After I Abandoned the Protagonist [Quick Transmigration] 117

Chapter 117: The Abandoned Little Emperor (21)

The little emperor brought Su Mingxiu back to the capital.

As the imperial carriage returned to the palace, Sun Feiyan and Cheng Qing, who had received the news, were waiting by the path. Xiao Miyun only peeked through the curtains, exchanging a few brief words with them before continuing towards the Qian Yuan Palace.

The two pillars of the Xiao Zhou court bowed their heads as the carriage passed. After it was gone, Cheng Qing turned to Sun Feiyan with a smile. “General Sun, did you smell a medicinal scent just now?”

Having studied some medicine, Cheng Qing pondered the scent from the carriage. Before she could finish her thought, Sun Feiyan gave her a warning look. “It’s not proper to pry into the emperor’s private affairs.”

“Uh…” Cheng Qing rarely encountered someone more reserved than herself. She usually spoke less to avoid mistakes and minimize potential vulnerabilities, but this General Sun was truly cold by nature.

She touched her nose and bid farewell to Sun Feiyan, one heading into the palace, the other out.

Osmanthus flowers were blooming in the capital, but their fragrance was rarely smelled within the palace walls, as the current emperor preferred peonies.

The palace gardens were filled with various peony varieties. Only outside the palace could one smell the sweet scent of osmanthus.

Cheng Qing, accustomed to dressing as a man, smelling the osmanthus fragrance, headed towards a nearby tavern, carrying two jugs of osmanthus wine. She recalled the time she first taught the emperor in the Qinzheng Palace.

Back then, the little emperor’s power was still weak, eager to gain support, she had put on a docile and obedient act, trying to evoke sympathy—

If it weren’t for the Xu family’s downfall at the hands of the Prince of Zhenbei, she might not have realized the depth of the little emperor’s schemes. Truly a descendant of the Xiao family, a born emperor.

And perhaps only someone like the Prince of Zhenbei could control such an emperor.

Thinking about the sealed documents in the Dali Temple, Cheng Qing walked along the path, a thought crossing her mind:

I wonder, is Su Mingxiu the bane of the Xiao family, or are the Xiaos destined to be Su Mingxiu’s downfall?

Inside the palace…

Xiao Miyun, unaware of her ministers’ thoughts, had already ordered the Qian Yuan Palace to be renovated, improving its insulation and adding new furnishings.

The carriage stopped before the palace. She dismissed the servants and personally extended her hand towards the carriage, wanting to help Su Mingxiu down. But Su Mingxiu remained seated, casually moving her wrist, drawing attention to the thin silver chain tied around it. “Your Majesty, are you unable to undo this?”

The little emperor paused, then re-entered the carriage, bending down before Su Mingxiu. Before she could even take out the key, a flash of light, and a sudden tightness around her waist. She watched helplessly as the chain, meant for Su Mingxiu, now bound her tightly. The person controlling the chain calmly tied the other end to the carriage window.

“Uh…!” Xiao Miyun was beyond shocked.

Only after seeing the Prince of Zhenbei, who had been coughing throughout the journey, looking as if she were on her deathbed, step out of the carriage and stand under the sunlight, did the little emperor move, realizing that she couldn’t even move her hands. She instinctively called out: “Y-you, don’t go!”

Su Mingxiu turned around under the sunlight, squinting, her pale face bathed in a golden glow. Compared to her usual cold and ruthless demeanor, the Prince of Zhenbei, with a smile on her lips, now looked like the most beautiful flower in the palace.

A flower in full bloom, its beauty making one forget its impending demise.

She only smiled without speaking, making Xiao Miyun uneasy. The little emperor shifted in her seat. “Untie Zhen.”

Su Mingxiu looked away and walked towards the palace gates without a word. The calls behind her grew louder. “Su Mingxiu!”

“You can’t leave! You wouldn’t want the palace staff to see Zhen like this, would you?”

“Su Mingxiu?”

“You! One more step, and I’ll cry!”

“I’m serious!”

Perhaps feeling that her threat was too embarrassing, the little emperor abandoned her imperial address. She had tried everything, both soft and hard approaches, but in the end, it was her useless tears that were most effective.

The person who had been walking away stopped, her back to the carriage. She asked slowly: “Are you still going to tie me up?”

Xiao Miyun blinked, her voice filled with grievance. “No… it was Zhen’s fault, Zhen was wrong, please forgive me, Right Chancellor.”

This chain had been custom-made by martial arts experts, capable of even restraining those with internal energy. She didn’t know how Su Mingxiu had managed to figure out how to undo it during her time away. The little emperor cursed her own miscalculation inwardly.

Su Mingxiu, who had been planning to return to her manor, stopped, inexplicably swayed by the little emperor’s childish threat. After a moment of hesitation, she returned to the carriage and untied the chain.

The moment her arms were free, Xiao Miyun hugged Su Mingxiu tightly, her voice trembling. “You came back, which means you agreed to Zhen’s request. Zhen won’t allow you to go back on your word.”

Despite her strong words,

Xiao Miyun’s hands were shaking.

Su Mingxiu suddenly remembered the fish in the previous world complaining, asking if she could be less mean… Su Mingxiu had readily agreed and had even prepared herself for it. But in the end…

It seemed she had been even more cruel.

The person being hugged didn’t respond, but she didn’t push Xiao Miyun away either. Only when she sensed that the palace staff had been gone for too long did she speak: “Does Your Majesty intend to hug this minister until morning, for all the court officials to see?”

As she spoke, Xiao Miyun instinctively loosened her grip, thinking she had been holding Su Mingxiu too tightly. Hearing Su Mingxiu’s words, her eyes lit up. She looked up. “That’s not a bad idea, would the Right Chancellor be willing to—”

“No.”

“Oh.”

The rejected emperor wasn’t discouraged. She had brought Su Mingxiu back to the Qian Yuan Palace, there was plenty of time.

She reluctantly left the carriage, but she still held Su Mingxiu’s hand as they entered the Qian Yuan Palace. Seeing the newly renovated interior, especially the larger bed, a smile appeared on her face.

Xiao Miyun was thinking about how to reward the palace staff. Su Mingxiu, standing beside her, noticed the embroidered dragons, phoenixes, and mandarin ducks on the quilt and looked at her meaningfully.

“Is there something wrong?”

The little emperor sighed softly and replied, “Nothing.”