Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Whoever controls gossip holds the power to speak.

The table was already set with fine food and drink, but Xu Yanmiao remained impartial: “Let’s talk about Master Quan first!”

Princess Xiangyang attempted to curry favor by pouring Xu Lang a cup of warm water, but Xu Lang declared righteously, “I never accept bribes!”

The princess had no choice but to hold onto her own cup of warm water, sitting there like a little mountain, her expression solemn.

Xu Yanmiao asked, “Have you heard the recent rumors in the streets?”

Princess Xiangyang immediately lost her heavy demeanor, her eyes lighting up. She sweetly pushed a dish of crispy salted peanuts—Xu Yanmiao’s favorite—toward him. “No, I haven’t. I haven’t been to the marketplace lately, you know that.”

Xu Yanmiao gave her an approving glance, picked up a peanut, and crunched on it. Only after swallowing did he begin his story:

“It’s like this—there’s a story going around about a poor family in Min-Guang. They were so destitute that they often ventured into the mountains to catch snakes. But one time, they couldn’t find a single snake for half a month. With no food or clothing, they wept bitterly in a mountain temple.”

“They cried themselves to sleep and were suddenly awakened in the middle of the night by someone calling their name. But when they opened their eyes, no one was there—only several luminous pearls before them. The family assumed the mountain god had taken pity on them, expressed their gratitude profusely, and sold the pearls when they returned to town. The pearls were valued at a whopping one hundred thousand taels.”

Xu Yanmiao nodded. “I thought so too.”

“But here’s where it gets interesting!” Xu Yanmiao leaned in. “Guess what Master Quan did when he heard this story?”

Princess Xiangyang couldn’t guess.

Xu Yanmiao didn’t keep her in suspense. “He immediately ordered the local magistrate to investigate that family for the crime of unexplained wealth! Hahahaha!”

Princess Xiangyang was shocked. “The crime of unexplained wealth?”

“Exactly! Apparently, Master Quan was drinking tea when he heard the story. He immediately slammed down his teacup and roared: ‘Filthy thieves! What nonsense about divine intervention? Clearly, they saw treasure in the mountain temple, killed a passing traveler, and concocted this ridiculous tale to cover their crime!’”

Princess Xiangyang clapped her hands. “Master Quan deserves his reputation! With age comes wisdom—he saw through the lie instantly!”

Xu Yanmiao chuckled. “That family probably never expected to be exposed so quickly.”

Both of them burst into laughter, leaning against each other.

Princess Xiangyang mischievously added, “I’d love to see their faces when they were arrested mid-celebration!”

Xu Yanmiao grinned. “Same here!” He sighed. “But… those travelers they murdered, how tragic.”

He had already checked with his system. The truth was just as Master Quan had said—the poor family had encountered a wealthy household and their guards at the mountain temple that night. Overcome by greed, they plotted and killed them, taking all their valuables. Afraid of being questioned about the sudden fortune, they spun the story of divine favor.

“But what’s done is done…” Princess Xiangyang sighed as well. After a pause, she said, “All that’s left is to send the real culprits to their rightful punishment, to bring justice to that unfortunate family.”

They fell silent for a moment, mourning for the strangers they had never met. Then, they picked up their chopsticks and resumed their meal.

They were seated in a private dining room, with only a thin door separating them from the outside hallway. People passed by, chatting idly.

“Did Scholar Tong really say that?!”

“He did, he did! You should’ve seen the looks on those officials’ faces—absolutely livid!”

“Tsk, tsk, why do they insist on meddling? Scholar Tong has always been a rebellious one. It’s not like they didn’t know that.”

The voices drifted through the door.

Princess Xiangyang suddenly perked up, like a student realizing they had guessed the exam questions correctly. “About Scholar Tong—this is what you were going to tell me, right?”

Xu Yanmiao clapped his hands. “That’s right! But they haven’t told the whole story!”

Xu Yanmiao leaned in excitedly. “Let me tell you!”

Princess Xiangyang: “Mhm, mhm!”

Xu Yanmiao: “They’re facing off today! Let’s go watch after we finish eating—we’ll make it in time!”

The peony and swallow vegetables were tangy and refreshing, the sweet beef broth was light yet flavorful, and the bean paste liver cakes—made purely from red bean paste—gave off a delicate aroma of adzuki beans. Even the potstickers that Princess Xiangyang had ordered were perfectly authentic—thin-skinned, juicy, crispy on the outside, and tender inside. Paired with the beef broth, they were an absolute delight!

The only downside? The two of them were eating way too fast. Their chopstick movements were swift and precise, leaving the Jinyiwei spies secretly observing them in silent admiration.

It felt like an eternity had passed before the table became a battlefield of empty dishes and scattered utensils. Princess Xiangyang put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth. “I’m done.”

Xu Yanmiao: “Your Highness, please pay the bill!”

The real princess not only paid but also generously tipped the waiter a string of coins. “Split it among yourselves.”

The waiter was overjoyed and immediately called out, “Room Five, Lady Gao rewards a hundred coins!”

Instantly, the entire staff at Yuan Garden echoed the cheer, ensuring she was given proper recognition.

“Let’s go!” Princess Xiangyang straightened her back and strode out with an air of grandeur.

Xu Yanmiao, inwardly going Wow!, happily followed behind, basking in her aura.

But the moment they stepped out of Yuan Garden, the princess dropped her grand demeanor. Fixing Xu Yanmiao with an eager stare, she asked, “So, where’s the excitement happening?”

Now it was Xu Yanmiao’s turn to walk ahead with an air of importance. “Follow me!”

“So here’s the deal—Scholar Tong has never put barriers on who can access his teachings, you know that, right?”

“Of course I know!” Princess Xiangyang said proudly. “I learned a lot from my Crown Prince brother! Whenever Scholar Tong lectures, both dignitaries in their fine robes and commoners in plain clothes can attend. And since Scholar Tong is viewed as somewhat unorthodox by scholars, most of his students tend to be country folk, merchants, women, and artisans.”

Xu Yanmiao nodded. “Exactly! And that’s why this whole argument started—because quite a few scholars’ wives and daughters have been drawn to his writings and now want to become his students. Their fathers and husbands are furious—look, right ahead!!!”

Princess Xiangyang: “Huh?”

“I mean—look straight ahead!”

Princess Xiangyang: “!!!”

Princess Xiangyang: “Wow! (⊙o⊙)!”

Not far away, the two opposing sides stood distinctly apart.

On one side—dignified scholars in tall hats and wide belts.

On the other—common folk dressed in plain white robes.

The scholars’ side was brimming with righteous indignation. “Tong, you deceitful scholar! Do these commoners even realize that you live off the support of bureaucrats and gentry, yet have the audacity to bite the hand that feeds you?”

Scholar Tong Xin replied calmly, “Yes, they do.”

Scholars in Tall Hats and Wide Belts: “???”

Wait a minute—shouldn’t he be stammering and trying to cover things up?

Scholars: “Ha! Then do they know that not only do you accept money from bureaucrats and gentry, but you also spend it frequenting brothels?”

Scholar Tong Xin: “Hmm, well, now they do.”

Scholars: “???”

Hold on—this was supposed to be a slanderous accusation. Why is he admitting to it?!

Scholars: “…You heretic!”

Scholar Tong Xin: “You’re absolutely right.”

Scholars: “…”

This isn’t working.

His casual acceptance of every accusation was suffocating.

Not far away, members of the Classical Literature faction were gathered on the second floor of a teahouse, ready to jump in if needed.

Quan Yizhang let out a cold scoff. “That Tong Xingzhi is still as infuriating as ever. Seems like I won’t need to step in after all.”

Wow! He doesn’t even bother arguing whether it’s true or not—he just admits it outright!

Quan Yizhang: “…Here comes Infuriating Person No. 2.”

Turning around, he said, “Let’s go see what this is all about.”

A group of scholars made their way downstairs, just in time to hear Xu Yanmiao and Princess Xiangyang discussing why Scholar Tong Xin would admit to such things.

Listening for a while, Quan Yizhang realized they were completely missing the point. Unable to hold back, he explained, “That old man believes that evil only exists when you acknowledge it. As long as he himself harbors no evil intentions, then ‘evil’ does not exist in the world. In his eyes, those scholars slandering him don’t do so out of malice; rather, they’re simply speaking wrongly and acting wrongly.”

Xu Yanmiao immediately felt guilty.

[Oh no… I thought he was just saying things to be extra infuriating.]

[I was too narrow-minded. Master Tong could never be that petty.]

Quan Yizhang blinked quickly. “Of course, none of that really matters. What matters is—he’s definitely being petty and thinks this makes it even more frustrating for them.”

Xu Yanmiao: …

[He had regretted his judgment way too soon!]

“Haha,” Quan Yizhang couldn’t hide his amusement. “What brings you two here?”

[Uh… just here for the drama…]

Xu Yanmiao didn’t even flinch. “I heard that Scholar Tong was giving a lecture here, so I came to listen.”

Quan Yizhang let out a knowing chuckle but didn’t call him out. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly heard Xu Yanmiao exclaim internally:

[Ugh, this guy is so disgusting. But it’s fine! The legendary moment is coming! He’s going to make them absolutely livid!]

Quan Yizhang froze for a second.

Legendary moment?

On instinct, he looked up.

On the other side of the crowd, the leader of the tall-hat scholars, realizing that attacking Tong Xin directly was getting him nowhere, shifted his focus to his female followers.

“You women are nothing but shameless whores! Instead of upholding proper womanly virtue, you cling to a man like desperate animals—I’ve never seen anyone so starved before!”

Then, with a malicious sneer, he spread a vile rumor:

“I’ve heard that Scholar Tong frequently swims naked with you all. Is that why he has so many female disciples?”

His followers burst into laughter, some covering their mouths and noses as if disgusted by the very sight of Tong Xin and his students.

Among the female disciples, some glared angrily, some trembled with humiliation and rage, and others were already rolling up their sleeves, ready to throw punches.

Scholar Tong Xin glanced at them and remarked flatly, “How strange. After Confucius died, he left behind stray dogs and mangy curs. Yet now, the ones yapping are a bunch of white maggots?”

[There it is! Scholar Tong Xin’s legendary sharp tongue!]

[This is the man who once mocked Confucian scholars as mere parrots mindlessly echoing Confucius—oh, and since he himself is a Confucian scholar, he even called his past self a dog.]

[He mocked Confucius for being too pretentious, and when someone praised Confucius by saying ‘If Confucius had never been born, the world would be shrouded in eternal darkness,’ he retorted: ‘Oh? So before Confucius was born, did everyone just walk around carrying candles?’]

[This man is an absolute master of verbal takedowns. These guys won’t last even a single round against a serious Scholar Tong.]

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