back,” Jiang Yan said calmly, eating without even a frown. “The potatoes are good, though.”

Jiang Ji glanced at him and smirked. “Looks like I really need to learn proper cooking skills.”

In the system’s mission list, there was a cooking skill—and special tasks related to it. Jiang Ji decided then and there to unlock it. He couldn’t let his stomach suffer like this again.

After the meal, they cleaned up and went out according to plan.

Jiang Ji headed toward town alone. Not long after he left the manor, Jiang Yan noticed a man in gray slip out from the bushes and follow him—keeping neither too close nor too far. Jiang Yan quietly trailed behind them.

Jiang Ji trusted Jiang Yan completely and didn’t look back. When he reached the tea house on East Main Street, he quickened his pace, slipped inside through the front door, then exited through the back, zigzagging through alleys until he lost the follower.

By evening, he was back at the manor, cooking while waiting for Jiang Yan’s return.

Jiang Yan didn’t come back until nightfall. As soon as he walked in, Jiang Ji hurried over. “Well? Was it Master Zhang’s people?”

Jiang Yan took a sip of water. “No. That man was from the Sun household.”

“The Sun family?” Jiang Ji blinked, picturing the older Master Sun in his fifties. “Them? Aren’t they in the jewelry trade?”

“Yes. I saw him go through the Sun family’s gate,” Jiang Yan said, frowning slightly. “But when I got back, I noticed another person watching the manor.”

“The same one?”

“No. Different build. Probably another man—hiding behind the tree outside. Must’ve followed you back.”

Jiang Ji frowned. “…Who cares whose family he’s from. Let’s eat first, then go out and teach them a lesson.”

“Alright.”

“Think there might be more than one?”

“Then we’ll clear them all out.”

After dinner, both grabbed wooden sticks and went out the back door, circling around to the front. Sure enough, there were two men—one crouching in the grass, and another behind a tree on the other side of the gate.

They exchanged a look and divided the work—one each.

Jiang Ji took the one in the grass. When he saw Jiang Yan quietly circle behind the one near the tree, he rushed forward and whacked the man in the grass with his stick.

“Ah! Who’s there?!” the man yelped, springing up in shock.

Almost at the same moment, another cry came from the tree. “Who hit me?!”

Both spies froze in confusion—had they been discovered?

They turned to flee, but Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan had no intention of letting them escape.

Jiang Ji had learned some martial arts in his past life, and Jiang Yan moved with remarkable agility. Like catching petty thieves, the two quickly subdued the spies and beat them until they were rolling on the ground.

Before long, both men were captured, tied up, and dragged into the main hall.

The two lookouts glanced at each other—stunned that they’d been caught so easily.

Jiang Yan’s voice was cold. “So you know each other? Perfect. Then tell me—who sent you?”

Jiang Ji stayed silent, letting Jiang Yan take charge. He was far better at interrogations than he was.

The two spies said nothing.

“No answer?”

Without another word, Jiang Yan grabbed one of the men by the collar and dragged him into the next room. Moments later, a piercing scream echoed through the wall.

The man still in the hall flinched in terror. “Y-you’re using torture! That’s against the law!”

Jiang Ji smiled pleasantly. “Well, there’s no one around to see. The nearest village is two li away. If you both disappeared here today… no one would ever know.”

“D-disappeared?” The man trembled. “K-killing is a crime!”

Jiang Ji crouched down in front of him. “We can let you go. You just have to tell us who you are and who sent you.”

The man’s eyes darted back and forth before he stammered, “I—I’m from the Lin household. My master sent me. I can go now, right?”

Jiang Ji smiled. “Oh? And what about the one next door? Whose man is he?”

“You said you’d let me go!”

“I will,” Jiang Ji said softly. He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Listen, brother, think about it. We caught you sneaking around—if you go back like this, how are you going to explain yourself to your master?”

“Uh…”

“So here’s your chance to make up for it. You’ve been caught, sure—but the other guy’s been caught too. If someone from another house takes the fall, your master will be pleased, right? He’ll think you helped expose a rival’s spy. Maybe he’ll even forgive you this time. Don’t you think so?”

“Ah—!” Another scream came from the next room.

The man’s whole body jerked at the sound. Shaking, he finally said, “He—he’s from the Tian household.”

“The Tian family?”

“Yes, he’s the cook’s son. I’ve seen him before.”

“Ah!”

Another shriek followed from the other room. The sound was enough to make one’s skin crawl. Trembling, the man pleaded, “I’m telling the truth! You said you’d let me go!”

“I will.” Jiang Ji untied the ropes around his wrists. The man hurried to free his own legs and bolted out as fast as he could.

Then Jiang Ji walked into the other room.

Inside, he saw Jiang Yan standing with one boot pressing down on the other spy’s back. Jiang Yan tilted his chin toward him. “See that? The other one left. You know why he got to walk out?”

“Because,” Jiang Ji crouched beside the man, “he gave you up.”

The man on the ground froze, his pupils shrinking. Then Jiang Ji said, “You’re the Tian cook’s son, aren’t you?”

“Bastards!” the man roared, eyes wide. He hadn’t expected this kind of interrogation—they hadn’t asked him who he was, but who the other one was.

Since they were from different households, why should he suffer for someone else’s sake?

Jiang Ji grinned. That reaction said everything—it was true.

“Your turn,” he said smoothly. “He’s already given you up. No point keeping his secret. Tell us who he is, and you can go too.”

The man squeezed his eyes shut and muttered, “He’s from the Zhang household—the steward’s youngest son. His name’s Zhang Gui.”

“Good. You can go.”

Jiang Yan lifted his boot and untied the ropes. The man limped out but ran off as fast as he could.

Jiang Ji went to close the courtyard gate, clapped his hands, and said cheerfully, “All done!”

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Ch 36: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

When Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan got home, it was already near dusk. Zhao Ru had gone out to graze the cattle, so only the two of them were there.

Jiang Yan noticed that Jiang Ji was walking a little awkwardly and asked, “Do we have any ointment for bruises at home?”

“No,” Jiang Ji shook his head.

“Then I’ll go find a doctor and ask for something to put on it.”

“Hey, hey, no need.” Jiang Ji grabbed his arm. “It’s not that bad. For the first day you ice it, then apply heat tomorrow. It’ll heal in a few days.”

Jiang Yan frowned. “Ice it?”

“Yeah, ice it.” Jiang Ji went into the kitchen for a drink of water, took his washcloth, and walked to the front hall. “Jiang Yan, bring the long bench out for me. I’m going to sit by the door and get some sun.”

Jiang Yan quickly carried out the long bench. When he came back out, Jiang Ji’s towel was already wrapped around something, damp and leaving wet marks.

It was ice — actual ice, something that had never existed in their house before.

Jiang Yan: …

He didn’t ask further. He placed the long bench behind Jiang Ji. Jiang Ji sat down under the eaves, stretched out his legs, rolled up his pant cuffs, and revealed two clear bruises on his knees, each about the size of an egg.

Jiang Ji put his left leg up on the bench and pressed the ice onto his left knee.

“Hiss—” Jiang Ji shivered at the cold and muttered, “Still a bit chilly.”

Jiang Yan frowned as he watched. “You’re sure you’re supposed to ice it?”

“Mm. For fresh bruises, you ice first to keep it from spreading. Heals faster that way,” Jiang Ji explained, seeing Jiang Yan’s skepticism. “That’s what the doctor says.”

When he was in school before, he’d been very active and often bumped into things — he already had experience with this.

Jiang Yan brought over another small stool, sat beside him, and took the towel from his hand. “Let me do it.”

Jiang Ji wanted to finish quickly. “Then why don’t you grab another long bench and my face towel too? I’ll ice both legs at once — faster that way.”

Jiang Yan went to fetch the bench and towel. While he was in the kitchen, Jiang Ji quietly produced another large block of ice.

Jiang Yan looked at the neatly cut, square ice blocks sitting on the bench, each about the size of a fist. “…”

So he really wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore. Jiang Yan gave Jiang Ji a look and handed him the towel.

Jiang Ji wrapped the ice and placed his right leg on the other bench, icing it too.

“How long should you do it?” Jiang Yan asked, holding the ice on the left knee.

“Twenty—uh, about one to two quarters of an hour,” Jiang Ji said, almost biting his tongue. He still wasn’t used to the ancient way of telling time and always had to translate it in his head.

Jiang Yan looked at his knees, then pressed a finger against one of the bruises.

“Hiss—” Jiang Ji’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?”

“Does it hurt a lot?” Jiang Yan frowned. “You sure you didn’t hurt the bone?”

Jiang Ji shook his head. “Didn’t hit the bone. Doesn’t hurt that bad, just kind of sore and swollen. Don’t poke it again.”

“Okay,” Jiang Yan said.

“Move the ice around a bit,” Jiang Ji reminded. “You’ve got to cover the whole area.”

Following his instructions, Jiang Yan shifted the ice now and then and used the dry end of the towel to wipe away the moisture on Jiang Ji’s legs. “That Zhang merchant—you’ll need to be careful around him.”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yeah, I think he’s figured out that we plan to start a weaving workshop. We avoided it today, but that might only make him more suspicious.”

“What do you plan to do?” Jiang Yan asked.

“I don’t know. We’ve got no background, no power like his family, and no experience. If he wants to make trouble, we definitely can’t win.” Jiang Ji thought for a moment. “The only things we can rely on are our seeds—and Magistrate Xu. Magistrate Xu said he’s already submitted a memorial, right? That has to go up level by level, doesn’t it?”

Jiang Yan shook his head. “I don’t remember exactly, but probably.”

“I just don’t know what kind of people the prefect and governor are,” Jiang Ji said worriedly. “If they’re corrupt, then we’ll still have problems. I forgot to ask Magistrate Xu about that today.”

“Didn’t you promise to deliver sweet potatoes to the other three families tomorrow? Ask him again when you see him.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.”

Jiang Yan added, “Send another sack to the Lin household too.”

Jiang Ji looked up at him.

Jiang Yan reminded him, “The adviser said the Zhangs and Lins don’t get along.”

“Right, he did.” Jiang Ji paused, then his eyes lit up. “You mean…?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Since they’re rivals, they’ll definitely keep watch on each other. As the saying goes, the one who knows you best is often your opponent. Both families live in town, so their news is definitely better than ours. If we build good relations with the Lins, maybe they’ll help us if the Zhangs try anything. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

“Jiang Yan, you’re too smart!” Jiang Ji’s eyes shone as he smacked Jiang Yan on the shoulder. “You’re a white-cut-black!”

Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow. “A what?”

“Hehe, means you look innocent but you’re actually clever,” Jiang Ji said, trying to brush it off.

Jiang Yan’s brow arched slightly. “…Doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

“No, no, it means you’re smart,” Jiang Ji rubbed his nose and changed the subject. “By the way, does it still hurt where you got hit earlier?”

Jiang Yan: “…”

When he didn’t answer, Jiang Ji frowned and tilted his head. “It’s not still hurting, right? Don’t tell me you’ve got a bruise too. Want to check in the room? If it’s bruised, you should ice it too.”

Jiang Yan looked at him silently.

Jiang Ji felt uneasy under his gaze. “What?”

Jiang Yan said calmly, “It doesn’t hurt anymore. Don’t worry.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Jiang Ji patted his chest in relief. “As long as it still works, that’s what matters.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Jiang Ji saw Jiang Yan’s speechless expression and said, “That part’s very important for a man, you know. If it stopped working, wouldn’t that make me a sinner?”

Jiang Yan: …

“And besides,” Jiang Ji went on, his imagination already running wild, “what if you’re not married yet, haven’t had kids, and you’re the only son in your family? Wouldn’t I be cutting off your family line? Your whole family would come after me!”

Seeing him getting more and more ridiculous, Jiang Yan asked evenly, “And if that really happened, what would you do?”

Jiang Ji sighed. “What else could I do? Cut mine off and give it to you?”

Jiang Yan: …

“Hahaha, kidding! You’re fine, aren’t you?” Jiang Ji slapped his shoulder, sighing in relief. “Good thing you’re okay—and still usable.”

Jiang Yan glanced at him, then lowered his eyes and poked his bruised knee.

“Ah!” Jiang Ji yelped, clutching his knee and staring at Jiang Yan in disbelief. “What was that for?”

Jiang Yan looked up, his face expressionless. “Accident.”

“Yeah, right! You did that on purpose! Petty bastard!”

“Mm. I’m petty. So be careful.” Without even moving his eyebrows, Jiang Yan poked the bruise again.

“Ah! Damn it! You—” Jiang Ji almost jumped up, glaring and pulling his leg back. “Forget it, forget it! I can do it myself.”

Jiang Yan pressed down on his calf with one hand, his thumb firm and clearly threatening. He looked up at him and said quietly, “Don’t move. I told you—I’m very petty.”

“…You even admit it with such a straight face,” Jiang Ji complained inwardly, but obediently apologized out loud. “Brother, I was wrong.”

Jiang Yan’s voice was cool. “What were you wrong about?”

“…I shouldn’t have said you can’t… Ow ow ow! Don’t poke, it hurts!”

Jiang Yan’s thumb pressed against the bruise, rubbing slightly. “Who can’t?”

“I can’t, I can’t!” Jiang Ji’s eyes were watering; the ache and pressure were unbearable. “Brother, you can! You’re the best—pillar of heaven, three days and nights without rest!”

Jiang Yan frowned. “What nonsense are you spouting?”

“No nonsense, I’m complimenting you.”

A faint smile flickered in Jiang Yan’s eyes as he eased up, finally sparing the pitiful man.

Jiang Ji came back to life, muttering under his breath, “Say you can’t, you get mad. Say you can, still not okay. So hard to please.”

Jiang Yan shot him a glance but ignored the muttering. He put his palm on Jiang Ji’s knee. “Feels like it’d get better if I rubbed it out.”

“Stop, stop!” Jiang Ji quickly grabbed his hand to stop him. “Brother—Yan, my good brother—please don’t rub it! You can only do that tomorrow night.”

Jiang Yan’s left hand slid down to hold his calf while the right hand pressed the ice on again. He looked at him and said in a low tone, “Say it again.”

“Huh? Say what?” Jiang Ji looked up, puzzled.

The sun was setting, bathing Jiang Ji in orange light. The glow painted his face with soft gold warmth. His eyes glistened faintly with moisture, reflecting light like glass—fragile yet resilient, vivid and alive.

In that shimmer, Jiang Yan thought he saw his own reflection. He lowered his gaze and asked, “What did you just call me?”

“Just now?” Jiang Ji frowned, thinking. “Brother? Or Yan, or Brother Yan?”

Jiang Yan’s lips curved slightly. “Mm. Keep calling me that from now on.”

Jiang Ji: “…”

It wasn’t a big deal to call him brother—Jiang Yan was indeed older—but something about it felt off.

He looked down at Jiang Yan’s faintly curved mouth corners.

Huh?

Jiang Ji looked intrigued, as if discovering a new continent. “You actually like it when I call you ge (brother)?”

He’d always just called him Jiang Yan before.

“I am older than you,” Jiang Yan said calmly, lifting his gaze. “Shouldn’t you call me brother?”

Jiang Ji: “…”

He blinked and studied Jiang Yan’s face for a while—so long that Jiang Yan looked away first.

Jiang Ji tilted his head, the corners of his mouth lifting. “Brother?” he called softly.

“Mm.” The reply was quiet, but his lips were smiling.

Jiang Ji’s eyes curved with amusement; he opened his mouth again. “Brother Yan?”

“Hm?” Jiang Yan looked up—right into a pair of bright, laughing eyes.

“Hahaha! You really do like it when people call you brother!” Jiang Ji laughed aloud, finding it unbelievable.

This stoic, stone-faced Jiang Yan actually had such a quirk.

Jiang Yan: …

He reached out and poked Jiang Ji’s knee again.

“Ahhh—!” Jiang Ji screamed like a slaughtered pig. “Ow ow ow! Brother! Brother Yan! Stop poking!”

Jiang Yan stopped and asked calmly, “It’s been about a quarter of an hour. Do you still need to keep icing?”

“So petty,” Jiang Ji grumbled.

“Hmm?”

“No no, nothing! Let’s ice a bit longer.”

“Mm.” Jiang Yan continued to hold the ice in place. “Tomorrow I’ll deliver the sweet potatoes. You stay home and rest.”

“It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt that much. I’ll come too—we still need to see the magistrate, and I want to hear what he says.”

Jiang Yan gave him a look. “What if that Merchant Zhang questions you again?”

“We’ll drop off the sweet potatoes and leave right away. Won’t see him.”

“Alright.”

Thinking about the Zhang and Lin families, Jiang Ji said, “Hey, do you think we should give the Lin family a bit more benefit?”

Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“Like… give them a different new seed? Vegetable seeds, just for them. What do you think?”

Jiang Yan thought for a moment. “Not a good idea.”

Jiang Ji asked, “What do you mean?”

Jiang Yan explained, “We met with four families yesterday. If you only give the Lin household something, that’ll be too obvious. The other three will definitely have opinions about it. We don’t expect Master Zhang’s family to be kind, but there’s no need to make the others unhappy and offend them. We still don’t know how the Zhangs will act. Before they actually make a move against us, it’s best to stay on good terms with all four families.”

“That makes sense.” Jiang Ji nodded, then frowned in thought. “But how do we build a good relationship with the Lins? They did lend us their manor. We should repay that somehow.”

“Oh, that actually gives us a perfect excuse.” Jiang Yan looked at him. “We can give them some vegetable seeds, but not too much—just enough for one mu of land. We’ll call it a thank-you gift for letting us use their place.”

“Alright. Let me think about what kind.” Jiang Ji thought for a moment. “Lettuce, maybe. We’ll grow some, and let them grow some too.”

Just then, Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei came home from school and stared wide-eyed at Jiang Ji’s knees.

Jiang Nan asked, “Brother, did you fall?”

“Does it hurt?” Jiang Bei squatted down and blew softly on the bruise. “I’ll blow on it for you.”

Jiang Xia asked, “Brother, how did you fall like that? Did you kneel?”

Jiang Ji: “…” You guessed right.

He patted Jiang Bei’s head. “It’s fine, just a fall. It’ll heal in a few days. Go do your homework.”

At the mention of homework, Jiang Nan immediately looked pained. “Uh… I just saw Mother—I’ll go help her bring the cows back.”

Jiang Ji grabbed him by the strap of his schoolbag and hauled him back. “Go do your homework with Jiang Bei.”

“Brother, I’ll just help Mother with the cows first, then I’ll do it. I swear!” Jiang Nan raised a hand solemnly.

Jiang Ji arched an eyebrow. “You planning to stay up past midnight again? Mother doesn’t need your help. Go on—half of it needs to be done before dinner. Jiang Bei, keep an eye on him.”

Jiang Bei nodded obediently. “Okay, big brother.”

Jiang Nan drooped his head and trudged off to do his work.

Jiang Ji sighed. “See? What’s so great about being the older brother? You have to supervise their homework.”

Jiang Yan glanced at him but said nothing.

When Jiang Ji finished his cold compress, Zhao Ru came back, driving the cows, carrying a basket and a grass rake.

“Mother, were you out turning compost?” Jiang Ji went over, led the cows into the pen, took off their ropes, and shut the gate.

Zhao Ru shook her head. “No, I was just raking some dry leaves and grass.”

“Oh, alright.” Jiang Ji checked the potatoes under the window ledge inside the house—they had already begun to sprout. “Mother, tomorrow morning Jiang Yan and I have to go into town again. I’ll cut the potatoes into seed pieces after I get back in the afternoon.”

Zhao Ru came over to look. “They’re ready to be cut?”

“Mm. They’ve started sprouting. This is the best time—won’t damage the buds.” Jiang Ji stepped outside. “I’ll go check on the other families’ potatoes.”

He first went to Uncle Tu Gen’s house—they looked about the same as his own—then checked a few others. Everyone’s progress was about the same.

Next, he went to the village head’s house and asked him to let everyone know that they could start cutting tomorrow.

“I’ll be back in the afternoon. If anyone’s unsure how to cut them, wait for me to show you. After lunch, have everyone boil their knives in hot water and let them cool, and get some wood ash ready.”

“Got it.”

…

The next day, Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan hauled four sacks of sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn to town. They also brought along the cotton-planting contract.

They first went to the county yamen to ask the magistrate about his superiors.

“Sir,” Jiang Ji asked, “the memorials you send—those go from the county to the prefecture, then to the provincial office, and finally get presented all together at the capital, right?”

“Yes, they’re reported layer by layer,” Magistrate Xu nodded. “Why do you ask?”

Jiang Ji probed carefully, “Sir, I was wondering… about the prefect and the provincial governor—would they perhaps…”

He didn’t finish, but Magistrate Xu understood.

After thinking a moment, Magistrate Xu said, “You’re thinking ahead, but that’s just how the process works.”

“So you mean… they’re not exactly honest men?” Jiang Ji asked nervously. “Will that cause us trouble?”

Jiang Yan frowned slightly. “Sir, you said the court values agriculture. With these new crops and high-yield rice strains, this should be a matter of national importance. They wouldn’t dare block it, right?”

“They wouldn’t block it,” Magistrate Xu said, shaking his head. “It’s a major achievement—they wouldn’t stop it. But the prefect… does have a fondness for money.”

Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan exchanged a glance—they understood immediately.

“No way. You mean he might want to profit off this? Steal my money?” Jiang Ji was shocked.

“…Hard to say,” Magistrate Xu said, stroking his beard.

Jiang Yan asked, “And what about the governor?”

“The governor cares a lot about his reputation,” said Magistrate Xu. “From what I know, he wants to return to the capital.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes lit up. “Then, Sir, could you send the report directly to the governor yourself?”

Magistrate Xu stroked his beard and smiled. “Already done. Don’t worry.”

“Sir, you’re truly meticulous!” Jiang Ji gave him a thumbs up. “That puts our minds at ease.”

Magistrate Xu tapped his forehead lightly, smiling. “Just make sure you handle this matter well.”

“Understood.” Jiang Ji pulled out the planting contract and handed it over. “Sir, could you stamp this for me too?”

Magistrate Xu stared. “…You really treat my office like a printing shop?”

“It’s too expensive outside! I can pay the cost—I won’t make the yamen cover it,” Jiang Ji said with a grin.

Magistrate Xu glared. “Why are you so stingy?”

“Sir, it’s not easy making money. Every coin saved counts.”

“…Fine, I’ll stamp it for you,” Magistrate Xu muttered.

“Hehe, thank you, Sir.”

After taking their leave, the two went to deliver the sweet potatoes and potatoes to the Sun, Zhang, and Tian families, and finally arrived at the Lin household.

When the gatekeeper heard they were bringing sweet potatoes, he hurried to tell the steward. Steward Lin Fu came out to welcome them in.

Master Lin was already waiting for them in the main hall. When he saw the two arrive, he laughed heartily. “Come in, come in! Steward Lin Fu told me you brought me more sweet potatoes. Thank you, Brother Jiang Ji.”

Jiang Ji cupped his hands and smiled. “We promised all of you yesterday, after all.”

“Oh, I thought you meant just the other three households! I didn’t expect you to bring me another sack. Haha, once they find out, they’ll be green with envy.”

Master Lin was slightly plump, and his laughter was booming and full of energy.

Jiang Ji laughed along with him for a bit before saying, “To be honest, we also came today to thank you for lending us your manor.”

“Ah, lending it for a few days is nothing worth mentioning.” Master Lin waved his hand dismissively. “The magistrate already told me—you’re using it to store seeds. This is a matter of great importance for our county. Of course I should help. If we can successfully cultivate these seeds, our county’s grain harvests will increase. That’s a good thing.”

“Thank you, Master Lin.” Jiang Ji took a small cloth pouch from his chest and placed it on the table. “This is lettuce seed from the south—a green leafy vegetable. There isn’t much of it. My family kept some, and the rest is here. But this year, only our family is planting it; we haven’t given it to anyone else. These are enough for about one mu of land. I was wondering if you’d like to try growing them too?”

Master Lin’s eyes lit up at once. He picked up the pouch, opened it, and looked inside. Indeed, they were vegetable seeds. “No one else has these?”

“Right. Only my family has them, and we’ll plant about the same amount.”

“Then of course, let’s plant them together!” Master Lin looked delighted as he examined the seeds. “Do you also have the planting instructions written down?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes. We’ll organize the notes later—you can send someone over to copy them. It’s a pretty simple method.”

“Excellent, excellent. Just let me know when it’s ready. I’ll have Lin Fu send someone over.”

“Alright.”

The three chatted for a while longer. When Master Lin heard that they’d be cutting potatoes to sprout seedlings that afternoon, he asked, “Would it be alright if I sent someone from my estate to observe?”

“Of course,” Jiang Ji said. “Just have them come to my house.”

“Good. I’ll send someone over after lunch then.” Master Lin added, “That manor should be fully cleaned up by tomorrow. The day after, Lin Fu will take you to inspect it.”

“Alright, thank you very much, Master Lin.”

Once the conversation ended, Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan took their leave.

Jiang Yan pulled the empty handcart and asked, “How’s your knee? Want to sit on the cart? I’ll pull you back.”

“Sure!”

Jiang Ji’s knee was still aching dully, so he climbed onto the cart without hesitation.

“Hold on tight.”

“Got it.”

Seeing him sitting properly, facing away and gripping the sides, Jiang Yan started pulling the cart home. To keep him comfortable and from sliding back, he made sure to keep the cart level as he moved.

“Hey, Jiang Yan, you’re too good,” Jiang Ji said from the cart, moved. “So thoughtful.”

“Call me brother.”

Jiang Ji immediately complied, sweet as honey. “Brother Yan, thanks!”

Jiang Yan’s lips curved faintly as he strode forward.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Ch 35: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

The day of the county office meeting arrived quickly.

That morning, after breakfast, Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan got ready to head out.

“Mother, wait for me to come back this afternoon before you go turn the compost—don’t do it alone, alright?”

They had been piling compost every few days and already had several heaps ready.

The family’s ox had gotten used to the place and could now work the fields. Yesterday, Jiang Ji had already plowed a large plot for potatoes, which would be planted in a few days.

“Alright, I’ll wait for you. Go on now—don’t keep the magistrate waiting.”

Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan set off, pulling a cart full of sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, and rice.

Changping County had 136 villages under its jurisdiction. That day, every village chief came to the county office for the meeting, each bringing along two clan elders.

By the time Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan arrived, the courtyard of the county office was filled with benches, and every seat was occupied.

Jiang Ji glanced around. There were also quite a few men in long robes—clearly people of higher standing.

The magistrate’s secretary came over to lead them to the magistrate. Jiang Ji first handed over a sack of sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, and rice. The secretary immediately arranged for someone to take it away to be steamed and cooked.

“Sir,” Jiang Ji asked as they walked, “how many villages does our county have? There are so many people here.”

The secretary led them toward another building while explaining, “The magistrate also invited landowners from the towns to attend—so you wouldn’t have to give another separate talk later.”

Aside from the wealthy households, many townsfolk also owned farmland outside the city. Some rented it out, while others farmed it themselves.

Jiang Ji said with a smile, “The magistrate really thinks ahead.”

The secretary added, “You’d asked the magistrate to invite those gentry families too—he’s arranged it. After your talk, you’ll have tea with them.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes brightened. “That’s wonderful. Please thank the magistrate for me.”

The secretary brought the two to a side room and quietly said outside the door, “Inside are a few of the most prominent heads of families in Changping County. They’re talking with the magistrate right now. It’ll be a bit before the meeting starts, so you should go in and greet them first.”

“Oh, and one more thing,” the secretary reminded him, “the magistrate told me to warn you—there’s a certain Master Zhang in there. His family runs a textile business—they own their own spinning and weaving workshop, quite a large one. You already know the Lin family—they mainly run a grain and oil shop. The Lin and Zhang families don’t get along.”

“The other two—Master Sun, who deals in gold and silver jewelry, and Master Tian, whose family runs a mixed business. They own a pawnshop, a clothing store, a cosmetics shop, and a spice shop—anything that makes money, really. Oh, and they also own a restaurant. These four are the wealthiest and most land-rich families in the county.”

Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan exchanged a look, and Jiang Ji sincerely said, “Thank you for the reminder, sir.”

The secretary led them inside. “Sir, Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan have arrived.”

“Just the people we were talking about—come in,” Magistrate Xu called out with a smile.

Inside, the magistrate sat at the head seat. On either side sat four men: one in his fifties, two around forty, and one about thirty years old. All wore fine silk garments.

Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan stepped forward, bent slightly, and greeted, “Sir.”

“No need for formality. Sit down.”

The two took seats at the side. Though dressed in coarse linen clothes, their bearing was calm and self-assured, showing no hint of awkwardness.

Magistrate Xu gave a small approving nod.

After servants brought tea, the magistrate introduced them to the others. “Gentlemen, these are the two Jiang brothers I told you about—Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan.”

He then introduced each man in turn.

The one in his fifties was Master Sun of the Sun family; the heavier man in his forties was Master Lin of the Lin family; the lean one with a goatee was Master Zhang of the Zhang family; and the youngest, about thirty, was Master Tian of the Tian family.

Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan both stood and cupped their fists in greeting to each of the wealthy landowners.

The four gentrymen had been quietly observing the two young men from the moment they entered.

Master Lin laughed heartily. “Lin Fu told me the two Jiang brothers were quite the handsome pair. I didn’t believe him at first, but now I see it’s true! Hahaha!”

Jiang Ji smiled. “Master Lin flatters us.”

The younger Master Tian asked curiously, “Uncle Lin, so your steward Lin Fu already knows these two?”

Master Lin chuckled. “A few days ago, when they held their village meeting, one of my servants overheard talk of it. I sent Lin Fu to take a look—that’s how they met. Young Jiang here even sent back a sack of sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn. I’ve tried them myself—they’re truly delicious! My wife and children all loved them.”

He then bowed slightly toward Jiang Ji. “Thank you, young man, for letting us have an early taste.”

Jiang Ji smiled. “You’re too kind, Master Lin. I’m glad your household liked them.”

“Liked them? We loved them! Hahaha!”

Master Lin’s booming laughter filled the room. Across from him, Master Zhang sneered coldly.

Master Lin caught the look and glared back, still smiling, secretly amused—let’s see if you’ll still be laughing later, he thought.

Master Tian, having heard about the gift of sweet potatoes, turned to Jiang Ji with a grin. “I heard the magistrate mention you brought back new crops from the south. Didn’t expect Uncle Lin to get the first taste already. Jiang Ji, we’re waiting our turn too.”

Jiang Ji answered easily, “No problem, I won’t let Master Tian be disappointed. I came out in a hurry today, but tomorrow I’ll send each of you a bag as well—please let your families taste them.”

Master Tian smiled. “Much appreciated.”

“You’re very welcome.”

After a few more polite exchanges, the magistrate’s secretary came in and said, “Sir, everyone’s arrived—it’s about time.”

Magistrate Xu stood. “Let’s begin, then.”

They all headed to the front courtyard. The gentrymen took seats in the front rows while Magistrate Xu himself stepped forward to open the assembly.

Standing atop the steps, he raised his voice. “Fellow townsmen, you’ve all seen the county notice, haven’t you?”

The crowd responded, “We have!”

“Good,” the magistrate said. “Then you should already have some idea of today’s purpose. We’re here to discuss the new rice strain and other new crops mentioned in the notice. I’ll now invite Jiang Ji from Shanqian Village to explain these new seeds.”

The magistrate stepped aside and took a seat while Jiang Ji walked up the steps to begin his talk.

He had already given this presentation twice before and was now well-practiced. As before, he introduced the new rice, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn—explaining their advantages, calculating the profits, and teaching how to plant for the best yield. He covered intercropping, mixed planting, and crop rotation in simple, clear terms.

He also displayed several printed booklets and assured everyone that full planting instructions were already available.

Meanwhile, the food—sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, and rice—had been steamed and distributed for tasting.

The villagers’ reactions were the same as before—genuine surprise and delight. Seeing and tasting the crops for themselves made them fully believe.

Then Jiang Ji brought up the matter of cotton seeds and the planting contract.

He explained that, based on current registrations, the combined cotton fields from several villages totaled nearly three hundred mu. The Lin family alone had registered one hundred mu under contract, bringing the total to four hundred mu—but he still hoped to recruit another two hundred.

“There are two hundred mu worth of planting contracts still available,” Jiang Ji announced. “If you’re interested in joining, please contact us soon—it’s first come, first served. Once those are filled, you can still buy the seeds and plant on your own.”

“I’ve said enough for now. If anyone has questions, please go ahead and ask.”

The villagers did indeed have many questions, which Jiang Ji patiently answered one by one.

Master Lin stroked his beard with a pleased smile as he watched Master Zhang deep in thought.

Heh—wondering what Jiang Ji plans to do with all that cotton, aren’t you?

Master Tian, sitting beside him, noticed his grin and asked, “Uncle Lin, you look very pleased—already signed up for seeds?”

“I did,” said Master Lin, “but that’s not why I’m happy.”

“Oh? Then why?”

Master Lin glanced at the sky. “Good weather today. That’s all.”

Master Tian glanced at Master Zhang—and understood.

When everyone’s questions were finally addressed, Jiang Ji said, “Thank you, uncles and elders, for taking the time to come. Please share what you’ve learned with your villages when you return. I’ll give each village chief a sample—one sweet potato, one potato, one corn cob, and a small handful of rice—to bring back for demonstration.”

“And for those planning to buy seeds, please have your village chiefs compile a list of each household’s requested quantity. The prices and seed amounts were already included in the notice. I hope we can have all the totals within three days so distribution can start quickly—sweet potatoes and potatoes are ready for sprouting, and the others soon will be. We can’t delay.”

“As for the planting manuals, the magistrate said the county office is printing them now. Each village will receive a free copy. Everything is written clearly—just follow it. If you have any trouble, you can come to Shanqian Village and find me.”

When he finished, Jiang Ji asked the constables to help distribute the sample seeds to each village chief. It was nearly noon by the time all the villagers had left.

Finally done, Jiang Ji let out a long breath.

Jiang Yan, holding a teapot and two cups, handed him one. “You’ve worked hard.”

Jiang Ji drank four cups in a row. “Finally done!”

“Gentlemen, the magistrate requests your presence,” the secretary came to say.

Magistrate Xu was waiting in his carriage. “Come on, we’re having lunch with the gentry.”

Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan climbed aboard.

On the way, the magistrate told Jiang Ji, “The estate you wanted has been found. It’s between your village and the town. You can use it for ten days—it has about ten empty rooms and two storehouses. Should be enough, right?”

Jiang Ji’s eyes lit up. “That should be enough! As long as it doesn’t rain, I can even store some under the eaves. Thank you, sir.”

After a pause, he asked, “Sir, may I ask who owns the estate?”

“It belongs to the Lin family,” Magistrate Xu replied, glancing at him. “Their business mainly deals in grain and oil. These crops you’re promoting will benefit them the most, so I spoke to them first. When they learned it was for you, they agreed to vacate one of their estates for your use.”

Jiang Ji blinked. “I understand. Thank you, sir.”

“They’ll need two days to clear the place,” Magistrate Xu continued. “That works out well since the villages still need time to prepare. Once everything’s ready, Lin Fu will come find you and take you there to inspect it.”

“Alright, thank you, sir.” Jiang Ji thought for a moment, then added, “Oh—also, sir, when the seeds are distributed, could we organize it by region? Otherwise it’ll be chaotic. Maybe divide it into east, south, west, and north sectors, one at a time—that’ll make things easier for me to manage. Would that be alright?”

“Fine,” said the magistrate. “Once you’ve set the schedule, I’ll have notices sent to each village about their pickup times.”

“Perfect. Thank you, sir.”

After settling that, their carriage arrived at the restaurant.

They entered through the back door, and Jiang Ji asked, “Sir, which restaurant is this?”

“Xiangmanlou—it belongs to the Tian family.”

A servant met them at the back and led them into a private room.

It was spacious inside, and the gentry were already waiting.

After they all sat down, tea was served and casual conversation followed. Most of it was the landowners asking Jiang Ji about the new crops. Jiang Ji answered what he could, careful not to reveal too much.

Everyone was curious where he had gotten the seeds. Jiang Ji gave the same story he’d told Lin Fu—that a traveling merchant had brought them from the south but never said exactly where.

After a few rounds of subtle probing, his answers remained watertight. The men realized they wouldn’t get anything more out of him, and their regard for this seemingly simple villager rose a little.

Once the wine was served, the conversation grew livelier. Jiang Ji wasn’t sure how well this body could hold liquor, so he was cautious, but even then he drank a bit too much and started feeling dizzy.

Just then, Master Zhang, the one in the textile trade, asked casually, “So, Brother Jiang—what do you plan to do with all that cotton you’re buying? Sell it yourself, or…?”

If Jiang Ji planned to sell raw cotton, it wouldn’t matter. But if he intended to spin and weave it himself—then that would make him a competitor.

Jiang Ji’s head was spinning, but his mind stayed sharp. He knew that the Zhang family specialized in textiles, and saying anything now would be dangerous.

If he claimed he was keeping it for personal use, the Zhangs would see him as a threat; if he said he’d sell it, he’d expose himself later when he didn’t.

So he simply leaned into his drunken act. “Cot—cot—cotton…” he mumbled—and then collapsed face-first onto the table.

Jiang Yan: …

Magistrate Xu: …

Everyone: …

Jiang Yan wasn’t much of a talker, so Jiang Ji had done most of the chatting. He’d drunk quite a bit himself but was still clear-headed. Seeing Jiang Ji like that, he decided to play along.

“Jiang—Jiang Ji…” He patted Jiang Ji’s shoulder, then his cheek, before standing and bowing unsteadily to the table. “S-sir, esteemed gentlemen, my brother’s had t-too much to drink. I’ll just… take him home…”

Magistrate Xu rose. “You’ve had plenty yourself. Come to my place first—rest there until you’re sober, then go home.”

He turned to the others. “That’s all for today, gentlemen. Get some rest.”

A waiter came in to help lift Jiang Ji into the carriage, and the magistrate departed with them.

Inside, the gentry exchanged glances. Master Lin stood first. “I’ll take my leave.”

“Uncle Lin, wait,” Master Tian said, stopping him. “What do you think of those two brothers?”

“What do I think?” said Master Lin. “They’ve got seeds that increase yields and exclusive new crops. Once the harvests are sold to other counties, everyone profits. What more is there to think about?”

The others each had their own thoughts. Master Lin waved them off. “You can think for yourselves. I’m going home.”

The rest lingered a bit, then left too. Master Sun and Master Tian were calm enough, but Master Zhang went home frowning, worry etched across his face.

The carriage rocked gently along the street. Jiang Ji leaned on Jiang Yan’s shoulder, eyes closed.

Magistrate Xu reached over and tapped him. “Alright, stop pretending.”

Jiang Ji didn’t move.

The magistrate looked at Jiang Yan, who also tapped Jiang Ji’s shoulder. “Jiang Ji?”

Still no response.

Jiang Yan looked down. His breathing was steady, his eyes shut tight, and even through his dark complexion, his face was flushed red.

“He’s asleep,” Jiang Yan said.

“…His alcohol tolerance is that low?”

“Maybe he’s never drunk before,” Jiang Yan replied.

Having lived in the village a while, Jiang Yan knew the Jiang family’s situation—so poor they could barely eat, let alone afford wine. Things had only improved recently, after he’d been rescued.

When they arrived at the magistrate’s residence, Jiang Ji woke briefly, then drifted off again, sleeping another half hour before stirring.

Blinking at the unfamiliar room, he asked groggily, “Where is this?”

“Magistrate Xu’s house. You got drunk,” Jiang Yan said.

Jiang Ji sat up, rubbing his temples. “Ugh… dizzy.”

Jiang Yan poured him a cup of tea. “Drink—lots of it.”

Jiang Ji gulped down three cups. “No more—I need the latrine.”

Jiang Yan took him there, then they sat outside in the courtyard for a bit. When Jiang Ji finally felt clearer, he tugged Jiang Yan’s sleeve. “Where’s the magistrate? We said we’d ask him about the Regent.”

Led by a servant, they soon found Magistrate Xu, who was in his study working through official papers.

When he saw them enter, he looked up. “Awake now?”

“Mhm, thank you, sir, for letting us stay here,” Jiang Ji said a little sheepishly.

“I’ll have someone escort you two home.”

“Thank you, sir, but—ah, before that, there’s something we’d like to ask you.”

“Oh? What is it? Sit down.”

The two sat. Jiang Ji began, “Sir, you mentioned before that the court values agriculture highly and sometimes issues new planting methods and policies. I remember that during last year’s great drought, the court reduced the peasants’ taxes—that was by order of the Regent, wasn’t it?”

Magistrate Xu looked at him and nodded. “Yes, by the Regent’s command. Why do you ask?”

“I just wanted to know more about the Regent. I’ve heard he’s quite remarkable?” Jiang Ji asked, half-curious, half-probing.

“The Regent is indeed a most extraordinary man,” Magistrate Xu said with a faint smile. His gaze drifted toward the door, distant with admiration. “He became the top scholar in the imperial exams at only seventeen—personally favored by the late emperor.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes widened. “Seventeen? He topped the exams at seventeen?”

“That’s right. He won first place at all three levels—unheard of brilliance. The late emperor had wanted him to stay in the capital to serve, but suddenly there was war at the northern border. Guess what he did?”

“What?” Jiang Ji leaned forward.

“He volunteered to escort the grain supply to the frontier,” the magistrate said, smiling. “He stayed there two years—offering strategies, assisting the Marquis Zhenbei in quelling the rebellion. He even led troops into battle himself. Brave and resourceful—master of both pen and sword. That’s why, when the late emperor passed, he named him Regent to assist our young emperor in governing.”

Jiang Ji gaped. “He can fight too? But isn’t he a scholar?”

“Ah, you don’t know,” the magistrate chuckled. “His mother’s family has been a line of generals for generations. He trained in martial arts under his grandfather from childhood, while his father insisted he study literature. The two families quarreled endlessly over whether he should pursue arms or letters—until the young Regent said, ‘What’s the point of arguing? I’ll study both.’”

Jiang Ji exclaimed, “Heavens—where did he find the time? Most people couldn’t reach that level in a lifetime.”

“Indeed,” the magistrate sighed, “but that’s what makes him extraordinary—he truly mastered both.”

Jiang Ji gave a thumbs-up. “Impressive!”

The magistrate smiled. “When he first took power, many officials refused to accept him. But within just three years, he punished corrupt ministers, cleansed the court, and restored order. Now everyone, from nobles to commoners, admires him.”

He clasped his hands toward the north and then turned back. “But why are you asking about the Regent?”

Jiang Ji glanced at Jiang Yan, who was frowning slightly, deep in thought.

“Oh,” Jiang Ji said lightly, “he just sounds like a wise and benevolent man. If our new rice and sweet potatoes could gain his support, I think they’d spread across the country much faster.”

Magistrate Xu nodded. “Naturally. I’ve already written a memorial to the court. If the Regent reads it, he’ll surely support your efforts.”

“I hope so,” Jiang Ji said with a grin.

After their conversation, the magistrate, worried Jiang Ji might still be tipsy, ordered a carriage to take them home.

On the ride, Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan sat opposite each other, legs stretched out wide.

“Did you remember anything?” Jiang Ji nudged his knee.

Jiang Yan shook his head. “Still just… feels familiar. But nothing concrete.”

Jiang Ji thought for a moment. “Maybe you need some kind of special trigger—something to jolt your memory.”

The carriage jolted violently as it hit a pothole—thud! Jiang Ji was thrown forward by momentum, his knees slamming into the floor as he toppled straight into Jiang Yan’s lap.

“Holy—!” Jiang Ji yelped. His knees hit hard, and tears sprang to his eyes from the pain.

“Hh—!” Jiang Yan gasped sharply, his legs jerking inward.

Jiang Ji had landed kneeling between his legs, his forehead colliding squarely with Jiang Yan’s lower abdomen.

Hearing the pained noise, Jiang Ji grimaced and asked through gritted teeth, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Yan: “…”

He patted Jiang Ji’s shoulder, voice strained. “…Just—just get up first.”

“My knees hurt. Give me a second.”

“You alright?” Jiang Yan asked tightly, brows drawn.

Jiang Ji shook his head. “Not bad… just hurts like hell.”

“Then stand up,” Jiang Yan said, still wincing. “I’m hurting too.”

“…Wait,” Jiang Ji froze, finally realizing how awkward their position looked. “Did I—hit you?”

“Get up,” Jiang Yan said through clenched teeth.

“Uh… help me a bit?”

Jiang Yan reached out, helped him by the arm, and Jiang Ji finally managed to stand.

Jiang Yan steadied him onto the bench. “Sit properly this time—so you don’t fall again.”

“…Okay.” Jiang Ji sat down obediently, glanced toward Jiang Yan’s abdomen, and saw the other’s legs tightly closed, brow furrowed. “You sure you’re alright? Looks… painful.”

Jiang Yan shot him a glare. “You want to try it?”

“Nope, no need,” Jiang Ji said quickly, waving his hands and trying not to laugh. “No point in us hurting each other.”

“…”

“Let me see your knees,” Jiang Yan muttered, changing the subject.

Jiang Ji rolled up his pant legs—both knees were bruised. He rubbed them, bent and stretched his legs. “Doesn’t feel broken. I’ll rub some liniment when we get home.”

Seeing Jiang Yan still wincing, Jiang Ji said apologetically, “Sorry about that—the road’s terrible. You looked like it really hurt though. Want me to check later? Just in case something’s damaged?”

“No need.”

“Hey, don’t ignore injuries. That part’s important, you know—it’d be bad if something really broke.”

Jiang Yan gritted his teeth. “I said I’m fine.”

Jiang Ji sighed. “Alright. But if you feel any discomfort, tell me, okay? I’ll figure out how to fix it.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Ch 34: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

Once the five representatives from the other villages had each finished copying one book, Jiang Ji stopped them from continuing.

The men were puzzled.

“But we haven’t finished copying!” one of them said anxiously. “Our village chief said we have to take a full copy back.”

Another man, still holding his brush, also looked flustered. “Yeah, why won’t you let us finish? You said we could copy them!”

Jiang Ji smiled. “Don’t worry. Copying like this is too slow. There are still many more books to make, and lots of other villages that’ll need them. At this rate, how long do you think it’ll take to finish? I’m taking these to the town this afternoon to have them printed. When they’re ready, your village can just pay a little for the printing cost to get copies. Or, if you’ve got time, you can borrow from one another later—since you’re all copying different sections anyway.”

Hearing that there would be printed versions, the men lost their enthusiasm for copying. It was a tedious task, and none of them had studied much—among them, they were simply the least illiterate ones in their villages, and their handwriting wasn’t exactly elegant.

After getting approval from their village chiefs, everyone went home to wait for the printed versions. When they came out, each household could just pay a few coins to buy one.

After the villagers left, another man hurried in—it was the village chief from Tupo Village, several li away.

As soon as he saw Jiang Ji, he asked, “I’m the village chief from Tupo Village. I heard you’ve got new rice seeds and sweet potatoes and all that. Do you still have any left? Can you sell some to my villagers?”

These villages were all connected through marriages and kinship, so news spread fast. Not only this chief—several villagers from other nearby settlements had already come to ask.

Jiang Ji smiled. “No need to worry, Uncle. There will be. The county office will be notifying all the village chiefs to come for a meeting the day after tomorrow. They’ll announce everything there, so just be sure to attend.”

“So that means we’ll be able to buy the high-yield rice seeds too?”

“Yes. There’s plenty of rice seed. You’ll see when you come.”

“Good, good, I’ll be there on time.”

After sending off the village chief, Jiang Yan took a sheet from the stack of registration lists on the table and handed it to Jiang Ji.

“This was delivered by Steward Lin from the Lin estate this morning. Take a look.”

Jiang Ji accepted it, a little surprised. “Steward Lin came in person?”

“Yes.”

“Did he say anything?”

Jiang Yan shook his head. “Not much. Just chatted a bit. Said that his master and mistress really liked the sweet potatoes and the other foods. Since you weren’t home, he just dropped off the order and left.”

Jiang Ji nodded and looked over the list.

Standing beside him, Jiang Yan said, “Based on the quantities they ordered, it’s enough to plant close to eight hundred mu of farmland.”

Jiang Ji looked up at him in surprise. “Eight hundred mu? That much? Steward Lin said yesterday their estate had only a few hundred mu of land—are they planning to plant every bit of it?”

“It could be an overestimate,” Jiang Yan said, “or it could even be an understatement. Hard to say which.”

Jiang Ji frowned slightly as he looked down at the order list. Jiang Yan asked, “What’s wrong? Worried?”

“Worried about what?”

“Jealousy.”

“There’ll definitely be jealousy,” Jiang Ji said with a raised brow. “But that’s fine—we’ve got Magistrate Xu backing us. I’m just thinking about something else.”

“What is it?” Jiang Yan asked.

Jiang Ji looked at him thoughtfully. “Do you think we should open a shop in town—one with a big warehouse—to sell seeds? The house here’s too small. When it’s time to distribute the seeds, there won’t be enough space, and with people coming and going through the village, it’s not ideal.”

Jiang Yan, who knew full well that no one was actually delivering seeds, reminded him, “But there are even more people in town—and more eyes watching.”

Jiang Ji scratched his head. “Yeah, there are more people, but still… we don’t have enough space here. Look, the Lin estate alone ordered that much seed.”

He stopped what he was doing, glanced at Jiang Yan, and blinked. “You…”

He trailed off. He had almost asked whether Jiang Yan already knew that he was somehow conjuring these seeds out of thin air, but after a second thought, he kept quiet.

Jiang Yan waited for him to finish, then raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Jiang Ji shook his head. “Nothing. I’ll tell you later.”

After a brief pause, Jiang Yan said, “We don’t need to rent a shop. Those are expensive anyway. And don’t go into town. Let’s look around the outskirts instead—see if we can rent a large warehouse or a small manor, somewhere more remote and less crowded.”

“When all the seeds are ready, we’ll store them in the warehouse first, and then tell the magistrate. That way, everything goes straight from there—no one in town will know how much you’re moving. We can just sell the seeds at the warehouse itself. Hold a few concentrated sale days so no one can guess how much stock we really have. I’ll go with you, and at night, we can ask the magistrate to send a few constables to stand guard. I’m sure he’ll agree.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes lit up. He clapped Jiang Yan on the shoulder, delighted. “Jiang Yan, you’re brilliant!”

The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. “Alright. Once the village meetings are done and the numbers are in, we’ll find a big warehouse or a small manor and handle everything there. That’ll lower the risk.”

“Mm.” Jiang Yan nodded. “Only problem is, it might be hard to find that kind of manor.”

“We’ll look anyway. Maybe someone’s selling one. I’ll stop by the broker’s office when I go to town later. If I can’t find one, I’ll ask the magistrate if any of his acquaintances have a spare estate we could borrow.”

After settling that, Jiang Yan opened the book on rice cultivation to the last page and asked, “What’s this part about two different kinds of rice seeds?”

“What do you mean?”

Jiang Ji took a look. The page read: Hybrid rice has high yield but unstable traits; saving its seed will lead to reduced yield the following year. Seeds must be repurchased annually. Conventional rice yields less than hybrid rice but can be self-saved.

This was a note Jiang Ji had written for himself as a reminder.

“Why’d you copy this part too?” he asked.

Jiang Yan frowned. “Was I not supposed to include it? Should I tear out the page and rewrite it?”

“No, it’s fine to include.” Jiang Ji waved a hand.

Jiang Yan pointed to the line about hybrid rice. “What does it mean that you can’t save the seed?”

Jiang Ji scratched his head, trying to explain. “Well, hybrid rice is—well, hybrid. You know what hybrid means, right? Like a mule—it’s a cross between a horse and a donkey, but it can’t reproduce. Hybrid rice is kind of like that. The first year, it yields really well, but if the farmer keeps the seeds to replant, the yield drops the next year, and keeps dropping the more it’s replanted. So you have to buy fresh seed each year.”

Jiang Yan nodded. “And this other one isn’t hybrid, so you can save the seed yourself?”

“Exactly.”

“How much does the regular rice yield per mu?”

“Compared to what people get now, it’s about double.”

Jiang Yan looked thoughtful. “So which type have you been telling everyone about?”

“Both are fine,” Jiang Ji said seriously. “For promoting it nationwide, we’re selling the conventional rice. But honestly, if they can afford it, hybrid rice gives the best yield.”

He had thought of this at the last minute when he was setting up the reward items, hurriedly changing the hybrid rice seeds to conventional ones so the distribution could spread faster.

Fortunately, he had also overestimated the required planting amount earlier, which conveniently covered this gap now.

The system’s seeds were of top quality, with guaranteed germination rates.

Jiang Yan understood his reasoning. “I see.”

Then Jiang Ji asked, “Jiang Yan, do you think the wealthy households would be interested in planting hybrid rice? It’s a little pricier, but they’re not short on money.”

“That depends on whether they want to sell rice or sell seeds,” Jiang Yan replied. “But you can just ask them—let them choose.”

“Alright, I’ll bring it up with them.” Jiang Ji nodded, though he still looked uneasy. “I just worry that if someone gets greedy later and starts selling hybrid rice grains as seed, that’ll hurt people.”

Seed grain would naturally sell for more money.

Seeing his concern, Jiang Yan said, “If you’re worried, then hold off for a couple of years. Once everyone has their own seed reserves, they’ll only be able to sell rice anyway.”

Jiang Ji smiled. “Fair enough.”

After lunch, he hurried off to town again, taking with him several finished crop cultivation manuals for printing—while Jiang Yan stayed behind, still copying out the others.

He first went to the bookstore to ask about the cost of printing, then headed to the county office to see Magistrate Xu.

Magistrate Xu looked up in surprise. “Back again already? What is it this time?”

Jiang Ji placed several bound booklets from his bundle onto the magistrate’s desk. “They’re copying way too slowly, so printing would be faster. Sir, could your office take this job?”

The magistrate paused, speechless. “This is the county office, not a printing house.”

Jiang Ji blinked. “Oh, but printing at the bookstore is really expensive. These are only a few volumes now, but there’ll be many more later. The villagers would have to pay a lot extra, and they’ll need the books soon.”

The magistrate raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say you were teaching everyone for free?”

“I am—it’s free!” Jiang Ji nodded earnestly, then added, “But surely I’m not expected to pay for the paper and ink myself, right?”

The magistrate stared at him for a moment, sighed, and said, “Fine, I’ll have them printed. We’ll issue them through the county office. The county will purchase your planting manuals. How much do you want per copy?”

“For our county, it can be distributed for free,” Jiang Ji said, then tilted his head. “But what about other counties and prefectures later?”

The magistrate looked at him. “You actually plan to make money from this too?”

“Why not?”

Magistrate Xu stroked his beard, half amused, half exasperated. “If your planting methods prove effective, I’ll submit them to the court. The imperial regulations say that such manuals are to be printed and distributed nationwide by the government, free of charge. So I’ll purchase the rights from you under the county’s name.”

“The imperial court distributes them for free?”

“Yes.”

Jiang Ji opened his mouth, then sighed. “So I can’t make money from other counties, huh? There are so many counties and villages in the whole country…”

Magistrate Xu tapped him lightly on the head. “Stop thinking only about money.”

“I just thought maybe we could earn the county office a little profit,” Jiang Ji said with a sheepish grin.

“Alright then,” the magistrate said, resigned. “How much do you want per book?”

Jiang Ji thought for a moment, then raised one finger.

The magistrate frowned. “Ten taels a book?”

Jiang Ji blinked. “No, one tael.”

The magistrate looked genuinely surprised. “One tael? Weren’t you just trying to make money?”

“I’m willing to present the planting methods to the court for free. The one tael is just for Jiang Yan’s hard work—he copied them all by hand. Oh, and after you’re done with these booklets, I’ll need them back. I plan to take them home.”

“Alright,” the magistrate agreed.

Then Jiang Ji’s eyes lit up as he remembered something. “Oh, right—sir, could you help me find a large warehouse or an estate west of the city? My house is too small. I need a place to store the seeds for a few days while selling them. I don’t have any connections, but I can pay rent if needed.”

The magistrate asked, “Why not sell in town?”

“The town’s too crowded, and transportation’s inconvenient,” Jiang Ji explained.

The magistrate thought of Jiang Ji’s small house—it really was cramped and impractical for trade. “Where are your seeds stored now?”

Jiang Ji blinked innocently. “The merchant hasn’t delivered them yet. They’ll arrive in about seven or eight days.” That was about when the villages would have their registrations finished.

“…” The magistrate asked, “How large an estate do you need?”

“Big enough to hold all the seeds for the county. Sweet potatoes and potatoes take up a lot of space, so it needs multiple rooms.”

After a brief pause, the magistrate nodded. “Alright. I’ll have someone find one for you.”

Jiang Ji didn’t stop there. “Oh, and sir, could I borrow a few constables to help maintain order and watch the place?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll come by to check on things myself.”

Jiang Ji shook his head. “I mean at night too—just in case.”

“Fine,” the magistrate agreed. He didn’t want anything happening to the seeds either.

Hearing that, Jiang Ji broke into a wide grin. “Thank you so much, sir!”

The magistrate gave him a helpless look. “Anything else? Say it all at once.”

Jiang Ji thought for a bit. “That’s all for now.”

“…Go on, then.” The magistrate wrote out a note and waved him off. “Take it to the accountant and collect your payment, then go home.”

“Got it, sir. See you later.”

Grinning ear to ear, Jiang Ji took the silver and went home, feeling quite pleased that the warehouse problem was now in the magistrate’s hands.

When he got back, he handed the silver to Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan looked puzzled. “What’s this?”

“Your copying fee! I gave the planting manuals to the magistrate, so I asked for a little compensation for your hard work.”

Jiang Yan said quietly, “You should keep it.”

Jiang Ji shoved the silver into his hand, beaming. “Jiang Yan, we don’t need to search for a warehouse anymore—the magistrate’s helping us.”

“What do you mean?” Jiang Yan asked. “What did you two discuss?”

Jiang Ji told him everything that had happened, then added with some amazement, “Turns out the imperial court actually distributes agricultural manuals for free.”

“You sound disappointed,” Jiang Yan remarked, raising an eyebrow.

Jiang Ji shook his head. “No, not really. I wasn’t planning to make money off it anyway. I just didn’t realize the court took farming this seriously.”

“As they should,” Jiang Yan said calmly. “Food is the people’s heaven.”

“True. I just hope the regent stays this wise.”

“The regent?” Jiang Yan frowned slightly.

Seeing his confusion, Jiang Ji remembered his amnesia and explained, “Oh, right—you don’t remember. The current emperor was only seven when he ascended the throne, and he’s still just ten now. So, before the late emperor passed, he appointed a regent to govern on the young emperor’s behalf. They say the Regent, Lu Huaizhou, is extremely capable—both scholarly and martial. In just three years, he’s cleaned up the entire court. Quite remarkable, really.”

All this Jiang Ji had learned from the memories of his body’s original owner. When the young emperor ascended, an imperial edict had been posted across the land—and the name Lu Huaizhou had spread everywhere along with it.

The regent—what a powerful figure!

To even catch a glimpse of him once would make this whole journey through time worthwhile.

Jiang Yan’s brows furrowed. For some reason, when Jiang Ji mentioned the regent, something stirred in his mind, as if he had heard that name before.

Seeing his strange expression, Jiang Ji grew concerned. “Jiang Yan, what’s wrong?”

Jiang Yan lifted his gaze, hesitated, and said, “I feel like I’ve heard of the regent before.”

Jiang Ji blinked. “Everyone in the country’s heard of him. It’s not strange that you have.”

Jiang Yan thought for a moment. “True.”

“But still,” Jiang Ji said, looking at him curiously, “you actually feel a sense of familiarity? Do you get that with other things—when you write or draw, do you ever get a feeling like you’ve done it before?”

Jiang Yan shook his head. “No.”

Jiang Ji rubbed his chin. “That’s odd. Maybe writing and drawing are too ordinary, or too familiar to trigger anything. But how come hearing ‘the regent’ makes you feel that way?”

Jiang Yan couldn’t explain it either.

“Did any image flash through your mind?” Jiang Ji guided him. “Even just a glimpse?”

“No. I just felt… those three words were familiar.”

“…” Jiang Ji thought for a bit, then smacked his thigh. “Wait—maybe you were a little fan of the regent! Why else would hearing his name feel so familiar?”

“A little what?” Jiang Yan looked confused.

Jiang Ji explained, “I mean, the regent’s such an impressive person. Maybe you really admired him before—worshipped him, even. The impression was so deep that now, when you hear his name, it feels familiar.”

Jiang Yan frowned. “That can’t be it… can it?”

“Of course it can! You don’t know how powerful the pull of an idol can be,” Jiang Ji said excitedly. “Otherwise how do you explain it?”

Jiang Yan had no answer.

Jiang Ji suggested, “When we go to the county office the day after tomorrow, after the meeting, let’s ask the magistrate a bit about the regent. Maybe it’ll trigger your memory.”

Jiang Yan nodded. “Alright.”

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Ch 33: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

The steward of the Lin family was named Lin Fu. Seeing two men standing at the entrance of Jiang Ji’s courtyard—and the county yamen’s carriage parked nearby—he immediately recognized it. Those two must be county officials.

He had just listened to Jiang Ji’s public talk and asked some of the Shanqian villagers about the situation before coming. He hadn’t expected that the magistrate himself would still be here; clearly, this matter was of great importance to him.

Lin Fu quietly pondered how best to present himself when he went inside.

Jiang Ji came out and saw a middle-aged man of about forty, dressed in the manner of a steward, standing beside a carriage. Smiling, he said, “Hello, are you the steward of Master Lin’s household?”

Lin Fu returned the smile. “Yes, my name is Lin Fu. My master heard that your family is selling new rice seeds and sweet potatoes. He happened to mention it today and sent me to learn more, to discuss purchasing some seeds with you.”

“Steward Lin, please come in. Let’s sit and talk—it just so happens Magistrate Xu is here too. We were discussing seeds.”

Lin Fu hesitated for a moment, then said, “Of course. Since the magistrate is present, it’s only proper to pay my respects.”

The two entered the house. Lin Fu greeted the magistrate formally, then took a seat on a low wooden bench near the side.

Jiang Ji’s home had only one square table with four long benches around it—and at the moment, all the seats were taken.

Jiang Ji poured water for Lin Fu, and as he did, Magistrate Xu asked, “Steward Lin, is your master also interested in these new seeds?”

Lin Fu rose and bowed. “Yes. Yesterday, one of our servants heard from relatives that new seeds were being sold here. My master sent me to take a look.”

“Sit, sit. No need to stand,” Magistrate Xu said, gesturing for him to take a seat. “So, you heard what Jiang Ji said earlier?”

Lin Fu sat down properly and replied, “I did. I came to discuss matters with this young man.”

“Oh, then you two go ahead.” Magistrate Xu took a sip of water.

Lin Fu hesitated—how was he supposed to negotiate with the magistrate right there?

After a brief pause, he asked, “Young man, I heard you say these seeds were brought from the south?”

“That’s right,” Jiang Ji replied.

“From which part of the south? I hear the south produces many fine goods—must have been difficult hauling them such a long way.”

Jiang Ji looked at him and smiled. “I don’t know exactly where. I contacted a traveling merchant, but he didn’t tell me the exact source. Probably afraid I’d go fetch them myself.”

Lin Fu: “…”
Magistrate Xu: “…”
Everyone else: “…”

While most people would circle around their intentions, hiding their motives, Jiang Ji simply laid everything bare without hesitation.

Off to the side, Jiang Yan’s eyes twitched with amusement.

Jiang Ji asked bluntly, “So, Steward Lin, which seeds are you interested in buying?”

“All of them.”

“How much?”

Glancing briefly at the magistrate, Lin Fu ventured, “However much you have, the Lin estate can take it all.”

“All of it?”

“Yes.”

Jiang Ji blinked, exchanged a quick glance with Jiang Yan, then met Magistrate Xu’s eyes.

Lin Fu, watching closely, sensed something subtle in their reactions and began wondering what the magistrate was thinking.

“Well then, Steward Lin,” Jiang Ji asked tactfully, “how much land does your master own?”

Lin Fu didn’t give an exact number. “Several hundred mu.”

Jiang Ji smiled. “And does your master plan to plant it all himself—or buy up all my seeds to, say, resell them… exclusively?”

Lin Fu froze. That was exactly his master’s plan—to buy up the supply, plant some, and sell the rest at a marked-up price. Ideally, he’d also find out the source of the seeds.

But this young man was sharp. He’d sidestepped every trap and even seen through the Lin family’s little scheme.

Surprised, Lin Fu took a good look at Jiang Ji. A bright-faced young man, tanned from labor but full of spirit, smiling mildly yet with eyes that seemed to see right through him.

Lin Fu glanced at the magistrate again—Magistrate Xu didn’t look his way. Realizing it was unwise to expose such intentions in front of the county official, Lin Fu carefully chose his words.

“Of course, we intend to plant them ourselves.”

He had already asked around. Every household in Shanqian Village had pre-ordered seeds, and Jiang Ji had promised to supply them.

With over eighty households there—and Jiang Ji’s own forty mu of farmland—the remaining seeds couldn’t be much.

And with several other villages coming today, the total acreage was no small matter. If he delayed, everything might be claimed by the villagers.

Lin Fu asked, “Young man, how many seeds do you have left? Our Lin estate is willing to buy them all. Price is negotiable.”

When Magistrate Xu turned his gaze toward him, Lin Fu quickly added, “I see so many villagers wanting to buy—I’m just worried there won’t be enough for us to plant.”

The magistrate and his aides remained silent, listening. Magistrate Xu didn’t know exactly how much seed Jiang Ji had, but he was slightly worried—if Jiang Ji sold everything to the Lin family, what would the other villages do?

Still, he wanted to hear how Jiang Ji would respond.

After a short pause, Jiang Ji said, “Don’t worry. If the Lin estate intends to plant all its fields with the new seeds, there’s enough.”

Lin Fu relaxed a little. “That’s good to hear.”

Jiang Ji smiled and took a sheet of paper from the table, handing it to him. “Steward Lin, I can sell you enough for all your estate’s fields. Here’s a price list for each type of seed, with how much you need per acre. Calculate what you’ll need and send someone with the payment. I’ll reserve the amount for you.”

Lin Fu read through it carefully, then asked, “Can we also buy cotton seeds?”

“Of course,” Jiang Ji replied. “We’ll just need to sign a planting contract—whatever you grow, you’ll sell to me afterward.”

Lin Fu frowned slightly. “…And if we don’t sign?”

“Then I’m sorry, not for now,” Jiang Ji said. “But if you buy a large quantity of other seeds, I can give you a two-wen discount per type. Two wen might mean nothing to the Lin estate, but to us, it’s a big sum. Please tell your master—it’s my gesture of goodwill.”

The Lin family didn’t care about such a small amount, so Lin Fu nodded. “You said ‘not for now.’ Does that mean later we can?”

“Yes—once I’ve signed enough planting contracts with the farmers, you can buy normally.”

“How much is ‘enough’?”

“A few hundred mu’s worth.”

Lin Fu was taken aback. So much cotton? At the yield he’d claimed earlier—fifty to sixty jin per acre—Jiang Ji would have hundreds of mu worth of cotton to process. Was he planning to sell it elsewhere?

But at market price, wouldn’t that mean no profit?

Suppressing his doubts, Lin Fu nodded. “If you ever have excess seed, please contact us. The Lin estate is willing to buy it all.”

“Alright,” Jiang Ji agreed readily. “But I doubt there’ll be any left—many villagers will need some too.”

The meaning was clear enough, and Lin Fu understood. He rose to his feet. “Alright, it’s getting late. I’ll take my leave.”

“Why not stay for lunch before you go?”

“No need, no need. I have to return and report this matter to my master.”

“Alright then, please wait a moment.”

Jiang Ji went into his room and exchanged a bag of sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, and rice from the system. Bringing the bag out, he handed it to Lin Fu.

“Steward Lin, please take this back to Master Lin so he can try the new crops. Just steam them over water for two quarters of an hour. The potatoes can also be cut into chunks and stewed with meat, or sliced thin and stir-fried with a bit of vinegar—just peel them first. The taste is pretty good.”

Lin Fu smiled broadly as he accepted the bag. “You’re very thoughtful, young man. Thank you.”

After bidding farewell to the magistrate, Lin Fu climbed onto the carriage and left.

Jiang Ji returned to the main room and asked Magistrate Xu, “Sir, does the Lin estate do textile or fabric business?”

“I recall they have a cloth shop,” said the magistrate.

Magistrate Xu glanced at the clerk, who nodded. “Yes, their family mainly deals in grain, oil, and tea. They also opened one cloth shop.”

“No spinning, dyeing, or weaving workshops?”

The clerk shook his head. “None.”

Jiang Ji exhaled in relief. “Good.”

Magistrate Xu chuckled. “What’s this? You seemed quite bold just now.”

“Well, that’s only because you were here, sir. You give me confidence,” Jiang Ji said with a sheepish grin.

The magistrate smiled faintly but said nothing more.

Jiang Ji poured him another cup of water and asked, “Sir, could I borrow a few men?”

“For what purpose?”

“I want to make some flyers—to send around the villages. They’ll explain that there are new seeds for sale in Shanqian Village west of town, list the benefits of each crop, the potential yield, and details about the cotton-planting contract. But I can’t reach all the villages on foot, and I’m not familiar with every area. If you could help me gather the village chiefs and elders for a meeting, that would work too.”

It had been a surprise that the magistrate came today, and since he clearly cared about this matter, Jiang Ji thought it would be smart to use the county’s authority for help. Otherwise, traveling to give speeches one by one would exhaust him.

If the village heads and elders came to hear him, they could spread the message much faster.

Magistrate Xu considered, then nodded. “Alright. But do you have enough seed? Enough for the whole county?”

Jiang Ji had already thought it through. “There’s enough rice seed for the entire county. As for cotton—you know I’m having farmers sign contracts. Once I reach the required amount, if there’s any left, I’ll sell the rest. Sweet potatoes can go in stages: I’ll sell the first batch now, then when the vines grow, others can buy cuttings to plant. You can keep planting through May, so it’ll spread countywide. For potatoes and corn, I’ll sell as much as possible.”

He added, “Besides, sir, as you know—most people won’t switch completely to new seeds in the first year. They’re cautious and like to test small plots first. The demand won’t be overwhelming right away.”

The magistrate nodded, already aware of that. Still, he looked surprised. “So you have enough seed for the whole county?”

“Yes.”

Hearing that, Magistrate Xu immediately agreed. “Alright, I’ll gather the village heads. Once your flyer is ready, let me know.”

“Will do, thank you, sir.” Jiang Ji cupped his hands in gratitude.

After lunch, the magistrate and his men left, promising to arrange a meeting with the county’s wealthy landowners once Jiang Ji was prepared.

When they were gone, Jiang Ji rushed back inside and grabbed Jiang Yan. “Jiang Yan, quick, help me write the flyer.”

Having overheard their conversation, Jiang Yan asked, “What should it say?”

“Let’s think. We’ll introduce the advantages—what benefits each seed brings, the expected yields—and then put the price list at the end. Let’s draft it first.”

Jiang Ji took out his notebook, and the two discussed while writing. Eventually, they settled on a final version, and Jiang Yan copied it neatly.

Meanwhile, Lin Fu returned home and reported everything to Master Lin. Since Jiang Ji had said quite a lot, Lin Fu only repeated the key points he remembered.

Master Lin looked at the bag Lin Fu had brought back, picked up a sweet potato, and asked, “So this is it? You’re saying this can really be eaten?”

“It can, truly. I tried a piece myself—it’s good.”

Master Lin said, “Have someone cook it. I’ll taste it myself.”

Lin Fu called a servant over and explained how to prepare it. The servant took the bag away.

“You said that boy, Jiang Ji, is asking villagers to plant cotton and sign some kind of contract?”

“Yes, a planting contract. He sets the price before planting, and says that if the yield is under twenty jin per acre, he’ll compensate them three taels of silver.”

Master Lin drummed his fingers on the table, frowning. “He’s that confident? Then the cotton must really yield well. Where did that poor boy get his methods?”

“He wouldn’t say. And with the magistrate sitting there, I couldn’t push further,” Lin Fu said, then suggested cautiously, “Perhaps we could meet him privately again? Use a bit of pressure—he’ll talk.”

Master Lin shot him a sharp look. “He already announced he’s selling seeds under the magistrate’s eye. If we seize his supply and resell it, it’d be like banging a gong to tell everyone we stole his business. How would we explain that to the magistrate?”

“But sir, you and the magistrate are on decent terms, aren’t you?”

“The magistrate keeps good relations with all the county’s major families. All of them. Which means—none of us are special.”

Lin Fu: “…”

Master Lin shook his head. “No. This concerns the county’s food supply. If it succeeds, it’ll be a real political achievement. The magistrate might even earn a promotion. He won’t allow anyone to sabotage it.”

Lin Fu said, “Then what if another household tries to snatch the idea?”

“The clever ones,” Master Lin said calmly, “won’t try.”

Lin Fu said, “…So we’re just leaving it at that?”

“We’re not getting involved,” Master Lin nodded. “By the way, he’s collecting that much cotton—does he plan to sell it elsewhere?”

“He didn’t say, but he’s buying it at the current market price. If he ships it out to sell, he’d lose money.”

Master Lin thought for a moment, then looked up at his steward. “Could it be that he plans to spin and weave the cotton himself?”

“With that much cotton? Could he even handle it? Most of the thread and cloth in town are made by the Zhang family. The rest are all brought in from outside.”

Master Lin gave a cold laugh. “If that Jiang Ji really is planning to spin and weave it himself, then that’s perfect.”

The Lin and Zhang families had been at odds for generations. If someone came along to compete with the Zhangs, Master Lin would be delighted.

Lin Fu hesitated. “But he’s just a peasant from a small village. Could he really manage that much?”

“Who cares, as long as he doesn’t compete with us.”

“You’re right, Master.”

The master and servant looked at each other and laughed.

The next morning, Jiang Ji took the flyer Jiang Yan had written and went to the county office to see the magistrate.

The magistrate read it through once and found no issue with it, then ordered the staff to print copies. The county yamen regularly issued notices to villages and had a full set of movable-type printing blocks.

“They’ll distribute them all today and tomorrow. I’ll have the village heads come the day after tomorrow. You come that morning.”

“Alright,” Jiang Ji said with a smile. “Thank you, sir.”

He left behind two large bags of sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes. “For the brothers going out to the villages—let them have a taste.”

“Take them back, take them back. Save them for the villagers to plant,” Magistrate Xu refused.

Jiang Ji scratched his head. “Then how about this—after the meeting the day after tomorrow, I’ll treat everyone to food and wine. That’ll be fine, right?”

The magistrate gave him a sidelong glance but said nothing. “Do as you see fit.”

Jiang Ji understood and left with a grin.

When he returned home, several village chiefs were in the main room, along with a few representatives from different villages copying down the planting instructions at the table.

“Uncles, are you here to register, or do you still have questions?”

One of the village chiefs laughed. “I came to deliver the registration list. I’ve already filled it out just as you said.”

“So fast?”

Jiang Ji was a little surprised. He took the list and glanced over it—sure enough, it was densely filled in. Besides rice and sweet potatoes, quite a few people had signed up for cotton as well.

“This is only half. People were worried the seeds would run out, so they pushed me to bring this first batch right away. I’ll bring the rest tomorrow.”

Jiang Ji smiled. “Alright. Please let everyone know that when we sell the cotton seeds, we’ll also sign the planting contracts.”

His own village chief was there too, and Jiang Ji asked, “Has everyone registered?”

The village chief nodded with a cheerful grin. “Every household has.”

Jiang Ji raised his brows—not too surprised.

Watching the people copying at the table, he suddenly thought of something.

These handwritten planting guides were far too slow to copy one by one. He could have them printed and sell them to the villages instead—especially since he’d eventually be promoting this nationwide.

He wondered if the magistrate would be willing to take that job.

He’d ask him about it the day after tomorrow.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Ch 32: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

Going village by village would be far too slow, so Jiang Ji decided to hold a single talk for three to five villages at once—it would save time and effort.

Besides, he didn’t want to go door to door himself. The right way was to contact each village chief and have them inform their people of the meeting time.

He even asked Uncle Tu Gen to go into town and notify the county magistrate that there would be a seed promotion meeting tomorrow. If the magistrate was interested, he could come and see for himself.

The commotion from his own village’s seed purchase had been quite noticeable, and the neighboring villages had all heard about it. Many had asked around and were envious that his village had access to these new seeds.

Rumors, at times like this, were incredibly useful.

Carrying a basket filled with sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, as well as rice seeds and cotton seeds, Jiang Ji first went to the next village down the road—the one where Jiang Nan and the others went to school.

This village was close by, and the news about Shanqian Village’s “new crops” had already spread. A few households here had even bought sweet potatoes and potatoes from them and seen the results themselves. They’d all heard bits and pieces about the seeds but had no way to get any.

Some people had already come to Jiang Ji’s house asking before, and he’d told them to wait. Now, at last, they were hearing that he was ready to sell seeds.

When the local chief learned of Jiang Ji’s visit, he immediately called in several village elders.

Jiang Ji personally showed them the new crops—sweet potatoes, rice seeds, and cotton seeds.

“Tomorrow, around mid-morning, I’ll be giving a talk in front of our ancestral hall,” he said. “Please spread the word—anyone interested in learning about the new crops or buying seeds is welcome to come.”

The village chief was excited. “So every household can buy some?”

“As long as they’re willing to plant with me, there’s enough for everyone,” Jiang Ji replied. “We’ll also introduce a few new cooperation options so people can choose what suits them.”

“Good, good! I’ll notify everyone right away so they can come listen to you tomorrow.”

“If your relatives or friends are interested, they’re welcome too. Anyone who wants seeds can come.”

At this point in time, word of mouth was the best advertisement. Starting from his own village and spreading outward, bit by bit—that was his ideal plan.

After finishing with the first three villages, Jiang Ji and the chief visited two more behind the hills. By the time they’d made the rounds, the sun was already setting.

They returned home, and Jiang Ji invited the chief to stay for dinner so they could discuss a few details.

The chief and the elders had previously been told by the magistrate to fully support Jiang Ji’s crop promotion, so the chief was happy to help—but he still had a small worry.

“If too many people start planting,” he asked, “won’t the prices for sweet potatoes and corn drop later?”

“Don’t worry, Chief,” Jiang Ji reassured him. “It won’t just be our county buying—neighboring counties will too. No one needs to fear losing buyers or dropping prices, at least not this year.”

That eased the chief’s mind.

Jiang Ji also asked him to remind their own villagers to attend tomorrow’s meeting—he would be talking about both rice and cotton seeds. The chief agreed.

That night, Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan drew up the planting contracts. He even showed them to his livestream audience—some of whom studied law—and they helped him patch up several loopholes in the wording.

The next morning, Jiang Ji’s household steamed a big pot of sweet potatoes, corn, and rice. With so many people coming, it would be impossible for everyone to get a full serving like before in his own village, but the point was simply to show that the new crops were edible—and tasty.

He wasn’t worried about attendance anyway. The promise of high-yield rice and sweet potatoes was lure enough; people would come.

After breakfast, villagers from the other villages began arriving at Shanqian Village in groups—some even brought their own stools. Once they found out where the ancestral hall was, they headed that way.

Jiang Ji’s courtyard couldn’t possibly hold that many people, so he and the village chief arranged to use the open space in front of the ancestral hall, where village meetings were normally held.

Three tables were set up in front, and Jiang Ji, the chief, and several young men helped organize the crowd, seating them by village to keep order. Each of the five village chiefs oversaw their own people.

By the time the meeting was about to begin, the clearing was packed. Those with stools sat; others stood or simply squatted on the ground.

Suddenly, a stir ran through the crowd. A group of strong young men were escorting several middle-aged men in long robes—the kind only worn by people of status.

“Who are they? Such a big entourage?”

“Are they landlords?”

“It’s not—wait, the man in the middle… isn’t that the county magistrate?”

“What? The magistrate? That can’t be right—why would he come here?”

“I heard from folks in their village that the magistrate visited a few days ago, went to Jiang Ji’s house to see their sweet potato seedlings.”

Hearing the commotion behind him, Jiang Ji turned and spotted the county magistrate among the crowd—along with the assistant magistrate and the clerk. Overjoyed, he hurried to call the village chief and went up to greet them.

“Honorable sirs, you’ve come. This humble one—”

He was just about to bow deeply when the magistrate quickly reached out to stop him. “We came today in plain clothes, not in our official robes. There’s no need for such formalities.”

Jiang Ji straightened up with a smile. “Understood, then please, this way.”

He led the officials to the front and seated them. The village chiefs and elders, realizing the county officials were present, all came forward to pay their respects and stayed by their side.

The villagers behind were buzzing with excitement.

“It really is the magistrate!”
“The magistrate actually came here!”
“Why would he come?”

Everyone was curious.

When the time came to start, Jiang Ji stepped forward to speak.

With so many people, those in the back might not hear him clearly, so he rolled up a piece of stiff paper into a makeshift megaphone and began.

“Uncles, aunts, and fellow villagers—my name is Jiang Ji, from Shanqian Village. Today’s gathering was arranged with the help of the village chiefs. As they’ve told you, I’m here to talk about new high-yield rice seeds and other new crops.”

At the mention of high-yield rice and new varieties, the crowd began murmuring with interest.

Jiang Ji clapped his hands to draw attention and continued, “As you’ve probably seen, our honorable Magistrate Xu truly cares for the people and has taken great interest in crop improvement. He, Assistant Magistrate Zhou, and Clerk Wu are all here with us today.”

The crowd turned toward the front, staring in awe at the officials.

Magistrate Xu smiled and shook his head, recognizing that Jiang Ji was borrowing his name for credibility—but he didn’t mind. He had expected as much. Rising to his feet, he faced the villagers; the assistant magistrate and clerk followed his lead.

As the crowd began to kneel, Magistrate Xu raised his hand and called out, “Good people, there’s no need for ceremony. Please, everyone, sit. We’re here today to observe the promotion of these new seeds. If you have questions later, you may ask Jiang Ji directly.”

Hearing this, the villagers felt reassured and sat back down, their confidence in the project greatly strengthened.

If the magistrate himself had come, then it had to be real.

Jiang Ji smiled. “I believe everyone has heard by now about our village buying sweet potatoes and potatoes, yes?”

He gestured to the table. “Here, you can see them—sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn. I obtained them from southern merchants…”

He then began introducing the crops just as he had done in his own village—explaining their yields and uses, and inviting representatives from each village to come up and taste them: some tried the sweet potatoes, others the corn, and so on.

“Well? How do they taste?”

“They’re delicious! You can really eat these sweet potatoes!”
“This rice tastes better than what we grow now!”
“The corn’s a little sweet—not bad at all.”
“And this thing called ‘potato,’ it’s edible too! That’s what matters!”

After everyone had sampled the food, Jiang Ji explained each crop’s benefits and potential profits.

“In short,” he said, “you don’t have to worry about not knowing how to plant them. I’ve already written down the full cultivation methods. Each village can send someone to copy a set, and when it’s time for sowing and seedling care, you can send people to learn. If you run into problems, you can come to me.”

After a round of murmured discussion, he took a sip of water and continued, “That covers sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, and rice. Now, let’s talk about cotton.”

The crowd quieted, all eyes turning toward him.

“Right now, not many of us grow cotton, and even those who do only plant a little. Can anyone tell me why?”

Someone called out, “Because the yield’s too low. A whole acre barely gives any cotton—it’s not worth it.”

“Yeah, we can’t even fill our stomachs, who’s got land to waste on cotton?”

Jiang Ji chuckled. “That’s because the seeds we use are poor, and we haven’t mastered the right methods. That’s why yields are so low. But actually, cotton sells for a high price. Doesn’t anyone here want to plant it?”

The villagers looked at each other. One man finally said, “If the yield were higher, of course we’d want to! Who doesn’t want to earn more money, right everyone?”

“Right—but the cotton just doesn’t form bolls properly. You might plant a big field and harvest only a few baskets. And since it’s light, you don’t earn much—less than planting other crops.”

Jiang Ji smiled. “The seeds I brought can yield at least fifty to sixty jin of cotton per acre—some fields can reach seventy to eighty jin. Do you believe that?”

“At least fifty or sixty jin? No way!”
“I heard the best farmer around only gets twenty jin per acre, and he’s been growing for years!”
“Is that really possible?”
“You’re not tricking us, are you?”

Even Magistrate Xu looked surprised. He thought to himself, If what this young man says is true, the people could not only eat well but also keep warm.

The fifty-to-eighty-jin yield Jiang Ji mentioned was already his conservative estimate, considering they lacked fertilizer and pesticides here.

He raised his hand to quiet the crowd again. “So, you don’t believe me?”

“Not really.”
“Hard to believe without trying.”

Jiang Ji expected that. He lifted his voice. “Alright then—if anyone is willing to plant cotton with me this year, you can buy the seeds on credit. And I’ll sign a contract with you to guarantee it.”

“What kind of contract?”

“A cotton-planting contract,” Jiang Ji explained. “I’ll loan you the cotton seeds first and teach you the cultivation methods. You’ll plant according to my instructions. When harvest time comes, I’ll buy all your cotton at the market price—three hundred twenty wen per jin.”

“I guarantee that each acre will yield at least twenty jin of cotton. If it doesn’t, I’ll compensate you three taels of silver per acre, and the cotton will still belong to me. If it does, you’ll earn at least six taels of silver per acre. Isn’t that a good deal?”

“But,” he added, “you must sell all the cotton to me. You can’t sell it to anyone else.”

The crowd was stunned—including the two officials and the clerk.

Someone asked, “You mean we haven’t even planted yet, and you want us to sign a contract promising to sell all the cotton to you later?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Exactly. We sign in advance, so you won’t have to worry about finding buyers later. If you fail to harvest twenty jin per acre, I’ll pay you three taels of silver as compensation. Normally, even a good vegetable plot might only earn three taels per acre, right? So you won’t lose anything.”

“This…”

“Is that really true?”

“Three taels per acre is already a lot—you can’t get that much selling vegetables.”

When the discussion grew noisy, Jiang Ji clapped his hands and said, “Let me remind everyone—this offer and price are only valid this year. Next year, they won’t be.”

“Huh? Why only this year?”

“Yeah, why’s that?”

Jiang Ji smiled. “Because I’ll be promoting cotton throughout the whole county. Next year, there’ll be more cotton, so the price will naturally drop—not just here, but across the whole prefecture, even the entire country.”

“Uncles and aunties, whether it’s sweet potatoes, corn, potatoes, cotton, or rice, I’m going to spread them all far and wide. This year will definitely be the most profitable year. As more people start planting, prices will fall. Whether you seize the chance to make money this year—that’s up to you.”

The villagers were stunned. No one had expected Jiang Ji to propose such a contract. They all began discussing whether it was worth it, firing off questions one after another, which Jiang Ji patiently answered.

Finally, he announced, “Anyone interested in buying seeds, go register with your village chief. Each chief has the prices listed. And cotton seeds will only be sold to those willing to sign the planting contract with me. This is a deal where you absolutely can’t lose—first come, first served.”

His words hit the villagers like a hammer. Even if their cotton yield didn’t reach twenty jin per acre, they’d still get three taels of silver; and if it did, at three hundred twenty wen per jin, they could earn six taels per acre.

Six taels!

Everyone began calculating in their heads.

By noon, the meeting was over and the villagers dispersed. Jiang Ji invited the officials home for lunch.

Magistrate Xu asked curiously, “Jiang Ji, isn’t this cotton contract of yours a bit ambitious? Are you sure you won’t lose money?”

Jiang Ji replied confidently, “As long as they follow my planting methods, I won’t lose a thing.”

“You plan to use all that cotton for weaving—or sell it elsewhere?”

“For my own use,” Jiang Ji said, meeting his gaze. “I want to open a textile workshop. It’ll provide plenty of jobs for the common folk.”

Even if the workshop couldn’t use it all, he could always sell the extra elsewhere.

He explained his full plan—cotton planting, textile production, and fabric sales—and how it could boost Changping County’s economy.

Magistrate Xu’s eyes brightened. “That’s a fine idea. If it works, it’ll be a great boon to the people.”

Jiang Ji took the opportunity to add, “Then, Sir, may I ask a favor?”

“Go ahead.”

“I’d like to invite a few wealthy landowners from the county to meet and discuss cooperation. Could I ask you to attend as well?”

The magistrate gave him a knowing smile. “So you’re trying to rope me in too, eh?”

“Yes, I hope you’ll lend a hand.”

After a brief thought, Magistrate Xu nodded. “Alright, I’ll make an appearance.”

“That’s wonderful!”

Just then, Jiang Nan came running in. “Brother! There’s someone outside—a steward from a certain Lin family in town—he says he wants to see you.”

“Oh?” Magistrate Xu perked up at that. “There’s only one Lin family in town with that surname, and I happen to know them. They own a great deal of land.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes lit up. “Please, invite him in.”

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾