Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

For several dozen breaths, not a single minister stepped forward to report on any matters.

Xu Yanmiao: [Wow! They always say, ‘If you have matters, report them; if not, court is dismissed.’ Could today really be a rare day with nothing to discuss? Am I just unlucky? I was about to draw a blind box too.]

The ministers: “……”

We want to move. We don’t want to just stand here pretending to be reserved. But we also don’t want to have our weaknesses exposed in front of our colleagues, let alone the newcomers!

Damn it! But if no one steps forward soon, even a fool would notice that something’s off—let alone Xu Yanmiao, who is no fool.

They exchanged glances.

‘You go?’

‘Why don’t you go instead?’

‘I’m sixty. You should respect the elderly!’

Some officials even twisted their bodies, hesitated to step forward, and couldn’t muster the courage to put their boots down even after a long pause.

The dozen or so newly appointed scholars were utterly shocked. They were so bewildered that they didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.

‘What is this voice? And what is a blind box? Gossip… Could it be the Fuxi Bagua? What’s so scary about that?’

‘Why do they all look like they’re walking on thin ice?’

‘So this is what the court is like? Terrifying!’

Their minds were in a whirlwind, but they dared not lift their heads too much.

Li Ying—the son of Li Shihu, the man who got lost for many years and, upon returning to court, found that the dynasty had changed—had, in the second year after his father surrendered, been appointed as a Rank Five Justice Bureau Minister under the Ministry of Justice.

He glanced at the tense atmosphere, then at the confusion on Xu Lang’s face, and decided to enjoy the show (crossed out)—no, to ease the Emperor’s concerns.

—Besides, he admitted he couldn’t stand one of the newly appointed scholars, the one assigned to his Ministry of Justice.

“Director Dong.” Li Ying smiled at the man and spoke slowly. “You’ve just taken office as the Director of the Guangdong Clean Government Bureau. Are you saying there isn’t a single criminal case in Guangdong that needs to be presented to His Majesty?”

—The Guangdong Clean Government Bureau oversees all criminal cases in Guangdong to prevent misjudgment and improper sentencing.

But above a Director, there was an Assistant Minister, and above that, a Bureau Minister—why should it be his turn to step forward and report?!

A flash of grievance flickered in Director Dong’s dark eyes.

He didn’t know whether Li Ying was simply bullying a new official as a matter of routine or if he was deliberately targeting him because of his ex-father-in-law.@@novelbin@@

His ex-father-in-law was an official of the Hanlin Academy! Even though he was only of the lower Rank Five, he could still outrank a Justice Bureau Minister who lacked a Hanlin background!

But no matter what, when a superior calls you out, unless you’re ready to resign, you have to endure it.

Director Dong stepped forward. “Your Majesty, this humble official has a report to make!”

All the officials let out a collective sigh of relief.

The scapegoat has arrived!

[Woohoo! Finally!]

Xu Yanmiao’s gaze swept over Director Dong before shifting to the system.

[Oh! It’s you! The former son-in-law of Scholar Liu!]

The word “former” struck straight into Director Dong’s heart.

Who is this person?! Do they even know how to speak properly?!

Director Dong: (Frustrated.jpg)

[Let me see…]

Director Dong cursed in his heart: See what?! Have you never seen a person before?! Two eyes, one nose—what’s so interesting?!

Li Ying barely held back his schadenfreude as he eyed Director Dong.

‘Just wait. You’ll soon find out what Xu Lang is looking at.’

‘Sending your own younger brother to elope with someone’s daughter? Shameless!’

Even in the chaos of the past, when his stepfather wanted to marry his mother, he knew that if he applied pressure, his mother might have compromised for the sake of her mother-in-law and young son. Yet his stepfather still insisted on going through a proper matchmaker and observing all the formal rites.

[Hah!]

[Wow! Scholar Liu was really generous! Over nearly ten years, he supported Director Dong’s hometown kin, parents, sister, brother, and even his cousin from his third uncle’s side —spending a total of three thousand taels of silver!]

[Wow! That’s 1.26 million!]

[And that’s not even counting the positions he arranged for them and the favors he pulled.]

[Director Dong, you really have no shame. Your father-in-law treated you with such sincerity, and you let your good-for-nothing brother seduce his beloved daughter?]

Wow!

Lian Hang seemed deeply heartbroken.

Such a loud slap in the face! How tragic! He was outright called shameless, and yet he couldn’t even deny it. So miserable, so miserable.

Hee hee.

Director Dong barely maintained a smile.

He wasn’t familiar with Xu Yanmiao’s voice, so he had no idea who was attacking him like this.

But judging by the reactions of the other officials, he wasn’t the only one who could hear this voice—everyone could!

He had lost all face!

[Hahahahahahahaha—]

[So after ordering his daughter to divorce him, Scholar Liu demanded he pay the money back.]

[Three thousand taels of silver! So much that it’s making me almost go bald from worry.]

[He went to ask his friends and family for money, but no one was willing to help him, all avoiding him. It’s hilarious, he helped a bunch of ungrateful people.]

[But maybe he’s enjoying it?]

Who’s enjoying it!

Master Dong almost let out a sarcastic laugh from his throat, but as he glanced around, he noticed the censors eagerly watching him, waiting for him to lose his composure in front of the emperor, like a group of vultures eyeing their prey.

He immediately clenched his teeth and pretended not to hear anything.

A wave of stifling frustration surged in his heart.

The seniors: Exactly, that’s the expression! The kind of frustration where you’re being scolded but can’t retort!

Seeing that the newcomer didn’t escape either, they felt much more comfortable inside 🙂

[But anyway, father-in-law…! It just slipped out, but Scholar Liu is really a good father-in-law.]

Being called father-in-law by Little Bai Ze, Scholar Liu Bingwen’s expression turned peculiar.

Actually… if… maybe it’s not entirely impossible?

Although having Little Bai Ze as his son-in-law would be equivalent to the whole family running naked, but if Little Bai Ze truly fell in love with his daughter, wouldn’t he still consider their family’s interests even if it meant running naked!

His eldest daughter still has her charm.

His second daughter is capable and efficient.

His youngest daughter… never mind, she’s been pampered too much, too naive, not suitable for Xu Lang.

If daughters are not an option, he wouldn’t mind a son either! It’s just a matter of same-sex love, he’s very open-minded!

Fortune and misfortune are intertwined, as long as the benefits are right, mere eight…

[Eh? This? Is there really such an operation? Scholar Liu is a bit pitiful…]

[This is another way to be remembered in history, right?]

[Who started the rumor that Scholar Liu was defeated and captured, kowtowed a thousand times to the enemy leader to save his life, and was forced to cross-dress because the enemy leader admired his sister but couldn’t have her, using him as a substitute?]

The sky gradually brightened, a pale light floating over the mountain peaks, the glow of dawn leaping out, casting a rosy hue on Liu Bingwen’s face.

Slander!

Pure slander!

Whoever spread that rumor deserves to die! During the Tian Tong era, he was only ten years old, and before that, during the wars, how could a child under ten be defeated, captured, and have a sister admired by the enemy leader?!

Would the enemy leader admire a girl under ten?!

His fists clenched tightly.

Liu Bingwen gritted his teeth, cursing the rumormonger a thousand times in his heart.

Especially when Xu Yanmo said: [Ah… this incident actually happened during the chaos of the Zhou dynasty, a story of an unnamed soldier, but because of Scholar Liu’s reputation for charm, it was attributed to him?]

[Now when people talk about Liu Meigong, they always mention: “I know, that’s Liu Bingwen who cross-dressed as his sister to be a concubine.”]

[Pitiful, so pitiful, really pitiful…]