Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

[Strange? Why did the old emperor suddenly summon someone over? He looked rather grim—did something happen?]

This thought lingered in Xu Yanmiao’s mind for less than ten seconds before being replaced by another:

[That “Birth” character stone tablet dedicated to the old emperor as the “Goddess of Childbirth”… I want to see it!]

Xu Yanmiao couldn’t bother with eating anymore. He bought two flatbreads on the road and headed straight for the county’s famous landmark. Halfway there, he ran into the old emperor himself.

[Uh… this is awkward…]

Noticing the emperor’s dark expression, Xu Yanmiao pretended as if nothing unusual was going on, trying to play it off. “What brings you here, Your Majesty?”

“Xu. Yan. Miao.” The emperor’s voice oozed through clenched teeth, each word dripping with displeasure. “And what brings you here?”

With an innocent face, Xu Yanmiao replied, “Oh, I’m just out for a casual stroll…”

The emperor let out a sarcastic chuckle. “This road only leads to the ‘Birth’ character stone tablet. You must have done your homework in advance. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be heading here immediately after disembarking.”

But then the emperor spoke again, his voice heavy with resentment. “You finished today’s official duties and still found time to wander around? Can’t you read the room? Look at your superiors—the Ministers and Vice Ministers. Do you see them idling around like you? And why are you so concerned with the Goddess of Childbirth? You’re not even married! Is this any of your business?”

Under the proverbial roof, Xu Yanmiao quietly bowed his head. “Your words are wise, Your Majesty.”

In the background, street sounds filled the air: hawkers selling candied hawthorns, tavern owners calling out to customers, flower peddlers balancing baskets, dog sellers tugging leashes, fortune-tellers selling divinations, and street artists sketching portraits.

The lively atmosphere only underscored the emperor’s rising frustration. This many commoners believed in the emperor as a “Goddess of Childbirth,” and his face grew even darker.

But…

[What does that have to do with me? I didn’t start this rumor! Why take it out on me?]

[What a Scrooge! Even during the New Year holiday, he won’t let people have fun. It’s only the second day of the New Year!]

[Also, look at the salaries of Ministers, Vice Ministers, and clerks. I’m earning peanuts and you expect me to do a million-dollar job? That’s just unreasonable.]

[Why can’t I be curious about the Goddess of Childbirth just because I’m unmarried? Isn’t he mad because he’s been made into one?]

[Besides, I’m not the only one here… Take the Minister of Personnel, my boss. Isn’t he over there disguised as a candied hawthorn seller to visit the ‘Birth’ character tablet?]

The old emperor froze, his dark expression hardening as he turned his gaze to the hawthorn seller standing with his back to him.

The Minister of Personnel: “…”

The seller stiffly turned around, holding up a stick of candied hawthorns with forced enthusiasm. “Would the gentleman like some candied hawthorn?”

The emperor:

[And the Minister of War brought a basket of flowers to sell, even sticking flowers in his own hair to avoid detection by you.]

The emperor’s gaze shifted to the flower seller.

The Minister of War: “…”

Lowering his head, three flowers fell from his hair to the ground, leaving only the one pinned behind his ear swaying in the breeze.

[Oh, look! The Minister of Justice is multi-talented. He’s even doing face readings. Who would’ve guessed?]

The Minister of Justice, packing up his fortune-telling stall and preparing to flee, hurriedly grabbed a banner reading “Not Accurate? No Charge!” to cover his face.

As Xu Yanmiao pointed them out one by one, it became apparent that nearly 90% of the accompanying officials were there.

The ‘Birth’ character stone tablet was always a popular site for commoners to worship and burn incense, but tonight’s unusually large crowd was undoubtedly thanks to these officials.

The old emperor was so furious he almost laughed.

“ALL OF YOU, COME OUT!”

One by one, the guilty officials sheepishly stepped forward.

The emperor found some comfort in noticing a few high-ranking officials absent. “You all should learn from Qin Guan! He’s never been overly curious about unnecessary things!” Qin Guan, the Grand General, was his prime example.

“Not curious?” Yongchang Marquis snorted. “That’s only because he doesn’t need the ‘Goddess of Childbirth.’”

Xu Yanmiao looked around but didn’t see the Grand General anywhere.

[Strange. Could it really be that same-sex relationships don’t require children?]

[But that doesn’t make sense. I’m not in a same-sex relationship, and I don’t need children either. Yet I’m very curious about the stone tablet…]

[Wait, is that… Oh, my God! He disguised himself as a beggar! No wonder even the emperor’s sharp eyes didn’t spot him!]@@novelbin@@

In the corner, a figure crawled along the ground, appearing lame. Just as they were about to slip away unnoticed, they silently turned around and crawled back, dragging a leg as they approached the emperor. From their battered bowl, they carefully retrieved their sole earnings for the evening—a single copper coin—and placed it by the emperor’s boot.

The emperor: “…”

He had one question on his mind:

Why are all my ministers so… eccentric?!

Yeah, Why are they so eccentric? I laughed so hard when I tried to imagine this scene. hahahhahahha