Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Could she have secretly kept a guard around to pose as her, sneaking into the Princess’s chambers after lights out?!

The Emperor was both shocked and enraged!

The Emperor was furious!

The Emperor was utterly livid!

Xu Yanmiao: [How odd. If you’re doomed to die anyway, why admit to such a crime… Ah, I see. She must have decided beforehand that if she couldn’t avoid punishment, she’d choose the method that least tarnishes the Princess’s reputation. Being deceived into marriage is far better than admitting you married a woman.]

The old emperor: “…?” Why did it sound like his daughter was in on this?

Could it be…

The old emperor painfully followed the train of thought to its conclusion: Could his daughter have known all along that the prince consort was a woman and willingly helped her conceal it?!

Slowly, very slowly, he raised a hand to his forehead.

His second daughter enjoyed role-playing games and entered into a contractual marriage.@@novelbin@@

His fifth daughter, before coming to her senses, let her prince consort abuse and mistreat her, and somehow, their twisted relationship became deeply romantic.

His youngest daughter was so spoiled that she dared to challenge even her emperor father just to become an official.

…Did he still have any gentle, obedient, understanding, virtuous daughters left???

How had his children all turned out so… peculiar?!

“Father!!!”

The old emperor blurted out, “Nonsense!”

As if they could have inherited it from him!

Then he realized he was being watched with strange and questioning eyes.

“…”

Snapping back to his senses, the old emperor saw that another figure had entered the hall. Kneeling in front of the prince consort, the person saluted. Though she appeared no older than forty, her sharp features exuded cold beauty and an imposing presence.

“Father! The prince consort has never deceived the throne. This accusation is slander!”

The prince consort exclaimed in shock, “Princess!”

Ah, it was his eldest daughter. The old emperor ground his teeth in frustration. Judging by her disheveled hair and uneven breathing, it was clear she had ridden here in a rush. She was this anxious?!

The old emperor: “Never deceived the throne?”

The eldest princess replied firmly, “Never!”

The old emperor: “Heh.”

So cross-dressing doesn’t count as deceiving the throne? What a ridiculous claim.

Since he couldn’t address this matter openly with his daughter in public, the old emperor pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do you have any evidence?”

Surely, she wasn’t going to have the prince cons—uh, the Yan fellow—strip in public, right?

“I do!” The Princess of Fangling declared decisively. “When you asked me how I would select a prince consort, I told you I wanted the best. At the time, Yan Chun was the top scholar of the imperial exam, making him the best—”

“Mm…” The old emperor nodded.

The Princess of Fangling continued, “But I worried he might have done something shameful in the past that could embarrass me, so I sent people to investigate him thoroughly in his hometown.”

“Mm???” The old emperor was stunned. “When did this happen?”

Even the prince consort froze, nearly blurting out, “What?”

The Princess of Fangling calmly explained, “The day after the Qionglin Banquet.”

Still calm, she added, “The findings of that investigation are stored in the palace, in my personal quarters. The scroll is thirty years old and probably yellowed by now, but it details his life from childhood. It should prove that thirty years ago, he was never married. I am here now, so I could not have fabricated it in advance. I ask His Majesty to review it!”

The old emperor opened his mouth.

Xu Yanmiao helped him voice his thoughts—

[What the…]

[No wonder the system referred to her as “the fiercely strong-willed Princess of Fangling.”]

Author’s note:

Xu Yanmiao: (⊙o⊙) No doubt about it, the Princess of Fangling truly takes after His Majesty!

Old Emperor: This is slander! Xu Yanmiao, you’re full of nonsense!

PS: This chapter wasn’t very satisfactory, so I revised it heavily, adding nearly 3,000 words. The new content is included in this chapter at no extra cost, as a token of appreciation for readers who have already seen it.

Historical reference:

Wang Shi, wife of Wei Heng, was from Qizi in Zizhou. At the beginning of the Wude era, Fang Qidi, a former general of Xue Rengao, invaded Liang Prefecture and forcibly married Wang Shi. As Qidi grew more powerful, Wei Heng conspired to open the city to the enemy. Before Qidi could reach Liang Prefecture, Wang Shi used his intoxication against him, took his dagger, and beheaded him. She carried the head back to the city, causing the enemy troops to scatter. The Gaozu Emperor was greatly pleased, conferring upon her the title “Lady of Loyal Righteousness” and pardoning Wei Heng’s betrayal.

—From The Old Book of Tang

The emperor’s eldest daughter can also be titled “eldest princess”:

In the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, the court requested the establishment of a crown prince. The eldest son of Empress Dou was made crown prince, and she became empress. Their daughter, Piao, was granted the title “eldest princess.”

—From Records of the Grand Historian

On fireball bombs:

Right fireball bombs are made of two or three sections of dried bamboo, about 1.5 inches in diameter, without cracks. The bamboo should retain its natural joints. Thirty thin pieces of porcelain, like coins, and three or four pounds of gunpowder are wrapped in bamboo to form a ball, with the ends of the bamboo left exposed by about an inch. If the enemy digs tunnels to attack the city, counter by digging to meet them and using a fire awl to ignite the bombs. The explosion creates a thunderous sound, and bamboo fans are used to direct the flames and smoke to burn the enemy.—From The Essentials of Military Affairs