Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

“Wanshou, what are you doing in your mother’s palace?”

In front of the nanmu screen in the Jiaofang Hall, the old emperor sat on a black lacquered chair, as if nothing had happened.

Wanshou is her title, and her personal name is Hua Chun. Elders usually call her by her title in public and by her personal name privately, but the old emperor has always been indifferent toward children not born of the empress, so he seldom refers to Princess Wanshou by her name.

Princess Wanshou didn’t mind this. She raised the official seal in her hands and, seeing that her father seemed to be in a good mood, quickly took the opportunity to speak: “The matter with the Prince Consort has been dealt with. As for this official seal… I humbly ask my father to take it back. I know my abilities are shallow, and I am unworthy of such a heavy responsibility. If I were to force myself into this position, I fear it would tarnish the royal family’s reputation.”

The old emperor gave her a sideways glance, furrowing his brows in annoyance. He said, “I gave it to you, so keep it. What shallow abilities, what nonsense! Your mother used to praise how quickly and accurately you calculated the accounts. You’ve also been sharp when reviewing the ledgers. The Ministry of Revenue is short-staffed recently. Instead of thinking about how to relieve your father’s worries, you’re going to all lengths to avoid it?”

Her mother is the empress. Although she was not born of the empress, she still calls her “mother.” As for her biological mother, she can only call her “aunt.”

Princess Wanshou didn’t know how to respond at that moment, standing there, unsure of what to say.

She could indeed calculate accounts and review ledgers, but those were the skills of a housekeeper, not something to be used in government affairs!

The old emperor waved his hand dismissively: “Enough, take the official seal and go. Tomorrow, attend court as usual. Don’t disturb me and your mother’s peace.”

Rejecting her father once had already drained Princess Wanshou of all her courage. She held the official seal as she left Jiaofang Hall and returned to her own palace. She lay down on her bed, grabbing her hair in frustration.

“What should I do… I’ve never been an official before. What if I do a poor job…”

The thought of the unfamiliar world of government affairs, so different from the palace she was accustomed to, filled Princess Wanshou with rising panic.

In the mirror, she could vaguely see a corner of her bed, where her hair was already tangled into a mess.

Princess Wanshou almost felt the disheveled touch of her hair against her neck.

Silence… silence…

She sighed and got up from the bed, not wanting to call a maid in. She walked over to the vanity and opened the cabinet, intending to grab a comb, but her gaze stopped on a makeup box tucked in the corner at the bottom of the table.

Her mind stirred.

It seemed like… she hadn’t repaid Lord Xu for his great kindness.

Inside the box were her jewelry and accessories. In addition to this box, she had twenty-four such boxes in her princess mansion.

Although her father wasn’t very attentive to her, he always gave her what she needed. He often said he was a rough, ordinary man who couldn’t learn the aristocratic grace of previous emperors. When he rewarded others with gold and silver, if the recipient truly had a need, they could sell it, but they had to register at the Bureau of Silver.

Princess Wanshou pulled the makeup box out, feeling the three iron clasps on the broad lock. She opened it and checked the condition of the jewelry inside. Her expression gradually firmed.

Meanwhile…

Empress Dou looked at the old emperor with some surprise: “How did you come to the idea of making Hua Chun an official? She does handle the accounts well. She helped me clean up the palace ledgers before, but Your Majesty, haven’t you always thought that women should be virtuous and keep to their duties? If they have talent, it’s enough for the family to recognize it. If women go out and expose themselves to the public, isn’t that a sign that the men in the family are incompetent?”

The old emperor answered casually: “The end of the year is approaching, and the Ministry of Revenue is busy. They’ve already sent several memorials saying they are short-staffed.”

Empress Dou smiled at him.

Even though the Ministry of Revenue was short on staff, it wasn’t to that extent.

The old emperor continued: “If we let those scholars fill the vacancies, after the New Year, we can’t just dismiss them without cause. We would have to keep them on, and they would still need to receive their monthly salaries. My Empress, you see, isn’t that a loss? After the New Year, we won’t need those people, but they’ll still get their salaries. It makes me uncomfortable.”

Empress Dou’s eyelid twitched involuntarily: “So…”

The old emperor’s eyes gleamed with a strange light: “Let Wanshou temporarily take the position of supervisor. She’s family, so we won’t even have to pay her a monthly salary!”

Empress Dou: “…”

Even the head eunuch couldn’t help but glance at him.

That’s really stingy.

“Of course.” The old emperor grew more animated as he spoke, his arrogance increasing by the moment. “As a princess, she will still receive her regular stipend. It won’t be short for her food and clothing.”

The old emperor went on: “Besides, it’s time for this girl to see the world. I’m tired of her always worrying about that Prince Consort. A dignified princess, a noble woman of the royal family, and yet she’s being oppressed by the Prince Consort. It infuriates me!”

Empress Dou glanced at him, feeling that saving money was the real priority. As for making her daughter stand on her own… to him, that was less important than sending out a few strong, capable nannies to protect her.@@novelbin@@

Oh, wait. Empress Dou quickly calculated in her mind. If Hua Chun became an official, she could save on the nannies’ expenses too.

“Right!” The old emperor suddenly slapped his forehead. “I almost forgot! I said I would reward Xu Yanmiao.”

He looked at the head eunuch: “Get the brush and imperial decree.”

In the faint sound of “peng peng” as ink was ground, he picked up the brush and began writing on the blank imperial decree. The dark ink slowly flowed across the paper with his movements, forming bold characters.

“By my order, I grant the official Xu Yanmiao of the Ministry of Personnel 300,000 coins and 100 bolts of cloth.”

This was the second time the head eunuch had heard the emperor specifically mention Xu Yanmiao.

As he walked out of Jiaofang Hall to retrieve the reward from the emperor’s private treasury, he couldn’t stop thinking about the name. He was curious.

How did this low-ranking official catch the emperor’s attention? To the point that the emperor personally wrote the decree—usually, when the emperor rewards common officials, he simply issues an oral edict, and if a formal decree is required, it’s written by a Hanlin official.

Unable to find an answer, the grand eunuch decided to personally deliver the reward to Xu’s residence.

“People like this newcomer, while we’ve never thought about forming factions, it’s always good to build a good relationship.”