Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

[Tsk tsk, turns out Magistrate Zhang’s ancestors were once wealthy—he was even the ruler of Qi during the Seven Kingdoms’ War.]

[Wait, what kind of bizarre ruler is this? You’re the king, yet instead of having vast lands of your own, you go and seize a minister’s garden just to raise pigs?!]

[The flowers had just been planted! And the pigs trampled them all!!!]

The capital officials: Hahahaha—

How could such an emperor exist?!

How could such an unlucky minister exist?!

This is probably the only recorded case in history where an emperor seized a minister’s garden to raise pigs, and where a minister had his garden taken for such a ridiculous reason!

The historians: Frantically writing.jpg

Former Magistrate Zhang decided to turn the situation around.

But how could he reverse his fate…?

He glanced around, and his gaze fixed on Xu Yanmiao.

Although he had never met Xu Yanmiao before, he had vaguely heard that the emperor had personally conducted the coming-of-age ceremony for his young attendant. And this attendant was easy to recognize—just look for the one who was young and breathtakingly beautiful!

For an emperor to break protocol and personally bestow such an honor on a subject—such an unprecedented privilege—surely the rest of the bureaucracy had to show him some respect.

And what could be an easier way to regain a foothold in the capital’s political circle than currying favor with the emperor’s favorite?

Magistrate Zhang picked up a cup of wine, put on a polite smile, and walked over.

As he approached, he overheard the young imperial favorite speaking somewhat bashfully to the official beside him:

“Master Liang, stop teasing me. I wouldn’t call myself well-informed—I just like chatting with merchants at the market and happened to learn about this.”

Magistrate Zhang instinctively paused, pricking up his ears.

Then he heard Xu Yanmiao continue, “I heard that overseas, there’s a type of tree called the ‘lemon tree.’ It bears pale yellow fruits that look like little suns, and I was immensely curious about it.”

Magistrate Zhang’s eyes immediately lit up—he recognized that tree! He had one in his backyard! He had purchased it from foreign merchants, and it was exceedingly rare!

Xu Yanmiao was trying to gather information about the lemon tree from the knowledgeable Master Liang when he suddenly heard a nearby voice, tinged with amusement:

“I’ve actually seen this tree before. Does it bloom all year round and bear fruit in spring, summer, and autumn?”

Xu Yanmiao turned to the speaker with his professional smile.

[I have no idea. I only know the lemons in my fruit platter.]

Still, he said, “That should be the case. Have you seen one before, sir?”

Magistrate Zhang chuckled. “Its flesh is extremely sour, and its shape isn’t perfectly round like the sun, but rather resembles a pear.”

Xu Yanmiao: !!!!!!

[A lemon!]

[It has to be a lemon!]

[I can finally have lemon water, lemon chicken feet, lemon chicken wings! Woohoo!]

Magistrate Zhang could tell that the emperor’s favorite seemed quite fond of this tree. Without hesitation, he said, “I wonder if it can grow in the capital. I’ll bring a few saplings with me to the capital soon. If they thrive, I’ll gift you a couple.” ȒäNó𝔟ЕṨ

Xu Yanmiao smiled. “Much obliged.”

[But no need. Wouldn’t that count as accepting a bribe? I’ll wait until the censors impeach you for seizing people’s land, forcing you to compensate for damages, and possibly even sending you to jail. Then I’ll visit and buy a lemon tree—legally and at a bargain price!]

For once, the university student indulged in a little mischief.

Sitting beside him, Lian Hang quickly lowered his head.

Hold it in! Don’t laugh! Laughing now would be way too conspicuous!

Magistrate Zhang’s eyes gleamed, and he pressed forward. “I see that you have an appreciation for plants as well.”

Xu Yanmiao maintained his polite smile.

[Not really. I just love lemon water, lemon chicken feet, and lemon chicken wings.]

Magistrate Zhang continued, “Might I ask if you like peonies?”

“Peonies…”

[Among all the flowers of land and water, many are lovely… Wait, why am I reflexively reciting exam material?!]

[What a sin, what a sin. Forget it! I’m here to enjoy a lazy, carefree life!]

The other officials: Huh? What’s an exam?

Xu Yanmiao resumed his polite smile. “Peonies are the national flower, of course I like them.”

Magistrate Zhang also smiled warmly, his tone gentle and sincere: “Forgive my boldness, but I had heard that you also love flowers, and I was delighted to learn this. They say that among the vast sea of people, true kindred spirits are hard to find. If I could attend a flower festival with you, drinking and admiring the peonies together, wouldn’t that be one of life’s greatest pleasures? If you do not mind, would you be willing to grant me this wish and accompany me to the peony festival on the fifth of April to enjoy the blooms and engage in lively discussion?”

He added, “I will also be bringing a rare double-headed peony to showcase in the capital.”

Xu Yanmiao maintained his polite smile. “If I have the chance, I would indeed like to see this double-headed peony.”

“I have no interest in double-headed peonies; I prefer double-yolk salted duck eggs.”

“Pfft—”

The Deputy Commander of the Central Army couldn’t hold back a laugh, immediately lowering his head to take a bite of hot tofu, pretending nothing had happened.

The retired official beside him inquired calmly, “What amusing thing did the Deputy Commander see?”

The Deputy Commander casually replied, “Oh, I just thought of the opera performance earlier—the lyrics made me laugh.”

“?”

But the opera just now was a complete tragedy!

Former Magistrate Zhang naturally sensed Xu Yanmiao’s politeness, which actually reassured him.

If a favored minister were too easy to approach, he would have been suspicious.

As long as he continued to cater to his tastes, everything would be fine.

“Since Your Excellency enjoys foreign greenery, have you heard of a certain flower that, after blooming, bears fruit? Unfortunately, the fruit is unbearably bitter and inedible. But the most bitter fruit comes from the most elegant flower. This flower is quite pleasing to the eye, with a soft yellow hue…”

Xu Yanmiao wasn’t even listening to the rest. His eyes lit up.

[Bitter melon!]

[Bitter melon stuffing! Bitter melon omelet! Bitter melon chicken soup! Bitter melon coconut dessert!]

“There is also a fascinating green plant known among the Hu people as ‘stink bug.’ Before it matures, its stem and leaves emit a pungent odor similar to insects. But once mature, it smells like fennel.”

[Cilantro!]

Xu Yanmiao happened to know about this. When he was preparing hot pot seasonings before, he could never find cilantro. So it hadn’t been introduced yet—

[No, wait! It had already been introduced, but people kept it in their private gardens, never spreading it!]

[Unforgivable!]

[How can you eat hot pot without cilantro?! These people deserve punishment! How does cilantro look like a decorative plant to you?!]

“There is a tree in the garden, its—”

[Wow!]

[They even have a sal tree! I think its seeds can treat some kind of illness, right?]

“In another courtyard, there is also a tree, its—”

[Coconut tree???]

[Nice! That means I’ll have coconut juice in the future!]

Former Magistrate Zhang carefully observed Xu Yanmiao’s expression and could clearly tell that the more he listened, the more serious and delighted he became.

Former Magistrate Zhang smiled slightly.

The other capital officials: “…”

Just from this man’s expression, they could tell that he definitely believed he was successfully catering to Xu Yanmiao’s interests.

—And he was indeed quite successful. Many of these rare plants sounded intriguing even to them. But as for Bai Ze… well… he was more interested in eating.

Ahem.

At some point, Former Magistrate Zhang, engrossed in his speech, had taken a seat.

After talking for a long time, someone else also sat down beside him.

Halfway through his speech, Former Magistrate Zhang had to turn his head—the person was sitting too close. “May I ask who this is?”

The man who had squeezed next to him was dressed in plain civilian clothing, tall and sturdy, holding a potato that had been rubbed completely bald.

He smiled warmly. “Your garden looks pretty nice.”

Xu Yanmiao’s eyes widened.

Liang Rui’s hand trembled, and the piece of jellyfish skin he was picking up with his chopsticks slipped and landed on the table with a plop.

Lian Hang turned his head to stare at the black-and-white calligraphy plaque on the wall, as if the couplet written on it was an eternal masterpiece.

Across the table, a chorus of coughing, dropped dishes, and sprayed drinks erupted simultaneously.

Former Magistrate Zhang looked at the man. “And you are?”

The man grinned heartily. “Haha, name’s Gao Tiezhu. Just tagging along with my master for a free meal.”

At that, Former Magistrate Zhang’s awkward smile faded, his brows furrowing as he chose not to respond.@@novelbin@@

But the other man, utterly unfazed, continued, “Those weird plants you mentioned, they’re really in your garden?”

Former Magistrate Zhang remained expressionless. “Of course.”

Xu Yanmiao: “……”

[Old Emperor, don’t tell me you’ve got your eye on your minister’s—no, your former minister’s garden?!]

[Sure, he hasn’t seen you much and doesn’t recognize you now, but still, you can’t just do this.]

The other capital officials silently covered their faces.

Your Majesty, have some shame!

Then, the old emperor suddenly declared, in a voice that shook the room, “Speaking of which, your grand official garden has quite a few exotic plants. I suppose the other officials’ gardens aren’t too different, right?”

The other officials: “???”

Wait, what are you planning?!

The old emperor: Oh, nothing. Just thinking about using your gardens… to raise pigs for my Gao family.

“Splat—”

The historian’s brush came to an abrupt halt, thick ink dripping onto the freshly written record of the monarch seizing his minister’s garden.