Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Minister of Rites: Spit!

A look of disdain appeared on his face.

“A life-saving grace, and you repay her by making her your concubine? Is your life worth so little? At the very least, you should make her a secondary consort!”

The Minister of War shook his head.

“Clearly, he wasn’t injured badly enough.”

He had recently caught a chill and fever, barely able to get out of bed, yet the Crown Grandson still found the energy to flirt with a farm girl.

[Wait, wait! Could it be… Hiss—this is truly…]

For a long while, the “truly” hung in the air, unfinished, driving the ministers wild with speculation.

“”Truly” what? Hurry up and say it!”

[No wonder Qin Guiren entered the palace. It turns out the Crown Grandson was about to arrange a marriage with the Dou family’s granddaughter. Qin Guiren learned of it and fled. Initially, the Crown Grandson treated her as ‘just a mere woman, a plaything.’ But when she ran away, he suddenly came to his senses, chasing after her and declaring, ‘I will marry no one but you!’]

[“The Dou family’s granddaughter is arrogant, rude, untalented, and unvirtuous. She constantly pesters me, clinging shamelessly. Even if she begged me to marry her, I wouldn’t. My heart belongs to you alone.” Tsk tsk tsk, such daring words. If you’ve got guts, go say that in front of the Empress and see if the Emperor doesn’t give you a hard slap.]

Swoosh swoosh swoosh—

Several discreet glances were cast in the direction of Prime Minister Dou. His face was ashen.

The Dou family was the maternal clan of the Empress, and the Emperor and Empress shared a deep bond. There was no need for further royal entanglement to avoid unnecessary complications. If not for the Empress’s desire to strengthen ties, the Dou family would never have sent their eldest granddaughter to marry the Crown Grandson.

“If you truly have someone you love, it’s fine to ask the Empress to call off the engagement. The two families could still maintain amicable relations. But you refuse to break it off, tying the Dou family down while secretly slandering my granddaughter as untalented and unvirtuous?”

Prime Minister Dou was so enraged his vision blurred, and he clenched his fists to keep from fainting.

“Call it off!

The engagement must be canceled!

Such a husband is too unworthy for my daughter!”

The Minister of War bowed his head slightly, lifted his sleeve, and discreetly popped a candy into his mouth while pretending to wipe sweat from his brow.

The sweetness of the honeyed candy spread through his mouth, almost making him hum a tune.

“Phew, that was close. The Emperor—no, no, no, the Crown Grandson—was eyeing my youngest daughter before the Empress selected Dou Qing’s granddaughter. Thankfully, the Dou family happily accepted the match.”

The Minister of War glanced at Dou Qing. “Thank you! Thank you so much! May you live a peaceful and blessed life!”

The Minister of Rites seemed uninterested in the storm brewing outside, standing still with his eyes half-closed as if meditating.

In reality, his ears were strained, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Hurry up! Xu Yanmiao, hurry up! Are you incapable? You hold a divine artifact, and yet you’re dawdling over a royal scandal. What happens next? What happened after the Crown Grandson vowed to marry no one but Qin Guiren? How did she enter the palace?”

[Ah!]

The faces of the ministers lit up with excitement.

“It’s here! It’s here!”

Xu Yanmiao pulled out the remaining half of a steamed bun from his sleeve. The warmth and slightly greasy texture of the bun against his fingers made his mouth water.

[I’m so foolish! The Emperor isn’t here, so I can sneak a bite. I’m starving to death! It’s all the Minister of Rites’ fault for suddenly talking to me earlier—I didn’t even get to finish my meal.]

[Nom—]

[Mmm, this steamed bun is so delicious, even when it’s cold.]

It was as if a hand had gripped their throats, choking the life out of them.

The ministers: “…”

What happens next?

Finish the story first, then eat!

The Minister of Rites choked on his own saliva, coughing violently. “Cough cough cough!”

“!!!”

Xu Yanmiao’s head shot up, hurriedly swallowing the delicious, flaky bun in his mouth. Ignoring the greasy crumbs on his sleeve, he stuffed the rest of the bun back into his sleeve and warily scanned his surroundings.@@novelbin@@

[The Emperor is back?!]

Meanwhile, his hand brushed his sleeve, checking for any traces of grease.

The Minister of Rites: “!!!” He immediately stifled his coughs.

Prime Minister Dou: “!!!” He forced a smile.

The Minister of War: “Hiss—” He winced, biting his tongue while hurriedly swallowing his candy.

The distracted officials quickly held their breath and composed themselves.

For a while, there was no movement.

One bold official sneaked a glance and saw no sign of the Emperor.

“…”

Xu Yanmiao turned his head, only to find a previously weeping official now looking at him with a ghostly expression.

“You—” Did you just fake a decree?

Xu Yanmiao blinked, confused. “Huh?”

The official: “…”

“Oh, right, he doesn’t even realize we can hear his thoughts.”

He shot Xu Yanmiao a long, mournful look.

“You’re having the time of your life narrating this in your head. Meanwhile, we’re all on the verge of ordering coffins.”

“Is this something we should be hearing?!”