Le charme d'une femme puissante se répand à travers le monde

Chapitre 88

I slowly got up, and somewhat inexplicably found myself being pulled outside by Cui'er. Receiving an imperial decree? Could it be a decree from the fox?

Only Yunfeng was kneeling in the hall. It turned out that Li Fu had come personally to deliver the imperial decree. I lowered my head and walked to Yunfeng's side, kneeling down as well. It seemed that old man Yun was pretending to be gone. Sigh, making someone like him kneel to receive the fox's decree is worse than simply killing him.

Having received the imperial decree and expressed his gratitude, Yun Feng personally escorted Li Fu out of the residence. The decree essentially granted me, a woman, special permission to attend the victory banquet the following evening, instructing me to prepare accordingly. Li Fu didn't give me any strange looks, nor did he leave a note or anything, before following Yun Feng away. This meant I should be able to leave the residence tomorrow without any problem; after all, the Yun residence was located in Longzhou, and I couldn't very well disobey an imperial decree, could I?

Yunfeng didn't say much when he returned, only instructing me to go to the palace with him the next evening. Then, as if he had urgent business to attend to, he left. I was annoyed. This brother of mine has been incredibly busy ever since he went to court, never mentioning anything about court affairs. We're all prime ministers, so why wasn't I this busy back then? It's as if I was just loafing around, eating, drinking, and slacking off before!

The next evening arrived quickly. I scratched my head, staring blankly at the magnificent dress on the bed. Ugh, suddenly having to wear women's clothing in front of all those people felt so awkward. What if Mu Zui fainted on the spot? And Er Linzi, wouldn't he blush? Would the soldiers and ministers bring their families to the victory banquet? Fox doesn't have a harem, so I'd be the only woman among a sea of green—the thought was terrifying. I'd been completely mesmerized by Fox's smooth talk—restoring my identity, saying he could dispel their suspicions, and announcing the wedding—I'd completely forgotten I was supposed to wear a dress to the banquet. Ugh, I'm so used to wearing men's clothing, especially in front of those people, I'm really at a loss. I hope nothing goes wrong.

Cui'er tugged at me several times while I was in a daze, and I finally pouted, closed my eyes, and steeled myself, saying, "Let's change it, let's change it, let's change it to this one."

Yunfeng prepared this outfit for me. It has only one flaw: it's too beautiful. I feel a little scared just looking at it. I'm already quite eye-catching enough to attend the victory banquet like this. If I wear that outfit on top of that, does Yunfeng expect me to attract unwanted attention? Or is he worried that I'll get lost in the palace and want to be more noticeable so he can find me?

I wore a pair of small, red, fragrant sheepskin boots adorned with gold and cloud patterns, a flowing, floor-length gown of light red silk, and a white cloak lined with white fox fur and trimmed with white mink trim at the collar and cuffs. While not as elaborate as the attire of imperial concubines or wives of high-ranking officials, it undeniably showcased the wealth of the Yun family. Cui'er had intended to style my hair into a dignified updo, but I stopped her. As an unmarried woman, and merely the prime minister's sister without any official title, I was not bound by such cumbersome rules and etiquette. Therefore, I allowed Cui'er to casually tie up a small portion of my hair, securing it with the black jade hairpin the fox had given me, leaving the majority loose. With such luxurious clothing, my makeup should be even more understated.

Yunyue is actually quite beautiful. I hadn't paid much attention to her before, but her black hair was casually draped down, and she didn't need any elaborate makeup. She had a natural, pure and elegant charm. In addition, her tall figure, paired with this dress, made her natural features even more striking, like a red lotus reflected in snow.

Yun Feng came to pick me up. When he saw me, his expression was one of pride and joy, like seeing his own child become the top scorer in the college entrance examination. I smiled awkwardly at him. This older brother of mine seems more like a father than old man Yun.

Night had fallen. We boarded the carriage and headed towards the palace. Before long, we arrived at the second palace gate. As usual, we alighted from the carriage. In the distance, we could see the Imperial Garden brightly lit, and the palace gates were lined with carriages; it seemed everyone had arrived. I followed Yunfeng towards the banquet, with an eunuch leading the way. The closer we got to the Imperial Garden, the more conspicuous my attire became. Once the eunuch led us to our seats, the previously noisy banquet fell silent instantly.

A quick glance around revealed that, apart from the fox, all the officials who usually attended court and the generals who had led the campaign were already seated. Everyone seemed momentarily surprised to see Yunfeng and me appear together, but only for a second. Soon, they approached us with composed expressions to greet us. Yunfeng stood to my left, responding to each person with a faint smile and introducing me to them. I, in turn, pretended to be meeting them for the first time, smiling and bowing to each of them.

He moved forward through the crowd, getting closer and closer to the main seat in front of him.

"Moon, this is Minister Gu of the Ministry of Justice," Yunfeng introduced from the side.

"I've long heard of Lord Gu's brilliant case-solving skills. It's truly an honor for Yunyue to meet you today." I bowed slightly to Gu Mozhi, who was standing in front of us, and then looked up with a smile. Unsurprisingly, I saw that the boy's eyes were fixed on me, his eyebrows twitching dramatically, and his expression was indescribably strange.

"Miss Yun...you flatter me." The young man blurted out the word "Yun," then immediately corrected himself, his voice slightly off-key, while bowing to me.

I almost burst out laughing. I ignored him and continued walking with Yunfeng. After a few steps, I saw Liu Yu, the guy who gave himself the courtesy name Mu Zui, give me a quick, strange look before bowing to Yunfeng.

"Moon, this is Minister Liu of the Ministry of Personnel."

"Yunyue greets Lord Liu." I also bowed slightly to Mu Zui. The boy stared at me blankly for a long time before he reacted. He hurriedly returned the greeting, his mouth moving for a long time, but he couldn't utter a single word.

No, no, if this keeps up, I'll either suffer internal injuries from holding it in or burst out laughing. Fox, hurry up and come! If you come, everyone will be so busy kneeling and worshipping you that I can sneak a chuckle to myself. If you don't come soon, I might just ruin your victory celebration.

Bai Xuyang, also known as Shen An, walked over at the right time. This guy seemed the most composed. He greeted Yun Feng with a smile, and before Yun Feng could speak, he gave me a slight bow and said, "I am Bai Xuyang. This must be Yun Xiang's younger sister, Miss Yun Yueyun?"

My guts, which had been churning from laughing so hard, finally calmed down a bit. I composed myself and said to Bai Xuyang, "Yunyue greets Lord Bai."

Then there's Lu Chengli, and then Gu Wenxiu. Lu Chengli is no match for Mu Zui; they're about the same. As for Gu Wenxiu, that old fox, he's even more composed than Shen An.

"Moon, this is General Mu."

"Yunyue greets the General."

Hehe, finally it's Erlinzi's turn. We're only a few meters from the main seat now, and Fox hasn't arrived yet. There's no one on either side. I winked hard at Erlinzi. This kid is wearing his court robes again today. When he saw us coming, he first stood up and nodded to Yunfeng. Then, when he saw me winking at him, he hurriedly looked away. The lamplight made everyone's faces look red, so I couldn't tell if Erlinzi was blushing or not. Sigh, this is really no fun.

My father-in-law led us to our seats, which had been arranged beforehand. Yunfeng was seated to the lower left of the main seat, and I was seated to his right, with Erlinzi to the lower right. It was clear that Fox had given special instructions; everyone else was seated in two rows around round tables, but Fox, Yunfeng, Erlinzi, and I were seated separately, somewhat like the seating arrangement during the morning court session.

The scene remained eerily quiet, but it wasn't as quiet as it had been at the beginning. I kept my eyes fixed straight ahead, and could faintly hear the whispers of the people. Soon, a eunuch announced loudly, "The Emperor has arrived!"

I rose with the others, bowed my head slightly, faced the central seat, and knelt down as well, then shouted "Long live the Emperor!" three times.

"My beloved subjects, please rise." The fox's lazy voice rang out.

I quickly got up, ignoring the gaze that was staring at me, pursed my lips, and without looking up, turned around and sat back down in my seat.

I heard that during the morning court session this day, those who deserved rewards had already been rewarded, and those who deserved titles had already been bestowed. The Yun family also brought in quite a few things. Yun Feng, as Prime Minister, is already second only to the Emperor, and besides, he's about to become the Emperor's brother-in-law, so I guess there won't be any fancy spiritual rewards. Er Linzi also received rewards for his merits, but his position probably won't change much; at most, he'll get a more prestigious title. Sigh, in this place, those without royal blood can only reach the level of Yun Feng and Er Linzi. There's never been any talk of "bestowing titles and ranks." It seems I should suggest to Fox that he change this rule next time, otherwise, once you reach Yun Feng and Er Linzi's positions, you'll completely lose motivation and goals!

"This time, we were able to turn the national crisis into an opportunity, not only defending our territory and expanding our borders, but also thanks to the great contributions of Minister Yun's younger sister, in addition to all of you ministers present here. As you ministers should have heard before, Minister Yun's younger sister not only offered advice, but also personally went to Tianqing and successfully persuaded them to form an alliance. She is a woman who is just as capable as any man. I believe that when it comes to rewarding merit, men and women should not be distinguished. What do you ministers think?"

I didn't look at the fox; I only heard him sitting there yelling and shouting. It was a miracle that this fellow was saying so much to everyone in one breath—something that had never happened before. Usually, when he spoke to these officials, he would always be as concise as possible, using as few words as possible.

"Your Majesty is wise!" the crowd replied in unison.

Tch, Fox, now that you've said it, how can anyone object? But, you're not planning to announce the marriage decree right now, are you? Ugh, we haven't even started eating yet, are you trying to make me go hungry?

"Yunyue, heed my decree," the fox said lazily.

I had no choice but to get up, walk to the center, and kneel down in front of the fox. This guy actually personally announced the decree. I snorted heavily in my heart to show my dissatisfaction.

"Yun Yue, the younger sister of Yun Feng, offered advice in times of crisis and risked her own life to save the country from peril. She is truly the first extraordinary woman since the founding of our Longyao Kingdom. Since there is no precedent to follow, I hereby make an exception and specially appoint Yun Yue as the first female councilor of our dynasty, bestow upon her a golden seal, and grant her the official rank of first grade. She can participate in politics, submit memorials, and serve as a supervisory official."

"This humble woman, Yunyue, kowtows to express her gratitude for Your Majesty's grace." I knelt and bowed to thank Your Majesty, then accepted the imperial edict handed to me by Li Fu before glancing up at the fox.

This fellow glanced at me casually, a half-smile playing on his lips, but his eyes were narrowed. I quickly scrambled to my feet and returned to my seat. Why was this imperial edict different from what I expected? Wasn't I supposed to be able to attend court in place of Yunfeng indefinitely? The fox must have changed his mind when he talked to Yunfeng earlier. Why did the fox want me to participate in politics openly? If the masses found out, wouldn't they protest and rebel?

"At tonight's banquet, my dear ministers, there's no need to be too formal."

After the fox finished speaking, he waved to Li Fu, who then gestured to the people around him, and the banquet officially began. Dishes were served one after another, and soon the table was full. Because the table in front of me, Yunfeng, and Qinglin was particularly small, only four or five dishes were served, but they were obviously specially ordered and seemed to be our usual favorites.

The atmosphere gradually warmed up. I wondered if those people were secretly discussing the fox's imperial decree. I couldn't care less; I was hungry, and eating something was the most important thing. Unfortunately, there were so many people today, and I was dressed like this, so I could only pretend to be elegant and savor the food. The fox brought over a few more dishes, but I ignored him. Sure enough, after only a few bites, I heard him sitting there, starting to ramble again: "Someone, serve wine to all my beloved ministers."

A complimentary cup of wine? I almost choked. Is Fox alright? Is he so angry because I ignored him that he wants me to throw a drunken tantrum here? I looked resentfully at the cup of wine that was offered to me, and then at everyone else who had raised their cups. I looked pleadingly at Yunfeng beside me. He glanced at me worriedly, but since it was personally offered by the fox, he couldn't do anything about it. I looked pleadingly at Erlinzi across the table. He also looked at me with some concern, then glanced in the fox's direction, and finally looked helpless. I pouted, closed my eyes, and raised my cup with everyone else, downing the wine in one gulp. The wine wasn't strong, but it was my limit. My face quickly started to burn. I shook my head at Yunfeng, who stood up, bowed to the fox, and said, "Your Majesty, my sister is not a good drinker. Please allow me to take my leave and escort her back to her residence."

"The celebration banquet has just begun, how can we be without our two beloved ministers?" The fox quickly shook his head, his face full of disapproval.

I had no choice but to get up, walk to Yunfeng's side, gently tug at his sleeve, and bow to the fox, saying, "Your Majesty, I dare not spoil Your Majesty's good mood. I am just afraid that I might behave improperly after drinking. Please allow me to go outside to cool off, have some cool breeze and some sobering tea, and then we can enjoy ourselves together again after the effects of the alcohol wear off."

The fox gave me an approving look, but I ignored him and just smiled reassuringly at Yunfeng before avoiding the crowd and walking towards a quiet, secluded place.

"Night wind, night wind." The more I walked, the dizzier I became. Damn that stinky fox, why did he make me drink? I'm so angry.

"Master." Night Wind appeared beside me like a ghost, but thankfully I was already used to it. Ever since the day Fox made it clear that he was being assigned to my side, this kid stopped calling me Young Master and started calling me Master.