Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Hey, everyone! 🌟 I know there’s been some inconsistent updates lately, and here’s the culprit: Unruly Phoenix Xiaoyao – More Like Unruly Disappointment. I got so wrapped up in finishing it because I HAD to know what happens between the ML and FL. Spoiler alert: it was… well, let’s just say, meh. Disappointing? Yes. The end of the world? Nah, I’ll survive. 😅

Thanks for being patient—I promise I’ll get back to my usual rhythm soon (without diving headfirst into another potential disappointment, haha). Let’s keep the vibes strong! 💪

[Tsk tsk, those old-fashioned pedants must be livid right now, huh?]

Quan Yizhang glanced over at them.

Indeed—just look at them, do they seem like they can still smile?

Smiling? That was out of the question. But after catching their breath, they could still hurl accusations.

“No matter how eloquent you are, deceitful scholar, you cannot deny the fact that you went skinny-dipping with your female disciples!”

Today, they were determined to tarnish this Grand Scholar’s reputation and smear him beyond redemption.

“Your disgraceful deeds are plain for all to see, yet you attempt to frame me instead? This only reveals your vile and shameless nature. Your slander has made you despised by all. Your reputations are already filth, and the world sees you as a corrupt faction of villains. You seek to ruin my disciples’ purity, yet in the end, it is only yourselves who will be utterly disgraced. Your stupidity is beneath even that of swine and dogs.”

Inside his heart, Xu Yanmiao was clapping furiously in admiration. [Too bad Grand Scholar Tongxin held no official position, or he might have sensed this wave of reverence.]

But his cutting words only further enraged the high-hatted scholars before him.

They fumed and roared, “Tongxin! You and your female disciples’ disgraceful conduct is well known! And yet, you dare try to twist the truth with sophistry?!”

The old-fashioned scholar in the lead looked at the female disciples again, brimming with self-satisfaction. “I advise you all to return home as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will be difficult to find a good marriage in the future. In my household, which upholds strict moral integrity, no wife or concubine is allowed unless she has thoroughly studied the virtues of womanhood, is chaste and demure. I would never permit such a woman to enter my family…”

Xu Yanmiao: [Wuhu! Iconic moment incoming! Ready? Three, two, one!]

Quan Yizhang, Princess Xiangyang, and the officials among the classical literary scholars were all extremely curious.

An iconic moment? What exactly could it be?

Then, two delicate female voices rang out one after the other, as if they had summoned all their courage: “We really admire Master Tong’s writings, and we want to become his students too!”

Everyone turned their heads in unison.

While the others were still trying to figure out who these two women were, the old-fashioned scholar in the lead—dressed in his grand scholar’s cap and robes—was so shocked that he almost choked on his breath and collapsed on the spot. “You… You…” His face darkened like the bottom of a burnt pot. It took him a long moment before he exploded in fury: “Have you lost your minds?!”

[You’re my concubines! How dare you side with another man! Have you been unfaithful all along? Have you been making a fool of me? Have you and that old fossil Tong Xin been secretly involved this whole time?!]

Xu Yanmiao snarked in her heart, mocking the old scholar with sarcastic glee.

On Quan Yizhang’s side, several people couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.

Fortunately, the old scholar’s flustered reaction was so intense that even he himself felt like they were laughing at him.

His face grew even darker, though now it was tinged with a sickly red.

Probably because the ones who had spoken up were his two concubines.

If his concubines actually became disciples of Master Tong Xin—combined with that recent incident of naked swimming—wouldn’t that make him the biggest laughingstock in town?!

It’s easy to gossip about others, but when the scandal lands on you, rumors become unbearable. Not only could he not spread the gossip himself, but he also had to find a way to quash it.

He cursed aloud on the spot, “Wretched wenches! Traitors! Do you really think Tong Xin is some great man?!”

Xu Yanmiao couldn’t help but snark again: [What are you even saying? They’re just contract concubines—at worst, they’ll pay you the penalty fee and be done with it. How is that ‘betrayal’ in any way?]

In this dynasty, contract concubinage was a common practice. The length of the contract varied depending on personal agreements, but the typical term was three years. After three years, the contract could be renewed, or the parties could part ways.

A regular concubine typically earned 3,500 cash per month. Those skilled in poetry, singing, or playing musical instruments could earn up to 8,000 cash per month.

But don’t mistake this for a “job”—in most cases, the concubines themselves never saw any of the money. The payments usually went to the parents who had sold their daughters into concubinage.

—Of course, women who sold themselves into concubinage were an exception. They could personally collect their wages from their master’s household.

[Besides, Master Tong’s words—‘Knowledge varies in depth, but it is not divided by gender’—greatly inspired them. They wrote to Master Tong, and he replied, encouraging them to pursue knowledge and enlightenment. He assured them that the pursuit of the Dao knows no gender. If they studied hard, once their contracts ended in three years, they could set off to seek their own path.]

Xu Yanmiao glanced at the two young women standing hand in hand before Master Tong Xin. Though visibly nervous, they remained firm in their stance, despite still being bound by a contract and despite the old scholar still being their legal master.

She was genuinely moved: [Perhaps, to them, Master Tong Xin has already become a kindred spirit.]

Though he would never allow these two innocent girls to die in front of him, they didn’t know that. In their eyes, they had chosen to stand up at this moment to shield their kindred spirit from harm.

—This, perhaps, was what it meant when people said, “A scholar dies for the one who understands them.”

Among the group of troublemaking scholars, there were also some court officials—though only minor ones.

The minor official, upon hearing Xu Lang’s inner thoughts, couldn’t help but reveal the shocking gossip: “Well… perhaps…” He turned to the old-fashioned scholar and said, “Judging by how well these two ladies seem to know Demon Scholar Tong, it’s possible… they’ve been secretly corresponding with him for years?”

As soon as he dropped this bombshell, the official suddenly felt his frustration lift. Seeing the shocked expressions around him and the looks of admiration at his analysis, he felt warm and soft inside, like a cloud after being scorched by the sun. In that moment, he completely understood Xu Yanmiao’s joy in sharing juicy gossip.

As for the old scholar’s well-being—he no longer cared.

The old scholar: “…”

For years? For years? For years?!

The phrase echoed in his mind like a resounding slap across the face. His expression cycled between black, green, and red, shifting like a painter’s palette. Whether it was from sheer indignation or sheer disbelief, his breath caught in his throat—until, with a dramatic “pfft,” he coughed up a mouthful of blood, a sight more spectacular than crashing ocean waves.

“He’s coughing up blood!”

Princess Xiangyang muffled her laughter. “Why just coughing up blood? With such fury, shouldn’t he be dropping dead on the spot?”

Xu Yanmiao: “No worries, he’s almost there.”

Princess Xiangyang: “Huh?!”

Xu Yanmiao: cough cough “I mean, with his level of rage, he looks almost like he’s about to die from anger.”

Princess Xiangyang gave him a knowing look. “I see.”

Meanwhile, Master Tong Xin, to ensure that the two women wouldn’t suffer any consequences, paid to nullify their contracts, granting them freedom.

Xu Yanmiao smiled.

He disliked the practice of contract concubinage and the objectification of women, but he was truly happy that these two women were now free.

The old scholar was surprisingly resilient—despite his age, he had a tough constitution. Even after this severe blow, he managed to pull himself together, channeling his rage into attacking Master Tong Xin instead. He furiously criticized him for teaching without setting any entrance requirements, questioning whether this was fair to the scholars and gentry who funded him.

Then, Master Tong Xin suddenly spoke. “It’s done.”

The old scholar: “What’s done?”

Master Tong Xin’s voice returned to its usual calm and gentle tone, even sounding somewhat friendly as he patiently explained, “I’ve set up an entrance requirement.”

The old scholar: “What?”

Following Master Tong Xin’s gesture, he turned to look—only to see that the entrance to the academy now had an extra threshold.

A literal threshold.

One side was low, like a regular household doorstep. The other side? As high as a grown man’s waist.

A completely bizarre threshold.

Tong Xin, ever understanding, explained, “From now on, ordinary people can step over the lower side. If any of you feel the threshold is too low, you may all climb in from the higher side. Suitable for all ages! 🙂”

Then, he turned to his students. “Come on, everyone, step over.”

His disciples cheerfully stepped over the threshold.

Tong Xin then turned back to the old scholar. “Gentlemen, please cross the threshold.”

The old scholar—nearly eighty, leaning on a cane, trembling from an hour-long rant, and desperate for a chair—was furious. “You—!”

This was pure humiliation!

“Or do you think the threshold isn’t high enough? No worries. Just climb it a few more times!”

To demonstrate, Master Tong Xin clambered over the high side, then climbed back, then over again, then back again. He waved over a few disciples to join him, and together they all cheerfully climbed back and forth, grinning with bright, healthy enthusiasm. “I’ll give you all a demonstration first!”

The old scholar pointed at them, his finger shaking along with his voice. “You… what kind of disgraceful conduct is this?! Disgraceful!”

Xu Yanmiao: [Ah, as expected, human nature is just a broken record.]

“Pfft—” Among those who could hear his thoughts, several burst into laughter.

The old scholar’s face turned red, then purple.

And finally—

“Ahhh!”

Overcome with rage, he coughed up another mouthful of blood. Whether this counted as getting what he wanted was unclear, but at last, he fainted, spared from the misery of witnessing any more of this madness.

Nor did he have to endure the waves of laughter that erupted around him:

“Hahaha—”

“Hahahahaha—”

The laughter soared into the sky.

If the old scholar were still conscious, he’d probably spit up blood a third time.

Oh, and if he had known that men and women were actually sitting together at the same table earlier, he would’ve fought to stay conscious just long enough to lift a trembling finger and gasp out, “Immoral! Degenerate!”

At this thought, Xu Yanmiao laughed even louder.

[I wonder how they’d react if they discovered that married men and women openly socialized with other households, with the male host welcoming them himself? Would they die of rage?]

Xu Lang thought mischievously.

[And if they knew that a married woman and a poet could deeply admire each other’s intellect, to the point where she personally sewed clothes for him as a gift—and that her husband knew about it and was actually happy she had found a kindred spirit—would they revive out of sheer fury?]

Princess Xiangyang, who had just managed to stop laughing, burst out again. Her laughter startled birds from the trees.

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