Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court-Chapter 352: Selling Anxiety to the Emperor

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 old emperor immediately saw through what his brother-in-law was thinking, and a subtle expression appeared on his face.

For other matters, he might indeed change his mind because of Xu Yanmiao, but when it came to the philosophy of governance, he would never back down.

“Brother-in-law, you don’t need to think that anyone can persuade me otherwise.”

The old emperor spoke calmly, having thought everything through: “Cruel officials are a double-edged sword, and I’ve always been aware of that. They’re not omnipotent—I know that too. I understand better than anyone that cruel officials are only effective when the emperor holds military power and the imperial authority is strong. Precisely because of this, I must use them during the Tian Tong era to get things done. Otherwise, wouldn’t I be leaving behind disasters for my descendants?”

At worst, once everything was done, he could just seal the case—meaning, eliminate them. Not only was it convenient, but it could also be used to appease the grievances of ministers and commoners alike. The old emperor felt no guilt about this: using and discarding people had always been a required course for emperors.

Prime Minister Dou’s heart trembled.

Somehow… His Majesty’s reasoning sounded a bit convincing!

[Why does it seem like all those so-called great emperors, wise rulers, monarchs of the ages, all have this same problem?] Xu Yanmiao couldn’t help but complain: [They all think they can finish everything in their generation so their descendants can live easy lives.]

[But when they governed themselves, they clearly noticed that problems are periodic—one after another, they arise at different stages. There’s no once-and-for-all solution. The only thing that can be done is constantly patching national policies and iterating systems. Times evolve, and so do problems. Why is it that when it comes to their own descendants, they suddenly believe what they’ve built can protect them for eternity?]

[If things were really that simple, would it have been your turn, Old Gao? Were the likes of Old Ying, Old Ji, and Old Zhao all fools? Or do you think you’re smarter than all of them? After being praised for too long, don’t tell me you really think you’re the greatest emperor ever with unprecedented wisdom…]

With a loud “bang,” the old emperor slammed his palm on the table, his face filled with fury: “Insolence!”

—Old Ying, Old Ji, and Old Zhao were all legendary founding emperors in history, solid top-ten material in any list of greatest monarchs.

[Huh? Why is he suddenly so angry?]

Prime Minister Dou suddenly came to his senses. Just as he was standing up, he fell to his knees with a loud thud: “This minister deserves death!” He quickly took the blame upon himself: “Your Majesty, please forgive me. This minister should not have questioned Your Majesty’s policies in his heart—but even if I must die today, I must still say this: the use of cruel officials is not a viable path.”

Prime Minister Dou’s mind was spinning faster than a waterwheel: “Even if some cruel officials only target the powerful clans and leave the common people untouched, not all cruel officials are like this. The moment someone bypasses the judiciary and holds power over life and death, their moral character becomes a gamble left to fate. Your Majesty! Are we really going to leave the fate of the people to the whims of these officials’ consciences?”

[Ohhh, so that’s what happened!]

Xu Yanmiao had a sudden realization.

So the old emperor had sensed that Lord Dou didn’t approve of the plan and flew into a rage.

[Honestly, I think Lord Dou’s argument makes a lot of sense…] Xu Yanmiao muttered quietly while staring at the system text: [Human nature really can’t be tested.]

The Tian Tong Emperor fell silent.

Empress Dou silently observed. Seeing this, she couldn’t help but smile in relief.

She had always worried that if she died before your majesty, he’d be too sharp without his scabbard to restrain him. But now it seemed, maybe she didn’t need to worry so much.

Human sorrow and joy are not interconnected.

The commander of the Jinyiwei guarding the door suddenly panicked.

No! What do you mean human nature can’t be tested! Test me! I can definitely pass! I have an elderly mother above me, children below me, my whole clan is still intact!

The Tian Tong Emperor looked at his brother-in-law and said slowly, “Of course I won’t leave it to fate or conscience. I plan to establish another office to supervise all officials—including the Jinyiwei.”

Although he was addressing Prime Minister Dou, everyone present knew that he was actually speaking to Xu Yanmiao, across space.

He was giving Xu Yanmiao a chance to persuade him.

—For a ruler as autocratic and self-assured to the point of arrogance, this was truly rare.

[Huh?] Xu Yanmiao’s first reaction was: [Adding another government office? Is the old emperor so rich he’s getting cocky now? Every new position means paying another salary. Be careful or Minister Yuan might throw in the towel, and you’ll be stuck chasing him down to beg him back at his funeral pyre!]

Old Emperor: “…?”

Excuse him, he had anticipated countless possible reactions and rehearsed just as many counterarguments, but this one? He really hadn’t seen it coming.

—And just like that, the stagnant atmosphere began to shift.

Prime Minister Dou’s mouth twitched. Under the emperor’s deathly stare, he dutifully began patching things up. Honestly, since becoming prime minister, it had been a while since he had to sugarcoat anything for someone else: “Monitoring the Jinyiwei is indeed a good idea. However, Your Majesty, have you considered… that creating an office just to supervise the Jinyiwei might signal the beginning of bureaucratic bloat?”

The old emperor began to ponder.

Xu Yanmiao mumbled: [Speaking of which, if the office supervising the Jinyiwei ends up with problems, what then? According to the old emperor’s logic, will he create yet another office to monitor the office that monitors the Jinyiwei?]

[And if that office ends up with issues, then what?]

[Add another government office?]

[Oh, I get it now! So being an emperor is just like playing Jenga! So simple!]

The old emperor: “……”

The old emperor: “……”

The old emperor: “……”

What’s the point of thinking anymore?! Stop ruining my reputation! I never said that! Do you think I’m like you, stacking yamens like a game of Jenga?!

[But still, the old emperor wouldn’t actually do that. After all, he’s the founding emperor—he’s got the brains.]

The dense clouds on the old emperor’s face suddenly cleared.

He gave a light snort.

Stupid brat… at least you’ve got some eyes.

[But it’s not like every single one of the old emperor’s descendants will be a wise ruler, right?]

[What if… say, the Jinyiwei are monitoring the officials. Then what if the Jinyiwei go rogue? Create an Eastern Depot to monitor the Jinyiwei. But what if the Eastern Depot goes bad? Create a Western Depot to monitor the Eastern Depot. Then what if the Western Depot also goes corrupt? Create an Inner Service Depot to monitor the Jinyiwei, Eastern Depot, and Western Depot.]

[Wow! What a perfect policy!]

[Just means the old emperor needs to save up more money for his descendants, or else they won’t be able to afford to fund so many offices.]

The old emperor’s temples were visibly throbbing.

As a rational and intelligent ruler, just a moment’s thought made him realize… if a useless fool ends up on the throne and the Jinyiwei goes off the rails, it’s very possible that instead of solving the root issue, his dumb descendant might just copy him and pile on new monitoring agencies like blocks in a tower.

Is this what he’s saving all this money for? So those unfilial descendants can waste it like this? Even he himself hasn’t dared to spend it like that! Dream on!!!

All of Dou Qing’s attempts to persuade him before hadn’t really entered his ears. Because, assigning the Jinyiwei to act as ruthless enforcers wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision.

He had already weighed all the pros and cons—including the one Dou Qing just brought up: harming the common people.

—Cruel as it may be, if sacrificing a few dozen or hundred civilians could bring clarity to the court and stability to the nation, 99% of emperors would hesitate not a second.

And even the potential dangers that Dou Qing hadn’t thought of, he had. He’d already come up with countermeasures.

—He firmly believed he could keep everything under control.

—This was a common trait of those who achieve great things: confidence, bordering on arrogance. Once they set their minds on something, few can change it.

But…

The old emperor suddenly realized he’d overlooked something.

He forgot that in this world, fools make up the majority.

And the throne doesn’t always go to the capable. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been so many muddle-headed and inept emperors in history.

In that moment, even though no one was trying to persuade him, the Heavenly Unity Emperor suddenly had a bizarre thought: Maybe this whole “ruthless enforcer” thing isn’t worth it after all?

—Sure, he could abolish the Jinyiwei before he died, but what if some idiot among his descendants decided to mimic him and used the enforcers to eliminate political enemies… and misjudged their own capabilities, leading to a full-blown game of Jenga?

[Huh…]

Xu Yanmiao flipped through the system and suddenly discovered a bit of gossip she hadn’t noticed before:

[I was wondering why the old emperor suddenly wanted to use ruthless enforcers and speed up his political agenda.]

[Turns out someone’s been selling him anxiety!]

The old emperor: “?” ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

Selling what?

[The Crown Prince has been exhausted from managing state affairs lately, and just yesterday he coughed up blood. Aren’t you worried you might outlive your own son, Your Majesty?]

The old emperor: “……”

[If the Crown Prince dies early, even if you pick one of your grandsons to succeed him, the oldest is only fifteen! Unless you live another ten years, how is a young heir supposed to control the court full of seasoned ministers? You’d have to raise your blade and clear a bloody path to a prosperous age for your new heir!]

The old emperor’s eyelid twitched. A wave of anxiety surged through him.

—After all, he was already sixty-six. Who knew how many more years he had?

[Beyond the borders, there are still eighteen barbarian tribes. Only ten have submitted; the other eight are still eyeing Great Xia hungrily! And the Jin barbarians who tried to assassinate you haven’t even been wiped out yet!]

[What if the new heir turns out to be a scholar-loving, military-averse type? He might sit back and chat with Confucians about benevolent rulership while letting the barbarians grow stronger!]

[Your Majesty! I heard the barbarians use some kind of wolf-pack-style education. Before they can even walk, they’re learning to ride. Once they’re a bit older, they start practicing archery. If they can’t shoot rapid-fire arrows by adulthood, they get laughed at! From childhood, they train every chance they get!]

The old emperor’s breathing grew labored.

Yes, yes, yes! The barbarians! Haven’t we already seen what happened in the Five Barbarians’ Rebellion just a few hundred years ago?!

If the new emperor favors scholars over soldiers, how can Great Xia’s military possibly defeat those barbarians raised on horseback and archery?

—Sure, Great Xia has guns and cannons, but they haven’t been mass-produced enough for every soldier. The firearms corps is just one division among many. In a full-scale war, the outcome still depends on archery and cavalry outside of the firearms unit’s battlefield.

[There are still many deficiencies in the country—currency hasn’t even been fully unified yet.]

[And there are still underdeveloped lands, like Guizhou and Guangxi, where they don’t even have local civil service exam sites. Scholars in Guizhou have to travel to Yunnan to take exams. Guangxi’s scholars go to Guangdong. These areas need development.]

[Oh, and don’t forget the overseas countries. They might have wise rulers too. And as long as they’re nations, they’ll want to expand. Who knows whether Great Xia will conquer them… or be conquered?]

[But Great Xia hasn’t even sorted out its currency yet…]

The old emperor raised his hand and pressed it against his temple.

Enough! Stop talking already!

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