Author Archives: Thandar

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST

We, Hololo translators, started translating because others’ translation works were moving slowly and we wanted to read more novels faster. Now that we have taken on the role ourselves for a couple of years, we have to keep names, terms, and details consistent throughout the whole book, and it has started to feel more like work than pure enjoyment.

Therefore, this translation will not focus too much on smaller details, such as place names or minor terms, so there may be some inconsistencies there. Character names and the main terminology will remain consistent.

Please read at your own discretion, and thank you for supporting our translations.

Love,

Thandar

Translator extraordinaire 😁

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In the autumn of Imperial Year 1631, frost stained the red leaves, and long winds stretched for ten thousand li.

More than four years had passed since the great Emperor of the Empire suffered an assassination attempt. During that attack, His Majesty sustained severe trauma to the brain and fell into a deep sleep, from which he had yet to awaken.

Over these four years, the Empire’s top medical researchers had all gathered in the capital. They labored with total devotion, neglecting sleep and food, endlessly discussing and theorizing about His Majesty’s condition. Time and again they overturned their own conclusions, trying every conceivable method, yet none succeeded in waking the Emperor from his coma.

No one knew why His Majesty remained unconscious, nor why, after so long, he still had not awakened.

To the Empire, the Emperor was not merely a ruler. His very existence also influenced the abyssal behemoths suppressed throughout the Edolia star system. With the Senate currently handling state affairs and the Empire functioning as usual, no one had ever proposed that he abdicate and that a new emperor be chosen, even after more than four years of his coma.

On the day of the incident, His Majesty had been traveling with the Chief of Palace Affairs, Shao Ye, to Ceres to deal with various postwar matters. It was during this journey that the assassination attempt occurred.

Based on the available evidence, the Office of Inspection quickly identified the greatest suspect as Shao Ye, who had accompanied the Emperor. However, after the incident, Shao Ye disappeared.

This only deepened suspicion against him.

Two years later, the Office of Inspection finally found the missing Chief of Palace Affairs on an abandoned planet in the Fourth Star System. When they found him, he was scavenging through garbage. Upon seeing a ship bearing the Office’s insignia land nearby, he even had the leisure to gossip about it with other vagrants.

He had lost his memory.

He did not remember who he was, much less what had happened on the day the Emperor was attacked.

Due to insufficient evidence, the Office of Inspection could not convict him. To uncover the truth of that day, they had no choice but to try to restore Shao Ye’s memory.

They brought in numerous specialists in neurology, psychiatry, and related fields to conduct consultations and treatment. Yet just as they could not awaken the Emperor, they could not recover Shao Ye’s memories. They spent hundreds of millions of star credits on him, but in the end, Shao Ye would only shake his head and say he remembered nothing.

Two more years slipped by like this. The officials in charge of the case grew increasingly desperate, feeling that the matter might drag on indefinitely. At that moment, however, the Senate-funded “Neverland” project achieved a breakthrough. They needed a group of volunteers to conduct testing.

The name “Neverland” was taken from the fairy tale Peter Pan, where it symbolized eternal, beautiful childhood.

The government’s “Neverland” project was essentially a second world, detached from reality yet convincingly real. In its ideal state, citizens could log in with an account and experience an entirely different life.

The volunteers would be placed into Neverland, and their experiences there would be broadcast live to the public. This would both showcase Neverland comprehensively and generate significant profit for the project team, achieving two goals at once.

The volunteers selected for Neverland were carefully chosen. Among them were once-famous actors now fallen from grace, geniuses outstanding in specific fields, and entirely ordinary individuals. The project team would conduct multiple tests on them and determine which world to open each time based on the combined results.

The project team submitted a request to the Office of Inspection, hoping that Shao Ye could join this round of testing.

After careful consideration, the Office approved the request.

Although it had not been confirmed that Shao Ye was the culprit, he remained the primary and only suspect in the Emperor’s assassination case. Over the past two years, the Office had spent enormous medical expenses attempting to treat him. Moreover, according to the project team, the Neverland program might help recover his lost memories.

They could simulate scenarios within Neverland that resembled real life, potentially stimulating Shao Ye’s hippocampus, or even recreating the scene of the assassination. While the chances were slim, it was at least a glimmer of hope.

Shao Ye, however, knew nothing of this.

At that moment, he was in his hospital room, shouldering a fifty-kilogram barbell as he performed squats. His features were sharp, his build tall and imposing. Even during the past two years when he had been scavenging, he had not neglected his training, maintaining an excellent physique. Now, sweat soaked through his white tank top, revealing well-defined, wheat-colored muscles beneath. He wore black shorts, and beads of sweat ran down his strong calves.

He had stayed at the Office of Inspection for two years, and from the moment he learned of his former identity, he had shown no awareness of being a suspect.

At first, he had been timid and submissive. But after learning who he had once been, despite having no memory of it, his demeanor suddenly turned arrogant. He frequently bossed around the Office staff with complete confidence. Whenever they responded with even slight firmness, he would immediately declare that once His Majesty awakened, he would make them pay.

Hearing this, the staff present at the time had been utterly speechless. Listen to that, just listen to that, what a classic disposable character line. In TV dramas, people like this barely survive three episodes.

How had His Majesty ever allowed someone like him to serve as Chief of Palace Affairs? They had heard his background was not particularly impressive.

The staff handed him the contract sent by the Neverland project team. Shao Ye did not even glance at it. He found the text too long, pushed it aside, wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, and then went to the corner to do inverted crunches.

With no other option, the staff member began reading the contract aloud to him. Shao Ye continued his rapid crunches, and it was unclear whether he was even listening.

After quite some time, the staff member’s lips were dry from speaking as he finally finished explaining the contract. Shao Ye, having completed his entire morning workout, picked up his towel, wiped the sweat from his face, and only then lifted his eyelids to glance at the staff member before slowly saying, “I refuse.”

The staff member took a deep breath and forced a smile. “It seems I didn’t explain it clearly enough. I’ll have the vice director speak with you shortly.”

After two years of dealing with Shao Ye, they had gradually realized that he was the type who bullied the weak and feared the strong, unable to endure even the slightest hardship. It was a waste of such a large physique. Fortunately, their vice director had plenty of ways to handle him.

The Office’s vice director, Tang Qichuan, was one of His Majesty’s most loyal followers. Translated on Hololo novels. He held Shao Ye in great contempt, not only because Shao Ye was a suspect in the assassination attempt, but also because, in his view, Shao Ye simply did not possess the character worthy of serving at the Emperor’s side. How could His Majesty have chosen someone like him?

Tang Qichuan entered the isolation room. His face was as cold as frost, his expression stern and humorless. Dressed in a dark blue uniform, the gold buttons on it gleamed sharply under the lights. He walked over, let out a cold laugh, and said to Shao Ye, “If you refuse to participate in this project, then we’ll have no choice but to sell you to Gole Star. They should find you quite satisfactory.”

Gole Star lay outside the Empire’s jurisdiction. Its pleasure industry was highly developed. With a physique like Shao Ye’s, he would likely be popular with people of all ages and genders.

Startled, Shao Ye nearly dropped the barbell in his hands. He looked up and glared at Tang Qichuan, furious. “You can’t do that! I’m His Majesty’s Chief of Palace Affairs. How could you sell me to a place like that!”

Tang Qichuan merely sneered. In his eyes, the only thing of value Shao Ye had left was his body. “Why not? Over the past two years, the money spent treating your brain could have bought three villas in the best district of the capital. Selling you now would conveniently cover the medical costs. At a time like this, do you think anyone would speak up for you? Those people in the Senate can’t wait for you to die. Maybe if you die, His Majesty might even wake up.”

The barbell slipped completely from Shao Ye’s hands. Lacking confidence, he muttered, “Doesn’t insurance cover it?”

Tang Qichuan replied coldly, “The maximum insurance payout isn’t even enough for a single deep brain scan.”

Shao Ye thought for a moment, then cautiously asked, “Then… can I charge it to His Majesty’s account?”

Tang Qichuan almost laughed. “If you could do that, that would be perfect. We wouldn’t even need to interrogate you. We’d just send you straight to prison.”

He lifted his eyes to look at Shao Ye and continued his threats. Shao Ye was never one to stand firm under pressure. Ideas like “unbending under force, uncorrupted by wealth” had nothing to do with him. When he saw Tang Qichuan take out a communicator to contact underground buyers, Shao Ye hurriedly grabbed a pen and, with great humiliation, signed his name on the contract.

As Tang Qichuan left with the staff, contract in hand, they heard Shao Ye call out, “When His Majesty wakes up, I will report this truthfully to him.”

If not for the examination results, they would have doubted whether Shao Ye had truly lost his memory. Where did he get the confidence that His Majesty would still stand up for him after awakening? And even if he reported it, so what? Did he think the Emperor was his personal protector? If it were later proven that he had indeed participated in the assassination, he wouldn’t even be able to keep his life.

The contract Shao Ye signed had been modified by Tang Qichuan. In the original version, the “Neverland” project intended to disclose Shao Ye’s identity. While that would certainly boost viewership, it would also bring endless complications.

After all, Shao Ye had been the Emperor’s Chief of Palace Affairs. If anything unexpected happened during the broadcast, or if he said something inappropriate, it could stir up massive turmoil across the star network. For this reason, Tang Qichuan firmly demanded that the contract be revised.

The first phase of the Neverland project would include six volunteers in total, Shao Ye among them. Their identities had not yet been revealed, though there were rumors that two of them were leading figures in academia, though no one knew their fields.

Shao Ye had no interest in any of that. According to the contract, this would be more like a single-player game. All volunteers would enter the same world setting, playing the same role with identical backgrounds and resources. However, their names, appearances, and physiques could be chosen freely. The volunteers would not interact with each other at all, at most being compared by viewers during the broadcast.

On second thought, that didn’t sound so great either.

Tears streamed down Shao Ye’s face like noodles as he anxiously counted on his fingers how many carefree days he had left, while simultaneously increasing the intensity of his training by two levels.

It was too late to sharpen his mind now. He could only rely on a strong body to face the coming storm.

Since its inception, the Neverland project had attracted immense public attention. As soon as news of its upcoming launch was released, it sparked widespread discussion. At this very moment, someone claiming to be a project leader posted on a niche anonymous forum, revealing that the completion of Neverland was not only the grand opening of a new era, but that after a series of precise calculations, the project’s technical team had also placed a special virtual character within the game world, one embodying all forms of goodness and beauty, designed to attract and gather powerful wandering consciousnesses from across the universe. In other words, during the first phase of the broadcast, whoever obtained this embodiment of goodness and beauty might very well be interacting with His Majesty’s consciousness.

At first, no one paid much attention to the post. After all, it was an anonymous forum, full of trolls and lunatics, and ever since Neverland was announced, all kinds of outrageous theories had appeared. People lazily replied that it wasn’t as interesting as the “Human Purge Plan.”

The Human Purge Plan was the most famous conspiracy theory surrounding Neverland. Its proponents claimed that the project was actually a tool used by the Senate to eliminate potential criminals. Anyone detected with criminal intent in their brain would be erased in advance. In later updates, even those idle parasites of the Empire who spent their days indulging in pleasure would also be wiped out. Many users later commented that the original poster had been overly aggressive and downright insulting.

The matter truly gained traction two days later, when a modeler with millions of followers shared a screenshot of the post on his star network account as a joke. Not long after, it was censored by the system. Undeterred, he posted it again, only to have his account rewarded with a three-day suspension, and all related discussions were deleted.

But the more something was suppressed, the more rebellious netizens became. A vast online army mobilized, and within half an hour, the deleted post from the anonymous forum had been reposted all across the network, igniting widespread debate.

Originally, most people had treated it as a joke. But seeing such heavy-handed suppression, they began to suspect that there might be some truth to it.

The situation was eventually settled by an official announcement from the Senate. It stated that the original poster was not a project leader, but merely a temporary worker who had spent two months doing odd jobs on the project, and had already been dismissed.

As for the relationship between the Neverland project and His Majesty, the announcement neither confirmed nor denied it, leaving it open to interpretation.

At this point, some people remained convinced that this was nothing more than a shameless publicity stunt by the Senate, and that once His Majesty awakened, they would face consequences. Others believed the Senate wouldn’t dare go that far, and that there might be some truth behind it.

Regardless, before the grand broadcast had even begun, it had already attracted massive attention, with over ten million reservations.

Shao Ye, however, felt no joy at all. He truly did not want to be a volunteer. He had already lost his memory once, and now he was about to lose it again inside a game. What if he came out a fool? Would His Majesty still let him serve as Chief of Palace Affairs? The thought filled him with anxiety.

In late October, under the guidance of staff, Shao Ye arrived at the Neverland construction base in the outskirts. He lay down in a luxurious game pod, closed his eyes, and the world before him sank into darkness. His final thought was—

Could His Majesty’s account really not be used?

Even though his memory had not yet recovered, for some reason, it felt like it should be possible.

Author’s note: Because the story includes livestream elements, as well as “face-slapping” moments and CP shipping among netizens, it wouldn’t make sense without forum-style posts and bullet comments. But I didn’t want to interrupt the flow of the main narrative, so I decided to place them in the author’s notes instead. Readers who don’t like them can simply skip the notes. CP discussion threads will appear in the comment section, and everyone is welcome to participate. Each world will have about two or three CP threads for easy access. The latest threads will be pinned, and older ones will be archived in highlights for convenience.

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Thandar: MC is a dumb beauty. He’ll grow on you eventually lol

“Your Highness, Prime Minister Shen has brought the civil and military officials to welcome you at the city gate,” Chen Feng’s voice came from outside the carriage.

“I know,” Jiang Yan replied calmly.

All the officials welcoming him?

Jiang Ji turned to look at Jiang Yan. Quite an impressive display. Whether it was fear of the Regent’s authority or genuine respect, either way it showed Jiang Yan’s status in their minds.

He opened the livestream to take a look. The viewers were excited too, and there were a lot of them. Over fifty million people were watching.

【We’re here, we’re here! We can see the capital now】

【The host said before he wanted to come to the capital. Didn’t expect it to happen so fast】

【That city wall just now was so tall】

【Who could have imagined Jiang Yan is the Regent. The host really got the protagonist’s script】

【I just remembered, Jiang Ji once said he wanted to see the Regent. Turns out the Regent has been right beside him the whole time lol】

【Jiang Yan in his Regent clothes looks so handsome】

【Clothes really make the man. Jiang Yan feels totally different in this outfit】

【Jiang Ji changed clothes too. I wonder what Jiang Ji looks like wearing a long robe】

【Lmao other streamers are always on camera, but Jiang Ji’s stream we’ve barely even seen his face】

【We saw him twice in the mirror this morning when he was combing his hair. Haha the little dark-skinned guy might be even darker now】

Jiang Ji: “…You guys really are loyal viewers.”

The carriage moved forward a short distance and stopped.

Jiang Yan grabbed his hand. “Do you want to come out with me?”

“I have to go out too?” Jiang Ji asked in surprise. “Aren’t we getting back into the carriage afterward?”

“Yes. Just show yourself briefly and then we’ll come back.”

Jiang Ji shook his head. “Then I won’t go. There are too many officials. I don’t want to be stared at by everyone. You go. I’ll just sit in the carriage.”

“Alright. Wait for me,” Jiang Yan said, patting his hand.

“Mm.”

Wearing a black python-embroidered robe, Jiang Yan lifted the carriage curtain and stepped out.

Jiang Ji immediately lifted the window curtain and secretly watched.

He whispered, “Alright chat, livestreaming the officials welcoming the Regent.”

Outside there were many people. The ones in the middle wore official robes, arranged by rank. The purple-robed officials stood at the very front, followed by red, blue, and green, forming a long line.

Soldiers stood on both sides maintaining order. Many commoners waiting to enter the city had paused when they learned it was the Regent’s convoy and were watching from the outside.

“Wow, so many people,” Jiang Ji said while explaining to the viewers. “Lu Jiu told me purple robes mean rank three or above. Red robes are ranks four and five. Green are ranks six and seven. Blue are below rank seven.”

He called Lu Jiu over and asked quietly, “Which one is Prime Minister Shen?”

Lu Jiu whispered, “The chubby old man in purple standing in the middle of the first row.”

“Oh. He looks pretty kind,” Jiang Ji said. He scanned the front row again. “Which one is Minister Lu? And General Han?”

Lu Jiu looked carefully. “Minister Lu is the third from the left in the first row. General Han is in the row behind them wearing red, the tallest and most muscular one.”

Jiang Ji took a closer look. Minister Lu had a refined appearance. Jiang Yan looked sixty to seventy percent like him. Clearly a scholar type, smiling calmly. As for General Han, the tallest one in the row behind was unmistakable. Tall and powerfully built, clearly a military officer. Seeing his nephew return, he was openly smiling.

When the officials saw Regent Lu Huaizhou step out of the carriage, they followed Prime Minister Shen’s lead and bowed respectfully.

The watching commoners all knelt. The soldiers knelt on one knee.

“Welcome back to court, Regent.”

The shout was loud and thunderous, echoing through the air.

Jiang Ji couldn’t help clicking his tongue. Translated on Hololo novels. Seeing a scene like this with his own eyes for the first time was honestly impressive.

He swept the camera around for the viewers before focusing again on Jiang Yan.

Wearing his black python robe, Jiang Yan felt completely different once he stepped out of the carriage. The authority of the Regent seemed to radiate from him.

He walked to Prime Minister Shen, raised his hand to help the elderly minister straighten up, and said,

“You have all worked hard, ministers. There is no need for excessive ceremony. Today I escort Prince Qi back to the capital and must report to His Majesty. We will speak further in court tomorrow. Please return to your duties.”

He then turned to Prime Minister Shen.

“Prime Minister Shen, come with me to see His Majesty. There are matters we must discuss.”

Prime Minister Shen bowed. “Yes.”

After they finished speaking, Minister Lu and General Han stepped forward.

“Father. Second Uncle,” Lu Huaizhou greeted them respectfully.

General Han patted his shoulder and laughed. “Good that you’re back.”

Minister Lu studied him carefully for a moment. “Your memory really has returned?”

“Yes.”

“That’s good.”

Lu Huaizhou continued, “Father, Second Uncle, Jiang Ji came back with me.”

“Jiang Ji?” General Han’s eyes widened slightly. “The young man who saved you?”

“Yes.”

“Where is he?” Minister Lu asked happily. He leaned forward to look toward the carriage behind them and saw a faint figure inside. “Is he in the carriage? Take me to meet him. I must thank him in person.”

Lu Huaizhou stopped him. “Father, he isn’t prepared yet. Today he’ll return to the residence with me. You can meet him another day.”

“Oh, I see. That’s fine. When he’s ready, let me know. Your mother and I will come to the residence. We must properly thank him.”

“And me too,” General Han added. “We’re going as well.”

“Alright.”

While they were speaking, some officials nearby glanced toward the carriage Jiang Yan had just stepped out of and noticed a young man peeking out from inside.

He was riding in the same carriage as the Regent?

Who was that?

They all stared with curiosity.

After speaking briefly with his father and uncle, Jiang Yan returned to the carriage. Chen Feng led the way, and once the group passed through the city gate, the other officials returned to their own carriages and left.

Jiang Ji had heard what Jiang Yan said earlier.

“Aren’t you going home first? It’s already noon.”

“I have to enter the palace first and report the situation to His Majesty,” Jiang Yan said, holding his hand. “You go back to the residence with Lu Jiu and the others. Stay in my courtyard. I may not return until evening. Rest this afternoon and wait for me.”

Jiang Ji already knew Jiang Yan would have many matters to deal with after returning, so he said thoughtfully,

“Alright. Go handle your work.”

Jiang Yan leaned over and kissed his lips.

“Sorry. I’ll probably be busy for the next few days. But I’ll definitely find time to take you around the capital.”

“You don’t need to apologize. You’ve been gone for months, so of course there’s a lot waiting for you. Just go handle your work. I can take care of myself. There’s no need to rush. We have plenty of time ahead of us.”

“Mm, plenty of time ahead of us.” Jiang Yan liked that phrase very much. He tightened his grip on Jiang Ji’s hand.

After passing through the city gate, the noise around them grew louder. Jiang Ji lifted the curtain and looked outside. Many people were watching from both sides of the street, and many were talking among themselves.

“I heard the Regent has returned.”

“Wasn’t he said to have gone missing?”

“Your news is outdated. The Regent went south. I heard Prince Qi secretly raised troops and colluded with a neighboring country to rebel. The Regent went to deal with it.”

“Prince Qi planned to rebel? No wonder the Regent went personally.”

“Is the carriage behind carrying Prince Qi?”

“It’s good the Regent is back. The city has been in panic these past days. Everyone was afraid something terrible might happen.”

“Yeah. A bunch of people were arrested recently. I heard they were spies from enemy states. It was terrifying.”

“Now that the Regent is back and the spies have been caught, things are finally peaceful again.”

Listening to the common people’s discussions, Jiang Ji smiled faintly, feeling oddly proud.

“Hey, look. There’s someone else inside the Regent’s carriage.”

“Who is it? A lady?”

“Ah, the carriage passed already. Couldn’t see.”

“Not a lady. It looked like a man.”

“Huh, I thought it was a lady.”

Jiang Ji realized the gossip had turned toward him and quickly lowered the curtain.

Lu Huaizhou held his hand. “Why did you stop looking?”

“It’s nothing.” Jiang Ji rubbed his nose, then looked at him. “By the way, now that we’re in the capital, I should start calling you Lu Huaizhou. Or do you prefer me to call you regent?”

Lu Huaizhou curled his lips slightly. “Up to you. Call me whatever you like.”

A certain word flashed through Jiang Ji’s mind and he stared at him with a silly grin.

“What are you laughing at?” Lu Huaizhou looked at him suspiciously, having no idea what strange thought had popped into his head again.

“Nothing. I’ll tell you later.” Jiang Ji waved his hand, trying to suppress his laughter.

Knowing Jiang Ji’s usual style, Lu Huaizhou suspected it probably wasn’t anything good. Translated on Hololo novels. Wisely, he decided not to ask.

After entering the city, the carriage continued for about three quarters of an hour before stopping.

Outside, Chen Feng reported, “Your Highness, we have arrived at the Regent’s residence.”

Lu Huaizhou turned and held Jiang Ji’s hand. “We’re home.”

Lu Huaizhou stepped out of the carriage first. Jiang Ji followed, and when he stepped down he immediately saw the grand residence in front of him. Above the gate hung the powerful characters “Regent’s Residence.”

Holding Lu Huaizhou’s arm, Jiang Ji stepped down from the carriage. At the gate, the residence’s steward Zhong Shu stood waiting with all the servants of the household.

“Your Highness has returned. This is wonderful.”

“Your Highness.”

Everyone had worried for months and were finally seeing him return safely. They were visibly emotional, and several older servants even had tears in their eyes.

Lu Huaizhou nodded to them. “You’ve all worked hard.”

“We haven’t suffered. It is Your Highness who endured hardship outside,” Zhong Shu said.

“I’m fine.” Lu Huaizhou took Jiang Ji’s arm and introduced him. “This is Uncle Zhong, the steward of the residence.”

He then introduced Jiang Ji to the others. “This is Jiang Ji. He was the one who saved me. I have been living at his home until now. I still need to enter the palace. Uncle Zhong, take Jiang Ji to stay in my courtyard. From now on, Jiang Ji is the second master of the residence. Treat him the same way you treat me. Understood?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” everyone bowed immediately, then looked up at Jiang Ji.

So this was the benefactor who saved the Regent. Their eyes were filled with gratitude, along with a little confusion.

The second master?

Jiang Ji faced their gazes. “…Hello everyone. Please take care of me from now on.”

Uncle Zhong quickly smiled. “Young Master Jiang Ji, welcome.”

Lu Huaizhou called Lu Jiu over. “Take Jiang Ji around the residence and familiarize him with the place.”

“Yes.” Lu Jiu nodded.

After giving his instructions, Lu Huaizhou turned to Jiang Ji again. “I’ll go to the palace first. Wait for me to come back.”

“Alright. Go take care of your work. Don’t worry about me.”

Lu Huaizhou left for the palace with Chen Feng, Lu Wu, and the convoy escorting Prince Qi. Uncle Zhong ordered the servants to carry their luggage inside, and Jiang Ji entered the residence with Lu Jiu and Uncle Zhong to look around.

As they walked, Lu Jiu explained, “Our residence covers over one hundred sixty mu of land. There are twenty-three courtyards, four to five hundred rooms of various sizes, two training grounds, and a garden.”

“Wow, it’s huge,” Jiang Ji exclaimed. Along the way he saw rockeries, stone carvings, pavilions, and towers. Every corner looked like its own landscape. “It’s really beautiful.”

“Of course. The late emperor personally designated this residence for the Prince. It’s also close to the palace,” Lu Jiu said proudly. He glanced at Jiang Ji and added, “But most of the courtyards are empty. As you know, the Prince isn’t married yet and doesn’t have a family, so there aren’t many people living here. Altogether there are only about a hundred people, and most of them are guards.”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Maintaining and cleaning so many courtyards must be exhausting.”

Uncle Zhong smiled. “It’s manageable. The empty courtyards are only cleaned every few days, just to keep them tidy.”

“This is the regent’s courtyard,” Lu Jiu said, leading Jiang Ji into one of the courtyards.

Jiang Ji looked around, confused. “Huh? Why isn’t he living in the main courtyard?”

Lu Jiu explained, “That one has two floors. The regent said it felt too spacious there. He prefers this one because it’s more comfortable. The main courtyard is used for receiving guests.”

“…Oh,” Jiang Ji said.

“Young Master Jiang Ji, would you like to live there? Should we mention it to the Prince?” Lu Jiu suggested.

“No need. I was just asking. I think this place is nice too,” Jiang Ji said as he walked inside.

Lu Jiu led him straight to the main room of the courtyard and opened the door.

“This is the regent’s bedroom. The regent sleeps in the room on the left. The east wing is his study.”

“Alright.” Jiang Ji went inside to look at the bedroom. It was moderately sized, and the furnishings were very simple. There was only a folding screen, not even a single vase in sight, though the furniture was all fine zitan wood.

“Hey, Lu Jiu, your regent’s room is pretty simple too. It actually looks similar to the room at my place.”

Lu Jiu set Jiang Ji’s bundle on the table in the room and smiled. “Yes. The regent doesn’t care much about those things. Aside from the main hall used for receiving guests, which has some decorations, the other courtyards are very plain. Most of us in this residence are rough men. If we accidentally knocked over a vase or something, it would shatter. All the fragile and valuable items are kept in storage.”

Jiang Ji couldn’t help laughing. After looking around the bedroom, he went out and sat in the main hall.

Lu Jiu poured him a cup of tea. The tea was warm, just right to drink.

“By the way, Xiao Liu, come here.”

A clever-looking young servant of about sixteen or seventeen came in from outside and said respectfully, “Young Master Jiang Ji, Brother Jiu.”

Lu Jiu introduced him. “This is Xiao Liu. He takes care of the regent’s daily needs.”

Then he turned to Xiao Liu. “Xiao Liu, Young Master Jiang Ji will be living together with the regent from now on. Make sure you serve him well.”

“Yes.”

Jiang Ji smiled and cupped his hands to Xiao Liu. “Xiao Liu, please take care of me.”

Xiao Liu bowed. “Young Master is too polite. If you need anything, just tell me.”

After they finished talking, Uncle Zhong quickly said, “Young Master Jiang, you must be tired after traveling. Shall I have someone bring hot water so you can wash up? Dinner will be ready shortly.”

“Alright. I was just thinking about washing up properly,” Jiang Ji said. Then he turned to Lu Jiu. “You should go wash up too. I’ll take a nap this afternoon, and after I wake up I’ll look around the other courtyards.”

“Okay.”

Uncle Zhong and Lu Jiu left together. Once outside the courtyard, Uncle Zhong pulled Lu Jiu aside.

“I noticed you placed Young Master Jiang’s bundle directly in the prince’s bedroom. Why is that?”

Lu Jiu replied, “Uncle Zhong, when they were at Young Master Jiang’s house, the two of them slept in the same room.”

“What? I heard the Jiang family was very poor. Did they just not have many beds?”

“No. The Jiang family later moved into a three-courtyard house with ten mu of land. There were plenty of rooms. But Young Master Jiang and the regent still stayed in the same room.”

Uncle Zhong became even more confused. “What does that mean?”

Lu Jiu reminded him, “Uncle Zhong, the regent said Young Master Jiang is the second master of the residence.”

“I thought that was just because he saved the regent…” Uncle Zhong looked at Lu Jiu’s meaningful expression. A shocking thought suddenly crossed his mind. He raised both thumbs and bent them toward each other. “You mean… this?”

Lu Jiu nodded. “Mm. Just keep it to yourself.”

Uncle Zhong stood there stunned. He had never imagined such a thing.

“So… the regent… does this mean…” Uncle Zhong muttered. “Could it be that the regent hasn’t married all these years because of this?”

“No idea.” Lu Jiu shrugged and patted Uncle Zhong’s shoulder. “Come on. Young Master Jiang is still waiting.”

Uncle Zhong sighed, his back seeming to bend a little more. “What are we going to do about this…”

“Don’t worry about the regent’s matters. He has his own plans.”

“Ah…”

Jiang Ji took a comfortable bath, changed into fresh clothes, ate the meal Xiao Liu brought him, and walked around the courtyard to digest his food before going to take a nap.

Xiao Liu watched him walk straight into the regent’s bedroom and reminded him, “Young Master Jiang, this is the regent’s bedroom. I can take you to another room to sleep.”

Jiang Ji waved his hand. “No need. I’ll sleep here.”

Xiao Liu hesitated, then gently reminded him, “Young Master Jiang, the regent has never been used to sleeping with others since he was young.”

Jiang Ji smiled. “It’s fine. I’ve been sleeping with your regent for half a year already. He won’t get angry. If I don’t sleep here, that’s when he’ll get angry.”

“?!” Xiao Liu was shocked. “You’ve been sleeping with the regent for half a year?”

“Mm. Go do your work. We’ll talk after I wake up.” Jiang Ji was genuinely tired.

“Yes.” Xiao Liu left in a daze.

Jiang Ji slept for an hour. When he woke up he felt much more refreshed, and much of the fatigue from days of travel had disappeared.

In the afternoon he followed Lu Jiu around the entire residence. Just walking through it took more than half an hour.

Seeing that it was getting late, Jiang Ji returned to the room and exchanged for a large bundle of dried chili peppers. He also took out some green peppers and potatoes.

“Take me to the kitchen,” he said. “I’ll cook a few dishes and wait for the regent to come back.”

Lu Jiu’s eyes lit up immediately. “Let’s go.”

Jiang Ji began bustling around in the kitchen.

Near evening, a handsome young man in white robes suddenly entered the residence.

The gatekeeper saw him and said happily, “Second Young Master.”

Lu Huaichuan looked delighted. “Has my elder brother returned?”

“The regent went to the palace and hasn’t come back yet,” the gatekeeper replied.

“Still not back?” Lu Huaichuan frowned, then asked, “By the way, I heard from my father that the Jiang family’s benefactor who saved my brother has arrived. Is that true?”

“It’s true. His name is Young Master Jiang Ji.”

“Where is he? I want to meet him,” Lu Huaichuan said eagerly.

“He’s staying in the regent’s courtyard. Second Young Master can go there to find him.”

“Alright.”

Lu Huaichuan excitedly went to his brother’s courtyard but didn’t see the benefactor. He grabbed Xiao Liu and asked.

“Young Master Jiang Ji is in the kitchen.”

“The kitchen?” Lu Huaichuan was puzzled. “What is he doing there?”

“He said he’s cooking and waiting for the regent to come back so they can eat together.”

“Oh? Cooking? Then I definitely have to go see.”

Lu Huaichuan immediately headed to the kitchen. Translated on Hololo novels. As soon as he reached the doorway, he smelled a strong fragrance he had never encountered before. There was also a sharp, nose-tingling scent that made him want to sneeze, yet it smelled incredibly good.

He sniffed, trying to hold back the urge to sneeze, and asked Lu Jiu,

“What’s that smell? What are they making in there?”

“Second Young Master, what brings you here?” Lu Jiu was sitting at the kitchen entrance. When he saw Lu Huaichuan arrive, he stood up and said, “Young Master Jiang Ji is inside making twice-cooked pork.”

“Twice-cooked pork?” Lu Huaichuan walked into the kitchen. Inside, the chef and the kitchen maids were all gathered around the stove watching. In front of the stove stood a young man a little older than him, with darker skin, holding a spatula and stir-frying.

So this was the benefactor?

He looked into the wok again. Thin slices of pork, half fat and half lean, were being tossed continuously among pieces of green vegetables. The pork slices were slightly golden from frying, releasing a bit of oil. After being coated with soy sauce, they gleamed with a rich color and gave off an irresistible fragrance. Just looking at them made his mouth water.

Lu Huaichuan couldn’t help swallowing.

After stir-frying for a moment, Jiang Ji lifted the dish out of the wok and plated two large portions.

“Benefactor, what is that green thing?” Lu Huaichuan asked.

Hearing the voice, Jiang Ji turned around. Seeing a young man dressed in fine clothes who resembled Lu Huaizhou somewhat, he asked, “You’re Lu Huaichuan?”

“Yes, yes, I’m Lu Huaichuan.” When he heard the benefactor knew his name, he became excited. “Benefactor, did my brother mention me to you?”

Jiang Ji nodded toward Lu Jiu with his chin. “He told me. My name is Jiang Ji. You can just call me by my name.”

Lu Huaichuan glanced at Lu Jiu. “Oh.”

Soon his attention returned to the food. “That, um… no, Brother Jiang Ji, what is that green thing?”

“That’s chili pepper.” Jiang Ji had heard from Lu Jiu that Lu Huaichuan was a foodie. Smiling, he said, “Try it. I suggest you eat the meat first.”

“Alright.”

Lu Huaichuan had been waiting for that invitation. Someone beside him handed him chopsticks. He took them and immediately picked up a piece of chili pepper he had never tried before and put it in his mouth, completely ignoring Jiang Ji’s suggestion.

After chewing twice, his eyebrows instantly furrowed. “Hiss—this, this…”

“Chili pepper. It’s spicy,” Jiang Ji reminded him.

Lu Jiu had already poured him a cup of water. Lu Huaichuan grabbed it and gulped it down. “Hiss! This flavor, this spiciness, why is it so strong!”

“That’s why I told you to eat the meat first,” Jiang Ji laughed. “And this chili is only mildly spicy. Your brother’s already used to it.”

Lu Huaichuan took a few breaths. Hearing that his brother was used to it, he picked up a slice of pork and put it in his mouth.

The next moment his eyes lit up. After a few bites, he raised his thumb and declared, “The pork slices are rich but not greasy, with a bit of charred aroma. The saltiness is just right, and the chili adds another layer of flavor. Savory and delicious!”

Jiang Ji raised his brows. As expected of someone who loved food. Smiling, he said, “Thank you for the compliment.”

“I didn’t expect you to know how to cook, Brother Jiang Ji.” Lu Huaichuan picked up another slice of pork.

“Mm. I opened a restaurant.”

Lu Huaichuan’s eyes brightened. “Then there must be lots of good food.”

“Yes, plenty. Stay for dinner tonight,” Jiang Ji said.

“Alright.” With good food involved, Lu Huaichuan had no intention of leaving.

Jiang Ji glanced at him and asked, “Did you come alone?”

“Yes.”

Jiang Ji looked puzzled. “Minister Lu and Madam Lu didn’t come to see your brother? You haven’t seen him for over half a year.”

Lu Huaichuan looked puzzled too. “I heard from Father that he wanted to come see you, but big brother said you weren’t ready yet and asked us to wait until you were prepared before coming.”

Jiang Ji: “…”

He laughed helplessly. “Ask Minister Lu and Madam Lu to come over. I’m making a whole table of dishes anyway. You haven’t seen your brother for so long, you must miss him.”

“You’re ready now?” Lu Huaichuan asked.

“Uh, yes. Tell them to come.”

Jiang Ji knew that when Jiang Yan said “ready,” he meant being ready to meet his parents as a partner. But meeting them as a friend was fine too. Besides, his parents surely wanted to meet him as well.

And he could build some goodwill first.

“Alright.” Lu Huaichuan immediately turned to Lu Jiu. “Quick, quick! Send someone to tell my father and mother that the benefactor is ready. Tell them to bring gifts and come quickly.”

“No need to bring gifts,” Jiang Ji said.

“They must. When meeting the benefactor, we have to bring gifts,” Lu Huaichuan insisted.

Jiang Ji sighed. “Didn’t they already send gifts before?”

“That little bit hardly counts. You saved my brother’s life. Even if we emptied the Lu family treasury and gave it all to you, it would still be fine.”

Jiang Ji: “…That won’t be necessary.”

Lu Jiu laughed and went out to deliver the message.

The Lu residence wasn’t far away. Minister Lu had already returned home from court. When the couple heard the message from the Regent’s residence servant, they immediately had the steward load the gifts they had prepared earlier onto the carriage. They happily changed clothes and set out.

When they arrived at the Regent’s residence, they didn’t see Jiang Ji. The steward told them he was in the kitchen cooking.

“How can we let our benefactor cook?” Madam Lu said with dissatisfaction.

Steward Zhong replied, “Young Master Jiang insisted on cooking. He said he cooks often at home and even runs a restaurant.”

“Is that so?” Madam Lu became pleased again. “Then it seems the Jiang family’s circumstances have improved a lot.”

The couple, curious, went to the kitchen together. Before even seeing Jiang Ji, they were already drawn in by the aroma of the food.

Madam Lu stepped into the kitchen and saw the young man stir-frying at the stove. He wore a pale moon-white robe, the sleeves tied up with cord. His skin was a little dark, but his features were delicate, especially his eyes, dark and bright. He was a handsome young man.

Steward Zhong announced, “Young Master Jiang, Minister Lu and Madam Lu have arrived.”

Jiang Ji looked up. He hadn’t expected them to come directly to the kitchen. He handed the spatula to the chef beside him. “Continue frying.”

The chef took it and kept cooking. Jiang Ji walked over to greet them. Before he could speak, Madam Lu spoke first.

“You must be Jiang Ji,” Madam Lu said with a broad smile. “When Lu Wu returned earlier, he told us everything. Thank you for saving Huaizhou and for taking such careful care of him. We also received word that you helped him recover his memory. We are truly grateful.”

As she spoke, Madam Lu and Minister Lu both cupped their hands and bowed to Jiang Ji.
“Thank you for saving Huaizhou.”

Lu Huaichuan also bowed along with his parents.

Jiang Ji quickly stepped aside to avoid the gesture and helped Madam Lu up by the arm. “Uncle, Aunt, please don’t. You’re embarrassing me.”

“How is that embarrassing you? This is what we should do,” Madam Lu said. “There’s a lot of smoke from the cooking here. Why don’t we go to the front hall and have some tea?”

Jiang Ji hesitated. Drinking tea wasn’t an option right now. He still planned to win them over with his cooking. A little embarrassed, he said, “Aunt, I’m in the middle of cooking. If you don’t mind, how about you try my cooking tonight?”

Lu Huaichuan quickly said, “Mother, Brother Jiang Ji’s cooking is really delicious. Just let him cook.”

Madam Lu slapped her younger son lightly on the arm. “How can we let our benefactor cook for us? What have you been studying all these years? Where are your manners?”

Lu Huaichuan muttered, “But it really is delicious. And Brother Jiang Ji said himself that he wanted to cook.”

“Yes, I cook at home too. It’s not a problem. Jiang—uh, Brother Huaizhou likes it too.”

To avoid seeming disrespectful to his future father- and mother-in-law, Jiang Ji felt it would be better not to call him directly by name. Calling him “regent” felt distant, so he said “Brother Huaizhou.” It sounded close and friendly.

“I see. Well then…” Madam Lu glanced at Minister Lu.

Minister Lu was about to speak when Lu Huaichuan suddenly stuffed a piece of twice-cooked pork into his father’s mouth.

Jiang Ji: “…” What kind of move was that? Lu Huaichuan was really going all out just for food.

Minister Lu glared at his son but couldn’t exactly spit the food out, so he had no choice but to chew.

After just a couple bites, his eyes brightened slightly.

Lu Huaichuan leaned toward his father. “Isn’t it delicious?”

Minister Lu nodded. “Mm. Not bad.”

Lu Huaichuan then picked up another piece and fed it to his mother. Madam Lu looked a little surprised after tasting it. She turned to Jiang Ji.

“Your cooking is this good?”

Lu Huaichuan said proudly, “Not just this dish. Lu Jiu said everything Brother Jiang Ji cooks is delicious.”

Seeing this, Jiang Ji smiled and said, “Uncle, Aunt, there’s a lot of smoke here. Why don’t you go sit in the main hall for a moment? I’ll finish cooking soon. When Brother Huaizhou comes back, we can start eating.”

“It’s fine, go ahead and cook. I’d like to watch,” Madam Lu said. She was somewhat interested in cooking herself. Pointing at the green ingredient, she asked, “Is that the thing Lu Wu mentioned? What was it called again?”

Lu Huaichuan reminded her, “Chili pepper.”

“Right, right. Chili pepper.” Madam Lu came from a military family and wasn’t very particular about etiquette. She told her son, “Bring me a pair of chopsticks. I want to try it.”

A servant immediately handed over chopsticks. Madam Lu took a pair, and Minister Lu took another. Both of them picked up pieces of green pepper and put them into their mouths.

Minister Lu: “…Hiss—”

Madam Lu: “!”

Madam Lu then picked up another dish of diced chicken with chili and kept eating. The more she ate, the brighter her eyes became.

“This thing called chili pepper has quite a flavor.”

Lu Huaichuan stared at his mother in surprise. “Mother, don’t you think it’s spicy?”

“Spicy?” Madam Lu nodded. “Right, that’s what it’s called, a spicy flavor, isn’t it? It’s alright. Not too spicy.”

Minister Lu: “…”

Lu Huaichuan: “…”

Jiang Ji was also surprised. “Aunt, it seems you’re very good at eating spicy food.”

“Really? Then it seems I’m fated with these chili peppers. Quite a lucky mouth I have. This chicken is delicious,” Madam Lu said with a smile. “When you have time, could you teach me how to cook it?”

Jiang Ji nodded with a smile. “Of course. There are many other dishes too, all very delicious. I can teach you.”

“Alright, it’s settled then.”

When Lu Huaizhou walked in, he saw his father, mother, and younger brother all gathered around the stove watching Jiang Ji cook. They were chatting and laughing, the atmosphere extremely lively.

Lu Huaizhou looked at Jiang Ji’s smiling face and the corners of his lips lifted slightly.

It seemed Jiang Ji had already conquered their stomachs first.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Next

Lu Wen and Lu Jiu went up into the mountains for a walk. When they returned, they had a string of wild rabbits and pheasants, along with a pouch full of red dates and persimmons.

As they passed the east wing, they saw Jiang Yan and Jiang Ji inside wiping down the armor. Lu Wen lifted the front of his shirt where he had tucked the dates and walked in happily.

“Young master, there are dates and persimmons. Want some?”

Jiang Ji glanced at them. “From the village chief’s house?”

“Huh? Young Master Jiang Ji, how did you know?” Lu Wen asked, puzzled.

“In the whole village, only the village chief’s jujube tree still has fruit left,” Jiang Ji explained. “Were they harvesting the dates today?”

“Yeah. They let us bring back a big pouch.” Lu Wen grinned. “Oh right, Young Master Jiang Ji, we caught some wild rabbits. Can you cook that rabbit dish you made before tonight? These two haven’t tasted it. I told them your cooking is amazing, but they don’t believe me.”

Jiang Ji had originally planned to cook lunch himself, but he hadn’t had time because he was making the bracelet. Now he smiled.

“Sure. I’ll cook it for you tonight.”

The other two guards immediately brightened.

One of them said, “Thank you, Young Master Jiang Ji. On the way here we kept hearing them talk about how delicious your cooking is. They’ve made us curious.”

These were brothers who had fought life-and-death battles alongside Jiang Yan. Jiang Ji laughed.

“Have someone buy the rest of the ingredients. Tonight I’ll cook for everyone. We can all relax a bit.”

“That’s great.”

The group laughed happily. Then Lu Wen noticed the bracelet on Jiang Yan’s wrist.

“Huh? Young master, why are you wearing a bracelet? Did you buy it in the south?”

“No,” Jiang Yan replied.

He was wearing loose sleeves today, and his sleeves were rolled up. The black bracelet on his wrist was very noticeable.

“I made it,” Jiang Ji said with a smile. He lifted his own hand and waved it slightly. “Looks good, right?”

Lu Wen looked curiously at the bracelet on Jiang Ji’s wrist, which matched Jiang Yan’s.

“You made it, Young Master Jiang Ji? It looks pretty nice. Did you give it to our young master?”

“Yes,” Jiang Ji admitted openly.

Lu Wen looked back and forth between the two bracelets. Something felt strange, but he couldn’t figure out exactly what.

Lu Jiu’s eyelid twitched slightly. He quickly grabbed a few persimmons from Lu Wen’s shirt and placed them on the table while pushing Lu Wen out.

“Young master, we’ll head to the backyard first. We’ll wash the dates and bring them later.”

“No need to bring them. We’ll come over soon anyway,” Jiang Ji said.

“Alright.”

The group left while pushing and shoving each other. Lu Wen was still talking to Lu Jiu.

“The young master is actually wearing a bracelet. Don’t you think that’s strange?”

“What’s strange about it?” Lu Jiu rolled his eyes. “Stop making a big deal out of nothing. Don’t lots of people in the south wear them?”

There were many ethnic groups in the south, each with different clothing and jewelry. Some men wore bracelets too. It was very common.

“But the young master never wore things like that before. And Young Master Jiang Ji didn’t either,” Lu Wen insisted. “They didn’t have them this morning.”

Lu Jiu: “…Maybe they just started liking them now.”

Lu Wen replied, “You might as well say Young Master Jiang Ji just finished making them.”

“That’s possible too.”

Back in the east wing, Jiang Ji looked at the black bracelet on Jiang Yan’s wrist. It rested right near the wrist bone. The black leather contrasted sharply with his pale skin.

It actually looked very good.

Jiang Ji stared at it for a moment, then wrung out a cloth and continued polishing the armor’s shoulder guards, wiping each plate carefully.

He chatted casually with Jiang Yan.

“So Lu Jiu didn’t tell them?”

“No,” Jiang Yan nodded. “So far he’s the only one who figured it out.”

“But everyone will know soon enough.”

“They’ll probably be shocked,” Jiang Ji said, imagining the scene and laughing to himself.

Jiang Yan glanced at him. “You seem very happy about that.”

“Of course,” Jiang Ji said, raising an eyebrow. “Just imagining their surprised faces is funny.”

Jiang Yan shook his head with a quiet laugh.

The two of them polished the armor until it shone. Then one of them carried the wooden basin and they went to the backyard.

It was about time to start preparing dinner. Jiang Ji washed his hands and told the kitchen aunt to boil water so he could prepare the rabbits and pheasants.

Wearing the bracelet was inconvenient for cooking. Jiang Ji took his off. But he had nowhere to put it, so he grabbed Jiang Yan’s hand and slid it onto his wrist.

“Hold onto it for me,” Jiang Ji said, tightening the strap.

Jiang Yan also didn’t want the bracelet to get dirty. Translated on Hololo novels. He went back to the room, removed it carefully, wiped it clean, and placed it safely back into the box.

Jiang Ji personally prepared dinner. Jiang Yan and Sister Guihua helped with small tasks like plucking feathers and washing vegetables.

Jiang Yan and the others had been tense for more than two months. Now they chatted while working, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation stolen from serious matters.

Once all the vegetables were washed, Lu Jiu and the others had nothing left to do. They sat outside the kitchen watching the sunset while waiting for dinner.

One guard sighed. “Life here is really comfortable. You don’t have to think about anything.”

Far from the court. Far from conflict. Quiet and peaceful.

Lu Jiu nodded. “And there’s good food.”

Lu Wen agreed. “Right. I almost don’t want to leave.”

Another guard laughed. “No wonder you were so eager to follow the young master here.”

Lu Wu was originally supposed to come back with Lu Jiu, since his martial arts were strong, but Lu Wen had insisted on coming instead.

Lu Wen chuckled. “Aren’t you the same?”

They all laughed.

One guard peeked into the kitchen and whispered, “I never expected the young master to be like this here.”

They all turned to look.

Inside the kitchen, Jiang Yan was wearing his usual gray clothes, sleeves rolled up. He stood beside Jiang Ji, skillfully coating pork ribs with crushed glutinous rice, his expression focused and gentle, a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

He looked completely relaxed and happy.

Before this, none of them could have imagined that their regent had such a side to him.

Jiang Ji personally cooked dinner and prepared three large tables full of dishes. Lu Shun and the others also returned from the city and brought back two large jars of wine. Everyone gathered together, raising cups and celebrating.

The two guards barely even lifted their heads while eating.

“This is unbelievably good,” one of them said. “No wonder you were all fighting to come here.”

“See? I didn’t lie to you.”

“I’ve never eaten anything this delicious in my life!”

Meanwhile, Jiang Ji kept placing food into Jiang Yan’s bowl.

“I made the rabbit differently this time. Try it and see if it tastes good.”

“This is the sweet-and-sour mandarin fish you like.”

“These ribs turned out really good today too.”

Jiang Yan looked at the pile of food in his bowl, smiling helplessly. “Slow down. Let me finish what’s already here first.”

Jiang Ji glanced at his bowl, which was already piled like a small mountain, and finally paused for a moment. “Oh. Then hurry and eat. You need to build yourself back up.”

Jiang Yan’s bowl was filled with dishes he liked. Out of the twelve dishes on the table, seven or eight were also his favorites.

His heart softened.

Jiang Yan picked up a piece of braised pork that Jiang Ji liked and placed it into his bowl. “You eat too.”

“Mhm.” Jiang Ji picked up the meat and ate it in one bite, his eyes curving into a smile. His mood was excellent.

Zhao Ru watched their interaction and the genuine happiness on their faces. Her heart finally relaxed.

As long as they were both happy, everything was worth it.

After dinner, Jiang Ji asked Lu Wen and the others to watch Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei while they did their homework. Then he pulled Jiang Yan outside for a walk.

The moonlight that night was beautiful, like silver flowing across the ground.

People in the village were either still eating or sitting in their courtyards chatting after dinner.

Jiang Ji hooked his finger with Jiang Yan’s. Jiang Yan immediately grasped his hand tightly as the two of them walked toward the entrance of the village.

Jiang Ji said, “Some time ago Magistrate Xu told me the court had issued an order. After the second rice harvest, officials from other prefectures will come to transport the grain seeds. The fifteen counties that planted the new rice this year can pay their land taxes in silver instead of grain. The price of the seeds has been fixed at forty coins per jin. Was that your suggestion?”

Jiang Yan nodded. “Yes.”

“I knew it was you.” Jiang Ji smiled and squeezed his hand. Then he continued, “By the way, the second rice crop will be ready for harvest in about a month. The rice seeds should be enough to cover most of the paddies in the south. Wheat planting in the north is coming soon. How about I leave with you the day after tomorrow? If we move quickly, we can distribute the new wheat seeds in time. Then I can still make it back to harvest the rice.”

“Won’t the cotton be ready to harvest soon too?” Jiang Yan asked.

Jiang Ji nodded. “In about half a month.”

“Is the factory building finished?”

“It’s almost done. The timing should work out.” Jiang Ji said, “The warehouse is already built, so there should be enough space to store the cotton.”

Jiang Yan asked, “Don’t you need to supervise the cotton harvest personally?”

“If I go north to distribute the wheat seeds, I won’t have time for that here. I’ve already inspected the nearby cotton fields, and the quality looks good. I’ll ask the village chief and Uncle Tugen to help manage it.” Jiang Ji shook Jiang Yan’s hand slightly. “Let Lu Shun stay here and help me for a bit. Let him oversee the weighing, payments, and storage. I’d feel more at ease.”

“That’s fine.”

“Then it’s settled. Lu Shun will stay here to help collect the cotton, and I’ll go north with you. After we distribute the wheat seeds and give instructions, I’ll come back. I’ve already chosen the area. Somewhere around the capital would be best. That’s a major wheat-growing region. I calculated it. If we start from there, we can probably cover fifty to sixty thousand mu.”

Jiang Ji had been saving up points for more than two months. By the time they reached the capital, he would have accumulated even more. Earlier rewards had already been exchanged for wheat seeds, and he still had quite a few gifted seeds. The only problem was that wheat required more seeds than rice, otherwise he could have expanded even further.

“So much?” Jiang Yan said in surprise. Then he asked worriedly, “What tasks did the immortals have you do? Was it dangerous?”

Jiang Ji rubbed the tip of his nose. “Not dangerous. Pretty simple. I just tell them about my daily life and chat with them.”

He absolutely didn’t dare tell Jiang Yan that the “immortals” could watch their lives. He especially couldn’t tell him they had even seen them kissing. If he said that, Jiang Yan would probably feel extremely awkward in the future.

Jiang Yan already knew Jiang Ji sometimes talked to himself and understood that he was chatting with the immortals. Hearing that it wasn’t dangerous, he felt relieved.

However, he also noticed Jiang Ji rubbing his nose again. That was something Jiang Ji often did when he felt guilty. There was clearly something else he wasn’t saying, but Jiang Yan didn’t press further.

“If there’s anything I can help with, just tell me.”

Jiang Ji had already thought about it. “When we get there, issue an official order to the counties around the capital and have them select which counties will participate and cooperate in planting the new wheat seeds. That way I won’t have to spend time persuading them.”

“Alright.” Jiang Yan stopped walking and held both of Jiang Ji’s hands. “When we arrive in the capital, after I report everything to my parents, will you come with me to meet them?”

Jiang Ji smiled and nodded. “That’s exactly why I chose the capital as our starting point. I wanted to go meet them with you.”

Jiang Yan had already guessed that. He kissed Jiang Ji lightly on the lips, and beneath the moonlight they shared a gentle kiss.

They continued discussing their plans for a while before finally walking back.

That night in bed, they lay together whispering for a long time, talking about their plans once they reached the capital.

When Jiang Ji mentioned opening a restaurant in the capital, he suddenly remembered something.

“Oh right. Since you’re the Regent, if we get married, does that mean I can’t open a restaurant under my own name?”

Jiang Yan nodded. “That’s right.”

“What about under Mother’s or Xia’er’s name?”

Jiang Yan nodded again. “That’s possible. Your family members can.”

Jiang Ji thought for a moment. “Actually, to be safe, we should restore Uncle Han’s free status and open it under his name instead. That way no one will criticize you.”

Jiang Yan hugged him and kissed him lightly. “You’re very thoughtful.”

“Of course. Once we’re together, your honor and mine will be tied together. If something goes wrong for you, it affects me too. So of course I have to think things through for you.”

“Mm. Thank you.”

Thinking about Uncle Han again, Jiang Ji asked,

“By the way, who is the new magistrate in Huawen County?”

Jiang Yan replied, “I’m not too sure yet. Why do you ask?”

Jiang Ji held him and said, “Do you remember how Uncle Han and the others were sold here?”

Han Qingshan from the restaurant. Back then his eldest daughter had been violated by the young master of their former household. Translated on Hololo novels. Unable to bear it, she took her own life. Han Qingshan and his apprentice Yu Yang beat the young master to avenge her, and as punishment they were sold off to this place. His younger daughter, Xiang’er, had been sold to Pingnan County.

Jiang Yan remembered. “You’re thinking…”

Jiang Ji said seriously, “Can you have someone investigate that family they used to serve? Uncle Han and the others can’t be the only victims. I want to seek justice for them and truly resolve the knot in their hearts. People like that family should receive the punishment they deserve.”

Jiang Yan tightened his arm around Jiang Ji’s waist. “Alright. I’ll have someone investigate.”

Jiang Ji happily kissed him. “Having subordinates really does have its advantages.”

Jiang Yan smiled and deepened the kiss.

…

The next day, the two of them began making arrangements.

Jiang Ji first spoke with Zhao Ru, telling her that he would go toward the capital to distribute the new wheat seeds and also meet Jiang Yan’s parents.

Zhao Ru advised him, “When you meet his parents, you must be sincere, understand? Keep a proper attitude so they can see your sincerity and determination.”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Alright, I understand.”

“And you should prepare gifts.” Zhao Ru frowned. “We don’t have anything particularly valuable here. Bring silver notes with you and buy something in the capital. Buy something good, understand?”

“Mm, I know. Don’t worry, Mother.”

Jiang Ji then explained the cotton collection plans and told her that she and Lu Shun would oversee it. After that, he went to the village chief and Uncle Tugen, asking them to help when the time came. They immediately agreed.

By the time he returned, Jiang Yan had already instructed Lu Wen to investigate Han Qingshan’s former household and had also spoken with Lu Shun about staying longer to help manage things.

When Lu Shun saw Jiang Ji return, he said, “Young Master Jiang Ji, the young master told me some of what needs to be done, but you should explain the details to me.”

“Alright. I’ll take you out to look at the cotton fields first and teach you how to judge the quality.”

Jiang Ji took Lu Shun outside, with Jiang Yan following along.

Along the way, Jiang Ji explained how to distinguish good cotton from poor cotton. Translated on Hololo novels. He also told him about the contracts he had signed with the farmers. When the time came, they only needed to collect cotton from those who had signed contracts.

After returning, he showed Lu Shun the contracts and carefully explained the important points.

“I understand,” Lu Shun said after repeating everything back. “Is that correct?”

“Yes.” Jiang Ji patted his shoulder. “You really do have the talent of a good steward.”

Lu Shun smiled. “You flatter me, Young Master Jiang.”

After settling everything, the next day Jiang Ji set off with Jiang Yan, bringing along two guards.

Jiang Yan had originally planned for them to ride together, but when he saw Jiang Ji easily mount his horse by himself, he looked surprised.

“You can ride now?”

“Of course. During these two months, whenever I had time I asked the guards to teach me.” Jiang Ji smiled. “If I’m going to live in the capital in the future, I should at least learn.”

Jiang Yan curved his lips slightly. “Alright then. Let’s go.”

After saying goodbye to Zhao Ru and the others, they set off at full speed toward the north.

After one day of riding, they caught up with the main escort force transporting the captured Prince Qi. Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan switched to riding in a carriage.

From Changping to the capital, riding hard on horseback would take about four days. But a large convoy like theirs, escorting prisoners and including infantry, needed twelve or thirteen days.

After catching up with the main force, they traveled another seven or eight days before finally reaching the capital.

Just before entering the city, Jiang Yan noticed Jiang Ji tracing something in the air with his finger.

“What are you looking at?”

“I’m looking for gifts,” Jiang Ji said anxiously. “When we meet your parents, I have to bring gifts.”

Changping County was only a small county and didn’t have anything particularly good. Jiang Ji had already planned to buy gifts in the capital. If he couldn’t find suitable ones, he would exchange them through the system.

Jiang Yan laughed softly. “There are plenty of things in the regent’s residence. You can just pick a couple.”

“That won’t do.” Jiang Ji spoke seriously. “If I’m visiting your parents, how can I take gifts from your own house? I should prepare them myself to show sincerity.”

Jiang Yan looked at him with a smile.

Jiang Ji patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I brought silver notes. They’re valid throughout the country. And I already asked Lu Jiu about your grandfather, your parents, your younger brother, and your second uncle’s family. I know what they like.”

He repeated the information he had gathered from Lu Jiu. “It’s this, right? He didn’t get it wrong?”

Jiang Yan nodded. “Mostly correct.”

“Then what parts are different? Tell me quickly.”

Jiang Yan explained the details. Jiang Ji took out his small notebook and wrote everything down carefully.

Watching him record everything so seriously, Jiang Yan smiled softly. “That’s all. When we arrive, I’ll have someone take you into the city to choose the gifts.”

“Good. It’s settled then.”

While they were talking, the gates of the capital came into view.

Jiang Ji lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside. The towering city walls stood tall and imposing. He felt both nervous and excited.

“We’ve arrived at the capital.”

Jiang Yan took his hand.

“Don’t worry. I’m here.”

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

After washing up, Jiang Yan shaved his beard clean. The tired look disappeared, and his handsome appearance returned.

At breakfast, the whole family was finally seated together again around the table.

Jiang Bei deliberately sat beside Jiang Yan. While chewing on a meat bun, he asked curiously, “Brother Jiang Yan, was the place you went to fun?”

Jiang Yan glanced at him. “It was alright. I brought gifts for you. I’ll give them to you after we finish eating.”

“Gifts?!” Jiang Nan’s eyes immediately lit up. “Brother Jiang Yan, what are they?”

“You’ll see after breakfast,” Jiang Yan replied.

Jiang Bei urged his brother, “Eat faster.”

“Okay.”

The two little boys stopped talking and focused on eating.

Zhao Ru looked at Jiang Yan, then at Xiao Ji sitting beside him. Xiao Ji was visibly in a very good mood. She sighed softly in her heart and stood up to scoop dumplings for Jiang Yan.

“Jiang Yan, eat more. You’ve gotten thinner. Being away from home, you probably didn’t have time to eat properly. Try these shrimp dumplings. I heard from Lu Jiu before that you like these.”

Jiang Yan quickly lifted his bowl to receive them. “Alright, thank you, Auntie.”

Zhao Ru was about to place the dumplings into his bowl when she suddenly paused.

It occurred to her that Jiang Yan was the Regent.

Should she even be serving food to him?

Her hand stopped in midair. Below, Jiang Yan held out his bowl waiting, but Zhao Ru still didn’t drop the dumplings in.

For a moment the scene froze. Everyone looked at her curiously.

Jiang Ji asked, “Mother?”

“Ah? Oh.” Zhao Ru came back to her senses. She looked at the bowl Jiang Yan was holding out and hesitated before asking, “Um… Jiang… Jiang Yan, should I not be serving you food? In your family… isn’t that not the custom?”

Jiang Yan paused for a moment, then answered, “It’s fine, Auntie. You can serve food.”

“Oh… alright then.” Zhao Ru carefully placed the dumplings into his bowl.

Her expression was so strange that Jiang Yan glanced at Jiang Ji and quietly asked, “She knows?”

Jiang Ji understood what he meant and nodded. “Yes.”

That explained it.

Jiang Yan then turned back to Zhao Ru and said gently, “Auntie, at home I’m just Jiang Yan. You can treat me the same as before. There’s no need to worry about formalities.”

Hearing this, and seeing that his attitude was the same as before, Zhao Ru relaxed a little. “Alright, then that’s good.”

While eating, Jiang Xia secretly watched her brother and Jiang Yan. Before knowing the truth she had never paid much attention, but now she realized that her brother always sat right next to Jiang Yan. Even though they now had a round table with plenty of space, they still sat very close.

She kept sneaking glances.

Zhao Ru lightly tapped her, signaling her not to stare.

Jiang Yan noticed their little movements but felt puzzled and didn’t ask about it.

After breakfast, Jiang Yan took the gifts out of his bundle. Everyone had one. He had deliberately bought them from a market the day before returning.

For Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei, each received a colorful little wooden horse and a set of Bagua puzzle locks.

For Jiang Xia, there was a set of silver jewelry: earrings, bracelets, and a silver neck ring decorated with many dangling silver pieces that jingled when lifted. Translated on Hololo novels. It had strong ethnic characteristics and was very beautiful. Jiang Xia loved it at first sight and couldn’t put it down.

For Zhao Ru, there was a green jade bracelet.

Everyone was delighted with their gifts. Jiang Xia happily said, “Thank you, Brother Jiang Yan.”

“You’re welcome.”

Zhao Ru didn’t know how to judge the quality of jade, but the bracelet looked extremely valuable.

“Jiang Yan, isn’t this bracelet too expensive?”

“No. There’s a place near there that borders a small country where this kind of jade is abundant. Some merchants secretly brought it over. I happened to see it. It wasn’t expensive,” Jiang Yan replied.

Jiang Ji glanced at Jiang Yan but said nothing.

The jade was an incredibly vivid green, lively and bright. It was the legendary imperial green jade, priceless.

Jiang Nan was already playing with his little wooden horse, while Jiang Bei held up the Bagua lock and asked, “Brother Jiang Yan, how do you play with this?”

“With this,” Jiang Yan said, “try to take it apart. After that, see if you can put it back together.” He challenged them a little. “Let’s see who finishes first.”

The boys’ competitive spirit immediately ignited.

Jiang Nan said confidently, “It will definitely be me!”

“I’ll finish before you,” Jiang Bei declared.

Jiang Ji reminded them, “You should be heading to school. You’ll be late.”

“Oh right, right, hurry to school,” Zhao Ru urged the children.

“Mother, keep this safe for me,” Jiang Xia said, putting the jewelry back into its wooden box and handing it to her.

“Alright, alright. Hurry and go. Don’t be late.”

Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei ran off holding identical Bagua locks.

Once the children had gone to school, Jiang Ji looked at Jiang Yan and raised an eyebrow.

“Where’s my gift?”

Jiang Yan grabbed his wrist. “Come back to the room and I’ll give it to you.”

The two returned to the east wing. After entering the room and closing the door, Jiang Ji waited for Jiang Yan’s gift.

Instead, Jiang Yan took out the jade pendant he always carried with him and placed it in Jiang Ji’s hand.

Jiang Ji’s eyelid twitched slightly. “You’re giving this to me?”

“Yes.” Jiang Yan closed Jiang Ji’s hand around it. “My grandfather carved this for me personally. I’ve carried it with me since I was a child. Giving it to you is the most appropriate.”

Jiang Ji blinked, a smile appearing at the corner of his lips.

“A token of love?”

Jiang Yan’s hand tightened slightly, his gaze deep as he nodded. “Yes.”

Jiang Ji’s heart thumped. He opened his hand and looked at the pendant, his fingers gently tracing the pattern on it. Then he looked up and said solemnly,

“I accept it.”

Jiang Yan nodded with a faint smile in his eyes.

“Then I should give you a token of love too,” Jiang Ji said, thinking. “What should I give you? Wait, let me see.”

He looked around the room helplessly. Apart from silver notes, he realized he hadn’t bought any valuable items.

There were some expensive things in the storeroom, but those had all been gifts from the Lu residence. It wouldn’t make sense to give them back to Jiang Yan.

Come to think of it, he probably should start preparing a bride price as well.

After thinking for a moment, he opened the system interface and went to the exchange marketplace. He searched for jewelry.

Originally he wanted to exchange a modern diamond ring.
But there weren’t any.

In the system’s modern items section, there were only things related to food, clothing, housing, and daily necessities. There was no jewelry.

2977. Just like you, the Farming System.

There were jewelry options in the ancient items section, gold and silver, jade and more. But Jiang Ji felt that if he simply exchanged something directly from the system, it would lack sincerity.

After thinking for a moment, he looked up and said, “Can I give it to you before you leave for the capital?”

Jiang Yan looked at him with a smile. “You seem a little troubled.”

“Yeah,” Jiang Ji admitted honestly. “Look at this room. Other than silver notes, there’s nothing here.”

“Then where is my token of love?” Jiang Yan looked at him. “That can’t be missing.”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll make one for you myself. Just wait.”

Hearing that, Jiang Yan actually felt a little excited. “Alright. I’ll wait.”

“Then I’m going to the workshop. Don’t come in before I’m done,” Jiang Ji said, and immediately hurried toward the tool room.

Jiang Yan watched his hurried back and smiled faintly.

After entering the tool room, Jiang Ji shut the door. Then he browsed through the system for quite a while before exchanging a black crossbody leather bag.

He sat down and thought about the leather bracelets he used to make. Taking out a sheet of white paper, he began drawing designs. He sketched three styles that he could make with his current tools, adjusted them repeatedly, and finally settled on one.

Then he cut pieces from the leather bag strap and one of the leather buckles and began crafting.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yan took a book from the study, intending to go to the backyard to sit with Jiang Ji while he worked.

Just as he reached the corner of the corridor by the main hall, Zhao Ru saw him and called out.

“Jiang Yan.”

Seeing he was alone, she asked, “Where is Xiao Ji?”

“He’s in the workshop,” Jiang Yan replied.

“Oh.” Zhao Ru hesitated for a moment before saying, “Um… Jiang Yan, come here. I need to talk to you about something.”

Jiang Yan followed her into the study in the west wing.

The two sat down. Zhao Ru clasped her hands tightly, took a deep breath, and said,

“Jiang Yan… Xiao Ji told me about the two of you.”

Jiang Yan froze slightly. His heart immediately tightened.

“He… told you?”

During breakfast earlier, he had thought Jiang Ji had only told her about his identity. Translated on Hololo novels. He hadn’t expected that Jiang Ji had already told her everything about their relationship.

Since returning yesterday, they hadn’t yet had a proper chance to talk about this matter.

“Yes. Didn’t he tell you?” Zhao Ru looked surprised. “I thought he already had.”

“No. There hasn’t been time yet.” Jiang Yan looked at Zhao Ru and, without hesitation, suddenly knelt down.

“Auntie,” he said solemnly, “I love Jiang Ji and want to marry him. I will treat him well. Please grant your approval.”

His sudden kneeling startled Zhao Ru. She quickly stood and tried to pull him up.

“Oh, Jiang Yan, you… you should get up. You’re the Regent. How can you kneel to me?”

Jiang Yan shook his head and did not rise.

“You are Jiang Ji’s mother. You are my elder. It is right for me to kneel.”

“Get up first. We can talk slowly,” Zhao Ru said anxiously. “I’ve already agreed. Please get up.”

“You’ve agreed?” Jiang Yan froze again.

“Yes, yes. Now get up.”

“Thank you, Auntie.” Jiang Yan stood up and sat down again, still somewhat unable to believe it. “Auntie… you really agreed?”

Zhao Ru sighed.

“He told me he likes men, that he likes you, and wants to marry you. During the two months you were gone, he hardly ate or slept properly. I saw it all, and it hurt my heart to watch. Xiao Ji has suffered a lot in his life. I just hope that from now on he can live happily.”

Jiang Yan felt deeply moved.

“Auntie, please rest assured. I will make him happy.”

“Jiang Yan, you are a good child. I know that,” Zhao Ru said, looking at him. Then she spoke her worries plainly. “But with your status… will your family agree to this? I want to hear your plans.”

Jiang Yan took a quiet breath and answered seriously.

“Auntie, the day after tomorrow I must return to the capital. When I get back, I will report everything to my parents. They have always respected my wishes. I will persuade them as well. Please don’t worry.”

Hearing him say it personally eased Zhao Ru’s mind slightly. But she asked another question.

“You are the eldest son in your family. If your parents insist that you have heirs… if they ask you to take concubines?”

“When I decided to be with Jiang Ji, I already decided that I would not have children,” Jiang Yan said firmly. “Auntie, please be assured. In this lifetime I will only have Jiang Ji. I will never take concubines. Words may be weak proof, but please watch us in the future. I will spend my entire life honoring my promise to Jiang Ji and my promise to you.”

His sincere and heartfelt words moved Zhao Ru.

Jiang Yan had lived with them for half a year, and Zhao Ru trusted his character deeply. She believed his promise.

A faint sheen of tears appeared in her eyes as she smiled.

“Good. Hearing you say that, I feel relieved.”

“I will cherish him well.”

“Good.” Zhao Ru took another breath and continued. “There is one more thing. In the capital there are many nobles and powerful families. I’ve heard many people look down on those beneath them. We are just a simple farming family. Marrying into your family would be reaching far above our station. If Xiao Ji marries you, people will inevitably gossip about him and he may suffer grievances. When that time comes, I hope you will protect him.”

“I will,” Jiang Yan replied. He did not promise that no one would dare speak ill, because that was impossible. People would always talk. Instead he said simply, “I will not let him be wronged.”

“Who would dare give me grievances to suffer?”

Jiang Ji’s voice came from outside as he walked in.

“Why did you come here?” Zhao Ru asked. Seeing her son catch her speaking privately with Jiang Yan made her feel slightly embarrassed. “How much did you hear?”

Jiang Ji had originally come to get a small knife. Earlier he had used the paper-cutting knife for Jiang Nan and had left it here.

He had not expected to overhear the conversation between his mother and Jiang Yan.

“Most of it.” Jiang Ji sat down beside Zhao Ru and held her hand. “Mother, don’t worry. No one can make me suffer any grievances. Your son is clever. If anyone speaks to me in a sarcastic way, I’ll just answer them the same way. Lu Jiu has already told me a lot of secrets about the capital. I’m not afraid.”

Zhao Ru didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Still worried, she said, “The capital isn’t like here. Everywhere there are nobles and powerful officials. Be careful not to offend someone without even realizing it.”

“Well, other than the imperial family, can any of them outrank Jiang Yan?” Jiang Ji patted her hand. “Mother, Jiang Yan is the Regent. If I marry him, I’ll at least be the Regent’s husband. My status will be right there for everyone to see. They won’t dare say anything to my face. Right, Jiang Yan?”

The Regent’s husband…

Jiang Yan looked at him and chuckled softly. “Yes. They wouldn’t dare.”

Zhao Ru looked at the two of them helplessly. “There are many rules in the capital. Xiao Ji, you don’t understand the customs there. Don’t accidentally cause trouble for Jiang Yan.”

“Mother, don’t worry. I’ve already asked Lu Jiu about a lot of things.” Jiang Ji tapped his head. “It’s all in here. And besides, I won’t be going alone. Our whole family should move to the capital.”

“To the capital?” Zhao Ru looked shocked. “We’re going too?”

Jiang Ji looked even more surprised. “What, you expect me to go alone?”

Zhao Ru: “……”

Jiang Ji: “……”

Mother and son stared at each other.

Jiang Yan looked at the two of them and said, “Auntie, the regent’s residence is very large. Our whole family can live there together and take care of each other. And teachers in the capital are very knowledgeable. Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei could learn much more if they attend school there.”

That was true. The capital gathered many talented people. The teachers there would certainly be better than those in their small county.

Zhao Ru thought about it and said, “I’ve never considered that before. And I’m worried that if we all go, we might not be able to help you much. Instead, you might have to take care of us, and we’d only become a burden.”

“Mother, what are you saying?” Jiang Ji looked at her. “We’re family. How can you talk about being a burden? Of course a family should stay together.”

Zhao Ru sighed helplessly. “I was only saying it. Why are you getting worked up? Of course I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting you go alone.”

“I knew you wouldn’t feel at ease. And I wouldn’t feel at ease leaving you all behind either. That’s why it’s best if our whole family stays together.” Jiang Ji continued persuading her. “And you were just worried I might suffer grievances. If that really happens and you’re not there, I wouldn’t even have anyone to talk to. Wouldn’t that make it worse?”

Zhao Ru: “……”

“And besides, don’t you want to see the capital?”

Zhao Ru nodded. “Of course I do. I’ve heard it’s very prosperous.”

“Exactly. It’s nothing like our little county. For now just think about it. We still have time.” Jiang Ji explained, “I can go ahead first to see how things are, then bring you all there later. After that we can open a restaurant in the capital. There are so many wealthy people there. It will definitely make good money. And if you don’t like living in the Prince’s residence, we can buy our own house in the capital.”

“There’s no need to buy a house. Just live in the regent’s residence,” Jiang Yan said quickly. “There aren’t any complicated people there. It’s mostly brothers who followed me before and a few people who handle cleaning. There isn’t even a single maid.”

Jiang Ji glanced at him, smiling slightly.

Zhao Ru looked surprised. “There are no maids in your residence?”

“No. Aside from the cook and three women who do laundry, everyone else is a man,” Jiang Yan replied.

Hearing this, Zhao Ru felt even more satisfied. It seemed Jiang Yan had always been very disciplined and probably never had any concubines or attendants.

The three of them discussed their future plans for a while. Only after Zhao Ru nodded did Jiang Ji finally take the paper-cutting knife and return to the tool room.

After lunch, Jiang Ji continued working on the bracelet. It wasn’t until mid-afternoon that he came out and returned to the east wing, holding a small black box. He handed it to Jiang Yan with a mysterious expression.

Jiang Yan took it. “Finished already?”

“Yes. Open it and see.”

Jiang Yan opened the box.

Inside were two bracelets.

One black, one brown. They were the same design: a circle of leather with four thinner leather strips crossing over each other, giving it a slightly loose yet natural look.

“What are these?”

“These are bracelets. A couple’s set. One for you and one for me.” Jiang Ji raised an eyebrow. “Which one do you like, black or brown?”

Jiang Yan’s heart stirred slightly. “Black.”

“Alright.” Jiang Ji took out the black bracelet. “I’ll put it on for you. Left hand.”

Jiang Yan raised his left hand. Jiang Ji slipped the leather bracelet onto his wrist.

“The clasp here can be adjusted. If you pull these two ends, it tightens and locks. To loosen it, just pull here.”

Jiang Yan’s skin was fair. It had tanned a little before, but after spending two months in the south covered in armor, it had returned to its pale color. Translated on Hololo novels. The black bracelet rested just below the white bone of his wrist, making his skin look even lighter.

Jiang Yan tried it. It was very convenient.

Jiang Ji asked, “A token of love. Do you like it?”

“I like it.” Jiang Yan nodded. He took the brown bracelet and pulled Jiang Ji’s hand over, fastening it onto his wrist. Then he gently touched the leather band. “It looks very good.”

“Of course. I made it,” Jiang Ji said proudly.

The young man before him had bright eyes reflecting Jiang Yan’s image. His smile was radiant and dazzling.

Jiang Yan wrapped an arm around his waist. Unable to resist, he leaned forward and kissed him.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

The person he had thought about day and night, the one who had filled him with worry, was suddenly standing right before him. Jiang Ji froze only for a moment before rushing forward and throwing his arms around him, holding him tightly.

In the next instant, his waist and back were embraced as well. Jiang Yan wrapped him in a tight hug, his arms locking firmly around him.

Their heads rubbed together, each burying their face in the other’s neck, breathing in that familiar scent they had missed so much. It brought a deep sense of comfort and peace.

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t be back for another two days?” After holding him for a while, Jiang Ji loosened his arms and pulled him inside, looking him over from head to toe. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“I’m not hurt. Don’t worry.” Jiang Yan looked at him with smiling eyes. Jiang Ji was wearing his sleep clothes, his hair loose and slightly messy. He had clearly been about to go to bed.

“As long as you’re not hurt.” Jiang Ji let out a breath of relief and looked at him again.

Jiang Yan had clearly rushed back without rest. He looked tired. His complexion was somewhat worn, red veins showed in his eyes, and short stubble covered his chin where he had not had time to shave. His silver armor was dusty and faintly stained with blood.

But his eyes were bright, filled with warmth, and the corners of his mouth lifted in a broad smile.

Jiang Ji touched the armor on his chest and patted it lightly, looking up with a grin. “Jiang Yan, you look really handsome in armor.”

Jiang Yan’s gaze darkened slightly. His throat moved as he swallowed. He lifted a hand to touch Jiang Ji’s face, then suddenly held the back of his head and leaned down to kiss him.

Jiang Ji closed his eyes and tilted his head up, his hands cupping Jiang Yan’s head as he returned the kiss with equal passion.

Their lips pressed together urgently, with no technique at all, guided only by instinct as they confirmed each other’s presence.

The longing and worry that had built up over more than two months melted into that deep kiss.

“We’ve been traveling day and night to get here. I’m practically rotting in my own sweat. I need to wash up right away.”

Footsteps and Lu Wen’s voice sounded outside the house. Jiang Ji patted Jiang Yan’s shoulder to signal that someone was coming.

But Jiang Yan simply wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into the room. The door shut behind them, and Jiang Yan pressed him against it and kissed him again.

Jiang Ji was slightly surprised by Jiang Yan’s intensity, yet he indulged him willingly. In truth he was happy. It seemed Jiang Yan had missed him very much too.

His own heart was racing with excitement. Now that there were no more reservations, he kissed him even more deeply, pouring all the longing he felt into the kiss.

“Young master ran off as soon as he came in. He probably couldn’t stand all the dust and went to wash up first,” someone said outside.

Several people walked to the east wing. Lu Wen stepped inside and looked around. “See? The young master isn’t here.”

Lu Jiu noticed Jiang Ji’s door was closed and quickly pulled the others along. “Let’s go, hurry and wash up.”

Inside the room, both men heard Lu Jiu and the others leaving, but neither paid any attention. Translated on Hololo novels. They continued kissing intensely, like two beasts parched for a long time, drawing strength from each other.

Jiang Yan’s armor was hard and pressed painfully against Jiang Ji, but he didn’t care. He wrapped his arms around Jiang Yan and kissed him fiercely.

After a long time, they finally separated, breathing heavily but still not letting go. Their faces remained close as they brushed and pecked at each other’s lips.

“Jiang Yan, you finally came back.” Jiang Ji touched his face gently, tracing every inch with his fingers. “I missed you so much.”

Such direct expression of emotion made Jiang Yan’s chest burn with warmth. He lowered his head again and kissed the man in his arms, answering him through his actions.

“I missed you too,” Jiang Yan murmured between kisses. Under Jiang Ji’s influence, the words came naturally. “Very much.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes curved with happiness as he hugged him and kissed him again.

After quite a while, they finally stopped. Their lips were red, as though stained with rouge.

Once their breathing steadied, Jiang Ji looked at his armor and said, “You must be tired. Take the armor off and wash up so you can rest.”

Jiang Ji helped him remove the armor. It was extremely heavy, weighing thirty or forty jin.

In this hot weather they still had to wear it while moving around, their bodies soaked in sweat. But they couldn’t go without it. They were fighting a war, and Jiang Yan had already survived an assassination attempt. For safety, Chen Feng and the others never allowed him to take the armor off, even during the journey back.

Jiang Yan sniffed his own sleeve and frowned.

Jiang Ji laughed when he saw the expression. “Come on, go wash.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Ji fetched him clean clothes and undergarments. Jiang Yan lit a lantern and carried it with him as they headed toward the back courtyard.

“Didn’t you say the Prince Qi was captured? Where is he now?” Jiang Ji asked.

Jiang Yan paused, glanced at him, and replied, “They’re taking the road through the neighboring county. A general is escorting him. Chen Feng and Lu Wu went along as well. I came back to see you. I can stay for at most two days before I have to leave and rejoin them on the way back to the capital.”

“So soon?” Jiang Ji stopped walking and looked at him, frowning slightly. “You can’t stay a couple more days?”

Jiang Yan stopped as well and explained, “I’ve been away from the capital for more than half a year. I have to return and handle many matters.”

Jiang Ji understood the reasoning. He sighed. After all, his lover was the Regent.

“Alright then. Go wash first.”

Just then the door of the main house opened. Zhao Ru had heard the noise and stepped outside. Hearing their conversation, she said in surprise,

“Jiang Yan is back?”

“Auntie, it’s me. I’m back,” Jiang Yan said as he quickly walked over.

“It’s good that you’re back, good that you’re back.” Zhao Ru held up the lamp and looked him over carefully from head to toe. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“No, don’t worry.”

“That’s good.” Zhao Ru glanced at the clothes in Jiang Ji’s hands. “Are you going to wash up?”

“Yes. I just got back and I’m covered in dust.”

Zhao Ru looked at her son for a moment and smiled. “Alright then, go. After you wash up, get some good rest. Whatever there is to talk about can wait until tomorrow after you’ve slept.”

“Okay. You should rest too.”

The two of them walked into the back courtyard. The kitchen beside them was lit, and Sister Guihua was inside boiling water for them.

Lu Jiu, Lu Wen, and two personal guards were sitting at the doorway chatting. They stayed in the front wing rooms. Their armor had already been removed, and they were dressed in black training clothes.

When Lu Wen saw his lord, he asked in confusion, “Young master, I thought you had already come to bathe. Why are you only coming now?”

Lu Jiu coughed lightly. “The young master must have been talking with Young Master Jiang Ji.”

“Oh.”

When Guihua heard Jiang Ji’s voice, she came to the doorway and said, “Young master, please talk to them. They wouldn’t even wait a moment. Two of them already carried cold water and went to bathe. The well water is so cold. What if they catch a chill? They should at least mix it with hot water.”

Lu Jiu turned around and said, “Sister-in-law, we martial artists are strong. It’s not easy for us to catch a chill. We usually bathe in cold water.”

Guihua sighed. “You’re only saying that because you’re young.”

“Sister Guihua already boiled the water, so you should just use the warm water and relax a bit,” Jiang Ji said with a smile. Then he looked at Jiang Yan. “You shouldn’t use cold water. Use warm water.”

Jiang Yan nodded. “Alright.”

Lu Wen was shocked to see how obedient his prince was. He was about to say something, but Lu Jiu quickly covered his mouth.

“Listen to Young Master Jiang Ji. We’ll use warm water too,” Lu Jiu said, then called toward the kitchen, “Thank you, sister-in-law.”

“It still takes the young master to keep you all in line,” Sister Guihua said with a laugh.

“Have you all eaten dinner tonight? Are you hungry? Should I cook you some noodles?” Jiang Ji asked.

Lu Wen’s eyes instantly lit up. “Young Master Jiang Ji, do you still have those noodles you packed for the young master before?”

Hearing that, Lu Jiu and the other two guards also looked over.

Lu Jiu had never eaten them before and asked, “Do you have them? I heard they’re really delicious, but I never got to try them.”

Lu Wen was talking about the instant noodles Jiang Ji had packed for Jiang Yan before.

“You want those noodles?” Jiang Ji asked.

“Yes, yes,” Lu Wen and the others nodded eagerly.

“Alright, wait here. I’ll go get them.” Jiang Ji called into the kitchen, “Sister Guihua, fry a few eggs for them, boil half a pot of water, and wash some water spinach or lettuce. I’ll cook noodles for them.”

“Alright!”

Jiang Ji took a small basket and two small bowls and went into the nearby storeroom. Naturally there were no instant noodles stored there. Translated on Hololo novels. He directly exchanged twelve packs through the system, removed the packaging, and placed the noodle cakes into the basket. The seasoning packets were opened and poured into the bowls, and the empty packaging was returned to the system for recycling.

Once the water boiled, Jiang Ji added the noodle cakes and vegetables, then the seasoning. Soon the noodles were ready. He filled a large bowl for each of them and placed two fried eggs on top.

Sister Guihua looked at the noodles with curiosity. She had never seen anything like them. “Young master, when did you make these?”

“I made them casually when I had some free time before.”

“Oh, I see.” Sister Guihua didn’t doubt him. The young master was capable of many things. If he said it, she believed it.

“Alright, they’re ready. Come get them yourselves,” Jiang Ji said.

Lu Wen and the others were already gathered around the pot. As soon as they heard him, each grabbed a bowl and a pair of chopsticks and started eating.

Lu Jiu slurped a mouthful of noodles, and his eyes lit up immediately. “This smells amazing.”

“See? Didn’t I say it was good?” Lu Wen said.

“Yeah, it’s really good.”

None of them bothered going to the dining hall next door. They simply squatted at the doorway and ate.

Jiang Yan was hungry too and sat on a small stool eating.

Jiang Ji turned to Sister Guihua and said, “It’s late. I’ll watch things here. You should go back and sleep.”

“It’s alright. I’ll wait until they finish and wash the bowls,” Guihua said.

Lu Jiu quickly said, “Sister-in-law, go to sleep. We’ll wash them ourselves later.”

Guihua smiled. “It’s only a few bowls. I’ll finish quickly. You’ve all been traveling hard. After you eat, hurry and wash up and get some rest.”

Before long, the two men who had gone to bathe earlier came out.

One of them laughed and said, “We could smell it all the way from the bathhouse!”

They came over, grabbed bowls, and began eating. The group ate quickly, finishing even the soup. Those who finished first went to bathe.

After a while, Jiang Yan also went to bathe.

Jiang Ji sat at the kitchen doorway and asked Lu Jiu, “None of you were injured, right?”

“No. Only Lu Wen scraped his arm a little,” Lu Jiu replied. “The young master planned everything very carefully. Prince Qi had secretly trained five thousand soldiers and had also won over the ten thousand troops stationed there. The young master transferred thirty thousand troops from two southern provinces and captured them all in one move.”

“The bows you designed, Young Master Jiang Ji, played a huge role. Our range was farther than theirs. We wiped out seventy or eighty percent of their strength without much effort. The bed crossbows were also very effective during the siege. Later, when Prince Qi saw the situation turning against him, he tried to escape. He had dug a tunnel leading outside the city, so it took us some time to find it.”

“Didn’t they say he was also secretly mining iron?” Jiang Ji asked.

Lu Jiu nodded. “Yes. We’ve taken over and sealed the iron mines. The officials there were dismissed and investigated. The garrison there has already been replaced. Most of our time afterward was spent handling the aftermath and calming the people.”

Jiang Ji nodded.

When Jiang Yan finished bathing and came out, Jiang Ji patted Lu Jiu on the shoulder and stood up.

“You’ve all worked hard. Finish washing up early and get a good night’s sleep.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Ji returned to the room with Jiang Yan. Jiang Yan changed into his sleep clothes and lay down on the bed. Just as he was about to blow out the lamp, Jiang Ji stopped him.

“Wait, don’t blow it out yet.”

Jiang Yan turned to look at him.

“I want to look at you properly,” Jiang Ji said.

Jiang Yan’s heart softened. He lowered the mosquito net and lay down, turning on his side so they faced each other.

Jiang Ji simply gazed at him quietly, reaching out to touch his face.

“You’ve lost a lot of weight.”

Jiang Yan avoided the deeper reason and said lightly, “The food over there wasn’t very good.”

Jiang Ji laughed softly. “Tomorrow I’ll cook you something delicious.”

“Alright.” Jiang Yan looked at him with gentle eyes, his arm around Jiang Ji’s waist. “You’ve lost weight too.”

Jiang Ji curled his lips in a half-joking, half-serious way. “Mine’s just because I missed you so much. Lovesickness. It nearly killed me. I missed you until I got thin.”

Jiang Ji was always this straightforward, sweet words flowing as if they cost nothing.

Jiang Yan stroked his face, his voice full of concern. “I’m sorry. I made you worry.”

Jiang Ji blinked and widened his eyes slightly. “It’s normal to worry. You worry because you care and because you love someone. But did you miss the point? It’s not meant to make you feel guilty. The important part is that I missed you. Got it?”

Jiang Yan said softly, “I missed you too.”

Jiang Ji smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips. “That’s better. Feelings need to be communicated. If you say it out loud, I can truly feel it. When you’re happy, I’m happy too.”

Jiang Yan’s lips curved into a small smile.

“I heard before that you were pretty lively when you were little, but after you grew up you became more reserved and kept everything inside,” Jiang Ji said quietly. “Jiang Yan, I hope that from now on, whatever happens, we can tell each other. Alright?”

“Alright.”

The two of them looked into each other’s eyes. After a while, they ended up kissing again.

This time the kiss was gentle and warm.

His beloved had returned safely. The anxiety that had hung over his heart finally settled. Held in each other’s arms, within reach, the quiet warmth between them spread like soft bubbles in the air.

“You must be tired. Go to sleep. Don’t think about anything.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Ji climbed up, leaned over to blow out the lamp, and the two of them fell asleep holding each other.

A peaceful, solid sleep.

For both of them.

…

The next morning, Jiang Ji’s internal clock woke him on time.

When he opened his eyes and saw Jiang Yan beside him, the corner of his lips lifted. Nothing could be more wonderful than that moment.

He didn’t move, afraid of waking Jiang Yan. He wanted him to sleep a little longer.

So he simply watched him quietly.

Jiang Yan had been working nonstop for more than two months. His complexion looked a bit worn, faint dark circles under his eyes. The stubble on his chin hadn’t been shaved yet.

Even so, his features were still firm and handsome.

Just looking at him made Jiang Ji feel happy.

When daylight fully filled the room, voices from the west wing could be heard. Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei had heard that Jiang Yan had returned and wanted to run over to see him.

“Brother Jiang Yan is back? Let’s go see him!”

Zhao Ru quickly stopped them. “Don’t go disturb them. Jiang Yan came back very late last night. Let them sleep a bit longer.”

“Oh.” Jiang Bei said. “The door’s closed. They’re not awake yet. Then should we wait until breakfast?”

“We’ll eat after they wake up.”

“Oh, alright.”

The courtyard became quiet again.

Jiang Yan opened his eyes.

“Did they wake you? It’s still early. Sleep a little more,” Jiang Ji said.

Jiang Yan kissed Jiang Ji lightly on the forehead. Translated on Hololo novels. His arm tightened around him, pulling him closer, his chin rubbing lightly against Jiang Ji’s head as he let out a relaxed breath.

Jiang Ji hugged him and kissed his neck.

Jiang Yan’s body suddenly stiffened.

The stiffness was so obvious that Jiang Ji noticed immediately. He looked up at him.

“What’s wrong?”

Jiang Yan mumbled vaguely, “Nothing.”

Jiang Ji raised an eyebrow and lifted his leg slightly, instantly understanding. When he had first woken up earlier, he had been the same way, though it had already settled down by now.

He laughed quietly and whispered, “Need some help?”

“…No.”

Jiang Ji kissed his lips. Knowing Jiang Yan wanted to wait until marriage, he smiled.

“Then take care of it yourself.”

Jiang Yan: “……”

Jiang Ji climbed out of bed, took out a pack of wet wipes, and placed them on the bedside table next to the dry tissues.

“No need to rush. Take your time. These are wet wipes. They’re convenient for cleaning your hands or body.”

Jiang Yan: “……”

Jiang Ji changed his clothes and went outside, thoughtfully closing both the bedroom door and the outer door behind him.

Jiang Yan: “……”

Jiang Yan picked up the wet wipes and looked at them. More than half the pack was already gone. He raised an eyebrow.

Jiang Ji went to the back courtyard to wash up. Jiang Bei saw him and squatted beside him.

“Big brother, where’s Brother Jiang Yan?”

“He’s still sleeping. Let him sleep a bit longer.”

“Oh.”

After a little more than a quarter of an hour, Jiang Yan came out.

The two of them met at the corner of the corridor.

Jiang Ji looked at him and smiled, asking softly, “Were the wet wipes useful?”

Jiang Yan paused, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“You seem to use them quite often,” he said in a low voice.

Jiang Ji: “……”

Oh?

That sounded like a challenge.

He wasn’t the least bit intimidated. Raising his eyebrow, he replied,

“I’m healthy.”

Jiang Yan curled his lips slightly and looked at him with a half-smile.

“That’s good.”

“Don’t worry,” Jiang Ji said, patting Jiang Yan on the shoulder. “I’ll make sure you’re happy.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Jiang Yan replied.

Each of them secretly making their own little plans, they exchanged a smile.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

“A… a man?” Zhao Ru felt as if she had been struck by lightning. It was as though the sky had collapsed.

Jiang Ji repeated it clearly, “Yes. I like men.”

Zhao Ru’s expression froze. Her mind was in chaos, buzzing, and she stammered, “Y-you… how could you like men?”

Then a thought suddenly flashed through her mind. “Is it because you couldn’t marry Chunhua before? Did that… leave a knot in your heart?”

Who was Chunhua?

Jiang Ji paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered. Chunhua was the girl the original owner of this body had once liked.

How should he explain this?

After thinking for a moment, he shook his head. “No. It has nothing to do with Chunhua. After that incident, I realized that I never truly liked girls. The person I really like is a man.”

Zhao Ru slapped her thigh, her eyes filling with tears. “Then isn’t it still because of that incident? It made you lose interest in women. You… you…”

She sighed, anxious, upset, and full of self-reproach. “It’s your mother’s fault. I couldn’t help you marry Chunhua and bring her home. That’s why you… that’s why you…”

Jiang Ji was stunned. How had his mother’s thoughts turned in that direction?

“Mother, it really has nothing to do with Chunhua. I simply like men,” Jiang Ji said.

Tears streamed down Zhao Ru’s face. “Xiao Ji, our family conditions are better now. Whatever kind of girl you want to marry, Mother will find a matchmaker to arrange it for you. Don’t… don’t find a sworn brother to live with…”

In their area, if a poor family could not afford to marry a wife, sometimes a man would find a sworn brother and live together with him, like husband and wife.

Jiang Ji sighed. It seemed he could not persuade her otherwise, so he spoke directly.

“Mother, I don’t want a girl. I like Jiang Yan. I want to marry Jiang Yan. If you want to find a matchmaker, you’ll have to go to Jiang Yan’s house to propose.”

Zhao Ru’s tears stopped instantly. Thinking she had misheard, she asked, “Who did you say you like? Who do you want to marry?”

“Jiang Yan,” Jiang Ji said clearly.

Zhao Ru froze completely. “Jiang Yan?”

“Yes. Jiang Yan. I like him, and he likes me too. We’ve already pledged ourselves to each other in private,” Jiang Ji said plainly, laying everything out. “We’re going to get married.”

Zhao Ru: “……”

Her mouth hung open as she stared blankly at her son. Scenes from after Jiang Yan arrived flashed through her mind: the way the two of them interacted, Jiang Yan going to rescue Xiao Ji, then personally taking care of him afterward. Translated on Hololo novels. And these past few days, after Jiang Yan left, Xiao Ji had begun sleeping poorly…

“You… you haven’t been sleeping well lately because of Jiang Yan?” Zhao Ru asked.

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes. Mother, he didn’t leave to handle business. He went to do something very dangerous. It could put his life at risk. Before, we didn’t tell you because we were afraid you’d worry.”

“What?!” Hearing that Jiang Yan was in danger, Zhao Ru asked urgently, “What dangerous thing? What did he go to do?”

Seeing her attention shift in that direction, Jiang Ji quickly replied, “It’s related to the court. He went to fight in a war.”

“F-fight in a war?” Zhao Ru was startled. “Is he a general?”

Jiang Ji thought for a moment. When Jiang Yan returned, his identity could be made public anyway. His mother was not someone who spoke carelessly, so it was safe to tell her.

“Mother, sit down first and listen to me.” Jiang Ji pulled her to sit, then looked at her and held her hand, speaking seriously. “Mother, Jiang Yan isn’t a general. Earlier I told you that Jin Zhi was his courtesy name. His real name is Lu Huaizhou. He is the current Regent.”

“W-what?!” Zhao Ru jumped to her feet again in shock. “The Re… Regent?!”

“Shh—” Jiang Ji raised a finger to his lips. “Mother, keep your voice down. For his safety, his identity has to remain secret for now.”

Zhao Ru immediately sat down again. She was so shocked that even her tears had stopped. In a low voice she asked, “H-how could he be the Regent?”

“I didn’t expect it either. But he really is,” Jiang Ji said seriously.

Zhao Ru sat there in a daze for quite a while, still unable to believe it.

“How could he be the Regent?”

Jiang Ji said, “Yes. He was assassinated and fell off a cliff. Fortunately there was a river below. He drifted along the current until he reached our county, near the river by the two mountains behind us. When he woke up he had lost his memory. After climbing over the mountains and wandering aimlessly, he ended up here and fainted.”

“So that’s what happened. No wonder he had so many injuries,” Zhao Ru said, recalling how badly wounded Jiang Yan had been when he was first carried back. Then she asked worriedly, “You said he went to fight in a war. Isn’t that very dangerous?”

“Yes, very dangerous. That’s why I’m very worried about him.” Jiang Ji held Zhao Ru’s hand. “Mother, I truly like him, and he likes me too. He said that when he returns, he’ll go back to the capital and report everything to his parents, then marry me.”

“But he’s the Regent!” Zhao Ru said weakly.

“I know. But we love each other. Our feelings are mutual.”

Jiang Ji carefully watched his mother’s expression. It seemed that her focus had shifted from “he likes men” to “the man he likes is the Regent.”

One shocking revelation had been overshadowed by another even more shocking one.

Compared to the fact that Jiang Ji liked men, what startled and worried Zhao Ru even more was that this man was the Regent.

“He’s the Regent. How could his family possibly allow him to marry a man?” Zhao Ru said.

“He will persuade his parents. I trust him,” Jiang Ji replied firmly.

Zhao Ru fell silent.

“Xiao Ji, I know Jiang Yan is a good child, but he’s the Regent. This matter between you two…” Zhao Ru was not optimistic. “How about you think it over again?”

Jiang Ji shook his head. “I like him, and I want to marry him. Mother, can you agree to our marriage?”

“I…” Zhao Ru stopped. Her mind was in complete turmoil, and she could only say, “You just told me too many things at once. I need to think about it carefully. Yes, I need to think about it.”

She stood up. “Xiao Ji, you… you should think about it again too.”

With that, Zhao Ru opened the door of the east wing and hurried back to her own room.

Jiang Ji watched her leave but did not follow. She needed some time to process everything.

After returning to her room, Zhao Ru clasped her hands tightly and paced back and forth. Her thoughts were a tangled mess.

One moment she thought: How could my son like men?

The next moment: How could Jiang Yan be the Regent? And was he safe?

Then: Xiao Ji and Jiang Yan are actually together?

Then: Jiang Yan’s family will certainly never agree to this…

The series of shocks left her unsure which matter she should even think about first.

After turning it over and over in her mind, she eventually concluded that it must be because Xiao Ji had seen the girl he liked marry someone else, leaving him heartbroken. Translated on Hololo novels. That was why he had begun to develop feelings for Jiang Yan, who lived and ate with him every day.

And Jiang Yan had even risked his life to save Xiao Ji.

True feelings reveal themselves in times of hardship. It must have been because of that.

She sighed again and again in regret. Why had she not noticed earlier that the two of them might grow close like this?

If she had realized sooner, she could have had them live separately earlier. Perhaps things would not have developed this far.

What should she do now?

Judging from Xiao Ji’s attitude, he seemed absolutely determined to marry Jiang Yan.

The more she thought about it, the sadder Zhao Ru became, and tears began to fall again.

In the end, she blamed herself. If only her health had been better and the family had been able to save a bit more money, they might have arranged a marriage between Xiao Ji and Chunhua two years ago. If that had happened, things would not have come to this…

Zhao Ru stayed in her room thinking for a long time. It was not until evening, when Jiang Xia and the others returned from school, that she wiped away her tears, composed herself, and came out.

Seeing that her mother’s eyes were red, Jiang Xia asked anxiously, “Mother, why were you crying?”

Zhao Ru shook her head and forced a smile. “It’s nothing. I’ll go see whether dinner is ready.”

Her eyes were so red that it was obvious she was only pretending to be fine.

Jiang Xia grabbed her and said, “Mother, did someone bully you? Tell me. Brother and I will go demand justice for you.”

“You silly child. I said it’s nothing. Go watch Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei and make sure they finish their homework so we can eat.”

As she spoke, Zhao Ru went to the back courtyard.

The more Jiang Xia thought about it, the stranger it seemed. She found her brother in the tool shed.

“Brother, did you know Mother was crying?”

Jiang Ji paused, set down the drawings in his hand, and asked, “Was it bad?”

“Her eyes are swollen,” Jiang Xia answered. Then she suddenly realized something. “You knew Mother was crying?”

“Yes.” Jiang Ji nodded.

Jiang Xia hurriedly asked, “Why was Mother crying? Did someone bully her?”

Jiang Ji looked at his sister. She would learn about this sooner or later anyway. And perhaps she might even be able to comfort their mother. At least she could talk with her so she would not brood alone.

He said, “I told Mother that I want to marry Jiang Yan. She probably can’t accept it yet. She felt sad and cried.”

Jiang Xia was shocked. “You… Brother, what did you say?”

“I said I want to marry Jiang Yan.”

Jiang Xia stared at him in disbelief and said nothing for a long moment.

Jiang Ji gave her some time to process it, then said, “Xia’er, could you accept having a sister-in-law who’s a man?”

“Ah?” Jiang Xia was still stunned. “I… I’ve never thought about that.”

“Oh. Then think about it now. When Jiang Yan comes back, we’ll probably start discussing the marriage proposal,” Jiang Ji said.

Jiang Xia: “……”

She watched her brother calmly resume drawing as if nothing had happened, then asked, “Brother… you and Brother Jiang Yan… you two…”

Jiang Ji glanced at her and answered, “We like each other.”

“Oh… oh,” Jiang Xia said blankly, nodding. “No wonder you two were always stuck together.”

“Hm?” Jiang Ji raised his eyes and looked at her. “We were always together because we had things to do.”

Jiang Xia: “…oh.”

Seeing that she still looked unconvinced, Jiang Ji tapped her on the head. “Hurry up and process this news. Later you can help me go talk to Mother and comfort her.”

Jiang Xia fell silent.

She asked in disbelief, “You want me to comfort Mother? I haven’t even figured this out myself.”

“Isn’t that why I’m telling you to think about it?” Jiang Ji looked at her. “If there’s something you can’t understand, tell me.”

Jiang Xia thought for a moment. “If you and Brother Jiang Yan get married, then you won’t have children, right? How will the family line continue?”

Jiang Ji raised his hand and knocked her lightly on the head again.

“Ah, Brother, why did you hit me?” Jiang Xia rubbed the top of her head, looking aggrieved.

“Who told you that a person must pass on the family line?” Jiang Ji asked.

Jiang Xia blinked. “Huh? Since ancient times, hasn’t it always been the men of the family who carry on the family line? And you’re the eldest son and the head of the household. You have to take on that responsibility.”

Jiang Ji rolled his eyes.

Jiang Xia pointed at him. “Brother, you rolled your eyes!”

“I rolled them just for you to see,” Jiang Ji replied.

Jiang Xia: “……”

Jiang Ji spoke seriously to his sister. “That idea of yours isn’t right. We are born into this world not to reproduce and leave descendants. We’re here to understand the world and to enjoy our lives as human beings. Having children isn’t about continuing a family line. It’s another kind of life experience shared by two people who love each other, a choice they make to experience being parents. Having children is one kind of life experience. Not having children is another. They are simply different choices, and both are normal.”

Jiang Xia blinked again. “Brother… I don’t really understand.”

“You’re still young. It’s fine if you don’t understand yet. Take it slowly,” Jiang Ji said. “And besides, if someone really needs to carry on the family line, there’s still you, Jiang Nan, and Jiang Bei. You can all carry on the Jiang family line. It doesn’t have to be me.”

“But you’re the eldest son.”

“The eldest son or the second son makes no difference. Don’t we all carry Father and Mother’s blood in our bodies?”

Jiang Xia thought blankly for a moment. “Oh… that’s true.”

After thinking for a bit, Jiang Ji asked, “Xia’er, what do you think about me marrying Jiang Yan?”

Jiang Xia thought about it and said, “I’ve heard Mother and Aunt Xiufang talk about men who become sworn brothers and live together their whole lives. But that’s because they’re too poor to marry wives. They have no choice. Brother, that’s not your situation. You and Brother Jiang Yan could easily marry pretty girls.”

Jiang Ji knocked her on the head again. “Didn’t I just say it? Brother Jiang Yan and I like each other. We’re getting married because we like each other.”

Jiang Xia blinked. “Oh.”

Jiang Ji felt she still didn’t quite understand, so he continued, “In this world, some people like the opposite sex, some people like the same sex, and some people like neither. All of that is normal, understand?”

“Huh?” Jiang Xia looked amazed. “There are people who like neither men nor women?”

“Yes. There are people like that, though they’re rare,” Jiang Ji said. “In the world of immortals, whether someone marries the opposite sex or the same sex, or even never marries at all, all of that is perfectly normal.”

Jiang Xia liked hearing about the world of immortals. “Their world sounds wonderful.”

“It really is,” Jiang Ji said. “Xia’er, I told you before that when people marry, they should marry someone they truly like. That way the chances of happiness after marriage are greater.”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Do you want me and Brother Jiang Yan to be happy?”

“Of course I do.”

“Good. I don’t like girls. I like Brother Jiang Yan. Go help me talk to Mother and persuade her.”

Jiang Xia sighed. “Brother, why don’t you do it yourself?”

“If Mother sees me right now, she might get even more upset. Just spend more time with her these days and gently talk to her whenever there’s a chance.” Jiang Ji patted her head. “Be good and help your brother, alright?”

This was the first time her brother had asked her so seriously for help. Jiang Xia nodded. “Alright, I understand.”

Jiang Ji rubbed her head, feeling very relieved.

Before going to bed that night, Jiang Xia deliberately took her pillow and went to Zhao Ru’s room.

“Mother, I want to sleep with you tonight. Is that okay?”

Zhao Ru was just getting ready for bed and smiled. “It’s so hot tonight. Aren’t you afraid of the heat?”

“I’m not. I haven’t slept with you in a long time.” Jiang Xia placed her pillow near the inside of the bed and climbed up to lie down.

Zhao Ru used a fan to drive away mosquitoes, blew out the lamp, and lay down.

As she slowly fanned herself, her mind was still filled with worries about her eldest son.

“Mother, are you worried about Brother and Brother Jiang Yan?” Jiang Xia asked.

Zhao Ru sounded surprised. “Your brother told you?”

“Yes. Brother said he and Brother Jiang Yan like each other and want to get married. Mother, do you not agree?”

Zhao Ru sighed. “I just can’t understand it. There are so many good girls. How did he end up liking a man?”

“Brother said he simply doesn’t like girls. He only likes men. If it weren’t Brother Jiang Yan, it would be some other man anyway. Just not a girl.”

Zhao Ru: “……”

“Mother, do you not like Brother Jiang Yan?”

Zhao Ru explained, “That’s not what I mean. Jiang Yan is a very good person. I like him too. It’s just that he and your brother are both so good. They could each marry a good girl, have a couple of children, and live a peaceful, happy life. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

“Mother, are you worried they won’t have children to carry on the family line?” Jiang Xia asked directly.

Zhao Ru nodded. “That’s one concern. In the future, your brother and I wouldn’t be able to answer to our ancestors.”

“But Mother, Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei can carry on the family line. If that’s not enough, you could adopt someone or bring in an heir.”

“That’s not the same,” Zhao Ru said worriedly.

“But Brother already likes Brother Jiang Yan,” Jiang Xia said. “If you make him marry a girl he doesn’t love, he won’t be happy for the rest of his life. Even if he earns a lot of money, it won’t matter.”

“I know. That’s exactly what worries me.” Zhao Ru understood the reasoning. She sighed but did not tell Jiang Xia that Jiang Yan was the Regent. Instead she simply said, “But Jiang Yan’s family are officials. They’re a large and influential household, and he’s the eldest son. His family could never allow him to marry a man.”

Jiang Xia’s eyes lit up. “So, Mother, you’re worried that Brother Jiang Yan’s family won’t agree?”

“Of course I’m worried about that too.” Zhao Ru shared her concerns with her daughter. “With Jiang Yan’s status, it probably won’t work if he has no heir. I’m afraid your brother will end up being treated poorly. What if his family demands that Jiang Yan take a concubine or something? With your brother’s temperament, could he endure that? Wouldn’t he end up heartbroken again?”

Jiang Xia thought about it and nodded. “That’s true. But if Brother Jiang Yan promises he won’t take a concubine, would you agree to their marriage?”

Zhao Ru sighed. “Have you ever seen a wealthy household where the master doesn’t have at least one concubine?” Especially not someone like the Regent.

“I think Brother Jiang Yan wouldn’t do that,” Jiang Xia said after thinking for a moment. “Brother Jiang Yan is a good person. He doesn’t seem like that kind of man. Mother, just look at how many girls in our village like him. He never even glances at them, never pays them any attention.”

Zhao Ru had thought about that too, but she said, “Xia’er, you’re still young. People can change. No one can guarantee what they’ll be like in the future.”

Jiang Xia wanted to say more, but Zhao Ru patted her. “Alright, go to sleep. You have to wake up early tomorrow.”

“Okay. Mother, don’t think too much either. Go to sleep early,” Jiang Xia said. Seeing that her mother didn’t want to talk anymore, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

The next morning, Jiang Xia found Jiang Ji and whispered, “Brother, I asked Mother about it yesterday. First, she’s worried you two won’t have children. Second, she’s worried Brother Jiang Yan’s family won’t agree. Third, she’s worried that if you two marry, Brother Jiang Yan might take concubines.”

“Alright, I understand.” Jiang Ji patted his sister’s head. “Keep up the good work.”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Okay.”

After that, Jiang Xia continued absorbing Jiang Ji’s reasoning while also repeating it to Zhao Ru. Every night the mother and daughter would talk privately. With someone to share her worries with, Zhao Ru felt less pressure.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ji stayed busy at home. He worked on farm chores, drew plans for the jacquard loom, and waited for news.

Every couple of days he would go to the restaurant and ask the shopkeeper what the traveling merchants had been saying.

Some merchants who had come from the western and northern regions said those areas had begun tightening security. They had a vague sense that unrest was coming and that war might break out. Recently far fewer merchants were traveling toward the borderlands.

Jiang Ji also received a letter from Jiang Yan saying that preparations had been completed. Translated on Hololo novels. The next period would likely be very busy, and if Jiang Ji didn’t receive letters for a while he should not worry.

After some time, Jiang Ji received news brought by Lu Shun saying that the capital had begun “closing the net.” That meant Jiang Yan’s side would soon do the same.

The crucial moment had arrived.

Jiang Ji began going to the city every day. Anxiety weighed on him, and with the hot weather his sleep became even worse. Blisters even appeared on his lips.

Seeing the dark circles under her son’s eyes, Zhao Ru knew he was worried about Jiang Yan. Feeling distressed for him, she had Doctor Yang prescribe calming medicine and herbs to reduce internal heat, and she watched him drink them every day.

“Has Jiang Yan not written back for several days?” Zhao Ru asked.

Jiang Ji paused before answering, “Yes. It’s been nine days.”

Seeing how pale and exhausted her son looked, Zhao Ru couldn’t bear it and tried to comfort him. “He’s very capable. He’ll be fine.”

“Mother, I’m alright.”

Zhao Ru sighed quietly. Jiang Yan had been gone nearly a month. During all this time, her son had never hidden his worry, thinking about Jiang Yan every day. She knew in her heart that her son truly loved Jiang Yan and had already made up his mind to marry him.

“Xiao Ji.”

“Yes?”

Looking at her son, Zhao Ru said, “About you and Jiang Yan… it’s not that I disagree.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes immediately lit up. “Mother, you agree?”

Zhao Ru sighed. “It’s not as simple as me agreeing. I’m worried about Jiang Yan’s family. You know his identity and his family’s position. It won’t be easy for him to persuade his parents.”

“I know. Xia’er told me your concerns, and I’ve thought about them carefully,” Jiang Ji said seriously. “Mother, I trust Jiang Yan, and I’m willing to face it together with him and ask for his parents’ approval.”

Zhao Ru grabbed her son’s wrist, still worried. “Their family is so high above ours. I’m afraid you’ll be wronged.”

Jiang Ji patted the back of her hand and said firmly, “Mother, I’m not afraid. Jiang Yan’s status is high, but if enduring a little hardship can help convince his parents to agree, it’s nothing. After all, I’m the one who wants to marry him.”

Zhao Ru looked at her son for a long moment before saying, “Then when he returns, we’ll discuss everything carefully.”

“Alright.” Jiang Ji hugged his mother. “Mother, thank you.”

Zhao Ru patted his back.

She knew how many difficulties her son would soon face. Precisely because of that, she did not want to add more obstacles herself or stand in their way and make her son unhappy.

If their ancestors were to blame anyone, they could blame her instead.

About half a month later, Jiang Ji was at home assembling the spinning machine. The workshop building was almost finished. He had transported back all the wooden components he had commissioned from carpenters and was assembling them himself.

Suddenly Lu Shun returned from the city and brought Jiang Ji some news.

“Young Master Jiang Ji, my young master and the others have successfully completed their mission. They’ve captured the Prince of Qi!”

“Really? Does that mean they’ll be coming back soon?” Jiang Ji asked excitedly.

“Once the young master finishes handling the aftermath there, they can set out to return. Oh, right,” Lu Shun said, pulling a letter from his robe and handing it to him. “This is a letter from the young master for you.”

Jiang Ji quickly took it and read through it.

The letter said they had already captured the Prince of Qi and suppressed his rebel forces. Although there had been some minor complications, the mission had been completed smoothly. The bed-mounted crossbows and bows had played a major role, and their casualties were very low.

It also said that they would likely be able to return in about twenty-two or twenty-three days.

Jiang Ji said happily, “He said he can come back in about twenty-two or twenty-three days!”

Everyone was delighted. At noon that same day, Jiang Ji told the kitchen to prepare a big meal, and they all celebrated together.

Twenty-two or twenty-three days.

After receiving the letter, Jiang Ji was happy every day, counting the days one by one.

He even made a calendar himself. Each day he crossed out another date. Watching the number of remaining days grow smaller, the smile on his face grew brighter with each passing day.

That night before going to bed, Jiang Ji drew a cross over that day’s date.

Two days left. Just two more days until Jiang Yan returned!

He was just about to blow out the lamp when a burst of footsteps suddenly came from the courtyard gate. Someone was running toward the house.

That sound of footsteps…

Jiang Ji’s heart skipped a beat. Moments later, the door of the east wing was suddenly pounded loudly.

Jiang Ji hurried to open it.

As the door swung open, Jiang Yan stood before him, dressed in black with silver armor.

“I’m back.”

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Previous

The whole family walked them to the village entrance, watching as the four men rode away on horseback.

Hooves kicked up dust that scattered in the breeze. Their figures grew smaller and smaller until they disappeared at the end of the road.

“Brother, Brother Jiang Yan and the others will come back, right?” Jiang Bei asked, tugging at his brother’s sleeve.

“They will,” Jiang Ji said. After one last look, he turned to the others. “Let’s head back too.”

Some villagers, seeing so many people gathered to send them off, asked from the side, “Where are Jiang Yan and the others going? Going home?”

Zhao Ru replied, “There’s been a bit of trouble with the family business. He lives closer, so he went to handle it.”

This was the explanation Jiang Ji and the others had agreed upon beforehand.

“Oh, I thought he was returning home.”

“He’ll come back,” Jiang Ji said, unconsciously pressing a hand over the left side of his chest.

The villagers smiled and returned to their work.

After all, Jiang Yan’s family had already come looking for him. Sooner or later, he would have to go back.

The group returned home. Jiang Ji went straight to the workshop to continue assembling bows.

Lu Jiu and Lu Shun followed him inside to help. Jiang Yan had instructed them to remain here instead of returning to the capital, so they could pass along messages to Jiang Ji.

Lu Jiu glanced at Jiang Ji. His expression looked normal, but the worry in his eyes could not be hidden.

“Young Master Jiang Ji, don’t worry,” Lu Jiu comforted him.

Without looking up, Jiang Ji fitted a component into place. “Of course I’ll worry. But I believe he’ll complete his mission safely and come back.”

Lu Jiu fell silent for a moment, then nodded with a smile. “Right. Just trust the young master.”

Lu Shun watched the two of them, sensing something oddly subtle in their conversation. Why was his brother deliberately comforting Jiang Ji like this?

Was there something he didn’t know?

Originally, after the young master left, Lu Shun had planned to escort Physician Yang back to the capital. Translated on Hololo novels. But Jiang Yan had specifically ordered them to remain here so they could relay news from both the capital and himself to Jiang Ji. That also struck him as strange.

Why should court news be reported to Jiang Ji?

Lu Shun couldn’t figure it out.

When Lu Jiu stepped out to use the latrine, Lu Shun followed and grabbed him. “Brother, don’t you think something’s strange?”

“What’s strange?” Lu Jiu said, staring at his brother blocking the doorway. “Move. Let me finish first.”

“Why did the young master tell us to stay?” Lu Shun asked without moving aside.

“Didn’t he say? So Physician Yang can continue treating Madam Jiang,” Lu Jiu replied impatiently, pushing past him. “Don’t block the door. I’m dying here.”

Lu Shun waited outside, continuing his thoughts aloud. “That’s not it. Physician Yang already wrote the prescription. She just needs to keep taking it. The young master said I should relay all messages from the capital and from him to Young Master Jiang Ji. He clearly left me here to pass along information.”

After finishing and washing his hands, Lu Jiu came out and looked at his brother with a complicated expression. “Just do what the young master told you. Don’t overthink it.”

“No, you definitely know something.” Lu Shun grabbed him again. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Lu Jiu sighed. “Shun’er, can we not have this conversation outside the latrine?”

Lu Shun glanced back, then slung an arm over his brother’s shoulder and dragged him farther away. “Alright. Talk.”

“…Talk about what? I don’t know anything.” Lu Jiu headed back toward the workshop, reminding him, “Don’t pry into the young master’s affairs. Just do as instructed. When it’s time for you to know, you’ll know.”

“…Oh,” Lu Shun said.

That confirmed it. Something was definitely going on, and his brother knew about it.

He suppressed his curiosity. His brother was right, the young master’s affairs were not something to casually investigate.

When Lu Jiu returned to the courtyard, Jiang Ji was gone. Looking around, he saw him inside Physician Yang’s room.

Curious, he approached and overheard Jiang Ji talking about… granules?

Physician Yang stroked his white beard. “Pills already exist. By ‘granules,’ do you mean very small pills?”

Jiang Ji scratched his head. “Something like that. Basically medicine you can dissolve in hot water and drink immediately. Right now we have to decoct medicine, but that takes too long. Sometimes people might not survive long enough to wait for it to finish boiling. If it dissolves quickly in hot water and works about the same as a decoction, it would be much easier to carry while traveling. It should be possible, right? Similar to pills?”

Physician Yang pondered for a moment. “I can try.”

Jiang Ji nodded happily. “Then I’ll trouble you with it. Things like fever medicine, Xiao Chaihu granules mainly made from Xiao Chaihu; and heat-clearing medicines like Yinqiao Jiedu pills made from honeysuckle and similar herbs; also Niuhuang Jiedu pills, and Chuanxinlian pills. Please make plenty of them. And we’ll need lots of hemostatic powder too. Tell me whatever herbs you need, and I’ll have people purchase them.”

Physician Yang asked in confusion, “Didn’t you already buy a large amount of wound medicine for Young Master Lu to take? Why more hemostatic powder?”

“The more the better. Better to be prepared.”

“Wound medicine is already the best hemostatic powder,” Physician Yang said, studying him. “Young Master Jiang, do you also study medicinal herbs?”

“Ah, I’ve just heard doctors talk about them,” Jiang Ji replied.

Physician Yang nodded. “Understood.”

Afterward, Jiang Ji left and returned to the workshop. Lu Jiu asked, “Young Master Jiang Ji, what kind of granules were you asking Physician Yang to make?”

“Medicine,” Jiang Ji replied. “When you’re traveling, it’s inconvenient to boil decoctions. I asked him to make pills or granules instead so they’re easier to use. When you leave later, you’ll take them along.”

“Oh, I see.” Lu Jiu looked at Jiang Ji and sighed inwardly. Young Master Jiang Ji truly cared deeply about and worried for the young master.

Jiang Ji returned to assembling bows while asking 2977 in his mind, “2977, can you tell me the ingredients of Lianhua Qingwen granules?”

Xiao Chaihu granules, Lianhua Qingwen granules, Yinqiao Jiedu granules, and similar medicines were well-known heat-clearing traditional remedies in Jiang Ji’s previous life and highly effective. He wanted Physician Yang to recreate them, but unfortunately he did not know the exact formulas.

2977 remained as cold and mechanical as ever: 【Insufficient authorization.】

Jiang Ji sighed. “What use are you, then?”

2977: 【……】

At noon during the meal, Jiang Ji stood to leave when Lu Shun suddenly looked at his chest. “Young Master Jiang Ji, are you injured?”

“Hm?” Jiang Ji shook his head. “No.”

“Then why is your shirt red here?” Lu Shun pointed.

Lu Jiu also looked over.

Jiang Ji was wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt that day. Looking down, he saw mottled red stains over the left side of his chest.

Jiang Ji: “……”

The weather was too hot. He had sweated, and the seal ink had transferred onto his clothes.

“It’s nothing. I’ll change,” Jiang Ji said, unable to think of a good excuse. He grabbed a basin of water and hurried back to his room in the east wing.

After closing the door and removing his shirt, he saw the three seal marks on his chest had smeared together into a reddish blur. At a glance, it really did look like bloodstains.

He pulled out tissues and carefully wiped away the smudged edges. He hated to erase them, but the summer heat meant they would keep staining his clothes if he did not.

With a sigh, he steeled himself and wiped the seals clean, then dampened a towel and wiped himself down.

He remembered Jiang Yan hadn’t wiped his off that morning. If Chen Feng and the others noticed red stains on his clothes…

Imagining Jiang Yan’s usually expressionless face showing embarrassment made Jiang Ji laugh out loud. That scene would definitely be entertaining.

But Jiang Yan had worn black today, hadn’t he?

That guy had definitely done it on purpose.

Jiang Ji picked up the sleepwear Jiang Yan had changed out of that morning. Sure enough, there were faint cinnabar stains over the left chest area.

After changing clothes, Jiang Ji dumped the basin water, added both his own clothes and Jiang Yan’s sleepwear, and carried everything to the backyard well. He lathered soap into the water and let the clothes soak.

All the soap at home came from the system exchange and worked extremely well.

After lunch, Aunt Niu, who usually did the washing, saw the clothes in the basin and prepared to wash them, only for Jiang Ji to stop her as he walked in.

“Aunt Niu, leave it. I’ll do it.”

“How could I let you wash clothes, Young Master?” she protested. “These are just sleep clothes. I’ll finish in no time.”

“Leave it. I’ll do it myself.” Jiang Ji took the basin back. “Go rest, Aunt Niu.”

She looked bewildered after having her work taken away and glanced toward Zhao Ru at the kitchen entrance. She went over and said, “Madam, why does the young master want to wash clothes himself?”

Zhao Ru looked at her son, unsure what he was doing. “If he wants to wash, let him.”

Still, she walked over to check. They were Jiang Ji’s and Jiang Yan’s sleepwear, and the area Jiang Ji was scrubbing with soap was stained red.

“Xiao Ji, why is there blood on your clothes? Are you hurt?” Zhao Ru exclaimed, snatching the garment from his hands and unfolding it to inspect the chest area.

She immediately turned toward him. “Is your chest bleeding?”

Jiang Ji: “……”

“No, Mother, I’m not injured.” Jiang Ji blinked, thinking quickly. “Yesterday I knocked over some seal ink and got it on both my clothes and Jiang Yan’s. I just brought them to wash.”

“Seal ink?” Zhao Ru examined it carefully and realized it really was ink, not blood. She sighed in relief. “But isn’t this the shirt you wore this morning?”

“Ah, right… When I went back to my room earlier, I accidentally got more ink on it, so I changed.”

“Oh. As long as you’re not hurt.” Zhao Ru rolled up her sleeves. “I’ll wash them. Go take a nap.”

Jiang Ji immediately refused. The stains were all on the chest area. If Zhao Ru kept looking, he would never be able to explain.

“No need, Mother. Go rest. I’ll finish soon.” Seeing she still wanted to help, he added, “I’ve been stuck thinking about a design and needed a break. Washing clothes helps clear my head.”

Hearing that, Zhao Ru stopped insisting. “Alright then. Take your time and rest a bit.”

“Okay.”

She washed her hands and returned indoors while Jiang Ji sat on a small stool by the well, carefully scrubbing the clothes.

The well area was cool, and everyone passed by there after meals. Each person who saw him washing clothes stopped to ask about it.

Jiang Ji felt numb with exasperation. It’s just laundry. Why is everyone making such a fuss?

He quickly finished washing, hung the clothes to dry, and returned to the workshop.

That night, staring at the empty half of the bed beside him, Jiang Ji found himself unable to sleep.

He wondered where Jiang Yan and the others had reached.

Were they in danger?

Ancient times were truly inconvenient. No phone calls, no messages. Even wanting to say a single word across distance was impossible.

You could miss someone and have no way for them to know.

In the pitch-black night, his mind ran wild imagining all kinds of possibilities. He stayed awake for half the night before finally drifting into a hazy sleep.

…

The next morning, Jiang Ji woke up yawning repeatedly, clearly unrested.

At breakfast, Zhao Ru asked with concern, “Didn’t sleep well?”

“Mm. Too hot,” Jiang Ji replied, choosing the safest excuse. “And a mosquito got inside the bed net.”

Jiang Nan, missing one of his front teeth, eagerly offered his older brother some advice. “Before sleeping, you have to fan the bed a bit to drive the mosquitoes away, clip the net properly, and tuck it tightly under the mat. Then no mosquitoes can get in!”

“Got it.” Jiang Ji looked at his little gap-toothed grin. “Should we just pull the other one out for you too?”

Jiang Nan’s second loose tooth had been wobbling for four or five days already. Hearing this, he shook his head quickly. “Let it fall out by itself! Last time you pulled one, it hurt so much. Go pull Jiang Bei’s, his is about to fall out.”

Jiang Ji immediately turned to look at Jiang Bei.

Jiang Bei had also started losing his baby teeth. He ate cautiously now, afraid of biting down on the loose tooth and hurting himself.

Seeing his older brother’s gaze, he hurriedly shook his head. “It hasn’t fallen out yet.”

“But my hands are itchy. I really want to help you pull it,” Jiang Ji said.

Jiang Bei: “……”

He instantly turned toward their mother. “Mom, I don’t want big brother pulling my tooth!”

Zhao Ru watched the children’s commotion with amused helplessness. “Your brother’s just teasing you.”

“Is he?” Jiang Bei looked at Jiang Ji, unconvinced. It really seemed like his brother wanted to pull it.

Jiang Ji grinned at him. “Just kidding. I really want to pull it.”

Jiang Bei: “……”

He gulped down the rest of his porridge, grabbed a corn cob and an egg, and ran off. “Jiang Nan, hurry! We’ll be late!”

“Wait for me!” Jiang Nan, equally afraid of having his tooth pulled, snatched two eggs and sprinted after him.

Jiang Ji called after them, “I’ll pull them when you get back tonight!”

“Don’t you dare!” Jiang Nan shouted back.

Finding amusement in teasing his two younger brothers, Jiang Ji burst into wicked laughter.

After laughing, he instinctively reached to nudge Jiang Yan’s arm beside him. “Jiang Yan, look…”

His hand met empty air.

The space to his right was vacant.

Jiang Ji: “……”

He withdrew his hand. The smile froze briefly on his lips before he lowered his gaze and continued eating.

Zhao Ru noticed and sighed softly. “I wonder whether Jiang Yan and the others have arrived yet.”

“They probably haven’t,” Jiang Ji replied. “It’s quite far. It’ll take several days.”

“Their family business reaches that far?” Zhao Ru asked curiously. “Wouldn’t that be hard to manage?”

“Mm, maybe goods sell well over there,” Jiang Ji said casually.

From that day on, Jiang Ji filled his schedule completely. In the mornings he assembled bows and arrows. After lunch, he even gave up his usual nap and returned straight to the workshop. Once finished there, he went to the fields to pile fertilizer, pull weeds, and water crops.

He kept himself busy all day.

That way, he could fall asleep faster at night.

Lu Jiu returned from Nanping with the remaining components, and Jiang Ji worked with Lu Jiu and Lu Shun to assemble them as quickly as possible.

When Jiang Ji saw Lu Shun step out and return, he immediately asked, “Any news?”

Lu Shun shook his head. “I just went to the latrine.”

“Oh.” Jiang Ji went back to work.

Lu Shun watched him and sighed quietly. These past few days, Jiang Ji asked about news every time he saw him. But the young master had only left a few days ago. There was no way messages could arrive so quickly. They probably had not even reached their destination yet.

Lu Jiu explained gently, “It’s very far. Even riding at full speed, it would take seven or eight days to arrive.”

Jiang Ji paused. “Oh. I understand.”

After a moment, Jiang Ji said, “Tell me some stories about your young master when he was little.”

Lu Shun exchanged a glance with his brother. “When the young master was little, he mostly studied or practiced martial arts. Nothing very interesting.”

“There are stories,” Lu Jiu said.

Lu Shun looked puzzled. “There are?”

“Of course. You were too young to remember.”

Lu Shun: “……”

Jiang Ji immediately grew interested. “What stories? Tell me.”

Lu Jiu said, “When the young master was little, he was actually quite lively. He even went bird-nest hunting with us.”

“Oh really? He climbed trees too?” Jiang Ji asked in surprise. “I always thought he was serious and mature even as a child.”

“Not at all. He was pretty mischievous,” Lu Jiu said enthusiastically. “We were maybe seven or eight then. One day a bird’s nest appeared in the persimmon tree in Second Uncle’s backyard. Lu Wu spotted it first. The tree was slippery, and none of us could climb it, so we tried poking it with bamboo poles.”

“The young master had just finished practicing calligraphy and came outside. When he saw us, he immediately started climbing the tree. Young Master Jiang Ji, guess what happened?”

“What happened?” Jiang Ji asked eagerly. “Did he make it up?”

“No. He climbed halfway, maybe about ten feet high, almost reaching the branch, when his foot slipped and he came crashing down. We panicked, thinking if he got hurt we’d be doomed, so we all stretched out our arms to catch him.”

“Did you catch him?”

Lu Jiu burst into laughter at the memory. “No! We didn’t! His belt got hooked on a cut branch, and he ended up hanging in midair. Even now I can’t think about it without laughing, hahaha…”

Jiang Ji could not help laughing too, picturing a half-grown boy dangling from a tree trunk. “What expression did he have?”

Lu Jiu laughed. “At first he was completely stunned, eyes wide open. Then he couldn’t get down by himself and got anxious and embarrassed, furious even. In the end, Second Uncle had to climb up and pull him down. Afterward he forbade us from laughing or ever mentioning it. Anyone who laughed had to do horse stance punishment. He was so petty…”

“Hahahaha—” Jiang Ji laughed so hard tears formed in his eyes. “He actually had moments like that? Hahaha…”

The workshop filled with laughter for a long while.

After that, Jiang Ji found new entertainment. Whenever he caught Lu Jiu free, he would make him tell stories about Jiang Yan.

Three days later, Lu Jiu set out as well, bringing the newly finished bows, sleeve arrows, and two completed bed crossbows, along with ten men sent from the capital.

Jiang Ji packed up all the pills that Physician Yang had hurriedly prepared, together with trauma medicine and various other medicinal pills the guards had purchased from neighboring counties, and had Lu Jiu take everything along.

That afternoon, Old Lin, a guard from the restaurant, returned from the city carrying a letter addressed to Jiang Ji.

The moment Jiang Ji saw the familiar handwriting on the envelope, he brightened. “It’s from Jiang Yan.”

He opened it immediately.

The letter had been written four days after Jiang Yan’s departure, in Linzhou. It reported that they were safe and had been entrusted to a merchant to deliver to the restaurant.

When Jiang Ji read Jiang Yan’s remark that the cinnabar seal on his chest had smudged, he could not help laughing.

Lu Shun stood nearby, anxious but too polite to peek. When Jiang Ji finally finished reading, he asked, “Where have they reached? Are they alright?”

“They were in Linzhou then,” Jiang Ji replied. “This was written several days ago. Everything was peaceful along the way.”

He read the letter once more, then carefully folded it and tucked it beneath his pillow.

After that, every few days, sometimes three or four days, sometimes five or six, Jiang Ji would receive another letter from Jiang Yan.

Because Jiang Yan’s group was traveling secretly, they could not use official courier stations. Private letters had to be entrusted to traveling merchants, so all correspondence was delivered through the restaurant.

And since Jiang Yan kept moving between locations, Jiang Ji had no way to send replies.

Jiang Ji thought that compared to himself, who could at least receive letters, Jiang Yan must have it harder, unable to receive any in return.

Every night before sleeping, Jiang Ji would take out the letters and reread them before he could fall asleep.

One day, while reviewing account books at the restaurant counter, Jiang Ji overheard traveling merchants discussing news from the capital. They were saying that the Regent Prince had gone missing and might already be dead.

Jiang Ji paused, quietly listening.

The merchants had come directly from the capital. As they talked, others nearby gathered to ask questions.

“Is it true? The Regent Prince disappeared?”

“Of course it’s true. We passed through the capital recently. We came here because we heard about the new rice seeds.”

“How could someone like the Regent just disappear?”

“He’s been missing for half a year. The court and the prince’s residence kept it secret, claiming he was inspecting military affairs, but now they can’t hide it anymore. The whole capital knows.”

“My heavens… how could he vanish?”

“Who knows? They say he disappeared on the road back to the capital. The Lu family and the prince’s residence sent many people searching but found nothing.”

“What will the court do now?”

“The officials are panicking. People in the capital are uneasy. Some say he was assassinated.”

“Assassinated?”

“Yes. Supposedly attacked in a place called Lushan County, then vanished. Alive or dead, no one knows.”

“Lushan County? Isn’t that south of Nanping County?”

“Exactly. Only two or three hundred li from here.”

“I came from the western routes. The border’s been unstable lately. Might be related.”

“If the Regent Prince isn’t holding the court together, the borders could fall into chaos.”

“Are we going to war?”

“Heaven forbid. Please don’t let there be war.”

Jiang Ji listened for a while, lost in thought, before returning to the account books.

The news had spread this far. That meant the capital had already begun moving.

Lushan County really was where Jiang Yan had been attacked. The rumor was true by design, released to make spies believe it and lure them out. It marked the beginning of Jiang Yan’s plan.

What followed would be the most critical phase.

Unable to focus on the accounts, Jiang Ji eventually went to the county office to ask the magistrates.

Magistrate Xu sighed. “I’ve received the news too. The capital is full of rumors. A classmate of mine says it’s most likely true.”

Jiang Ji looked to Lord Chen, who nodded. “The information I received says the same.”

“Any other news?” Jiang Ji asked.

They both shook their heads.

“We only know the court and the Lu household have sent many people searching,” Lord Chen said.

Magistrate Xu suddenly recalled something. “Earlier, Governor Fan mentioned helping people from the capital search for someone. Could that have been the Regent Prince?”

“Possible,” Lord Chen replied.

It was indeed the case, but Jiang Ji said nothing. Translated on Hololo novels. Seeing he could learn no more, he left the county office and returned home.

He found Lu Shun and asked, “Any news from the capital?”

Seeing Jiang Ji’s troubled expression, Lu Shun asked carefully, “Young Master Jiang Ji, did you hear something?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “The news has spread.”

“We received word from home,” Lu Shun said. “Everything in the capital is proceeding smoothly. I’ve been told to remain here for now.”

“That’s good,” Jiang Ji said, nodding.

Lu Shun added, “Tomorrow I’ll move into the city with Old Cao and the others to handle some matters. Physician Yang will remain here.”

“Alright. Be careful,” Jiang Ji said. Jiang Yan had explained that the prince’s residence and the Lu household maintained their own intelligence network. With Chen Feng and the others gone, Lu Shun would assist locally.

“I’ll send any news to the restaurant,” Lu Shun said.

“Good.”

The capital and Jiang Yan had already cast their nets, waiting for the bait to be taken.

For Jiang Ji, the waiting became even harder to endure.

For several days in a row, Jiang Ji had been sleeping poorly. Seeing the dark circles beneath her son’s eyes, Zhao Ru asked worriedly, “Is it still too hot? Why don’t you sleep on the floor? It’ll be cooler.”

Jiang Ji was not hot. He was worried.

Seeing the concern on Zhao Ru’s face, Jiang Ji led her into the east wing, then closed the door.

“Mother, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Before Jiang Yan returned, Jiang Ji wanted to settle matters on his side first. That way, once Jiang Yan reported everything to his parents, they could choose a time to formally propose marriage.

He had thought about this for a long time but never found the right opportunity. So he decided to say it now.

“What is it?” Zhao Ru grew tense when she saw him shut the door. “Has someone discovered your secret?”

“No.” Jiang Ji guided her to sit down, then suddenly knelt before her.

Zhao Ru was startled and immediately bent to pull him up. “Xiao Ji, w-why are you kneeling? Get up quickly.”

“No, Mother. I have something to tell you. I must say it kneeling.”

“What could be so serious?” Zhao Ru asked anxiously. “Whatever it is, we’ll discuss it together.”

Jiang Ji took a deep breath and looked up at her. “Mother, when the matchmaker came before to arrange a marriage for me, I said I didn’t want to marry yet. That was actually an excuse. I lied to you.”

Zhao Ru froze for a moment, then brightened with delight. “You want to marry now?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes. I want to marry now.”

“Then I’ll go find the matchmaker,” Zhao Ru said, overjoyed, smiling broadly. “Which family’s daughter do you like? I’ll call the matchmaker right away.”

“Mother,” Jiang Ji said, catching her hand, “I’m sorry. I don’t like girls.”

“…What?” Zhao Ru’s smile froze. “Didn’t you just say you wanted to marry?”

“I do,” Jiang Ji said honestly. “But the person I want to marry isn’t a girl.”

Zhao Ru stared at him blankly. “Not a girl… what do you mean?”

Jiang Ji clenched his teeth slightly and said, “Mother, I don’t like women. I like men.”

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Next

At first light, when dawn had only just begun to break, every household in the Village was already busy.

It was the height of the midsummer harvest season. The heat was oppressive, so farmers came out early while the weather was still cool to work.

Jiang Ji and the others were no exception.

Having been caught in the rain the night before, Jiang Ji woke early with a runny nose, his voice slightly nasal when he spoke.

“Caught a chill?” Jiang Yan reached out and touched his forehead. “You don’t seem to have a fever. Any headache?”

Jiang Ji shook his head. “I’m fine. Just a runny nose. Drinking more hot water will take care of it.”

“You’re not going out today. Stay home and rest.” Jiang Yan pressed him back down onto the bed. “I’ll ask Physician Yang to come take a look.”

Jiang Ji lay pinned against the pillow. “…I don’t even have a headache. It’s just the beginning of a cold. Some hot water and I’ll be fine.”

Jiang Yan ignored him. “Let the doctor examine you.”

Jiang Ji tried to sit up again but Jiang Yan pressed a hand against his chest. “Don’t move.”

Jiang Ji sighed. “Alright, alright. Then hurry up.”

Jiang Yan brought the physician over. Hearing that Jiang Ji might have caught a chill, Zhao Ru and Jiang Xia came as well.

Looking at the room suddenly full of people, Jiang Ji said helplessly, “I’m really fine. Just a little runny nose. Very mild.”

“Let Physician Yang check you,” Zhao Ru said.

After taking Jiang Ji’s pulse and examining his tongue coating, Physician Yang said, “Nothing serious. He caught a chill from yesterday’s rain. Two doses of medicine will do.”

“See? I said I was fine.” Jiang Ji sat up. “Doctor Yang, do I really need medicine for something this small? Drinking hot water should be enough.”

Zhao Ru glared at him. “Listen to the doctor.”

Overpowered by maternal authority, Jiang Ji sighed. “…Alright.”

Jiang Xia stared at Jiang Ji’s lips and asked curiously, “Brother, why are your lips swollen?”

Everyone immediately looked toward his mouth. Indeed, his lips were slightly more swollen than usual.

“Hm?” Jiang Ji touched his lips and glanced at Jiang Yan. “Ah, a mosquito bit me.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

“That must’ve been a vicious mosquito,” Lu Jiu added from the side. “I didn’t close my bed net properly last night and got bitten several times on the neck.”

Jiang Ji looked at Jiang Yan with a cheerful smile and agreed, “Exactly. Very fierce mosquito, biting people nonstop.”

Jiang Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze dark and unreadable.

Jiang Ji raised an eyebrow subtly at him, then turned to everyone else. “I’m really fine. Stop crowding around me and go get back to work.”

Physician Yang wrote the prescription, and everyone gradually left.

Once the room emptied, Jiang Yan pulled Jiang Ji into the room, closed the door, pressed him gently against it, and raised his thumb to press against Jiang Ji’s slightly swollen lips.

“A mosquito bite?”

Jiang Ji glanced at his thumb, slowly lifted his gaze, and arched a brow. “What? You have a problem with that?”

Jiang Yan rubbed his lips slightly harder, eyes fixed on the reddened mouth as Jiang Ji deliberately puckered his lips and lightly kissed his finger.

Jiang Yan’s gaze darkened instantly.

Jiang Ji smiled brightly. “Come on, kiss me.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

“What, don’t want to anymore?” Jiang Ji asked when he did not move.

Jiang Yan sighed helplessly and leaned down to give him a firm kiss before murmuring, “Go back to sleep for a while. I’m going to plow the fields.”

He left the room, closing the door behind him.

Jiang Ji happily rolled back onto the bed, grinning foolishly to himself.

After a while, he opened the livestream again. The screen immediately filled with bright yellow scrolling comments.

【Oh my god, I can’t even watch this】
【Face completely flushed】
【Is this really something I’m allowed to see】
【Came early to wait and caught it again】
【Same here, waiting squad】
【Ahhh they’re so sweet!】
【Wonder how last night ended. Did Jiang Ji complete his first time?】
【He’s still bouncing around today, so probably not】
【He even remembered to turn off the livestream yesterday. Incredible. In that situation too】
【The screen went dark for a moment during the kiss just now】
【He definitely set new conditions again】

Jiang Ji: “……”

He silently closed it.

The family refused to let Jiang Ji go to the fields. After lying around for a while reminiscing, he found he could not fall asleep again, so he got up, washed, and helped dry rice grains at home.

In ancient times there were no cement courtyards for drying grain. The village did have a communal drying ground, but it was only packed earth, and grain could not be spread directly on it without collecting dust.

Most households instead laid out straw mats beneath the grain so it would be cleaner when milled later.

Part of the grain at Jiang Ji’s home was spread on large woven straw mats specially made for drying rice, while another portion was laid out on waterproof tarps he had exchanged for. These were spread across the courtyard, and the harvested rice was poured out and evenly distributed to dry.

After filling all three courtyards with drying grain, Jiang Yan and the others returned from morning work to eat breakfast.

Seeing Jiang Ji covered in sweat, Jiang Yan frowned. “Didn’t I tell you to rest properly?”

Jiang Ji looked up and smiled. “I couldn’t fall asleep anyway. It’s fine. Sweating a bit might even help. How are the fields?”

The rain from last night had continued into the latter half of the night, leaving the soil sticky with mud, but harvesting still had to continue.

Jiang Yan said, “The remaining fields have been harvested. The field we cut two days ago has already been plowed once. After breakfast we’ll go harrow it.”

“Alright.”

After breakfast, Jiang Ji was watched closely by Jiang Yan as he drank his medicine, his face twisting tightly from the bitterness.

The next moment, a soft candy was popped into his mouth. It was the same kind Jiang Ji had once exchanged for Jiang Yan when he had to drink calming medicine.

Jiang Ji looked up at him and sighed. “We really are a pair of suffering little lovebirds.”

Jiang Yan had to drink calming medicine, and now he had to drink cold medicine. Translated on Hololo novels. Both suffering together from bitterness.

Jiang Yan glanced at him. “Nonsense.”

Jiang Ji smiled. “Now that your memory’s back, do you still need the calming medicine? You’ve already finished a full course, right?”

“Mm. I won’t take it anymore starting today,” Jiang Yan said.

“It’s really good that your memory came back.” Jiang Ji studied him carefully, smiling.

With his memories restored, Jiang Yan’s presence had subtly changed. The confusion and unease were gone. Even his bearing felt different to Jiang Ji.

His gaze was more restrained, his demeanor steadier and calmer, carrying the composed confidence and strategic assurance of the Regent, as though everything lay within his control.

Even more attractive than before.

The sweet milk candy rolled across Jiang Ji’s tongue as he deliberately called out, clearly and slowly, “Lu… Huai… Zhou.”

Jiang Yan’s brow shifted slightly as he looked at him.

It was the first time Jiang Ji had addressed him like this.

“That name sounds really nice.” Jiang Ji hooked a finger with his, smiling as he said it again, “Lu Huaizhou.”

“Mm.” Jiang Yan responded gently, tightening his grip on Jiang Ji’s hand.

“Young Master, we…” Lu Jiu’s voice abruptly stopped when he noticed their joined hands. He blinked, looked at their calm expressions, and felt his mind explode with realization.

“!”

So that’s how it is!

He turned stiffly and saw Chen Feng coming up the steps. Hooking an arm around him, he hurriedly dragged him away.

“What’s wrong? Weren’t we looking for the young master?” Chen Feng asked in confusion.

“No, no, later,” Lu Jiu said, steering him away while also dragging his younger brother Lu Shun along.

Lu Shun tried to pry his arm free. “What are you doing? I have something to report to the young master.”

“Not now. Trust me, I’m doing this for your own good.” Lu Jiu pulled them toward the entrance, stared at the sky, and sighed deeply in melancholy.

“What’s wrong with you?” Lu Shun asked.

Lu Jiu sighed again. “Nothing. Just let me have a moment.”

Chen Feng and Lu Shun exchanged confused looks, completely unable to understand.

Inside the east wing, Jiang Ji released Jiang Yan’s hand. “Everything alright?”

“It’s fine. Ignore him.”

That morning, Jiang Yan worked at home drawing maps with Lu Jiu and Lu Wen. Three maps still remained unfinished, while everyone else had gone to the fields.

From time to time, Lu Jiu would zone out and secretly glance at his prince.

Jiang Yan shot him a look. “Focus. Don’t make mistakes.”

“Yes.” Lu Jiu quickly lowered his head and concentrated on drawing.

Jiang Ji had also been ordered to stay home. With nothing else to do, he assembled the repeating crossbow and sleeve arrows Chen Feng had brought back.

The large bed crossbow assembled smoothly, but one mechanism in the sleeve arrow would not fit. A component had been made slightly too small and would need to be reforged by a blacksmith.

After lunch, during their rest period, Jiang Ji and several others took the bed crossbow outside to test it.

It was midday, when the sun burned hottest, and the villagers were all resting indoors.

They transported the weapon to the foot of a nearby mountain and prepared for testing.

This bed crossbow was Jiang Ji’s design, inspired partly by things he had seen in his previous life and partly by technology described by viewers from another world. It was a multi-bow bed crossbow.

Jiang Ji secured a massive bolt, as thick as a spear shaft. “We can probably only draw one bow at a time. Aim for that hillside.”

Lu Jiu asked worriedly, “Can it really shoot that far?”

“Let’s try. In theory it should reach a thousand paces. The arrowhead should even embed into a city wall. It could be used for siege warfare.”

Seven or eight of them worked together to turn the windlass and draw the string tight.

Jiang Ji shouted, “Alright, release!”

Jiang Yan pulled the trigger.

Whoosh—

Boom!

A tree in the distance shook violently before crashing down with a loud rustle.

Everyone stared in shock.

They walked over to inspect it. The enormous bolt had pierced straight through a tree more than a foot thick in diameter, splitting halfway through the trunk.

“Wow!” Lu Jiu exclaimed. “That’s impressive power.”

“And the range is excellent,” Chen Feng added.

Jiang Ji said, “We don’t have a city wall here to test it properly, but it should be able to pin bolts into walls for sieges. The only drawback is that it’s heavy. Multiple bows firing together would require many people to draw them.”

Jiang Yan’s eyes lit up. “Very impressive.”

They carried the bed crossbow back. Jiang Ji handed the faulty sleeve-arrow component to Chen Feng. “This piece is too small. It won’t lock in place. Have it remade.”

He measured it carefully with a ruler. “The inner ring is short by one millimeter.”

Chen Feng examined it. “I’ll have it remade.”

That night, after wrestling with his thoughts all day, Lu Jiu quietly climbed onto the roof and secretly observed the east wing from afar.

The room belonging to his prince never lit up.

But Jiang Ji’s room showed two silhouettes for a moment before the lamp quickly went out.

Lu Jiu: “……”

Before they moved houses, his prince and Jiang Ji had slept together. He knew that much. There hadn’t been enough space for so many beds, and Jiang Ji had been injured and needed care, so it made sense.

But later, after Jiang Ji recovered and they moved here with separate rooms, they were still sleeping together?

That could only mean one thing.

The hand-holding he had seen that morning had no other explanation. It was simply hand-holding.

His prince and Jiang Ji were truly together.

Feeling conflicted, Lu Jiu drifted away and returned silently to his own room.

The next day, Magistrate Xu and the others arrived.

Lord Chen was especially concerned about the rice yield per mu. “The dried grain has finished drying, right?”

“It has,” Jiang Ji nodded. “Five hundred fifty-seven jin.”

Lord Chen brightened immediately. “Excellent!”

Magistrate Xu and the others had already visited during the first two days of harvest. Translated on Hololo novels. They had watched Jiang Ji’s family harvest two fields and had weighed the grain while still wet, nearly seven hundred jin. But because of the moisture content, yields were normally calculated based on fully dried grain, which was why they had returned.

Jiang Ji’s fields were treated as experimental plots. Detailed records were kept during harvesting. Each field’s grain was dried separately, and the duck-raised and fish-raised paddies were also recorded separately.

Magistrate Xu asked, “What about the rice from the fish-raised fields? Has it dried?”

“Some has,” Jiang Ji replied. “Calculated out, it’s about the same as the duck fields, around five hundred forty-six jin per mu. As for Uncle Tugen’s and the village chief’s fields planted normally, their yield is around four hundred ninety to nearly five hundred jin per mu.”

“Wonderful!” Lord Chen clapped his hands and said to Magistrate Xu with a smile, “That matches the situation in other villages. The best fields elsewhere are about the same. Some places with heavier pest damage only reached a bit over three hundred jin, but that’s still higher than before.”

Magistrate Xu nodded with a smile.

Over the past few days they had traveled through villages across the county, and Lord Chen had even visited neighboring Pingnan County.

The new rice variety had produced a bumper harvest. Yields had nearly doubled, and villagers everywhere were filled with joy. The hardship of the double harvest season felt worthwhile at last.

“Let us copy your recorded data,” Lord Chen said. “We must submit a report upward.”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Of course. I’ve recorded everything, but a few fields still haven’t been fully counted. We’ll need a few more days to calculate the final averages.”

“Good, good. We’ll wait until harvesting is finished.”

Jiang Ji asked about conditions in other counties. Lord Chen replied, “During inspection, one area in Lushan County suffered severe pest damage. According to the methods recorded in your book, they used pine-needle water and similar treatments to eliminate insects. Their yield may end up slightly lower.”

Magistrate Xu sighed with feeling. “Your family’s fields really did have far fewer pests.”

“The duck and fish ate the eggs and larvae,” Jiang Ji said with a smile. “Many people in our village have already woven fishing nets and are preparing to raise ducks and fish.”

“This method truly deserves promotion,” Lord Chen said happily. “Your fields produce more grain than traditional planting, and you can also sell ducks and fish. That’s additional income.”

“That’s the idea,” Jiang Ji agreed, then added a reminder. “But if other villages want to try it, it’s best to recommend duck-raising first. Fish farming has higher requirements and greater risk.”

“Understood. I’ll inform them,” Magistrate Xu said, nodding.

…

Two days later, Jiang Ji’s family finished harvesting and transplanting seedlings, successfully completing the double harvest season. All that remained was drying the grain completely and storing it.

Lu Jiu and the others finally finished drawing the maps. Together with the crossbow schematics, Jiang Yan ordered Chen Feng to send the maps and blueprints to their intended destinations.

During this period, villagers frequently came at noon or in the evenings asking about raising ducks and fish in rice paddies. Eventually, Jiang Ji asked the village chief to gather everyone so he could give a dedicated lecture.

Villagers from two nearby villages also came after hearing the news.

Jiang Ji’s fields had yielded over five hundred jin per mu, not to mention the additional income from ducks and fish. The news had spread everywhere, and everyone wanted to follow his methods.

This season’s harvest showed villagers tangible proof of doubled yields, as well as the clear difference between Jiang Ji’s production and their own.

They now knew Jiang Ji had spoken truthfully.

Just like the earlier seed-promotion meeting, Jiang Ji stood before the crowd and explained everything from digging irrigation trenches onward. He talked until his throat went dry, drinking several bowls of water.

Although all this knowledge was already written in his cultivation manual, people still preferred hearing him explain it personally, and many questions required direct answers.

Jiang Ji patiently responded from the platform while villagers sat on the ground listening attentively.

Lu Wen nudged Lu Jiu. “Young Master Jiang Ji looks just like a general leading troops into battle.”

Lu Jiu nodded, then glanced at his prince, whose face clearly showed admiration, pride, and satisfaction.

Lu Jiu: “……”

Jiang Yan turned and looked at him. Lu Jiu quickly looked away. These past few days he hardly dared meet his prince’s gaze.

Lu Wen studied him. “Have you been constipated lately?”

“You’re the one who’s constipated,” Lu Jiu snapped.

“Then why do you look so troubled? Can’t go?” Lu Wen asked in confusion.

Lu Jiu: “……Ignorance really is bliss.”

He looked up at the sky and sighed. It was all because of his overly perceptive eyes.

Lu Wen elbowed him. “You’re the ignorant one.”

Lu Jiu shook his head, deeply melancholy, and muttered, “You don’t understand. If you understood, you’d know.”

Sigh… what were they going to do? The prince’s household might never have a young heir now.

After the summer harvest was completed, everyone was exhausted and could finally rest for several days.

Chen Feng brought back some of the bow components finished by the blacksmith and carpenter, and Jiang Ji began teaching Jiang Yan and the others how to assemble the bows.

It was also at this time that Lu Wu returned.

Earlier, Jiang Yan had sent him personally to deliver his plan back to the capital. Lu Wu had remained there while the Emperor and Minister Lu discussed and finalized the strategy, and now he had brought the response back.

Along with it, he also brought the military command token.

Immediately, Jiang Yan summoned several of his subordinates to the study. They held a long meeting, discussing matters for quite some time.

Jiang Ji did not disturb them and continued assembling bows on his own.

After about half an hour, Jiang Yan came to the workshop to find him. More than a dozen completed bows lay lined up along the wall.

Jiang Ji looked up. “Finished discussing?”

“Mm.” Jiang Yan sat by the table and watched him. “Now we’re just waiting for news from the capital.”

Jiang Ji paused. “When do you leave?”

Jiang Yan was silent for a moment before answering, “In three days.”

Jiang Ji stopped what he was doing and stared at him. “Didn’t you say a month? It hasn’t even been a month yet.”

“My memory has returned,” Jiang Yan explained softly. “I don’t need that much time to adjust. I need to go earlier to make arrangements.”

Jiang Ji lowered his gaze and turned away. “…Oh.”

He picked up the half-assembled bow and continued working. Jiang Yan watched him and said, “I’ll finish things quickly and come back.”

“Got it. Go then.” Jiang Ji paused again, glancing at the bows by the wall. “Tell Chen Feng to bring back all the finished components. Assemble more for you to take along.”

“Alright. Lu Jiu will stay a few extra days to transport the weapons.”

“Okay.” Jiang Ji hesitated, then asked worriedly, “Only Chen Feng and the other two going with you? That’s too few people.”

“The rest will be waiting for us in the forest outside the city.”

“How many?”

“Twenty.”

“That’s acceptable.” Jiang Ji relaxed slightly.

After a moment, he pressed his lips together and turned to look at him seriously. “Promise me you’ll come back alive.”

Jiang Yan nodded solemnly. “I promise.”

The next day, Jiang Ji began preparing supplies for their journey.

He sent people into town to buy up all the wound medicine available and exchanged for large amounts of instant noodles, biscuits, and bottled water. Traveling in summer made food difficult to preserve, and these were the most practical options.

Jiang Yan stopped his hands. “We don’t need these. We’ll bring dry rations, and we’ll pass through towns along the way. The mountains are full of game. We won’t go hungry. These things could expose your secret.”

Jiang Ji protested anxiously, “What if you need them?”

“Don’t worry. The south isn’t like the north where supplies are scarce. There are mountains everywhere and plenty of food,” Jiang Yan explained.

Speaking of the south, Jiang Ji reminded him, “Whatever you do, don’t eat wild mushrooms. They’re easy to get poisoned by.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Ji pointed at a medicine box. “Then at least take this. Antibiotics, fever medicine, iodine. You know what they’re for now. Bring them for emergencies.”

Jiang Yan tried to object, but Jiang Ji glared at him. “Listen to me. You have to take them.”

Jiang Yan paused, then nodded. “…Alright.”

Even so, Jiang Ji secretly packed the exchanged travel food for him anyway.

The night before departure, in Jiang Ji’s room in the east wing, faint sounds of kissing broke the darkness. Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan held each other and kissed for a long while before finally separating.

They lay quietly together, leaning against each other. Jiang Ji stroked Jiang Yan’s back gently. “Sleep.”

“Mm.” Jiang Yan’s voice was low. He kissed Jiang Ji’s lips again. “I’ll keep the promise I made to you.”

“Good. Just remember it.”

After a while, Jiang Yan suddenly got up and lit the lamp.

“What are you doing?” Jiang Ji asked. “Did you forget to pack something?”

“Mm. I forgot one thing.”

“What?”

Jiang Yan opened a drawer in the dressing table and took out a black box.

He climbed back onto the bed, opened it, and removed a seal and red ink.

Jiang Ji blinked. “What… are you doing?”

Jiang Yan glanced at him, dipped the seal into ink, and said, “I told you before. I would stamp you.”

Jiang Ji blinked again. “Oh. Right, you did say that.”

“Go ahead,” he said, lying flat. “You can stamp wherever you want.”

Jiang Yan looked him over, lifted his clothing, and carefully pressed the seal onto the upper left side of his chest.

Jiang Ji looked down. The skin felt cool at first. Soon, a square red imprint appeared against his pale chest, vivid like a flame.

— Regent’s Seal.

Jiang Ji blew gently on it to help it dry. Soon, two smaller square seals were added beside it.

— Jiang Yan Seal.
— Lu Huaizhou Seal.

All of Jiang Yan’s seals were now marked on him.

Jiang Ji stared at the small imprints and could not help smiling.

Jiang Yan looked at the seal on Jiang Ji’s chest that belonged to him and leaned down to kiss beside it.

Though the ink felt cool, Jiang Ji felt as though the skin there burned with heat.

As Jiang Yan prepared to put the seals away, Jiang Ji said, “Wait.”

“Mm?”

Jiang Ji jumped off the bed, rummaged through the wardrobe, then climbed back up, holding something in his hand.

“I’m stamping you too!”

He held a wooden seal of his own. Jiang Yan raised a brow. “When did you carve that?”

“After I saw your seal last time.”

Jiang Ji dipped it into ink, lifted Jiang Yan’s night robe, and stamped the same position over his left chest.

— Jiang Ji Exclusive.

Jiang Ji raised his brows proudly. “Well? Looks good, right?”

Jiang Yan smiled faintly. “Mm. It looks good.”

Jiang Ji tapped his chest lightly. “Jiang Yan, Lu Huaizhou. You belong to me now.”

“I do.”

Jiang Yan caught his hand, kissed it, and leaned forward to kiss Jiang Ji deeply.

The next day, Jiang Yan departed with Chen Feng, Lu Wen, and Lu Wu.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Jiang Yan was angry.

Rain poured down in sheets. Though nothing could be seen clearly through the downpour, Jiang Ji knew he was angry.

“I saw that you’d been fighting for so long and still didn’t remember anything, so I had no choice but to use this move,” Jiang Ji said, raising his thumb and forefinger to show a tiny gap. “Just a little stimulation.”

“This is little stimulation?” Jiang Yan narrowed his eyes at him and said through clenched teeth, “I thought…”

He stopped mid-sentence, took a deep breath, and stared at Jiang Ji as if he wanted to bite him.

“You thought I was going to die with you?” Jiang Ji asked quietly.

Jiang Yan’s gaze turned dangerous. “Say that again.”

“….” Jiang Ji wisely shut his mouth, patted Jiang Yan’s back, then rubbed his head soothingly. “Alright, alright. Don’t be scared. Nothing happened, see?”

Jiang Yan stared at him without speaking.

Jiang Ji blinked and explained, “It was just to make things more realistic. Look, it worked, didn’t it? You remembered. As long as the result is good, that’s what matters.”

Jiang Yan ground his teeth, then, unable to resist, pinched Jiang Ji’s waist hard.

“Ah—!” Jiang Ji glared at him. “Why are you pinching me? Didn’t we agree you’d listen to me?”

Jiang Yan: “…”

“Young Master, are you alright?”

Chen Feng pulled off his face covering and jumped down from above. Jiang Ji looked at him with deep gratitude, as if he had just been rescued.

Seeing the two lying still, Chen Feng worried they were injured. “Did you get hurt?”

“No,” Jiang Ji shook his head, then patted Jiang Yan again. “Get up.”

Jiang Yan shot him a fierce glare. “I’ll settle this with you when we get back.”

“….” Jiang Ji looked at him with helpless tolerance, like someone humoring unreasonable behavior. “Fine, fine. I’ll wait for you to settle accounts with me. I’m not running away. Just get up first, rainwater’s getting into my eyes.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

Chen Feng: “?”

Jiang Yan pushed himself up from the damp quilts beneath them and pulled Jiang Ji up as well. Wrapping an arm around his waist, he pushed off lightly against the slope and carried Jiang Ji up the broken cliff in a single motion.

Jiang Ji’s eyes widened. “You actually know martial arts?!”

Jiang Yan glanced at him, emotions tangled in his chest. He wanted to stay angry but somehow could not, unsure what to do with the person beside him.

“Young Master! Are you alright?” Lu Jiu and the others crowded around anxiously.

“We’re fine,” Jiang Ji answered. “He remembered.”

“Really?” Chen Feng climbed up after them, excitement clear in his voice. “Young Master, you really remembered?”

Everyone stared at Jiang Yan with eager anticipation.

Jiang Yan nodded. “I remembered.”

“That’s wonderful!”

“The Young Master remembered!”

Despite the heavy rain pouring over them, everyone laughed loudly in relief and joy.

Lu Jiu said happily, “Young Master Jiang Ji’s method really worked. After fighting so long without results, I was getting anxious.”

“Ahem, well,” Jiang Ji quickly interrupted him, “everyone worked hard. Let’s head back first before anyone catches a chill.”

Jiang Yan glanced sideways at him. Jiang Ji guiltily looked up at the sky.

“Oh, right.” Jiang Ji turned to his household guards. “Old Lin, don’t reveal Jiang Yan’s identity.”

The four guards had clearly heard Jiang Ji shout “Your Highness” earlier. They had thought he might have misspoken, but seeing everyone else’s calm reactions, they suddenly understood.

“Eldest Young Master… he really is the regent?” one asked.

In Jiang Ji’s household, the servants addressed Jiang Yan as Eldest Young Master.

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes. Just keep it to yourselves for now. Don’t tell anyone, and don’t tell my mother yet either. I’ll explain when the time is right.”

The four men were stunned. Jiang Yan was actually the regent.

“Yes, Young Master,” they replied.

The group returned the way they came, retrieved their horses, put their rain capes back on, and rode home. Translated on Hololo novels. The quilts below the cliff could be collected the next day.

By the time they returned, the rain had lessened. Aside from Jiang Nan, Jiang Bei, and the other children, Zhao Ru and the rest were still awake, waiting in the main hall.

“They’re back! Madam, they’re back!” Guihua ran in from the corridor to announce.

“They’re back?” Zhao Ru hurried to the doorway with the others. Seeing them ride in, she quickly said, “Come, go to the kitchen. We’ve prepared ginger soup for you.”

She and the others hurried toward the back kitchen.

Lu Jiu and the others led the horses back to the stables. Jiang Yan’s gaze swept the crowd and landed on the one person dressed differently, Lu Shun.

Lu Shun met his young master’s eyes and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

After a moment’s thought, he realized the problem. This is bad. The young master is going to settle accounts with me.

Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan removed their rain capes. Their clothes were soaked, water dripping onto the floor.

Zhao Ru urged, “Drink a bowl of ginger soup first, then go take a hot bath and change into dry clothes!”

Guihua had already prepared bowls for everyone, and they all gathered in the kitchen to drink the warming soup.

“After bathing, get proper rest. Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow,” Jiang Yan told his subordinates.

“Yes.”

Hot water had been prepared in every pot for bathing. Some went to wash immediately, while those waiting changed into dry clothes first.

After bathing, Jiang Yan returned to the east wing and found Jiang Ji missing. Seeing lights still on in the main hall, he went over to retrieve him.

Zhao Ru was just about to close the door for the night when she saw Jiang Yan approach and smiled warmly. “Jiang Yan, I just heard from Xiao Ji that your memories have returned. That’s wonderful.”

“Mm, thank you, Auntie.” Jiang Yan glanced inside the room. “Where’s Jiang Ji?”

“He just went back to sleep.”

Jiang Yan frowned. “He’s not there. I just came from the east wing.”

“Then he’s probably gone to the latrine. You were caught in the rain, so go to bed early and rest well.”

“Alright. It’s late. You should rest too, Auntie. I’ll head back.”

Jiang Yan returned to the east wing and sat in the hall, waiting for Jiang Ji.

Rain continued to fall softly outside, droplets gathering along the eaves and dripping down in steady strings.

Unbidden, Jiang Yan’s mind replayed the image of Jiang Ji rushing out and nearly being killed earlier that night. His fists tightened, his gaze dark and unreadable.

After a while, Jiang Ji returned.

Seeing Jiang Yan still sitting there, Jiang Ji paused. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Jiang Yan lifted his eyes to look at him. “Waiting for you.”

“….” Still angry, huh? Jiang Ji rubbed his nose under Jiang Yan’s steady gaze, turned to bolt the door, and walked inside. “Then let’s sleep. It’s been a long day.”

Jiang Yan picked up the lamp and followed him into the room. He shut the door, set the lamp on the bedside table, and watched Jiang Ji remove his outer clothes and shoes before lying down.

Jiang Yan undressed as well and lay beside him. Just as he turned to speak, he saw Jiang Ji had already closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.

Jiang Yan laughed in exasperation and pinched his nose. “Stop pretending.”

“…Who’s pretending? I’m tired,” Jiang Ji muttered, turning his back toward him. “Go to sleep.”

Jiang Yan turned him back around. “I need to talk to you.”

Jiang Ji sighed, rolled over, and opened his eyes. “You’re still angry?”

“Shouldn’t I be?” Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow.

Jiang Ji thought for a moment. “Everything went according to plan. There’s no need to be angry.”

Jiang Yan looked directly into his eyes and said calmly, “You put yourself in danger. Tonight’s situation, heavy rain, poor visibility, everyone carrying weapons. In a fight, things can’t always be controlled. One mistake and you could have been seriously hurt.”

“I had already discussed it with them,” Jiang Ji replied seriously. “And that was the last resort. If you had remembered earlier, I wouldn’t have rushed out.”

Jiang Yan watched him silently, then took a deep breath. “Jiang Ji, I know your plan worked. But I don’t want you risking your safety like that again. Not even for me. If you had been injured today, I would rather never regain my memories.”

Fear still lingered in Jiang Yan’s eyes. Jiang Ji realized he had truly frightened him again. He wrapped his arms around him and gently patted his back. “Alright. I won’t do that again. Don’t be afraid.”

Jiang Yan cupped his face, locking eyes with him. “Promise me.”

Jiang Ji nodded and raised three fingers. “I promise.”

Jiang Yan lowered his hand and held it tightly. “No matter what happens, I want you to put your own safety first. Alright?”

Hearing that, Jiang Ji felt as if his heart had been squeezed, aching and warm at the same time.

Jiang Yan really loves me, he thought.

He held Jiang Yan’s face and looked into his eyes with unusual seriousness. “I promise you.”

Jiang Yan’s gaze was deep and dark, filled with worry and affection. Without thinking, Jiang Ji leaned forward and gently kissed him on the lips.

“Don’t worry. I’m fine,” he murmured.

He had barely pulled back when Jiang Yan suddenly held the back of his head and kissed him again.

Jiang Ji froze for a moment. Translated on Hololo novels. He had only meant to comfort him and hadn’t expected Jiang Yan to respond so directly. A flicker of joy rose in his chest, and he soon closed his eyes and returned the kiss.

At the same time, he reminded 2977 in his mind, “2977, close the livestream. From now on, whenever intimate things happen, please disconnect automatically. Thanks.”

[Livestream closed. Settings updated for the host.]

It was Jiang Ji’s first time kissing like this, clumsy and exploratory, guided mostly by instinct.

Jiang Yan, however, kissed him with urgency and intensity, almost fierce, as though trying to confirm something.

He was confirming that this person was still here, still in his arms.

Jiang Ji sensed the lingering fear in him and gently stroked his back, responding with patience and tenderness.

After a long while, Jiang Yan’s fierce kiss gradually softened, though it did not stop, shifting instead into something deeper and more heated until Jiang Ji was left breathless.

When Jiang Yan finally released him, Jiang Ji realized at some point Jiang Yan had moved over him, eyes burning with unmistakable intent. As another man, Jiang Ji understood exactly what that look meant.

Jiang Yan leaned down to kiss him again. Jiang Ji snapped back to awareness, braced his foot, twisted his waist, and reversed their positions.

Now lying atop Jiang Yan, Jiang Ji touched his face, kissed him again, and slipped a hand beneath his clothing, tracing along his waist and abdomen before reaching lower, only to have Jiang Yan catch his wrist.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Ji asked, pausing. “You don’t want to?”

“I do,” Jiang Yan said, nodding, but he still did not release his hand.

Jiang Ji kissed him lightly. “Shy?”

Jiang Yan paused, his gaze deep. “We aren’t married yet.”

Jiang Ji blinked. “What do you mean? We have to be married first?”

Jiang Yan nodded.

Jiang Ji said, “…We’re both men. Does it matter?”

“It does. It would be improper,” Jiang Yan replied.

Jiang Ji thought about it. In this era, reputation and propriety were taken seriously. Since he wanted to marry Jiang Yan, he really should follow the customs and rules of the time.

“I’m sorry. I was being too forward,” Jiang Ji said. “Before we’re married, I shouldn’t cross the line.”

Jiang Yan felt there was something subtly off about what Jiang Ji had just said.

“Once I’ve told Mother, I’ll go to your family to formally propose marriage,” Jiang Ji said, kissing Jiang Yan lightly on the lips. “Before we’re married, we’ll just stick to kissing.”

“…?” Jiang Yan’s expression turned slightly strange. “Propose marriage?”

“Mm. I’ll explain everything to Mother as soon as possible. I just don’t know whether your family will accept me,” Jiang Ji said with some concern. “They don’t even know you like me yet.”

At last, Jiang Yan understood why Jiang Ji’s attitude toward him had sometimes felt a little unusual.

He looked at Jiang Ji with a complicated expression, his gaze deep and unreadable. He did not point it out directly, only saying, “Once I finish dealing with matters in the south and return, I will inform my parents.”

“Will they make things difficult for you?” Jiang Ji asked, watching him. “You’re the Regent, with such status and authority. Will they expect you to continue the family line?”

Jiang Yan rested a hand against his waist and back. “I’ll handle it. Don’t worry.”

Jiang Ji then asked curiously, “Did you always like men, or…?”

Jiang Yan shook his head. “Before this, I never had such thoughts. Toward either men or women.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes lit up. Delighted, he leaned in and kissed Jiang Yan on the lips again. Jiang Yan caught the back of his head, not letting him pull away, deepening the kiss.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Thandar: Finally kissed after 70 something chapters 😂😂😂😂

Jiang Yan decided to recreate the assassination chase that had happened before he fell from the cliff. But that did not mean it could be done immediately. For it to work, everything had to feel as real as possible. They would need to find a similar location and wait for a night of rain.

Jiang Ji looked at Jiang Yan and said, “Leave the arrangements to me. Alright?”

Jiang Yan nodded. “Alright.”

“To make it more convincing, you can’t interfere. Chen Feng and the others will all follow my instructions.”

Jiang Yan nodded again. “Fine.”

Jiang Ji immediately began giving orders. “Chen Feng, you all go find a place similar to before. Lu Shun, go into town and buy the kind of black clothing assassins wear.”

Everyone moved at once. Chen Feng and the others split into two groups to search nearby areas, while Lu Shun went into town and purchased a large number of black outfits.

Once everyone left to prepare, Jiang Ji asked Physician Yang, “Doctor, you said his internal heat is strong and he isn’t sleeping well. Should you prescribe something?”

Jiang Yan watched the concern on Jiang Ji’s face but did not interrupt.

Physician Yang nodded. “I can prescribe two doses of medicine to calm the mind and aid sleep. But ultimately, Young Master Lu must regulate himself, relax, and worry less.”

Jiang Ji glanced at Jiang Yan. “I told you not to think so much.”

Jiang Yan nodded. “Mm.”

But they both knew that, given his position and current circumstances, not thinking was impossible.

Jiang Yan’s mind was filled with information he had to remember, analyze, and plan around. It was no wonder he could not sleep well.

Chen Feng and the others returned before nightfall. Jiang Ji stopped them at the courtyard gate first to ask about their progress. After speaking with them for quite some time, he finally let them enter.

Chen Feng reported to Jiang Yan, “Young Master, we found a fairly suitable place nearby. Behind the village at the back there’s a forest, and at the edge of the forest is a cliff. A stream runs below with a drop of five or six zhang. Would you like to go see it tomorrow?”

“He’d better not go,” Jiang Ji explained. “This is a reenactment. It’s fake. He already knows that, so the environment must not be somewhere he has seen before, or the effect will be worse. And don’t tell him too many details. The less he knows, the better.”

Jiang Yan nodded in agreement. “I won’t go.”

Jiang Ji nodded, satisfied. “Good. Now I’ll explain the plan…”

He laid out his ideas, and everyone agreed the plan was feasible. Now all they needed was a night of rain.

That evening, Jiang Ji watched Jiang Yan finish his medicine before asking, “Is it bitter?”

“It’s alright,” Jiang Yan said, setting the bowl down without even frowning.

Jiang Ji picked up the bowl and sniffed it. The sharp herbal bitterness made him immediately pull it away, reminding him of his own experiences drinking traditional medicine.

“And you call that not bitter?” Jiang Ji frowned. He then produced a packet of sugar, unwrapped a piece, and popped a milk candy into Jiang Yan’s mouth.

The milk candy was something Jiang Ji had specially exchanged for. Whenever he used to drink medicine, he always wished he had something sweet afterward to cover the taste.

Sweetness spread through Jiang Yan’s mouth, quickly masking the bitterness. His eyes curved slightly. “Thank you.”

“Ge, what’s that? Candy?” Jiang Nan asked from nearby, having noticed.

“Mm. Milk candy.”

“I want some too!”

Jiang Ji looked at him. “You’re about to go to bed and still want candy?”

“Yes!” Jiang Nan refused to miss any chance to eat something. He turned and shouted toward the door, “Jiang Bei, Xiao Yi, Xiang’er, come quick! There’s candy!”

Jiang Bei and the others had been playing in the courtyard. Soon Jiang Bei rushed into the east wing, while Xiao Yi and Xiang’er hesitated outside.

Jiang Ji waved them over. “Xiao Yi, Xiang’er, come in.”

Only then did they enter. “Young Master.”

Jiang Ji opened the paper packet, unwrapped the candies, kept the wrappers in his hand, and placed one milk candy into each child’s palm. “One each only. You have to brush your teeth before bed. This candy sticks to teeth, so brush carefully.”

“Got it!” Jiang Nan tossed his into his mouth, savoring it happily. “So sweet!”

Jiang Bei quickly ate his as well. “Big Brother, this candy is really delicious.”

Seeing Xiao Yi and Xiang’er hesitate, Jiang Ji said, “Why aren’t you eating? You can’t save it. There’s no wrapper anymore. Go on.”

“Thank you, Young Master.” Only then did they place the candies into their mouths.

Sweetness filled their mouths. Xiao Yi and Xiang’er had never tasted candy this good before. All four children’s eyes curved into happy smiles.

Jiang Nan finished quickly. Still unsatisfied, he pressed the candy with his tongue and even bit down on it.

“Ah!” Jiang Nan suddenly frowned and cried anxiously, “Brother! My tooth!”

“What happened to your tooth?” Jiang Ji looked over. “See? I told you milk candy sticks to teeth, and you still bit it.”

The candy had stuck to Jiang Nan’s upper front tooth, looking rather comical. Translated on Hololo novels. Jiang Bei burst out laughing. “You look so funny, Jiang Nan!”

Xiang’er and Xiao Yi wanted to laugh too but held it in. They could not laugh at Third Young Master.

Jiang Nan shook his head and touched his lower front tooth. Tears welled in his eyes. “Brother, my tooth is broken. It’s loose! Look!”

At his words, everyone fell silent. Even Jiang Bei stopped laughing and stared at him.

“Hm? Loose tooth? Open your mouth, let me see.”

Jiang Ji bent down, gently holding Jiang Nan’s chin as he examined the lower front tooth, touching it lightly. “It is loose.”

Jiang Nan burst into tears. “What do I do? Is my tooth going to fall out?”

“Spit out the candy. You can’t eat it anymore,” Jiang Ji said.

Jiang Nan looked even more miserable, reluctant to let it go. “I can’t eat it?”

“No. You’re probably starting to lose your baby teeth,” Jiang Ji said. “Don’t cry. Haven’t you seen Xiao Song go through this?”

Jiang Nan stopped crying mid-sob. “L-lose teeth?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not broken?” he asked worriedly. “It’ll grow back, right?”

“It will,” Jiang Ji said with a smile. “But if you keep eating candy while your teeth are changing, you might get cavities. Then eating candy will hurt later.”

Jiang Nan pressed the milk candy in his mouth, still reluctant, and looked at his brother pitifully. “Can I at least finish this one?”

One piece would not matter much. Jiang Ji nodded. “Finish that one, but no more after this. You’ll have to wait until your new tooth grows in.”

“Oh.” Jiang Nan nodded. His face showed a complicated mix of emotions, happy that he could finish this piece of candy, yet devastated at the thought that he would not be able to eat sweets for a long time. His expression became wonderfully dramatic.

Jiang Ji looked at Xiao Yi and Xiang’er, both eight years old. “Are you two changing teeth as well?”

Xiang’er pressed her lips together and nodded. Xiao Yi nodded too.

“Let me see.”

Xiang’er opened her mouth, revealing that a new tooth had already grown halfway beside one of her upper front teeth. Xiao Yi’s new tooth was almost fully grown.

“Your teeth haven’t finished growing yet. After this piece, no more candy for you either.”

Xiang’er and Xiao Yi obediently nodded.

Jiang Ji took out two more candies, wrapped up the rest, and handed them to Jiang Yan. “Don’t give Jiang Nan and the other two any more candy from now on.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Nan: “…How miserable.”

Jiang Bei looked at Jiang Nan, then asked his brother, “Big Brother, am I going to change teeth soon too?”

“Mm, probably soon. Pay attention yourself.”

“Oh.” Jiang Bei immediately began calculating. “Then before I start changing teeth, can you give me a couple more candies?”

Jiang Nan instantly glared at him. “How can you say that?!”

Jiang Bei replied innocently, “Once we start changing teeth we can’t eat candy anymore, so of course I should eat more now.”

Jiang Nan: “…”

Jiang Bei looked at the candy in Jiang Ji’s hand. “Big Brother.”

Jiang Ji glanced at him. “No.”

“Isn’t that one for me?”

“This one is for your second sister.”

“Oh.” Jiang Bei felt indignant. “Second Sister gets two pieces. I want two too.”

“The other one is for Mother.”

“Oh.” Jiang Bei stared at Jiang Ji. “Aren’t you eating one?”

“I’m not. Too sweet.”

Jiang Bei immediately said, “Then give yours to me.”

Jiang Ji flicked his forehead. “That one is for your Brother Jiang Yan when he takes medicine. I’ll give you another one tomorrow.”

“Oh, okay. Don’t forget.” Jiang Bei finally fell silent, smiling in satisfaction.

“Even if I forgot, you wouldn’t.”

“That’s true. I wouldn’t forget.”

Jiang Nan glared at him resentfully. “Jiang Bei, I’ll remember this!” He was furious.

Jiang Bei replied calmly, “I’m your younger brother. You’re supposed to remember me anyway.”

Jiang Nan: “…”

Jiang Ji could not help laughing. “Is this really necessary between you two?”

“Yes, it is!” Jiang Nan declared loudly.

Jiang Yan comforted him, “If you change teeth first, that means you’ll finish earlier and can eat candy again sooner.”

Jiang Nan thought about it, then brightened. “That’s true! Brother Jiang Yan, save one for me!”

Everyone: “…”

Jiang Ji sent the children back outside to play, then went to find Zhao Ru and told her that Jiang Nan had started losing his baby teeth.

Zhao Ru smiled. “He’s reached that age.”

Over the past half year, with proper nutrition, the two younger boys had grown noticeably taller and gained some healthy weight. Without constant sun exposure, their skin had grown fairer as well. Jiang Xia had also grown a little taller, her complexion brighter, making the young girl look much more lively.

Looking at the children, Zhao Ru felt deeply gratified.

Their current life was happier than anything she had ever dared imagine before. If only Xiao Ji would marry soon, it would be even better.

That night, as they lay down to sleep, Jiang Ji held Jiang Yan’s hand and chatted with him for a while, talking about the earlier discussion with Lord Chen regarding the single-season rice seeds and explaining Governor Fan’s plans.

Jiang Yan nodded. “Tomorrow I’ll write a letter and have it sent back.”

“Mm.” Jiang Ji turned his head to look at him. “Do you have trouble falling asleep, or is it that your sleep is light and you wake easily?”

Jiang Yan held his hand. “Half asleep, half awake.”

“Ah, I know that feeling. I went through that for a while too.” Jiang Ji recalled his previous life, when the pressure during his final year of school caused the same problem. “It feels like you’re asleep, but your mind keeps thinking. That’s stress. Your brain is too active to properly rest.”

He asked again, “Did this start after Chen Feng and the others arrived?”

Jiang Yan responded softly, “Mm.”

“So it really is because of that. I shouldn’t have let you meet them yet,” Jiang Ji muttered.

“…You would have found out sooner or later,” Jiang Yan said, gently squeezing his hand.

“But if you had regained your memory first, it wouldn’t be like this. With past experience, you wouldn’t lose sleep like this.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Ji turned over, wrapping an arm around Jiang Yan and gently patting his arm. “Don’t think about it anymore. Sleep. Relax. Don’t think about anything. Take deep breaths, slow your breathing, focus only on that.”

Jiang Yan closed his eyes, listening to Jiang Ji’s voice as his thoughts gradually emptied.

Before long, the person holding him beside him began breathing steadily, already asleep.

A faint smile curved Jiang Yan’s lips. Translated on Hololo novels. Turning onto his side, he pulled Jiang Ji into an embrace, nuzzled lightly against the top of his head, and soon fell asleep as well.

Early the next morning, Jiang Ji woke at his usual time and realized Jiang Yan was holding him from the side. Turning his head slightly, he saw Jiang Yan was still asleep.

Jiang Yan slept lightly. If he got up, Jiang Yan would surely wake, so Jiang Ji simply closed his eyes again to let him sleep longer.

He accidentally fell asleep again until he heard Chen Feng outside the east wing asking, “Has the young master not gotten up yet?”

Lu Jiu replied quietly, “No. The door’s still closed. Young Master Jiang Ji doesn’t seem to be up either. He usually wakes early.”

Chen Feng said, “Then let the young master sleep a little longer. Don’t wake him. His sleep is light. Let’s go pick melons instead.”

Lu Jiu frowned. “Aren’t merchants coming today? Should we still harvest and bring them into the city?”

“Let’s ask Madam first.”

Inside the room, Jiang Ji opened his eyes and turned his head, only to find Jiang Yan already looking at him.

“You’re awake?” Jiang Ji sat up and began getting dressed. “Want to sleep a little longer?”

Jiang Yan shook his head. Glancing at the bright daylight outside, he sat up as well and started dressing. “Did you wake up earlier? Why didn’t you wake me?”

“I wanted you to sleep a bit more. Morning sleep is better quality,” Jiang Ji said. “How did you sleep?”

“Not bad. Maybe the medicine helped. I slept more deeply.”

“That’s good.”

After getting dressed, the two stepped out one after the other. Once they had washed up, they headed to the fields.

The watermelons and tomatoes still needed to be sent into the city. Customers had already formed a habit of reserving watermelons directly with the manager at the dining hall and coming the next day to pick them up.

Large households like the Lin and Qian families placed orders every day.

That morning, after harvesting the produce destined for the city and finishing breakfast, Xiao An arrived with six or seven traveling merchants. Some came to buy watermelons, some tomatoes, and others both. Each brought two or three donkey carts or horse-drawn carts, forming a long line.

Most of these merchants were from the local county or neighboring counties, while three were passing traders who had already waited here for three or four days.

The prices had already been agreed upon with the manager, and there was no bargaining. They only needed to harvest the produce, weigh it, and settle payment.

Jiang Ji’s household, Uncle Tugen’s, and the village head’s families all sold at the same price. Jiang Ji directed two merchants to Uncle Tugen’s and the village head’s homes, while the rest loaded goods at his own.

Aside from the kitchen staff and those responsible for cleaning, everyone else from Jiang Ji’s household came to help in the fields. Even Physician Yang volunteered to handle bookkeeping.

The fields bustled with activity. Some picked watermelons, others harvested tomatoes, while others carried loads or handled weighing. Everyone worked cheerfully and energetically.

Before long, several more merchants arrived.

During a brief pause, Jiang Ji asked where they planned to transport the produce.

Most intended to sell in nearby counties, some in the prefectural city, and one planned to take the goods all the way to the provincial capital.

“If they could keep longer, taking them to the capital would really make money,” one merchant said. “There are so many nobles there. Even selling for a hundred wen per jin, people would still buy.”

Another agreed. “Exactly. It’s the capital. Small towns like ours can’t compare. Just a little that slips through their fingers could feed us for years.”

Someone else suggested to Jiang Ji, “If you grew watermelons in the capital, you’d definitely get rich.”

Jiang Ji laughed. “Maybe I’ll grow them in the capital someday.”

They worked busily all morning until most of the harvest was finished.

A few merchants who had not gotten their turn grew anxious. “Is there any left? Could you spare some for me? Even one cart would do!”

Jiang Ji said apologetically, “The rest aren’t ripe yet. You’ll have to wait a few more days. Next time, I’ll let you load first. Alright?”

They still needed to reserve some supply for their own dining hall.

“Nothing at all left? Even two baskets would work,” one merchant pleaded.

After thinking it over, Jiang Ji felt bad sending him away empty-handed after he had come so far. “How about this, brother. I’ll spare you one basket of watermelons and one basket of tomatoes. Do you want bitter melon? I can give you two baskets of that to make a full cart. How about it?”

Since bitter melon was not available in the other counties, the merchant immediately brightened. “That works. As long as I’m not going back empty.”

Jiang Ji reminded him, “I should warn you first. Many people aren’t used to bitter melon’s taste, but it’s especially good in summer and helps reduce internal heat. You’ll need to explain how to cook it. If they want it less bitter, salt it first, then rinse it. It can be stir-fried, cooked with meat, scrambled with eggs, or simmered with pork ribs for soup.”

“Alright, alright, I remember. Don’t worry, I’ve eaten it at your dining hall before. Kids don’t like it much, but my old father loves it.”

Reassured that he was familiar with it, Jiang Ji had someone harvest the bitter melons for him.

By the time all the merchants had departed, it was nearly noon. Everyone tidied up and prepared to return home.

Uncle Tugen and the village head’s families had earned quite a lot that morning, and they would not need to sell goods on the street for the next few days, saving considerable effort.

Everyone returned home happily.

That evening after dinner, Jiang Yan practiced swordsmanship in the courtyard with Chen Feng and the others. He wanted to rebuild his martial skills and also see whether practicing at night might trigger fragments of memory.

To make it more realistic, Chen Feng and the others wore the black assassin outfits Lu Shun had purchased and covered their faces. Chen Feng, Lu Wen, and Lu Jiu attacked together.

Jiang Ji, several guards, and the younger children Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei watched from the west wing corridor, while Zhao Ru and Jiang Xia observed from the doorway of the main hall.

In the courtyard, the sharp clang of blades rang out. Steel flashed as the fighters moved swiftly, dodging and striking in rapid succession.

Even watching made Jiang Ji tense. Several times he thought Chen Feng’s sword tip was about to strike Jiang Yan, and he nearly cried out.

Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei stood beside him, eyes wide, clutching the hem of their brother’s clothes, barely daring to breathe.

Jiang Ji asked Lu Shun beside him, “Lu Shun, do you know martial arts?”

“A little. Enough for self-defense, but not like them,” Lu Shun replied.

Jiang Ji looked surprised. “Didn’t you grow up training together?”

“After I turned sixteen, I began assisting my father and learning to manage household affairs,” Lu Shun explained.

“I see.” Jiang Ji nodded. “So your brothers were trained as guards?”

Lu Shun nodded. “Yes. When we were young, we trained in martial arts morning and evening under Second Uncle. The young master studied at the academy during the day, while we also learned various subjects in the household. This continued until the young master passed the imperial examinations as top scholar. Chen Feng and Han Yi were actually born servants of the Han family, but we all trained together since childhood. Later, when the young master went to the battlefield, Second Uncle allowed them to accompany him. They’ve followed him ever since.”

Jiang Ji understood now why Chen Feng and the others did not share the Lu family surname.

“Lu Shun,” Jiang Ji asked quietly, “do you want your young master to recover his memories soon?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then come with me. I need to tell you something.”

The two went into the study and talked for a while.

Jiang Yan and the others practiced for an entire shichen, and by the end they were drenched in sweat.

Jiang Ji handed Jiang Yan a cloth towel and asked, “How was it? Did you gain anything?”

Jiang Yan shook his head. “It all feels faintly familiar, but when I try to focus on it, I can’t grasp the images. It’s like there’s a layer blocking them.”

Jiang Ji nodded. “That’s because you know they aren’t real assassins. Let’s try again when it rains.”

But the night rain they needed was not easy to come by. Summer showers here usually fell during the day, while nighttime rain was uncommon..

…

A few days later, the rice harvest began.

The entire village grew busy. The rice threshing beds Jiang Ji had improved finally proved their worth. Earlier, Magistrate Xu had distributed the blueprints throughout the village, and during the slack farming season everyone had built their own. Now nearly every household had one.

Jiang Ji’s family owned two threshing machines, and with many helping hands, their progress was faster than most. Although Chen Feng and the others had little farming experience, they were strong, and harvesting rice required little technical skill, so they were a great help.

Jiang Ji’s family had twenty-three mu of farmland. He had originally planned to hire villagers during the later stages of harvesting, but now there was no need.

With two threshing machines, they worked even faster than other households.

They harvested rice for three days, then transplanted seedlings in those fields. Meanwhile, the harvested grain dried in the sun. Then they continued harvesting, alternating tasks like this until the double harvest season was complete.

While transplanting seedlings, they lent the threshing machines to neighboring villagers. Everyone experienced firsthand how efficient they were. Compared to traditional manual threshing, they were faster and required far less effort. Some families had already begun discussing pooling money together to buy one jointly for future use.

During the height of summer afternoons, sudden showers would occasionally fall. While gathering grain, Zhao Ru was caught in the rain and fell ill.

Jiang Ji touched her forehead. A low fever. Fortunately, Physician Yang was already staying at their home and examined her pulse.

Jiang Ji asked anxiously, “Doctor Yang, how is my mother?”

Physician Yang replied, “She caught a chill from the rain, nothing serious. However, her body is quite weakened, with insufficient qi and blood. It seems her health was damaged during childbirth in the past and never properly recovered, which makes her prone to illness.”

“That’s right. She had a difficult labor when giving birth to Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei. Then my father passed away, and our family circumstances were poor, so her health never recovered,” Jiang Ji explained. “This year conditions improved, and she hasn’t fallen sick since spring. But in previous years, once autumn arrived and the weather cooled, she would often catch colds, have cold hands and feet, and cough for a long time without recovering.”

“That is due to underlying deficiency,” Physician Yang said as he began writing a prescription. “I’ll prescribe medicine now, and once this cold passes, we can begin gradual restorative treatment.”

“Can she fully recover?” Jiang Ji asked.

“With careful nourishment over two or three years, and by avoiding excessive fatigue, she should gradually improve.”

Jiang Ji brightened. “Thank you, Doctor Yang.”

Once the medicine was prepared, Jiang Ji personally carried it to Zhao Ru’s bedside and helped her sit up. “Mother, time for your medicine.”

Zhao Ru felt chilled and wore an extra outer garment. She sniffled constantly and coughed.

After finishing the medicine, she patted her son’s hand. “I’m fine. Go attend to your work. I’ll be better after some sleep.”

“Alright.” Seeing her wiping her nose with a handkerchief, Jiang Ji exchanged a box of tissues, opened it, and handed one to her. “Mother, use this instead. It’s softer. Just throw it away after using it and sweep it up later.”

“Alright.” Zhao Ru wiped her nose and smiled. “This is very convenient. Go on, I’ll rest.”

“Okay. After about an hour, once the medicine takes effect, drink more warm water. It’ll help you recover faster.”

“I know.”

After helping her lie down, Jiang Ji stepped out and gently closed the door.

“2977, can I request a special mission to exchange for some cold medicine?”

2977 replied: [After analysis, Zhao Ru is not in life-threatening danger. The host cannot exchange special missions for medicine.]

Jiang Ji sighed. “Can’t you be a little flexible?”

Jiang Xia and the others were on break from fieldwork, so Jiang Ji asked Jiang Xia to stay home and look after their mother while he returned to the fields.

After three days of medicine, Zhao Ru improved considerably and wanted to go outside to turn and dry the grain, but Jiang Ji refused.

“You’re not allowed to go anywhere until you’re fully recovered. No work at all,” Jiang Ji said sternly.

“I’m really better already.” Seeing her son’s serious expression, Zhao Ru relented helplessly. “Alright, alright. I won’t do anything.”

Jiang Ji told Jiang Xia, “Xia’er, keep an eye on Mother.”

“Okay.”

After six or seven days of rest, Zhao Ru finally recovered fully. By then, the double harvest season was nearing its end, with only two or three days remaining.

That evening, as everyone finished work and returned home, clouds began gathering in the sky.

Chen Feng and the others grew excited. “Is it going to rain tonight?”

Jiang Ji checked the weather forecast in the system and nodded. “Yes, it’ll rain tonight. About an hour and a half from now. Everyone go eat and rest first.”

Chen Feng and the others immediately hurried off, quickly eating dinner and lying down briefly to recover their strength.

Around the second quarter of the Hai hour, raindrops finally began to fall.

Jiang Yan and the others were already prepared. Wearing straw raincoats, they mounted their horses and rode toward the village behind them.

When they reached the entrance of that village, dogs began barking wildly. Several villagers came out wearing rain capes and carrying hoes.

Jiang Ji quickly dismounted and stepped forward. “Uncles, it’s me, Jiang Ji. We need to go into the forest behind your village to handle something. We’ll be back soon.”

Someone lifted a lantern to look closely and said in surprise, “It really is Jiang Ji. In such heavy rain, what are you all going there for?”

“We have something to do over there. In about an hour we’ll pass back through here again. Don’t worry, and sorry for disturbing everyone.”

“Oh, alright. Go ahead.”

The group rode quickly through the village. Before entering the forest, Jiang Ji reminded them, “Everyone follow the plan. Be careful. Don’t let him actually get hurt, and don’t let him fall off the cliff.”

“Understood,” Chen Feng said, adding, “Young Master, run toward the west.”

Jiang Yan nodded, looked at everyone, and said, “Begin.”

They all removed their straw raincoats and tossed them onto the grass.

At present, only Chen Feng and two others could play the role of “assassins.” Jiang Ji’s household had four guards, and Lu Shun had brought two more, making nine people in total. It was clearly fewer than ideal, but enough to attempt the plan.

Six of them dismounted first and entered the forest to lie in ambush. Lu Wen acted as Jiang Yan’s escort, while two of Jiang Ji’s guards followed behind as pursuing enemies.

After about a quarter of an hour, Jiang Yan turned with his sword in hand and rode into the forest, Lu Wen following closely behind. The guards behind them lowered their voices and shouted, “After them!”

Everyone deliberately altered their voices to sound unfamiliar.

Jiang Ji glanced at his two guards; they nodded and gave chase together.

“Hyah!”

Soon the heavy rain soaked their clothes. The road was pitch-black, visibility blurred by rain, hoofbeats drawing closer as assassins pursued relentlessly. The atmosphere suddenly turned tense and dangerous.

The forest was vast. After riding for a while, several “assassins” suddenly emerged, faces covered, forcing Jiang Yan and Lu Wen off their horses.

The pursuers arrived moments later. Their attacks were fierce, every strike aimed as a killing blow. Outnumbered, the two fought while retreating, gradually struggling to hold their ground.

As another wave of attacks came, Lu Wen stepped forward to block them and shouted, “Your Highness, go!”

Go!

Lu Wen had deliberately imitated the voice of the late Lu Ming, lowering his tone so that at first hearing it truly resembled him.

Jiang Yan froze for an instant. A fragment of memory flashed through his mind, but another attack forced him back into motion.

“Ugh—”

As Jiang Yan turned his head, he saw Lu Wen stabbed from behind. Dropping to one knee, Lu Wen blocked another strike and looked toward him. “…Go!”

After shouting the word, Lu Wen was “stabbed” again from the front and slowly collapsed.

Jiang Yan stood momentarily stunned. Rationally he knew Lu Wen was unharmed, yet his mind seemed to freeze, unable to respond.

Lu Jiu thrust his sword forward. Seeing the Regent not moving, he quickly twisted his wrist, letting the blade barely skim past Jiang Yan’s arm.

That near strike finally snapped Jiang Yan back to awareness. He deflected Lu Jiu’s attack and turned to run forward.

“After him!” the assassins shouted, continuing the pursuit.

Before long, Jiang Yan was driven to the edge of the cliff and surrounded once more.

They fought there for some time. By now Lu Jiu and the others were deliberately holding back, both to prevent the Regent from accidentally falling and to prolong the scene.

Nearly another quarter hour passed without a decisive outcome.

Rain poured down. Steel clashed again and again, blades cutting through the curtain of rain before colliding and separating, only to strike together once more.

The sound of rain, ringing swords, shouted battle cries, and the desperation of fighting with a cliff at one’s back gradually wove together into a uniquely familiar atmosphere for Jiang Yan.

But it was not enough. Still not enough.

That invisible barrier remained, like a layer of mist that refused to disperse.

Suddenly, someone rushed out from the side, chased by another assassin whose sword was raised to strike.

“Your Highness, save me!”

Jiang Yan focused and saw clearly.

It was Jiang Ji.

The assassin behind him wore different clothing from Lu Jiu and the others, and his movements were different as well.

There were eleven people involved tonight, including himself and Jiang Ji, yet this attacker was not any of the men playing assassins.

“Jiang Ji!”

Jiang Yan shouted, knocking aside two attacks and rushing toward him.

Jiang Ji ran toward him as well, but the assassin behind showed no intention of stopping, thrusting his sword straight forward.

“Jiang Ji!”

Jiang Yan’s heart lurched. He leapt forward, pulling Jiang Ji into his arms while blocking the strike with another swing. But somehow Jiang Ji’s footing slipped, and carried by momentum, the two of them tumbled off the cliff together.

Chen Feng had said the cliff was five or six zhang high.

In the instant of weightlessness, Jiang Yan only had time to shield Jiang Ji’s head, twisting so that he himself fell underneath.

At that same moment, overwhelming terror at the thought of losing Jiang Ji exploded inside his mind. Countless memories and fragments shattered through the misty barrier and surged forward all at once.

The memories belonging to Lu Huaizhou returned.

Thump—

They landed quickly in something soft. Jiang Yan froze.

“Jiang Yan, are you alright? Did you remember anything?”

Jiang Ji lifted his head from Jiang Yan’s chest and asked.

“I remembered.”

“You really remembered?” Jiang Ji asked excitedly. “You’re not lying to me?”

“Mm.” Jiang Yan nodded blankly. Feeling beneath him, he realized the soft surface was made of quilts.

“Young Master! Young Master Jiang Ji! Are you alright? Are you hurt?” Chen Feng and the others shouted from above.

“What is this?” Jiang Yan looked up at the “cliff,” now only about one zhang high, his dark eyes fixed on Jiang Ji. “Wasn’t the cliff supposed to be five or six zhang, with a stream below?”

“And why did you suddenly rush out?”

“And who was the one chasing you?”

A barrage of questions fell one after another. Jiang Ji shrank back slightly.

“Uh… I can explain…”

Jiang Yan flipped over and pinned him down, his gaze dark, his tone dangerous. “Jiang Ji, you’d better give me a very reasonable explanation.”

Jiang Ji trembled slightly.

This was bad. It seemed he had taken things a little too far.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾