The Seductive Beauty Breaks the Insecure Bottom Script [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 40.2

Now, Song Mingjiao wanted to see if his Chancellor would misunderstand the past relationship between him and Shang Nanxuan and take action.

With such expectations, Song Mingjiao arrived at the next morning’s court session in a pleasant mood.

“His Majesty arrives—”

When Song Mingjiao reached the Golden Throne Hall, all the ministers had already arrived. Besides the familiar He Wen, there was also his brother, the Sixth Prince, Song Chengnian.

The turnout was very complete, and those standing at the front were all young and handsome officials. Song Mingjiao felt this was very friendly to his eyes.

“We pay our respects to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live!”

Song Mingjiao had to admit that even though he had been in this ancient world for a while, such a grand spectacle for the morning court still made him a bit uncomfortable.

He sighed softly in his heart: Indeed, this strictly hierarchical ancient world doesn’t suit me. I hope the system doesn’t send me to a place with this kind of background in the next world.

“You may all rise.”

Song Mingjiao sat upon the only Dragon Throne on the high platform of the Golden Throne Hall. The seat was wide and made of pure gold. Even wearing a heavy dragon robe, he could feel the coldness of the base.

From Song Mingjiao’s angle, he could easily see all the officials standing below and their various movements.

But the ministers were standing below the stage and at a distance. They either kept their heads down or looked straight ahead; few dared to look up at the Emperor. Even if they did, the bead curtain obscured the Emperor’s expression.

“This subject has a memorial to present.”

To everyone’s surprise, the first person to step forward today was the Prime Minister, He Wen. One must know that He Wen usually kept a low profile and rarely stepped forward so proactively and conspicuously.

Song Mingjiao looked at He Wen with some amusement. He had come to see He Wen’s reaction, but was this man really this impatient?

Moreover, unlike his usual self standing properly and looking neither left nor right Chancellor He Wen was very bold today. He looked up toward the Son of Heaven sitting in the clouds, his eyes filled with such direct and intense emotion that Song Mingjiao almost thought something major had happened.

One could only say it was lucky the surrounding ministers were very cautious and dutiful. Otherwise, He Wen’s behavior alone would have surely been brought up by some “old fogies” for impeachment, wasting more of Song Mingjiao’s time.

Song Mingjiao rested one hand on the armrest of the throne, propping up his chin. The corners of his mouth curled up, and there was unmaskable amusement in his eyes as he prepared to watch He Wen’s performance.

The Emperor’s voice came from above: “Dear Minister, please speak.”

“Winter is approaching. Based on past experience, the Lingbei region may face frost disasters in the near future. This subject requests Your Majesty to dispatch specific personnel for inspection and to prepare relief grain.”

Fortunately, although He Wen was somewhat dizzy with Song Mingjiao’s beauty and voice, he at least remembered he was the Emperor’s Chancellor. He needed to share the monarch’s burdens, and he didn’t miss a single thing that needed to be reported.

Propping up his head, Song Mingjiao listened to He Wen speak eloquently.

The region He Wen mentioned reminded him of a major event. According to the system’s background setting, in the near future, there would be a foreign invasion in the north of the Great Liang, happening precisely during the coming winter.

Actually, even such a large-scale war was only mentioned in a few brief lines in the system’s settings. After all, in the original task, Song Mingjiao only needed to be a self-loathing “lickspittle” emperor; the plot wasn’t important at all.

It was thanks to Song Mingjiao going over the background repeatedly and committing it to memory that he found these details in a tiny corner.

However, Song Mingjiao believed that since he was here, had taken on the Emperor persona, and enjoyed the Emperor’s treatment even if he couldn’t do much he wanted to return a prosperous and clean dynasty when he left.

He didn’t want to ruin the perfectly good Great Liang Dynasty during his short stay.

After analysis, Song Mingjiao believed the subsequent foreign invasion was closely linked to the frost disaster.

He Wen provided several detailed strategies, clearly having spent a lot of effort in private, diligently working for the “family business” of the Emperor.

Song Mingjiao couldn’t be considered a master of governance, but he at least knew how to apply modern knowledge. The two of them went back and forth discussing the prevention plans, ignoring the other ministers.

After quite a while, Song Mingjiao said with lingering interest: “What the Chancellor says is quite right. Do other ministers have anything to add?”

Some ministers lowered their heads and whispered to each other, clearly still discussing the plans He Wen just proposed.

But what no one expected was that the Sixth Prince, Song Chengnian who had only recently gained the right to attend court and usually just “clocked in” as a background character actually stood up today.

“Brother Emperor, this subject brother believes there are flaws in Chancellor He’s proposal. Releasing grain for disaster relief treats the symptoms but not the root cause, and it will place a massive burden on our already strained national treasury.”

The usually idle-looking Sixth Prince, Song Chengnian, was actually delivering a serious opinion in court. However, no matter how one heard it, those words sounded like he was intentionally targeting He Wen.

Some sharp-eyed ministers even noticed that before his report, the Sixth Prince cast a very disdainful glance in He Wen’s direction.

“Your Highness has lived in the capital for a long time; I fear you may not know. In previous years, ministers also tried other methods, but the results were negligible.”

He Wen spoke lightly, ignoring the declaration of war in Song Chengnian’s eyes. These words essentially implied that Song Chengnian was young (and he was the elder) and that the prince had been pampered since childhood, knowing nothing of the people’s suffering as a member of the imperial family.

“That’s because you people didn’t use the right methods at all!”

How could Song Chengnian stand such a provocation? The two of them immediately began arguing in the court.

At least they were civilized people and didn’t resort to shouting insults, but every sentence was “a needle hidden in silk” sarcastic and indirect.

Ministers who understood what was happening immediately “watched their noses and hearts,” refusing to participate in this inexplicable war. Ministers who didn’t understand actually thought they were having a serious debate and even joined in.

It turned the entire Golden Throne Hall into something like a wet market noisy and chaotic.

Song Mingjiao remained seated at the top, watching coldly with no intention of interfering.

In fact, such arguing sessions were common during court meetings. After attending a few times, Song Mingjiao felt that real ancient life was quite different, breaking his previous impression of a solemn morning court.

It was lucky there was a rule against carrying weapons to court; otherwise, Song Mingjiao really suspected these ministers would start a physical fight in his hall.

But at least before, it was always other ministers fighting, and He Wen never lowered himself to join. Song Mingjiao had even thought his Chancellor was very considerate.

As it turned out today, his good Chancellor and his good brother had become the main forces in this war.

He Wen stood his ground with a calm air, acting like he wouldn’t bicker with a child. Every time he spoke, Song Mingjiao’s head would turn toward him, staring and nodding along, which made He Wen even more motivated!

Song Chengnian refused to be outdone, looking as if he wanted to pin “I am the brother the current Emperor values most” onto his forehead. He countered every word He Wen said the key being that he actually managed to find valid reasons.

Every time Song Chengnian spoke, Song Mingjiao would turn his head back to look at his good brother. This made Song Chengnian feel his brother was backing him up they were family after all! He felt even more that He Wen, who had come to ruin things, was detestable and had to be stepped on.

Song Mingjiao watched with great interest, almost wanting to reach out to the cold-sweating Eunuch Zhao for snacks, but he remembered he was in the Golden Throne Hall and barely suppressed his “drama-watching” mentality.

Song Mingjiao wasn’t sure when He Wen and Song Chengnian had started hating each other. Logically, they shouldn’t have much interaction.

But whatever they had argued long enough, and it was time for him, the Emperor, to take charge.

“Enough. In the morning court, what kind of behavior is this?”

The Emperor finally spoke, scolding the two initiators, He Wen and Song Chengnian, once each. But to their ears, this scolding sounded somewhat indulgent.

The ministers below had to stop and listen to the Emperor’s decision:

“This matter will be handled by Song Chengnian. You’ve been with the Ministry of Works for a while and are good at construction; this will be an opportunity for you to gain experience.”

Song Chengnian gave He Wen a triumphant look, believing his brother was indeed protective of him how could an outsider compare to their brotherly bond?

“Thank you, Brother Emperor. Leave this to me; you can rest easy.”

He Wen, who was glared at by Song Chengnian, remained calm and composed, appearing not at all disappointed by the monarch’s perceived coldness.

After whetting both of their appetites, Song Mingjiao deliberately watched them clash for another moment before slowly saying to He Wen:

“However, what the Chancellor said also makes sense. The Chancellor is experienced; the conventional response measures will be handled entirely by the Chancellor.”

Song Chengnian’s head drooped as he shot a fierce look at He Wen.

He Wen’s face seemed unmoved, but Song Mingjiao noticed that the corner of He Wen’s mouth lifted by a single pixel.

He Wen deliberately straightened his court robes, revealing the jade pendant Song Mingjiao had bestowed upon him that day. After making Song Chengnian fume with rage once more, he bowed in thanks:

“This subject will surely not fail Your Majesty’s trust.”

The matters presented afterward were unremarkable. Before long, Song Mingjiao had Eunuch Zhao announce the dismissal of the court.

Having listened to a “wet market” for a whole morning, Song Mingjiao felt his ears needed a rest. As he was about to return to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, a small eunuch came to report:

“Your Majesty, the Chancellor requests an audience.”

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