Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

The wild soldiers who had accompanied Li Shihu from the tribe were stunned by the sudden development. After some hesitation, they moved to stand behind him.

The Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices’ eyes gleamed, and he feigned shock. “Li Lang! Are you going to let the murder of your father go unavenged?”

Li Shihu froze. “What?”

The Chief Minister then recounted, in full detail and without exaggeration, the absurd actions of the former emperor that had ultimately caused Li Shihu’s father’s death.

Li Shihu’s eyes widened. “Everything you’re saying… is it true?”

The Chief Minister replied, “Why would I lie to you? Li Lang, all of this can be verified.”

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites quickly added, “Do you know how the last emperor died? He used commoners for archery practice during his outings. One night, while staying at a monastery, he was beheaded in his sleep by the Prime Minister and his own personal guard.”

The Vice Minister deliberately omitted one crucial detail: after the former emperor’s demise, the Prime Minister neither seized the throne for himself nor supported any member of the royal family to ascend it. Instead, he steadfastly guarded the capital without an emperor and ultimately perished with the kingdom.

He feared that if his former colleague learned the full story, he might see it as a noble example and choose to end his life in the same way.

The Deputy Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices gritted his teeth and stepped forward. “Brother Shihu! Even if you don’t think about yourself, you must consider your mother, your ex-wife, and your son! If you act as a martyr of loyalty, they—after decades without seeing you—will have to join you in death!”

Li Ying ran forward and threw his arms around Li Shihu. “Father! If Grandma knew you were still alive, she would be overjoyed!”

“Ying’er…”

Li Ying sobbed, “Father! Grandfather died of sheer rage! The former emperor was nothing but a beast! Not only did he desecrate his own father’s corpse, but he also forced Cousin into the palace. He humiliated ministers at will, made the Prime Minister eat pig slop in public, and when the Minister of Personnel once smelled fishy, he grew curious and ordered the man’s stomach cut open! If a minister displeased him even slightly, he would draw his blade and hack them to death!”

Li Shihu was stunned. “How could this be!”

Seeing his attitude beginning to waver, the emperor gave Li Ying a subtle signal.

Li Ying understood. “And… and he also enjoyed abusing young boys!”

The officials were baffled. Huh? Is that supposed to be a major revelation?

Li Ying: “…” Having already said it, he forced himself to continue tearfully. “One time, I was summoned to the palace myself. Afterward, Grandfather died of anger!”

It was true that the former emperor abused young boys. It was also true that Li Ying had once been summoned to the palace—but only to receive a reward, with nothing untoward happening. And Grandfather’s death from rage? Also true.

But the events weren’t even on the same day. There was no need to mention that to Li Shihu.

Under the astonished and admiring gazes of the crowd, and the emperor’s heartfelt declaration of, “Li Minister, you are truly a paragon of loyalty!” Li Ying closed his eyes in despair.

Damn that Xu Yanmiao! If he hadn’t gotten used to hearing such shameless gossip, how could he have blurted out something like this at such a critical moment?

As for Li Shihu…

His eyes widened.

For three days, Li Shihu sat in silence in a pavilion, watching the bustling crowds below. The wind and sand at Shanhai Pass were relentless; when a gale swept through, yellow dust engulfed the area.

Borderlands were known for their harsh conditions, yet the people at Shanhai Pass wore smiles, a sign that the new emperor was governing well.

He remembered how, before he left, even the heartlands of the Central Plains were filled with sorrow and hardship.

On the fourth day, Li Shihu went to meet the emperor.

On the fifth day, holding the seal of the Shandong Commander and an imperial leave of absence, he went to find his son. “Ying’er, I want to visit your grandmother. I heard she’s living here in Shanhai Pass.”

—As for his soldiers, after he pledged allegiance, they received rewards for their role in the emperor’s rescue. They were reorganized and happily went off to their respective camps.

Li Ying was overjoyed. “Father! You’ve made up your mind! Let’s—”

He paused mid-sentence.

“What’s wrong, Ying’er? Let’s go! I’ve already found out where the house is. Let’s meet your grandmother!”

Li Ying’s smile was more like a grimace.

Besides Grandma, there’s also… my mother.

He couldn’t even imagine what that reunion would look like.

The scene, however, turned out to be incredibly heartwarming.

Mother and son embraced and wept bitterly.

Even upon learning that his mother had remarried, Li Shihu said nothing. Instead, he respectfully addressed his stepfather according to proper etiquette: “Father.”

“Father! Your son has returned!” came the voice of the Deputy Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices from outside.

The moment he entered, the two men locked eyes—Li Shihu glaring, the Deputy Minister feigning innocence.

Li Shihu was delighted. “So, not only are we colleagues, but also brothers! I’m two years older than you, so I’ll shamelessly call myself your elder brother.”

“Elder brother,” the Deputy Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices replied, though his expression was a bit awkward and uneasy.

Li Shihu didn’t notice. He let out a hearty “Aye!” and began rummaging in his pouch to gift his newfound brother a necklace made from polished beast teeth.

By sheer coincidence, a voice came from outside: “I heard shouting earlier—has my husband returned?”

Hearing the familiar voice, the Deputy Minister froze in panic. “Wait!”@@novelbin@@

Hearing the familiar voice, Li Shihu exclaimed with joy, “My wife!”

But the woman had already walked in.

When their eyes met, both froze in place.

After a moment of stunned silence, Li Shihu turned to look at the Deputy Minister.

The Deputy Minister coughed. “Elder brother, this… this is something I can explain.”

Li Shihu turned to glance at his mother and stepfather. His stepfather smiled kindly. “Shihu, are you staying for dinner tonight?”

Li Shihu looked at his son, Li Ying, who quietly covered his face, avoiding eye contact.

Li Shihu finally spoke. “So, this is what you meant by everyone remarried???”

Li Ying whispered, “Doesn’t it count?”

Li Shihu pressed his hand to his forehead, swaying on his feet.

Perhaps he hadn’t come down from the mountains. Perhaps he hadn’t met the emperor. Perhaps he hadn’t even returned home. Maybe… he had simply eaten some poisonous mushrooms, and this was all a hallucination.

• The part about the cousin was inspired by Emperor Liu Jun of the Song dynasty during the Southern Dynasties.
• The story about disemboweling a minister and the emperor’s method of death was based on Emperor Liu Yu, the deposed emperor of the Song dynasty.

There’s a theory that the story of composing poetry in seven steps isn’t historical fact.

Evidence for this is that Cao Zhi’s collected works, which were published during his lifetime, do not include the famous Seven-Step Poem.

“Thus, the work of a gentleman stands tall like a mountain and drifts freely like clouds. Its essence is simple as autumn reeds, and its embellishments are fresh as spring blossoms. Vast and radiant, it flows with the currents of the classics. From a young age, I was fond of rhapsodies and deeply admired their grandeur. I created many works, touching upon numerous subjects. However, many were rambling and impure, so I carefully curated and revised them, compiling 78 pieces into this collection.”

— Collected Works of Cao Zhi

After Cao Zhi’s death, Emperor Cao Rui of Wei ordered the collection of Cao Zhi’s writings, including rhapsodies, eulogies, poems, inscriptions, and essays. Yet, there was still no trace of the Seven-Step Poem.

The first appearance of the story about composing poetry in seven steps was in Shishuo Xinyu (A New Account of the Tales of the World), which was already during the Southern Dynasties, a period after the Wei dynasty, separated by the Jin dynasty.

— The Buddha Speaks the Great Consecration Divine Spell Sutra

— The Supreme Clarity Lingbao Great Law

[These two references are from the previous chapter; I forgot to include them yesterday.]