Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Chapter 236: Time to Raise the Price! (1 / 2)

Xu Yanmiao held back his findings for an entire month, waiting until the eve of the Lunar New Year to submit the investigation results to the Minister of War. He pretended that the covert agents had gone to great lengths to uncover the truth.

Thankfully, the Minister of War only asked a few cursory questions about the investigation process. Without digging further, he submitted the findings to the emperor. Within half a day, the emperor’s reward was issued.

“Master Xu,” the palace eunuch said, “His Majesty says that since the New Year is approaching, he has sent you five bolts of brocade, eight bolts of silk, and eight bolts of cloth to make new clothes.”

Xu Yanmiao bowed in the direction of the imperial palace. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

The chief eunuch then presented a large red box. Inside, wrapped in crimson silk, was a jade pendant nestled snugly in the center.

“Master Xu, His Majesty said that possessing this item allows you free access to the Tiger Courtyard.”

In other words, he could now visit the tigers whenever he wanted!

Xu Yanmiao’s expression immediately turned excited. “Thank you, Your Majesty!!!”

The chief eunuch pursed his lips into a smile. “With that, I’ll take my leave.”

After the eunuch left, Xu Yanmiao placed the jade pendant into the pouch he carried with him, then turned to the bolts of fabric. He carefully selected a blue one for an outer robe, a white one for inner garments and trousers, and a black one for making shoes. Clapping his hands, he declared, “Done! That’s my new outfit for this year!”

As he walked out with the fabric in his arms, he ran into the elderly woman who lived next door. She liked to craft silk flowers to sell at the market and was just returning with her basket, which now held only two or three flowers.

In a cheerful mood, Xu Yanmiao called out, “Granny! Back from selling your silk flowers again?”

The elderly woman saw that it was Xu Yanmiao and immediately beamed. “Yes! Business was great today. Oh, these fabrics you have are beautiful, like something out of a painting. Are you rushing off to make new clothes?”

“Yes! With the New Year coming, new beginnings call for new clothes. I’d be embarrassed to step out in anything less festive.”

The elderly woman enthusiastically offered, “Oh, you don’t need to go anywhere else. Bring them here, and I’ll make them for you! Back in the day, I was the most famous seamstress in all the surrounding villages. I guarantee that when you wear these clothes, you’ll be the handsomest man in the entire capital!”

Xu Yanmiao’s eyes widened in surprise. “Huh? This…”

“Ah, no need to be so polite with me!”

“Well… I’ll trouble you with this, then…”

“That’s the spirit!”

After chatting briefly at the door and providing his measurements, Xu Yanmiao handed over the fabric. The elderly woman happily carried the cloth into her house, where her troublemaking son was standing on tiptoes, trying to grab the jar of red-braised pork. He eagerly dug into it, scooping out a large, glistening piece of pork that fell onto the plate with a “plop,” dripping with sauce.

The elderly woman was immediately annoyed. “All you know is how to eat! Look at Master Xu next door—so young, yet already a favorite of His Majesty. Even as the New Year approaches, he’s still helping His Majesty with important tasks. See how much the emperor values him! And look at you!”

“Ah, Mother, I’m popular too! It’s just that there’s no fighting going on right now,” her son said with a sheepish laugh.

The Deputy Commander of the Left Army leaned closer, his eyes lighting up as he saw the fabric. “Mother! Are you making me new clothes? This fabric is so nice!”

He reached out to touch it, but his mother slapped his hand away. “This is Master Xu’s fabric! He doesn’t have any elders or women in his household, so his clothes have to be made outside. A proper official like him, letting others laugh at him for such things—I figured I’d bring it back and make him some new clothes myself.”

The Deputy Commander burst out laughing. “Mother, you don’t understand. He’s quite the unique character. He doesn’t care about people laughing at him. Forget about sending fabric out for tailoring—he even cleans his own house, washes his own clothes, and buys snacks to eat while walking. He’s not concerned with maintaining the image of an official. He just lives to please himself.”

The elderly woman let out an “Oh my” and called for scissors to start cutting the fabric. “So there are officials like him, huh?”

---

As the New Year approached, the streets became crowded with carriages and sedan chairs, all packed tightly and moving at a slow crawl.

Several mischievous children, including some foreigner ones, were playing with firecrackers on the road. They waited until carriages were about to pass before lighting the fuses and darting away. The firecrackers would leap into the air with a loud “bang” before falling to the ground with a “thud,” sometimes landing on carriages and startling the drivers, who jumped in fright. The children burst into laughter at the chaos.

Xu Yanmiao was startled as well. Seizing the moment when the children weren’t lighting any firecrackers, he quickly slipped between the carriages and reached an intersection. He was about to head toward the Eastern Market when he heard someone call out, “Master Xu!”

Turning his head, he saw a black-canopied carriage approaching from another road. The Minister of War poked his head out of the window and called, “Get in!”

Xu Yanmiao’s heart sank.

[No way, not again! There’s no way something’s come up again!]

The Minister of War cleared his throat. “Hurry up! His Majesty has a secret decree.”

Xu Yanmiao: “…”

What else could he do? It was the emperor, after all.

With no choice, he climbed into the carriage. The moment he stepped inside, he was stunned. “Minister, this…”

The interior of the carriage was nearly buried in clutter. A custom-made work desk was piled high with documents, and scrolls were draped haphazardly, with some partially unrolled and dangling off the edge. Letters were scattered everywhere, and several elegant books were stacked within easy reach.

Some of the documents were official reports from the Ministry of War, others were family letters, still others were classics of history and philosophy. Scraps of discarded paper were strewn about, clearly repurposed for wiping brushes.

The Minister of War quickly moved a teacup, which still had a fresh smear of ink on it. He shoved aside the discarded paper and letters and said, “Here, sit here. The New Year is approaching, and there’s a lot that needs to be finished before the grand court assembly. Things have gotten a bit messy… forgive me for the disorder, Master Xu.”

“Oh no, not at all. The Minister must be extremely busy…” Xu Yanmiao replied politely.

As he spoke, his gaze swept the corner of the carriage, where he spotted a bowl lying discarded. A quick glance revealed over a dozen wonton wrappers inside, all clearly torn open.