Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

[What???]

[No rest allowed! Just returned in the afternoon, and we have to attend the evening court session?]

[Is the old emperor out of his mind?]

As soon as the royal procession stopped in the capital, the old emperor announced that no one should go home and that a court meeting would be held to summarize their work. The entire court fell silent—except for one voice, which was… extremely abrupt.

The old emperor, who had been quite pleased with his surprise inspection, instantly darkened.

He glared at the ministers below and spoke in a chilling tone: “On further thought, it seems inconsiderate of me not to let you all rest properly after such a long journey. Perhaps we should just cancel the evening court session?”

[Hooray!!!!]

Cold sweat immediately ran down the faces of the court officials.

The old emperor gave a sinister smile: “What do my dear ministers think of this idea?”

Look at that! What an eloquent statement!

Xu Yanmiao was utterly astonished.

[So that’s why others can become ministers, and I can only be a lowly Official!]

[Competitive! So competitive!]

[Not even a proper break after team-building! Meetings right through the night, huh?!]

The Minister of Personnel subtly lowered his head, raising his official tablet as his lips twitched slightly.

Who wouldn’t want to rest comfortably at home? But… the emperor’s word is law.

The old emperor feigned concern: “This… doesn’t seem right. You all must be very tired.”

[If you know it’s not right, why bring it up—ouch!]

The Official of the Ministry of War stomped on Xu Yanmiao’s foot. Xu Yanmiao stared at his good friend in shock.

The Official of the Ministry of War whispered,

“Don’t lose focus; I think the Censor is watching us.”@@novelbin@@

Xu Yanmiao suddenly understood, quickly collecting himself and pretending to listen intently. Just as he turned his head away, the Official of the Ministry of War breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he noticed several people discreetly giving him a thumbs-up.

Seizing the moment while Xu Yanmiao wasn’t looking, the Official of the Ministry of War clasped his hands in a bow to return the gesture.

“Fellow colleagues, no need to thank me. It’s my duty.”

Several ministers stepped forward, representing the court with speeches centered around one key point: “We’re not tired! Your Majesty, we’re really not tired! We are absolutely willing to work overtime! We’re sincerely devoted to the prosperity of the Da Xia and to serving Your Majesty!”

Xu Yanmiao fumed internally: [Traitors to the cause!]

The old emperor pretended not to hear and smiled broadly: “Since my dear ministers are so enthusiastic, let’s begin…”

[Begin what? You don’t even realize that your country is being humiliated by others right now.]

“???”

—By now, after hearing so many inner thoughts, they understood what “humiliation” meant.

The ministers of Da Xia weren’t just angry—they were absolutely stunned.

Was there really a country bold enough to provoke Da Xia? Did they think they had a chance because of the war with the Wa Kingdom?

Who was it? So stupid!

The generals’ spirits were instantly lifted, eagerly looking at the old emperor. Especially the marquises—this was their chance to earn the merit that could elevate them to dukes!

After the founding of the dynasty, they thought there were no more opportunities to earn military achievements. Marquis Yongchang had been entrusted with the campaign against the Wa Kingdom, and the Grand General had been ordered to lead an expedition at sea. They had been envious, but there was no chance to compete.

But now…

Your Majesty! Let’s fight, let’s fight!

This was practically a pie falling from the sky!

The old emperor’s face darkened.

Fight? Do you even know the situation before rushing to fight? It would be better to start with a summary of the Nine Provinces tour.

That’s what he thought, and that’s what he said: “Having toured the Nine Provinces, what thoughts do my ministers have on the situation across the land? Here, each of you is granted a brush by Zhang Zhi, a stack of Zuo Bo paper, several sticks of Song Yan ink, and a Tao stone inkstone. Write your thoughts here on the spot.”

It was an impromptu test.

Those who wrote well would be rewarded and might even be promoted. Writing something average wouldn’t result in punishment, but writing something absurd? That would be disastrous.

The Ministry of War Official’s hands trembled as he received the writing supplies.

Xu Yanmiao leaned over sneakily.

“What, afraid of the test?”

The Official of the Ministry of War, despite his low voice, sounded almost joyful: “You came late, so you don’t know. Usually, after such tests, we’re allowed to take the writing supplies home! This is high-quality paper and ink!”

Since he couldn’t come up with any particularly brilliant ideas, he figured he’d write something decent and proper, saving as much ink and paper as possible for later use!

The Imperial Guard coughed.

“Stop whispering to each other.”

Xu Yanmiao quickly snapped back to his seat, now nursing a headache.

[What suggestions can I even write? I can’t exactly copy some future policies, can I?]

The ministers of Da Xia: !!!

Policies that even someone as lazy as Xu Yanmiao remembered must have stood the test of time!

Copy them!

[Forget it.]

The ministers of Da Xia: Don’t—

[If my reasoning doesn’t align with the policy, they’ll ask questions, and I’ll get exposed. Isn’t that deceiving the emperor? Plus, I don’t know how to describe the details…]

The old emperor’s temple throbbed, and he was holding back immense frustration.

He was practically screaming internally: Deceive me! I’m begging you to deceive me! I won’t mind, I really won’t mind!

The ministers bit their tongues, counting their teeth to avoid blurting anything out. They were all internally fretting: Who cares if you don’t know the details? The court already gathers the brightest minds in the country! Say something, and we’ll figure out the details for you!

[Forget it. Let’s just focus on the test.]