Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

“Do I look like someone who needs a single copper coin?!”

The old emperor raised his foot and kicked the general.

It wasn’t hard, but the general deliberately fell, flamboyantly performing a comedic stunt to amuse the emperor.

The old emperor turned his head, only to see Xu Yanmiao’s clear eyes filled with astonishment.

“At least… at least…” The old emperor opened his mouth, then closed it, and after a moment, he tried again: “At least the crown prince didn’t come…”

Xu Yanmiao blinked: [Ah! The crown prince! I almost forgot about him…]

Seeing that Xu Yanmiao was about to communicate with the divine artifact again, the old emperor’s face turned emotionless.

Enough! I don’t want to know where the crown prince is or who he’s pretending to be right now!

He patted Xu Yanmiao on the shoulder with a strained smile: “What are you standing there for? Didn’t you want to see it? Today, I’ll let you have your fill.”

—He had already been shocked once earlier while watching the peculiar antics of the capital’s officials.

Help! Why are these high-ranking officials so different from what I imagined? Shouldn’t they stride like dragons and tigers, exuding dignity, with every word discussing the affairs of the nation and every smile hiding profound meaning?

Now he was even more puzzled—what was so special about this young man that the emperor would pat him on the shoulder and speak to him so amiably?

Xu Yanmiao didn’t think much of it. After all, the old emperor had always acted like this around him. His focus quickly shifted from the crown prince to the stone stele. His eyes darted in its direction, and after a moment of thought, he took a step forward.

[Whether the old emperor is killing the chicken to warn the monkey or simply throwing caution to the wind, I still have to do this. Just relax and go check out the stele!]

With this mindset, Xu Yanmiao felt more at ease. His strides became firm and confident as he passed through the unusually quiet officials, heading toward the “Life” stele.

The old emperor glanced around. “Let’s move,” he said, then followed suit.

The general on the ground performed a miraculous recovery, springing to his feet despite his earlier “injury.” He crouched down, carefully picked up the copper coin, cleaned it, and tucked it into his pocket.

The Minister of Personnel hoisted his sugar-coated hawthorn skewer stall onto his shoulder, reluctantly resisting the urge to call out for more customers.

The Minister of War casually removed the flower tucked behind his ear and placed it back into the flower basket. He carried the basket on his arm and continued walking—it hadn’t been easy to gather this many flowers during the second day of the Lunar New Year.

The Minister of Justice rolled up the banner from his fortune-telling stall and gazed pensively at the bamboo chair. After a moment of thought, he decided to leave it there. If it was still there when they returned, he’d take it; if not, so be it.

The other officials also put away their tricks and obediently followed the emperor.

Then, in front of the “Life” stele, they saw a man pacing around, poking and prodding at the stele.

“Can this really make someone miraculously conceive? I don’t believe it! Let me poke it again! Poke it again!”

Standing beside him was the crown prince’s personal attendant, as rigid and serious as always. Though he was clearly anxious, he didn’t know how to stop his master and could only dryly call out, “My lord!”

The crown prince didn’t even turn his head: “Ah, don’t call me. I’m studying how this Guanyin statue grants children…”

“Have you figured it out?”@@novelbin@@

“Not yet. But the calligraphy on this stele is pretty good…”

The crown prince suddenly noticed his usually wooden and hierarchical attendant tugging at his sleeve with an unusual boldness. He immediately sensed something was off. Turning around, he saw the emperor and forced a sheepish smile.

“…Father.”

The old emperor was livid. “You got here pretty fast.”

The crown prince chuckled dryly. “I walked straight in without any disguise, so it was quicker.”

The officials: “…”

So the crown prince had already seen through their disguises?

Fine. Let him see through them. After all, they weren’t the emperor’s biological children and didn’t dare to brazenly watch the spectacle.

Xu Yanmiao’s eyes suddenly lit up.

[Thank goodness! Seeing everyone else in disguise while I strolled in openly, I felt a bit foolish. But now I realize the crown prince came in unmasked too!]

The officials fell silent again.

They wanted to point out that the crown prince could afford to act this way because he was the emperor’s favorite and had no fear of losing his position. Then again, Xu Yanmiao also seemed to hold a special place in the emperor’s heart, so… never mind.

The old emperor waved everyone aside. Several imperial guards quickly formed two lines, lit torches, and illuminated the “Life” stele in vivid detail.

The county magistrate of Yanshi felt his mind race in a thousand directions, sweating nervously.

The old emperor, however, took his time admiring the stele.

It was a massive “Life” character, about the height of a person, with a base connecting it to its pedestal.

The handwriting was unmistakably his own. Some parts of the stele had turned black, which, with his extensive experience, the old emperor recognized as the result of either smoke damage or the heavy wear from countless touches over time.

…He didn’t even want to think about how many people had come to touch this stele, hoping to receive blessings from “Guanyin the Child-Giver.”

The county magistrate of Yanshi took a small step forward and whispered, “Your Majesty, ever since this stele was erected, many people have come from neighboring counties to see it. The county’s commercial taxes have increased by half a percentage point.”

—After all, this was the emperor’s calligraphy!

This hit the old emperor’s weak spot.

If a single stele could boost one county’s revenue by half a percentage point, what if every county in the empire had one? Wouldn’t the tax revenue of the entire kingdom soar?

Picturing this golden future, the old emperor felt a rare sense of joy welling up inside. But he quickly shook his head.

Scarcity makes things valuable. If every county had one, it would lose its significance. Better to keep it as a unique piece.

Placing his hand on the “Life” stele, the old emperor couldn’t help but admire it. Turning to the county magistrate, he said, “Since the people love it so much, let it stay.”

The elderly censor quickly chimed in with flattery: “Your Majesty is truly sharing the joys of the people!”

The old emperor laughed heartily but suddenly paused, turning to look at Xu Yanmiao. His gaze lingered so long that Xu Yanmiao began to worry he’d made a mistake.

Finally, the emperor relaxed and resumed laughing.

He was scared!

Scared that the moment he felt happy, Xu Yanmiao would say something to ruin the mood.

Fortunately, this time the rascal had done something proper, allowing the emperor to enjoy his laughter in peace. For a moment, he even felt a strange sense of relief.

With rare kindness, the emperor addressed Xu Yanmiao: “Xu Yanmiao, go back and rest well. Tomorrow, we’ll continue our journey.”

The next day, the Emperor’s grand ship departed, and only then did the county magistrate of Yanshi County heave a sigh of relief.

Although he hadn’t done anything wrong, he was still uneasy about the Emperor staying in his jurisdiction. It was better that he left.

The ship sailed to Gong County, where it stayed for half a day before moving on to Si Shui County. Some might not recognize the name Si Shui County, but its neighboring Hulao Pass was famously renowned.

The saying, “One man holding a spear can deter a hundred,” praised the strategic and treacherous terrain of Hulao Pass.

This time, the group stayed for five days. Officials from the Ministry of Works thoroughly inspected and repaired Hulao Pass before the entourage continued its journey.

Surprisingly, this leg of the journey was taken by carriage instead of ship.

The local officials murmured among themselves, “Where could they be headed?”

Zhengzhou, located near Hulao Pass, was overseen by a cheerful governor who walked in from the outskirts of the crowd and addressed the county magistrate of Xingyang County under his jurisdiction: “Liangzhai, I’ve found you a great opportunity! How do you plan to thank me?”

The Xingyang County magistrate looked up in shock. “What great opportunity?”

“Well,” said the governor, his tone full of self-satisfaction, “I happen to have some history with His Majesty. He summoned me for a conversation about old times, and I made sure to bring you up. Didn’t you say your wife makes an exceptional bowl of gēda soup? Let me tell you, His Majesty has a particular fondness for that dish!

I also praised you for being exceptionally close to the people. Even as a county official, you’ve never indulged in extravagance. Ever since your appointment, you’ve governed with calmness and fairness, worked diligently, and cared for the people.”

“Initially, the Emperor’s procession wasn’t planning to visit Xingyang County, but once I described you and your wife’s cooking, the route was altered. They’re coming to Xingyang County… just to taste a bowl of your wife’s rustic gēda soup!”

“How about that? Exciting, isn’t it? This is imperial favor!”

“Liangzhai? Liangzhai? Why aren’t you smiling?”

The Xingyang County magistrate stiffly looked away and replied, “Your Excellency’s grace… I am merely a humble official of low rank. Upon hearing that His Majesty will visit my modest home, I am filled with both dread and exhilaration. I don’t know how to face this honor.”

The governor of Zhengzhou burst into hearty laughter. “Liangzhai, relax! His Majesty isn’t as fearsome as you think. As long as you’re a capable and honest official, you’ll earn his favor, even without flowery words.

Look at the magistrate of Yanshi County—he made that ‘Life’ Stele, used it as a gimmick, and even marketed it under His Majesty’s name. When the Emperor heard it was generating revenue, he didn’t even pursue the matter. You’re much better than that!”

The county magistrate of Xingyang was still quite anxious. When the Emperor’s traveling court stopped in Xingyang, the exhaustion on the magistrate’s face was plain to see.

“Is your wife from a family of officials?” The old Emperor sat in the magistrate’s home, his gaze filled with curiosity. “A lady from an official’s family, who is especially skilled at making gēda soup?”

Not the kind made with pork bones, fresh fish, or ribs, which wealthy families might enjoy during winter for novelty, but the humble kind—made by poor households using simple flour lumps, wild greens, and a pinch of salt, serving as both a staple and a soup.

Was he being deceived?

At this moment, the magistrate of Xingyang appeared remarkably composed. “Your Majesty…” In private, he could use this title without fear of exposing the Emperor’s identity. “I, too, am unsure why my wife’s gēda soup is especially delicious. Perhaps she has had some experience… I have already informed her. Upon hearing that Your Majesty enjoys it, she was so delighted she rushed to the kitchen without even changing her clothes.”

The old Emperor chuckled. “Then I shall wait.”

In the inner courtyard, the county magistrate’s wife’s pupils trembled slightly from shock. “My husband asked me to make gēda soup? But… I don’t know how!”

Even if they wanted to show the Emperor that they hadn’t forgotten their roots, wasn’t this a bit too much?

The magistrate’s wife thought for a moment and sighed. “Still, my husband probably didn’t expect His Majesty to take him so seriously.”

But… she truly didn’t know how to make gēda soup! She had heard that every step of its preparation would be closely monitored by the Jinyiwei to prevent any mishaps, so she couldn’t even delegate the task to someone else.