Chapter Fifty-Six: Minister of Appointments

The next day, court was convened once more.

Feng Yewu’s expression was gentle and kind, as if she had long forgotten the events of the previous day. Yet beneath the grand hall, the assembled officials were filled with apprehension, each bowing their heads in silence, terrified of ending up like the two ministers from the day before.

“Oh? Why is everyone so quiet today?” Feng Yewu teased, before turning her attention to the documents on her table. She leafed through them absentmindedly, casting occasional glances toward the officials below. Each look sent a jolt of fear through their hearts. Even the faintest sigh from Feng Yewu caused one or two ministers to shudder involuntarily, as if she were a judge from the underworld.

After this brief torment, Feng Yewu straightened up and flexed her wrist, having finished reading. Only then did the officials, realizing nothing untoward had happened, allow themselves to exhale in relief.

“Today, I have an appointment to make,” Feng Yewu stated succinctly, observing the unusually subdued hall. Evidently, her actions yesterday had their intended effect. “Since none of you have anything to say, I’ll take it as agreement.”

At this, the senior ministers in the front row exchanged uneasy glances, their anxiety barely concealed. At last, one of them stepped forward to inquire, “May I ask whom Your Majesty intends to appoint?”

Feng Yewu watched this unfold with cold amusement. So, the old foxes could not keep up their facades after all. Keeping her expression neutral, she ordered her attendants, “Bring the candidate forward.”

“Xuan Wu Muxue.”

At her command, two guards led a woman into the hall. The ministers stared in disbelief.

“A woman? How can this be?”

“Why has Her Majesty summoned a woman?”

“A woman should not enter the hall!”

The woman was Wu Muxue, whom Feng Yewu had summoned. As Wu Muxue advanced, the officials on either side whispered and gossiped among themselves.

“Wu Muxue pays her respects to Your Majesty.”

“Rise.” Feng Yewu regarded the kneeling Wu Muxue with a touch of admiration. This woman was older than herself, yet her skin was radiant and her bearing resolute—a true heroine among women.

When Lu Jue first recommended candidates to Feng Yewu, he had deliberately sought women for official positions. The court was dominated by men, and he feared that Feng Yewu alone could not withstand the old ministers and generals. Wu Muxue, daughter of the late General Wu Lei, was known for her valor and decisiveness. Raised with strict discipline, she was well-versed in etiquette and would be a valuable ally for Feng Yewu in court.

“Is Her Majesty truly going to appoint this woman?” The senior ministers, seeing Wu Muxue, grew indignant. Not only was Feng Yewu constantly reshuffling the court, but now she was breaking with tradition by appointing a woman to office. This nearly caused the elderly officials to faint with outrage.

“Why, only moments ago you had no objections. Why the change of heart now?” Feng Yewu, secretly delighted, feigned confusion as she looked at their flushed faces.

“Your Majesty, throughout history, never has a woman been made an official in court. This is a violation of propriety!” protested one minister, waving his hands in embarrassment as Wu Muxue stood proudly beside him.

“Your Majesty, this cannot be!”

“Yes, Your Majesty! To debate state affairs with a woman—this is a humiliation!”

“We implore Your Majesty to reconsider. This is a breach of all that is proper!”

“How can we face the world? We shall become a laughingstock for generations!”

Wu Muxue listened in silence to the chorus of complaints, her expression calm. Only when the clamor subsided did Feng Yewu smile faintly and turn to her.

“What are your thoughts on this?”

Wu Muxue remained composed, as if the previous objections had never reached her ears. She simply bowed and addressed Feng Yewu, “May I ask what position Your Majesty intends to confer upon me?”

“Minister of Personnel,” Feng Yewu replied lightly.

The court erupted in uproar. The Minister of Personnel was historically responsible for overseeing official appointments and court affairs. For Feng Yewu to appoint a woman to this post meant that all officials, young and old, would henceforth answer to her.

“This cannot be, Your Majesty! The post of Minister of Personnel cannot be given to a woman!” cried the Vice Minister of Revenue, stepping forward in protest.

Wu Muxue first bowed to the speaker, then addressed him directly, “May I ask your position?”

“I am Zhou Zheng, Vice Minister of Revenue,” Zhou Zheng answered, casting a contemptuous glance at Wu Muxue, his chin raised in arrogance.

“There’s no need to speak to me,” he sneered. “I have no desire to argue with a woman in this hall.”

Unfazed by his disdain, Wu Muxue’s demeanor shifted from amiable to stern as she retorted, “Zhou Zheng, you are bold indeed. Though I have not yet been appointed, Her Majesty has spoken. Are you openly defying the imperial will?”

A flicker of panic crossed Zhou Zheng’s eyes as he hastily replied, “You have a sharp tongue, but I am not defying the throne—I am speaking out for what is right!”

“For what is right? You refuse to debate state affairs with a woman—do you mean to insult the sovereign as well?” Wu Muxue pressed on, undeterred by his evasions. “What of it? Now that Her Majesty has named me Minister of Personnel, your objections are laughable. What of my being a woman? Her Majesty herself is a woman—do you mean to insult her as well?”

Zhou Zheng fell silent, unable to respond. Wu Muxue turned to the assembled court, her voice ringing out, “Though the appointment is not yet official, Her Majesty’s intentions are clear. Unless you can persuade her otherwise, I am the Minister of Personnel. Zhou Zheng may be spared for today, but if you persist in such remarks, I will see you charged with insubordination!”

Having spoken, Wu Muxue resumed her dignified composure.

Feng Yewu listened with delight to Wu Muxue’s forceful words, and promptly issued the decree appointing her Minister of Personnel. After Wu Muxue’s display, the court was cowed into utter silence.

Yet the senior ministers in front were anxious. With both the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Justice now entrusted to such formidable figures by Feng Yewu, their future looked bleak. And as for the vacant position of Chief Justice—under no circumstances could they allow Feng Yewu to fill it as she pleased.

Even as the ministers pondered this, Feng Yewu spoke again, “Having settled the Ministry of Personnel, I recall that the position of Chief Justice remains vacant.”

Before she could finish, Li Yuan, Minister of Rites, interjected, “Your Majesty, the Chief Justice has always held a critical role in the nation’s judiciary. Such appointments must not be made lightly.”