Transmigrated Female Official

By this time, many people who had come to admire the scenery had gathered by Suyin Lake, and the area around the large lawn was fenced off with bamboo railings. If one wanted to enter to see the view, one could only queue up and pay a fee at the only small exit.

As soon as he entered, Ji Qiran kept looking around, trying to find Chu Qingluo. But the place was packed with people, and he couldn't find her anywhere after looking for a long time.

"Didn't you say Qingluo would be coming too?" Ji Qiran wanted to confirm again.

"Um...it should be." Chu Yilin's eyes were also busy, searching around just like Ji Qiran's.

As the two were focused on searching for someone, two women who had come to admire the flowers walked towards them. Upon seeing Ji Qiran and Chu Yilin, they began to whisper and smile at each other. They didn't need to guess to know that they were probably praising their good looks.

Ji Qiran disliked crowds the most. Yet, his face, coupled with his magnificent dark blue brocade robe, made him a striking figure wherever he went. At this moment, his expression gradually darkened, and his sword-like brows began to furrow slightly in displeasure. "When will this spectacle finally appear?"

"Don't be impatient. Let's find a good viewing spot first so we can see it more clearly." After saying that, Chu Yilin squeezed towards the area where the flower beds were placed.

Ji Qiran followed Chu Yilin with a gloomy face, feeling helpless.

……

A bright moon hangs high in the night sky.

The large lawn was covered with buds of epiphyllum flowers, ready to bloom. As far as the eye could see, there was a vast sea of ​​white blossoms. The purplish-red stems held aloft the large white buds, quietly awaiting the moment when they would display their splendor to the world.

"The vendor wasn't lying after all. With so many of these moon beauties blooming, it'll be a spectacular sight when they finally burst into bloom." Chu Qingluo pulled Shaoyao along, squeezing into the innermost part of the crowd.

"Luo Lifei and Lingnan came here for a secret rendezvous, what are we doing here?" Peony asked, looking puzzled.

"Let's come see the spectacle!" Chu Qingluo smiled and added, "And maybe we'll run into my second brother."

Do you think Brother Lin will come?

"I don't know either, that's why I came here to confirm it in person."

"If Brother Yilin comes, will the Seventh Prince come along too?"

"..." Chu Qingluo really hadn't expected this, and said awkwardly, "Maybe."

"Hey, look over there, it's Luo Lifei and the others."

Peony excitedly shook Chu Qingluo's arm, and Chu Qingluo looked over and saw Luo Lifei and Ling Nan standing side by side on the lawn opposite the sea of ​​flowers.

Luo Lifei was dressed to the nines tonight, in a peach-colored floor-length dress, with light makeup, her complexion rosy and alluring. Ling Nan, on the other hand, had also changed his usual dull appearance, wearing a silver brocade robe with dark patterns, and had all his hair, which he usually wore loose, piled up on top of his head, adorned with a jade crown.

The two of them standing together really gave off the feeling of a talented scholar and a beautiful woman.

"So this is another side of Lingnan," Peony exclaimed. "I always thought he was too thin, but I didn't expect him to be so energetic when he dressed up."

"That's right, people rely on clothes and beauty relies on makeup."

Peony had never heard of this saying before and asked in confusion, "...Isn't it about a horse leaning on its saddle?"

Chu Qinglu chuckled: "Yes, they are."

……

"Qi Ran, look there..." Chu Yilin pointed to the right front of their location.

Chu Qingluo and Shaoyao were having a lively discussion, occasionally letting out bursts of laughter like the tinkling of copper bells.

Seeing this, Ji Qiran's lips unconsciously curled into a slight smile, and Chu Yilin finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, his sister hadn't disappointed him; she'd come to gossip herself. If he hadn't seen her all night, he probably would have been killed by Ji Qiran.

Ji Qiran stared intently at Chu Qingluo. She wore a light blue gauze dress, which made her jade-like profile appear even more fair and flawless. The hair that Ji Qibai had cut to her chin had grown considerably longer and was fluttering gently in the breeze.

Following her gaze, Ji Qiran and Chu Yilin also spotted Luo Lifei and Ling Nan.

"It seems this moonlit beauty has truly attracted quite a few people," Ji Qiran said.

Chu Yilin's lips twitched twice: "Yeah, it's just flowers, what's so interesting about them?"

"Thankfully, the person who shouldn't have come didn't show up." Ji Qiran's mood instantly improved.

"Who shouldn't have come?" Chu Yilin asked, then realized he was referring to Gongsun Yu. He then added, "You seem quite pleased with yourself."

Ji Qiran only smiled and did not answer, making no attempt to hide his emotions.

Chu Yilin looked at Luo Lifei, who was talking to Ling Nan, and suddenly sighed: "Sigh—" It was clear that she had dressed up specially tonight, and the rouge on her face was clearly the color he had given her.

"If you know I'm happy, why are you sighing like that?"

"I'm not just admiring the beauty of the moonlight; a woman is even more beautiful under the moon."

Just as Ji Qiran was about to say something, he heard a man's voice coming from the front of the crowd...

"Legend has it that the Moon Goddess was a flower goddess. She used to bloom every day, but later she fell in love with a young man who always watered her. When the gods found out, they were furious. They captured the flower goddess, sent the young man to become a monk, named him Weituo, and erased his memories..." The man speaking was one of the flower vendors who organized this viewing event. He was telling the audience the legend of the night-blooming cereus with tears in his eyes.

"That's so pitiful!" Peony sniffed, listening intently.

"...Hmm. A fleeting moment, all for Wei Tuo." Chu Qingluo had heard this story before, but she never expected to hear it here. What she couldn't understand even more was why ancient gods always seemed to be so fond of separating lovers? Couldn't there be some other plot twists?

Just as Peony was wiping away tears of sympathy for the Flower Goddess's plight, the man standing beside her couldn't help but step forward and say, "Young lady, don't be too sad. Because at the end of the story, an old man named Yuming helped the Flower Goddess and Weituo."

Peony noticed the man beside her was impeccably dressed, spoke politely, and possessed an extraordinary air… she couldn't help but swallow hard. "Have you heard this story before, sir?"

The man was about to reply when he heard the flower vendor recounting the part of the story he had just told, so he fell silent. After the flower vendor finished the story, he explained, "Forgive my intrusion, but I couldn't help but reveal the ending abruptly because I saw how sad the young lady was."

"It's alright, it's alright, young master knows so much." Peony had completely reversed her sad mood and was overjoyed.

"No, it's just hearsay."

"Did you also come here today specifically to see the Flower Goddess in bloom?"

"Indeed, such a beautiful view should not be missed."

"Me too! May I ask how I should address you, sir?"

"Under..."

Chu Qingluo watched the two chatting away and suddenly felt bored. Looking at Luo Lifei's location again, she realized they were gone. She immediately patted Shaoyao's arm and said, "Luo Lifei is missing. Let's go look for her."

Peony winked at her and said in a low voice, "Oh, you go first, I'll come over later."

"...Then wait for me here. Don't wander off or you'll get separated from me."

Seeing that Shaoyao was unusually interested in men other than Ji Qiran, Chu Qingluo didn't want to spoil her mood, so she moved towards the direction where Luo Lifei had been.