Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

[“The last era name of the previous dynasty was Yongbao. He left during the first year of Yongbao. It’s been decades, no wonder he mistook the emperor.”]

[“After accidentally entering the savage tribe, his life was miserable. That tribe was so primitive; they cooked wild animals whole, tied up, with innards and feces uncleaned.”]

The court of Da Xia froze in place.

Not from disgust, but because… if it became known they weren’t the emperor and officials of the previous dynasty, the ones being thrown into the pot next might very well be them.

Xu Yanmiao anxiously narrated in his heart how Li Shihu and his soldiers subdued the savages, training and building the tribe as they went.

[“What do I do, what do I do? He’s so ambitious! If the old emperor and the others are exposed… Help, how do I explain this to the old emperor? Say I’ve seen a portrait of Li Shihu? But with Li Shihu present, I can’t say that!”]

The court of Da Xia collectively looked toward the doorway. Li Shihu was cheerfully cutting meat for the old emperor, his robust frame blocking the entrance completely.

At this moment, they had only one thought:

Under no circumstances must Li Shihu learn their true identities!

The old emperor’s gaze dropped, lingering on the meat-cutting knife in Li Shihu’s hand for a few beats before lifting to see Li Shihu’s expression shift from expectant to puzzled.

“Zhen will confer upon you… will confer upon you…”

Damn!

What should he confer?

To let him overhear their thoughts and then go on a rampage?

[“A general of the previous dynasty, about to become an official of the current one!”]

Hearing this despairing thought, the old emperor suddenly coughed heavily, as if choking. His gaze landed on the water cup on the table. Li Shihu immediately turned to fetch water, casually placing the meat-cutting knife on the table.

Taking advantage of his turned back, the old emperor glared fiercely at Xu Yanmiao.

Would you shut up already?

Xu Yanmiao, who had just removed his hands from his face, was baffled by the glare.

[“What’s the old emperor’s problem now? Is he mad I suddenly covered my face?”]

“Your Majesty, the water is clean; the tribe dug a well.”

Li Shihu presented the water. The old emperor took it and, in the brief moment Li Shihu turned for the water, had already come up with something to say.

“…When we return to the capital, I will confer upon you the position of Commander of Shandong.”

Li Shihu beamed with delight.

This was a promotion across ranks!

Previously, he had been the Deputy Commander of Shandong, responsible for training troops and maintaining military discipline. Normally, promotion would proceed from Deputy Commander to Assistant Commander, then to Commander. This jump directly to a third-rank regional military chief was a major leap!

Xu Yanmiao sighed: [“The old emperor still thinks he’s a loyal subject. Sigh, if anyone discovers your true identity…”]

[“Overthrow Summer, Restore Zhou—Today is the Day!”]

The old emperor glanced deeply at Li Shihu.

Now he remembered why Li Shihu’s name sounded so familiar.

Back when Shandong faked a severe drought to embezzle disaster relief funds, the fraud was exposed, and the perpetrators were executed in droves. During that period, he reviewed Shandong’s roster of officials and noticed that the last Deputy Commander of Shandong from the previous dynasty was named Li Shihu.

The old emperor’s gaze wandered.

If it were just that, it wouldn’t matter much. But at the time, he had someone spread rumors among the people, claiming that the Great Zhou had so many famous generals that even minor officials like Deputy Commanders could annihilate rebel forces.

The young emperor of the previous dynasty, arrogant and self-important, believed it.

For the eighteen rebel kings, he dispatched eighteen Deputy Commanders, leaving a surplus of over a hundred Deputy Commanders with no tasks. Hearing of unrest in the Western Regions, he sent them all there.

So, strictly speaking, Li Shihu’s being sent to the Western Regions and getting lost in the mountains for decades… had something to do with him.

Old grudges, new enmities—stop, don’t think about it. Think of something else! Like how Li Shihu had served as an Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Justice before.

It all matched up.

No wonder he recognized Zheng Peng (the former Left Vice-Minister of the Office of Diplomatic Ceremonies, now the Grand Master of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices).

The old emperor’s heart twisted in agony.

Such a loyal subject! Why couldn’t he have been his?

Unable to restrain himself, he added two more words: “Hereditary succession.”

Hereditary Commander!!!

His son would inherit the position…

Li Shihu’s lips quivered: “Thank… thank you, Your Majesty! I… I deeply feel your divine… divine grace!”

The old emperor cast him another long, deep look.

Suddenly, Li Shihu seemed to remember something and hurriedly asked, “Your Majesty, how is the Great Zhou nowadays? Have those rebel kings been eradicated?”

The table full of rebel kings who should have been eradicated instantly fell silent.

Uh…

Back then, the eighteen rebel kings made quite the commotion, with the largest force being in Xiangyang. The Xia forces’ influence had been middling.

But luckily, because of this, Li Shihu didn’t recognize them.

—They had been quietly growing their wealth while others declared themselves kings and emperors, drawing the previous dynasty’s attention. This allowed them to thrive in the shadows and eventually emerge victorious.

The old emperor took a sip of water. When he looked at Li Shihu again, his expression turned solemn.

“Those rebel kings have all been eradicated. The world has been peaceful for over thirty years now.”@@novelbin@@

[“Though perhaps not the kind of peace you’re expecting.”]

The old emperor took another big gulp of water.

The Minister of Revenue glanced at Xu Yanmiao and used clean chopsticks to pick up a chicken leg for him. Xu Yanmiao was flattered: “Thank you, Minister.”

The Minister of Revenue smiled kindly: “Eat.”

Please, eat and stay quiet, will you?