Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Other officials present: “…”

Wonderful. It seems this man not only refrains from taking bribes or receiving gifts, but he’s likely never even been involved with women. Whether he’s visited a brothel or not is uncertain, but he’s definitely never hosted one at his own home.

After all, with that rickety vine bed of his, it wouldn’t withstand two people. The noise alone could collapse it.

How can anyone live such a spotless life? (Shock) Could this be why this “Little Bai Ze” was chosen by the divine artifact? Because of his childlike purity?

The Minister of Justice was deeply moved, but a sudden thought jolted him, sending cold sweat trickling down his back. His gaze shifted to the emperor. As expected, the emperor’s eyes were now shining, as though he’d stumbled upon a rare treasure.

—The last time His Majesty looked this elated was when he discovered Xu Yanmiao could hear people’s inner voices, allowing him to leverage those insights to govern more effectively. The Minister of Justice felt a chill down his spine and almost wanted to kneel and beg the emperor, “Please, no more!”

Xu Yanmiao was unmarried, but the rest of them had families to care for! Not everyone could live as carefree a life as this Little Bai Ze, avoiding socializing, bribing superiors, or networking! These things all cost money! This kind of extreme frugality simply wasn’t feasible for others!

Let’s not even mention his three-room home. If he got married and had more than two children, the place would be unbearably cramped!

The Minister of Justice prided himself on his integrity. He didn’t touch funds like disaster relief money—not a single coin—but even then, he had to accept gifts and use his position to make some extra income just to support his household expenses.

It’s not that the emperor’s salary wasn’t generous. Aside from their pay, officials received land—second-rank officials like him were granted 35 qing of permanent farmland and 10 qing of duty land—as well as 500 shi of grain annually. On top of that, there was a monthly stipend, food allowances, and optional monetary exchanges for guards, totaling 23,500 wen annually.

But it still wasn’t enough! Sure, as the Minister of Justice, he didn’t have to curry favor or grease palms anymore, but maintaining servants, marrying off children, and buying paper and ink—all of that cost money!

Meanwhile, the emperor, now beaming, warmly addressed Xu Yanmiao: “Beloved subject…” (That title change was swift.) “Living so frugally, is there anything you lack?”

The officials immediately broke out in cold sweat, one by one casting pleading looks at Xu Yanmiao. Heaven forbid Xu Yanmiao say, “It’s sufficient.” If the emperor slashed their salaries in half as a result, it would be… hell on earth.

Xu Yanmiao hesitated, then said, “…No…”

Even someone as socially oblivious as him knew that when the boss asked if you were struggling, it wasn’t an invitation to complain.

The emperor encouraged him: “Really? No difficulties at all? If there’s something, just say it. I’ve never been an official myself, so I don’t know what your lives are like. This is my way of seeking counsel. Speak, and I’ll adjust policies accordingly.”

This time, Xu Yanmiao responded more firmly: “None!”

“I knew it…”

【Do you think I’m dumb?】

The emperor’s cheerful expression froze.

Wait… What did Xu Yanmiao just say?

Accompanying officials: !!!

A dramatic reversal!

Encouraging glances now shifted toward Xu Yanmiao. Yes, Little Bai Ze! Say more!

【If I said I had difficulties, wouldn’t that undermine the emperor? It’s like taking food off his plate—absolutely unacceptable.】

The emperor grew exasperated: “Truly none? I don’t believe it! Speak! If you don’t, I’ll accuse you of deceiving the monarch!”

【Wait, is he really seeking advice?】

“…Your Majesty,” Xu Yanmiao hesitated, then said, “The salary is too low…”

The emperor frowned. “How can it be too low? I calculated it carefully—it’s perfectly reasonable!”

Xu Yanmiao looked down, counting on his fingers: “Your Majesty, before I moved into this house, I spent 500 copper coins monthly on rent…”

“Then you still had 1,417 wen left for other expenses!”

“Firewood, rice, oil, salt…”

The emperor slapped the doorframe.

This time, he was determined to get to the bottom of it. Accusing him of stinginess was one thing, but suggesting he neglected his officials? Unforgivable!

“You’re entitled to 52 shi of rice annually. How much can you eat personally? Three shi? Four shi? Five shi? The rest can be sold, netting you thousands of copper coins! Isn’t that part of your salary? Isn’t it enough for you to eat meat every day?”

The emperor was indignant.

He hadn’t even accounted for the revenue from duty land and permanent farmland yet! Each qing of land was 20 mu—he’d allocated 80 mu! Was that not enough?

“Fetch me the abacus! Let’s do the math!”

The Imperial Guards swiftly brought an abacus.

The emperor, abacus in hand, was ready for a showdown:

“Alright! Tell me how much you eat daily!”

“I have lunch at the yamen. Breakfast and dinner together are one sheng of rice, five liang of flour, and eight liang of meat.”

“Five liang of flour can make two buns! And eight liang is half a catty of meat daily! Including firewood, rice, oil, and salt…”

The emperor furiously worked the abacus:

“With 500 wen for rent, that’s 3,001 wen per month! How is it not enough? The court provides you with rice and 4 qing of land! Any shortfall can be covered by your harvest, right?”

After finishing his calculations, the emperor felt quite pleased with himself.

He even played a small trick, treating the two bun-like portions of flour as plain steamed buns—though he knew they were actually stuffed buns.

Xu Yanmiao: “There’s also water usage and nightly lamp oil expenses…”

“Fine! I’ll add those in!” The abacus beads clattered. “Thirty buckets of water, and oil for lighting until midnight… That’s just 75 wen monthly.”

Xu Yanmiao:

Stare.

【Every little bit adds up! I’m still short 809 wen monthly!】

The emperor bristled.

How is there a deficit? Didn’t I account for land revenue?

“Do you not know how much a mu of land yields…?”

Xu Yanmiao replied instantly—after all, this was his salary!

“Three shi!”

“Fine. After deducting seeds, operational costs, and taxes, you’re left with two shi. Add the summer and autumn harvests, and you earn nearly 400 wen! Four qing of land yields 12,800 wen annually!”

Xu Yanmiao counted on his fingers: “But I have to rent oxen, prepare tools, and lease land to tenants…”

The emperor interrupted: “I’ll account for everything! By supplying oxen, you retain 60% of the harvest! Oxen rental is 3 wen daily, and fodder costs 33 wen daily in spring and summer. With two oxen, you can plow five mu daily…”

Before the emperor finished, Xu Yanmiao had already calculated: “1,152 wen.”

The emperor glanced at him in surprise, then checked the abacus, amazed: “You know arithmetic?”

Xu Yanmiao shyly smiled. [Of course, I aced my college entrance exams without a calculator.]

The emperor continued: “Exactly, 1,152 wen! You keep 60% of the harvest after costs, leaving 14,208 wen annually. Doesn’t that cover your deficit? You’ll even have 4,500 wen left! Isn’t that plenty?”

The emperor was indignant: “When my family farmed, we never had this much leftover! You officials just don’t know contentment!”

Xu Yanmiao: “There are still tools to replace…”

“Every five years, at most 40 wen annually.”

“Winter clothes, New Year’s outfits…”

“1,530 wen! You still have 2,480 wen!”

“Bathing in winter, at the public bathhouse, every three days…”

“Entire winter, barely 300 wen!”

The emperor concluded, triumphant: “See? 2,180 wen left! I’ve done the math—your expenses are fully covered! This is why I say it’s sufficient!”

Xu Yanmiao looked at the emperor again. “…Your Majesty is right.”

【Sure, it’s enough for one person. But if I marry and have kids, I’ll have to beg for food!】

Accompanying officials: Waaah!

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