Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

[“Did Buddha pass through here? Are they scraping gold dust off the statues for him?”] The Ministry of Works’ Auditor General felt the urge to turn around and kneel before Xu Yanmiao in reverence.

The Left Vice Minister of Revenue knew he shouldn’t laugh. He knew that Xu Yanmiao’s cutting remark about “begging on their knees” was cruel. Yet, seeing his fellow victim, the Auditor General, drenched in cold sweat from Xu Yanmiao’s relentless revelations, he couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing:

“Pfft—”

Apologies, but witnessing someone worse off than himself, his heart suddenly felt a strange sense of balance.

[“What were the eighteen censors dispatched to Henan for famine relief doing two years ago? The warehouse officials there were adding water to the grains and soybeans to increase weight. When the weather heated up, all that grain got ruined from the damp heat!”]

[“Seven million bushels of grain went bad! The local officials, afraid of being discovered, buried it all underground!”]

[“Seven million bushels wasted!”]

Immediately, the eighteen censors in charge of inspecting and overseeing famine relief broke into a sweat and knelt on the ground.

[“Ah! That Xue Yuanji! The emperor sent him to comfort disaster victims, and this criminal officer from the Ministry of Justice let death row prisoners do his work for him while he lazed around!”]

The officer from the Ministry of Justice turned pale as a sheet.

[“And this Chen, a Minister from the Ministry of Works! Impressive! After accepting bribes, he told the emperor that Henan not only suffered from drought but also from locust plagues, scamming a huge amount of disaster relief funds.”]

The Minister from the Ministry of Works staggered, his entire body trembling as his blood ran cold. “Ah! …” “Oh no! …”

Xu Yanmiao stood too far back to see or hear the events unfolding at the front clearly. Determined to keep a low profile, he focused on flipping through gossip notes.

While he was thoroughly entertained, the 1,188 capital officials present at the court were breaking into cold sweats. When they heard Xu Yanmiao’s exclamations, they prayed it wasn’t their name. Upon realizing it wasn’t, their legs almost gave out from relief. Yet, as soon as the next name was mentioned, their anxiety returned in full force, leaving them on edge and terrified.

One by one, their faces turned pale with fear.

It was like the King of Hell calling out names.

[“Oh! The Minister of Justice!”]

The other ministers all turned to stare at the Minister of Justice. Their expressions resembled those of honest students discovering a classmate cheating on an exam. “What? Even you got involved? What were you thinking!”

The Minister of Justice was dumbfounded.

Wait, did he really do something?

He racked his brain but couldn’t recall any wrongdoing… which made it even scarier! Had he unintentionally done something? Or perhaps one of his relatives or children had used his name to commit crimes behind his back?

A shiver ran down his spine as he knelt hastily under the Emperor’s piercing “even you’re involved?” glare.

“Your Majesty!” His voice choked with emotion, his face full of guilt. “I… I have failed Your Grace.”

[“Hahaha! He read in an ancient text that wheat was poisonous, but he still loved eating noodles. So, after cooking the noodles, he’d bag them up, dry them in the wind, and rinse them in cold water three or four times before eating! Hahaha! Who eats noodles like that?”]

The Emperor: “…”

The Minister of Justice: “…”

The other ministers: “…”

The court officials: “…”

Why? Why is someone able to multitask on such absurd topics during a serious investigation?

The Minister of Justice was drenched in sweat. He gulped dryly, collapsed onto the ground with a loud thud, and sat there in shock. Sweat dripped audibly from his forehead as his heavy breaths echoed.

So close. So close—his entire clan almost perished.

---

At the Jin Prince’s Residence

The Jin Prince, the Emperor’s half-brother from the same mother, had once shielded the Emperor from an arrow, leaving him paralyzed.

Out of compassion for his poor health, the Emperor made an exception, allowing him to remain in the capital instead of moving to his fiefdom. Though already over thirty, the Jin Prince had yet to leave for his assigned lands.

Yesterday had been the wedding of the Jin Prince and his new princess consort.

“What’s causing such a commotion outside?” The prince sat up in bed and asked his steward.

The steward replied, “Your Highness, the Jinyiwei are arresting people everywhere. It seems they’re officials who embezzled state grain. Word has it that many were taken in during the morning court assembly—Vice Minister of Revenue Yang Cheng, Auditor General Wu Shenming, and Ministry of Justice officer Xue Yuanji, among others.”

The Jin Prince’s expression turned grim. “Fetch my wheelchair immediately. I need to see my brother.”

“Your Highness?”

“Hurry!”

The steward retrieved the wheelchair from the corner and helped the prince put on a half-face mask—his face was disfigured, and he wore the mask to avoid scaring others. Then, he summoned a few guards to escort the prince to the palace gates.

---

After the prince left, the princess consort asked the steward, “Why is His Highness in such a rush so early?”

The steward replied, “His Highness is heading to the morning court assembly.”

“That’s odd. His Highness never attends court.” The princess consort, puzzled, brushed it aside and ordered, “Bring me the guest gift list. The officials all came to celebrate yesterday. I need to see how to return their gifts in kind.”

---

At the palace gates, the Jin Prince’s expression grew increasingly solemn.

Brother, I understand your fears. You’ve kept me here in the capital even though I’m already thirty.

For years, I dared not marry, yet now I’ve grown old and must pass on my lineage. To allay your suspicions, I chose a powerless daughter of a minor official as my wife. And still…

I know. Revealing this scandal on the second day after my wedding is your way of warning me.

The Vice Minister of Revenue, the Auditor General, and the Ministry of Justice officer all attended my wedding banquet yesterday.

Fortunately, I remember this. You’re afraid I’ve conspired with them.

He closed his eyes in pain. How far will you push me?

Looking at the imposing Jinyiwei guards outside the palace, the Jin Prince ordered his guards, “Leave me here. You may go.”

After they left, the prince steeled himself, pushed the wheelchair aside, and collapsed to the ground.

Humiliating himself, he crawled forward with his hands, dragging his body inch by inch as he shouted, “Brother! Brother! The Vice Minister of Revenue’s corruption has nothing to do with me! I’ve never had private dealings with him! My loyalty is clear as day and night! Brother, you must believe me!”

“Brother, is this enough? Brother, is this enough for you?!”

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