Transmigrated Female Official

"Your Majesty, this is a fruit tea that I made myself. I humbly request that Your Majesty taste it."

"Oh?" The Empress was slightly surprised and gestured for Chonghuan to take the tea. After Chonghuan poured the tea, the Empress picked it up, looked at it, smelled it, and tasted it... Finally, she said, "It's sour with a hint of sweetness, and sweet with a hint of sourness. The taste is quite unique."

The Empress neither said it tasted good nor bad.

Chu Qingluo had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive my disrespect in the Qingming Hall today."

Although the Empress did not blame her at the time, she was still worried that her boldness and recklessness might offend the Empress. So as soon as she returned to Guangrentang, she immediately made fruit tea to apologize.

The Empress took another sip before setting down her teacup. She said, "I do have some questions. Do you look down on my princes?"

"This humble official would never dare!"

"Then why refuse my good intentions?"

"...I simply believe that I have not made any merits and do not deserve any reward."

The Empress chuckled softly and asked, "What if I insist on bestowing a reward?"

"This..." Chu Qinglu was speechless, and there was some sweat on her forehead.

Seeing Chu Qingluo's unpleasant expression, the Empress laughed again: "No matter what your reason is for refusing me, I'll let it go this time for the sake of this fruit tea. Next time, if I want to reward or punish you, you won't have a choice."

"Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty!" Chu Qingluo breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed to express her gratitude.

An empress is an empress; she ultimately dislikes having her authority challenged. A seemingly gentle tiger is still a tiger, the king of beasts.

Chu Qingluo left the study and bumped into Ziyan, who had just arrived at the Phoenix Palace, at the door.

"Ziyan!" With no one around, Chu Qingluo couldn't hide her excitement and said in a low voice, "It's been so long since I've seen you!"

"Qingluo! I've missed you so much!" Ziyan was also overjoyed, wishing he could hug her immediately. But they were inside the Phoenix Palace, so they had to maintain some composure. "Do you know? You're popular again!"

"what?"

"There's a rumor going around the palace that His Majesty wanted to bestow the Fifth Prince upon you, but you refused."

"..." Chu Qingluo's smile suddenly froze on her face. The speed of this gossip was too fast. She smiled awkwardly: "I just went to beg His Majesty for forgiveness."

Ziyan nodded in understanding.

"Ziyan, you are often by His Majesty's side. If His Majesty is still angry about this matter, please, you must find a way to inform me, okay?"

Seeing her looking at him expectantly, Ziyan patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out for you."

"Thank you, Ziyan."

……

Back at Guangrentang, just as I was about to step into the inner hall, I heard Shaoyao's melodious laughter, as clear as a copper bell, coming from inside.

"Seventh Prince, you flatter me!"

What? Ji Qiran is here too? Chu Qingluo instinctively stepped back.

Why did he come to Guangrentang? Was he looking for peony? Has their relationship progressed so smoothly?

Chu Qinglu shook her head and laughed self-deprecatingly. What did it have to do with her? Why was she thinking so much?

She let out a soft sigh and leaned back to rest on the edge of the corridor.

At this moment, Li Yan rushed over in a hurry. She didn't see Chu Qingluo and went straight to the inner hall.

"Tch—" Chu Qingluo tried to stop Li Yan, not wanting her to disturb Shaoyao and Ji Qiran.

Hearing the commotion, Li Yan stopped. Seeing Chu Qingluo sitting nearby, she hurried over and said, "My lord, there seems to be a problem with the mint incense in Changming Palace. The Fifth Prince is currently unconscious!"

"What?!" Chu Qingluo immediately jumped up: "Quickly, go to the Imperial Hospital and fetch a physician!"

"I've already gone to invite them. Sir, you should go and take a look as soon as possible."

"it is good!"

Chu Qinglu didn't think much of it and followed Li Yan towards the Changming Palace...

As soon as they entered the palace, Li Yan said, "Your Excellency, please go in first. I will wait for the physician here."

Although Chu Qingluo found it strange, she did not stop and stepped into the inner hall.

Even more strangely, the inner hall was completely empty.

The mint scent was still burning in the incense burner. She leaned over and sniffed, but there was nothing wrong with it... Just as she was lost in thought, she suddenly smelled a strange odor. She instinctively covered her nose with her hand and turned her head to see Ji Qili standing behind her, holding a piece of spice in his hand.

"The Fifth Prince?!" Chu Qingluo exclaimed in surprise, taking two steps back.

He chuckled softly, "Qingluo's here?"

"Weren't you unconscious?" she asked, her gaze fixed on the strange-smelling spices in his hand.

Seeing him standing unharmed before her, Chu Qingluo realized she had been deceived. And Li Yan was Ji Qili's accomplice.

"If I hadn't said that, would you have come?" Ji Qiran walked straight to the incense burner and threw the piece of incense in his hand into it. "Don't be nervous, this is a mind-control incense. This amount will allow you to sleep soundly until dawn."

"What...what are you doing?" she asked, feigning composure, still covering her nose with her hand.

He approached her step by step, his voice low and deep: "Your hatred for me has reached the point where you dare to refuse His Majesty? This truly breaks my heart!"

Chu Qinglu noticed a ruthlessness she had never seen before in his eyes, and immediately turned around to run out of the palace.

"Don't go!" Ji Qili grabbed her and pulled her forcefully into his arms. He could restrain her with one arm, while his other hand pried open her hand covering her mouth.

She tried her best, but still couldn't contend with Ji Qili's strength. He forcibly pried her hand open and twisted it behind her back, pinning it down with a single hand, just like her other. She pursed her lips, trying to hold her breath. But Ji Qili pressed his hand against her cheek, forcing her to gasp for air!

With that breath, she was immediately choked by the scent of the bewitching incense and began to cough. "Ji Qili! Are you insane?!"

"Yes, I've gone mad," Ji Qili said calmly. "I've already taken the antidote."

"You hypocrite!"

"Whether I'm a gentleman or not is unimportant. What's important is that everything will be different when you wake up." He gave a sinister smile and continued, "You rejected the Emperor in the main hall today, but you made love to me in private... What do you think the Emperor would think if he witnessed this fascinating scene?"

"...What do you mean?!" Chu Qingluo's voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

"Tomorrow morning I will have someone inform His Majesty that the Fifth Prince is on a hunger strike behind closed doors. At that time..." As he said this, Ji Qili's lips couldn't help but curl up again.

"You actually plotted to murder a female official!"

"Qingluo, you're wrong. It was consensual between us."

"You bastard! His Majesty is wise and will find out the truth!"

“Fool.” He gestured with his chin toward the incense burner. “I’ll have someone destroy the incense in a bit. Tomorrow morning, His Majesty will only see us in bed together, nothing else.”

"You..." Chu Qingluo wanted to continue cursing, but her mind was no longer under her control, and her consciousness was becoming more and more blurred. Finally, as she fell weakly into his arms, she seemed to hear him say, "Sleep. Even if you want to hit or punish me in the future, I will be willing, because from now on we are family."

...Chu Qingluo felt a deep hatred, a hatred for the equally despicable soul beneath his face. If she could move, she would tear him to pieces! But now, she could only let him pick her up and carry her to the bed.

Feeling her outer garments being removed, she felt like dying. No, before she died, she had to kill Ji Qili with her own hands; she couldn't die in vain…