Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

But Liang Youwu was not an upright person.

Still, he considered himself a man of his word. That’s why he retrieved a notebook from his room, picked up a treasured sword, and openly set out to visit the Grand Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.

—After all, since the chancellor had selected him as the top scholar, it was only proper for him, as the examinee, to pay his respects.

Meanwhile, in a public bathhouse nearby, Xu Yanmiao soaked comfortably in the warm water, leisurely monitoring the chancellor’s movements through his system.

The sound of water splashing, the rising steam—he was so relaxed that he didn’t even notice something peculiar.

—Several familiar figures were also in the bathhouse.

Officials of the Da Xia Dynasty: We’re just curious. Why would the esteemed Grand Chancellor of the Imperial Academy risk exposure to help some barely acquainted young man cheat on the exam?

And then, the focus unexpectedly shifted:

[Wuhoo! The gift is actually a sword! And not just any sword—it’s a relic from a century-old temple!]

[This was the sword of a general from the previous dynasty! After returning from a hundred battles, he shaved his head and became a monk. The sword was placed in a temple, said to suppress vengeful spirits and negative energy!]

The Da Xia officials listened with great interest.

They were also quite impressed: To think that this sword had such a history! And that Liang Youwu actually managed to take this treasure from the temple!

[It’s happening! They’ve met!]

[Huh? Chancellor Wu actually refused the Tai’e Sword? He won’t accept the gift of gratitude… Then why did he go through all the trouble of helping Liang Youwu cheat? Is his life too smooth, so he wants some extra challenge? Is he testing whether he can evade the watchful eyes of the Jinyiwei?]

The officials nodded furiously.

Yeah, yeah! We’re curious too! Risking your neck for nothing? What’s the motive?

If the guy just wanted to do a good deed… come on, would you believe that, or would you believe that I am the First Emperor of Qin?

[Oh ho! Here comes the main course!]

Xu Yanmiao sank slightly into the water, leaving only his head above the surface. The hot water was so comfortable that he squinted his eyes in relaxation.

[Hahahaha!]

[Turns out he didn’t just bring the Tai’e Sword—he also brought an account book! Chancellor Wu’s face turned green the moment he saw it!]

[There’s definitely something shady about this account book. Let me see—holy crap! Chancellor Wu, why are you biting people?! He bit the guy holding the account book so hard that he drew blood!] R₳Ŋó฿ÈŠ

[Wait, wait! What kind of words are those? What do you mean, ‘It’s all your fault! I’m doomed!’?]

[As expected! There’s definitely a huge secret in this account book!]

Liang Rui was also in the bathhouse.

He suddenly bit down on his own wrist, his teeth sinking deep, causing blood to seep out—like a fork pressing into a cream cake, making the frosting bulge slightly.

Since ancient times, anything involving account books was never a trivial matter.

Just what exactly did his son discover?!

Why didn’t he tell me?!

A nearby official cast a sympathetic glance at him.

How tragic.

Having a son like that? Might as well have never had kids.

[Let me flip through it…]

[Ah?! If this is the case, then Liang Youwu isn’t entirely to blame. You weren’t exactly a saint either.]

What?! What exactly?!

The gathered officials were so agitated that they sat up straight in the water, their soft, slightly chubby bodies glistening.

They normally wouldn’t be this worked up, but this time, this was a matter of life and death! If the one caught taking bribes had been Liang Youwu instead of the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, they would’ve suspected that Liang Youwu had some deep, undying love for him.

There was even precedent for this sort of thing! Didn’t his brother fall so hard for the Dowager Duchess that, even after learning she was the Emperor’s mother-in-law, he still charged ahead anyway?

——Good thing Liang Rui didn’t know what they were thinking, or else he’d have splashed water all over their faces.

[Ugh, shameless!]

[His son’s business failed, racking up a debt of 9,000 taels of silver. When the creditors came knocking, he embezzled public funds to cover the hole.]

[Back then, he wasn’t even the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy—just the magistrate of Tongcheng! A young and inexperienced official, living off his monthly salary. That was his first time embezzling public funds!]

[Afraid that this part of the accounts would be discovered, he secretly took salt from the government warehouse and sold it, earning 9,560 taels. He even pocketed 560 taels for himself. Tsk tsk.]

[But he couldn’t make up for the missing salt. What to do? He was worried sick! Oh wow, what a coincidence—the warehouse was an old structure from the previous dynasty, poorly maintained, and oops—it caught fire.]

[Of course! A warehouse fire—how normal is that? Any losses would seem totally reasonable!]

“Actually…” A low-ranking official whispered to his colleague, “If Little Baize hadn’t said it, I would’ve suspected that fire wasn’t an accident at all.”

It wouldn’t be the first time a grain warehouse fire was deliberately set by an official.

There were even cases where, during an imperial inspection from the central government, officials used tricks to make a warehouse explode right in front of the censorate inspector. The explosion knocked the inspector unconscious, and the ensuing fire burned him alive inside the warehouse.

—That’s how reckless some people were.

Of course, after one such incident, the old emperor had cracked down hard.

[For once, it was actually an accidental fire and not a staged one. No fear of investigation—so, from his superiors to his subordinates, and even magistrates from neighboring counties, all came to him for help in balancing their own books.]

The official speaking froze for a moment, then whispered to his acquaintance, “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Using other warehouses to balance accounts? How does that even work? Did they just claim that Tongcheng County had borrowed supplies from their warehouses, and oops, what a coincidence, those also burned down?

[Chancellor Wu was so generous! Anyone who came for help got it! If only he had been a little more cautious, this would have been a perfect crime!]

What caution? How do you even “accidentally” overextend your help?

A group of central officials eagerly leaned forward, their faces full of curiosity, ready for Xu Yanmiao to educate them.

[I don’t even know how these numbers got added up… One person dared to report them, and another actually dared to approve them.]

[LOL! So that’s how it was. Even magistrates have their own social circles. When they finally found a warehouse that wouldn’t be audited, of course, they shared it with their friends.]

[And friends have friends.]

[Chancellor Wu didn’t supervise properly—he left everything to his subordinates. Those guys, after a couple of drinks and some bribes, just approved everything, promising they’d balance the books.]

[When the final numbers came in, Chancellor Wu was completely dumbfounded—]

[“How much? You’re telling me the warehouse in my county burned down and lost how much??? 800 stones of pepper, 80,000 taels of silver, 30 million copper coins, and 2,400 stones of rice???”]

[HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—]

[You think a county warehouse could possibly hold that much? You could tell me that was the imperial treasury and I’d believe it! HAHAHA—]

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