Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

No wonder no investigation ever uncovered the prince consort’s secret of disguising herself as a man. Back when the prince consort was ten, it was still the previous dynasty—a chaotic and war-torn era where falsifying household records was as easy as breathing. By the time the new dynasty was established, the prince consort had already come of age. Dressing as a man came naturally to her, and unless she willingly revealed her identity, who could ever expose her?

[Wuhu!!!]

[I know how to expose her!]

Xu Yanmiao’s inner voice suddenly brimmed with excitement.

The monarch and officials of Daxia were utterly bewildered.

What happened? How did he suddenly find evidence?!

The young man’s eyes sparkled. “Madam…” His politeness made the surrounding officials nearly want to cover their faces; they felt Xu Lang looked far too easy to manipulate.

“When you married the prince consort, did you follow the tradition of the three marriage documents?”

The woman, holding back tears, covered her face. “We didn’t. It was a time of chaos and war; how could we have had the means? Later, when we were more settled, after being husband and wife for many years, he never brought it up, and I didn’t think much of it either.”

The Princess of Fangling’s gaze was cold and scrutinizing as she observed the woman, as though analyzing and calculating something.

Xu Yanmiao asked again, “Did you ever meet the prince consort’s parents?”

The woman seemed helpless. “Please don’t mock me, my lord. By the time I married into the Yan family, his parents had already passed away…”

She was clearly well-prepared, likely having memorized every detail about the prince consort’s family background.

Xu Yanmiao smiled and interrupted her, “In all the years you were married, did he ever take you to visit his parents’ graves?”

The woman fluently provided the address of the prince consort’s parents’ burial site. “We went every year…”

Xu Yanmiao followed up, “Can you read?”

The woman hesitated, appearing embarrassed. “No…”

Xu Yanmiao feigned surprise. “The prince consort never offered to teach you?”

The woman, equally surprised, replied, “Even if Yan Lang is a scholar, why would he teach me to read and write? He—”

“I would.”

The woman’s words came to an abrupt halt, her expression subtly shifting to one of confusion.

She turned to see Yan Chun, who had been kneeling quietly and awaiting the court’s judgment, now lifting her head to look at her. Yan Chun sighed softly, “If you were truly my wife, I would have taken the initiative to teach you.”

The Princess of Fangling chuckled coldly, her voice sharp and devoid of warmth. “The tombstone of the prince consort’s mother bears an inscription carved by her close friend, the esteemed Master Tongxin. But people like you and those behind you wouldn’t have paid it any mind, even if you saw it.”

The emperor immediately asked those present, “What would Master Tong have engraved?”

An elderly censor pondered for two breaths and replied, “Master Tong, often referred to as a maverick scholar, was known for his unconventional views. He once boldly claimed: ‘There is no difference in intellect between men and women. If women could escape the confines of the boudoir, men of this era would be too ashamed to speak.’ Thus, it’s likely he would have inscribed the essence of this belief on his friend’s tombstone—‘There is a range in knowledge, but no distinction between male and female.’”

All correct!

In his heart, Xu Yanmiao let out an approving whistle.

[Yan Chun grew up listening to her mother debate philosophy with Master Tong. She even helped copy their correspondence. After being immersed in such an environment, she decided to take the imperial examination, figuring it didn’t matter since both her parents were gone and she had no living relatives.]

[Who would’ve thought she’d end up as the top scorer? And, by sheer chance, the emperor directly appointed her as the prince consort, leaving her no way to refuse.]

[At the time, the princess didn’t even know she was a woman—yep, she really didn’t know! The wedding night must’ve been hilarious. The fact that their marriage lasted is only because the princess would never allow herself to lose face!]

[Let me think… How did she put it back then? Oh! ‘I don’t care if you’re a man or a woman. Since you’ve taken the title of prince consort, you’d better uphold my reputation.’]

The old emperor: “……”

The crown prince: “……”

Alright, now they understood why the Princess of Fangling had tolerated a female prince consort.

— That strong-willed daughter/elder sister of ours.

The case had already reached a conclusion, so Xu Yanmiao was free to keep digging.

[To ensure the prince consort’s true gender remained hidden and to make it easier to build their careers, they moved to Liaodong!]

[It’s cold, it’s a borderland, and it’s harsh. Yet, they’ve endured for 30 years, rising from a county magistrate to a governor. Truly impressive.]

[Wow! The governor’s achievements are half hers and half the princess’s! The princess often went out disguised as a man, pretending to be the governor herself. Haha! It’s hilarious—people at the administrative headquarters pretended to be blind, acting like they didn’t notice there were two governors. No one reported it to the central government.]

The central officials: “……”

Well, now we know.

So, what should we do? Should we pretend to be blind and deaf too, acting as though we don’t know anything?

All their gazes turned to the old emperor, torn between speaking and remaining silent.

Do we strip the female prince consort of her office or let things continue as they are? Please, Your Majesty, give us a clear decision!

The old emperor initially considered directly removing Yan Chun from office, leaving her as a prince consort without power—ideally, not even as a prince consort anymore. But knowing his daughter, she likely wouldn’t allow it.

However, at this moment, upon hearing Xu Yanmiao’s remark about “shared governance achievements,” the emperor was suddenly struck by a thought—

Liaodong is half his daughter’s domain, meaning it’s also half his. This means a trusted family member effectively controls Liaodong, reducing concerns about rebellion.

The old emperor: “……”

Hmm. That’s intriguing. Let me think about it.

[Wow! It’s actually a case of love after marriage! They even have children!]

The old emperor: “?!” Wait, what? I have six granddaughters?! Where did they come from?!

[Oh, they’re adopted—all girls, chosen to conveniently inherit their legacy.]

[Three with the surname Gao, three with the surname Yan.]

The old emperor: 😊

Quite fair.

The south already had the Prince of Yunnan maintaining permanent stability there, but the north lacked a similar permanent presence in Liaodong. Given its proximity to Shanhai Pass, Liaodong was highly strategic. The emperor had hesitated to grant it to anyone else, always fearing a potential alliance with external tribes to instigate rebellion.

But… if Fangling were to oversee Liaodong, and with a clear line of succession…

The emperor felt even more tempted. Let me think this over carefully.

The old emperor: My eldest son’s son is a fool, my eldest daughter’s daughters are fake, and my second daughter’s daughter is actually the prince consort’s stepchild. I’m done.

Historical Note on the Fatal Joke:@@novelbin@@

This was inspired by the story of Sima Yao and Noble Consort Zhang:

In his later years, Sima Yao, enthralled by wine and women, spent most of his time drinking heavily and rarely attended to governance. Noble Consort Zhang was his favored concubine, holding great influence in the harem. However, as she approached her thirties, Sima Yao teased her, joking that she was too old and would soon be replaced by younger women.

Zhang secretly grew angry, but Sima Yao, oblivious, continued his jests. That evening, after Sima Yao became heavily intoxicated, Zhang ordered her servants to smother him with a blanket. Fearing the consequences, she bribed the eunuchs and attendants to claim that he had died from a nightmare.

At the time, with Prince Daozi incapacitated and Sima Yuanxian monopolizing power, Zhang’s crime was never investigated.