Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

After all these chapters, In the Years When I Was a Father—the heartfelt story of Qi Sheng’s journey—has finally been completed today. Thank you for following along through every twist and emotion. Please support on Ko-fi, every bit helps with translation and maintaining this website. Stay tuned for more heartwarming stories ahead!

Let’s go back to the day when Xu Yanmiao got tricked into revealing information.

Here’s how the Crown Prince set the trap—

“This Prince knows you’re not well-versed in foreign affairs. I’m merely speaking my thoughts aloud; you don’t need to respond, just listen.”

And often, when someone is told not to speak, their inner voice becomes most active—and they instinctively begin answering in their mind.

Though the Crown Prince managed to extract quite a bit from Xu Yanmiao, he wasn’t happy about it.

The moment he thought of what Xu Yanmiao said about the development overseas—especially that foreign nations would one day bombard Daxia’s gates with cannons—he nearly lost his mind. He just wanted to pick up a blade and wipe out every last ancestor of those future enemies.

This thought embedded itself in the Crown Prince’s mind and wouldn’t go away.

[They will! If Daxia weakens, they’ll definitely take a bite!]

[And they’ll even carve up our land—oh right! Didn’t part of the old emperor’s ancestral burial ground fall within ceded territory?]

The Crown Prince nearly dug his fingernails into his temple flesh, but remembering he was mid-sentence, he clenched his teeth and forced himself to continue: “I can’t help feeling anxious. Forgive me if I made a fool of myself, Xu Lang.”

Xu Yanmiao cupped his hands in respect. “Your Highness is too modest. You’re simply planning ahead—and what you said is not without reason.”

Crown Prince: “Oh?”

Xu Yanmiao said, “When a country is strong, vassals will come from all directions. When it’s weak, wolves will gather. This is an eternal truth—Daxia cannot remain powerful forever.”

“That’s right. Every country has its time of decline.”

The flame on a nearby desk candle flickered with a sharp crackle, dancing in the Crown Prince’s dark eyes, casting light upon his firm, resolute face. “Xu Lang, Daxia must not be stuck in the past. Only by knowing ourselves and our enemies can we win every battle. Now that we have potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn—more food—it’s time to send out fleets to explore the outside world.”

They needed to go out, to build contact with other nations. Only then could they understand their populations, technologies, policies, and national strategies.

They needed to go out to secure early access to the sea and to claim interests in territories without sovereign rulers.

Now that he had explained his thoughts to Xu Yanmiao—justified, logical—the next step was clear:

“This Prince will organize my thoughts. In a few days, I’ll submit a memorial to His Majesty, requesting the organization of more maritime expeditions. Also, we should open two or three ports and allow private overseas travel.”

Xu Yanmiao knew he wasn’t some genius or a cunning strategist. He was just an ordinary college student. He couldn’t bear the weight of historical destiny, nor could he change the course of history.

He came here merely to help the original body’s soul survive a few more days, serve in office a little longer, and ease its lingering resentment.

But after that speech from the Crown Prince, Xu Yanmiao felt like he must be going mad. Otherwise, why did the mere mention of overseas travel instantly make him think of the spinning jenny, the rise of factories, the Industrial Revolution, the domination of the seas, the British Empire where the sun never set, and a world where everyone eventually spoke Chinese? Only the Chinese imagination could leap to such heights at once.

Back home, Xu Yanmiao scooped the lion cat curled up in the bathtub into his arms and gently stroked it from the head down its spine. The cat’s fur was soft, its body warm. His hand rested on its back, feeling its breathing gently lift and lower the spine, a soft thump of a heartbeat vibrating under his palm.

“Good kitty.”

Xu Yanmiao murmured to himself, “It’s not entirely impossible, is it?”

The lion cat let out a lazy meow, its fluffy tail lazily swaying, as if in agreement.

[Come to think of it, the Yin-Yang clan will be thrilled. Their stargazing skills will finally have real purpose—not just watching celestial signs with hundreds of others at the Imperial Astronomy Bureau and sharing tiny bits of credit.]

In the same neighborhood, the Yin-Yang heirs collectively shot up in their beds like dying men jolted awake, eyes wide.

How exactly will it be useful? Say it! SAY IT!

[But don’t get too excited yet—it depends on whether the Crown Prince’s memorial can convince the old emperor.]

The Yin-Yang clan’s ears perked up even more, practically plastering themselves to Xu Yanmiao’s mouth.

A memorial? What memorial?! Tell us! We’ll help the Crown Prince!

[Also, based on what I know, allowing large-scale sea travel might threaten the interests of certain officials.]

[If the emperor enforces maritime bans, most people can’t sail—only a daring few smuggle goods. And some of those daring few just happen to be high-ranking ministers. For their own benefit, they’ll likely advise the emperor against lifting the ban. Not sure the Crown Prince can outplay these wolves.]

So, it’s about large-scale port opening?

The Yin-Yang descendants pinched the bridges of their noses, falling into hesitation.

If this really escalates, it might end in bloody conflict. Other matters could be compromised—but this one? It was cold, hard silver. Even the emperor himself might not want to loosen the ban—after all, he’d want a full share of the profits too!

Still, their hesitation only lasted a moment. The Yin-Yang faction swiftly made a decision: Help the Crown Prince! They must help the Crown Prince!

What did the emperor’s or other ministers’ interests have to do with them? Their own interests came first!

‘Your Highness!’

All those court officials in the capital simultaneously revealed bashful, yearning, and exceedingly sincere smiles.

‘From this moment on, we are fully, thoroughly, and completely Your Highness’s people!’

Xu Yanmiao was extremely curious how the Crown Prince would proceed.

So were the entire court and the emperor.

Yes—the Crown Prince’s plan had already leaked out through some “sieve.” But fortunately, the Crown Prince had chosen to share his thoughts with Xu Yanmiao with the full awareness they might spread.

The Crown Prince’s most trusted aide, the Crown Prince’s Chamberlain, stepped forward: “Your Majesty, this minister has a memorial to present!”

It’s here!!!

From the emperor to the court officials, everyone instantly became highly alert and excited.

Mainly because—it was rare for the Crown Prince to show any initiative in pursuing power. Judging by how he had been stuck in the position of heir for so long without being removed, it was almost certain that he would eventually ascend the throne and become the one ruling over the ministers. That meant it was crucial now to gauge the Crown Prince’s competence and whether he had the ability to command his future subordinates.

—If it became clear that the Crown Prince couldn’t manage court affairs, then even if the officials didn’t plot rebellion, they would likely stop listening to the new emperor’s orders.

The Emperor nodded, kind and considerate: “Whatever it is you wish to say, no rush—take your time.”

Who has ever seen this dog Emperor speak so gently?! The court collectively flinched in disbelief.

Even the Crown Prince’s Chamberlain, who was about to speak, visibly trembled.

Meanwhile, Xu Yanmiao began to ponder.

The official standing beside him (ever since Xu was promoted, Lian Hang could no longer stand next to him) glanced sideways and happened to see Xu deep in thought.

“!!!”

That official suddenly thought of something, eyes wide: “Xu—”

Too late.

Xu Yanmiao’s voice, filled with realization, already rang out in his mind: [Eh? Isn’t this a case of “unsolicited kindness always hides a motive”?]

It’s over.

The official bowed his head in silence, not daring to look toward the front.

But the old Emperor remained unmoved, even mentally snapping back: “Young brat! Doesn’t even know how to speak properly—what do you mean ‘unsolicited kindness hides a motive’?! This is clearly about ‘respecting the virtuous regardless of status,’ understand or not?!”

Xu Yanmiao’s ears twitched as he subtly turned his head and looked around.

He quietly asked the person beside him, “Did someone just call my surname?”

That official kept a straight face, eyes cast down: “Didn’t hear anything.”

“Oh! Thanks.”

[Strange? Did I mishear?]

Xu gave up thinking about it and refocused on the emperor: [Hmm, I get it now. I shouldn’t have said ‘unsolicited kindness hides a motive.’ What I meant to say was—]

[When a weasel pays respects to a chicken on New Year’s, it’s never with good intentions!]

‘You’re the one with bad intentions! Watch your mouth!’

—The Emperor finally snapped!

He glared at the Crown Prince’s Chamberlain, irritated: “Spit it out already!”

No more giving Xu Yanmiao time to think nonsense!

The Emperor’s back to normal!

The Crown Prince’s Chamberlain let out a breath of relief and quickly got to the point: “Your Majesty, on New Wa Island, the Wa people there now revere Confucius as a deity. At least eight out of every ten people fervently worship at the shrines to the Sage.”

The old Emperor: “…What?”

The Chamberlain had expected this reaction—truth be told, even he had a bigger one when he first learned about it.

“Eighteen months ago, the Marquis of Yongchang defeated the Wa people and drove the remaining ones onto New Wa Island. Using a method proposed by Liang Rui, a Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, they were allowed to fragment into countless small factions on the island, killing each other off to suppress population growth.”

He carefully explained the backstory—

—since most officials had probably forgotten about it by now.

They didn’t completely exterminate the Wa people mainly because they feared that nearby nations, hearing the news, would become alarmed and think that if they ever lost a war to Daxia, they too would face total annihilation. This might lead them to unite preemptively out of fear, which would be troublesome for Daxia.

The Wa weren’t worth that risk.

The Chamberlain continued: “Although the Wa people are trapped on the island, there are many trees there. Should they find a way to avoid our surveillance and build ships to escape by sea, returning in the future with force, it would cause major problems.”

“But if we station troops there long-term, that would be too costly in terms of manpower.”

The Emperor nodded: “So?”

The Crown Prince’s Chamberlain said, “Thus, the Crown Prince sent Confucian scholars to New Wokou Island to enlighten the Wokou people, so they may listen to the sacred teachings and study Confucian classics.”

The old emperor was shocked: “They just started studying like that? And are sincerely worshipping Confucius?”

Was Confucian brainwashing really that powerful?

The other ministers were equally stunned—especially those who had previously dealt with the Wokou pirates—utterly speechless.

The Wokou had always feared power, not virtue. How could mere Confucian teachings reform them?

The Chamberlain replied firmly, “Yes! That’s exactly what happened!”

[Actually, no, that’s not how it happened.]

Xu Yanmiao began “secretly” exposing the truth.

[In fact, the Crown Prince had his people spread the word that those who studied and recited Confucian classics could exchange their memorized texts for vegetables, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.]

—On the new island, there were no vegetable seeds, so they couldn’t grow any crops. Things like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were even rarer.

[At first, the Wokou only memorized texts for survival and even secretly resented it. But over time, they gradually came to believe that Master Kong (Confucius) was indeed a savior—that studying his teachings could bring temporary salvation.]

The ministers of Daxia: “???”

Salvation???

Wasn’t that a bit exaggerated?!

Xu Yanmiao had thought the same—until he saw—

[On the island, native officials governed the native population. Because they were of the same ethnicity, they turned out to be more vicious, more ruthless, and more inhumane than Han officials.]

[Having been oppressed by the Daxia court themselves, they took out their anger by oppressing their own people even more severely.]

[The Wokou had to memorize Confucian texts to obtain basic necessities, only for most of those goods to be secretly confiscated by the native officials. But the officials didn’t dare take everything, since they still needed the people alive to keep memorizing.]

[So over time, in the eyes of the oppressed Wokou, Confucius and Mencius became their saviors—because it was through them they could survive.]

[To them, Confucius and Mencius were equivalent to the Christian God. The Daxia people were like heavenly angels. And when the “angels” took them to mine, they did so devoutly—without a single thought of escape.]

[You have to admit, the Crown Prince really understood human nature.]

Xu Yanmiao was stunned.

So it could be done like this?

Then could the Wokou be used for mining, freeing up Han laborers?!

What was this? Resourceful recycling?

[Hiss—]

[Come to think of it, besides mining, all kinds of domestic projects this past year were done by the Wokou—building roads, digging canals, transporting grain… About a hundred thousand of them were forced from one place to another, working until they were driven back to New Wokou Island.]

The Minister of Works clicked his tongue.

In his mind: Wasn’t this pure forced labor?

Still, it was fine. With the Wokou doing the hard labor, Han commoners didn’t have to suffer. And since they weren’t our own people, we didn’t need to feel bad about using them harshly.

In fact, this even helped relieve the labor burden on the population. We’re talking about over a hundred thousand people’s worth of manpower!

The court of Daxia now understood the Crown Prince’s true intention.

Outright slaughter would alarm neighboring nations, but making people do exhausting labor until they died—that had nothing to do with Daxia.

—Prisoners of war were always meant for forced labor: building city walls, milling grain, repairing roads. If they died from it, that just meant they were physically weak.

Teaching them Confucianism was just a method of control—to prevent escape. Truly integrating them into Daxia society was impossible. If for no other reason, the feelings of Little Baize (a person or perhaps symbol) had to be respected.

Xu Yanmiao hadn’t seen the whole picture. He just simply thought: since the mines needed to be dug and roads needed to be built, better to use outsiders than burden his own people.

Over the past year, those forced laborers had even built two major highways, making grain transport to remote regions easier.

[Come to think of it… does this count as enlightenment?]

Xu Yanmiao was confused.

But the Confucian scholars in court—every single one—screamed inwardly: Of course it counts! Absolutely! Making barbarians study Confucius and Mencius—that is enlightenment!

Daxia should have such sovereign bearing: spreading Confucianism to all corners of the world!

And conveniently, the Crown Prince said just that: “Your Majesty, if even such beastly people as the Wokou can be enlightened, then so can others overseas.”

“I request that more sea ports be opened, so Confucian scholars can freely go abroad, allowing even the barbarians and nomads to receive the grace of Kong and Meng.”

The Confucian disciples in court: “!!!”

Their hearts pounded wildly.

Who could resist the chance to be immortalized in history? A whole chapter in their clan’s genealogy! Enlightening the world—what greater glory? The Crown Prince has awakened us! One hand holds the Confucian classics, the other hand the musket and cannon—that’s still enlightenment, isn’t it?

Open them!

We support opening more ports!!!

Whoever doesn’t support it is an enemy of Confucianism!

As for the Crown Prince, he only smiled faintly.

See? Who said support for opening the ports was in the minority? As long as you align interests correctly, friends become many—very many.

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