Transmigrated Female Official

Inside the Flying Rainbow Hall.

Seeing the uncontrollable smile on Ji Qiran's face, the Sixth Princess couldn't help but ask, "You must have encountered something good today, right?"

"No, I just ran into a cute little cat in the corridor." His smile became even brighter.

"A kitten?" The Sixth Princess asked doubtfully, "I've seen all the stray cats in the palace, and they're all fierce. How could any of them be cute?"

Ji Qiran recalled Chu Qingluo's tone and expression when she spoke to him, and agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "She was indeed quite fierce." After saying that, he chuckled.

Seeing that the Sixth Princess was staring at him as if he were a monster, he had no choice but to suppress his laughter and put on a serious expression, saying, "Never mind the cat, when does Sixth Sister plan to release Chu Yilin out of the palace?"

"You came here today just for this?" the Sixth Princess asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Hmm." For him, this was a serious matter.

"Isn't Yilin doing quite well in the palace?" The Sixth Princess gave a meaningful smile and said, "He can keep you company and also help you beat people up without anyone noticing. Isn't that great?"

"Ahem." Ji Qiran deliberately cleared her throat and said, "Why did Sixth Sister bring this up again?"

"If I don't bring it up, can you honestly tell me that you have feelings for Chu Qingluo?"

"...Sixth Sister knows?" A look of surprise flashed across his face, and he said, "I didn't mean to deliberately hide it from Sixth Sister."

He just hadn't figured out how to keep Chu Qingluo out of the conflict.

"Back then, when you said Yilin wanted to avenge Qingluo, I didn't think much of it... But now that I think about it, wasn't it you who really wanted to beat up Fifth Brother?"

Speaking of this, Ji Qiran's anger hadn't subsided. Ji Qili dared to use such despicable means against Chu Qingluo; it was utterly unforgivable! "Beating him was too lenient! If he had been any more impulsive, he should have been completely removed from the palace!"

"It seems you're really serious..." The Sixth Princess looked at him thoughtfully and asked, "If I were to persuade you to join Lady Yao Man's tutelage now, would you turn against me?"

"..." Upon hearing Yao Man's name, Ji Qiran's face immediately darkened, and he remained silent.

"Look at your face, it changes as easily as the weather," the Sixth Princess sighed. "Alas, that little boy who used to follow me around calling me 'Sixth Sister' all the time, is now a grown man. His words no longer carry any weight—"

"Sixth Sister..." Her words made Ji Qiran feel very embarrassed.

After a moment, the Sixth Princess chuckled and said, "Just kidding, look how you've been holding it in."

Seeing that he seemed relieved, she added earnestly, "Although you don't have any real connection with Lady Yao Man, she's still a friend, so you need to handle things carefully."

"Sixth Sister, does that mean I can have a frank conversation with Yao Man?" Ji Qiran asked in surprise. She had always wanted him to marry Yao Man, but now she not only wasn't pressuring him, but was even willing for him to speak openly. It was truly unexpected.

"Well, no matter what I say, you won't become her disciple."

"Sixth Sister is so wise!" Ji Qiran couldn't hide his joy. After he had spoken frankly with Yao Man, he no longer needed to deliberately avoid her.

“That Chu Qingluo…”

The Sixth Princess hesitated, causing Ji Qiran to feel a pang of anxiety amidst his initial surprise. He cautiously asked, "What's wrong with her?"

“She is Yilin’s younger sister, and now she is a lady-in-waiting in charge of the inner palace affairs. She is indeed… quite suitable for you.” The Sixth Princess paused, then tentatively asked, “But I wonder which side she is on?”

"Sixth Sister," Ji Qiran said nervously, "I don't want her to get involved..."

The Sixth Princess glanced at him and smiled, "You really are protecting her." Seeing that he remained silent, she continued, "I just wanted to confirm whether she was siding with Fourth Sister or Eighth Sister."

“Absolutely not.” Ji Qiran said firmly, “If she really wanted to side with them, she wouldn’t have been harmed by Fourth Sister and fallen into the water, nor would she have been tricked by Fifth Brother.”

"If that's the case, then she's already involved, isn't she?"

"...That was all against her will."

The sixth princess smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, I won't force her."

In this turbulent palace, it is not easy to remain untainted, especially for Chu Qingluo, who holds such an important position and has already shown her talent... Choosing to remain neutral would be even more difficult.

Ji Qiran was well aware of this, but he still wanted to protect her as much as possible.

After a moment of silence, each lost in thought, Ji Qiran spoke first: "Let's get back to the main topic. When does Sixth Sister plan to let Chu Yilin leave the palace?"

“I asked him, and he doesn’t seem to be in a hurry.”

"Not in a hurry?!" Ji Qiran exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Then just find some excuse to kick him out!"

The sixth princess glanced at him, puzzled: "I'm just wondering, he's not worried at all, so why are you so anxious for him?"

"..." Isn't it because Chu Yilin is staying in the palace, which prevents him from having an excuse to stay at the Chu family?! Unfortunately, Ji Qiran couldn't bring himself to say these words and could only keep them to himself.

……

After returning to Guangrentang, Chu Qingluo summoned He Qi and confirmed that there was indeed no special Jiaofang Palace in the palace for the Empress to keep warm. No wonder the Empress found winter unbearable.

As for the Pepper Chamber… Chu Qingluo only knew that it existed, but didn't know its effects. Would plastering the walls with pepper and mud really make it warm? If it wasn't done properly, the entire Phoenix Palace would be filled with the smell of pepper, and it might still not be warm… Wouldn't that be a disservice to the Emperor? Was he tired of living?

Chu Qingluo quickly shook her head, abandoning the idea of ​​using the pepper-shaped room to keep warm.

To put it simply, let's start with bedding. Making a down comforter should be feasible, since we have plenty of duck and goose down.

Once she made up her mind, Chu Qingluo went to the Imperial Kitchen to find Jiang Hua, a female official in charge of the tenth-rank kitchen, because she needed Jiang Hua's help.

Jiang Hua was about forty-five or forty-six years old, a little older than Chu Qingluo's mother, so to Chu Qingluo, he was already an elder of her mother's generation. Jiang Hua had probably spent a long time in the imperial kitchen, as he was very plump and well-fed, clearly indicating that he was well-fed.

Jiang Hua is usually the type to speak very directly, and she also has a very loud voice, so you can hear her yelling at her servants from a great distance.

"How many times have I told you?! This dish needs ginger slices to remove the fishy smell! How come you always forget this step?! Are you planning to feed this whole plate of fishy-smelling food to the cat?!"

"My lord, I was momentarily confused and forgot." The reprimanded attendant scratched the back of his head and repeatedly admitted his mistake.

"Forgot?! Didn't you forget to put your head on your neck?! Didn't you forget to eat lunch today?!"

Hearing Jiang Hua's lion's roar, even Chu Qingluo gasped.

If she remembered correctly, when Chu Yilin introduced the general situation of the palace to her, he clearly said that Jiang Hua was the most approachable female official... Could it be that he judged her solely based on her physique?

~~~~~~Divider Line~~~~~~

I've been updating a bit late lately -- sorry, sorry.