Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Chapter 254: Is This Bribe Just for Me, or for Other Officials as Well? (1 / 2)

[Beep—Beep—Beep—]

[Host! Do you copy? Please respond!]

That voice?!

The old emperor caught the scent of cold snow in the wind, and an ominous premonition surged in his heart.

“Xu Yanmiao! Move! Proceed to the next step of the capping ceremony!”

Trying to use this as a distraction, the old emperor urgently grabbed Xu Yanmiao with both hands and yanked him up from his seat.

But he was already sixty-six years old. The sudden exertion, combined with the fact that Xu Yanmiao was a full-grown man weighing 160 jin (about 80 kg), caused him to lose his balance…

The old emperor: “Hiss—”

It did successfully divert Xu Yanmiao’s attention. He immediately reached out to support him.

The old emperor looked down and calmly said, “Nothing.”

Xu Yanmiao let out a breath of relief.

The old emperor: “My left toe cramped.”

Xu Yanmiao: “!!!”

“Imperial Physician!”

“Where is the Imperial Physician!!!”

The Imperial Physician had likely heard the old emperor’s words, so before Xu Yanmiao could even shout, he rushed over with his medical kit and began taking off the emperor’s shoe to examine his foot.

Xu Yanmiao stood to the side, his face filled with concern. At the same time, he split part of his focus to respond: [Received. There’s no static noise this time—does that mean you’ve finally fixed yourself?]

[Not exactly. I barely managed to contact the nearest system and borrowed a bit of energy. That’s how I was able to find you again. I… zzz… zzz…]

[System? Are you okay?!]

[Zzz… I’m fine… zzz… The signal just got bad. I only used a little energy for myself. The rest can send you back. Do you want to go back?]

[Huh? Go back?]

The old emperor’s heart skipped a beat, and he sharply turned to look at Xu Yanmiao.

Lian Hang instinctively wanted to run toward Xu Yanmiao but was held back by the crown prince. Hearing the crown prince whisper, “Don’t force him,” Lian Hang turned to look at him. It was hard to tell whether the prince’s serious expression stemmed from his own feelings for Xu Yanmiao and a desire for him to stay. But when Lian Hang noticed the prince’s fingers curling up, as if cramping from tension, he fell silent.

He silently and gently nodded his head, and with that, the Crown Prince released his grip.

Lian Hang no longer moved but instead stared at Xu Yanmiao with red-rimmed eyes, his expression tense.

“Xu Lang…”

The other officials averted their gazes slightly, unwilling to witness the choice Xu Lang was about to make.

Perhaps their fates…

[I…]

They heard Xu Yanmiao’s hesitant voice and saw him seemingly glance up at His Majesty.

[If I choose not to return now, can I still leave in the future?]

“!!!”

The joy and surprise on the faces of the officials of Daxia were unmistakable.

Then, the divine artifact, the “System,” spoke:

[Of course! You can leave whenever you want—just call me! See that button on the system interface? Whenever you decide to go, just press it.]

Behind Xu Yanmiao, the Crown Prince pressed down on Lian Hang’s shoulder, using it for leverage as he tiptoed and craned his neck, trying to spot the so-called button. He looked left and right but saw nothing.

The Crown Prince murmured, “As expected.”

But… he really wanted to see what this divine artifact looked like! Especially one that could return to the Heavenly Court!

Beside him, the Grand Chancellor and the six ministers of the imperial departments were also eagerly stretching their necks, only to regretfully withdraw after failing to see anything.

“I wonder if, in the future, Little Bai Ze might let us visit the Heavenly Palace, considering we’ve worked together,” someone mused.

Thinking about the grand and mysterious Heavenly Palace, Chancellor Dou’s aged eyes revealed a rare, childlike curiosity.

If he could witness such a sight even once in his lifetime, he would die without regrets.

The System’s voice continued:

[Bzzz—]

[Host, bzzz— I still have a bit of energy left. I’ll upgrade your skill, bzzz— upgrading now!]

[From now on, you won’t just see gossip! You’ll be able to predict what gossip will happen ahead of time! For example, if the system senses that a certain minister is going to hit his child tonight, it will show up in the gossip section in advance! It could be an hour ahead, two hours ahead, or even half a day! As long as you search for it, you can rush over in time and witness it firsthand! Exciting, right? Fun, right?!]

Xu Yanmiao: !!!

The officials of Daxia: !!!

Xu Yanmiao: [Exciting!!!]

The officials of Daxia: We are NOT excited!!!

Why can this divine artifact even be upgraded?!

Maybe… Xu Yanmiao should just return to the heavens! The mortal realm is unworthy of him!

Among the gathered officials, faint sobbing could be heard.

The System came and went in a flash. Accompanied by its signature “bzzz— bzzz—” sounds, it once again went offline.

Xu Yanmiao happily admired the new feature in his system, practically wanting to hold up a candle and examine it over and over again—he was beyond satisfied!

[From now on, I’ll be able to rush to the scene and witness gossip firsthand!]

[Let me try it right now!]

The officials of Daxia: Stop right there!!!

The old emperor abruptly stood up with a whoosh and grabbed Xu Yanmiao’s wrist.

Xu Yanmiao: “Your Majesty?”

The old emperor opened his mouth, about to speak—

Then suddenly realized: Wait a minute!

The divine artifact said it could predict gossip in advance, but right now, Xu Yanmiao was in the middle of his capping ceremony. There was at least another hour before it would end. So whatever gossip Xu Yanmiao was about to see couldn’t be about him!

And even if it was, couldn’t he just take precautions in advance?

“Hiss—” The old emperor dramatically sucked in a breath and sat back down. “It’s nothing, rest for a bit longer. My toe cramped again.”

Xu Yanmiao hurriedly expressed concern for his boss, and the two put on a well-matched performance of ruler and minister caring for each other. After the old emperor was practically dying of impatience, Xu Yanmiao finally opened the system to search for gossip using the new feature.

[Oh!] Xu Yanmiao’s eyes lit up. [Someone is going to bribe me!]

[Finally! My time has come! Yes!!! Let me check the time!]

The entire court of officials looked at him as if they had seen a ghost.

Someone still dared to bribe Little Bai Ze?! Was it some desperate imperial exam candidate?

Among the officials who had family or friends participating in the upcoming civil service exams, many stared blankly, thinking: Please don’t let it be me again…

[Hmm… Tonight, at the third quarter of Xu hour (around 9:45 PM), someone will sneak up and knock on my door…]

The old emperor narrowed his eyes.

The third quarter of Xu hour, huh?

Prime Minister Dou cracked his aging joints.

Looks like I won’t be going to bed early tonight.

Princess Wanshou glanced at her younger sister, who was grinning from ear to ear and rubbing her hands together in excitement at the prospect of witnessing the drama. Closing her eyes in despair, she thought:

There’s no stopping her! Absolutely no way! …Well, fine. Count me in.