Chapter 37: Mistakenly recognized, he pretends to be a decent person, but what about in private?
He Wen's body was shocked, and he couldn't say anything for a while.
The little emperor was very close to him and seemed to be able to smell the faint scent of ambergris on the emperor.
The jade pendant on Song Mingjiao's waist swayed gently as she bent over, making a crisp tinkling sound, which also caused ripples in He Wen's heart, which was originally as calm as still water.
"Your Majesty, I have failed to observe proper etiquette before the Emperor."
He Wen spoke with difficulty, not daring to look up at Song Mingjiao who was so close to him.
Song Mingjiao laughed slowly and noticed that He Wen was staring at the jade pendant on his waist, so he took it off casually.
That was just an ordinary jade pendant. He could find many more jade pendants that were better than this one in his bedroom.
Song Mingjiao rubbed the jade pendant with his fingertips for a few times. It was made of Hetian jade specially supplied to the royal family. This cold jade material was very suitable for the current summer.
He deliberately placed the jade pendant on He Wen's neck. Because He Wen was wearing an official uniform, the collar just happened to hold the jade pendant and stick it to the man's exposed skin, causing the man to shiver violently.
"My dear minister, you are my most trusted minister. You were distracted by the scenery for a moment. I will not blame you."
The emperor's fingertips brushed across He Wen's neck lightly, and the black hair that fell down was even softer and more flowing than the willows by the pond.
Song Mingjiao was very close, and there was a hint of laughter in his voice. His clear and soft voice reached He Wen's ears, and it had a bit more charm than the majestic voice he usually heard in the Golden Palace.
By the time He Wen came to his senses, the emperor had already left. Only a faint bright yellow figure could be seen through the bushes.
The jade pendant that Song Mingjiao had just awarded to He Wen was cold. When it was placed against He Wen's skin, he could even feel a slight numbness in that area.
But He Wen seemed to be able to feel the warmth left by another person from this jade pendant.
Compared to gold, silver and jewelry, the jade pendant that Song Mingjiao rewarded him with was worn close to his body. Although he threw it to He Wen and placed it around his neck in a rather unsightly manner, it still had a lingering and sad meaning.
The Prime Minister, who was always calm and self-possessed and a model of a minister, quietly clenched the jade pendant given to him by the little emperor, even leaving obvious marks on the palm of his hand, but he was still reluctant to let go.
Meanwhile, having successfully unsettled He Wen, Song Mingjiao returned to the Qionglin Banquet in a cheerful mood. Even the noisy chatter of the ministers resumed, it didn't affect Song Mingjiao's mood.
It was just a jade pendant, not worth much to him, so Song Mingjiao didn't feel sorry for it.
Only Eunuch Zhao, standing beside him, stole a complicated glance at the emperor's face, then asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, shall I choose a new jade pendant for you?"
Song Mingjiao responded noncommittally: "Well, let's go get one—a lotus-shaped jade pendant."
"I understand."
After just a brief contact, Song Mingjiao already felt that although He Wen and "He Wang" from the previous small world were very similar in appearance and personality, there were still some differences between them.
For example, in this ancient world, Lord He Wen, as the prime minister, was obviously more self-disciplined, calm and self-controlled. The identity barriers between the emperor and his subjects were like natural chasms and could not be crossed.
But this is exactly the right thing, it makes it even more interesting for Song Mingjiao.
On the way back to the palace, Song Mingjiao casually played with the ring on his hand. It was amber in color, making his finger skin look even whiter.
Suddenly, he laughed.
When the emperor left the house this morning, he was still angry, but now he laughed leisurely in his carriage, leaving Eunuch Zhao who was following outside confused for a moment, and he sighed that serving the emperor was like serving a tiger.
"Your Majesty, do you have any instructions?"
Song Mingjiao waved his hands habitually, then remembered that it was ancient times and he was the only one sitting on the imperial carriage. The eunuchs outside could not see him, so he said aloud, "No problem."
Song Mingjiao just remembered for a moment the behavior of "He Wen" on some beds in the previous small world.
Judging from this, He Wen in this world pretends to be a decent person, but maybe in private, he has already had many unbearable thoughts about him in his mind?
I really want to see it.
*
In the following days, Song Mingjiao acted like a real emperor, getting up early every morning to attend court, read memorials, and discuss government affairs with ministers.
In his spare time, he would stroll around the Imperial Garden. His daily meals were like a full banquet with all kinds of delicacies from land and sea. His life was quite comfortable.
Because the mission of this small world requires him, as the emperor, to pay for the number one scholar, so naturally he needs to keep his body pure for Shang Nanxuan.
Therefore, Song Mingjiao's harem did not have any concubines, but this did not cause him any regrets. Instead, it made him feel that the entire palace had more space. Every afternoon, he would randomly choose a place to visit, just like taking a tour.
And the system has been holding its breath.
He deliberately selected a difficult world and a difficult identity for the host, waiting for the host to be unable to handle the work that the emperor should do and be forced to seek help from the system, earning points to open the mall. In this way, the system can control the host and get the main quest back on track.
But after watching for so many days, Song Mingjiao actually lived his life in an orderly manner every day, even enjoying it, and was not at all troubled by the so-called government affairs.
The system's plans failed and it finally got angry.
[Host, please be cautious. If you make an incorrect decision on the throne, the system will not be responsible for any consequences.]
Song Mingjiao was confused for a moment: "When did I ask you to be responsible?"
【......】
"However, when I first entered this small world, you clearly said that no one would submit to me, the puppet emperor, and that I could be overthrown by anyone at any time, so I needed to rely on Shang Nanxuan."
"But after watching you for the past few days, I feel like you are slandering my ministers!"
"Everyone clearly respects me, the Emperor. But I don't blame you. I know you're a product of the technological world, so it's understandable that you don't understand the ancient hierarchy."
The system stopped talking, but it was actually also suspicious.
Because according to the system's background information, this world should indeed develop in the direction it stated. But for some reason, as soon as the host appeared, the direction of the entire small world suddenly became uncontrollable.
This uncontrollable trend comes much faster and more urgently than in the first world, and even causes panic in the system, which already has a small brain capacity.
Song Mingjiao didn't know that it was actually his personal charm that changed the thoughts and choices of many people.
And now, he is meeting with the Minister of Personnel.
"Your Majesty, the newly minted scholars have all been settled. The only remaining ones are the top three. Does Your Majesty need to personally arrange their whereabouts?"
[Host! It's a critical juncture. Give the hero an exceptional promotion, a higher rank, and a higher rank. Show your favor and the points will be yours! They're all points, host!]
The system kept shouting in Song Mingjiao's mind, but it was useless.
Song Mingjiao casually flipped through the memorial presented to him:
"Confer him an official position according to customary practice. Oh, and since the top scholar is so outstanding among all the other students, he must set an example for the new officials. Take good care of him and don't let him slack off. He must work diligently every day and repay the court as soon as possible."
"Yes, then I will follow the old rules and confer upon him the title of Number One Scholar, Sixth Rank, as a Compiler in the Hanlin Academy."
The Minister of Personnel accepted the order with his hands down.
He had been in this position for many years, so he naturally knew that if the emperor really took a fancy to the top three or even third place in the imperial examination, he would not follow the rules and send them to the Hanlin Academy as a sinecure.
The so-called "care" is naturally not good care.
After finalizing the male protagonist's destination and sending off the Minister of Personnel, Song Mingjiao heard a familiar warning voice in his ears.
[Ding——Host, your inferiority complex has collapsed by 10%.]
Alas, Song Mingjiao shook his head innocently. "Are we going to end up in another world where we're violently broken? System, you're not giving me the chance to complete the quest line normally?"
In fact, Song Mingjiao had something he hadn't told anyone. He hated the original male protagonist so much, but he still didn't kill him immediately. He just let him go to the Hanlin Academy with an average score. If the male protagonist could stay honest and do his job, Song Mingjiao wouldn't have to kill him.
However, Song Mingjiao was 90% sure. How could the male protagonist, who was originally the center of the world, be willing to accept this? How could he not stir up trouble?
Alas, he is so kind, but unfortunately no one appreciates it.
Today's memorials have been basically dealt with, and the troublesome matter of Shang Nanxuan has also been dealt with. Song Mingjiao took Eunuch Zhao to the Imperial Garden to relax.
Summer has arrived, the sun is shining, and the weather is nice and windy, but fortunately it is not yet midsummer and you can still feel a slight breeze.
In the past, Song Mingjiao had seen the Imperial Garden in a TV series and thought it was so huge and fun.
In fact, not long after he came to ancient times, he visited the small area of the Imperial Garden. Song Mingjiao even almost memorized all the types of flowers and plants there.
"It's all boring."
For a moment, Song Mingjiao walked aimlessly on the gravel road, bored.
Eunuch Zhao, who was standing nearby, naturally noticed the emperor's boredom and racked his brains for ideas:
"Your Majesty, how about I fly a kite for you?"
"Spring is over."
It was such a boring way of playing that Song Mingjiao didn't even glance at him.
"During this summer season, at night, there are many fireflies. They are in the northwest corner of the Imperial Garden. Your Majesty, would you like to see some?"
"I'm already twenty years old, not a child anymore!"
Song Mingjiao was a little unhappy and glanced at the eunuch who had no tact.
Eunuch Zhao smiled and quickly asked Song Mingjiao to forgive him.
In fact, their little emperor was very focused and could not be offended when handling government affairs, but at other times, he showed a bit of childishness.
Especially in ancient times, when people emphasized "cultivating oneself, managing the family, governing the country, and pacifying the world", Song Mingjiao, who did not marry or take concubines, was indeed not considered a real adult in the eyes of some people.
Song Mingjiao wandered around aimlessly. Since the entire palace belonged to his family, he could go wherever he wanted. For a moment, he even walked to the foot of the palace wall.
Song Mingjiao looked at the towering palace walls and suddenly became interested.
Eunuch Zhao, who was following nearby, followed the emperor's gaze and felt something was wrong.
really.
After a while, a large number of guards and eunuchs gathered at the corner of the originally inconspicuous palace wall, all looking upwards with tense expressions.
Eunuch Zhao's forehead was sweating, and he was at a loss to persuade him: "Your Majesty, please be careful... Hey, be careful there!"
It turned out to be Song Mingjiao, who was trying to climb the palace wall.
In fact, the palace wall was not very high, not as tall as the city wall, and Song Mingjiao did not climb it with his bare hands, so of course he prepared tools such as ladders.
"Shut up! You're hindering my performance."
But it is obvious that Song Mingjiao, who is spoiled and pampered, is not good at sports, let alone climbing like this.
Every step Song Mingjiao took seemed shaky, as if he might fall down at any time, especially since the robe he was wearing was so loose that it seemed easy for the little emperor to trip against the wall.
The palace maids and eunuchs below were so frightened that they dared not even breathe, but no one dared to persuade the emperor.
Song Mingjiao was not being naughty or playful.
It was only after his initial novelty of the palace wore off that he looked at the red walls, green tiles, and the narrow strip of sky. Even if the entire palace belonged to him, it could not conceal the dullness of the place.
So for a moment, Song Mingjiao wanted to climb the palace wall by his own strength, stand on the wall, and look at the scenery outside.
——He wanted to see what it felt like.
Moreover, Song Mingjiao was not as tactless as the palace maids and eunuchs thought. If she was really exhausted, Song Mingjiao would still go down by herself.
But just as the little emperor was about to climb up and the guards waiting below were relieved, Song Mingjiao suddenly saw a familiar figure beside him.
Because they were quite far away, Song Mingjiao could only see the man's stature and the official uniform he was wearing.
Is it He Wen?
Song Mingjiao thought about how he had teased He Wen a few days ago. He wondered if He Wen had lost his appetite after returning home as he had hoped. Now that he had the chance, he suddenly felt playful.
So, the eunuchs and guards who had been relaxing a little, looked at the little emperor who was about to reach the top, but suddenly his hands slipped and he seemed to be falling.
Eunuch Zhao's heart nearly jumped into his throat. Without thinking, he screamed, waving the whisk in his hand until it left a shadow, commanding the eunuchs and guards: "Help the emperor! Hurry and save the emperor!"
To be honest, the reason so many guards were called here was just for this moment.
Unexpectedly, the guards had been waiting for this opportunity to make a contribution for a long time, but someone who arrived faster than the guards waiting in the corner was another figure who had just verified his identity and entered the palace gate.
Song Mingjiao closed his eyes. He was pretending that his hand slipped. If no one caught him and he was about to fall, he would naturally find a way to prevent himself from getting hurt.
But Song Mingjiao was not disappointed. He was indeed embraced by a familiar breath.
"So soon, Prime Minister?"
Song Mingjiao's tightly closed eyelids trembled, and he chuckled softly, with a hint of success at the corners of his mouth. He was about to tease He Wen a few more times.
But when he opened his eyes, Song Mingjiao saw an unfamiliar face. It had sharp features, a high nose bridge, and thin lips that were tightly pursed. From his angle, he could see the man's angular jawline.
Song Mingjiao was confused for a moment, and was held in the arms of a strange man with his head tilted.
Eunuch Zhao, who was standing next to him, wiped the sweat that was about to drip onto the ground and came over breathlessly:
"General Gu Linyuan, thank goodness I have you!"
He then hurried to check on the emperor in Gu Linyuan's arms: "Your Majesty, are you okay?"
——Gu Linyuan, General?
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