My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!

After the parade, the newly appointed Advanced Scholars were invited to attend the Joling Banquet held in Furong Garden tonight.

In general, this banquet is considered the finale of the Imperial Examination.

When the banquet concludes, it also signifies the official end of this session of the Imperial Examination. Starting tomorrow, the Ministry of Personnel and the three provinces will allocate suitable positions to the scholars based on their rankings and specialties.

Li Anning and Song Yiren followed Li Nuo back to the Li Family home, smiling while walking hand in hand and greeting the common people along the way, appearing closer than sisters.

As soon as they stepped through the door, both women abruptly let go of each other's hand with a cold snort and turned their heads in opposite directions.

Yet in the next moment, they sensed something and once again linked arms.

A Minister of Rites walked in holding a royal edict and said, "Top scholar, this is the [Imperial Decree] for your wife. Please accept the decree."

"Imperial Decree" was the highest honor the Emperor could bestow upon an official or a nobleman's wife.

Not all wives of officials and nobles received this honor; only an extremely small number of women were so privileged.

Although the [Imperial Decree] Lady held no real power, it was the highest honor for a woman, sought after by many prominent and prestigious families.

Song Jiaren stole her husband, and now her [Imperial Decree], while Song Yiren's heart was filled with a bitter taste. Just then, Li Anning nudged her waist gently and said, "Jiaren sister, quickly accept the decree..."

Song Yiren snapped back to reality, realizing that she was now Song Jiaren.

She took the royal edict directly from the hands of the Minister of Rites Lu Sheng, leaving Li Anning speechless and stunning Lu Sheng.

Who taught her to accept a decree like this?

In the end, the Minister of Rites couldn't say anything and loudly declared, "Daughter of the Song Family, Jiaren, gentle and refined, quick-witted and virtuous, dignified in demeanor, surpassing orchids and irises... granted the title of sixth-rank [Imperial Decree], by imperial grace."

He composed a short enfeoffment speech, recited it, and then stood waiting.

But he waited in vain.

Li Anning poked Song Yiren again and whispered, "Quickly say 'Thank you for His Majesty's grace.'"

Song Yiren hastily said, "Oh, thank Your Majesty for His grace."

Lu Sheng sighed with relief, and ordered a Junior Official standing behind him to present a tray tied with a red silk ribbon and said, "This is the [Imperial Decree] Lady's formal wear. Should it be lost, soiled, or damaged, the top scholar must promptly visit the Ministry of Rites for a replacement."

Li Nuo accepted the [Imperial Decree] garments, nodding his head.

The [Imperial Decree] garments included a headdress, clothing, and shawl, all made of top-grade materials and adorned with various pearls and jades.

In fact, the [Imperial Decree] Lady could be considered to have entered the ranks of the nobles.

Unlike the true nobles, whose titles could be inherited, the privileges of an [Imperial Decree] Lady were hers alone to enjoy.

Lu Sheng gave a bow to Li Nuo and turned to leave.

On his way out, he could not help but mutter to himself, the top scholar is well-versed in etiquette, but how can his wife, who is also from a famous family, act like a wild girl fresh from the mountains, with no understanding of etiquette at all...

Li Nuo, holding the [Imperial Decree] garments, walked into a small courtyard where his wife was arranging flowers.

From the choice of flower stems to the overall arrangement and color coordination, Li Nuo could tell that her mood was very good.

Flower arranging is an art, and through certain details, one can sense the arranger's mood during the process.

He approached his wife and said, "This is the [Imperial Decree] Lady's dress, try it on to see if it fits."

Song Jiaren was still focused on pruning the details of the flowers, then responded, "Wait a moment."

Song Yiren took the garments from Li Nuo's hands, saying, "Let me try it. We look the same, and our figures are similar. Me trying it on is just the same..."

Li Anning gave her a disdainful look and said, "The [Imperial Decree] Lady is not you, why are you trying it?"

Song Yiren glared back at her and retorted, "I want to try it. Who's going to stop me?"

With that, she ran into the house to change, and Song Jiaren did not stop her.

Li Nuo realized that, although they were twin sisters, perhaps due to the influence of the Yuqing Heart Technique, his wife was much more indulgent of Yiren than Mumu was of Ning'er.

If it was Mumu's clothing, she would let Ning'er wear them, but she would never allow Ning'er to wear them first.

Soon, Song Yiren walked out dressed in the [Imperial Decree] garments.

It must be said that the court's [Imperial Decree] garments were designed beautifully, majestic and dignified, while also enhancing the beauty of a woman's figure. Seeing Song Yiren wearing them, Li Nuo already had an idea of how they would look on his wife.

Li Anning looked at Song Yiren; even though she didn't like her, she couldn't deny that she had some... a lot of beauty.

Song Yiren twirled a few times, holding the skirt of the [Imperial Decree] attire, clearly loving the outfit. She looked towards Li Nuo and asked, "Can't they make another one..."

He watched Song Yiren and shook his head, saying, "They can't."

The [Imperial Decree] garments were one of a kind. If they got damaged or dirty, you had to exchange the old for new at the Ministry of Rites, and the old would be destroyed.

Li Anning silently gave Song Yiren another disdainful look.

So beautiful and so capable, yet acting like a bumpkin who's never seen anything.

Indeed, everything in Chang'an was new and fascinating to Song Yiren.

On Sanqing Mountain, there were none of these things; aside from cultivation, there was more cultivation. No such beautiful clothes, no such entertaining activities.

Now wearing the [Imperial Decree] attire, she felt that the clothes on Li Anning seemed even more beautiful.

She walked over to Li Anning and suggested, "Let me wear your clothes. I'll let you wear mine..."

Li Anning almost laughed in exasperation.

Were they that close? Why should she let her wear her own court dress?

She said indifferently, "Call me sister, and I'll let you wear it."

"Sister."

Song Yiren's crisp call of "sister" left Li Anning stunned in her tracks.

What? She actually did it?

This woman really had no principles.

But since she had spoken, it wouldn't be good to go back on her word. She reluctantly followed her into the room and took off her own court dress.

Song Yiren removed the imperial decree dress and saw that Li Anning was still sitting there. She asked, "Aren't you going to wear it?"

Li Anning waved her hand and said, "I can't fit into it."

Song Yiren looked at her chest and stopped talking.

The more beautiful dress looked a bit loose on her, especially around the chest which was empty, but aside from not fitting well, it was truly beautiful. With some alterations, she could still wear it.

She looked at Li Anning and said, "If I call you sister again, will you give me this dress?"

Li Anning responded speechlessly, "No!"

Although Song Yiren felt some disappointment, she didn't persist.

The outside world was truly wonderful.

Whether it was Song Jiaren or this busty woman, they were so easy to talk to—as long as she pleaded, they would agree to her requests.

Unlike on Sanqing Mountain.

Even if she knelt in the snow for three days and three nights, mother would not change her decision.

Moments later, the two of them came out, having changed their clothes.

Li Anning glanced at Li Nuo. Now that this matter was finally settled, she had many things she wanted to tell him, but clearly, now was not the time.

She walked over to Song Jiaren's side, took her hand of her own accord, and said, "Jiaren sister, let's go to the Joling Banquet in Furong Garden together tonight. The night view there is quite nice, and there will be singing and dancing to watch..."

Song Yiren looked on from a distance, feeling a sourness in her heart once again.

She was actually Song Jiaren's sister, yet here was this outsider, calling her sister so affectionately...

However, she quickly realized that among these four people, only she was the outsider...

...

It was not yet dark.

A carriage stopped at the entrance of Furong Garden.

As Chang'an's largest and most luxurious royal garden, Furong Garden would often host various large-scale banquets. Typically, the venue chosen to entertain the new Advanced Scholars after each Imperial Examination was also Furong Garden.

Li Nuo and two figures descended from the carriage.

Li Anning and Song Yiren exchanged a look. Despite their reluctance, they took each other's hands.

His wife didn't like such occasions. Li Nuo had urged her many times, but she was never willing to come.

This left the opportunity to the bustling-loving Song Yiren, who took it upon herself.

At the Joling Banquet, new Advanced Scholars could bring a female companion. Generally speaking, bringing a female companion signaled that you were already spoken for, and then the nobles would not set their sights on you.

If one attended the banquet alone, in most cases, it sent out a different signal.

Unmarried, come quickly!

Chang'an's noble families, seeing an Advanced Scholar attend alone, would then have their young women approach him. If mutual interest was found, a new match would quickly be formed.

This way, the nobles gained another connection within the court, and with this backing, the new Advanced Scholars not only found it easier to secure an official position they desired but also had a smoother career path ahead...

As Li Nuo approached the entrance of Furong Garden, without even showing his invitation, the official responsible for greeting guests smiled and said, "Top Scholar, please..."

The grand doors of Furong Garden were majestic. As the three of them walked in, several figures approached from another direction.

The person in the lead was a handsome young man, under thirty, dressed in fine clothing, exuding nobility.

Upon seeing him, Li Anning greeted him respectfully, "I have seen the elder brother."

The young man nodded slightly at her. His gaze swept over Li Nuo, pausing momentarily before he moved on.

A somewhat effeminate voice reminded from the side, "Your Highness, watch the steps ahead..."

As this voice sounded, Song Yiren's steps suddenly halted.

Li Anning turned to look at her and asked, "What's wrong?"

Song Yiren's eyes followed the figures moving away and asked, "Who is that person?"

Li Anning replied, "That's King Rui, what about him..."

Song Yiren shook her head as she watched the figures disappear into the distance and said, "Nothing, let's go..."