Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Then… who had he been calling “Father” for over twenty years?!

An official’s face turned green as he muttered, “My wife told me our child was mine, and I even performed a blood-test ritual with that bastard.”

The official next to him tried to comfort him, “Maybe the child is yours…”

The green-faced official cut him off, his expression filled with grief and indignation: “I was posted away for two years, and when I returned, there was a one-year-old child in the house. She told me it was conceived when we… met in a dream!”

The comforting official: “…”

Uh… well…

That’s… probably not your child.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Justice, who had triggered this courtroom storm by suggesting the blood-test ritual, looked visibly relieved: “Thankfully, I don’t have children, and my father was never lost.”

Other officials: “…”

The Minister of Justice cleared his throat, attempting to salvage the situation: “Your Majesty, there’s also the bone-test ritual. The blood of a true father and daughter will always be absorbed into the other’s bones…”

[Fake.]

“I’ve heard that the urine of parents and children can recognize each other…”

[Fake.]

“And that a mother and daughter’s, uh… certain features must be similar…”

[Fake.]

The Minister of Justice: “…”

[Fake… wait? Why is it so quiet now? Is that all he had to say?]

[Yep, that’s it. This Minister of Justice doesn’t seem very competent after all.]

The Minister of Justice couldn’t hold it together anymore. Gritting his teeth, he raised his voice: “Your Majesty, after careful consideration, I believe these are all folk remedies and cannot be relied upon. My knowledge is shallow, and it was reckless of me to bring them up. I was mistaken.”

Even the old emperor couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy.

These so-called verification methods had been handed down over centuries, yet Xu Yanmiao was debunking them one by one. No wonder the Minister’s confidence had crumbled.

“Beloved Minister,” the emperor said sincerely, “this is not your fault.”

It was all because of Xu Yanmiao’s unforgiving tongue!

[So, is this where the Jin Yiwei steps in with the definitive evidence?]@@novelbin@@

Xu Yanmiao’s inner voice remained as eager as ever.

[Xie Luoshui’s family has a washbasin—it’s the one she was placed in as a baby when she floated down the Luo River. It was also used as a washbasin in Madam Du’s room. At the time, things were rushed. Madam Du had her maid smuggle Xie Luoshui out of the manor to dispose of her quietly, but since they couldn’t be seen, they placed her in that basin.]

[The bottom of the basin still has the craftsman’s mark engraved on it, along with the date it was made. The craftsman’s ledger contains records, as does the Kuaji Marquisate’s household accounts. Cross-referencing them would confirm everything.]

Marquis Kuaji clenched his jaw and had already crafted a defense: he would claim that Madam Du simply wanted a new washbasin and discarded the old one long ago.

[Oh, and there’s more! In the nearby Luoyang County, court records from eighteen years ago mention a household fire that killed a couple. Strangely, though, only two corpses were found. The male infant who should have been in the house had mysteriously disappeared.]

A faint sweat appeared on Marquis Kuaji’s neck.

Still, he had prepared another excuse in his mind.

It was nothing more than an unsolved case. Claiming the missing infant was now the Marquisate’s heir would be a stretch.

[Oh, that’s right! The Jin Yiwei must also have Luoyang County’s household registration records. These are updated every twenty years and include names, genders, ages, land holdings, residences, taxes owed, and even portraits—both drawings and descriptions.]

[What an unfortunate coincidence!]

[The Luo River fisher girl bears some resemblance to Madam Du, and the Marquisate heir bears a striking similarity to a farmer from Luoyang County.]

[Tsk tsk.]

[The evidence is ironclad~]

Nonsense!

How was this ironclad evidence?!

Marquis Kuaji’s eyes hardened. “Your Majesty!”

He shouted, “At this point, I must confess!”

The emperor reflexively asked, “Confess what?”

“My wife! Twenty years ago, she had an affair with a farmer in Luoyang County! The affair lasted two years!”

His words were resolute, spoken with the weight of undeniable truth.

“I did not understand why Your Majesty accused me of swapping the dragon for the phoenix, so I firmly denied it. But now I see—Your Majesty suspected me because the heir does not resemble me or my wife. Today’s events have made me question everything as well.”

“Now it’s clear—I have been a cuckold for twenty years and raised another man’s son for eighteen!”

As he spoke, the “cuckold” even seemed to tear up, using the corner of his sleeve to dab at his eyes.

The court officials were utterly dumbfounded.

To avoid being accused of fabricating an heir to steal a title, Marquis Kuaji had gone all out.