Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Chapter 179: If I Were to Unleash My Eighty Adopted Sons, How Would You Respond? (2 / 2)

Whether it was aiming a musket at the Ministry of Revenue’s assistant minister in a fit of rage over delayed military pay or publicly humiliating someone after a verbal spat—Marquis Yongchang was not alone. Many of the founding heroes behaved similarly. Few of those credited with helping establish the empire refrained from flaunting their merits and acting above the law.

Now, Marquis Yongchang was paying the price for it.

The emperor looked at him calmly. “You have eighty adopted sons. If all their crimes are accounted for, I fear even your offenses alone will not suffice to atone for them.”

Before Marquis Yongchang could respond, his adopted sons collectively knelt. One declared that he deserved death and begged his foster father to be spared punishment. Another insisted that his actions were carried out without the marquis’s knowledge and pleaded with the emperor for mercy. Some wailed loudly, lamenting that they were beasts who had not only failed to assist their foster father but had also caused him trouble.

[Sigh.] Xu Yanmiao cautiously craned his neck to observe the scene unfolding at the front. [If they knew it would come to this, why did they act the way they did in the first place? Wouldn’t it have been better to just obey the law?]

The adopted sons sobbed as they kowtowed.

Many court officials were moved by the scene, their eyes brimming with emotion. Some even seemed tempted to step forward and plead on their behalf.

Xu Yanmiao immediately snapped out of his pity.

[They can cry and beg for forgiveness here, but who heard the cries of the commoners they harmed?]

[It’s a shame their merits can’t cancel out their crimes. Otherwise, Marquis Yongchang has indeed done some good for the people.]

Marquis Yongchang’s eyes bulged outward in disbelief, stunned for a moment.

If someone said he had done a good deed in his life, that wasn’t wrong. After all, who hasn’t done at least one good deed? Even offering a cup of water to someone thirsty counts.

But… doing something for the people?

Marquis Yongchang thought for a long while but couldn’t recall any significant good deed he, as a military man, had done for the common people.

—His soldiers were certainly not the kind who refrained from harming civilians after entering a city. Armies that behaved that way were as rare as phoenix feathers. Most relied on looting civilians after taking a city to maintain morale. However, under the current emperor’s leadership, where resources were more plentiful and soldiers were promised generous rewards in exchange for adhering to strict rules, such behavior had become less common.

[Hmm, it seems to have happened in the 11th year of the Tian Tong era. Let me check… found it! He was returning to his hometown to honor his ancestors when he discovered that the local magistrate and assistant magistrate were exploiting the people, seizing dozens of hectares of farmland. Without waiting for the emperor’s orders after reporting it, he stormed into the yamen, dragged the two officials into the streets, and whipped them in front of everyone. Then, he distributed the seized farmland.]

[Wow! He only gave it to impoverished commoners!]

Marquis Yongchang hadn’t expected it to be this incident. His expression turned complicated.

After all, it had happened twenty years ago, and he hadn’t done it for the people. Otherwise, he would have intervened when his adopted sons were also seizing land.

At the time, he had been infuriated by Qin Guan’s actions, his temper boiling over. When he stumbled upon the matter, he had vented his anger on it.

[Wow! Even now, the people of Yanshan County still remember this. Twenty years later, they still brag about it to people from other counties: ‘Our Yanshan produced a marquis! Do you know about Marquis Yongchang? Such a high-ranking official, they say he eats from golden bowls and uses silver chopsticks. Yet, despite all that, he remembers us! When the magistrate tried to take our land, he rode in with his whip, beat the magistrate thoroughly, and gave the land back to us!’]

[Let me check…]

Xu Yanmiao’s heart-voice suddenly paused.

Those around him noticed his pupils dilate to their limit, as though they had narrowed into mere slits.

Whatever he was seeing, it shocked him to the core.

The ministers glanced at each other, curiosity written all over their faces.

[Sigh, I wonder if Xie Luoshui and her group will discover the Americas.]

What???

How had the topic shifted to this?

The court of Great Xia froze in collective confusion.

Xu Yanmiao pursed his lips and stared intently at the gossip system—

It was just a minor piece of gossip from over twenty years ago: [The magistrate of Yanshan County exploited the people so severely that a fifteen-year-old gentry felt compassion and waived the annual rent for farmers cultivating his land. This act of kindness moved an 84-year-old man to kneel in gratitude before the boy.]

[If they could discover the Americas, they’d find new crops. At the very least, with increased agricultural output, even severe exploitation might not lead to starvation, right?]

[Though, that might not work either. Higher yields could lead to harsher exploitation. It still depends on governance. But having more is better than having nothing.]

—In times of peace, an elderly man was driven to kneel before a teenager out of gratitude. In times of chaos, there wouldn’t even be an opportunity to kneel—he would simply starve to death in the countryside.

Thus, for twenty years, the people remembered Marquis Yongchang.

Marquis Yongchang trembled suddenly, wanting to lift his head to look at Xu Yanmiao, but he forcibly stopped himself.

Before this, he had felt unconvinced and resentful. His kneeling and kowtowing had been nothing more than a desperate bid for survival.

But now…

Marquis Yongchang abruptly rose, snatched the blade of a Jin Yi Wei officer, and unsheathed it with a sharp clang. Under the watchful and wary gazes of the crowd, he removed his upper garments, revealing a chest marked by age and countless scars.

“Your Majesty!”

He knelt down again, a heavy kneel that made the floor echo sharply. His face visibly paled for a moment.

This once-arrogant general now willingly lowered his proud head. Holding the cold blade with both hands, he declared, “This subject has sinned! Please punish me with this sword!”

—Why had he joined the rebel army in the first place?

At the end of the Great Zhou dynasty, the people were destitute, soldiers had turned into bandits, roaming the roads and alleys to kill, rob, and plunder.

At the time, the young Marquis Yongchang had looked down on such behavior.

He had said, “A general is a general; a bandit is a bandit. If I ever become a general, I’ll never stoop to such thievery!”

The vast ocean stretched endlessly before them.

Two hundred massive ships sailed forward, cutting through the waves.

The ships bobbed on the swells, and Xie Luoshui, fighting a nauseating sense of seasickness, stood by the railing, gazing into the distance, searching for islands.

She was one of the few who still had the will and stamina to do so. Even though they occasionally stopped at islands or coastal lands, over a year of life at sea had left many of her companions mentally and physically drained.

This voyage had been anything but easy.

The terrifying ocean whirlpools, while not pulling the ships into their centers, pushed them dangerously off course. If they were to strike a jagged reef, it would spell disaster for both ships and crew.

Their blades had tasted the blood of foreign nationals and indigenous people. Bullets had even pierced the skull of a king who had sought to seize their ships.

Thousands of soldiers had besieged them in an assault. Despite having superior weaponry, the relentless strain had cost them many comrades.

On some islands, tangled vines and thick undergrowth forced them to act as makeshift lumberjacks, swinging axes to carve paths.

Some islands were large, and exploration had to be done quickly. Even in the bitter cold of winter, they marched until their legs were soaked with sweat. While they could bathe on land, once back aboard the ships, the scarcity of freshwater made such luxuries impossible. The crowded cabins reeked of unwashed bodies.

Some soldiers, driven mad by the confinement, hacked at wooden dummies provided in the cabins, venting their frustration with crazed abandon.

Xie Luoshui took a deep breath of the salty sea air. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed in focus. “There’s an island!”

She shouted, “An island ahead! Make for shore!”

At her command, the fleet of two hundred ships turned, each vessel carrying a faint glimmer of hope. They found a safe anchorage and moored by the coastline.

Bursting with energy, Xie Luoshui disembarked. She didn’t know if this island would be the one they sought, but she was determined to search each one. Eventually, she would find it.

The firearm pressed against her chest as she murmured to herself:

“Xie Luoshui, you must earn a marquisate.”

Author’s Notes:

A record of arrogant and domineering individuals (not just military generals) (examples of pure military arrogance can be referenced from figures like Lan Yu and Nian Gengyao):

Seizing Land:

“Baoqing abused his power to commit crimes, falsely accusing the wealthy of various offenses. He confiscated their lands, estates, and wealth, leaving no possessions untouched. When one family was implicated, their misfortune extended to neighbors and relatives. Fearing future troubles, he killed all the males in the household.”

— Zizhi Tongjian

[Translation: Baoqing relied on his authority to oppress others and commit crimes. He falsely accused wealthy individuals, confiscated their lands and property under the guise of presenting them to the emperor, and implicated entire families, extending the harm to their relatives and neighbors. To avoid repercussions, he slaughtered all the males of the family.]

Reckless Behavior by Military Officials:

“Yang Dafu was arrogant and unruly. He allowed his troops to pillage residents, rob passing ships, and kill messengers from Qian and Chu. The emperor, enraged, reprimanded him severely. Yang Dafu then colluded with rebel generals Liu Zongmin and Liu Xiyao, intending to defect to the Qing.”

— Yongli Annals

[Translation: General Yang Dafu, stationed in Wuzhou, frequently plundered passing ships and killed official messengers. When the emperor criticized him, he secretly conspired with rebels to betray the Ming and defect to the Qing.]

Retrieving Confiscated Lands (Not Always by Virtuous Officials):

“Former regional inspectors Zhang Changgui and Zhao Shida occupied dozens of fertile acres within their jurisdiction. Changsun Shunde reported and reclaimed the lands, redistributing them to impoverished households.”

— Old Book of Tang

[Translation: Zhang Changgui and Zhao Shida, former regional governors, had seized dozens of acres of fertile farmland in the area. Changsun Shunde reported them and reclaimed the land, redistributing it to the poor. (However, Changsun himself was implicated in corruption.)]

Oceanic Whirlpools:

“In the southern Atlantic, there was once a massive ocean whirlpool as large as a city. The vortex spun continuously, like a tornado, sweeping away everything in its path. Ships affected by the whirlpool… were usually small vessels. Larger ships, due to their size and weight, were less likely to sustain significant damage. While the whirlpool could not drag ships into its center, the strong currents could push them off course, causing collisions with coastal reefs.”

— How Terrifying Are Ocean Whirlpools?