Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

“The Minister of Rites shall remain in the capital. Once the New Year’s ceremonial matters in the capital are resolved, he may ride with haste to join us,” decreed the emperor, acknowledging the abundance of ceremonial responsibilities during the New Year.

“As for the others, the Ministers of Personnel, Revenue, Justice, and War shall accompany me.”

On New Year’s Day, the streets of the capital resonated with the thunderous crackle of firecrackers. The joyful explosions echoed through the city as the people exchanged cheerful greetings, “Happy New Year!”

During the court assembly, the ministers who had been selected to accompany the emperor displayed triumphant, almost frozen smiles—so unwavering that their cheeks threatened to cramp. They practically appeared ready to light celebratory firecrackers of their own.@@novelbin@@

Prime Minister Dou wore an expression of resigned frustration.

If not for his nephew, the Crown Prince, who had so eagerly volunteered to oversee the capital, he might have suggested the prince govern in his stead. Meanwhile, the Minister of Public Works silently vowed revenge on the Minister of War, marking him for future retaliation. Let’s see how you manage when you need my department’s help, he thought bitterly.

The Minister of Rites, however, wore a mysterious smile. The emperor had given him a loophole: resolve his department’s business, and he could leave the capital. His determination was absolute—starting from the second day of the New Year, the entire Ministry of Rites would work overtime!

The emperor’s journey, ordinarily a grand spectacle of pomp and military might, had taken on a different form. “We’ll disguise ourselves as a merchant caravan!” the emperor insisted. “Otherwise, people a hundred miles away will know it’s me, and where’s the surprise in that?”

With no choice but to comply, the general in charge of security devised a makeshift caravan. To the untrained eye, it appeared to be a procession of merchants hauling riches and goods. In reality, the wagons were laden with hidden weapons, and the entourage was densely guarded, with sentries every five paces and lookouts every ten. The “merchants” could transform into a deadly fighting force at a moment’s notice.

The emperor, seated atop a wagon, summoned Xie Luoshui to his side. “I hear you spent the past two months living, eating, and sleeping on the river. Even steering boats at times?”

Xie Luoshui knelt before him. “Your Majesty, you once declared that if I found grain crops across the sea, you would confer a noble title upon me. Does that promise still hold?”

The emperor nodded, realizing she couldn’t see his gesture, and clarified, “The word of the Son of Heaven is law.”

Her eyes burned with determination. “Your Majesty, Luoshui is ready!”

The court had prepared a fleet of treasure ships and assembled skilled navigators. Xie Luoshui’s task was simple yet harrowing: survive the voyage, reach the distant lands, and return with crops like potatoes, corn, or sweet potatoes to enrich the empire’s agriculture.

The emperor, smiling, handed her a specially crafted official seal. “You will descend the great river, pass through Kaifeng, Xuzhou, and Jinan, and reach Bohai. Three hundred ships await you there, prepared for your command.”

Her hands trembled as she accepted the seal. “This servant thanks Your Majesty for the immense favor!” At that moment, she heard a voice.

[“Wow! So this is Yanshi County!”]

Xie Luoshui’s expression remained calm, but her pupils betrayed her shock. That voice…

The emperor, unbothered, responded, “That’s the voice of Baize, the sacred beast! Baize is the guardian spirit of our Great Xia!”

He elaborated, “It was Baize who revealed to me the strength of your constitution and the existence of foreign grains. That’s why I promised you a title.”

Baize? The name echoed in Xie Luoshui’s mind, as though an unseen snowfall blanketed her thoughts. Could this mythical creature truly have guided her?

The emperor continued proudly, “Baize is an auspicious beast, capable of comprehending all things—”

[“Oh, right! This place has the emperor’s so-called ‘lost gem of the sea,’ doesn’t it?”]

Time seemed to freeze.

The emperor sprang up, furious. “Impossible! Absolutely not! If I had fathered anyone, they would already be in the imperial harem! This must be another of that little bastard’s slanders!”

Xie Luoshui blinked. But didn’t you just say Baize knows all?

[“Ah, wait,”] the voice mused. [“Not a lost gem… It’s more like the emperor’s miraculous blessing that caused someone to conceive… What’s it called again? Oh, right—‘The Deliverer of Children’!”]

The court fell silent as this revelation sank in.

The commander of the central army stepped forward shamelessly. “Your Majesty, though I have eighteen adopted sons, I only have four biological children. I’m already fifty-seven this year. If Your Majesty would bless me as well, perhaps each of my eight concubines could bear twins?”

The emperor’s expression twitched violently, and he all but snarled, “There’s no such thing as ‘The Deliverer of Children’!”

But the story spread quickly. Yanshi County’s magistrate had previously petitioned the emperor, lamenting his childlessness. The emperor, idly amused, had responded with a single word: “Procreate.”

As luck would have it, the magistrate’s wife conceived shortly thereafter. Grateful and elated, the magistrate had the emperor’s written response engraved on a stone tablet, proclaiming to all that the emperor was a bringer of children. He even claimed that touching the inscription while observing a rainbow had ensured the pregnancy.

The emperor could only grimace as the absurdity of the tale spiraled out of control.

Meanwhile, amidst the commotion, officials overheard Baize yawning. [“Few children? That’s normal. Riding horses every day during wartime must have done a number on their… equipment.”]

The court erupted in silent panic. The general, however, chuckled contentedly. “Good thing I already have no heirs.”