Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Xu Yanmiao had always been a double-edged sword.

The Minister of Personnel was well aware of this.

And that was exactly what he wanted. He wanted to use this double-edged sword to send a message to His Majesty from a distance: I have a clear conscience, I uphold my integrity, and there is nothing I cannot say to His Majesty!

“Sir Xu, I wish to seek the position of Prime Minister. If you believe I am capable of assuming this role, I ask for your support.”

The Minister of Personnel’s expression was calm and composed, utterly steady.

Beside him, Lian Hang looked at him with admiration.

As expected of his father-in-law! This was exactly what Xu Yanmiao always said—Take a gamble, and your bicycle might turn into a motorcycle!

—Yes, the Minister of Personnel was his father-in-law. He was also related by marriage to the current Minister of Rites.

The Minister of Personnel knew that if he wanted Xu Yanmiao’s help, he couldn’t be vague. He had to be direct—bluntly, explicitly, and unmistakably clear. If he were to express any self-doubt about his qualifications, Xu Yanmiao would never think he was simply being modest. Instead, Xu Yanmiao would immediately start thinking: Wow, what an honest man! Lacking in virtue? Is it because of that incident from a certain year? Is that why he still can’t get over it?

[Wuhu! I knew it! The moment the Prime Minister’s seat became vacant, it would turn into a coveted prize, and countless people would fight for it!]

[But the Minister of Personnel is campaigning for votes… He wants me to support him… Damn it, I knew it! In the officialdom, it’s impossible to stay neutral!]

[But I really don’t want to take sides. I feel like getting involved in factional struggles will get me killed.]

Xu Yanmiao instantly heightened his vigilance, preparing for battle—

Standing tall with his back straight like a bamboo stalk, he wore a polite smile and cupped his hands slightly. “I have long known that the Minister is wise and capable, humble in conduct, and fair in official appointments. Your reputation is impeccable both in and outside the court. Now that Lord Dou has retired and His Majesty detests corrupt officials, enacting a great purge, the court urgently needs a Prime Minister to assist in governance. Should you be promoted, you will surely govern the nation well and benefit the administration. However, in His Majesty’s eyes, the Prime Minister is a crucial position, requiring careful selection rather than a hasty decision, which is why he has deliberated for over a month without settling on a candidate. As a mere junior official, my words carry little weight, and I dare not presume that I can lend you any substantial support. I beg your pardon, Minister.”

Finishing his speech in one breath, Xu Yanmiao exhaled deeply in his heart—

[I memorized this for days, and I finally got to use it!]

The Minister of Personnel maintained a beaming smile, his composure unwavering. “Sir Xu praises me too highly.”

Suddenly, a thought crossed Xu Yanmiao’s mind—

[Actually… shouldn’t Minister Zhou be panicking a little too?]

The Minister of Personnel’s smile grew even brighter.

Yes! Keep talking! He wasn’t afraid of Xu Yanmiao speaking—he was only afraid of Xu Yanmiao not speaking!

[He has the ability, but his appearance isn’t exactly the type the old emperor finds pleasing. I wonder if that’ll be a problem.]

[The old emperor likes men who are dark-skinned, strong, and sturdy—people who look like they can farm. Minister Zhou, on the other hand, is fair-skinned and chubby. Granted, he’s benefited a lot from his complexion and physique since childhood. Back in the village, all he had to do was smile, and plenty of people would fetch water or chop firewood for him… Wow! Even the village chief’s daughter secretly gave him wheat flour and sesame oil! He was the village heartthrob!]

The Minister of Personnel’s polite smile stiffened slightly.

—There was absolutely no need to bring up his youthful days of living off his good looks.

Especially not in front of his second son-in-law!

Glancing sideways, he saw his second son-in-law keeping his head down, intently wiping his eyes with a handkerchief as if he had heard nothing.

As for the general in the distance, his expression was a complicated mix of emotions. The Minister of Personnel responded with a courteous smile.

So what if I lived off others in my youth? I paid it all back once I became successful! That’s still better than you, a rough and rowdy military officer. Those young ladies didn’t like your rugged looks, so you couldn’t even leech off anyone if you wanted to!

Of course…

The Minister of Personnel’s expression grew serious.

Xu Yanmiao had indeed pointed out a weakness of his. So… if he started running under the scorching sun now, could he darken and bulk up in time?

Meanwhile, the general was ecstatic.

The Minister of Rites might not be muscular, but he was dark-skinned!

Feeling reassured, he continued speaking to Prime Minister Dou, “Lord Dou, as you depart, do you not worry about your governance ideals?”

Prime Minister Dou’s eyes sharpened as he fixed his gaze on the general. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

The general simply smiled. “Surely the Prime Minister remembers how, in the past, Minister Shusun greatly admired your policies? Didn’t you even publicly call him a kindred spirit?”

There was no denying it—Prime Minister Dou felt a hit to his weak spot. A man with ambition fears nothing more than his policies vanishing once he steps down.

He began contemplating—The Minister of Rites did seem to be a strong supporter…

[Of course he supports you! After all, ten years ago, he was kneeling in front of his household’s Buddha statue every day, praying for you to fall ill, realize your declining stamina, and retire early!]

The general: “…”

Prime Minister Dou: “…”

He really wanted to ask: Where’s the decorum?

—For now, the Prime Minister’s official seal was still in his hands. On the surface, the reason was that the Prime Minister’s position had not yet been fully handed over. In reality, after executing so many corrupt officials, the old emperor had pulled in every capable official he could find—including the retired former Prime Minister.

The Minister of Personnel watched with envy—What an amazing mindset! If only the other candidates vying for the Prime Minister’s position could be so forward-thinking!

[And then, over the years, he frequently collected Prime Minister Dou’s policies and speeches, studied them day and night, and even… snuck into his office after work to dig through discarded drafts—thus earning the title of Dou’s kindred spirit!]

[Impressive!]

[So this is what they mean when they say opportunities always favor the prepared!]

The Minister of Personnel smiled.

That’s right—opportunities belong to the prepared.

Minister of Rites, you wouldn’t want the entire world to know that you became Prime Minister Dou’s ‘kindred spirit’ by secretly digging through his discarded drafts, would you?

After all, my history of living off others was merely a romantic escapade—nothing too damaging.

When the Minister of Rites received the news, he chuckled.

He didn’t immediately seek out Xu Yanmiao. There was no need to put him in the awkward position of having to face two high-ranking ministers vying for power at the same time.

Instead, he went to see Prime Minister Dou.

Though Prime Minister Dou wasn’t exactly keen on entertaining him, after some reasoning, emotional persuasion, and the undeniable fact that he might very well be Dou’s political successor, the Prime Minister’s attitude softened slightly.

After parting ways with the Minister of Personnel, Xu Yanmiao dragged Lian Hang excitedly to a spot near Prime Minister Dou. He lowered his voice and whispered, “This is more thrilling than horse racing! The six ministers are competing for the Prime Minister’s seat! I might not get to witness this a second time in my lifetime.”

Lian Hang nodded. When he saw Prime Minister Dou gently pat the Minister of Rites on the shoulder, his eyes widened. “Oh no! Is Prime Minister Dou planning to recommend the Minister of Rites?”

And—wasn’t the Minister of Rites dark-skinned? That was the emperor’s favorite complexion!

Xu Yanmiao hesitated.

[Hiss—]

[Not necessarily!]

Lian Hang perked up his ears.

[The Minister of Rites hasn’t made any mistakes lately, but his underlings have! Normally, that wouldn’t be a big deal, but in such a sensitive time, it could be used against him, right?]

The Minister of Rites was initially confused—he didn’t have any younger brothers.

Then it dawned on him. “Little brother” must be referring to his subordinates from the same political faction.

His face fell silent.

No matter how cautious he was, he couldn’t prevent his subordinates from making blunders behind his back!

Meanwhile, the Minister of Personnel had also found a shaded spot to sit and listen. After hearing Xu Yanmiao’s thoughts, he took a slow sip of tea, his smile unwavering.

Why did he dare to take the risk? Because becoming Prime Minister wasn’t about proving one’s perfection—it was about proving that one made the fewest mistakes.

[Eh? Wait a minute—maybe the real trouble lies with the Minister of War!]

The Minister of War: “???”

He was a die-hard horse racing enthusiast. As long as nothing unexpected happened, he never missed a match. Of course, he was here today as well.

He had originally been enjoying the spectacle of the Ministers of Personnel and Rites battling it out, only to suddenly realize—he himself had somehow become part of the drama.

Trouble? What trouble? He didn’t even want to be Prime Minister!

[Tsk tsk, who would’ve thought—Deputy Minister of War Fu Luzu is actually aligned with the Minister of Rites!]

[If the Deputy Minister of War gets caught embezzling corrupt officials’ money, then on the surface, it has nothing to do with the Minister of Rites! If the emperor wants to blame someone, it’ll be the Minister of War for failing to keep his subordinates in check.]

The Minister of War: So I’m just the unlucky scapegoat, huh?!

With a sneer, he tossed the candied fruit in his hand back onto the snack platter. “Oh? You think you can bully me just because I have a good temper?”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Rites faced Prime Minister Dou’s sharp gaze without a single change in expression. “Planting a few spies among one’s political enemies—isn’t that just normal strategy? Didn’t Li Zhongmin also insert his people into the Ministry of Rites?”

Prime Minister Dou: “…Then he probably never would have made it to the position of Deputy Minister of War.”

After all, the Deputy Minister was the second-in-command of each ministry!

The Minister of Rites merely smiled.

Prime Minister Dou: “How did you manage that?”

The Minister of Rites kept smiling. “Lu Zu earned it through his own abilities.”

Though… now that he had been exposed, he was the one who had to take responsibility.

Thinking of this, the Minister of Rites felt a wave of irritation and silently resolved that he wouldn’t allow himself to be caught off guard again.

“It’s time to do a thorough purge of the Ministry of Rites.”

From a distance, the Minister of War cast him a glance before getting up and walking toward Xu Yanmiao.

Based on what he knew about the Minister of Rites, that man would likely return and start cracking down on his subordinates…

Why not add some fuel to the fire? 🙂

[Tsk tsk, if the Deputy Minister of War gets investigated, he’s finished. As a provincial governor, he was responsible for confiscating assets from corrupt officials—yet he dared to swap out their wealth, banking on the old emperor’s lack of knowledge.]

[Oh ho! The 250 chests of jewels and jade he embezzled are about to be presented before the emperor!]

[Damn, I wish I could enter the palace and watch the show!]

[But…]

Xu Yanmiao hesitated, unsure.

Sensing his dilemma, Lian Hang thoughtfully said, “Master Xu, the Minister of War is coming for me. He probably has something important to discuss—we should disperse for now.”

Xu Yanmiao looked up and saw the Minister of War approaching. He immediately nodded. “Then I’ll take my leave first.”

Not wanting to delay his friend’s business, he turned and walked away as quickly as possible.

The Minister of War, now left with no one to stir up trouble with: “?”

Inside the Imperial Palace

The old emperor regarded Xu Yanmiao with a rare look of curiosity. “It’s unusual for you to come serve me voluntarily on your day off. This must be a first.”

Xu Yanmiao, full of enthusiasm, said, “Your Majesty has been working tirelessly. Naturally, this humble servant wishes to share your burdens.”

The old emperor gave him a doubtful glance. “Then you can review my memorials for me.”

Xu Yanmiao: “By your command!”

Xu Yanmiao was very diligent when he worked.

About half an hour later, a group of Jinyiwei guards arrived at Wuying Hall, carrying 250 confiscated chests of treasure.

The old emperor’s sharp gaze immediately locked onto them. “These are the bribes Fifth Ang received after his retirement?”

The commander of the Jinyiwei Guards cupped his hands. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

The old emperor sighed as he walked up to one of the chests, tracing his fingers over the lock.

“Fifth, you stubborn mule… was this really necessary?”

He could have left behind a name worthy of the history books, but in the end, he tainted his legacy.

Greed was truly a powerful thing…

With a click, the key turned in the lock. The lid lifted, revealing a dazzling hoard of gold and jade, shining so brightly it was almost blinding.

The old emperor: “How much was confiscated?”

The Jinyiwei officer reported, “Fifth Ang’s ancestral home is in Henan. We discovered 225 tile-roofed houses and seven storefronts in his county of origin, valued at 8,584 taels of silver.”

Xu Yanmiao also gave his own assessment: [Oh ho, that’s roughly 3.6 million in modern RMB.]

The Jinyiwei continued: “He also possessed three qing of farmland, valued at 2,500 taels of silver. One qing was government-owned land.”

Xu Yanmiao: [Three hundred mu of land! That’s a lot!]

Then, he added more details:

[Actually, there’s even more! I wonder if the Jinyiwei found out. Fifth Ang was incredibly generous—he firmly believed in ‘when one rises, all must rise.’ When he got rich, he made sure to take care of his entire clan. Any relative who came to him for help was gifted fifty mu of land—thirty of which were government-owned—and five chests of silver. Such a great ‘big brother’! So generous!]

The old emperor: “…”

Oh yes, generous indeed. Generous with my money. 🙂