Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

[“Of course! It’s obvious—whichever side looks more entertaining, that’s the side I’ll root for!”]

[“Spectators have no allegiance!”]

Xu Yanmiao could only lament the absence of sunflower seeds, peanuts, and cola, wishing they could enjoy the chaos more fully.

[It’d be even better if they started fighting!]

[If they do fight, Old Master Quan would be invincible! At his age, who would dare lay a hand on him? He could take out the entire court singlehandedly!]

The ministers: “?!”

They suddenly felt immensely relieved that Quan Yizhang wasn’t holding an official seal and couldn’t hear Xu Yanmiao’s nonsense.

[Wow, they’ve gone from debating The Book of Documents to The Analects! You can tell they aren’t serious debaters. A proper nitpicker would challenge how many times “Confucius said” appears in The Analects. Can’t answer that? Clearly, your scholarship is lacking!]

The New Text School: “…”

We already told you, we’re not nitpickers!!!

“Arguing about the classics like this—this isn’t reasoning, it’s just willful nonsense!”

An indignant member of the Ancient Script School slammed the table. “New Text School, since you study The Commentary of Gongyang, let me ask you: The Gongyang Commentary is famous for its subtle meanings. How many subtle meanings are there? And what are they?”

We’re not nitpickers, but Xu Yanmiao’s approach sure is effective, haha.

Plus, we’re being perfectly reasonable here. Asking how many times “Confucius said” appears might be a little petty, but the subtle meanings of The Gongyang Commentary? That’s a claim your school promotes! And yet you don’t even know how many there are? That’s not right, is it?

The New Text scholars were dumbfounded, exchanging helpless glances.

They had never considered this weakness in their arguments—because who, apart from Xu Yanmiao the nitpicker, would bother to count how many “Confucius said” there were or how many subtle meanings existed?

Even the leaders of the New Text School had never compiled this information!

[Their focus had always been on integrating New Text Confucianism with politics. For them, the Book of Songs was for admonishing rulers, the Spring and Autumn Annals for deciding legal cases, and the Five Classics served as guides for personal conduct and state governance.]

[And then there were the apocryphal texts—interpretations of Confucian classics that elevated them above the Five Classics, with theories like “Confucius was conceived by his mother through divine intervention” or “Our dynasty replaced the previous one because we overcame their Five Phases,” and “Heaven and humanity resonate with each other.”]

In short, they were preoccupied with big-picture projects, not filling in foundational gaps.

Now, cornered by the Old Text School, they were sweating profusely and at a complete loss for words.

Xu Yanmiao cheered internally.

[Beautiful!]

[Who knew the Old Text School had this ace up their sleeve!]

[They’re out for blood against the New Text School!]

The Old Text scholars offered modest smiles.

“Oh, stop, you flatter us.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of War Official glanced at Xu Yanmiao and felt a headache coming on.

It had started as a simple debate. Just a debate! Sure, Xu Yanmiao had stoked the flames, making it more heated, but it had still been a debate about the classics!

First, you suggested that the Ancient Script Book of Documents might be a forgery, nearly turning the Old Text School into a laughingstock. After all, if the Ancient Script Book of Documents were proven fake, there’d be no such thing as “ancient script,” and without “ancient script,” what Ancient Script School would there be?

Now you’ve caused the New Text School to be exposed for not knowing how many “subtle meanings” they had. It’s like claiming to revere Confucius but not even knowing that Confucius was also called Kong Qiu. What kind of devotion is that?

The argument had escalated from a war of words to a knife fight, each side determined to outdo the other.

In the depths of the imperial prison…

The Emperor’s grandson had already stuck his head out 1,444 times since waking up, averaging one peek every five breaths.

The fake heir muttered to the former imperial son-in-law, “His uncle’s coming today.”

“That renowned Grand Academician of the Hanlin Academy?” The former son-in-law’s face lit up with envy. “Ji Gong, the leading figure of the New Text School, the Crown Prince’s mentor, and a trusted advisor to both the Emperor and Empress? His sister became the Crown Princess, and another of his family was married to the Emperor’s sister, Princess Qinghe, as a formal husband.”

Not to mention, because the marriage occurred during the founding of the dynasty, before titles like “princess” existed, it didn’t conflict with holding office.

The former son-in-law could hardly contain his admiration.

The fake heir suddenly turned his head, his pupils dilating slightly. “He’s here.”

In the dim prison, measured footsteps echoed. After the firelight flickered several times, a section of a black boot appeared, embroidered with mountains and rivers in dark gold, dignified yet intricate.

Then, a pale, cool-looking man emerged from the shadows. His gaze gradually softened as he looked down at the Emperor’s grandson and smiled warmly.

The Emperor’s grandson threw himself against the bars, half-kneeling as he looked up with deep emotion. “Uncle!”

Ji Sui’s heart ached. When had his nephew ever endured such hardship? This dreadful prison… His nephew had even lost weight!

After clarifying the situation, Ji Sui’s expression tightened, his brow furrowed deeply. “I know who’s behind this.”

The Emperor’s grandson’s face twisted in malice. “Who is it?!”

Who was the informant?!

Ji Sui was about to speak when a plump official in a dark uniform burst in, unexpectedly agile for his size. He whispered a few words in Ji Sui’s ear, causing Ji Sui’s expression to shift dramatically as he stood up to leave.

“Uncle!” the Emperor’s grandson called out.

Ji Sui hesitated, glancing at his nephew’s greasy, unkempt hair, tangled with dirt and dust. He wanted to pat his head and offer some reassurance but…

—He had a cleanliness obsession.

In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He hurriedly left a promise: “I will get you out of here.” Then he turned and walked away.

Behind him, the Emperor’s grandson wailed, “Waaaah, Uncle! I’ll wait for you!”

Walking briskly, Ji Sui shed his outer robe as he left the prison. “Why did Quan Yizhang suddenly attend court? And how did the Old Text School gain the upper hand?”

The official trailing behind him carried a neatly folded set of court robes and bowed low while walking quickly to keep up. “It seems a certain Xu, a Official in the Ministry of Personnel, invited him back.”

The official was surprised to see the esteemed Grand Academician immediately recognize the culprit.

“Xu Yanmiao? Why is he everywhere?!”

At the mention of the name, the Crown Prince’s mentor and Hanlin Academy scholar’s expression darkened instantly.

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