EMHTC -Chapter 120 The Cold Wind Howls, Snow Falls Heavily, His Silhouette is Incomparably Desolate

Astronomy is important.

The old emperor acted swiftly. After the morning court session, he held a small council meeting and quickly decided, along with his ministers, to establish a new department called the “Astronomical Observatory,” dedicated to the study of astronomy.

From then on, members of the Astronomical Bureau could be selected from the observatory.

“In the upcoming special examination after spring, the sole subject will be astronomy. Two hundred individuals will be selected to join, and the official positions will be set as follows…”

It was snowing.

The snow on the ground had accumulated about three inches thick.

Xu Yanmiao, wrapped in a heavy cloak, entered the Ministry of Appointments. Before stepping inside, he kicked his feet against the threshold, shaking off the snow clinging to the soles of his shoes.

He carried a book chest in his hand—so heavy that his fingers had turned white from the strain.

A nearby official quickly got up to help him carry the chest, hoping to free Xu Yanmiao’s hands. But as soon as the official took hold of it, his arms sank under the unexpected weight, and he nearly fell over.

“Xu Lang, what on earth do you have in here?”

“Books.”

“Why are you bringing so many books to the office?!”

“I haven’t decided on the exam questions yet.”

After placing the book chest beside his desk, Xu Yanmiao thanked the helpful official and dropped into his chair. His damp cloak was casually thrown onto the coat rack.

He opened the chest and pulled out the top book—there were over twenty in total, enough to keep him occupied for a long time.

Quan Yizhang and Ji Sui wanted to help him search for reference books, but Xu Yanmiao refused. He had no intention of getting caught up in the whirlpool of academic disputes.

“Absolutely unlucky.”

Another official limped into the room, clutching his leg, and hobbled toward his desk.

Xu Yanmiao glanced over and was startled. “What happened to you?”

The official’s injured leg was covered, but the knee on his other leg had a long gash. The blood had been wiped away, revealing raw pink flesh.

The official huffed angrily, “A distant relative of mine came to the capital to visit me but fell ill and is now bedridden in an inn. When I went to check on him, guess what happened—” He slapped his unharmed leg. “Just as I was going upstairs, I heard a loud crash. The next moment, a well-endowed young woman, hastily wrapped in clothing, came rushing down. She didn’t even look where she was going and knocked me straight off the stairs. My arm and leg got cut when I tumbled down, dragging a porcelain vase with me.”

Xu Yanmiao: “…”

【He still had the presence of mind to notice the woman’s chest at a time like that? Could it be that he got distracted by it and that’s why he was knocked down?】

The official, as if his thoughts had been exposed, blushed and stammered, “A-Anyway, that’s what happened.”

【Shameless!】

Xu Yanmiao prided himself on his restraint and refrained from saying more. Instead, he simply asked, “Do you need a physician? I can head to the Imperial Medical Academy and fetch one for you.”

The official, embarrassed, chuckled. “I’d appreciate it, Xu Lang!”

A short while later, the physician arrived, with Xu Yanmiao carrying his medicine chest.

The physician efficiently cleaned and bandaged the wounds. Then, he took out a calming remedy from his medicine chest. “Normally, I don’t carry this, but the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review came by earlier to request medicine, so I happened to have it on hand.”

Xu Yanmiao: “The Deputy Minister was frightened too?”

The injured official instinctively replied, “I didn’t see him at the inn.”

The physician chuckled, “Perhaps he was frightened somewhere else?”

【Now I’m curious. The Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review deals with criminal cases all the time—he must have nerves of steel. How could he be so easily scared that he needed medicine?】

The physician, still holding the official’s arm, paused and coughed. “Although the wounds are bandaged, I’ll write a prescription to speed up the healing process.”

— The Imperial Physician Had the Seal of the Imperial Medical Academy.

The officials all knew what was going on—this man was obviously just finding an excuse to stay and listen to gossip. But no one called him out on it—who knew? One day, they might need to do the same. A little mutual understanding never hurt!

Xu Yanmiao was already happily immersed in the gossip.

【Hiss!】

【No way, no way, no way!】

【That’s way too wild!】

【It’s one thing to have a heated session with his newly acquired eighth concubine at an inn, and another for the bed to collapse—but how did they end up continuing on the floor until they broke that too?!】

The Imperial Physician: “Hiss—”

The injured official: “Hiss—”

That intense?!

Several innocent officials in the Ministry of Appointments had already started blushing.

Who would have thought… Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, you’re this kind of person!

The various government offices weren’t far from each other, all located within the Imperial City. The Six Ministries were clustered in the central area, opposite the Ministry of Agriculture across Chengtianmen Street.

The Court of Judicial Review (Dali Temple) was just west of the Ministry of Agriculture, separated only by a street and the Imperial Guard Office.

So now, the entire Court of Judicial Review could hear Xu Yanmiao’s inner thoughts.

Who would have thought?!

Countless gazes instantly swiveled toward Deputy Minister Zhang Xuan, their eyes all fixed below his waist.

—There were two Deputy Ministers of the Court of Judicial Review, but today, only one had been injured.

“……”

That Deputy Minister’s neck stiffened as if it had thickened with tension.

Why?! He had already given up arguing with the Crown Prince, yet that damn Baize still managed to drag him into this mess!

Someone must have mentioned his name! Who was trying to ruin him?!

【And he even fell directly onto the bed downstairs, nearly crushing someone! Let me check—did he compensate them? If not, I’m filing an impeachment!】

A nearby official whispered, “Deputy Minister, did you compensate them? If not…”

Deputy Minister Zhang Xuan awkwardly shifted his buttocks, his wrinkled face twitching like pine tree bark. “Of course, I wouldn’t leave without making amends!”

【Oh, oh! So he did compensate them.】

Hearing his thoughts confirmed, Zhang Xuan let out a relieved sigh and, with a hint of superiority, huffed, “I hold the position of Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review—if I injure someone, how could I just walk away without taking responsibility?”

【That makes sense. Otherwise, if someone reported this to the authorities, the entire imperial court would know that the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was so vigorous with his concubine that he wrecked both the bed and the floor, fell naked onto someone else’s bed, nearly breaking their body, and then refused to compensate them. That would be beyond humiliating.】

【Compensating was the only logical move.】

…Well, now the entire imperial court already knew.

Zhang Xuan pinched his thigh so hard he nearly passed out, but the sharp pain jolted him back to clarity.

“What’s there to be afraid of?”

He rubbed his slightly congested chest, then casually dropped his hand as if nothing had happened.

Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Spoke to Himself:

“A little indulgence in romance—what’s the big deal? It’s not like I was visiting a brothel. It was my own concubine…”

Besides, officials from other departments rarely interacted with him. The ones he saw day in and day out were the officials of the Court of Judicial Review.

The deputy minister suddenly lifted his head, his icy gaze sweeping across his colleagues.

“Bang—”

Someone, in a panic, accidentally bumped their leg against the desk.

Looking to the left—

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review propped his elbow on the desk, resting his chin on one hand, while the other appeared to be flipping through case files with great concentration.

Looking to the right—

The Left Vice Minister was staring out the window as if deeply immersed in the snowy scenery.

Turning around—

The Right Vice Minister was whispering something into a junior official’s ear. Not having had the time to feign composure, he suddenly felt the weight of a death stare on him. Startled, he swiftly kicked the junior official and raised his voice, “Who? Really?!”

The junior official, caught off guard, instantly racked his brain for a topic to cover up the awkward moment. With record speed, he blurted, “R-Really! Among this year’s imperial exam candidates, there’s someone with a small mole on their left eyebrow. It’s called ‘A Pearl Hidden in the Grass’—a sign of great fortune! They’re destined for wealth and success. Maybe they’ll even be the top scorer this year!”

The Right Vice Minister laughed, “Hahaha, if they do become the top scorer, why don’t you read my fortune next?”

Though he knew they were just putting on an act, at least they were willing to make the effort.

So, he still had some authority after all.

Satisfied, the deputy minister stood up, planning to step outside for some fresh air.

The moment he reached the doorway, he was met with the sight of an official craning his neck, peeking into the Court of Judicial Review with the excitement of someone watching a scandal unfold.

It was Lian Hang.

And worst of all, their eyes met.

“……”

“……”

Expressionless, the deputy minister turned on his heel and headed to the corner to pour himself some tea. Those few steps, thanks to his stiff body, felt as long as a pilgrimage to the Western Heaven.

After Work

Xu Yanmiao asked curiously, “Why did you go to the Court of Judicial Review?”

The sudden question caught Lian Hang off guard, making him cough violently.

Once he recovered, he gave Xu Yanmiao a knowing look. “Xu Lang, you wouldn’t believe it! A deputy minister of the Court of Judicial Review and his concubine got so intense at an inn that they collapsed the entire floor! I had to go see for myself what kind of physique this man must have to… ahem.”

Xu Yanmiao was shocked:

【Someone actually saw the deputy minister’s face?! I thought he would have wrapped himself in a bedsheet while sneaking out so no one could recognize him!】

Lian Hang, relieved: Yes! Another day successfully fooling Xu Lang!

He patted Xu Yanmiao’s shoulder. “Shocking, right? I was just as shocked when I heard about it. Who would have thought Deputy Minister Zhang was so… wild in private?”

【That’s nothing!】 Xu Yanmiao scoffed. 【You have no idea how low some people can go!】

While Lian Hang was still pondering what exactly “low” meant, he suddenly heard:

【There are even people twisted enough to prey on sheep.】

Lian Hang and the other officials: Huh? What do you mean by ‘prey on sheep’? Wrestling them?

The entire Hanlin Academy was now abuzz with speculation.

“I think it’s probably wrestling with sheep? Sheep have a lot of strength when they ram people. Maybe our mysterious colleague was using this to train their power?”

“Could it be a military officer? Trying to replace the Fire Ox Formation with a Fire Sheep Formation?”

“But that wouldn’t be called insane, would it?”

“If you’re sending sheep to the battlefield, isn’t that insane enough?”

“I don’t think it’s about wrestling. Since the phrase ‘preying on’ was used… In ancient times, there were men who married plum trees and raised cranes as sons. Maybe this person treats a sheep as their child? I know someone who treats their dog like a son and even calls it ‘Precious Egg’.”

“Either way, this has nothing to do with our Hanlin Academy! We’re safe and happy!”

A lecturer from the Hanlin Academy, surnamed Yang, quietly got up and tiptoed toward the door.

Then—

A hand landed on his shoulder with a slap.

“Meng Yu, wait a moment, I have a case file for you…”

The person who patted him noticed how unnaturally stiff he felt and, confused, patted him twice more. “What’s…?”

【The Hanlin Academy is truly full of hidden talents. First, there was that lecturer who drank pig’s milk, and now there’s another one messing around with sheep? Does his wife know he’s this desperate?】

【Just because his surname is Yang doesn’t mean he should be interested in sheep, right? It’s not like his courtesy name, Meng Yu, suggests he’s sneaking into chicken coops either.】

…Wait?!

Messing around with what?!

What sheep?!

Hanlin Academy scholar Liu Bingwen froze. Looking at Yang Mengyu, whose shoulder he had just patted, he immediately realized he had interrupted something—something very, very bad. Feeling guilty, he stammered, “Meng… no, Yang… uh… are you okay?”

Yang Mengyu slowly, very slowly, turned his head. “I’m fine.”

His dark pupils twitched once, then again after a moment.

Liu Bingwen swallowed hard.

This… does not look fine at all…

Yang Mengyu’s voice was eerily calm. “Please move. I need to go to the restroom.”

“Oh, okay.” Liu Bingwen retracted his hand cautiously. “Do you need me to go with you?”

“No need.”

As Liu Bingwen watched Yang Mengyu’s desolate back, his brain short-circuited, and he blurted out:

“I’m worried you won’t have the strength to stay upright in the latrine looking like this.”

Yang Mengyu staggered but stubbornly propped himself up against the wall. “I SAID NO!”

The cold wind howled, snowflakes drifted down, and his figure looked indescribably tragic.

Meanwhile, over at the Court of Judicial Review, it was as lively as a festival.

The deputy minister of the Court of Judicial Review: “Hahahaha—”

The deputy minister: “Hahahahahaha—”

Now! Who would care about him collapsing the inn’s floor anymore?!