Everyone looked at Lord Yan sympathetically. Some even patted his shoulder, leaving him to pray for his own good fortune, before walking past him toward the palace gates.
What had just happened made it clear that the Song girl was the sort to repay even the slightest slight!
If you crossed her, that girl and the system called Guagua would strip away your secrets until you did not even have your underwear left!
Lord Yan really had no eyes for danger, provoking such a formidable little tyrant!
Still, there would be quite a show to watch now!
Word of the incident at the palace gates soon reached the emperor.
After hearing the Shadow Guard's report, the emperor burst into hearty laughter before saying:
"These old fossils do nothing all day but oppose me. They nearly anger me to death in court, yet I can do nothing about them.
Now that there's a girl willing to take them head-on, they've finally been put in their place, haven't they?
With this girl around, the court-and indeed the whole Capital-will have plenty of excitement from now on.
Oh, and send four Shadow Guards to protect her. Don't let anyone harm her!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Song Yaoyao and Assistant Minister Song walked very quickly, looking as though they feared someone would latch onto them and demand compensation.
Every so often, someone cast an appraising look at the father and daughter, with more of those gazes lingering on Song Yaoyao.
Song Yaoyao had long since noticed those scrutinizing looks. After everything she had experienced in her previous life, what hadn't she seen?
A few appraising looks were nothing she cared about!
They could stare all they liked. It would not cost her a scrap of flesh.
When they reached the Hall of Supreme Harmony, a eunuch spotted Song Yaoyao and immediately approached.
"Junior Official Song, I've been waiting for you for some time. I'll take you to meet Lord Jiang now."
Assistant Minister Song nodded to Song Yaoyao.
Only then did Song Yaoyao follow the eunuch away.
Song Yaoyao could guess without much thought that Lord Jiang was probably her immediate superior.
Lord Jiang was an old man in his fifties, with kind eyes, a long beard, and the typical attire of a literary scholar.
Song Yaoyao felt an instinctive awe toward her superior and hurried to greet him:
"Greetings, Lord Jiang."
Lord Jiang studied the young girl before him and asked:
"You are Song Yaoyao, Assistant Minister Song's second daughter by his principal wife?"
"Yes."
"Good, good, good. You're a bright girl.
Come here. Let me explain your duties."
"Yes."
After explaining Song Yaoyao's duties, Lord Jiang still felt somewhat uneasy. Mainly, the girl looked too young. If she did her work poorly, punishment would be the least of her worries. Should the emperor take offense, her head might well fall. So he said:
"Today is your first day on duty. Stand to the side and watch how I keep the records. Starting tomorrow, you'll be recording things yourself."
"Yes."
Song Yaoyao knew Lord Jiang meant well and humbly agreed.
Just then, a shrill voice rang out:
"His Majesty has arrived!"
All the ministers knelt and cried:
"Long live our emperor! Ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"
Song Yaoyao knelt as well.
"Rise, my ministers."
The ministers had barely risen when Lord Yan stepped forward:
"Your Majesty, your subject has a matter to present!
It is wholly inappropriate for a woman to enter the imperial court!
From ancient times to the present, there has never been such a precedent..."
Lord Yan had come to thoroughly resent Song Yaoyao.
When had anyone ever cursed him out, much less a little girl pointing at his nose as she did it? This was an utter humiliation!
Lord Yan could not swallow this insult, so he launched his attack the moment court began.
Hearing Lord Yan's words, Song Yaoyao began cursing inwardly:
*[Court has barely started, and this old fuck has already jumped out. He's like a rabid dog, sinking his teeth into me and refusing to let go!*
I haven't even gone looking for trouble with him, yet here he is, delivering himself right to my door.
Isn't living good enough? Does he have to rush headlong toward death?
*Since he's so eager to die, I won't hold back.]*
[Host, this old fuck is jumping up and down like a rabid dog. Host, take him down!]
*[Guagua, who is this man?*
*I don't even know who he is. Today is the first time I've seen him, so why won't he stop sinking his teeth into me?]*
The crude exchange between Song Yaoyao and Guagua suddenly reached the court officials' ears.
Those who had heard Song Yaoyao's inner voice before were already accustomed to her coarse, unrestrained language. Hearing it again instantly perked them up, and they all discreetly pricked up their ears.
Lord Yan was rushing headlong toward death. Of all the people he could provoke, he had to choose this girl. Now he would be stripped of his secrets until not even his underwear remained.
Others were hearing Song Yaoyao and Guagua's conversation for the first time and wondered who had the audacity to make such a racket in court!
Yet when they saw the emperor and the ministers around them acting as though nothing had happened, they wondered whether they were hearing things.
That voice had clearly belonged to a woman, and the only woman in court was Song Yaoyao.
But just now, Song Yaoyao clearly had not opened her mouth!
Then was that the girl's inner voice?
At that thought, everyone turned their gaze toward Song Yaoyao in unison!
Lord Yan had heard the exchange too and was furious!
That conversation had clearly been between that wretched girl and someone called Guagua!
"Old fuck" this, "old fuck" that. Although he did not know what "old fuck" meant, it certainly could not be anything pleasant!
He had stared at that girl for quite some time, and she clearly had not opened her mouth!
That conversation...
What on earth was going on?
Could it be her inner voice?
At that thought, Lord Yan could not help lifting his head to look at Song Yaoyao again.
The emperor pricked up his ears as well. He wanted to see just what sort of ox-headed demons and snake spirits these ministers of his really were.
The conversation continued:
*[Host, the old fuck is called Yan Kuan. He's the assistant minister of rites, a Principal Fourth Rank official, just like your father.*
*Yan Kuan and your father have never gotten along. He picked a fight at the palace gates today because he was jealous of both you and your father.]*
*[Guagua, this man is utterly shameless. What the hell does he have to be jealous about? He should blame himself for not being able to produce a child as outstanding as me.*
*He ought to take a good, hard look at whether there's something wrong with his genes!]*
Guagua chimed in:
[Exactly, exactly!]
They did not understand what genes were, but this time everyone had seen clearly that Song Yaoyao had not opened her mouth.
So what they had just heard really was Song Yaoyao's inner voice!
Assistant Minister Song was so embarrassed that he wished he could hide himself away. This little brat! How could a young lady's mouth be so full of filthy language?
Would people think that he and his wife usually taught their child this way?
They would certainly suspect there was something wrong with the Song Household's upbringing!
At the emperor's signal, the court officials also understood that he did not want Song Yaoyao to know they could hear her inner voice.
And so, even as the court officials fiercely debated whether women should be allowed to attend court, they kept their ears pricked, listening closely to see whether Junior Official Song would reveal any juicy bombshells.