Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

The Minister of Works was startled by his daughter’s actions, his face filled with alarm.

“No, no! This simply won’t do!”

“Ahem… Little Xu!” The Minister forced a smile. “You should head back for now. You’ve worked hard lately—oh, I heard that His Majesty purchased the house you were renting and gifted it to you. Do you have any plans for furnishing it? Just let me know; I’ve got plenty of timber and craftsmen here. Don’t hold back. If it weren’t for you accompanying me today, I wouldn’t have been able to tackle this head-on and might still be drowning in worry. If you insist on being modest, I’ll have no choice but to give you silver as a token of thanks.”

Xu Yanmiao couldn’t refuse, so he cupped his hands and expressed his gratitude. Then, he quickly excused himself. “This humble official will take his leave now.”

[Hurry, hurry! If the Minister of Works suddenly changes his mind and decides to make me his son-in-law, I’m done for. I’m not ready to settle down and start a family yet! I still want to enjoy life!]

The Minister of Works also breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as Xu Yanmiao didn’t have such thoughts, it was fine. Leaving aside the fact that Bai Ze was involved—something absolutely forbidden to harbor privately, or the emperor would never stop scrutinizing their family—there was the issue of familial bonds.

If they became family, and Little Bai Ze attended court and absentmindedly thought about home matters, he’d unintentionally expose every secret of the household. Who could endure that?

After Xu Yanmiao left, the Minister of Works released his grip on his daughter’s mouth and spoke with rare seriousness. “My dear girl, remember this. Anyone else is fine, even if you wish to enter the palace. Although I would oppose it, if you were to threaten me with your life, I’d have no choice but to compromise and beg His Majesty on your behalf.”

Am I that unreasonable?

“But Xu Yanmiao…” For once, the Minister looked genuinely conflicted as he gazed at his beloved daughter.

After a pause, his expression turned grave. “He is absolutely out of the question. Only he is forbidden. Unless he takes the initiative to pursue you, you must never try to involve yourself with him. Otherwise, it will bring ruin to our family.”

Miss Jin clutched her chest, nearly frightened out of her wits. Seeing her father’s serious demeanor, she realized the gravity of the situation and quickly nodded. “Don’t worry, Father. From now on, I’ll turn the other way whenever I see him.”

“That’s unnecessary. There’s no need to act deliberately. Just interact with him normally.” The Minister patted her on the head and smiled. “Also, I have a surprise for you. I went to His Majesty and secured you a position.”

Miss Jin’s eyes lit up, and her breathing quickened. “A position?!”

Was it what she thought it was?

“You’ve come at the right time. In the past, even if your father performed meritorious deeds, it would’ve been impossible to achieve this.”

The Minister of Works spoke with a sigh of emotion.

Looking at it this way, they really owed Xu Yanmiao a debt of gratitude.

“Let’s go home. I’ll tell you all about it in detail. It will require your martial skills…”

“Got it!”

What porridge? What scholar? Miss Jin had already forgotten everything as she followed her father and left. However, while she had moved on, the Minister of Works had not. Taking advantage of his daughter’s distraction, he gave the scholar a deep, scrutinizing look.

His family indeed wasn’t short on money, but to scheme against his daughter, walk away with a house, and enjoy the fox fur leisurely? Dream on!

In the capital, a story circulated about a scholar who had lost his house and was shivering in thin clothing on the street during the cold winter. However, his plight was even less significant than a pebble in a stream. Compared to him, there were many more unfortunate people awaiting the court’s attention.

This year was anything but peaceful.

• On the 15th day of the first lunar month
  , heavy snow blanketed Nancheng County, leaving 80 people frozen or starved to death.
• On the 9th day of the sixth lunar month, frost descended like falling stars, destroying all the summer crops in Yanshan County.
• By late September, floods ravaged Taiping, Ningguo, and Anqing, drowning over 20,000 people.
• Meanwhile, in Fujian, while floods plagued other regions, it endured a severe drought.

From summer to the current winter, Fujian had seen no rain for three consecutive seasons. Wells and ponds had dried up entirely.

This wasn’t divine punishment; every dynasty had its share of natural disasters. With a land as vast as the Nine Provinces, there would always be one or two regions struck by calamity. The Grand official of the Ministry of Revenue in Daxia was so frugal partly because he had to reserve funds for disaster relief.

“Your Majesty, are you seriously sending Hua Chun for disaster relief this time?”

Empress Dou was taken aback. She could hardly believe that her husband, who constantly referenced the Admonitions for Women, would assign the task of disaster relief to Princess Wanshou. And he wasn’t cutting any corners—he treated her just like he would any male official. He appointed her as the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, sent her to the disaster-stricken areas, and even arranged for personnel to ensure her safety.

The old emperor, however, spoke nonchalantly. “Didn’t I plan to strip her of her position right after the New Year? But then I got busy touring the Nine Provinces and didn’t have time. Now that it’s year-end, she’s proven to be quite useful. This disaster relief mission will test her abilities. If she can prove herself, I’ll let her remain in her post at the Ministry of Revenue. Once she’s accumulated enough experience and merits, she can be promoted as usual.”

As he spoke, the emperor grew indignant. “You have no idea, Empress. Everyone else has their own agendas. Only our family truly has our interests at heart. With Wanshou managing finances at the Ministry of Revenue, at least we won’t lose our own money!”@@novelbin@@

Empress Dou fell silent for a moment. “Minister Yuan has faithfully managed the Ministry of Revenue for you and has never embezzled…”

The emperor coughed. “I know. But he won’t be able to hold the position for much longer. We need to prepare for the future.”

After a pause, he added, “I also plan to send Xu Yanmiao this time. He’s done a lot of work behind the scenes, but he hasn’t been credited publicly. This mission will be a formality, and when he returns, I’ll use the opportunity to give him a promotion.”

Unfortunately, his efforts were met with a lack of ambition.If Xu Yanmiao knew the truth, he’d probably say: Why not just convert the promotion into money? The higher the rank, the more work there is to do. Being a official is much more comfortable.