Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Chapter 243: The Cold Wind Howls, Snow Falls Heavily, His Silhouette is Incomparably Desolate (2 / 2)

[And he even fell directly onto the bed downstairs, nearly crushing someone! Let me check—did he compensate them? If not, I’m filing an impeachment!]

A nearby official whispered, “Deputy Minister, did you compensate them? If not…”

Deputy Minister Zhang Xuan awkwardly shifted his buttocks, his wrinkled face twitching like pine tree bark. “Of course, I wouldn’t leave without making amends!”

[Oh, oh! So he did compensate them.]

Hearing his thoughts confirmed, Zhang Xuan let out a relieved sigh and, with a hint of superiority, huffed, “I hold the position of Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review—if I injure someone, how could I just walk away without taking responsibility?”

[That makes sense. Otherwise, if someone reported this to the authorities, the entire imperial court would know that the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was so vigorous with his concubine that he wrecked both the bed and the floor, fell naked onto someone else’s bed, nearly breaking their body, and then refused to compensate them. That would be beyond humiliating.]

[Compensating was the only logical move.]

…Well, now the entire imperial court already knew.

Zhang Xuan pinched his thigh so hard he nearly passed out, but the sharp pain jolted him back to clarity.

He rubbed his slightly congested chest, then casually dropped his hand as if nothing had happened.

Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Spoke to Himself:

“A little indulgence in romance—what’s the big deal? It’s not like I was visiting a brothel. It was my own concubine…”

Besides, officials from other departments rarely interacted with him. The ones he saw day in and day out were the officials of the Court of Judicial Review.

The deputy minister suddenly lifted his head, his icy gaze sweeping across his colleagues.

“Bang—”

Someone, in a panic, accidentally bumped their leg against the desk.

Looking to the left—

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review propped his elbow on the desk, resting his chin on one hand, while the other appeared to be flipping through case files with great concentration.

Looking to the right—

The Left Vice Minister was staring out the window as if deeply immersed in the snowy scenery.

Turning around—

The Right Vice Minister was whispering something into a junior official’s ear. Not having had the time to feign composure, he suddenly felt the weight of a death stare on him. Startled, he swiftly kicked the junior official and raised his voice, “Who? Really?!”

The junior official, caught off guard, instantly racked his brain for a topic to cover up the awkward moment. With record speed, he blurted, “R-Really! Among this year’s imperial exam candidates, there’s someone with a small mole on their left eyebrow. It’s called ‘A Pearl Hidden in the Grass’—a sign of great fortune! They’re destined for wealth and success. Maybe they’ll even be the top scorer this year!”

The Right Vice Minister laughed, “Hahaha, if they do become the top scorer, why don’t you read my fortune next?”

Though he knew they were just putting on an act, at least they were willing to make the effort.

So, he still had some authority after all.

Satisfied, the deputy minister stood up, planning to step outside for some fresh air.

The moment he reached the doorway, he was met with the sight of an official craning his neck, peeking into the Court of Judicial Review with the excitement of someone watching a scandal unfold.

It was Lian Hang.

And worst of all, their eyes met.

“……”

“……”

Expressionless, the deputy minister turned on his heel and headed to the corner to pour himself some tea. Those few steps, thanks to his stiff body, felt as long as a pilgrimage to the Western Heaven.

After Work

Xu Yanmiao asked curiously, “Why did you go to the Court of Judicial Review?”

The sudden question caught Lian Hang off guard, making him cough violently.

Once he recovered, he gave Xu Yanmiao a knowing look. “Xu Lang, you wouldn’t believe it! A deputy minister of the Court of Judicial Review and his concubine got so intense at an inn that they collapsed the entire floor! I had to go see for myself what kind of physique this man must have to… ahem.”

Xu Yanmiao was shocked:

[Someone actually saw the deputy minister’s face?! I thought he would have wrapped himself in a bedsheet while sneaking out so no one could recognize him!]

Lian Hang, relieved: Yes! Another day successfully fooling Xu Lang!

He patted Xu Yanmiao’s shoulder. “Shocking, right? I was just as shocked when I heard about it. Who would have thought Deputy Minister Zhang was so… wild in private?”

[That’s nothing!] Xu Yanmiao scoffed. [You have no idea how low some people can go!]

While Lian Hang was still pondering what exactly “low” meant, he suddenly heard:

[There are even people twisted enough to prey on sheep.]

Lian Hang and the other officials: Huh? What do you mean by ‘prey on sheep’? Wrestling them?

The entire Hanlin Academy was now abuzz with speculation.

“I think it’s probably wrestling with sheep? Sheep have a lot of strength when they ram people. Maybe our mysterious colleague was using this to train their power?”

“Could it be a military officer? Trying to replace the Fire Ox Formation with a Fire Sheep Formation?”

“But that wouldn’t be called insane, would it?”

“If you’re sending sheep to the battlefield, isn’t that insane enough?”

“I don’t think it’s about wrestling. Since the phrase ‘preying on’ was used… In ancient times, there were men who married plum trees and raised cranes as sons. Maybe this person treats a sheep as their child? I know someone who treats their dog like a son and even calls it ‘Precious Egg’.”

“Either way, this has nothing to do with our Hanlin Academy! We’re safe and happy!”

A lecturer from the Hanlin Academy, surnamed Yang, quietly got up and tiptoed toward the door.

Then—

A hand landed on his shoulder with a slap.

“Meng Yu, wait a moment, I have a case file for you…”

The person who patted him noticed how unnaturally stiff he felt and, confused, patted him twice more. “What’s…?”

[The Hanlin Academy is truly full of hidden talents. First, there was that lecturer who drank pig’s milk, and now there’s another one messing around with sheep? Does his wife know he’s this desperate?]

[Just because his surname is Yang doesn’t mean he should be interested in sheep, right? It’s not like his courtesy name, Meng Yu, suggests he’s sneaking into chicken coops either.]

…Wait?!

Messing around with what?!

What sheep?!

Hanlin Academy scholar Liu Bingwen froze. Looking at Yang Mengyu, whose shoulder he had just patted, he immediately realized he had interrupted something—something very, very bad. Feeling guilty, he stammered, “Meng… no, Yang… uh… are you okay?”

Yang Mengyu slowly, very slowly, turned his head. “I’m fine.”

His dark pupils twitched once, then again after a moment.

Liu Bingwen swallowed hard.

This… does not look fine at all…

Yang Mengyu’s voice was eerily calm. “Please move. I need to go to the restroom.”

“Oh, okay.” Liu Bingwen retracted his hand cautiously. “Do you need me to go with you?”

“No need.”

As Liu Bingwen watched Yang Mengyu’s desolate back, his brain short-circuited, and he blurted out:

“I’m worried you won’t have the strength to stay upright in the latrine looking like this.”

Yang Mengyu staggered but stubbornly propped himself up against the wall. “I SAID NO!”

The cold wind howled, snowflakes drifted down, and his figure looked indescribably tragic.

Meanwhile, over at the Court of Judicial Review, it was as lively as a festival.

The deputy minister of the Court of Judicial Review: “Hahahaha—”

The deputy minister: “Hahahahahaha—”

Now! Who would care about him collapsing the inn’s floor anymore?!