Transmigrated Female Official

After several days of intensive training, Li Yu and Luo Lifei quickly mastered the skills, and their catwalk became quite impressive. They even achieved a 7% success rate in learning details such as turning their heads, eye contact, and posing. Shaoyao and Ziyan also made significant progress and were finally able to take on the role of little teachers.

Training the female officers was the perfect task for Luo Lifei. Her willful personality made her adept at playing the stern role, and with Shaoyao playing the good cop, the two worked together quite well. The training of the men was handled by Li Yu.

Chu Qingluo, having a rare day of leisure, asked Li Ziyou for leave, saying she was going out of the palace to buy cloth. After changing into casual clothes, she took Ziyan with her and left the palace.

"Qingluo! I really owe you a debt of gratitude! I haven't left the palace for almost half a year! And this time I even went out in a carriage!" Ziyan was extremely excited.

“Yes. We’re leaving the palace on official business.” Chu Qingluo didn’t tell him that he was actually a laborer she had brought here.

"What do we need to do?" Whatever it was, he was incredibly happy.

Do you know where all the cloth shops in Yancheng are?

"Yes, I know most of it. Are we going to buy cloth? Doesn't the palace have plenty?"

"Let's go for a look around first. Most of the fabrics in the palace are so colorful and gaudy, it's dazzling."

"Then let's go to the biggest fabric store first."

“Alright, lead the way.” Chu Qingluo agreed, and the carriage sped towards the market.

This was indeed the largest fabric store in Yancheng. All sorts of dazzling fabrics appeared before them. If we were to compare preciousness, perhaps any fabric from the palace would be more valuable than this, but here there were many patterns and materials to choose from.

"Ziyan, what do you think of this fabric?" Chu Qingluo asked, holding a piece of plain white gauze in her hand.

"This... is very simple." Ziyan didn't understand why she would like something so plain.

"You should look at it this way." Chu Qingluo placed a piece of blue patterned brocade under the white gauze and asked, "How about it?"

"Beautiful. It's elegant without being ostentatious, with a hazy, mysterious feel to it."

"Shall I make you some clothes?" Chu Qingluo was eager to create an outfit for Ziyan that would exude a mysterious aura.

"Really?! That's great!" Unexpectedly, Chu Qingluo thought of him first. Ziyan was so excited that he picked Chu Qingluo up and spun her around several times.

Ji Qiran sat in the carriage and saw a palace carriage parked in front of the cloth shop. He casually glanced inside and saw Chu Qingluo being held by a man. She was wearing a light blue dress that was swirling in the air, her hair was styled in a flowing cloud bun, and a smile was on her fair, snow-white face...

"Stop the carriage!" What was Chu Qingluo doing here at this hour? He immediately stopped the carriage, and just as he lifted the curtain, he stopped again. What was he going to do? Go over and say something to her? Had she forgotten that she was exactly what he wanted? He glanced indifferently at Chu Qingluo and the man, then retreated back into the carriage: "Let's go." He decided to leave it at that.

Chu Qingluo bought a lot of fabrics from this fabric shop alone, and she was very satisfied with the trip. After Ziyan loaded all the fabrics onto the carriage, she decided to take him out for a big meal: "Come on, let's go to Yibinge for a feast!" When she left home, her mother had given her a large sum of money.

"Yibin Pavilion?! I've only heard of its reputation, but I've never been there!" Zi Yan was overjoyed, unaware that Chu Qingluo in front of him had only been there once.

Just as they were about to set off, they heard the sound of gongs and drums coming from afar, and the crowd surged toward the source of the sound. This greatly aroused her curiosity, and she immediately pulled Ziyan out of the car and followed the flow of people to the lively place.

A group of people played ceremonial music as a beautiful young woman sat in a large sedan chair carried by four men. The chair's roof was adorned with flowers and gauze curtains, which were hung high, allowing a clear view of the woman's face. She was dressed in her finest attire and looked shy. A passerby exclaimed, "Look! That's the second young lady of the Huang family!"

"What are you doing?" Chu Qingluo asked excitedly, shaking Ziyan's arm. Seeing that Ziyan didn't answer, she called him twice more: "I'm asking you!"

Zi Yan stared at Chu Qingluo in disbelief and asked seriously, "Qingluo, where exactly did you come from?"

"Huh—?" Startled by Zi Yan's sudden question, Chu Qingluo looked at him, puzzled.

Zi Yan continued, "How come you don't know something that all women know? And your strange behavior... Could you really be an incarnation of a god?... No, a god should know everything..."

"Ouch—!" Chu Qingluo flicked his forehead with her finger, interrupting his daydream. She said, "Answer quickly."

Ziyan touched his forehead and explained to her, "This is your coming-of-age ceremony for women. Every time a girl turns sixteen, her family holds a coming-of-age ceremony. It means to announce to the world that there is a daughter in the family, and all men are welcome to come and invite her to their door."

"Huh?! There's this too?!" Chu Qingluo had no idea about this.

"Judging from the fact that the second young lady of the Huang family is carried in a sedan chair by four people, it means that her family is well-off. Ordinary women are carried by two people. Given your status as female officials, you should be carried in a sedan chair by at least six people."

"Isn't this such a huge difference? Doesn't the woman carried by those two people lose face?"

"How could that be? The women are all sacred objects bestowed upon the Ji Kingdom by the gods, and their status is very noble."

"Oh." Thank God, she was a woman. However, there were still many things she didn't understand, so she asked, "But with such a huge difference in the male-to-female ratio, there must be quite a few men who failed to 'enter' the gate, right? Then wouldn't they... commit crimes against women?" Originally, she wanted to say 'murder and rape,' but it seemed too direct, so she changed it.

"Isn't that courting death?!" Zi Yan glared at Chu Qingluo. "Any man who dares to commit adultery with a woman will suffer a terrible fate! They'll be tied naked to the Temple of Heaven, and their private parts will be cut off in front of everyone! Then they'll be chopped up, boiled, and fed to them." Zi Yan's face turned pale, and after gritting his teeth, he solemnly bowed to the heavens to show his respect.

"Holy crap! This is unbelievable! Although it can't compare to the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty, just the fact that they were fed this... I'd give it a 10 out of 10 for disgust!" Chu Qingluo got goosebumps and her scalp tingled.

"What nonsense are you spouting now?" Zi Yan ignored her and continued watching the commotion.

The crowd's enthusiasm reached its peak. Men along the roadside raised their hands and cheered for the woman in the bridal sedan chair. The woman smiled sweetly, nodded slightly to the crowd, and with a flick of her handkerchief, the men surged forward…

Finally, the man who snatched the handkerchief raised his arms and shouted triumphantly.

"What's going on here?" She couldn't understand it. It was just a handkerchief, was it really that big of a deal?

"The man who finds the handkerchief is destined to be with you and can join your sect."

"Ouch—!" It was too crowded, and someone stepped on Chu Qingluo's foot. She just wanted to find a quiet place to catch her breath: "Let's go quickly."

"Okay." This second young lady of the Huang family is plain-looking; she's not as pleasing to the eye as Chu Qingluo.

The two returned to the carriage and headed towards Yibin Pavilion.

"Hey, quick, tea, make it cold." By the time Chu Qingluo arrived at Yibin Pavilion, she was already parched and found a seat in the lobby.

"Alright! Miss Chu, please wait a moment." The waiter was always very enthusiastic.

"Looks like you're a regular customer." Zi Yan looked at Chu Qingluo with envy.

"Hehe..." she laughed awkwardly.

The hall was almost entirely filled with men at the moment. The sudden arrival of such a stunning beauty caused all their eyes to dart toward Chu Qingluo, and they began to whisper among themselves.

Ji Qiran had just finished his meal in the private room on the second floor when he saw Chu Qingluo and the man from before sitting downstairs. He thought to himself, "What a strange day! I keep seeing her everywhere..." He frowned slightly, deciding to stay upstairs and observe.

"Miss Chu, please have some tea. Young master, please have some tea." After the waiter poured tea for the two, he waited for Chu Qingluo to order. She readily ordered five dishes and a pot of wine.

After the waiter left, Chu Qingluo drank two cups of tea, then put on a serious expression and said to Ziyan, "Ziyan, this time you have to prove yourself."

"Huh?" Zi Yan didn't understand what she meant.

"I will make a point of having you shine in front of everyone at this summer festival in order to catch the Empress's attention, but your performance will ultimately depend on you," Chu Qingluo whispered in his ear.

Zi Yan was stunned for a moment, then cheered, "Qingluo! Qingluo! Qingluo! How can I thank you enough?!" He excitedly grasped her hands, his eyes shining with gratitude, "You are like my second parents!"

Chu Qinglu laughed: "Alright, whether it works out or not depends on your luck. If it does work out, just remember how good I was to you."

"Of course, I will definitely worship you as a god!"

Chu Qinglu smiled with satisfaction, having been waiting for those words.

"May I ask how this young lady is addressed?" A man from the next table approached and politely bowed to her.

Chu Qingluo, seeing his white robes and refined demeanor, asked in return, "May I ask what brings you here, young master?"

The young man appeared slightly shy: "My name is Gongsun Yu. I would like to take this opportunity to get to know you, young lady. Please forgive me if I have offended you."

Wow, so it was a flirting attempt! Looks like Chu Qingluo still has a lot of appeal.

In modern times, one might be more wary of strangers, but this is the Ji Kingdom, a paradise for women! She had nothing to worry about, so she smiled and replied, "My name is Chu Qingluo."

Gongsun Yu was delighted to see that she didn't reject him. He asked, "Could I have another chance to invite you both to a meal?"

Chu Qingluo was undecided for a moment, so she looked at Ziyan, only to see him watching the scene with a grin, seemingly unconcerned. She had no choice but to say, "I've already ordered the dishes. If you don't mind, please join us for the meal."

Gongsun Yu immediately sat down on the other side of Chu Qingluo: "Thank you, Miss Chu."

First, he saw Chu Qingluo's hand being held in the man beside her, then he saw her inviting a strange man to dinner... Ji Qiran felt a nameless anger rising within him. The women of Ji Kingdom had no shortage of men. He gave a cold laugh, and, "Fine, fine," went downstairs.

Chu Qingluo spotted Ji Qiran descending the stairs at a glance. He was dressed in a black brocade robe, with sharp, defined features, and was exceptionally handsome. Suddenly remembering Luo Lifei's words, her expression became somewhat unnatural: "Seventh Prince," she said, bowing to him in a steady tone.

Ji Qiran glanced at her indifferently, then at Ziyan and Gongsun Yu, and replied, "Third Miss, what a coincidence."

Chu Qingluo was taken aback, thinking she had misheard. She remembered that he had always called her "Qingluo" before, so what was with this deliberately distant "Third Miss"? Was he trying to imply that the two of them weren't actually close?

"Seventh Prince." Zi Yan and Gongsun Yu also stood up and bowed.

"Okay." Ji Qiran said expressionlessly, "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."

"Please take care." Chu Qinglu felt that he was acting strangely today. He had been quite friendly before, but for some reason he had become so serious.

Could it be that the original host was really harassing him? Was he only keeping quiet because of his relationship with Chu Yilin? ...Never mind, he's the boss, he can do whatever he wants.

She decided to give up on thinking about it and gestured for the other two to sit down: "Come, come, let's have a meal."