Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Chapter 166: Tear-Jerking! This Woman Repays Evil with Virtue, Sending Her Enemy Straight to Heaven! (1 / 2)

No! I refuse to believe it!

My Zhenzhen, Ai’ai, and Lianlian are all fake?!

Even my devoted and unwavering wife is fake?!

Huang Yong shot to his feet, the chair behind him toppling over with a resounding crash.

For a fleeting moment, silence hung in the air.

Feeling Xu Yanmiao’s scrutinizing gaze and the emperor’s increasingly intense, blood-filled stare, Huang Yong’s facial muscles twitched violently.

His reaction was far too suspicious—this won’t do! He mustn’t let Xu Yanmiao suspect anything!

With a loud thud, Huang Yong dropped to his knees. The impact was so forceful that he questioned whether he’d fractured a bone. In his haste, his robes got tangled, causing him to stumble awkwardly and slide all the way to the emperor’s feet.

Driven by a desperate will to survive, Huang Yong clutched the emperor’s leg and wailed, “Your Majesty!!! I understand now! Please have mercy on me, Your Majesty! I’ve been wronged! I only ever wished for a loving wife and beautiful concubines! I never—absolutely never—intended…”

Why is it that whenever someone gets overly emotional, they always want to grab his leg?!

For those aware, it was obvious Huang Yong was trying to derail Xu Yanmiao’s train of thought and prevent suspicion. But for anyone unaware, it would look as though this emperor was so feeble that anyone could approach him at will!

Huang Yong paid no mind. Clinging to that leg like it was his last connection to his ancestors, he cried, “Your Majesty! I swear I never intended to rebel with the Prince of Jibei!”

[What?!]

The emperor was taken aback, so much so that his tone slowed. “…Rebel?”

Huang Yong tried to shoot the emperor with a knowing look.

It was what Xu Yanmiao had mentioned earlier in his thoughts—that the Prince of Jibei was plotting a rebellion and planning to provoke the Crown Prince to death!

Of course, the emperor remembered these events, but his confusion persisted. “What does the Prince of Jibei’s rebellion have to do with you?”

[Exactly! I don’t see any connection between Huang Yong’s household and the Prince of Jibei. Who voluntarily ties themselves to treason like this?!]

All because of you!

Huang Yong, desperate to justify his actions, spoke in a feeble voice, “Your Majesty, why else would you suddenly visit my humble home? Surely, it must be because you’ve learned of my correspondence with the Prince of Jibei.”

[Oh-ho! The emperor was merely here to observe the joys of married life, and now he’s inadvertently uncovered a self-proclaimed traitor!]

[Wait a minute. Is Huang Yong really involved in a rebellion? No, right? That supposed correspondence wasn’t anything recent. It was from ages ago, and it was purely ceremonial—a congratulatory letter sent when the Prince of Jibei got married. It wasn’t even significant enough to count. If this counts as evidence, then nearly every official in the court would be incriminated!]

Huang Yong bowed his head slightly and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

This was exactly why he had brought it up—it was something he was sure wouldn’t actually incriminate him, making it the perfect excuse. Now, with Xu Yanmiao essentially vouching for him, his position was even more secure.

Thus, Huang Yong began playing the part of a terrified and submissive official, tearfully lamenting his anxiety over the emperor’s unexpected visit. He suggested that someone must have slandered him behind his back.

—After all, when the emperor visits officials, it’s usually grand figures like the Prime Minister, Ministers of State, or dukes. Why on earth would he suddenly think of a mere langzhong like him?

As for all that talk about wives, concubines, and confidantes, it was nothing more than a product of his panicked, muddled mind trying to buy time.

Now that Huang Yong could no longer stall, he resigned himself to the situation and decided to clear his name. This explained his earlier abrupt reaction.

It made sense. It was logical.

Clearly, his performance worked. Xu Yanmiao believed him.

Huang Yong knelt there, tightly clutching his metaphorical ancestral roots, and began wailing at the top of his lungs, “Your Majesty! I truly have no connection whatsoever to the Prince of Jibei! Besides, I’m just a humble langzhong—even if the Prince of Jibei wanted to bribe someone, he wouldn’t bother with a small fry like me!”

[Huh? A langzhong in the Bureau of Personnel Selection is considered a small fry? That’s a rank of zhengwu pin (fifth rank), isn’t it? And in the Ministry of Personnel, no less.]

Huang Yong: “Waaaaahhhh!”

Xu Yanmiao, did we have some grudge I wasn’t aware of? Or is it because I outrank you and you want to knock me down to climb up?

—Technically, the Bureau of Personnel Selection is a department within the Ministry of Personnel, and either term can be used. However, in formal documents, it’s referred to as the Bureau of Personnel Selection within the Ministry of Personnel.

Currently, Xu Yanmiao held the position of yuanwailang in the Ministry of Personnel, which was a subordinate official at the congwu pin (subordinate fifth rank).

[Still, Huang Yong definitely isn’t colluding with the Prince of Jibei. In the provinces, the Vice Commissioner of the Guizhou Circuit is, and in the capital, the Marquis of Yingcheng has frequent correspondence with the Prince of Jibei. Additionally, the Secretary of the Military Department, specifically the one holding the seal, is also involved. Oddly enough, that one is only of zhengqi pin (seventh rank)—probably because higher-ranked officials would draw too much attention.]

Huang Yong: “Waaaaahhhh!!!”

Xu Yanmiao, you’re truly a great person! A fantastic person! From now on, anyone who wrongs you is wronging Huang Yong, too!

The emperor’s previously relaxed demeanor began to tighten, his expression nearing a cold, mirthless laugh.

How dare they! The Vice Commissioner and the Military Secretary might be excusable, but the Marquis of Yingcheng? A title personally bestowed by him? And this person was also entangled in such a matter? If not for Xu Yanmiao, he might have remained in the dark until evidence was collected from the Prince of Jibei, which would have blindsided him.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. The emperor, reigning under the era name Tiantong, darkened his gaze, as if transported back to the battlefield, his bowstring taut and ready to snap.

[Speaking of which, isn’t the Prince of Jibei’s heir currently in the capital?]

Now that rebellion had been mentioned, Xu Yanmiao became engrossed, his thoughts spiraling as he filtered out Huang Yong’s pleas in the background.

—In reality, had he paid closer attention, he would’ve noticed that the interactions between the emperor and Huang Yong were highly perfunctory: one was crying halfheartedly, while the other occasionally responded with “Mm-hmm,” “Alright,” or “I believe you.”

All their focus was on Xu Yanmiao’s inner thoughts.

[Tsk tsk, the Prince of Jibei’s heir really does have genuine affection for that courtesan. When he’s not liaising with officials, he’s holed up at her place.]

[But she can’t be called a courtesan anymore, since the brothel is gone. Oh-ho, it turns out that as soon as the brothel shut down, the heir took her in.]

[Tsk, I take back what I said earlier. True love, my foot! Even a dog wouldn’t want this kind of “true love.” If he really cared, he should’ve bought her freedom ages ago.]

Still clutching the emperor’s leg, Huang Yong instinctively nodded vigorously.

Exactly! This is no kind of true love! His feelings for Zhen Zhen, Ai Ai, and Lian Lian—that was true love!

The thought of his irreplaceable soulmates made Huang Yong burst into tears once again, this time more sincerely and loudly.

The emperor looked down at his minister with disdain.

Truth be told, if it weren’t for Xu Yanmiao’s sudden emergence, he might have gone his whole life without knowing what his officials were like behind closed doors. After all, who reveals their true nature in court?

But then, Huang Yong started wailing even louder…

[Huh? Where’s Huang Langzhong going with this? Why’s he crying so loudly?]

Xu Yanmiao snapped out of his thoughts about the Prince of Jibei’s rebellion and redirected his attention back to Huang Yong.

Huang Yong: “…”

Huang Yong: “…sniff…”

The emperor forcibly pulled his leg free and gave Huang Yong a kick. “What are you crying about?!”

I want to cry too!

Huang Yong cautiously sat up and suggested, “Your Majesty, please allow me to atone for my mistakes. I believe we could use the courtesan taken in by the Prince of Jibei’s heir as a breakthrough. Men tend to loosen their lips once their belts are loosened, especially in front of a woman they’re fond of. They always want to show off a little.”

The emperor was somewhat surprised by Huang Yong’s proposal. “You certainly are resourceful.”

Huang Yong’s lips twitched.

With my career on the line, how could I not be resourceful? If I let Your Majesty write in the annals, ‘On such-and-such day, Huang Yong of the Ministry of Personnel’s Bureau of Personnel Selection interrupted Xu Yanmiao’s train of thought, causing delays in uncovering evidence of rebellion by the Prince of Jibei,’ my chances of promotion would be ruined!

The emperor continued, “But how can you be sure that courtesan would help us? The Prince of Jibei’s heir is her benefactor. He’s the one who elevated her to fame—she was an unknown nobody before he supported her. They’ve been close for a year or two now, and now that she’s entered his estate as a concubine, their fortunes are intertwined. Why would she risk everything to betray him?”

Huang Yong froze.

Of course, he had a reason prepared.

His reasoning was simple: What’s a concubine worth compared to a few lives?

If she knew the emperor was already watching the Prince of Jibei’s estate and that the entire family was on the verge of facing the guillotine, she would undoubtedly try to escape.

The Prince of Jibei’s heir likely didn’t care much for her, so it would only be natural for her to prioritize her own survival when the estate faced disaster.

However… if the heir had invested so much in elevating her status as a courtesan, that wasn’t a trivial expense. What if she really was moved by his affection?

[Huh? Elevating someone to courtesan status… is that supposed to be a good thing?]