"Mr. Bifei, this is an invitation from Mr. President for you!"
Percy, who had knocked on Bifei’s door, smiled as he handed the invitation to the Minister of Agriculture and Comrce, then turned and left with the two Dragoons accompanying him.
Accepting the invitation handed over by Percy, Bifei instinctively frowned. He couldn’t understand why the President of the Elysee Palace would issue him an invitation when he had clearly rejected the President’s proposal to build more telegraph lines.
"Does he think he can bribe with a dinner?" Bifei muttered to himself, a mocking smile appearing on his lips. He didn’t want to offend the President, but his affiliation with the Order Faction forced him to distance himself from the President. He was planted in the Cabinet by Count Morel and also had certain connections with the Orthodox Faction.
Despite Bifei’s inner disdain for the President of the Elysee Palace, he still opened the invitation.
"Jero Bonaparte is honored to invite Viscount Bifei to attend a dinner at the Elysee Palace tomorrow night at 7 PM. Your presence is kindly requested!"
The brief ssage and the crimson invitation left Bifei unable to fully grasp the President’s intentions. For now, he could only take it one step at a ti.
"A boring dinner!" Returning to the living room, Bifei tossed the invitation onto the sofa, then walked to the bedroom to open a wardrobe made of mahogany, filled with various types of won’s clothing.
In the room, Bifei reached into the wardrobe to take out a pure white lace dress, carefully caressing the dress in his hand with an enraptured gaze. He then drew the curtains and, in the dim environnt, took off his tailcoat and put on the dress.
Soon after, the bedroom door slowly opened, and a "middle-aged woman" in a white dress with a floral-patterned white hat appeared in the living room.
The maids responsible for tidying the room, having long gotten used to this, continued with their tasks without batting an eye.
...
Early the next morning, having changed out of the won’s attire and back into n’s clothing, Bifei carried a leather bag and entered a carriage. He was heading to the Ministry of Agriculture and Comrce for work, but before that, he planned to et with the Pri Minister at Matignon Palace.
While taking the departntal public carriage, Bifei overheard the coachman discussing matters.
"Minister, have you heard any rumors?" the coachman cautiously tested the waters.
"Hmm? What’s happened?" Minister Bifei asked the coachman in the front seat without much interest, not expecting the coachman to have any valuable information.
"I heard... the Pri Minister is dissatisfied with the Cabinet’s efficiency and might want to replace so people!" the coachman whispered to Bifei.
"Where did you hear this news?" Bifei raised his voice to question.
Bifei’s raised voice startled the coachman, who instinctively tightened his grip on the reins.
The tightened reins caused discomfort for the horses, making them neigh twice.
Seeing this, the coachman quickly loosened the reins, calming the horses down.
"It’s just sothing I heard!" the coachman weakly responded, feeling resentful towards Bifei.
"Don’t speak of such baseless things in the future!" Bifei sternly admonished the coachman.
"Yes!" The coachman said nothing more and focused on driving.
After that, the coachman didn’t say another word, but Bifei kept recalling the coachman’s words.
The carriage stopped at Matignon Palace, and Bifei got off and slowly walked inside, heading directly to Pri Minister Barro’s office.
...
"Co in!" ca the voice of Pri Minister Audion Barrot from inside.
Granted permission by Audion Barrot, Bifei entered his office.
At that mont, Audion Barrot was busily organizing docunts from the Ministry of Finance. He glanced up at Bifei entering, then lowered his head again and said, "Mr. Bifei, you arrived just in ti. Are the materials needed from the Ministry of Agriculture and Comrce ready?"
"They’re ready!" Bifei hurried to sit opposite Audion Barrot and divided the stacks of materials from his bag, handing them one by one to Audion Barrot: "Pri Minister, this is the agricultural compilation and planning! And this is the comrcial compilation and planning!"
"Alright, just leave them there!" Audion Barrot pointed at an empty spot on the desk.
After placing the two stacks of materials on the desk, Bifei sat down opposite Audion Barrot again. He wanted to ask Audion Barrot so questions but didn’t know how to begin.
Ten minutes later, Audion Barrot raised his head again and asked, "Mr. Bifei, do you have any other important matters?"
"Um..." Bifei hesitated briefly before tentatively speaking, "Pri Minister, I’ve heard so rumors..."
He then reiterated, "Of course, they’re just unfounded rumors, suggesting that you plan to adjust the Cabinet personnel!"
Audion Barrot put down his dip pen and looked up, questioning, "Who told you that I’m planning to change the Cabinet mbers!"
Just as expected!
Audion Barrot’s attitude made Bi Fei believe that the rumors were likely true. He could only answer vaguely, "I saw it in so tabloid, so it’s probably just so unreliable rumor!"
Audion Barrot clearly did not believe Bi Fei’s ambiguous answer, recalling the discussion he had with the President the previous day.
He seed to have complained in the carriage, "I really want to reshuffle the Cabinet."
Audion Barrot showed a hint of helplessness; he hadn’t expected his casual complaint to spread so quickly.
Still contemplating whom to retain and whom to dismiss, Audion Barrot naturally did not want to admit that he had decided to dismiss so Cabinet mbers. He also vaguely said along with Bi Fei’s words, "It’s just so tabloid nonsense! Whether Cabinet mbers remain is decided collectively by the President and the Council of State! There’s no such situation where I can dismiss whoever I want!"
Audion Barrot’s perfunctory response precisely represented his own attitude, and Bi Fei grew nervous. Not having fully enjoyed power yet, he didn’t want to lose it so soon. If the power struggle within the Order Party affected him, what would be his course of action?
"Understood, Pri Minister!" Bi Fei nodded and left Matignon Palace after getting the answer.
Returning to the Ministry of Agriculture and Comrce, he muddled through until the end of the day.
The sun sets in the west, the evening sun was going down.
While riding the public carriage ho, Bi Fei saw the invitation card placed on the sofa and, coming to his senses, glanced at the clock in the corner.
There was still an hour left until 7 p.m. He quickly changed his outfit and said to the servant at ho, "Quick, prepare a carriage for . I need to go to the Elysee Palace!"
The servant at the residence quickly took action and prepared the private carriage before Bi Fei ca downstairs in his changed clothes.
Riding the double-axle carriage, Bi Fei quickly arrived at the Elysee Palace.
It was now 6:50 p.m., with less than 10 minutes until the banquet started.
Percy customarily waited at the main entrance of the Elysee Palace for Bi Fei and accompanied him to the Elysee Palace dining room.
"Minister Bi Fei, welco!" said Jero Bonaparte, who was seated at the head table, to Bi Fei.
"Mr. President, thank you for the invitation!" Bi Fei responded with equal restraint and then sat down next to Jero Bonaparte.
Once the invited guests arrived, the servants hurriedly started serving the dishes.
This ti, Jero Bonaparte chose Russian-style service, aning the next dish would only be served after the previous one was finished.
The two first ate so caviar as an appetizer.
Jero Bonaparte gently wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and smiled, saying to Bi Fei, "Minister, I’ve recently heard a rumor?"
"Oh?" Bi Fei put down his knife and fork and replied, "Mr. President, what kind of rumor is it?"
"I heard that recently on the streets of Paris, there are so n dressing up as won to attend certain parties!" Jero Bonaparte, holding back his laughter, said to Bi Fei in a serious tone, "Minister Bi Fei, what do you think we should do with such people?"
Jero Bonaparte’s words made Bi Fei’s expression change; the n Mr. President ntioned were, in fact, none other than himself. Forcing himself to remain calm, he said, "I believe such people should absolutely not be tolerated!"
"Excellent! That’s what I think too!" Jero Bonaparte clapped his hands and said to Minister Bi Fei, "I’ve already ordered Percy to severely condemn this cross-dressing behavior in tomorrow’s newspaper; such behavior will not be tolerated at all!"
Jero Bonaparte’s voice wasn’t loud, yet it felt like a heavy blow striking Bi Fei’s heart.
If the newspaper published this information, his reputation, future, and everything would be completely ruined.
And it wasn’t over yet. The heartless Jero Bonaparte "thoughtfully" said, "Oh! If the exposed person happens to be a gentleman from Parliant, what will beco of their fate? I believe so justice-minded Parisians will choose to report such immoral phenona!"
"No... please stop... Mr. President!" Bi Fei pleaded with Jero Bonaparte in a trembling voice, "I beg you, please stop!"
Jero Bonaparte looked at Bi Fei with feigned surprise and said, "Mr. Bi Fei, what’s wrong with you? Are you one of them? That would be terrible! Your actions violate the principles of the Order Party!"
"Mr. President... Your Majesty... I beg you... please don’t say anything! I would really die!" Bi Fei’s tone had reached the utmost humility.
If his affairs were truly exposed, it would undoubtedly be a huge blow to the Order Party. The order and morality revered by the Order Party would be thoroughly demolished.
At that ti, leaving an intact corpse for Bi Fei would be already considered lenient by the Order Party. More likely, the angry Order Party would directly send him ’sky high’.
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