Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court-Chapter 350: Unsolicited Flattery, Either a Thief or a Scoundrel

After all these chapters, In the Years When I Was a Father—the heartfelt story of Qi Sheng’s journey—has finally been completed today. Thank you for following along through every twist and emotion. Please support on Ko-fi, every bit helps with translation and maintaining this website. Stay tuned for more heartwarming stories ahead!

The proud little prodigy looked at the retreating examiner. Instead of insulting him, she respectfully cupped her hands and gave a formal bow. “May I ask, Examiner, do you have any further questions?”

The surrounding scholars and literati watched and nodded with faint smiles.

“This girl does carry the grace of a lady.”

Then they glanced disdainfully at Huo Guozuo.

She was nothing like certain people who, just because they were older and had read a few more books, bullied children.

Only the Princess Consort (the female Prince Consort) wore a smile while subtly glancing at her daughter.

Didn’t she know her own child—this clever little thing who acted more like an adult than a child?

As if she was really repaying evil with virtue, full of magnanimity and the demeanor of a great master! Clearly, she knew exactly where to strike: she knew the examiner cared about face, about reputation, about the success and respect a prodigy like her could garner. So she had to act even more magnanimously, winning public admiration while making this examiner feel like dying inside—yet forced to be courteous on the surface.

Huo Guozuo truly did feel like dying inside, but he could only smile. “I have nothing more to ask. You’re excellent and very clever. I wish you top honors in the prodigy examination.”

Taking advantage of the angle where others couldn’t see, Yan Linghui quickly flashed him a provocative grin. “Thank you, Examiner. I will definitely come out on top!”

Huo Guozuo nearly lost his composure. Even though he did his best to keep his emotions in check, his face stretched long in misery. “Your Highness, please enter the examination hall.”

Yan Linghui gave an unladylike toothy grin before turning around. Her expression returned to calm and composure, as if she were an adult, and she said to the Princess Consort, “Father, there’s still a bit of time. Is there anything you want to say to me?”

The Princess Consort crouched down and looked into her eyes. “Before I left Liaodong, your mother told me to say something to you: How dare you leave home with just a letter! When she finds you, she’s going to hang you up and give you a good beating.”

Yan Linghui’s little adult façade cracked in an instant. She rolled up her sleeve and held out her palm, gritting her teeth. “Can you wait until the prodigy exam is over to beat me? For now, just hit my palm a little to collect some interest.”

—Because the prodigy exam didn’t require pen and paper. It was more like an interview where examiners posed questions and the child prodigies answered verbally.

Yan Chun looked at her daughter’s display and smiled with pursed lips. “But I know what your mother really wanted to say was: well done. You are the pride of both of us.”

“Eh!!!”

Yan Linghui threw herself into Yan Chun’s arms in delight. “Father! I’m definitely going to take first place!”

Yan Chun hugged her back, about to say with a smile, “I believe in you,” when she heard her daughter whisper softly in her arms, at a volume only she could hear: “As a girl.”

The child’s voice was full of youthful energy and a unique fearlessness. Her actions, too, were bold and courageous.

Yan Chun’s pupils dilated slightly.

When? When did this child realize… that she was disguising herself as a boy?

Yan Linghui pulled away from the embrace and took two steps back, waving. “Father! I’m going now!”

What you regret, what Mother regrets—your daughter will make up for. Today, I will enter the imperial examination openly, not disguised as a man, but proudly as a girl.

She was placing a bet: after she passed the exam, would her imperial grandfather strip her of her title and achievements, simply grant her a noble title as a consolation—or perhaps… allow her to officially enter government service?

In life, there’s always a gamble worth taking.

Yan Linghui didn’t know if she had placed the right bet—but Huo Guozuo had most certainly lost his.

——He had been investigated by the Jinyiwei for past misconduct in filial piety. The old emperor was enraged, saying that someone who wasn’t even filial himself had the audacity to demand filial piety from a commandery princess.

“If you can’t be filial yourself, then don’t raise children at all. Spare the country from having to rear unfilial citizens.”

The old emperor immediately issued an edict: all of Huo Guozuo’s sons and grandsons were to be reassigned to other branches of the Huo family who were of the same clan but had no sons. And Huo Guozuo was sentenced to corruption punishment (castration).

This was the version Xu Yanmiao knew.

Lian Hang, who knew even less, blurted out, “What?! Castrated?!”

Xu Yanmiao took a deep breath and tried to speak in a calm tone, “Yes, swift and ruthless. His Majesty even said…” Xu Yanmiao paused, then lowered his voice to mimic the old emperor’s gruff tone:

“You think having a stick of meat between your legs makes you a man? A real man stands tall between heaven and earth. You’re not filial to your mother, you can’t shelter your wife from the wind and rain—what kind of man are you! Just like a eunuch. If you had any ability, your mother and wife wouldn’t have suffered so much. You dumped all your filial duties on your wife! That’s not delegation—that’s disgrace! Since your face is already lost, you may as well lose the other one too.”

“And then he was…”

“Yes. Castrated.”

Lian Hang gasped and instinctively clutched his crotch.

Even though he’d never do what Huo Guozuo did, as a fellow man, he felt a deep sense of sympathetic pain. “So now he…”

Xu Yanmiao, seeing his reaction, tried to comfort him, “Don’t worry, even though he lost some… important parts, he’s still an official. His Majesty didn’t strip him of his post.”

Lian Hang stared at Xu Yanmiao. Xu Yanmiao stared back.

After a long stare, Xu Yanmiao asked, puzzled, “What?”

Lian Hang’s lips twitched, “Xu Lang, do you seriously think that becoming a eunuch but keeping your official post is a good thing?”

Xu blinked at him, dumbfounded. Then, suddenly, it hit him: “Ah! You mean, he’s now incomplete—and it’s public knowledge. Being among his peers will only make him suffer more?”

Lian Hang said dryly, “Exactly.”

Xu Yanmiao blinked again.

Clearly, Xu Lang had no further comment.

But in his mind…

[The old emperor really knows how to hit where it hurts. Castration alone wasn’t enough—he made sure the man would suffer psychologically, forcing him to voluntarily give up his career… a career he’d chased his whole life and only achieved at sixty. The emperor didn’t remove him from office—he made the guy resign out of humiliation.]

[Understandable, though…]

[Anyway, the lesson is: stay cautious. Never assume you’re special just because you’re favored. History has shown time and again—even favored ministers must not grow arrogant.]

[You can do it, Xu Yanmiao! Just think of Huo Guozuo’s… thing! Stay humble!]

Lian Hang’s mouth twitched again.

But seriously, with Xu Lang’s sieve-like brain spilling thoughts all over the place, no amount of caution could help him.

[If the thing isn’t enough motivation, think of what happened in the ninth year of Tiantong. The old emperor invited nationwide officials to speak freely and point out his faults. One official did—he said: “The enfeoffments are excessive, punishments are too harsh, reforms too rushed.” Reasonable enough, right? The emperor was furious and threw the guy in the Ministry of Justice prison—until he died.]

[Hiss—]

[Thank goodness I never believed him when he said, “I won’t punish you. Speak freely.” Not even once! I’m amazing!]

Lian Hang quietly raised his hand to cover his ears, attempting a real-life version of “plugging one’s ears while stealing a bell.” But when thoughts are broadcast mentally, hands or cotton are useless.

Not far from the two of them, inside a private room of a teahouse, the old emperor was coincidentally accompanying Empress Dou to see her elder brother, the former Former Prime Minister Dou.

“……”

Empress Dou sighed silently but said nothing.

The old emperor, regardless of his brother-in-law’s presence, gritted his teeth: “That brat! I treated him so well, and he thinks others are the same as him?!”

——He didn’t think punishing that official was wrong at all.

Sure, he said they could speak freely, but not like that! From his son all the way up to him—was that something a loyal official should do?

Former Prime Minister Dou said nothing, sitting quietly. He could more or less guess that this was about something Xu Yanmiao had said again, but he truly couldn’t hear it.

——In this regard, his brother-in-law was extremely stubborn. Once away from court, no one could hear Xu Yanmiao’s inner voice. The old emperor treated that ability like an extension of imperial power, like a treasure to guard. No exceptions. No one could infringe upon it.

Even though that “treasure” was endlessly worrying:

[And then there was that time in the palace, when the emperor hung up a portrait of the only empress regnant in history. A minister advised him to take it down. He was punished to kneel outside the Meridian Gate for a whole day.]

[Eh? Wait, maybe… that’s not totally unreasonable.]

[From my point of view, that minister was meddling too much… but from his point of view, he was worried the palace ladies might be inspired to usurp power. That’s kind of reasonable too?]

[Let’s skip this one for now.]

[Still… kneeling a whole day… hiss. Maybe I should prep some pads to cushion my knees next time I have to kneel…?]

Lian Hang clutched his ears harder.

I don’t know what His Majesty does in the harem! I definitely don’t know Xu Lang is planning to smuggle in kneeling pads as cheat tools! I know nothing!

Inside the teahouse room…

The old emperor also pretended not to hear Xu Yanmiao’s internal schemes. He coughed and turned to the former Former Prime Minister Dou: “Shanbai, let’s talk business.”

Dou Qian, the former prime minister: “……”

He knew it. That talk about how it had been so long since he saw his sister and wanted a family gathering? All a lie. Whenever the emperor acted considerate, a heavy burden always followed.

Dou Qing slowly sipped his warm soy milk, then gently set down the cup and spoke unhurriedly: “Your Majesty, please speak. I will do my utmost.”

The emperor said with feigned concern, “What are you saying, dear brother-in-law? You’re already retired and getting old. How can I make you handle any more affairs personally?”

Dou Qian: “!!!”

You’re calling me brother-in-law now?!

Dou Qian stamped his foot. “Your Majesty! No matter what it is, I’ll grit my teeth and do it. Even in retirement, my life belongs to you. But my family is innocent! Can you at least let me settle them, help them change names and go into hiding first…”

The old emperor coughed again and poured him another cup of soy milk: “It’s not that serious…”

Dou Qian glanced down at the refilled soy milk, fell silent for a while, then said bluntly: “Your Majesty, just tell me straight—what matter is it this time that might implicate nine generations?”

“You overthink.”

The old emperor righteously declared: “Your nine generations are also the empress’s nine generations!”

The old emperor: “I want to collect taxes from local magnates, rich merchants, and noble families.”

Dou Qian didn’t even hesitate. This old man, practically half in the grave, threw himself at the emperor’s leg and sobbed his heart out right in front of the empress: “Your Majesty! I don’t want my grave dug up after I die. Can’t you find someone else to do this instead?!”

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