Transmigrated Female Official

Standing before the wooden gate of the Peony family's house, Chu Qingluo raised her hand and knocked. A middle-aged man opened the door and asked who she was looking for.

After she explained her purpose, the middle-aged man glanced at the fruit basket she was carrying and then invited her inside.

He led Chu Qingluo through a small courtyard and soon arrived at the door of Shaoyao's room. The middle-aged man knocked on the door: "Shaoyao, someone is here to see you."

At that moment, the door to Peony's room slammed open.

She was without makeup or any other adornment; her hair was simply tied up in a bun, without any hair accessories.

Upon seeing Chu Qingluo, she was stunned for a moment. After regaining her senses, she said to the middle-aged man, "Fifth Uncle, you can go ahead and do your work."

After the middle-aged man she called Fifth Uncle had walked away, Peony said, "Come in."

"Okay." Chu Qinglu smiled awkwardly and went inside.

Peony's boudoir wasn't large, containing only a bed and a table and chairs. Chu Qingluo had just sat down when she heard her say, "I was just thinking of going to find you too."

Upon hearing that Shaoyao wanted to go find her, Chu Qingluo couldn't help but exclaim with delight, "Then we really do have a tacit understanding."

Peony glanced thoughtfully at Chu Qingluo and said, "But I don't want to see you like this, so you should go back first."

Chu Qingluo was taken aback, and said in surprise, "But you just said you wanted to come find me..."

"I came to see you just to ask you to spare one evening... I have something to say to you. See?"

"Now that I'm here, let's be open and honest, shall we?"

Peony stared at Chu Qingluo's delicate face in silence for a moment, then suddenly turned her head away and said, "I'm not ready yet."

"..." Noticing that Peony's gaze had been somewhat evasive when she looked at her, Chu Qingluo suddenly realized that Peony probably just didn't want her to see her looking so listless.

Thinking of this, Chu Qingluo quickly stood up and said, "Then tonight, I'll come to find you later."

“No…” Peony paused before saying, “At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), when the flowers of the four seasons bloom.”

"Flowers bloom in all four seasons?" Chu Qingluo was taken aback again, and asked, "Why do we need to go there?"

Peony didn't answer, but only said, "Are you worried that I would harm you?"

"No." Chu Qingluo smiled and said firmly, "Whether in the past or in the future, I believe you would never harm me."

"..." Peony lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Chu Qingluo then said, "Then see you tonight."

After saying that, he left Peony's house.

……

At the stroke of Xu Shi (7-9 PM), Chu Qingluo appeared precisely in the main hall where flowers bloom in all four seasons.

The man in the floral shirt approached again: "Miss, did you come alone? We've had a lot of new girls here lately, would you like to pick one?"

Chu Qingluo wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying. She thought that since she was going to have a frank conversation with Shaoyao, it would be more appropriate to sit in the private room. So she said, "I'm waiting for someone. Are there any empty private rooms available right now?"

"Yes, there are." The man in the floral shirt led her upstairs and said, "Miss, why don't you pick something out while you wait for your friend, what do you say?"

"..." Chu Qingluo had to admit defeat to the man in the flowery clothes' marketing skills. She said speechlessly, "No rush, the money will be plentiful." After saying this, she tossed a gold ingot at him and then said, "Please, let me and my friend stay here quietly for a while."

Her implication was that he should stop knocking on their door so often and letting them choose the men.

The man in the flowery clothes was quite sensible. He put the gold into his pocket and said with a smile, "Look at what you're saying. You just said that the silver wouldn't be shortchanged, so how could I be so rude?"

"That's good. When a young lady surnamed Mo arrives, please invite her up for me."

"Okay, no problem."

After dismissing the man in the flowery clothes, Chu Qingluo sat alone in the side room, drinking tea and waiting for the peony.

The peonies arrived not long after.

She had clearly dressed up carefully and looked much more energetic than when I saw her at noon; her overall aura had also improved considerably.

"You must be wondering why I chose this place, right?" Peony said as soon as she sat down.

"Hmm." Chu Qingluo nodded, wondering if it was because the two of them had left many memories here?

“The reason is simple: because we have the strongest liquor here.” Peony smiled and added, “I’ve already had them bring two jars of Four Seasons Wine.”

Hearing this, Chu Qingluo couldn't help but gasp. It seemed this girl, Shaoyao, was going to challenge her to a drinking contest...

Just then, the man in the floral shirt brought in the wine: "Ladies, this is our shop's signature Four Seasons Wine. Please enjoy it."

He put down the wine jar, intending to pour wine for the two of them... But Peony suddenly spoke up: "Use a bowl."

Upon hearing this, the man in the floral shirt glanced at Chu Qingluo without making a sound. Seeing that Chu Qingluo nodded in agreement, he then replaced the wine cup with a bowl.

If Peony wants to do this, Chu Qingluo will definitely play along to the end.

After the man in the floral shirt closed the door and left, Peony said, "I've been staying at home these past few days, thinking about a lot of things..."

Chu Qingluo watched her quietly, waiting for her to continue.

At this moment, Peony's expression suddenly turned somewhat bitter. She said, "After thinking it over, I realize I'm inferior to you in almost every way. I don't have your beauty, nor your intelligence, nor your privileged background, and I'm certainly not as likable as you..."

"That's not how it is," Chu Qinglu couldn't help but interrupt her, "Of course you have your good points. You actively strive for what you want, and you're an exceptionally hardworking person. Peony, I really can't compare to you in these aspects."

Her unwavering devotion to Ji Qiran, her utter contempt for Pan Yin… regardless of the final outcome, Shaoyao was giving it her all. Chu Qingluo genuinely admired her efforts.

“That’s just because you have a lot.” Peony didn’t think it was a compliment. She said, “If you had nothing, your desire might be even stronger than mine.”

"...I don't know." Chu Qinglu herself couldn't be sure if it was as Shaoyao said.

A hint of helplessness flashed in Peony's eyes as she said, "It's strange, you're such a calm and unassuming person, almost annoyingly so... but I just can't bring myself to hate you!"

Chu Qinglu stared at the full bowl of wine in front of her, and remained silent for a long time before saying, "Peony, I don't think I'm any better than others. I don't compete or fight... I just don't want to fall into a state of wanting something but not being able to get it. And my calmness... is probably just because I'm a coward who's afraid of getting hurt."

"You're talking nonsense." Peony laughed self-deprecatingly, then said, "You know perfectly well that the Seventh Prince likes you, and you also have feelings for him. You just need to accept it, how could you possibly get hurt? You're clearly making...you're making me!"

"..." Upon hearing her say that, Chu Qingluo felt as if something had suddenly blocked her throat, and she couldn't speak.

"Do you think you're better than me in everything, which is why you want to give it to me?"

"Absolutely not! Peony, don't deliberately misinterpret my meaning."

“Okay.” Peony nodded, picked up the bowl of wine in front of her, and said, “Now, this is the only thing I can think of that is not inferior to you.”

capacity for liquor?

Chu Qingluo let out a soft breath, picked up her bowl, and said, "As long as you want to drink, I will definitely drink with you until you're full."

"No deliberate modesty is allowed."

"Okay, it's a deal."

The two bowls collided in mid-air, making a crisp sound.

We won't leave until we're drunk.