Chapter 38

The sun had completely sunk into the sea, leaving the room pitch black.

No matter how nervous or scared, after Jiang Yuxun finished speaking, Eunuch Sang carefully lit the brass lamp, hunched over.

The previously dark room suddenly became bright.

Whether it was the suddenness of the candlelight that was too dazzling, or for some other reason.

The Emperor involuntarily furrowed his brows at that moment.

Eunuch Sang, who had just lit the lamp and was about to retreat, felt a chill down his spine and quickly made his exit.

After his impassioned speech, Jiang Yuxun was still expectantly observing Ying Changchuan's reaction.

The light in the room flickered uncertainly, and the Emperor's gaze seemed both clear and obscure.

Ying Changchuan suddenly diverted his gaze to look out the window.

After a pause, he finally picked up his usual smile, albeit slowly.

It was hard to tell if he was mistaken.

At this moment, Ying Changchuan's smile didn't seem quite natural.

He gently twirled the dark jade ring on his finger, leisurely saying, "Having a loyal minister and good general like you is indeed a blessing for the nation."

Not the "loyal and good" again!

Hearing this phrase, Jiang Yuxun's internal alarm bells immediately went off.

Does Ying Changchuan really not know that I have a psychological shadow over this term?

Jiang Yuxun, who felt he hadn’t said anything wrong, was now thoroughly confused as to whether Ying Changchuan was unintentional or deliberate.

He couldn’t help but question his life choices.

……

When Jiang Yuxun left, Lou Zhuo had not yet departed.

Seeing him, Lou Zhuo quickly approached to walk down the stairs with Jiang Yuxun.

He lowered his voice and asked, "Ah Xi, you heard everything that was said inside the building, right?"

Jiang Yuxun nodded: "I heard it."

Lou Zhuo, wiping the cold sweat while still in shock, whispered to Jiang Yuxun, "Come, let's think together, where did I possibly displease His Majesty just now?"

Jiang Yuxun was also curious about this and slowed his pace to ask, "What exactly did you say to His Majesty, Uncle?"

"First we discussed official matters, then I remembered your recent accomplishments along with Zhuang Youli and several other officials, so I mentioned you all in front of His Majesty. Oh... and then it somehow led to discussing your personal life, and after that, there wasn’t much else."

Jiang Yuxun: "…I understand now."

My guess just now was correct!

He suddenly stopped and looked at Lou Zhuo.

Lou Zhuo became serious immediately: "What does Ah Xi understand?"

Jiang Yuxun immediately shared his insight: "His Majesty dislikes officials prioritizing personal matters over public duties."

"So that's it..." Lou Zhuo’s deep brown eyes moved thoughtfully, and he clapped his hands in realization, "It makes sense, it makes sense!"

The two quickly reached a consensus.

-

Dozens of miles outside the capital of Shuo Lin County.

The watchtowers made of earth and wood could be completed in as little as five days.

Before the court officials had left Shuo Lin County, the first batch of watchtowers was already operational.

At dawn, after a light rain, the mountain paths were shrouded in mist and fog.

The slopes of the nearby hills became steeper, and the paths were slippery and difficult to navigate after the rain.

The refugees who had been wandering in the woods for days had no choice but to leave the hills and enter the official road.

They were ragged and covered in mud.

However, they hadn't gone far before they heard a flurry of footsteps behind them.

The refugees exchanged glances and immediately turned to flee back the way they came.

But how fast could they move, weakened as they were from hunger?

"Help, help—"

"Murder!"

In no time, the group of refugees was surrounded by bandits wielding sickles, shovels, and hoes.

The young man leading the bandits stepped forward and yanked the bags off their shoulders, bending down to rummage through them.

"…Only five Jia Zhu coins and half a pocket of mixed grains?" The more the man looked, the more irritated he became, eventually dumping everything from the bag onto the ground, "What worthless stuff is this!"

Seeing this, several of the younger refugees couldn't hold back their tears.

Despair and numbness filled the eyes of the adults.

"Stop your crying!" Unable to find anything valuable after a thorough search, the leader kicked one of the crying refugees.

"Ah!" A girl around twelve or thirteen years old fell hard to the ground, revealing the item she had desperately protected in her arms.

A little yellow duckling with a tuft of black down on its head was still gently flapping its wings.

"Hey, there's a duckling!" The bandit's eyes lit up, and he reached out to grab it.

The girl rolled on the ground, struggling to snatch the duckling back into her arms.

Seeing this, the impatient bandit raised his hoe high, ready to strike her arm.

"Ah—" The girl instinctively closed her eyes.

But at that moment, lights suddenly lit up on a strange, tower-like building not far down the road.

The bandits raiding them halted their actions, exchanging glances, "What is that?"

"Don't know, seems like it was just built a few days ago..."

He only knew that the peculiar "tower" was built by officials.

But its purpose was unknown to them.

"Forget it, let's not bother—" The leader hadn't finished speaking when they heard rapid footsteps coming from the east.

Instinctively turning around, they saw six soldiers in light armor, wielding long swords, advancing towards them.

Sensing danger, the bandits exchanged glances and were about to flee.

But before they could move, the gleaming swords were already at their necks.

-

At noon, several refugees were brought back to the capital by the soldiers.

Not understanding the soldiers' language, they huddled together, nervously observing their surroundings.

...Contrary to everyone's expectations.

They were not imprisoned as they had feared.

Passing through the capital, they were brought to a tea plantation.

Before they could react, their hands were filled with a bowl full of soup and rice.

Not bothering with niceties, the refugees who had wandered in the mountains for days eagerly gulped down the hot rice.

The scalding soup burned their lips and teeth, but they refused to set down their bowls.

"...Mr. Hou, please tell them there's more after this bowl, and they shouldn't scald themselves."

At this moment, a clear and gentle voice suddenly reached their ears.

After wolfing down their food, the refugees finally raised their heads with bowls in hand, staring blankly ahead.

They couldn't understand what the young man in a light blue summer shirt was saying.

All they knew was that the sea breeze had dispersed all the clouds, and the midday sun of Shuo Lin County was scorching like fire.

As the young man spoke, he walked over and gently wiped a grain of rice from a child's cheek.

Mr. Hou, the interpreter, then translated the earlier statement.

"Are you officials, people from the government?"

"Sir, we can't afford to pay for this meal..."

Before the interpreter could reply, five or six neatly dressed children appeared out of nowhere.

Having once been refugees themselves, they immediately said:

"No need to pay for the meal! All this rice and grain are provided by the government."

"Look, there's more millet rice in that pot! It’s brought from other counties of the Great Zhou, it's my first time eating it too, and it tastes especially sweet."

"The bandits have been imprisoned by the soldiers. Once you regain your strength, you can live and work in this tea plantation!"

At that moment, more soldiers came with wooden barrels, filling up their bowls with soup and rice.

The warmth of the soup and rice through the porcelain bowl gradually awakened the numb spirits of the people.

The refugees who had just been brought to the tea plantation again looked up blankly towards the distance.

The young man in the light blue summer shirt, now surrounded by soldiers, was walking away to another location.

"The Great Zhou, other counties?"

The refugees of Shuo Lin County, who had struggled with hunger for most of their lives, etched these words deep in their hearts.

This was their first clear concept of the distant and seemingly otherworldly "Imperial Court."

—Both the sword that dispelled the bandits and this bowl of steaming soup and rice in their hands.

……

Jiang Yuxun and his group had originally planned to leave the capital of Shuo Lin County at noon.

Before departure, they suddenly received news: soldiers stationed at the watchtower had eradicated a gang of bandits.

Their departure was thus delayed by an hour.

Jiang Yuxun and his men went to take a look at the bandits still under interrogation, then strolled around the tea plantation.

After all this, he intended to leave directly.

Unexpectedly, they were soon surrounded by a group of people.

"Master Jiang, are you going home?"

"Sir, please stay a few more days!"

The children of Shuo Lin County, speaking the official language with a heavy accent, reluctantly clutched at Jiang Yuxun's hem.

The child named Ah Xi was even persistently trying to burrow into his arms.

Worried he might be trampled, Jiang Yuxun had no choice but to pick up Ah Xi: "I will come back to Shuo Lin County in the future. Study the official language well, and we can meet again, how about that?"

Jiang Yuxun was not adept at comforting children and was somewhat at a loss at the moment.

He wasn't sure how much of what he said the person in his arms understood.

Ah Xi just clung to Jiang Yuxun's neck, crying, repeating the same words over and over.

Even his mother's attempts to pull him away were unsuccessful.

Jiang Yuxun couldn't help but look back—

This tea plantation was right next to the official road.

Not just himself, but the Emperor too had come to inspect the refugees' resettlement.

They had already returned to the official road by now.

As everyone was at a loss, the interpreter, standing a little distance away from the group of children, suddenly raised his voice, doing his utmost to tell the children, "Let go, everyone. Master Jiang is a person of the government and His Majesty."

"You can't compete with His Majesty for people, right?"

"The government" was, in the eyes of these children who had once been refugees, almost synonymous with "all-powerful."

Hearing this, Ah Xi finally, with sobs and hiccups, reluctantly let go of his grip.

The other children also stood frozen, no longer daring to pull.

Jiang Yuxun finally breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the person who helped him out of the situation: "Thank you, Mr. Hou."

Mr. Hou, the interpreter, quickly waved his hands, saying, "Not at all, not at all."

During the conversation, Jiang Yuxun finally turned around.

Just then, a dark black horse slowly approached from the other end of the official road.

Ying Changchuan's figure also appeared before Jiang Yuxun.

On another horse, a chestnut-colored steed, the interpreter accompanying the Emperor seemed to be saying something.

Jiang Yuxun couldn’t hear his voice.

He only saw that after the interpreter spoke a few words, a smile suddenly appeared in the Emperor's eyes.

Finally, the Emperor even nodded slightly to the interpreter standing beside him.

He seemed to be in a very good mood.

※

The hometown of the original owner, Lan Ze County, was not far from Shuo Lin County.

This trip had already planned a stop there, not to mention the hope of finding the legendary "Hai Feng Rice" lay there.

"Famine" could almost be considered the greatest threat to the rule of a feudal dynasty.

Even if there was only a glimmer of hope, the court had to search for the mythical Hai Feng Rice.

A few days later, Jiang Yuxun finally re-entered the territory of Lan Ze County.

Lan Ze County was flanked by mountains on the east and west, with a plain and valleys in the center.

It was now late autumn.

As the horses moved, the mountains slowly receded, revealing the vast expanse of the plains before everyone.

Golden rice paddies swayed with the wind.

From a distance, they looked like overlapping waves.

To the west of Lan Ze County lay the twelve southwestern countries of yesteryears.

In recent years, this area had been plagued by constant warfare, and many of its people had fled.

Apart from farmers harvesting their own rice, numerous soldiers were also managing temporarily ownerless fields.

Leaving the hills and mountains, the view suddenly became much broader.

Both sides of the official road were now fields.

To avoid disturbing the locals, the carriage slowed down.

Sounds from along the road began to filter in at this moment.

Nearby, a child was being petulant: "…Mom, I want to play a little longer."

"No! Do you not realize what time it is? If you don’t listen, I'll let the Fu Lin Army take you away to the Emperor!"

The next moment, the child's crying indeed stopped.

Outside the carriage, only a faint sobbing could be heard.

Hearing this conversation, Jiang Yuxun couldn't help but marvel—

He hadn't expected that after a thousand years, the methods parents use to scare their children hadn't changed at all!

Wasn't that phrase just the ancient version of "If you keep crying, the police will take you away"?

The officials of Lan Ze County had already arranged, as per the Emperor's command, for several people who understood the language of Hai Feng Country.

They had also gathered some basic information about the local area from these people.

The report that Ying Changchuan was holding summarized this information.

He had been reading the report, but the noise outside the carriage was somewhat loud.

The Emperor slowly put down what he was holding and looked at the person beside him.

Then he suddenly asked, "Does my minister know what those commoners were doing just now?"

Jiang Yuxun, who had been silently pondering, instantly became alert, "Your Majesty, she was using you to scare her child." He then became tense after speaking.

...Surely Ying Changchuan wouldn't take offense with these commoners?

Fortunately, it seemed there might be some progress regarding the Hai Feng Rice.

The Emperor appeared to be in a good mood.

"Using me?" Ying Changchuan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Jiang Yuxun silently nodded: "…Your Majesty, your fame in leading the Fu Lin Army in conquering the twelve southwestern countries has spread throughout Lan Ze County. The locals greatly revere you."

In Lan Ze County, Ying Changchuan’s formidable reputation was enough to stop children's night cries.

This fact was even recorded in the "History of Zhou" and passed down to modern times, centuries later.

The more Jiang Yuxun spoke, the more nervous he became, while also carefully observing Ying Changchuan's reaction.

The next moment, he saw the Emperor pick up the report again and start reading.

After a pause, Ying Changchuan chuckled lightly and casually said, "My minister speaks amiss."

Jiang Yuxun, puzzled, asked, "Why?"

I just heard the conversation of the people of Lan Ze County with my own ears. How could this record be false?

Thinking this, he felt a bit more confident.

He looked directly into the Emperor’s eyes, as if expecting him to provide a reason to refute his statement.

Ying Changchuan shifted his gaze from the report and looked at Jiang Yuxun with a half-smiling, half-serious expression.

Sometimes silence speaks louder than words.

Jiang Yuxun instantly understood Ying Changchuan's meaning.

...The original owner of his body was a native of Lan Ze County, included among the "local people."

But that's not right, is it?

I clearly have great respect for Ying Changchuan!

-

Historically, the Hai Feng rice would not be introduced into China until a thousand years later.

Jiang Yuxun had little hope for the Lan Ze County officials finding locals who understood the language of Hai Feng Kingdom.

Unexpectedly, there were indeed people claiming to have some knowledge of this rice known for its drought resistance and ability to grow in any soil.

Upon arrival in Lan Ze County, these locals were immediately invited to the government office.

One of them, who had been to Hai Feng Kingdom, recalled as he spoke: "...To answer the official, farming in Hai Feng Kingdom is very extensive. People there scatter the seeds and then ignore the fields. Even during rain or drought, they pay no attention to the rice fields. Yet, the rice still thrives!"

He became more animated as he spoke.

Hearing this, Zhuang Yue, who accompanied Jiang Yuxun, grew skeptical: "Is that really possible? Could it be that you weren’t around when they managed their fields?"

The local hurriedly shook his head and replied, "To answer the official, I took refuge in Hai Feng Kingdom to avoid war for a year and only recently returned to Lan Ze County."

There were quite a few people like him who fled to Hai Feng Kingdom.

But this was still technically illegal…

At this point, he felt a pang of guilt.

Seeing that the officials had no intention of pursuing this matter, he continued more confidently: "During that year, I couldn’t just live off my relatives for free, so I often helped them with farming. Everything I said just now is absolutely true!"

Hearing this, Zhuang Yue frowned and turned to look at Jiang Yuxun.

Although the local was confident, Zhuang Yue still couldn’t believe that such miraculous rice existed.

Zhuang Yue intended to let the local leave first, then discuss the matter in detail with Jiang Yuxun, but when he turned around, he saw Jiang Yuxun's eyes already shining with excitement.

The moment the local spoke, Jiang Yuxun knew he was telling the truth!

Historical records state that the local farmers of Hai Feng Kingdom planted rice “without begging for water in drought, without draining in flood, without using manure or weeding, leaving it all to nature.”

Indeed, just as the local described, once the seeds are sown, they are left untended!

"…Alright."

Before Zhuang Yue could intervene, Jiang Yuxun slowly stood up, took a string of coins from a nearby wooden plate, and handed them to the local: "The court is already aware of this matter. Please go home and wait for a few days. The officials will notify you before departure."

"Yes, yes!" The man's eyes brightened, and he quickly pocketed the coins.

-

The current Governor of Lan Ze County, Qiao Yuda, had been the deputy general under the original owner's father.

After finishing official business, he took Jiang Yuxun from the Governor’s residence towards the outskirts of the city.

The generals who had died in the campaign against the twelve southwestern countries, as well as the original owner's parents, were buried there.

The area had just experienced a light rain not long ago.

The air in late autumn was filled with chill.

In this era, the customs of burning incense and paper offerings had not yet developed.

Upon reaching the city outskirts, Jiang Yuxun, along with the Governor of Lan Ze County, began to pull up the overgrown weeds from the graves.

"General Qiao, please rest over there. I can clear this up by myself."

—Although Qiao Yuda had become a Governor, to Jiang Yuxun, who had watched him grow up, he was still "General Qiao."

Qiao Yuda shook his head: "No need. Technically, I should have paved this grave with stone bricks long ago. But these past few months in Lan Ze County have been so busy, I’ve been delaying it until now."

After speaking, he sighed with a hint of regret: "Who knew that in just a few days, it would be overgrown with such tall weeds."

Jiang Yuxun quickly said, "It was my oversight."

"Eh, taking good care of yourself is the best way to honor your parents!" Saying this, Qiao Yuda suddenly turned and asked, "Has your old ailment acted up in these past few months?"

Jiang Yuxun quickly shook his head: "It's much better now."

Ever since he had arrived in this era, his body had been very healthy.

It was only a few days ago that Jiang Yuxun learned from Zhuang Yue that the original owner had a heart condition since childhood.

His mother had also died from the same illness.

Since then, the original owner had ceased practicing martial arts.

Stimulated by the news of his father's death in battle, and before leaving Lan Ze County for Zhao Du, the original owner's condition worsened rapidly, and he nearly lost his life several times in just half a month.

...Perhaps it was after his sudden critical illness and death that I transmigrated into this body.

Hearing him say this, Qiao Yuda exclaimed with relief, "That's good, that's good!"

The original owner's health had been declining since he was ten. Thinking of this, Qiao Yuda couldn’t help but sigh, "Your parents' greatest wish was to see you succeed and serve the country. Later... we thought you would spend your life bedridden, but now your health has been improving day by day!"

As he spoke, Qiao Yuda wiped away tears, then turned and kowtowed towards the grave.

...Was this the wish of the original owner's parents?

Jiang Yuxun paused, instinctively dropping the weeds in his hands and slowly walked to kneel in front of the grave.

He then closed his eyes gently, accepting this mission in his heart on behalf of the original owner.

After a brief pause, he solemnly kowtowed three times towards the grave.

-

Qiao Yuda didn't stay long before he was called away by his subordinates to handle urgent matters.

He wanted to take Jiang Yuxun with him, but seeing that the weeds on the grave were not yet fully cleared, Jiang Yuxun declined Qiao Yuda's offer and chose to stay alone to finish the task.

Fortunately, the grave was not large.

Before long, Jiang Yuxun had completely cleared the overgrown weeds from the surface.

Behind the grave was a forest.

Suddenly, a breeze arose, causing the entire forest to rustle with the wind.

Jiang Yuxun didn’t rush to leave but instead sat down nearby, hugging his knees.

In modern times, Jiang Yuxun's parents were always working away from home, and he had been sent to boarding school since childhood.

The family only had the opportunity to spend extended time together during the New Year.

However, this did not mean Jiang Yuxun had a bad relationship with his parents.

Just a day before his transmigration, his parents had visited him at his rented place.

When they left, they even stuffed the refrigerator full of local specialties from their hometown.

...He wondered how they were doing now and if the food had spoiled.

For the past few months, Jiang Yuxun had been avoiding thinking about this.

Finally, unable to hold back any longer, Jiang Yuxun's eyes reddened as he sat alone.

He sat there hugging his knees, feeling a bit lonely as he endured the cold breeze.

It was deep autumn now, and sitting here any longer might lead to catching a cold.

Thinking this, Jiang Yuxun finally sniffled, slowly stood up, and mentally encouraged himself:

"Jiang Yuxun, you are meant to serve your country, you absolutely cannot falter at this moment!"

Unexpectedly, as Jiang Yuxun turned around, he saw... not only General Qiao and himself, but Ying Changchuan had also come here today with others.

At this moment, Zhuang Yue and others were worshiping at another grave in the distance, creating a rather solemn atmosphere.

Only Ying Changchuan, for some reason, had arrived at this spot first.

A misstep, the wind had been so loud that he hadn't heard his approach!

Seeing the arrival, Jiang Yuxun was momentarily frozen in place.

The autumn light filtered through the gaps in the tree branches, falling into Jiang Yuxun's eyes.

His nose was slightly red, and tiny unshed tears clung to his eyelashes.

They quivered gently with each breath he took.

"Your, Your Majesty—" The cold wind blew, and Jiang Yuxun quickly dropped the dry branches in his hand, bowing to Ying Changchuan.

At the same time, he gently lowered his head, using his sleeve to wipe the tears from the corner of his eyes.

He thought his movements were quick, but all of this still fell under the Emperor's observant gaze.

Ying Changchuan's steps suddenly halted.

This seemed to be the first time Jiang Yuxun was associated with tears.

He had seen countless people cry before him, out of fear or in supplication.

But this time was completely different from the past.

The scene before him was somewhat unfamiliar to Ying Changchuan.

Meanwhile, after a few moments, Jiang Yuxun finally regained his composure.

Why isn’t Ying Changchuan saying anything?

He wondered if Ying Changchuan had seen him crying just now.

As an adult, Jiang Yuxun really didn’t want anyone to see him secretly shedding tears.

Especially not Ying Changchuan!

He instinctively looked up, wanting to see what the person before him was doing.

But before he could, he heard Ying Changchuan hesitantly say, "…What happened just now, my minister?"

Jiang Yuxun: …

Reality didn't give him a chance to deny it.

Jiang Yuxun bit his lip and could only reply softly, "I cried for a while."

"Why?"

Ying Changchuan walked over, stepping on the fallen leaves.

Jiang Yuxun's voice reached his ears at that moment.

With a slightly nasal tone, he said in a voice barely above a whisper, "Your Majesty, I miss home."

It was like a gust of autumn wind carrying moisture, quietly reaching Ying Changchuan's ears.

Author's note:

*《Lingwai Daida》(Part 3)《The Lazy Farmer》