Transmigrated Female Official

"Ahem..." Tong Ling's enthusiastic personality caught Wu Yang off guard, leaving him with no choice but to give an awkward laugh.

"So you are a lady-in-waiting, sir..." Recalling the day she happened to encounter her mother who was unconscious and seeking medical help, Wu Yang asked again, "May I ask if your mother has recovered?"

"Thank you for your concern, sir. My mother is fine now. She just fainted from exhaustion that day." Tong Ling smiled and said to him, "Thanks to your help, sir! So... do you also live on Shili Street? Which household? I've never seen you before."

Faced with Tong Ling's series of probing questions, Wu Yang suddenly felt his head throbbing, and he involuntarily took a step back. "I... don't live there."

"Huh?" Tong Ling leaned closer, asking curiously, "Where does the gentleman live?"

Wu Yang had never mentioned to anyone in the palace that he was the male attendant of Chu Qingluo, a sixth-rank female official, mainly because he didn't want to cause Chu Qingluo any unnecessary trouble.

So he simply replied, "I live in that area of ​​the city." He neither mentioned the Chu family nor Chu Qingluo.

"Wow—, the city center?! The houses in that area are so valuable! So, you must come from a distinguished family."

"You've misunderstood, sir," Wu Yang explained. "That was my main residence when I first entered the family."

"..." This answer left Tong Ling completely stunned. "You...you...you went to the sect?!"

Recalling the opportunity that led him to this path, Wu Yang smiled wryly: "Exactly."

But in Tong Ling's eyes, this unintentional smile had a different meaning.

"The gentleman looks quite young..." She couldn't help but start to speculate: "It must be because of the pressures of life, or because that family is too powerful, or perhaps... the gentleman's master is a much older woman?"

Wu Yang: "..."

After Tong Ling blurted out the words, she realized that she had been too noisy and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, sir, I was too presumptuous!"

Wu Yang breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and said softly, "She's the same age as me and is a very good person."

Looking at the expression on his face, Tong Ling suddenly felt a surge of envy.

Two very good people together must be a wonderful thing... But why was there a hint of bitterness in his smile just now?

"However, you shouldn't easily show these curiosities to anyone else in the palace," Wu Yang kindly reminded her. "I've never mentioned these things to anyone here. In the palace, we should all talk less and do more."

Seeing Tong Ling staring blankly at him, Wu Yang suddenly realized that she was, after all, an executive officer, and quickly explained, "This is just my humble opinion, I hope you won't mind, sir..."

“Sir, what you say is absolutely right!” Tong Ling interrupted him, then looked at him with eyes full of admiration: “Sir, not only are you skilled at the flute, but you are also such a wise and insightful person. Tong Ling will definitely take you as her role model and strive to become an outstanding person!”

"You flatter me by saying that, sir..."

As soon as they finished speaking, the other executives who had been learning the flute arrived. Wu Yang and Tong Ling decided it was inappropriate to continue their casual conversation, so they stopped there.

Wu Yang took a deep breath and began teaching the flute in a serious manner...

……

They say that a spring rain brings warmth.

On a day when the drizzling rain finally stopped, Chu Qingluo's cotton seeds were finally ready to be planted. For her, this was undoubtedly a joyous occasion.

With careful cultivation and care, in a few months, plump, white cotton balls will appear. In addition, the renovation of the newly bestowed residence is proceeding according to plan. All of this makes Chu Qingluo feel that good days are getting closer and closer…

Today's morning court session was different from usual. The Empress ordered the Sixth Princess to lead ten ranks of female officials and other executive officers to welcome the foreign princess at the Taihe Gate. Considering that the Fourth and Eighth Princesses were pregnant, the Empress specially permitted them to also stay in the Qingming Hall to wait.

The distinguished guest visiting this time is Princess Fusang of the Yuezhi Kingdom, a country located on the southern border of the Ji Kingdom. Legend has it that this Princess Fusang, besides being naturally beautiful, also possesses a voice as beautiful as a heavenly melody.

Like everyone else, Chu Qingluo craned her neck, eagerly awaiting the arrival of this legendary foreign princess. Having been here for so long, she had never seen anyone outside of Ji Kingdom, and this Fusang princess was especially beautiful, making her even more excited.

The carriage from Yuezhi Kingdom stopped outside the palace gate. Princess Fusang then transferred to a sedan chair prepared by Ji Kingdom and entered the palace, while the others in the group followed on foot on both sides.

Once Princess Fusang had arrived, Chu Qingluo finally got a clear look at her.

Her wheat-colored face had a pair of brown eyes, and her deep-set eyes made her nose appear even higher. Her full lips were painted with a striking vermilion red.

She wore a string of tiny gemstone beads around her head, with an emerald sparkling in the center of her forehead. Her hair was braided in layers and twisted on the right side of her cheek.

Supported by her male attendants, the Japanese princess alighted from her sedan chair. She wore a magnificent, floor-length gown, brightly colored, and her neck and hands were adorned with various beaded necklaces.

Hmm… Chu Qingluo nodded silently. She really was a stunning beauty with exotic charm…

"Welcome Princess Fusang to the Ji Kingdom!" Longkui went to greet her first and introduced the sixth princess standing at the front: "This is our Ji Kingdom's sixth princess - Princess Anyang."

Princess Fusang smiled and bowed to the sixth princess in the style of the Ji Kingdom, saying, "Fusang greets Princess Anyang."

The sixth princess returned the greeting with a smile and said, "We are both princesses, and I am older than you. If you don't mind, you can just call me Sister Anyang."

Princess Fusang raised her delicate eyebrows and readily accepted, saying, "Then Fusang will no longer stand on ceremony, Sister Anyang."

"Alright, Anyang has always admired forthright and generous people. This way, please, Fusang sister—"

……

Princess Fusang met with the Empress in the Qingming Palace, and at that moment, the Eighth Princess also saw this foreign princess. Seeing that she was indeed different from the women of Ji Kingdom in beauty, the Eighth Princess's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

The Yuezhi Kingdom and the Ji Kingdom did not have close relations. This was the Empress's third visit since ascending the throne, and the first in nearly ten years. Princess Fusang brought many pottery jars with Yuezhi characteristics and also presented several spirit horses as a special gift.

This pleased the Empress greatly.

"A spirit horse?!" the Sixth Princess exclaimed. "It is said that the spirit horses of the Yuezhi Kingdom are very intelligent and will follow a master to the death once they have chosen one."

The Empress smiled and said, "That's right. That's why in the Yuezhi Kingdom, spirit horses are treated no differently than people."

"Your Majesty is absolutely right," Princess Fusang affirmed the Empress's statement.