Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

The Censorate mobilized.

The Jinyiwei mobilized.

The Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Rites—mobilized.

Xu Yanmiao also carefully (or so he thought) provided clues, ensuring no wrongful convictions.

With the utmost rigor, they scrutinized the lands and magistrates. With the sharpest resolve, they dealt with criminals.

His Majesty declared that he would bear the responsibility!

The gentry, officials, and imperial sons-in-law who were found guilty, along with their male family members aged sixteen and above, were stripped of their upper garments, bound at the arms, and forced to kneel in repentance. They were subjected to the punishment of having their ears pierced through with an iron rod and were then driven toward the capital, their feet leaving trails of blood.

Alongside them, officials carried and loudly read out the evidence of their crimes.

All the common people watched, especially when the criminals received their punishment. As the iron pierced their ears, they cheered in approval.

The execution of an entire clan might seem bloody, but unless the emperor specifically ordered complete extermination, the female members—mothers, daughters, wives, concubines, and sisters—were typically assigned as government slaves.

—In the past, they were given to meritorious officials as household slaves. Later, Ji Sui abolished the system of distinguishing between good and lowly statuses, so they became state-owned servants instead.

—Government slaves were not prostitutes. They were usually assigned to work in the palace and government offices, taking care of imperial gardens, breeding horses and dogs, or engaging in manual labor such as construction, river transport, or handicrafts.

Of course, married daughters were exempt. There was a saying: “Punishment does not extend to married daughters.”

Even betrothed women who had yet to marry were not implicated.

As for the male members, those sixteen and above were all executed—by dismemberment. Those under sixteen were castrated and sent to the palace as eunuchs.

Any sons who had already been adopted into other families and were not part of the nine clans were spared.

—Of course, if the emperor insisted on killing them all, there was nothing to be done. Imperial power was absolute.

Even so, the sheer number of criminals, many of whom had large families due to their wealth, led to so many executions that corpses nearly overflowed the mass graves.

With so many officials executed, the emperor directly announced an imperial examination outside the usual three-year cycle.

Scholars across the land: 😮

At first, they wanted to curse him as a tyrant. But now, ninety percent of them changed their tune: “Well killed!!!”

“Officials who sheltered those who seized public land and stole military rations deserve to die!”

“They should be executed!!!”

If they didn’t die, how would positions open up for others?

Lack of work experience? No problem. Assistant magistrates (vice magistrates) were eager for promotion.

As long as they hadn’t committed crimes, they could become magistrates. Even if a magistrate from another county was executed, if the local assistant magistrate wasn’t qualified, someone else could be transferred in. ℞𝓪₦∅βĘṣ

County assistant magistrates: “Well killed!!!”

“His Majesty is truly a wise ruler!!!”

[A wise ruler? As in, one who picks up money that others throw away?]

While Xu Yanmiao admired the old emperor, he couldn’t help but grumble. He still couldn’t forget what happened when he left the Prime Minister’s residence that day.

It was the day after Prime Minister Dou’s birthday banquet. The old emperor allowed those who had committed no crimes to leave the residence.

On the streets, someone was throwing money.

Yes, throwing gold coins.

The golden light scattered across the ground, dazzling under the sun. The common folk rushed to grab them, their movements as swift as martial arts masters.

And on a tall building, the person tossing the money laughed heartily as they watched the people scramble and shove each other.

But Xu Yanmiao didn’t care whether that person was amusing themselves at others’ expense.

This is Money!

Free money!!!

If this were modern times, it would be like someone throwing 100-yuan bills into the air. Whatever you could grab was yours!

Xu Yanmiao grabbed his closest friend and dashed into the crowd, happily bending down to pick up money. His eyes gleamed with the reflection of gold, full of excitement.

[What a kind person! I wish good people like this appeared every day!]

As he was picking up money, he accidentally stepped on someone’s foot—he wasn’t sure whose. Struggling to turn around, he quickly apologized, “Sorry about that—” Then his eyes widened in shock. “Your Ma—”

A hand immediately covered his mouth.

The old emperor let go and continued picking up money with swagger, casually reminding Xu Yanmiao, “Don’t disturb the common folk.”

As for whether his inner thoughts would burst out, the old emperor didn’t care.

What’s wrong with picking up money? This was money blown in by the wind! Not picking it up would be a waste!@@novelbin@@

Xu Yanmiao even saw the crown prince, limping but determined, fiercely competing with the others for money. Sparrows flitted across the sky, some landing on the nearby tree branches, chirping merrily.

Xu Yanmiao: “…”

If the emperor and the crown prince were picking up money, surely it wouldn’t harm his dignity as an official if he did too, right?

So, he happily resumed picking up money.

The generous person tossing the money loudly declared, “After picking up the money, you must bless Prime Minister Dou Qing with fortune as vast as the Eastern Sea and a lifespan as long as the Southern Mountains! Got it?”

The emperor, who was right below, heard this and didn’t even flinch. He just kept diligently picking up money.

Xu Yanmiao, now struggling to carry all the coins he had picked up, stepped aside and casually checked his system:

[Whoa! This guy is actually a retired official who didn’t receive an invitation from Prime Minister Dou. He still wants to take a chance at getting noticed, so he’s throwing money here to try and attract the Prime Minister’s attention?]

[Then why didn’t he throw money yesterday?]

[Oh! By the time he got the news, it was already too late. He rushed over as fast as he could, but by then, it was already this morning.]

[No wonder. If he had arrived a day earlier and seen people getting beheaded at the Prime Minister’s gate, he wouldn’t have dared to pull this stunt. He must have a death wish if he’s afraid the old emperor won’t investigate him!]

[He might have gotten away with it, tsk tsk.]

[But then again… what if the old emperor can’t refuse a bribe?]

The old emperor, with his pockets stuffed full of gold coins and his hands completely occupied, slowly backed out of the crowd. He calmly instructed the Jinyiweis, “Since he delivered himself to us, go investigate whether he has done anything he shouldn’t have.”

Unable to refuse a bribe? That wasn’t even a possibility.

The poor fool throwing the money had no idea that not only had a scheming emperor picked up his money, but he was also about to be investigated. At that moment, he was still smugly fantasizing about his grand display of wealth winning the Prime Minister’s favor and launching him back to the peak of officialdom.

End of Flashback

It was now early April. Xu Yanmiao had traveled to Linshu County, Shandong.

He had come with a mission: “I heard there’s an old farmer here who’s really skilled at agriculture?”

The farmer he asked thought for a moment and then said, “You mean the family of Soil Clod Xi Shi?”

—Xi Shi was a famous beauty from the Warring States period, while Soil Clod

Xu Yanmiao blinked. “Soil Clod Xi Shi?”

“That daughter of theirs, oh, she loves beauty! Ever since their family started making money from farming, they bought her silk clothes. That wasteful woman has gone to the fields more than once, dressed in silk, to dig up dirt! And her family is actually proud of it! They always praise how beautiful she is!”

Xu Yanmiao glanced at the admiration in the old farmer’s eyes, smiled, but didn’t comment on it. Instead, he politely asked, “Where does this Xi Shi live? Could you kindly point me in the right direction, sir?”

The old farmer was very enthusiastic—not only did he give directions, but he personally led Xu Yanmiao to the family’s doorstep.

Looking at the small courtyard and house, Xu Yanmiao was convinced that the family had indeed built their wealth through farming skills. In rural areas, if a house had extra structures like side pavilions, it usually meant they had spare money.

Inside the courtyard, a sturdy man was washing his face. He didn’t use a towel, just scooped water from a basin with his hands and roughly splashed it on his face before taking a coarse cloth from his waistband to dry off.

The old farmer called out to him, “Old Qi! A young gentleman is looking for you—a very handsome one at that!”

“Huh?” The sturdy man turned around, and the moment he saw Xu Yanmiao, his heart clenched.

A person with such delicate features, red lips, white teeth, and wearing soft, expensive clothing—he was either from a wealthy family or an official’s household. Why would someone like that come looking for him?

He forced a smile, trying to appear simple and good-natured. “You… is there something I can help you with?”

Xu Yanmiao nodded. “I heard that you’re very skilled at farming. You discovered that when growing vegetables, it’s better to use well water for irrigation instead of rainwater, but for crops, rainwater is better than well water?”

The sturdy man was momentarily stunned. “That’s right… I did tell the villagers to water their crops that way.”

Xu Yanmiao continued, “In this village, when it comes to selecting seeds, using fertilizer, weeding, and transplanting seedlings—everyone follows your advice?”

At this, the sturdy man puffed up with pride. “Of course! I have the skills! Other people only harvest a hundred catties of wheat per acre, but when I grow it, I can produce twenty catties more! A full twenty catties extra!”

Xu Yanmiao made a decisive move. “I have a major business proposal to discuss with you. It’s related to farming. When would you be available? I’ll come back then.”

The sturdy man’s eyes lit up.

For an important figure like this to call it a “major business proposal,” it had to be a highly profitable deal!

Without hesitation, he agreed immediately and even set a time—meeting again at dusk.

After Xu Yanmiao left, the sturdy man exchanged a few words with the old farmer before rushing back into his house. “Wife! Wife! Quick, make a pot of bone broth! A big shot is coming tonight to talk business with us!”

The kitchen soon filled with the rich aroma of simmering bone soup. By the time evening arrived, the milky-white broth was bubbling and steaming in the clay pot.

Meanwhile, the sturdy man had put on his cleanest, nicest clothes. His wife, their sixteen-year-old daughter Soil Clod Xi Shi, their ten-year-old eldest son, and their seven-year-old youngest son all stood anxiously at the door, waiting for Xu Yanmiao’s arrival.

This was a huge business opportunity!

The wife was both excited and worried. “Why didn’t you ask for more details? What if that big shot goes home, thinks it over, and decides not to do business with you? What if he never comes back?”

The burly man slapped his thigh in frustration.

Just then, Soil Clod Xi Shi suddenly heard a commotion and anxiously shouted, “There’s a sound over there! A really loud sound!”

The whole family hurriedly walked out, only to see a large group of yamen officers approaching. Leading the group was the county magistrate himself, but he was bowing and nodding respectfully toward the “important person” from earlier in the day, seemingly saying something to him.

The burly man’s family: “!!!”

He really was a bigshot! Even the county magistrate was treating him with such deference!