Transmigrated Female Official

Inside the Flying Immortal Palace.

Ji Qili came to the Eighth Princess with high hopes, wanting to remind her to keep her promise and to bring up the matter of rewarding Chu Qingluo to the Empress at the Qingming Palace tomorrow.

He just didn't expect that the Eighth Princess would change her mind this time.

"Eighth Sister, we clearly agreed on this before, why did you suddenly go back on your word?" Seeing that the Eighth Princess did not answer, Ji Qili continued, "Is it because Sixth Sister took Chu Yilin away?"

"Don't mention that name to me!" The Eighth Princess was still extremely indignant upon hearing the name Chu Yilin.

"Alright, I won't mention his name." Ji Qili tried to appease the Eighth Princess, saying, "Even if this person didn't join your sect, it won't affect your cooperation with Chu Qingluo. There are many matters in the inner palace, and having another person of your own will always make things much easier."

"..." The Eighth Princess remained silent, her face still expressionless.

"Eighth Sister, trust Fifth Brother. As long as you can help me get into Qingluo's tutelage, I guarantee she will be at your service."

Seeing Ji Qili's confident demeanor, the Eighth Princess was somewhat skeptical: "Can you guarantee that? In my opinion, Chu Qingluo isn't someone who can be easily manipulated. I've had several encounters with her, but I haven't gotten anything good out of her. Besides, she's showing favoritism towards Sixth Sister in this selection."

Ji Qiran nodded with absolute certainty: "Believe me. She's not biased towards the Sixth Princess; she's just biased towards her brother."

"..."

Seeing that the Eighth Princess seemed to be wavering, Ji Qili pressed on, saying, "Eighth Sister, why don't you give it a try? You won't lose anything anyway. If it works out, it will be a wonderful thing."

The Eighth Princess hesitated for a moment, then said, "...Alright then. I will mention this to His Majesty at the morning court tomorrow. If His Majesty agrees, the rest is up to you. You must make sure to bring Chu Qingluo over."

Ji Qili smiled confidently, "That's for sure, thank you, Eighth Sister."

He had waited so long, and this day had finally come.

……

As dawn broke, Chu Qingluo was already standing on the platform of Qingming Palace, waiting to attend court. Seeing Longkui ascending the stairs, she quickly bowed and greeted her, "Lady Longkui."

As usual, Longkui nodded slightly and said, "Lord Chu." She then stood quietly to the side and waited without saying anything more.

Seeing that Long Kui showed no displeasure or unease, Chu Qingluo secretly guessed that perhaps the young lady Long didn't know who had threatened her yesterday... or, if she was even luckier, the young lady Long would never know her own identity.

But... is that even possible? With this kind of luck in winning the lottery...

Tsk. Chu Qinglu shook her head. Never mind, at least we're safe today.

"Summon all officials to the palace—"

A loud summons rang out, and everyone entered the hall to pay their respects.

The Empress seemed to be in a good mood today, and asked as soon as she opened her mouth, "The selection of Yun Shi has ended. Are the princesses satisfied with their choices?"

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." The three princesses stepped forward and bowed. Having chosen so many, surely one would satisfy them.

The Eighth Princess spoke first: "Your Majesty, the smooth and orderly progress of this imperial selection is entirely due to Lord Chu's efforts."

Upon hearing this, the Sixth Princess frowned slightly. She couldn't guess what kind of trick the Eighth Princess was up to this time.

Upon hearing the Eighth Princess's praise, Chu Qingluo shuddered, sensing that some misfortune was about to befall her.

"Yes, it was indeed handled very well. There wasn't a trace of panic in the palace." The Empress agreed with the Eighth Princess's statement.

The Eighth Princess then seized the opportunity to say, "Xile believes that Lord Chu is a rare talent and should be richly rewarded."

A smile appeared in the Empress's eyes as she replied, "Even setting aside joy and sorrow, that's still what I mean."

"What does His Majesty intend to bestow upon Lord Chu? Is it a reward of gold or jewels and jade?"

Judging from the Eighth Princess's tone, the Empress asked, "It seems that Xile has another brilliant idea?"

The more Chu Qingluo listened, the more uneasy she felt, as if she were watching someone dig a hole for her.

The Eighth Princess smiled slightly and said, "I dare to suggest to His Majesty... that a prince be bestowed upon him." After some discussion arose in the hall, she continued, "I've heard that Lord Chu only has two male servants, and he has just selected so many for the three of us... It's hard not to feel envious. Therefore, I believe that bestowing a prince upon Lord Chu at this time would be most appropriate."

The Empress smiled slightly, then glanced thoughtfully at Chu Qingluo, as if considering which prince to bestow the favor upon.

At this moment, Chu Qingluo's heart leaped into her throat! She silently cursed in her heart, "You're the one who's envious! Your whole family is envious!"

The prince the Eighth Princess wanted to mention was definitely not Ji Qiran; she seemed to sense that the end of the world was coming.

"Your Majesty, as Lord Yao mentioned before, among the princes who have not yet entered the palace, Fifth Brother is the eldest..."

After the Eighth Princess brought it up, the Empress nodded and said, "Then bestow it..."

"Thank you for your gracious favor, Your Majesty—" Chu Qingluo jumped out anxiously, "This humble official dares to presume, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

The Empress smiled slightly: "Lord Chu, I haven't even said what reward I'm going to bestow yet, why are you so excited to express your gratitude first?"

"Your Majesty, it is my duty to select Yun Shi, and I dare not accept Your Majesty's favor!"

"Lord Chu, how dare you refuse a prince entry into the palace?" The Eighth Princess looked at Chu Qingluo in disbelief.

Chu Qingluo ignored the Eighth Princess's question and instead bowed to the Empress: "May I ask Your Majesty, is allowing a prince to enter the household of female officials considered a punishment or a reward?"

The Empress frowned slightly, about to speak, but the Eighth Princess interrupted her, saying, "How dare you! That's an immense reward! Is there even a need to ask?!"

Chu Qinglu met the Eighth Princess's eyes and bowed slightly: "Since the Eighth Princess said it is a reward, then it is not unreasonable for this humble official to decline."

"You...you're simply ungrateful!" The Eighth Princess realized that she really couldn't talk to the man surnamed Chu properly.

The Empress laughed twice more and said, "Lord Chu, you are the first to refuse my favor like this."

Chu Qingluo quickly bowed again: "Your Majesty is magnanimous, please forgive me."

The Empress waved her hand, signaling her to step back. "Very well, since Lord Chu does not wish for any reward, let's continue discussing other matters."

"Yes..." The Eighth Princess could only retreat unwillingly. She simply couldn't understand the thoughts of the Chu siblings, not even a little bit.

……

Chu Qingluo waited outside the study in the Phoenix Palace, carrying a pot of tea. A gust of wind blew by, causing the peony pattern on her skirt to dance in the breeze. Only after Chonghuan came out to summon her did she enter with the tea.

The Empress was sitting at her desk, reviewing memorials.

"May Your Majesty be well."

The Empress put down her pen, looked up at her, and said, "Lord Chu, you may dispense with the formalities. What kind of tea are you holding? It smells so good."