Transmigrated Female Official

Chu Qingluo sighed and asked Shaoyao, "Didn't you also know that the Eighth Princess suggested that the Emperor bestow the Fifth Prince upon me?"

Peony nodded, "I know, you even refused the Emperor back then." She had been impressed by Chu Qingluo's boldness because of it. Then, after a moment's thought, she asked, "Is it because of that that the Fifth Prince wants revenge on you?"

"Who knows?" She didn't understand why Ji Qili insisted on pestering her.

Next, Chu Qingluo recounted in detail how Li Yan had deceived her and how Ji Qili had revealed his true colors, including how Ji Qiran had escorted her back to the Chu family.

Although she didn't want to mention that Ji Qiran had saved her, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to make up another white lie to deceive Shaoyao.

Having told the truth, Chu Qingluo worried that Shaoyao would overthink her relationship with Ji Qiran. Just as she was about to explain, she heard Shaoyao murmur, "The Fifth Prince is actually this kind of person..."

She didn't know if Shaoyao was deliberately avoiding the fact that Ji Qiran had saved her, but since Shaoyao wasn't asking, she felt relieved.

"Would I really lie about something like this?"

"And that Li Yan! How dare she! She actually tried to harm you!"

"But in the end, they got off so easily."

Speaking of this, Chu Qingluo was still indignant. Not only Ji Qili, she was determined to deal with Li Yan personally too! She slammed her hand on the table and said, "It would be ridiculous not to avenge this!"

"Huh?" Peony didn't hear clearly.

"Where is Li Yan now?"

"He didn't come today, saying he was sick. He probably didn't dare to come."

"We can't just let them get away with this."

Seeing a glint of ruthlessness in Chu Qingluo's eyes, Shaoyao immediately stepped forward and asked, "What do you want to do?"

Chu Qingluo told Shaoyao about her revenge plan. Upon hearing it, Shaoyao's eyes widened, and she asked, "Is it really that simple?!"

"Yes! It's that simple!"

"Then when will we do it?"

"Don't rush, I need to go apologize to the Empress first."

"Apologizing again?"

"It's all because of Li Yan! She's one of my Guangrentang people. If she gets into trouble, shouldn't I be the one to apologize?!"

“That makes sense,” Peony nodded, expressing deep sympathy.

……

Fortunately, Chu Qingluo was not implicated in this incident.

When she apologized to the Empress, the Empress did not blame her for failing to discipline her subordinates. Instead, she looked at her with a look of sudden realization, saying that she finally understood why she had refused the favor of the Fifth Prince entering the palace.

Chu Qinglu guessed that the Empress must have thought she knew about Li Yan and Ji Qili's relationship, which was why she refused the reward. So, she added fuel to the fire, saying she really couldn't bear to break up the two's romance. The Empress even praised her for this, and Chu Qinglu secretly rejoiced. Ji Qili, that hot potato, would certainly never be thrown into her hands again, no matter what.

Emerging from the Phoenix Palace, Chu Qingluo hesitated, wondering whether to seek out Ji Qiran to thank him, after all, he had saved her. But for some reason, her legs felt like lead, her steps unusually heavy, as if she were afraid—afraid to see him again.

She herself couldn't explain where this panic in her heart came from.

……

On the other side, inside the library.

Ji Qiran was sitting obediently at the table copying the Thousand Character Classic.

Chu Yilin whistled as he strolled over and asked leisurely, "How's the copying going?"

Ji Qiran glared at him and said, "Stop talking nonsense and come help me copy." After saying that, he continued to write furiously with his pen.

"How can that be?!" Chu Yilin sighed. "I really want to help you, but if the Emperor finds out, you'll be in big trouble."

"Then what are you doing here?!" Ji Qiran couldn't help but look up at him again. Chu Yilin was dressed in a lake-blue robe, neat and clean, looking extremely relaxed. Looking down at herself... her clothes and hands were stained with ink, and she suddenly became furious: "If you have nothing to do, get lost, so I don't get annoyed just looking at you."

"Something's up!" Chu Yilin grinned wickedly. "Of course something's up!"

Seeing his wicked look, Ji Qiran suddenly realized something, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What do you want?"

Chu Yilin didn't say anything, but just grinned maliciously, clenching his right fist and striking his left palm a few times.

Ji Qiran instantly understood and smiled.

Just as the two were having a heated discussion, Chu Qingluo arrived.

Ji Qiran and Chu Yilin were both taken aback, but Chu Yilin was the first to react: "Third Sister is here?"

When Chu Qingluo saw that Chu Yilin was also there, she smiled awkwardly and said, "Second Brother is here too."

Chu Yilin quickly waved his hand: "No, no, no, I'm leaving right away. You can talk about it slowly." As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared in a flash.

Ji Qiran stared at her without saying a word, which made Chu Qingluo even more nervous. Suddenly, she felt awkward and didn't know what to do with her hands, so she nervously fidgeted with her fingers.

It's been many days since we last met... Although he saved her yesterday, she was unconscious at the time, so it must have been quite a few days since we last saw each other. Ji Qiran's facial features seemed more masculine and defined, and even though his cheeks were still stained with ink, it did not diminish the bright light in his eyes.

Heaven still favored him greatly, even though they were not destined to be together.

Seeing that Chu Qingluo was lost in thought, Ji Qiran spoke first, "I really didn't expect you to take the initiative to come and find me."

"Um... thank you for saving me." She came to her senses, feeling a little embarrassed.

Upon hearing her thanks, Ji Qiran simply said "oh" and then pretended to continue writing.

Chu Qinglu pursed her lips, steadied her breathing, and asked again, "Could you tell me what happened?"

Ji Qiran raised an eyebrow, chuckled, and said, "Because we are of one mind, I knew you were in trouble, so I rushed to save you. I even got into a fight with Fifth Brother, but luckily I won." After saying that, he covered his abdomen with his hand, indicating that he was injured.

Chu Qingluo's lips twitched, but she held back a laugh. "Can you be serious for once?"

You don't believe me, do you?

Seeing that she remained silent, Ji Qiran shrugged: "Alright then." He decided to change his story: "The story is that I went to find Fifth Brother and happened to catch him plotting against you. Li Yan was guarding the door for him, which means she was in cahoots with him. So I knocked them both out, took off their clothes and put them together, and then took you and the sleeping potion away with me."

Ji Qiran didn't tell her that he had actually gone to see her on purpose.

"...Take away the sleeping incense?" Chu Qingluo suddenly realized, no wonder no one investigated the sleeping incense.

"Yes, that way Fifth Brother won't have an excuse to refuse."

"Why not just expose the Fifth Prince's crimes to the Emperor?" Chu Qingluo had considered his reasons for doing so, but she still wanted to ask.

He met her eyes and said, "Because I'm afraid. Afraid that His Majesty, to save face for the royal family, will go along with the mistake and bestow him upon your disciples."