Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

If he could have written identical characters before, he would have already proven his innocence.

The Crown Grandson stood at a distance from Xu Yanmiao’s desk. As his view was suddenly blocked by the back of a Jinyiwei guard, he frowned in confusion, about to reprimand them, but the guard swiftly stepped aside. A moment later, an inkstone was added to the desk—it had simply been placed there.

Xu Yanmiao, however, had clearly seen what happened. In that instant, the Jinyiwei had sprayed something onto the paper, and immediately, faint blue-purple characters emerged on the surface:

“To fabricate charges, no excuse is hard to find.”

The characters were faint but legible, their brushstrokes matching the original. Xu Yanmiao’s pupils contracted sharply.

[Is this… a starch-iodine reaction?!]

[This is cheating in plain sight!]@@novelbin@@

The emperor sipped his tea, his expression calm and unreadable.

—If the Crown Grandson and the people wanted the truth, then he would give them a truth.

The Crown Grandson couldn’t wait. He rushed forward, and as soon as he saw the eight characters written on the paper in bold black ink, his expression darkened. The Jinyiwei picked up the paper and first presented it to the emperor. After he had reviewed it, it was passed down to the gathered officials.

When the paper reached Prime Minister Dou’s hands, he immediately noticed its texture—it was distinctly flexible. Prime Minister Dou recognized it at once: this was raw xuan paper.

Raw xuan paper has a unique property: it is highly absorbent. This gives written characters a bold and balanced appearance. Artists particularly value it for painting, as its ability to hold ink creates vibrant, three-dimensional lines. However, the drawback is that writing on it is extremely difficult—it resists smooth strokes, making it hard to write fluidly.

But Xu Yanmiao didn’t need to write from scratch. He was merely tracing existing characters with ink, covering the faint blue-purple marks to render them invisible.

Prime Minister Dou’s eyes flickered, but he said nothing as he passed the paper along. When everyone had seen it, the emperor’s deep voice rang out: “How is it? Does it match the writing from the examination?”

The officials responded in unison: “It is identical!”

“This is impossible!” The unexpected turn of events left the Crown Grandson utterly shaken. “How can this be? How?!”

“Enough of your outbursts!” the emperor roared, cutting him off.

The emperor stood, his gaze sharp, and began to recite: “Crown Grandson Gao Qisheng is a petty and base individual. He lacks the vision of a virtuous ruler and is neither a follower of righteous conduct nor a competent administrator. He is deceitful in court and licentious in the palace, slandering upright ministers and polluting the inner sanctum.”

“Effective immediately, he is stripped of his title as Crown Grandson, demoted to commoner status, and exiled to Yunnan! Draft the edict and make it known across the realm!”

The tone of his voice brooked no argument.

The Secretariat drafted the decree, the Six Ministries cited relevant laws and precedents, the Hanlin Academy reviewed the document for errors and taboos, and the Grand Secretariat finalized and approved it. From the Ministry of Justice to the Imperial Household, every department stamped their approval, layer upon layer of bureaucracy completing the process without a single objection.

Not one official raised concerns about the potential instability of deposing the heir apparent.

The Crown Grandson’s legs trembled as he struggled to stand.

He couldn’t comprehend how framing a minor official could lead to this—his own grandfather deposing him! His father hadn’t spoken a word in his defense! How could a mere official matter more than his own grandson and son?! And what about the officials loyal to him? If he fell, how could they stand?

His eyes darted desperately to those who had once supported him, but one by one, they avoided his gaze. Fear and panic finally took hold of his features.

How had it come to this?!

Jinyiwei approached him. “This way, please.” When he refused to move, they simply hoisted him up and carried him off.

“Let me go! Let me go!” he shouted, kicking and flailing, but the guards held him firm as they dragged him toward the prison to await his exile to Yunnan.

The imperial prison was eerily silent, amplifying even the smallest sounds.

Hearing the commotion, a former imperial consort sat up in her cell. At first, she thought it was a new arrival, but then: “Crown Grandson?!”

The imposter prince looked equally shocked.

“You again?!”

The Jinyiwei corrected him curtly: “He is no longer the Crown Grandson.”

The imposter prince was even more astonished.

“Stripped of his title?!”

What had happened out there?

Meanwhile, the emperor beckoned Xu Yanmiao forward, his tone warm: “Were you frightened?”

Not scared out of your wits, I hope? No racing heartbeat, no fear of sudden death? Xu Yanmiao felt deeply moved. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for trusting in me.”

The emperor grasped Xu Yanmiao’s hands tightly.

“No need for such formality! You alone are worth a thousand soldiers and ten thousand horses—”

Memories flashed through the emperor’s mind: the scandal in Shandong, the uncovered embezzlement of disaster relief funds, the forewarning of rebellion in Nanyue, the mysterious new crops from overseas, the recent purge of corrupt officials…

The emperor’s grip tightened, his voice soft and dripping with affection: “My dear minister!”

“Once the New Year court assembly is over, let us take the civil and military officials, along with the returning inspectors, on a tour of the Nine Provinces!”