Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Silence.

Utter silence.

An overwhelming stillness.

Even the old emperor’s furious wrath had paused, his gaze fixed oddly on Cui Yi’s face.

Some ministers who knew Cui Yi well wanted to speak in his defense, but they couldn’t find the right words and were left silent. At the same time, their minds involuntarily thought—

No wonder when they visited his house, his wife had rejected them, claiming he was too ill to receive guests. It turns out he wasn’t even home at that time!

The Minister of War looked at the stunned Minister of the Household beside him and whispered, “I remember after his sick leave, Cui Yi came to court with his left eye blackened, his right cheek scratched, his mouth cut, and his right wrist bruised.”

The Minister of the Household gave him a surprised look.

This person really has a good memory—he remembers exactly where Cui Yi was injured from half a month ago.

After the surprise, he eagerly joined the discussion, “That’s right, he said a brick had fallen at home and scared the family’s raccoons, which caused them to scratch his face. In a panic, he stepped wrong and ended up bruising his face.”

The Minister of War: “I didn’t expect it to be…”

The Minister of the Household: “A domestic tiger.”

The two exchanged knowing glances, then laughed together, full of mischievous glee.

Meanwhile, Cui Yi, after being struck by Xu Yanmao’s inner voice, maintained a calm expression.

“Thirdly—”

He spoke firmly and decisively, as if he had planned to say this all along: “However, the royal dignity must not be violated. I believe that although others may escape death, Lui Yi must be executed to warn the world!”

His words were righteous, steady, and thunderous.

Xu Yanmao was in awe—

[So this is the kind of ability it takes to reach the fourth rank! He’s excellent at adapting to the winds!]

In the face of subtle gazes and occasional disdain from other censors, Cui Yi remained unfazed.

What adaptation? Is there such a thing? As for being despised…

Cui Yi silently ground his teeth and sneered.

Just wait, soon enough, it will be your turn!

“Your Majesty!”

Another censor, raising his head like a serpent, disdainfully glanced at Cui Yi before stepping forward, his words full of pointed implications: “I cannot keep secrets from others!”

Xu Yanmao scratched his cheek, feeling strangely uncomfortable with this statement. It didn’t quite fit the scene they were in.

How did it suddenly go from Cui Yi being a weathered opportunist to “I cannot keep secrets from others”?

[I understand now!]

Xu Yanmao inwardly clapped his fists, a look of realization in his eyes.

[Earlier, when I wasn’t paying attention, the old emperor must have hinted to Cui Yi that he had something on him. Cui Yi must have been coerced!]

[And this new censor, having noticed Cui Yi was threatened, stepped up to show the emperor he wasn’t afraid of such threats!]

Cui Yi: “…”

The process is correct, but the target is wrong.

The old emperor: “…”

What does that have to do with me! You’re the one with the crime to bear! Don’t just blame others! There’s never been a case where a subject makes the emperor bear the guilt!

A series of thoughts surged through his mind, almost turning into a barrage of comments.

The new censor, though respectful in behavior, spoke with a very strong tone: “I believe that although the princess is noble, after being married, she should not abuse her father’s power over her husband. As the saying goes, man is yang, woman is yin, man is strong, and woman is gentle. The husband should be revered, the wife subordinate, which is the traditional way.”

“Don’t you see, in the past, the Taizong Emperor loved his daughter Princess Fangling, who took many male lovers and humiliated her husband. When it came to light, those lovers were either executed or exiled, and the princess was imprisoned.”

“Don’t you see, 500 years ago in the Chu Dynasty, the Empress Dowager chose the husband for Princess Danyang, a famous general, but she didn’t like him and refused to sleep with him for half a year after their marriage. The emperor, hearing of this, believed it went against the rules of a wife and ordered their divorce.”

“The previous emperor at least understood that a princess should follow the rules of a wife, be virtuous, gentle, respectful, and manage the household well. Is Your Majesty now worse than the feeble emperors of the past, meddling in marital disputes and punishing the husband for disobeying?”

As soon as the words fell, an amazed voice rang out—

[Wow!]

The old emperor, about to rise and slap the censor, paused when he heard the familiar voice and leisurely sat back down.

…

After the new censor spoke, Xu Yanmao poked the Minister of War again: “Who is this person?”

The Minister of War wiped his tears. “Xu Lang, on account of me informing you, don’t forget to erect a tombstone for me in the future.”

Xu Yanmao blinked in confusion.

The Minister of War eagerly leaned in and smiled. “This old man’s name is Wen Xingyi, and his brother is a Prince Attendent. His son married His Majesty’s eighteenth daughter.”

Xu Yanmao’s shoulders moved slightly, nodding.

[“Now it makes sense.”]

With this level of detail, it’s even easier to access the gossip in the system.

[Wow!]

Xu Yanmao’s eyes brightened as he pretended to focus on the court proceedings, but in reality, he was enjoying the gossip.

[No wonder this person keeps stressing that the princess must follow the husband’s authority; it’s because Princess Xiangyang never gave him face.]

The previously disgruntled Princess Wanshou stared blankly at Xu Yanmiao.

After returning from the Prince Consort’s manor yesterday, after much thought and observation, se realized that the voice Xu Yanmiao was making wasn’t ventriloquism but his inner thoughts.

Now, his inner thoughts had brought up her Eighteenth Sister.

“Xiangyang…” The Princess Wanshou thought of Empress Dou.

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