Transmigrated Female Official

Chu Qinglu laughed and broke free from Ji Qibai's arm. She looked him over carefully and found that he seemed to be taller than her now. She said in surprise, "You seem to have grown quite a bit taller."

"Of course! I already said that by the time I can return to the palace, I will be an adult!" Ji Qibai said with great pride.

"Alright, alright, how about we eat more snacks while we're still kids?" Chu Qingluo showed him the food box in her hand.

"Wow—" Ji Qibai was overjoyed when the five-colored pastries appeared before his eyes. The Goddess Temple only served vegetarian food, with no meat dishes or desserts, which made him very hungry. He quickly led Chu Qingluo to the pavilion to sit down and enjoy the delicious food.

Seeing him eating so happily, Chu Qingluo sighed inwardly, "People have to grow up eventually. Even a mischievous child like Ji Qibai can sweep the yard now..."

Remembering that Luo Lifei might still be waiting for her outside the temple, Chu Qingluo didn't dare to linger too long.

Ji Qibo didn't pester her. Instead, he took out the purple sachet from his pocket and said, "This is really effective. I made a wish on it before, hoping that you would come to see me, and you really came."

"..." Chu Qingluo stared at the purse, somewhat moved. She recalled many fragments, Ji Qiran's wicked smile... At this point, she immediately stopped reminiscing and said, "That's really a good thing."

“Yes, so as long as I make a wish upon it again, you will come again.” He smiled, his canine teeth shining white in the sunlight.

Seeing his innocent look, Chu Qingluo's mood improved considerably, and she replied with a smile, "Okay, I'll bring you some delicious food later."

Upon reaching the entrance of the Goddess Temple, Chu Qingluo found Luo Lifei's carriage still waiting there. "That little girl is quite something!" she thought with a smile as she stepped into the carriage.

"You've kept me waiting too long!" Luo Lifei pouted and complained.

"Sorry, sorry." After settling in, Chu Qingluo quickly asked gossipily, "So, who are you asking about your marriage prospects with today?"

Luo Lifei gave her an annoyed look: "I would rather die than tell."

"Haha!" Chu Qinglu laughed out loud, and said unhurriedly, "Then let me guess. As for Ling Nan... we all know he likes you, so there's no need to consult the gods or ask for divination. Therefore... it's undoubtedly my second brother." After saying that, she even snapped her fingers to confirm.

Luo Lifei got anxious and shouted, her face flushed, "There are plenty of men in Yancheng, not just the two of them!"

Tsk tsk tsk, seeing Luo Lifei blushing so deeply, Chu Qingluo guessed she was probably right. But she was genuinely worried for Luo Lifei, so she said, "You know, my second brother... if you like him, you'll have a hard time."

"I know..." she continued, then suddenly realized something was wrong and emphasized loudly, "I don't like Chu Yilin!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Chu Qinglu laughed again, going along with her words: "You absolutely can't like my second brother! Ling Nan is such a reliable person, I support you taking Ling Nan in."

"..." Luo Lifei glared at Chu Qingluo, who seemed to enjoy the drama, and stomped her feet in anger. Why was it always such bad luck? She had to come to draw a fortune stick and always run into Chu Qingluo?! Was the Goddess Temple really that cursed?! She always had to run into those two Chus!

"Stop making fun of me. Tell me, how did Young Master Wuyang suddenly decide to become your disciple?" Luo Lifei shifted the topic to Chu Qingluo.

"That's a long story... Anyway, let's get through the Yun Shi En selection first."

"Hmm..." Luo Lifei nodded thoughtfully, "I also saw the notice issued by the palace. Then... does that mean your brother will also be participating in the selection?"

Chu Qinglu raised an eyebrow and gave a sly smile: "Lingnan is going too?"

"..." Luo Lifei was completely speechless after hearing this.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore." Chu Qingluo put away her smile and became serious: "My second brother thought about pretending to become Shaoyao's disciple first, but he seemed to be joking, and Shaoyao didn't know, so she didn't agree."

"Oh……"

"At first, I couldn't understand one thing: if the Eighth Princess proposed the selection of Yun Si (a concubine of the emperor) because of my second brother, didn't she ever think that my second brother might pretend to join someone else's sect to avoid the selection? Later, I thought of another possibility."

"What's possible?"

“I guess the Eighth Princess is convinced that you and my second brother are a couple. The princess must have investigated your background and knows that you won’t turn sixteen until next year, so it’s impossible for my second brother to become your disciple now. She just wants to break you two up first.” After saying that, Chu Qingluo added, “Of course, I’m just guessing. Maybe she just wants to recruit more male servants.”

This speculation does indeed fit the current situation. Luo Lifei is not yet of marriageable age, so Chu Yilin would never ask her to help him keep the act going until the end. This fact left Luo Lifei feeling quite uneasy.

"So what does your brother plan to do?"

Chu Qinglu shook her head: "I'm not really sure either. Anyway, he seems fine, maybe he's thought of a solution."

Although life is about never knowing what awaits you, here, the shocks outweigh the surprises, making it difficult to have high hopes.

……

The next day, the position of a third-rank female official, which had been vacant for so many days, was finally decided. The successor was Jiang Sha, who was transferred from Biancheng.

At the time, Biancheng was hit by a flood, and the prefect was busy flattering Pan Yin, so Jiang Sha was in charge of the main disaster relief work. She was also a candidate strongly recommended by the Sixth Princess.

From an overall perspective, the Sixth Princess's strength has undoubtedly increased further. The scales, which were originally tilted towards the Eighth Princess, have suddenly lost their balance.

Looking back now, although the Sixth Princess didn't stand in the Qingming Hall every day, she still managed to replace the people standing there with her own. She was truly a formidable figure, Chu Qingluo couldn't help but secretly admire her…

Back at Guangrentang, seeing the beaming Peony, Chu Qingluo couldn't help but ask, "Did you find gold?"

"What?!" Peony smiled even more brightly, took her hand and said, "Qingluo, I want to thank you."

"Ok?"

"If it weren't for you, the Seventh Prince wouldn't have even glanced at me."

"...Huh?" Chu Qingluo's heart skipped a beat, and she asked with a smile, "Is there some good news?"

"Yes! When I went to Changxuan Palace today, the Seventh Prince was there too. He talked to me for a long time, and he even mentioned that his pet parrot had fallen from a tree after a heavy rain and he happened to find it..."

When talking about Ji Qiran, Shaoyao talked on and on with great enthusiasm, while Chu Qinglu could only respond with half-hearted words.

It seems Ji Qiran really listened to everything she said before. Now she can finally breathe a sigh of relief... perhaps.