Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Chapter 242: The Cold Wind Howls, Snow Falls Heavily, His Silhouette is Incomparably Desolate (1 / 2)

Astronomy is important.

The old emperor acted swiftly. After the morning court session, he held a small council meeting and quickly decided, along with his ministers, to establish a new department called the “Astronomical Observatory,” dedicated to the study of astronomy.

From then on, members of the Astronomical Bureau could be selected from the observatory.

“In the upcoming special examination after spring, the sole subject will be astronomy. Two hundred individuals will be selected to join, and the official positions will be set as follows…”

It was snowing.

The snow on the ground had accumulated about three inches thick.

Xu Yanmiao, wrapped in a heavy cloak, entered the Ministry of Appointments. Before stepping inside, he kicked his feet against the threshold, shaking off the snow clinging to the soles of his shoes.

He carried a book chest in his hand—so heavy that his fingers had turned white from the strain.

A nearby official quickly got up to help him carry the chest, hoping to free Xu Yanmiao’s hands. But as soon as the official took hold of it, his arms sank under the unexpected weight, and he nearly fell over.

“Books.”

“Why are you bringing so many books to the office?!”

“I haven’t decided on the exam questions yet.”

After placing the book chest beside his desk, Xu Yanmiao thanked the helpful official and dropped into his chair. His damp cloak was casually thrown onto the coat rack.

He opened the chest and pulled out the top book—there were over twenty in total, enough to keep him occupied for a long time.

Quan Yizhang and Ji Sui wanted to help him search for reference books, but Xu Yanmiao refused. He had no intention of getting caught up in the whirlpool of academic disputes.

“Absolutely unlucky.”

Another official limped into the room, clutching his leg, and hobbled toward his desk.

Xu Yanmiao glanced over and was startled. “What happened to you?”

The official’s injured leg was covered, but the knee on his other leg had a long gash. The blood had been wiped away, revealing raw pink flesh.

The official huffed angrily, “A distant relative of mine came to the capital to visit me but fell ill and is now bedridden in an inn. When I went to check on him, guess what happened—” He slapped his unharmed leg. “Just as I was going upstairs, I heard a loud crash. The next moment, a well-endowed young woman, hastily wrapped in clothing, came rushing down. She didn’t even look where she was going and knocked me straight off the stairs. My arm and leg got cut when I tumbled down, dragging a porcelain vase with me.”

Xu Yanmiao: “…”

[He still had the presence of mind to notice the woman’s chest at a time like that? Could it be that he got distracted by it and that’s why he was knocked down?]

The official, as if his thoughts had been exposed, blushed and stammered, “A-Anyway, that’s what happened.”

[Shameless!]

Xu Yanmiao prided himself on his restraint and refrained from saying more. Instead, he simply asked, “Do you need a physician? I can head to the Imperial Medical Academy and fetch one for you.”

The official, embarrassed, chuckled. “I’d appreciate it, Xu Lang!”

A short while later, the physician arrived, with Xu Yanmiao carrying his medicine chest.

The physician efficiently cleaned and bandaged the wounds. Then, he took out a calming remedy from his medicine chest. “Normally, I don’t carry this, but the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review came by earlier to request medicine, so I happened to have it on hand.”

Xu Yanmiao: “The Deputy Minister was frightened too?”

The injured official instinctively replied, “I didn’t see him at the inn.”

The physician chuckled, “Perhaps he was frightened somewhere else?”

[Now I’m curious. The Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review deals with criminal cases all the time—he must have nerves of steel. How could he be so easily scared that he needed medicine?]

The physician, still holding the official’s arm, paused and coughed. “Although the wounds are bandaged, I’ll write a prescription to speed up the healing process.”

— The Imperial Physician Had the Seal of the Imperial Medical Academy.

The officials all knew what was going on—this man was obviously just finding an excuse to stay and listen to gossip. But no one called him out on it—who knew? One day, they might need to do the same. A little mutual understanding never hurt!

Xu Yanmiao was already happily immersed in the gossip.

[Hiss!]

[No way, no way, no way!]

[That’s way too wild!]

[It’s one thing to have a heated session with his newly acquired eighth concubine at an inn, and another for the bed to collapse—but how did they end up continuing on the floor until they broke that too?!]

The Imperial Physician: “Hiss—”

The injured official: “Hiss—”

That intense?!

Several innocent officials in the Ministry of Appointments had already started blushing.

Who would have thought… Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, you’re this kind of person!

The various government offices weren’t far from each other, all located within the Imperial City. The Six Ministries were clustered in the central area, opposite the Ministry of Agriculture across Chengtianmen Street.

The Court of Judicial Review (Dali Temple) was just west of the Ministry of Agriculture, separated only by a street and the Imperial Guard Office.

So now, the entire Court of Judicial Review could hear Xu Yanmiao’s inner thoughts.

Who would have thought?!

Countless gazes instantly swiveled toward Deputy Minister Zhang Xuan, their eyes all fixed below his waist.

—There were two Deputy Ministers of the Court of Judicial Review, but today, only one had been injured.

“……”

That Deputy Minister’s neck stiffened as if it had thickened with tension.

Why?! He had already given up arguing with the Crown Prince, yet that damn Bai Ze still managed to drag him into this mess!

Someone must have mentioned his name! Who was trying to ruin him?!