Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Chapter 295: Imperial Authority Failing To Extend To The Countryside New

Today, the court was in turmoil—

Hanlin Academy Lecturer Liu Yi requested that his in-law, one of the Four Talents of Wu, known as the “Painting Talent,” provide the birth and death years of three generations of male and female ancestors. Upon discovering that all three generations had died between the ages of forty and sixty due to illness, he forcibly broke off the engagement and instead sought out a healthy young talent for his granddaughter—someone who would not die early.

A certain Censor-in-Chief sought to arrange a marriage between his grandson and a royal family’s daughter. His grandson’s strongest selling point? Excellent teeth. This advantage allowed him to stand out among numerous other promising suitors and successfully marry into the royal family—because the princess’s father had long suffered from severe toothaches.

Meanwhile, a newly appointed graduate of the imperial examination became the most sought-after bachelor in the marriage market—not because of his own achievements, but because his grandmother, despite having given birth to five sons and one daughter, remained in good health and had lived to the age of eighty-five.

And there were more cases like this…

In short, marriage customs were undergoing drastic changes. While political and economic interests remained the foundation of arranged marriages, there was now room for negotiation. For example:

“Your eldest son has a high nose, while your second son has a flat nose. I have no idea if my grandchildren will grow up to be handsome or not, but even if they do, pairing good looks with a flat nose would be disastrous. So, instead of marrying into your second son’s family, let’s switch to your eldest son instead, shall we?”

“After all, an arranged marriage is an arranged marriage—does it really matter which son it is?”

Xu Yanmiao was completely unaware of these changes.

Lately, he had been too busy digging into other people’s ancestry to pay attention to the gossip of the Tiantong Dynasty.

The day before his scheduled leave, after the yamen locked up for the day, he carefully wrapped up a book titled Curious Anecdotes from Ancient Texts and boarded a carriage bound for Yiyang County.

Yes, not the capital—Yiyang County. The Dou family was from Yiyang County.

It was located 131 miles west of the capital.

Perhaps because of the distance, the elderly emperor himself did not attend the birthday banquet but merely sent gifts instead.

Before Xu Yanmiao arrived, he happened to cross paths with Liang Rui’s carriage and decided to travel together.

Upon arriving at the Dou residence, he saw several carriages parked outside, but none of the owners were people he recognized.

Liang Rui, however, did.

Lifting the curtain of his carriage, Liang Rui pointed them out to Xu Yanmiao one by one—

“The one arriving in that lavishly decorated carriage, with silver and gold embellishments, carrying a ceremonial staff wrapped in brocade, is Kong Ying, the former Vice Censor-in-Chief who retired in the seventeenth year of the Tiantong reign.”

Xu Yanmiao glanced over and saw a dazzling carriage with a roof covered in silver and gold, almost blinding to the eyes. A gray-bearded old man in exquisitely embroidered brocade robes stepped out, supported by his carriage driver—who, despite being a mere servant, was also clad in luxurious silk and soft-bottomed shoes.

Xu Yanmiao: ?

Letting out a sound of pure astonishment, he exclaimed, “Waaah—”

“And that man wearing a mink fur cloak, riding a horse with hanging ornaments, is Zhang You, the former magistrate who retired in the seventh year of the Tiantong reign.”

Xu Yanmiao looked over again, his pupils practically shaking in shock.

A fat man stepped down from his carriage using a footstool.

It was only early spring, yet he was wearing a fur coat made from squirrel and mink pelts. And that wasn’t even the most outrageous part—his horse had a bridle made of gold, head ornaments made of silver, and even its ear decorations were crafted from jade.

Even he had never worn jade earrings before!

A mere horse was living better than a person!!!

No—not just better than a person. Even the carriage the old emperor had gifted him wasn’t this extravagant.

Though his carriage horse was of excellent breed, its tack was plain and unadorned with gold or silver. The carriage itself was made of high-quality wood to ensure durability, but it definitely didn’t have leather-wrapped shafts or windows decorated with pearls and jade.

Xu Yanmiao, dazed, murmured, “Are these people all this rich?”

Liang Rui took a sip from his teacup, his expression calm. “Perhaps they have some family wealth, but they’re only showing off like this because they know His Majesty isn’t coming. Back when they were still in office, they wouldn’t have dared decorate their carriages this extravagantly.”

Xu Yanmiao hesitated. “But what about the Jinyiwei…”

Liang Rui chuckled. “The Jinyiwei were only established in the thirty-second year of the Tiantong reign. These people might have heard of them, but they’ve never actually experienced their power firsthand.”

Xu Yanmiao nodded thoughtfully.

Liang Rui continued, “Besides, people from the countryside tend to be bold and unrestrained. They may act cautiously in the political arena, but once they return home, they inevitably get influenced by local customs.”

Xu Yanmiao immediately assumed a posture of eager attentiveness.

—This was the kind of knowledge schools never taught.

Liang Rui smiled. “Take the Prince of Han, for example. He was born to the Empress and grew up proud and arrogant. Yet even he once suffered a major loss in the countryside.”

Xu Yanmiao’s ears perked up, and he happily adjusted his sitting position, ready to hear some juicy gossip.

Liang Rui continued, “When he was about fifteen or sixteen, he traveled to his fiefdom. He gathered his attendants for a hunting trip, openly revealing his identity. But the moment he left the city and entered the countryside, the locals set up a trip rope on the road, ambushed him, stole his horses and money, and ran off. And yes, they knew very well they were robbing the Prince of Han.”

But so what?

The summer laws forbade large-scale private conflicts, yet villages still engaged in violent feuds with each other. The local officials wouldn’t interfere. Even if someone was killed, the most that would happen was a financial settlement.

“Clan feuds, village brawls—such things are illegal, yet they still happen. No matter how well-governed the administration is, it can’t completely suppress them.”

“Some outlaws are bold enough to rob and kill local nobles, let alone commoners.”

“Murder, ambushes, highway robbery… In such an environment, it’s only natural that some retired officials develop the mindset of ‘I’m the local tyrant here, I can do whatever I want.’ They lose the sharp political instincts they had while in office.”

Xu Yanmiao suddenly realized something. [Oh! So, in other words… this is just a case of imperial authority failing to extend to the countryside, right?]

“Thud—”

Just as he said that, Lian Hang, who had been about to step out of his carriage, tripped and fell straight to the ground.

Xu Yanmiao jumped in shock. He quickly lifted the curtain and leaped out of his own carriage. “Lian Lang, are you okay?! Why are you crying?!”

Lian Hang got up, wiped his tears, and muttered, “That really hurt.”

Hurt? What hurt?! He was the one who got scared to death!

“Imperial authority failing to extend to the countryside”—was that something you could just casually say out loud?!

Oh… he didn’t actually say it out loud… never mind! Whatever!

The point was, these five words—”Imperial authority fails to reach the countryside”—were like an arrow straight to His Majesty’s heart, a ruthless jab at the very lifeline of the dynasty. If those words were spoken openly, do you even realize how many people would die because of them?!

Xu Yanmiao didn’t even react.

—He had seen this phrase used so often online before that he never thought it was particularly sharp or controversial.

Inside the carriage, Liang Rui muttered to himself, repeating the phrase: “Imperial authority fails to reach the countryside.”

“As expected of a well-read Bai Ze, summarizing everything so precisely.”

In comparison, he had just spent so much time listing examples and explaining in detail—it all felt unnecessary now.

Why were the rural folk so fierce?

Why were there corrupt officials?

Why were the common people so cruelly oppressed by the government?

All of it could be explained with just these five words.

Liang Rui couldn’t help but repeat the phrase over and over, as if he had discovered a priceless treasure.

—So, if the logic was reversed, wouldn’t that mean that as long as imperial authority could extend to the countryside, the people wouldn’t be forced into rebellion, and the dynasty could be prolonged?

Liang Rui wanted to think about this further, but the carriage had already arrived at their host’s residence. It would be impolite not to disembark now. He stepped down and entered the hall, taking his seat. Xu Yanmiao sat beside him.

As per custom, performances of song and dance came first, followed by opera. Only when the auspicious hour arrived was the banquet finally served.

[Whoa? This is so extravagant—]

The college student in him couldn’t help but react like someone who had never seen such luxury before.

[The meat from the pig’s loin is the most tender. That entire dish is made purely from loin meat?!]

[Did Prime Minister Dou set up more than a dozen banquet tables?]

[Whoa—how many pigs did they have to slaughter for this?! What happens to the rest of the meat? Are they just throwing it away?!]

[This crucian carp soup… they’re only using the belly portion? Because the belly meat is the most tender and has the fewest bones?]

[Do they really eat like this?!]

[And this napa cabbage… they’re only eating the tender heart?!]

[Wow, wow! And there’s even a roast suckling pig at the back. It was specifically raised on a diet of poria and codonopsis root! Does the Empress know her brother is being this extravagant—? Oh, wait, turns out he didn’t raise it himself, he bought it from the former magistrate Zhang.]

[That’s odd. Prime Minister Dou doesn’t usually eat like this. Is he indulging just this once because it’s his 80th birthday?]

Liang Rui’s gaze flickered as he took note of the unusually lavish tableware. He glanced at his seating position and then at Xu Yanmiao before suddenly speaking:

“Xu Lang, would you mind switching seats with me? My stomach feels a bit unsettled today, and I might need to step in and out. Sitting in the innermost spot is a little…”

Xu Lang, ever the generous one, immediately agreed. “No problem! Let’s switch secretly right now.”

After switching seats, Xu Yanmiao found himself in the innermost position—much better for zoning out.

[Why is this chubby Magistrate Zhang still stealing people’s land?]

Xu Yanmiao frowned, a hint of disgust appearing on his face.

[And he’s stealing land from commoners, too. How vile. Since I’ve found out about this, I should report it to the Censorate later.]

Most of the capital officials subtly scanned the room.

Who is that?

—Not everyone was like Liang Rui, who could recall the names of retired colleagues he barely interacted with as if reading from a registry.

A small number of officials, upon recognizing the person in question, glanced at the still-smiling former Magistrate Zhang, their eyes filled with sympathy.

Eat well while you can. This might be the last good meal you’ll ever have.

He wasn’t even in office anymore, yet he eagerly rushed over to attend the Prime Minister’s 80th birthday celebration, drawing so much attention to himself. What can we say… tough luck.

Former Magistrate Zhang: “???”

For some reason, he felt a bit uneasy, as if countless eyes were secretly watching him.

Shifting uncomfortably, he forced a bright smile and turned back to continue the lively small talk he had been enjoying with the capital officials earlier. “Sir—”

Then, right before his eyes, the official he was speaking to suddenly pressed a delicate hand to his forehead, as if overcome by drink, and slumped onto the table.

Former Magistrate Zhang was completely baffled.

What just happened? Why does he suddenly look like he wants nothing to do with me?!

He tried approaching others, but they either very obviously avoided him or maintained a polite yet distant attitude.

Former Magistrate Zhang: “???”

Had he been away from the political scene for too long? Since when did officials start displaying such blatant rejection toward unfamiliar colleagues?

Could it be… because he had retired? But wasn’t it common wisdom that power shifts every thirty years? Did they not fear that he might stage a comeback one day?

Capital officials: No, we are not worried.