Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

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After the court session, the old emperor led a group of senior ministers to visit Xu Yanmiao.

The moment the door opened, the old emperor almost cursed aloud.

Fool! Scoundrel! Worthless as a dog! How could I have fathered such a wretched offspring?!

Before him, even the once-lustrous fur of the little Bai Ze seemed to have lost its shine. Xu Yanmiao appeared listless, barely managing to summon the energy to speak, “Why has Your Majesty come here with the ministers?”

The old emperor immediately felt that the punishment he had given to Prince Fu was far too lenient.

Softening his tone, as if afraid of startling Xu Yanmiao, he said, “We’ve always seen you as strong and lively, bouncing around with energy. But today, you’ve taken the rare step of requesting leave, and we’ve heard rumors that you were frightened and even vomited several times. So, we came to check on you. Don’t stand at the door—go back to bed. After court, there’s no need to adhere to strict formalities.”

Xu Yanmiao felt a warmth in his heart. Once he lay back in bed, a hand stretched out from under the blanket, giving the emperor an opportunity to express his care and concern.

The emperor took his hand, gently patting the back of it, his tone extraordinarily kind and comforting. “Have you been wronged? Tell me, and I will see justice done for you. You are one of our most trusted ministers; you mustn’t fall here.”

Xu Yanmiao’s anger surged as he recalled the source of his frustration—the pair of tiny embroidered shoes.

Living in an age of information overload, where things once forbidden, like bound feet, could easily be found with a simple online search, he had come to deeply understand how inhumane and physically degrading foot-binding was—a complete violation of dignity.

“Your Majesty!” Xu Yanmiao’s mind raced, preparing a comprehensive list of reasons to oppose foot-binding that would strike at the very heart of the emperor’s sensibilities—even if Prince Fu was the emperor’s son, these arguments would surely provoke the old emperor’s displeasure.

—Indeed, through the gossip system, he had already identified the culprit.

“I wish to impeach—”

However, the old emperor gently patted the back of Xu Yanmiao’s hand again.

“?”

[Does the old emperor know I’m about to impeach his son and wants to stop me?]

Even in his weakened state, lying in bed, Xu Yanmiao struggled to sit up.

His pale complexion alarmed the old emperor, who feared the excitement might worsen his condition. He scolded, “Why are you flailing about?!”

Then he added, “If you truly wish to impeach someone, recover first, draft your memorial, and present it during tomorrow’s court session. Without sufficient energy, how can you argue with others in court?”

Xu Yanmiao was momentarily stunned and was about to say something when his stomach suddenly let out a loud grumble. His face turned bright red.

— He hadn’t eaten a single grain of rice since emptying his stomach earlier. He was starving but lacked any appetite.

The old emperor glanced at him. “In your condition, you still want to impeach someone? If you don’t have the energy to fight back, the moment you open your mouth, they’ll counterattack, and you’ll just end up shooting yourself in the foot.”

As he spoke, he turned to the group of officials behind him. “Bring it over.”

“Bring what?” Xu Yanmiao craned his neck. “Your Majesty brought something for me?”

A small food container was brought forward. When it was opened, it revealed a bowl of black sesame porridge.

The old emperor took out the bowl, touching its sides. “It’s still warm. It’s just right for you to eat now. Originally, it was made with glutinous rice, but since you’ve just vomited and your stomach is empty, we replaced it with polished rice to soothe your organs and restore your stomach energy.”

The black sesame porridge entered his mouth, spreading a gentle warmth across his tongue. The heat slowly traveled down his throat, inching its way into his empty stomach, providing a soothing comfort.

Xu Yanmiao’s hollow stomach felt instantly relieved, significantly easing his physical discomfort.

Xu Yanmiao began, “Thank—”

The old emperor interrupted him. “Enough with the thanks. There’s no need for so much formal courtesy in private. Rest well; I won’t disturb you any longer.”

---

The emperor and the officials came and went in a hurry, leaving Xu Yanmiao alone with the bowl of black sesame porridge, feeling deeply conflicted.

No matter how complex his emotions were, once the porridge was finished and his strength somewhat restored, he had to start drafting his memorial.

Xu Yanmiao suddenly realized that the old emperor had misspoken earlier. Tomorrow, there was no court session—it was a day of rest. The day after that was when the real battle would take place.

“Perfect, I have one more day to prepare.”

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