Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Someone has tampered with the imperial grain.

The Emperor’s dark eyes bore into the officials of the Ministry of Revenue. Surprisingly, he did not erupt in fury; instead, his expression remained eerily calm.

Yet, the officials standing in the front row, close enough to detect his subtle emotions, felt a chill seep through their thick official robes, penetrating straight to their bones.

Those who understood the Emperor knew that when he was outwardly calm, it signaled his deepest anger.

The Emperor finally spoke, his tone unyielding: “Xu Yanmiao, step back into your place.”

Xu Yanmiao, though often oblivious to subtext, was quick to follow orders. Without asking questions, he retreated to the back of the formation, where a minor ninth-rank official like him belonged.

[The Emperor seems angry. Could it really be that the corruption involving the imperial grain has been uncovered? I need to tread carefully and avoid getting caught in this mess.]

Xu Yanmiao tucked himself further into the ranks. He no longer dared to sneak glances at the front like he used to, curious to see the drama unfold.

[But that Vice Minister of Revenue…]

The Ministry of Revenue had two Vice Ministers. Feeling the Emperor’s gaze upon them, both were utterly stricken, as if waking from a nightmare. Their hearts raced as they lamented their fate.

“Which Vice Minister is it? Speak clearly!”

The Left Vice Minister’s forehead was drenched in sweat, his face pale as paper. The oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily in the hall, as though the very walls were about to crumble under its force. The Right Vice Minister trembled violently, terrified of being implicated, his expression riddled with unease.

[Ten thousand mu of imperial farmland, and the Emperor himself ordered that taxes be halved after the disaster. Tsk, tsk. Who would’ve thought that the Right Vice Minister, Yang Cheng, would collect the full tax anyway? And yet he had the audacity to leave four-tenths of it behind for the court.]

The court fell into an oppressive silence.

The Right Vice Minister, who had been clinging to a thread of hope, suddenly stumbled forward, crawling and kowtowing violently.

“Your Majesty! This humble servant… I am guilty… I…”

The man stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

The Left Vice Minister, meanwhile, nearly collapsed from sheer relief, drenched in sweat. He knew he hadn’t embezzled any funds, but in the bureaucratic world of collusion and guilt by association, no one was ever truly safe.

Finally, the Right Vice Minister found his voice: “Your Majesty!” He moved forward on his knees, weeping bitterly. “It was but a moment of foolishness!”

The Emperor’s response was chillingly terse: “…Heh.”

[You seemed pretty clear-headed when you committed the crime. It’s only now that you’re panicking.]

---

Xu Yanmiao heard the commotion ahead and felt a rising urge to peek.

[No! Xu Yanmiao, control yourself! Don’t provoke the Emperor’s wrath!]

He sternly reminded himself, withdrawing further and flipping through previous corruption cases on his system interface to pass the time.

[Wow, at least the man left behind four-tenths of the taxes for the court.]

[What a disgrace. What does it mean to “beg while kneeling”?]

His inner commentary was so vividly expressive that those who could hear his thoughts might have mistaken him for someone intent on utterly destroying the Right Vice Minister. ꞦÃŊốᛒËŜ

The Right Vice Minister, already in turmoil, panicked even more. “Your Majesty! No, it’s not true! I didn’t mean that! This humble servant never intended such disrespect!”

He had only wanted to skim some money, not bring disaster upon himself!

The Minister of Revenue glared at him in frustration.

In this bureaucratic world, nearly everyone embezzled a little here and there. But six-tenths?! Were you afraid the Emperor wouldn’t notice?

The Emperor’s gaze bore into the Vice Minister, his fingers drumming rhythmically on the dragon-head armrest. Each tap reverberated like an ominous toll in the Hall of Judgment.

[And the Auditor General!]

The Auditor General, tasked with verifying the empire’s fiscal and grain accounts, broke out in a cold sweat when Xu Yanmiao’s thoughts turned toward him.

Without waiting for further accusations, he dropped to his knees with a loud thud. “Your Majesty!”

He crawled forward, his forehead pressed to the cold stone floor. His body trembled, and his back ached from the force of his kowtowing.

[Wow…]

[He really pocketed a lot of bribes while helping balance the books. Let’s see… Oh, two hundred bolts of fine silk, thirty bolts of satin, and silver worth a million taels!]

The Auditor General froze, feeling utterly exposed.

[So much money! I’ve never even seen that much in my life!]

The man began to kowtow furiously, gritting his teeth in frustration.

“Your Majesty! This humble servant has sinned greatly! Your Majesty, I am guilty!”

[Wow!] Xu Yanmiao’s thoughts only grew more enthusiastic.

[They’ve really been creative in coming up with ways to skim money! It’s no wonder they got caught. How exhausting it must have been for the Auditor General to cover up these accounts.]

The Emperor chuckled coldly.

Only the Commander of the Imperial Guards, standing nearby, heard his murmured words: “Creative accounting, indeed. Let’s see just how clever they’ve been.”

---

[Shipping costs alone—100 wen for water transport, 300 wen for land transport. And the food and lodging for the workers and animals? The peasants have to pay that too—another 100 wen! What were they eating, gold?!]

[And warehouse management fees? Another 100 wen? Even the baskets and barrels for transporting the money—both 100 wen each? Do you really need two containers just to hold cash? How absurd!]

[Oh, and it gets worse!]

[Apparently, they charge the peasants a “prayer fee” to ensure safe passage on the rivers. That’s another 100 wen! Are you serious?]

The naive Xu Yanmiao, who had never engaged in or even considered embezzlement, was utterly shocked. His eyes were glued to the system screen, oblivious to the storm brewing around him.

Meanwhile, the court officials felt the mounting tension, each one silently begging Xu Yanmiao to stop talking—or thinking.

When Xu Yanmiao calculated the total figures, his mind reeled.

[This can’t be right! The Emperor’s base tax rate is only 1,800 wen per stone of rice. But after all this creative skimming, the total rises by 900 wen!]

[That’s 2,700 wen per stone! They’ve practically doubled the tax rate!]

Xu Yanmiao was in awe.

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