Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

【The eldest son of the Wen family is the Tai Zi She Ren (a court position), the second is a Censor, and the third… Oh, the third was once a bandit, but later joined the Summer Army. During the war, he claimed to be protecting the tombs of the former dynasty, but in reality, he dug them up and sold the valuables.】

【I remember the tombs that were desecrated were…】

The Minister of Rites was particularly concerned about the tombs being looted.

— It was because of the third son of the Wen family that he later worked hard to get into the Ministry of Rites.

Hearing this again, the Minister’s face showed an expression of grief and anger. In a low voice, in sync with the thoughts, he muttered: “The tomb of Emperor Zhou Shizu, the tomb of Zhou Gaozong, the tomb of King Zhou Yuan and his wife, Nine Aunt.”

The Minister of Personnel, usually timid, also joined the discussion, his face turning an angry orange-red under the morning sunlight.

“Five hundred years ago, the Chu royal family was weak, living in the southern part of the river. Foreign tribes took control of the central plains, the Five Barbarians wreaked havoc in China, and the western tribes stole the Nine Provinces. The chaos lasted for three hundred years, a dark and turbulent time. It was Zhou Shizu who rose up in the small towns, drove the invaders away, and restored China. Wen Xingyi desecrated the Tai Tomb, this is truly detestable!”

“And Nine Aunt,” the Minister of Rites added sadly, “She was an extraordinary woman. In the last days of the Zhou dynasty, when the country was unstable and robbers were rampant, she persuaded King Yuan to form a militia to protect the people. When robbers were about to invade the city, she wielded an iron staff to fight the enemy, scattering the bandits. Later, she died defending the city, leaving only the words ‘Do not harm the people.’ Her body was recovered by the citizens, and later, the occupying rebels, in an attempt to win the people’s favor, repaired her tomb and added some sacrifices. Even so, it could not escape the greedy eyes of that beast.”

【Surprised, right? The only son of Wen Xingyi, his beloved son, was furious with his father’s actions. He abandoned his bright future and traveled all over to repair various tombs, willingly becoming a tomb guardian.】

Such matters would not have been known if not for digging deeper. After all, Wen Xingyi’s son funded this project himself and never intended to publicize it.

This was the first time the officials knew that the young master of the Wen family had been doing such good deeds in private.

The Minister of the Household, joking, said: “What great determination, to make the young master of the Wen family go against his ancestors’ wishes.”

This was quite a sharp remark.

Instantly, the second-ranked officials broke out in small bursts of laughter.

Another person remarked: “The Wen father and son, are they determined to oppose their ancestors even in the grave?”

The laughter grew a little louder.

Although this did not reach Xu Yanmiao’s ears, it was clear enough for Wen Yushi (Censor Wen) to hear.

The best gossip is always the one about people you know. In small places, rumors spread fast. The widow at the east end of the village and the idiot at the west end have an affair; the scholar at the south of the village is secretly having a relationship with the butcher from the north… This kind of gossip excites the villagers far more than some distant royal or general’s tragic love. They would sit under the big banyan tree and start whispering and gossiping.

The group of officials in the court, essentially no different from the villagers, eagerly devoured the gossip once they got a taste.

However, for the one being gossiped about, it was far from enjoyable.

Wen Xingyi could no longer maintain his usual serious and upright expression; his face was full of anxiety.

He memorized the faces of the officials who were discussing quietly, gritting his teeth in anger.

“Wait and see,” he thought, “I don’t believe you all are without faults!”

【Wow, there’s more…】

Xu Yanmiao’s excited thoughts came through.

Wen Xingyi was especially irritable.

“Can you stop already?”

Why was Xu Yanmiao always focusing on his family’s affairs?

Couldn’t he respect other people’s privacy?

“What does my family do have to do with you?”

Xu Yanmiao could no longer hear his thoughts.

【Wow, wow! Their fourth…】

The officials in the court all stood on tiptoe, involuntarily looking toward Xu Yanmiao.

A vein on Wen Xingyi’s forehead throbbed, and a burst of anger surged up from his chest, rushing to his throat…

“Poof—”

＊

Xu Yanmiao stopped his thoughts.

He looked up in confusion, seeing a bit of chaos ahead, but not understanding what had happened.

So he continued poking the Minister of War’s Official: “What’s going on ahead? I wasn’t paying attention just now.”

Suddenly, Xu Yanmiao became excited: “Could it be the famous ‘death advice’? Is Wen Yushi deciding to threaten the emperor by dying in an attempt to make the princess submit to the husband’s authority?“

What a juicy scoop!

The Minister of War’s Official: “…”

That look was too complicated for Xu Yanmiao to comprehend.

Fortunately, the official was a good person and patiently explained to him: “Wen Yushi vomited blood, probably due to an old ailment acting up.”

“Oh, oh.” Xu Yanmiao nodded, finally understanding. He slowly realized, “So, this ‘wife-subordinate-to-husband’ thing…”@@novelbin@@

The official was subtly silent for a moment before saying: “Well, probably no one will stand up for it.”

Dying for the country is loyal, but dying for some irrelevant former prince-consort’s reputation? Forget it.

Like Censor Cui.

He glanced nervously at Wen Yushi, who lay on the ground, unconscious, and smiled with an air of superiority.

“Fool,” he thought. “You thought you could stand up to Xu Yanmiao, a little white dove? Do you not know what information he holds? He knows everything—things you don’t know, he knows. If you don’t want to become a laughingstock, just sit quietly.”

He was relieved he had chosen to protect himself. Otherwise, perhaps two people would be lying on the ground, vomiting blood.

Suddenly, the old emperor’s voice rang out from the upper seat: “Cui Yi, what do you think of the way I dealt with Lui Yi?”

Cui Yi shuddered and quickly replied: “Your Majesty’s decision is most just. The former prince-consort humiliated the princess, thus humiliating the royal family. To accuse him of treason is not a baseless accusation.”