Chapter 312: Excuse Me, You Disturbed My Majesty

Two days was a bit rushed, but it was clear the Beicang King had done his best to prepare for this banquet.

Soldiers were stationed from the city gates all the way to the Royal Palace, and red silks were hung at the palace entrance. How to put it... it was so tacky one could hardly bear to look, making it seem as if they were welcoming a bride.

Without Xiao Li even having to say a word, Yang Jun immediately had his men take it all down. They dismantled the decorations along the entire route, and the guards were replaced with the Silver Armor Guards. Only then did the Empress step into the Royal Palace.

Such a display was simply tyrannical. Some courtiers were still grumbling about the Empress’s lack of etiquette, how she was overshadowing her host, while others had already keenly sniffed out that something was afoot.

Upon entering the Royal Palace, they found the banquet was surprisingly set in the main hall used for discussing state affairs.

At the head of the hall, on the dais with the King’s dragon throne, two chairs sat side by side.

Below, there were two rows of seats. On one side were the officials and princes of Beicang, and on the other, the officials of Longsheng. However, only Yang Jun had sat down with a few civil servants. Rong Qing stood guard by the Empress’s side, his tall frame exuding an oppressive aura.

Wang Wanqing, Qiao Ruyan, and Jiang Zhou were among the civil servants.

Jiang Zhou glanced at Yang Jun beside him and sighed. ’...Father, your son has made it. I’ve hustled my way into a position like this.’

The banquet began. The Beicang King raised his cup for a toast, and the others quickly followed suit.

The Empress wore a faint, indifferent expression and barely spoke. The officials she brought with her were each more aloof than the last.

Yang Jun, on the other hand, seemed gentle, but his smile looked ill-intentioned no matter how you saw it.

But what could they do? It was Beicang’s own fault for being weak.

Their guests had arrived; they had to be entertained, and entertained well at that.

’Smile. No emotion, all technique!’

After just two cups of wine, the Beicang King began to introduce his sons. The eldest was in his thirties, while the youngest were in their late teens and early twenties.

He pointedly introduced his two youngest sons.

"Xia Mu is skilled in riding and archery, while Xia Dun is proficient in music. They will both demonstrate their talents shortly."

Xiao Li suddenly recalled something. "We believe We have someone from Beicang in Our palace."

The Beicang King’s expression faltered. "Shao Yan is the youngest son of my royal brother. He has been gone for over two years. This king has been very concerned and was just about to ask after him."

Yang Jun replied, "Mr. Xia misses his homeland dearly. Your Majesty could send someone to bring him back."

The Beicang King hurriedly said, "It is his good fortune to be able to serve the Empress. He needn’t worry about matters at home."

The matter of Xia Shao Yan was dropped. As for the two sons the Beicang King was so eager to recommend to Xiao Li, she didn’t say whether she approved or disapproved, but simply did not refuse their performance.

Seeing a chance, the Beicang King’s smile became a little more genuine.

This continued until Xia Mu came forward to offer a toast. "This prince has long admired the Empress. I have always yearned for the prosperity of Longsheng. Might I have the honor of traveling with Your Majesty?"

His words were subtle, but his gaze was fervent and searing, his intentions all too obvious.

Using one’s looks to gain resources has never been a privilege exclusive to women. It’s just that men without the looks can’t get a seat at this table.

When a man has the looks, and the woman opposite him has everything he could ever want, his standards sink lower than anyone’s. But of course, in their own noble minds, it’s not seduction—it’s called ’pursuit.’

SNAP! The chopsticks in Wang Wanqing’s hand broke. Her eyes blazed with fire, and her expression was so terrifying she looked like she was about to eat someone.

’Shameless! With looks like that, he dares to try and seduce Her Majesty!’

’A toad lusting after a swan’s flesh! Overestimating himself, utterly shameless!’

Jiang Zhou quietly picked up the broken pieces of the chopsticks and tremblingly replaced them with a new pair for her.

’It’s fine to squeeze the chopsticks when you’re angry, but please move the claws you’re digging into the back of my hand! AAAAAAH!!!!’

Yang Jun glanced at the Empress’s expression, then chuckled. "Longsheng is vast and has many prosperous places. It’s not somewhere you can tour in a day or two. Our Empress is occupied with a myriad of state affairs and has no time for leisure trips."

Xia Mu heard this but paid Yang Jun no mind, preparing to continue releasing his charm toward the Empress.

Wang Wanqing spoke up with a smile, "The Eighth Prince is afraid he won’t have time to visit Longsheng. His concubine is about to give birth, and I hear it’s a boy. This official congratulates the Eighth Prince in advance."

On her face, a smile; in her heart, a furious tirade: ’What a scumbag! He has no status, no ability, and with looks that don’t even compare to Jiang Zhou’s, he has the fucking nerve to seduce Her Majesty?’

Jiang Zhou: ???

’He looks young, but he’s actually a promiscuous degenerate. A piece of trash like that has the gall to try and curry favor with Her Majesty. So shameless!’

’No, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. Looking at that foul face, I just want to stomp it flat!’

Jiang Zhou’s tears streamed down like a waterfall. ’Waaah~ My hand! It hurts so much!’

Wang Wanqing squeezed again, then paused. ’Huh? Why doesn’t it hurt?’

She looked down. Whoa. "What are you doing with your hand here?"

Jiang Zhou: "I... I just wanted to grab an orange..."

The Beicang food didn’t whet his appetite, but the oranges looked tempting. Unfortunately, the Beicang King was stingy; with two people per table, there was only a single plate of oranges placed in the middle. When he reached for one, he didn’t get an orange but instead fell victim to the vicious hands of the irascible female demon.

Wang Wanqing said with disgust, "Is this the time to be thinking about snacks?"

After saying that, she casually handed him a large orange.

Jiang Zhou: "..."

Their exchange was brief. Over on the other side, the Beicang King was still trying to salvage the situation. "This young lady must be joking. Xia Mu has no concubines to this day, let alone a child about to be born."

Xia Mu, his face stiff, snapped back to his senses and feigned anger. "Young lady, do not tarnish this prince’s reputation."

The Empress, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up. "There are no ’young ladies’ sitting here. That is one of Our court ministers, Wang Wanqing. And that is Qiao Ruyan. Both are of the Sixth Rank, exceptionally capable, and have limitless futures."

Being praised by the Empress in public, it wasn’t just Wang Wanqing who was preening—even Qiao Ruyan felt a little giddy.

The two women stood up. Only then did everyone notice that they were actually wearing official robes. People had assumed they were just women disguised as men for convenience.

With solemn expressions, they straightened their lapels and performed a court official’s salute in unison.

The entire hall fell silent.

In Beicang, men were revered and women disdained. The status of women was extremely low; here, they had almost no voice.

The impact of these two female officials was no less than the shock of learning a woman was the Empress.

Xiao Li was ruthless, having intimidated the world into submission through slaughter, so they had no choice but to acknowledge this Empress.

But an Empress was just one person. Women serving as officials? That could be thousands, even tens of thousands. That was a true subversion of their world.

A devastating sense of crisis washed over them, leaving the hall deathly quiet. The continuous sound of silk and bamboo instruments only made the atmosphere more eerie.

Finally, an old courtier from Beicang could bear it no longer and roared in anger, "Women as officials! It’s unheard of! Utterly preposterous!"

Seeing someone speak up, others immediately chimed in. "Exactly! How can women participate in politics? They are timid as mice, fragile and delicate. Most can’t even read properly! If the country were placed in their hands, wouldn’t it be ruined?"

"Women should be at home assisting their husbands and raising their children, adhering to female virtues! To show their faces in public like this—what has become of decency? Absurd! This is too absurd!"

The shock of women holding official power was so great that they forgot an Empress was sitting right above them. They forgot their fear of her.

Just as their discussion grew heated and their gazes turned vicious, as if they wanted to tear Wang Wanqing and the others to shreds, a cold light flashed. Two heads rolled to the ground—they belonged to the two men who had been shouting the loudest.

All the clamor came to an abrupt halt. Terrified gazes fixed on the tall figure slowly retreating to the Empress’s side.

Seeing the atmosphere freeze, Yang Jun explained with a smile, "Apologies. You were disturbing Our Majesty."