Transmigrated Female Official

Long Kui glared angrily at Long Xiaohan and shouted, "Why aren't you apologizing to Lord Chu right now?!"

The moment she heard the word "apology," Long Xiaohan felt a chill run down her spine and protested, "Why do I have to apologize again?!" She folded her hands in front of her chest, raised her head high, and declared, "I won't apologize!"

"Lord Long, I don't need Miss Long's apology. I only hope that Lord Han Qiu can act according to the rules and not be swayed by others." Chu Qingluo implied that Han Qiu was Long Kui's person, which was why he was being instructed by Long Xiaohan.

Aside from her dark complexion, Long Kui showed absolutely no sign of the panic or guilt one might expect after being seen through. As the saying goes, experience counts, and Long Xiaohan hadn't even scratched the surface of her abilities.

"Don't worry, Lord Chu. Lady Han Qiu is just like you and me, receiving a salary from the court. She will definitely handle things impartially." Long Kui lied through her teeth and glanced at Long Xiaohan. "My daughter is spoiled by nature and often causes trouble. I hope Lord Chu will be lenient and not hold it against her."

"As long as Miss Long stops causing trouble for me or the Chu family, I'll be thanking my lucky stars." Chu Qingluo said frankly, hoping that Long Xiaohan would stay away from her.

"..." Long Kui pulled Long Xiaohan aside expressionlessly and said, "You're not allowed to cause any more trouble! Do you understand?"

Long Xiaohan pouted and remained silent.

"What are you still standing here for? Hurry up and go back to the manor!"

Long Xiaohan glared at Chu Qingluo and Gongsun Yu resentfully, "Hmph!" and finally stormed off.

Long Kui then said to Chu Qingluo, "I will take care of the troubles you are facing, Lord Chu. I will take my leave now."

"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Long."

Longkui walked to the door, then remembered something and turned back to say, "Thank you for the custom-made clothes, Lord Chu."

Seeing a hint of coldness flash in Long Kui's shrewd eyes, Chu Qingluo couldn't help but gasp and bow to her: "...Please take care, my lady."

After Long Kui left, Gongsun Ruyi stepped forward and said, "Lord Chu is truly courageous; he even dared to plot against Lord Long."

"Mother, this was all my idea," Gongsun Yu said, leaning closer to explain.

“Sigh—” Gongsun Ruyi shook her head and chuckled: “I knew it. My Yu’er suddenly said she wanted to give me some clothes and told me to come to Mingyifang and pick whatever I wanted… So that’s what happened.”

Chu Qingluo gestured apologetically to her, saying, "Lord Gongsun, I'm so sorry to have dragged you into this for the sake of our Chu family's affairs."

"I'm fine as an observer; in fact, I got to watch a good show. It's just that Lord Long lost face in public today, so it's understandable that he's unhappy."

"...This humble official is also at a loss."

Chu Qingluo knew that Long Kui was not someone to mess with, especially not in such a public way. But if she didn't bring Long Kui out to teach Long Xiaohan a lesson, wouldn't Long Xiaohan become unruly?! If she continued to pester Gongsun Yu every day, she couldn't stand it.

So, all she could do was silently pray that Longkui wouldn't take her too seriously...

After Longkui intervened, the officials from Shuntian Prefecture visited the Chu family's pastry workshop that very day, quickly inspected it, and their efficiency was nothing short of miraculous! They concluded that there was nothing wrong with the pastries and pickled products, and Mo's lawsuit was dismissed. Chu's mother immediately reopened the workshop for business.

As for the Mo family, they naturally had no objection to the outcome. Chu Yinuo mentioned that the Mo family's son, Xiao Wu, had even changed private schools, showing how extremely guilty the Mo family was.

Although Long Xiaohan ultimately wasn't punished, she should be unable to cause trouble for quite some time. In any case, the matter was finally resolved without serious consequences.

……

After dinner, Chu Qingluo went to Wuyang's room alone, wanting to talk to him. So much time had passed since Yun Shi'en's selection, and she hadn't had a proper chat with him yet.

"I'm fine. I'm so sorry you had to go through all this trouble."

"I'm not wronged at all." Wu Yang smiled and invited her to sit down.

Wu Yang had already become familiar with everyone at the clothing store, including Chu Qingluo, so he wasn't as reserved anymore. Recalling what happened during the day, he said, "I'm sorry for the trouble caused to you and the Chu family by Long Xiaohan's matter... It's all my fault."

"Don't say that, it's not your fault. Long Xiaohan is bullying others, someone should teach her a lesson."

"...Thank you." He felt nothing but guilt and gratitude.

"Are you happy at Mingyifang?" Chu Qingluo asked.

"Yes, everyone is very kind to me," Wu Yang replied as he poured her a cup of tea.

"That's good..." She was pondering something and didn't know how to start the conversation.

Wu Yang knew that Chu Qingluo must have come to see him because she had something to say, so he took the initiative to ask, "Qingluo, is there something you want to tell me?"

"...It's nothing..." She smiled sheepishly and took a sip of tea.

After a long silence, Chu Qingluo finally mustered her courage and asked, "The matter of Yun Shi has been resolved safely. What are your plans?"

Wu Yang's fingers, which were holding the teacup, twitched slightly. Her eyes, fixed on the water, dimmed. "...Is Qing Luo trying to send me away?"

"Ah? No, no, that's not what I meant..." Chu Qingluo herself became nervous instead.

She had originally intended to ask Wuyang if he wanted to leave, but his question, coupled with the innocent, hurt look on his face, made her suddenly feel like she was doing something wrong.

But if things just dragged on like this, she was afraid of holding him back. So she forced herself to speak and said, "I was afraid of making you feel wronged, so I wanted to ask if you have any other plans?"

Wu Yang pursed her lips and shook her head.

"Oh..." Chu Qingluo didn't know what to say, so she just smiled and said, "If you have any thoughts, feel free to tell me."

She stood up, ready to go out.

"I want to... stay in the Chu family." After saying this, Wu Yang's ears turned completely red.

Chu Qingluo was taken aback and said, "But I'm a little different from other women." She meant that she wasn't used to polyandry, and she wasn't sure if he would understand.

"I know." During the time he spent with her, Wu Yang also discovered that her way of thinking and doing things was quite different from others.

"Qingluo, just do what you want to do. You don't need to take my feelings into consideration. I just... want to stay." He was always especially happy when he was with her. He didn't dare to say how deeply he loved her, but he knew for sure that he wanted to stay by her side.

Chu Qingluo gasped, surprised that Wu Yang's feelings were so firm. Looking into his clear eyes, she hesitated for a moment before nodding, "As long as you're happy. If one day you're unhappy and want to leave, you must tell me."

"……it is good."

Wu Yang herself didn't know if this day would ever come. The day she wanted to leave Chu Qingluo?