“Nonsense! The autumn hunt is for men only. How could I bring a young lady like you?”
“Disguising yourself as a man is even more inappropriate!”
Prime Minister Yun immediately refused upon hearing Yun Si’s request.
Yun Si looked at her father with a pitiful expression. “I asked Father to punish my sister according to the law, but Father refused.”
“Father said he knew I had been wronged and wanted to make it up to me, but it seems he wasn’t sincere after all.”
Prime Minister Yun: “Of course I am sincere in making it up to you! Whatever jewelry or treasures you want, I will give them to you. But you want to disguise yourself as a man to attend the autumn hunt…”
Yun Si: “I don’t lack jewelry or treasures! I just want to go to the autumn hunt to relax!”
“Once I’m married, I’ll never have such an opportunity again…” After becoming a married woman, life would not be as carefree as it was for an unmarried girl, with many invisible constraints added.
Seeing his daughter’s pitiful expression and realizing she would soon be married, Prime Minister Yun’s heart softened.
“Alright, I’ll take you to the autumn hunt this time.”
“But disguising yourself as a man is still improper.” Prime Minister Yun worried that if his daughter disguised herself as a man, she might be harassed by men who didn’t know her true identity.
“Why don’t you disguise yourself as my maid? I’ll have other maids attend to you.”
The Emperor never brought female family members to the autumn hunt, and the accompanying officials naturally didn’t either, but maids were always necessary.
If Yun Si disguised herself as a maid, no one would dare harass Prime Minister Yun’s maid.
Yun Si looked helplessly at her father. “Father, are you being foolish? With so many people at the autumn hunt, someone is bound to recognize me. If I’m dressed as a woman, they’ll immediately see that I’m your daughter.”
“Only if I disguise myself as a man will others fail to recognize me.”
“Moreover, if I disguise myself as a maid, I won’t be able to ride horses or hunt. Only by disguising myself as a man can I truly enjoy myself.”
Yun Si spoke the truth, but only half of it.
The reason she kept hidden was that only by disguising herself as a man could she avoid being recognized by the Emperor!
If the man in her dream was truly the Emperor, the Emperor would surely recognize her by her figure as well!
Yun Si absolutely could not be recognized by the Emperor!
If she disguised herself as a man, she could reasonably alter her figure. Men and women naturally had different builds, and to make her disguise convincing, she would have to change her figure.
Then, by imitating a man’s movements and gait… she believed that even if she stood before the Emperor, he wouldn’t recognize her!
Of course, Yun Si would never stand before the Emperor. She would stay far away, ensuring he couldn’t see her. A distant glance would be enough to confirm.
In the end, as Yun Si had anticipated, Prime Minister Yun agreed to let her disguise herself as a man to attend the autumn hunt.
One thing that surprised Yun Si was that after discussing it with her mother, her father informed her fiancé, Xie Changze, about the matter.
As the young prince of the Rui Prince’s Mansion, Xie Changze would naturally attend the autumn hunt as well.
“When the time comes, let Changze stay by your side. Even if you’re disguised as a man, you won’t have to worry about anyone harassing you.”
Yun Si was startled. “Let Cousin stay by my side? That’s not appropriate!”
Because of that troubling dream, Yun Si now felt both ashamed and guilty toward her cousin. The last time she saw him was at a banquet, where she had dozed off after drinking and her gauze skirt had become damp underneath. Her cousin had chosen that moment to stop her and gift her a jade buckle…
Remembering how the jade buckle had been undone and thrown to the ground, shattering in her dream, Yun Si felt so ashamed she couldn’t lift her head.
She didn’t want to see her cousin now, nor did she dare to.
Especially after realizing that the man in her dreams was likely the Emperor… Yun Si intended to secretly observe the Emperor this time to confirm the matter, and she absolutely did not want to involve her cousin.
Unfortunately, in this matter, Yun Si had no say. Her father and mother were in agreement and informed Xie Changze about it.
Xie Changze solemnly promised, “During the autumn hunt, I will stay by my cousin’s side at all times, never leaving her, and ensure her safety.”
Upon hearing her cousin’s words, Yun Si grew deeply troubled.
She had considered every possibility but never anticipated this.
With her cousin constantly by her side, what was she to do?
Could she really bring her cousin along to secretly observe the man from her dreams?