Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

But would someone address their own brother by his full name?

The scholar shook his head. “Let’s go.”

The page looked like he wanted to say something but held back, watching his master walk away while glancing back every few steps.

[Wait a minute?!]

[Lin Zhi fell in love with Gao Xiang at first sight?!]

[Lin Zhi? Who… oh, that guy who ranked 85th in the third division? The one the old emperor favors?!]

The Princess of Xiangyang turned to Xu Yanmiao in horror.

Wait—how did this Lin guy suddenly pop up?!

[Oh no—if the old emperor finds out, he’ll definitely see it as a perfect match! Whether or not I like him, he’ll think, ‘The young man is devoted, so he’ll treat my daughter well,’ and immediately issue a marriage decree…]

The Princess of Xiangyang, now panicked, blurted out, “Xu Yanmiao, my father is pushing me to get married—what should I do?!”

—She was so anxious that she even forgot to use polite honorifics.

Luckily, Xu Yanmiao wasn’t sensitive to such details.

Xu Yanmiao thought for a moment. “Actually, I’ve come up with an idea that might work. But I’m not sure if it will.”

The Princess of Xiangyang eagerly pressed him, “What idea?!”

Lowering his voice as if wary of nearby imperial guards, Xu Yanmiao whispered, “Although your father is a bit stubborn, he genuinely wants the best for you.”

[He just has a bit of a patriarchal mindset.]

The imperial guards nearby desperately wished they could cover their ears.

Since when did they have to stand around and listen to Xu Yanmiao badmouth the emperor?!

The Princess of Xiangyang nodded vigorously.

Yes, that was exactly how her father was.

Xu Yanmiao continued, “So I was thinking, what if we used reverse psychology? If your father believes that no matter who you marry, your life will be miserable, would he still push you into the fire pit?”

The Princess of Xiangyang nodded even faster. “But how do we…?” She hesitated, then awkwardly tried to mimic Xu Yanmiao’s way of speaking. “Use reverse psychology?”

At the same time, she thought to herself: What a weird term. I wonder if it’s some heavenly phrase or a dialect from some faraway tribe.

Xu Yanmiao coughed lightly.

[Forgive me, Your Majesty. Even though you gifted me a carriage before, I have to do this for my dear friend!]

“You should do this…”

As she listened, the Princess of Xiangyang’s expression grew stranger and stranger. But at the same time, she seemed intrigued.

The old emperor was basking in the sun in the imperial garden.

He was in a good mood and sighed to the head eunuch beside him, “I’m getting old. I never used to have the patience to lounge around all afternoon. My bones are going soft from all this lying down.”

The head eunuch, also advanced in age, sat on a small stool specially granted by the emperor and chuckled. “Your Majesty, old? Nonsense! You’re still broad-shouldered and strong. When you walk out, people must wonder which dock worker you are, thinking, ‘Good heavens, this man could haul an entire day’s worth of cargo!'”

The old emperor laughed heartily.

Indeed, he had the body of a seasoned warrior—broad shoulders, thick arms, and strong legs. Just looking at him was enough to make people wary.@@novelbin@@

“But I really am getting old—already in my sixties or seventies. I never used to worry about seasonal changes, but now I need medicine for it.”

He held out his hand, and a young eunuch quickly offered him a bowl of thick, black herbal soup. The old emperor gulped it down, wiped his mouth casually, and said, “Let’s go visit the Empress.”

I miss my dear wife.

Upon arriving at the Pepper Chamber Palace, he immediately noticed an ivory-white vase filled with fresh rapeseed flowers—the Empress Dou’s favorite. Clearly, they had been picked at the peak of their bloom.

“Gao Xian came to visit?”

Empress Dou smiled and nodded.

The old emperor grumbled, “That girl is so unfilial. She only ever brings gifts for her mother, never for her father.”

“Who said I forgot you?” The Princess of Xiangyang stepped out from a side hall and pulled a deep-fried stinky tofu snack from her pocket, holding it up to his nose. “Look! Freshly fried!”

The old emperor smirked. “At least you have some sense.”

As he took a bite, he heard his daughter say, “Father, I want to get married.”

“Pfft—!”

The tofu almost choked him. He had to down an entire cup of tea to recover before staring at his daughter in shock.

His daughter beamed at him.

Sunlight streamed through the tree branches and window lattices, illuminating her bright white teeth, making them gleam.

The old emperor was astonished. “Gao Xian, you’ve finally come around?”

The Princess of Xiangyang nodded. “I accidentally caught a glimpse of one of the suitors you picked for me…”

She actually hadn’t noticed anyone, but that didn’t stop her from making up a story.

“And he seemed… really good.”

The old emperor’s joy immediately soared.

Though he had enjoyed teasing his daughter by pretending to force her into marriage, he truly did want her to settle down.

In Gao Tiezhu’s simple worldview, it was unthinkable for a person not to start a family. Men must marry, women must marry—it was the natural order of things.

—Oh, except for Xu Yanmiao. Little Bai Ze wasn’t human.

Princess Xiangyang lowered her head, playing with her fingers, as if shy like a young maiden.

“Father, being in love must be a beautiful thing, right?”

The old emperor instinctively froze, unsure of how to respond.

Then he heard his daughter’s voice, full of yearning.

“To share hardships together, to grow old side by side, to never be apart even in life and death… Father, isn’t that wonderful?”

The old emperor felt something was off, but still hesitantly nodded.

“I suppose it is…”

Princess Xiangyang cupped her face, her eyes shining, as if unable to contain herself.

“Father! You don’t understand! Lin Lang is so handsome, so noble…”

“Wait, wait, who is Lin Lang?”

“Of course, he’s the perfect match you chose for me—Lord Lin, Lin Zhi! Father, he is so kind, so compassionate, so wise and mighty! He’s like a god! I want to cherish him, love him, follow him—I’m absolutely head over heels for him!”

The old emperor: “???”

What was all this? A god?

Princess Xiangyang gently tugged at her father’s stiff sleeve. “Father! Please grant us a marriage decree!”

Then, as if realizing something, she quickly corrected herself. “No, no, you can’t bestow a marriage! Love cannot be forced! If he doesn’t like me, he would suffer to death! But if I can’t be with him, I would suffer to death too!”

The old emperor: “…”

I’m about to suffer to death too!

What the hell is happening?

Was his daughter possessed?

“Father, do you think he already has someone he loves?”

Princess Xiangyang bit her lip, her eyes welling up with tears. “Ahhhh~~~”

The old emperor shivered and instinctively wanted to push his chair three feet away. “What’s wrong?!”

Tears shimmered in Princess Xiangyang’s eyes. “Father, just thinking that he might already have a beloved, my heart aches! It feels like it’s being torn apart! I love him so much, it’s unbearable! Father, I want to drink! I want to drown my sorrows! I…”

“Wait, hold on! Don’t get drunk yet.” The old emperor, a straightforward warrior his whole life, had never encountered such a situation. His nerves were completely fried.

“So what if he has a beloved? You would be his wife, and his beloved could just be a concubine—”

“But his heart belongs to her! His beloved!” Princess Xiangyang said resolutely. “And their love must be so beautiful, so noble! How could I be so selfish as to desecrate their love? I am here to be part of a family, not to destroy one!”

The old emperor’s hand trembled, and two pieces of fried stinky tofu slipped out of the bag and fell to the ground.

Princess Xiangyang clutched her heart in a dramatic pose, looking sorrowful and full of longing, as if lost in her own world.

“If Lin Lang already has a beloved, I am willing to be an equal wife to her. As long as Lin Lang is happy, I don’t care if he treats me like a pet.”

“A man’s heart contains an entire world, while a woman can only occupy a small corner of it. But in a woman’s heart, there is only one man—he is her entire world.”

“Father~~~”

“I never knew love before, I didn’t understand how pure, how tragic, how noble it was! I even fought with you, refusing marriage—how wrong I was, how terribly wrong! But now that I have met Lin Lang, I finally understand your good intentions…”

Help! Help! Help!

How did things turn out like this?! Had he pressured his daughter too much?!

The old emperor turned his head, only to realize that his empress had left at some point. “?”

Then he noticed a glimpse of the Empress’s robes at the doorway.

A moment later, even that disappeared.

“!!!”

Empress! Take me with you!!!

“Father~~~”

That familiar drawn-out call made the battle-hardened emperor, who had never flinched even with swords at his throat, shudder.

“W-What is it?”

“Father!” His daughter gazed at him expectantly.

“I want to hear your love story with Mother—your noble, tragic, sacred, beautiful, and pure love story.”

The old emperor winced as if he had a toothache.

He suddenly recalled his fifth daughter from years ago… No, even Wanshou wasn’t like this!

Sacred and noble love?

Love my ass!!!

“You should go back first.”

“Father! How can that be? Love—”

“Guards!” The old emperor’s voice nearly cracked.

“Escort the princess back!”

There was no way he was marrying off his daughter now! What if this ‘love’ nonsense had already rotted her brain? If she married like this, she’d be completely exploited!

T/N: It was a very long chapter.