The Seductive Beauty Breaks the Insecure Bottom Script [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 38.1

Was it not He Wen? Had he mistaken the person?

A trace of doubt rose in Song Mingjiao’s heart; from his previous vantage point, the two men’s silhouettes did indeed look somewhat similar.

At this moment, Song Mingjiao was being held in Gu Linyuan’s arms. The man’s arm muscles were very hard, and he was still wearing his battle armor. The hard, cold plates pressed against Song Mingjiao’s body, making him feel uncomfortable despite the layer of clothing between them.

With a sense of novelty, he poked the general’s hard armor, failing to notice that the mouth of the man holding him suddenly tightened.

Song Mingjiao’s legs dangled in the air as he was held, and he kicked twice in protest.

He did remember now that a few days ago, someone had submitted a memorial saying they were returning to the capital to report on their duties; it must be this General Gu Linyuan. However, Song Mingjiao hadn’t taken it to heart before, nor did he expect to encounter a General of the Great Liang Dynasty so abruptly.

“Set Us down.”

Song Mingjiao commanded without ceremony, shifting a few times in Gu Linyuan’s embrace, yet he could not break free from the confinement of the man’s arms.

It was only after hearing the Emperor’s order that the General seemed to snap back to his senses, placing Song Mingjiao onto the ground with extreme care and gentleness.

Gu Linyuan had heard the word “Chancellor” blurted out by Song Mingjiao earlier. He had only been away from the capital for a period of time; had the Emperor actually reached the point where he couldn’t distinguish between him and the Chancellor?

He was a dignified martial general! How could a civil official like He Wen possibly be compared to him?

Gu Linyuan felt a subtle sense of displeasure, yet he couldn’t pinpoint the source of it. He could only attribute it to the age-old friction between civil and military officials.

Having mistaken the person, Song Mingjiao felt a flicker of guilt, but he quickly comforted himself.

Song Mingjiao thought righteously: he had three thousand court officials; it was entirely justifiable for an Emperor to fail to distinguish one person for a moment.

Surely Gu Linyuan wouldn’t dare to voice any blame.

“I, Gu Linyuan, greet Your Majesty. I have been late in arriving to report my duties; I hope Your Majesty will forgive my offense.”

Just as Song Mingjiao was placed on the ground, he felt the light blocked by the man above him again. As it turned out, in the next instant, the loyal general just as Song Mingjiao had expected made no comment regarding the mistaken identity blunder.

Instead, Gu Linyuan knelt on one knee to ask for forgiveness, the sound of his cold armor clashing being clearly audible.

Song Mingjiao had climbed the palace wall to see the view on a whim; to have a trivial matter described as “rescuing the Sovereign” made him feel rather embarrassed. Song Mingjiao tucked his hands behind his back, coughed lightly, and then assumed his imperial poise.

“Mmm, Beloved Subject, there is no need for such formality.”

Though Gu Linyuan was asking for forgiveness, his mind kept replaying the sensation of holding Song Mingjiao.

In all fairness, when Gu Linyuan had dashed forward, it was initially out of duty. He had even felt a slight surge of annoyance at the Emperor for being so playful that he ignored his own safety, viewing it as childishness.

But when he actually caught that feather-light figure, Gu Linyuan’s heart suddenly softened.

He was a general who spent long periods traveling outside; he saw the Emperor far less frequently than the other ministers in court, let alone in such close proximity.

Nestled in Gu Linyuan’s arms, Song Mingjiao no longer seemed as high and mighty as he did in the Golden Throne Hall or the Imperial Study; instead, he exuded a certain delicate loveliness. He had even proactively sought a more comfortable position within the embrace.

Perhaps because the “soft fragrance and warm jade” in his arms just now had muddled his brain, Gu Linyuan, after Song Mingjiao said “rise,” actually asked the little Emperor on a strange whim:

“Your Majesty, if you wish to see the scenery, I can carry Your Majesty up there.”

Song Mingjiao raised an eyebrow. Actually, after such a disruption, his obsession with climbing high had faded, but since someone was willing to put in the effort, he was happy to enjoy it.

“Very well.”

Song Mingjiao agreed with a bright smile, staring intently at Gu Linyuan. It reminded Gu Linyuan of the cats he used to keep at home so soft and fragile, completely unsuited for a battlefield, requiring careful protection to ensure they wouldn’t get hurt.

“I ask for Your Majesty’s pardon for my impudence.”

Song Mingjiao’s smile made Gu Linyuan’s movements unnatural as he reached out. He circled Song Mingjiao’s waist with extreme caution, fearing he might hurt the little Emperor, yet he couldn’t hold too loosely, otherwise Song Mingjiao would risk falling.

The height of the palace wall was a piece of cake for someone of Gu Linyuan’s martial prowess. But now, carrying a person of noble status, Gu Linyuan suddenly found himself tied in knots—too tight was no good, too loose was no good; it was incredibly difficult.

Ultimately, however, Song Mingjiao was brought steadily onto the palace wall, and the two landed amidst a sea of red tiles.

Song Mingjiao didn’t notice that the man holding him already had sweat on his brow.

At this height, it was just him and Gu Linyuan. The maids, eunuchs, and guards were all far below at the base of the wall, unable even to hear their voices; there was only the occasional whistling of the leisurely wind.

Song Mingjiao took two steps forward, frightening the nearby Gu Linyuan into reaching out protectively, fearing Song Mingjiao would fall again.

The Emperor’s pitch-black hair fluttered in the wind; a small strand even drifted before Gu Linyuan’s eyes, making him almost unable to resist the urge to reach out and twirl it.

Song Mingjiao opened his arms, feeling the wind gently sway his robes.

Ancient buildings weren’t considered particularly tall, so standing here on the palace wall, Song Mingjiao could essentially take in the entire palace and even the distant capital city.

The clear blue sky and the white clouds, free from any environmental pollution, complemented each other. The horizon merged with the furthest walls of the capital, offering a grand sense of openness and perspective.

“General?”

Song Mingjiao was positioned slightly ahead of Gu Linyuan. He didn’t turn around as he spoke.

“I am here. Your Majesty may simply call me by name.”

“When you are out with the army, is the scenery you see also this open?”

Gu Linyuan hesitated for a long while before replying in a low voice: “Not entirely. There are steep cliffs and vast prairies.”

Gu Linyuan heard the Son of Heaven give a low laugh; the sound was light, seemingly capable of vanishing into the wind at any moment: “Then it seems to be much more interesting than the Imperial Palace.”

The System felt in its heart that choosing the identity of an Emperor for Song Mingjiao was exalting him, yet creating difficulties for him as an Emperor was also troubling him.

Yet from beginning to end, Song Mingjiao felt no particular lingering attachment to the so-called “Supreme Status.”

“Your Majesty…”

The general behind him seemed to sense the emotion in the Emperor’s words and wanted to speak, but a general was merely a rough man; he did not understand romantic sentiments, let alone how to offer subtle comfort.

Song Mingjiao laughed, casually smoothing his messy hair, and then ordered: “Alright, I’ve seen enough. Take Us down.”

Gu Linyuan breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his head in obedience. Such a straightforward command was clearly easier for the general to understand.

Just after flying down from the palace wall, Song Mingjiao, whose hair and clothes had become disheveled, was quickly surrounded by Eunuch Zhao and a group of maids who had been waiting for a long time.

“The wind is strong up there; does Your Majesty have a headache? Quick, quick, bring a hot towel.”

“Oh dear, is Your Majesty’s clothing wet here? Your Majesty, shall we return to the bedchamber to change?”

Eunuch Zhao had been in a state of constant anxiety, fearing an accident might occur on the palace wall. Fortunately, the little Emperor had landed safely this time. He busied himself around Song Mingjiao, attending to his every need.

Song Mingjiao and Gu Linyuan were forcibly separated by the crowd.

In front of the Emperor, even a Great General was pushed to the back. Only a few eunuchs were attending to the General to welcome him back, creating a world of difference from the thronged Song Mingjiao.

If it were someone else, like Shang Nanxuan, they might have started feeling indignant again.

Meanwhile, as Song Mingjiao raised his arms to let the servants tidy his robes, he glanced through the human wall at Gu Linyuan standing not far away.

Gu Linyuan’s eyes were dark, revealing no emotion.

“Very well, return to the palace.”

Only after a good while did Song Mingjiao answer Eunuch Zhao’s request.

The chief eunuch by the Emperor’s side flicked his fly-whisk and announced in a high-pitched voice: “The Emperor returns to the palace.”

Seeing the sovereign’s procession about to depart, General Gu Linyuan who had just saved the Emperor but received no reward stood alone on the spot, his mouth pressed into a straight line.

With his large frame, he truly looked like an abandoned large dog.

“General, aren’t you following?”

However, the sovereign’s procession suddenly stopped. Song Mingjiao’s gentle voice drifted from ahead, laced with a smile that sounded like heavenly music to Gu Linyuan.

Song Mingjiao saw that Gu Linyuan, whose aura had been turning gloomy, suddenly regained his spirit and caught up. Only then did Song Mingjiao curl his lips in pleasure.

Although he hadn’t managed to tease the Chancellor this time, acquiring a loyal dog general was also quite good.

After returning to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Song Mingjiao bathed and changed in the inner chambers. As an outside official, Gu Linyuan naturally could not follow him inside.

However, since he had been summoned by the Emperor, the servants dared not neglect him. They invited Gu Linyuan to wait in the outer room, where tea and snacks were fully prepared.

After a long while.

“Besides the matters in the memorial, does the General have anything else to report to Us regarding this return to the capital?”

Changing clothes for Song Mingjiao was not a simple matter of taking them off and putting them on. Gu Linyuan waited in the outer room for a long time before he finally heard the Son of Heaven emerge.

Perhaps because this was merely the Emperor receiving a favored minister, Song Mingjiao was neither wearing the complex dragon robes for court nor the low-profile luxury casual wear from the Qionglin Feast. Instead, he wore only a thin undergarment and hadn’t even carefully styled his hair, which was simply held by a jade hairpin.

On Song Mingjiao’s cheeks, one could still see a faint mist and a flush the effect of being steamed in the bathtub just now.

The undergarment, made of the highest grade silk, was extremely smooth and flowing, giving Song Mingjiao an air of laziness as he walked.

“Yes, these days I was in…”

Gu Linyuan began his report, but he couldn’t help stealing a few glances at Song Mingjiao. Remembering that the person before him was the Supreme Emperor, he quickly retracted his wandering gaze.

He had thought that Song Mingjiao, by summoning him in such a private setting, would speak of other matters. He hadn’t expected it to be like this a strictly professional inquiry into government affairs.

This was supposed to be the most ideal situation for Gu Linyuan’s interactions with the Imperial Family. Yet for some reason, a strange sense of loss suddenly blossomed in his heart.

As Song Mingjiao listened, he doodled and wrote on paper. When he raised his hand, the smooth sleeve slid down, revealing a fair, slender arm. On the inner side of his forearm, a red scratch was faintly visible.

The scratch wasn’t deep and hadn’t bled, but it was long, extending nearly an inch from Song Mingjiao’s wrist.

Because the position was relatively hidden, the servants hadn’t noticed it earlier. Song Mingjiao himself didn’t care much; it was just a bit of swelling, and it would heal naturally in a couple of days.

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