Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Everyone could clearly see that the prince consort, who had been unflappable and at ease since he entered the room, now had a change in expression.

On the Emperor’s signal, the imperial guards prepared to escort the prince consort to the back to check.

The prince consort walked a few steps in silence before suddenly stopping. He turned, knelt, and bowed to the Emperor.

“There’s no need to check,” the prince consort said decisively. “Your Majesty, it’s true—I did it.”

…

From afar, Xu Yanmiao saw a crowd gathered around the courthouse. Amid the whispers, he caught snippets:

“He confessed.”

“Can you believe it’s actually him?”

“Wow, the **on the court was so furious.”

“That prince consort is heartless.”

Although some words were unclear, the gist was audible.

“!!!”

Xu Yanmiao was immediately intrigued. Grabbing the hand of the Ministry of War official beside her, he nearly dragged him along. “It involves some big official! No idea what’s going on! Let’s go, let’s go! We need to see this!”

The Ministry of War official’s eyes lit up. “No clue what big official this is either…”

By the time they squeezed in and then out of the dense crowd at the courthouse door, both of them were left dumbfounded.

This… getting involved in royal affairs probably wasn’t a good idea, was it?

Xu Yanmiao and the Ministry of War official exchanged glances.

“Maybe we should…”

“Leave…”

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from the crowd: “Make way! Make way! Please, move aside! I’m an officer! Let me through! Thanks!”

Then…

“I wonder what’s going on!”

Although the voice was subdued, a trace of excitement could still be heard. Xu Yanmiao recognized it instantly.

[Could it be… maybe…]

…Xu Yanmiao?

The Crown Prince’s voice betrayed a hint of surprise before he was pushed forward by the crowd and stumbled right to the front.

Before his vision cleared, a phrase reached his ears—

[Your family’s business?]

“?!”

The Crown Prince snapped his head up and saw his brother-in-law, the prince consort, kneeling in the hall. His clothes and hair seemed damp with sweat.

The Crown Prince’s eyes widened in shock.

Whose house is falling apart?!

Oh, turns out it’s my house falling apart!

From inside the courthouse came his father’s voice: “Get in here!” And when the Crown Prince focused, he saw his father grinning darkly, baring an unsettlingly gleaming set of white teeth.

Here to watch the commotion, are you?

Pretending to be an officer to make way, eh?

Get in here!

“Xu Yanmiao! And you too!”

Half-hidden, Xu Yanmiao slowly re-emerged, his head lowered, and walked into the courthouse. Beside him was the equally crestfallen Crown Prince.

“And you…” The Emperor glanced at the Ministry of War official and thought for a moment. “What’s your name… Lian Hang? You too, get in.”

The Ministry of War official: “…”@@novelbin@@

He swore that if not for Xu Yanmiao, the Emperor would never have even known who he was!

Normally, being remembered by His Majesty was a good thing, but right now…

The Ministry of War official shot a resentful look at Xu Yanmiao’s back as they walked ahead of him. With each step, it felt as though he was treading on explosive fireballs, ready to detonate at any moment.

He would rather the Emperor forget his name altogether!

In the courtroom, the Crown Prince forced a sheepish smile. “Father, what’s going on with my brother-in-law? What crime has he committed?”

The Emperor’s anger flared. “What crime?! Your brother-in-law lied to both your sister and me! When I questioned him during the Qionglin Banquet before granting the marriage, he swore he was unmarried! Now, thirty years later, his original wife has come forward! Not only did he abandon his wife and child, but he even sent people to hunt them down! The mother and child had to come report it to the authorities themselves!”

“I will chop off his head! No one is allowed to plead for him!”

The Crown Prince’s face froze in shock at this sudden revelation, which quickly morphed into deep-seated anger.

Normally, a prince consort couldn’t hold office, but when his brother-in-law became one, this law hadn’t been established yet—it was decreed in the seventh year of the Tian Tong era, while Yan Chun had topped the imperial exam in the fourth year of the same era.

The Crown Prince shared a deep bond with his elder sister, his only sibling of similar age. He knew well how proud and strong-willed she was.

As a child, the Crown Prince once bought food and, seeing him as a likable boy, the vendor gave him an extra steamed bun. The next day, his sister went to buy food and insisted on working as a helper for the street performers for half a day to earn money. She bought two extra buns and brought them home.

Recalling these moments with his ever-competitive sister from their childhood, the Crown Prince momentarily wore a pained expression before dragging his thoughts back to the present.

This Yan fellow dared to figuratively slap his proud sister in the face—

The Crown Prince strode over with a grimace and raised his hand, delivering a slap toward the prince consort.

[Abandoning wife and child?!]

Xu Yanmiao was so shocked that she metaphorically dropped her melon seeds.

[But she’s a female prince consort!]

[Even if abandoning her wife is plausible, how could she abandon a child?!]

The Crown Prince’s slap narrowly grazed the prince consort’s nose.

Having swung too hard, the Crown Prince hissed in pain and clutched his own waist.

Ow… it seems I pulled something…

Yan Chun, unable to hear their thoughts, assumed the Crown Prince was being considerate of the Princess’s dignity. Lowering his gaze, he remained silent for a moment before calmly speaking: “Yes, I did it. I did abandon my wife and child. She identified me by the birthmark on my back… and indeed, it is there. There’s no need to verify it.”

“The Princess is the most exceptional woman I have ever met in my life—peerlessly beautiful, immensely talented, like a celestial being from the heavens. To win her hand, I was willing to risk my life!”

The Crown Prince: “…What.”

Hearing the murmur of discussions among the crowd, many began speculating about how remarkable the Princess must be.

The Crown Prince glanced at his “brother-in-law” with a complex expression.

Even on the brink of death, he wouldn’t miss an opportunity to heap praise on the Princess. Great. Now the Crown Prince understood how his exceptionally proud sister had managed to maintain such a harmonious relationship with her husband over the decades.

The Emperor also quickly pieced things together.

No wonder Yan Chun confessed to “abandoning his wife and child.” If forced to undress, his true identity as a woman would be exposed.

The Emperor: “…”

His eldest daughter was not the type to endure a thirty-year platonic marriage, so…

A wild and absurd thought from Xu Yanmiao’s usual morning distractions flashed in the Emperor’s mind.