Transmigrated Female Official

The auspicious time has arrived, but not a drop of rain has fallen yet?

Peony said, "Let's not stand here watching. It's heartbreaking to see all this glittering gold being sent to Li Yan's house—"

"That won't do, we have to keep our eyes wide open and see for ourselves." Chu Qingluo said, then suddenly remembered something and added, "Now that you've reminded me, I really do have to go and see for myself." After saying that, she quickly turned around and went into the house to find an umbrella.

Seeing Chu Qingluo come out with an umbrella, Shaoyao asked, "Where are you going in the rain?"

"Go say goodbye to this ill-fated relationship."

She shook her hand and rushed into the rain, leaving Peony muttering to herself, "What's the point of praying to someone with such a terrible fate? I really don't understand..."

Amidst the torrential rain that had persisted for days, the sedan chair carrying Ji Qili to the palace gates struggled along the long corridor leading out of the palace. Behind the sedan chair followed a group of people, escorting a cartload of gift chests containing various gold and silver jewels personally selected for him by Chu Qingluo.

Chu Qingluo stood on the high platform of Taihe Gate, holding an umbrella, looking down at the scene. The rain soaked her dress, and she could feel the cold, clinging fabric under her feet, but she remained unmoved.

She had only one thought in her mind: she hoped that her relationship with Ji Qili would be like his relationship with this heavy rain—gone, stopped, and never to return.

Ji Qili, sitting on the sedan chair, whether sensing something or feeling unwilling, suddenly turned around to look...

Chu Qingluo noticed him looking back, but given the distance and the heavy rain, he shouldn't be able to see her clearly.

Through the dense rain, Ji Qili saw that the corridor was completely empty except for them. For a prince to enter the palace, not only had the Empress not appeared, but the Eighth Princess hadn't come to see him off either. His heart was ice-cold, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

He was about to turn back when his gaze inadvertently fell upon a bright figure standing motionless in the rain on the high platform of Taihe Gate.

Ji Qili's lips twitched involuntarily again.

At this moment, the only person who would brave the wind and rain to witness him enter the sect is probably Chu Qingluo.

He withdrew his gaze, raised his right hand, and clenched his fist in mid-air.

He will never stop here!

Seeing Ji Qili's action, Chu Qingluo couldn't help but gasp. Now, she truly felt a chill rapidly creeping through her body.

She so wished this was the end of it all.

……

The heavy rain lasted for three days before stopping, officially ushering in winter.

Business at the clothing store had noticeably slowed down, with only a few people occasionally coming in to make a few light fur coats. Chu Qingluo wasn't worried about it, as the income was enough to cover the store's expenses, with a little left over. With the weather getting colder, it was good to let everyone work a little less hard.

Inside the palace, the Imperial Clothing Bureau and Guangrentang were busy distributing fur coats, cloaks, and charcoal to the various palaces for the winter.

The charcoal for the Phoenix Palace was delivered by Chu Qingluo herself. She overheard the Empress and Chonghuan complaining that they hated winter the most, as they were covered with several layers of bedding but still didn't feel warm.

This puzzled Chu Qingluo a bit. Didn't the palace have those "Pepper Chambers" with walls plastered with pepper and mud? She really hadn't paid attention to that.

As Chu Qingluo thought about it, she couldn't help but worry, because she herself was extremely sensitive to the cold. There was no heating or private quarters here; she didn't know how cold the winters would be. If even the Empress found it difficult, how would she possibly endure it?

On her way back to Guangrentang, she kept thinking about these survival issues.

As Chu Qingluo walked through the corridor, she spotted a familiar figure approaching from afar. Her heart tightened, and she immediately stopped, looking around… It was a narrow, short corridor with only two exits. At this point, there was nowhere to hide except to turn back.

However, if she turned and ran now, he would definitely catch up. So, she decided to grit her teeth and walk right past him.

"Where did Qingluo go just now?" Ji Qiran was in a good mood after unexpectedly running into Chu Qingluo, and asked before she even got close.

"I just came from the Phoenix Palace," she replied, her gaze lingering only on his shoulder, deliberately avoiding his eyes.

Seeing that she had no intention of stopping, Ji Qiran immediately blocked her view, completely obstructing her path.

At this moment, Chu Qingluo was looking straight ahead at his broad chest... cough cough, at the lapel of his clothes.

She still didn't look up at him, only frowned slightly and took a step to the left. Like a shadow, he also stepped to the side at the same time, continuing to block her way.

She moved another step to the right, clearly annoyed, but he did the same.

"You...!" Her shoulder almost touched the wall of the corridor.

Seeing that she would bite her lower lip tightly when she was anxious, Ji Qiran couldn't help but reach out and pinch her chin. "Don't bite so hard."

"Mind your own business," Chu Qingluo rolled her eyes at him and said irritably.

"Can't you be even a little bit nicer to me?"

"No." Before he could ask any more questions, she continued, "Don't ask me why, I just can't. If you're unhappy about it, you can just ignore me."

"..." He stared at her slightly reddened lips, a strange feeling stirring within him. A slight smile played on his lips as he leaned closer, bracing her against the wall with both hands, trapping her between his arms...

She saw his straight nose and alluring eyes approaching her, and her gaze seemed locked on him, unable to look away... and the ambergris on his body seemed to have a bewitching power.

She only remembered to pull away when she was almost touching his lips.

"I'm going to die! I'm going to die! Chu Qingluo, you're really going crazy!" Because of her momentary daze, she cursed herself no less than ten times in her heart.

Seeing the blush creep up her cheeks, he released her hand with satisfaction, and said with a wicked smile, "You have me in your eyes."

"..." Chu Qingluo gasped a few times, then retorted calmly, "Nonsense, I'm not blind."

"Are you sure?" Ji Qiran raised an eyebrow dismissively, and said, "Then I've been wandering around in front of your Chu family's gate, and you haven't invited me in?"

"When did this happen?" After asking this question, she realized that he was implying something.

Noticing a fleeting hint of unease on her face, Ji Qiran knew she must have understood, and continued, "If you don't invite me, I can come to your door in person... Could you please not refuse?"

"No, no, no!" Chu Qinglu shook her head vigorously, refusing decisively.

Ji Qiran seemed to have anticipated her reaction, and sighed softly, "Alas—, I, Ji Qiran, have come to this day..."

"..." Although he said that, his tone was still very relaxed. This left Chu Qinglu speechless, and she could only stare at him longingly.

"Alright, you can go now." Ji Qiran suddenly stepped aside, gesturing for her to go first.

She glanced at him with a hint of disbelief, but didn't move.

"Not leaving?" His dark eyes lit up, and he said teasingly, "Then I'll drag you back to Changxuan Palace."

He had barely finished speaking when Chu Qingluo had already run several meters away. Seeing how fast she escaped, Ji Qiran couldn't help but laugh and say, "Let's go see Master Hu together another day—"

Chu Qingluo bit her lower lip and rushed forward headlong. Hearing his invitation, she shouted without turning her head, "I'm not going—!"

Knowing she would refuse, Ji Qiran wasn't annoyed and said with a smile, "Then I'll see you at the Chu family—"