Transmigrated Female Official

That night, while staying at the inn, Fusang made a special trip to Chu Qingluo's room to find her.

Without any unnecessary beating around the bush, Fusang went straight to the point and asked Chu Qingluo whether Ji Qiran had been bestowed upon her by the Empress. Fusang's tone was very calm, without any hidden displeasure or anything else.

Chu Qingluo answered truthfully, "No, that's not true."

Fusang seemed quite satisfied with the answer, simply saying "That's good," then affectionately patted Chu Qingluo's shoulder and left without asking any further questions.

Chu Qinglu stared blankly at her bedroom door. It seemed Ji Qiran's romantic entanglements had never ceased.

……

The journey from Ji Kingdom to Yuezhi Kingdom was long, but at least it was quite smooth. Upon arriving at the border city of Yuezhi Kingdom, Fusang's pass token allowed the group to pass without any hindrance.

Based on Fusang's earlier introduction in the carriage and Chu Qingluo's own imagination, the Yuezhi Kingdom should be a nomadic people. After entering their territory, she would see vast grasslands, horses galloping freely, and numerous yurts…

But in reality, that wasn't the case at all. The scene before her eyes told Chu Qingluo that she had been overthinking things.

The Yuezhi Kingdom is covered with jungles, and there are many silkworm groves and bird trails.

No wonder I could feel the beauty of mountains and rivers, and the echoes in the valleys, from the songs of Fusang; it was all because I was there.

However, the Yuezhi Kingdom did one thing very well: the construction of official roads between each city. Even when the caravan had to pass through the jungle, the roads were very smooth, and the carriages could even speed up.

This impressed the Sixth Princess. "The official roads of Yuezhi Kingdom are something our Ji Kingdom should learn from."

Zhi Jun said, "Most of our roads are mountain roads, so we have no choice but to build them."

The Sixth Princess replied, "Zhi Jun is too modest. This is clearly the wisdom of the Yuezhi royal family."

“Sister Anyang, brother has to be humble now.” Fusang suddenly laughed and continued, “Brother used to brag to me that his horsemanship and archery were the best in Yuezhi, and that he always came back with a full load from hunting in the mountains. But last time at the welcoming banquet in Ji Kingdom, he was defeated by Qi Ran. I’m afraid he won’t dare to brag anymore!”

"Hehehe—" Zhi Jun scratched his head, a little embarrassed, and said, "Little sister, please don't expose my shortcomings anymore."

Ji Qiran and Chu Qingluo, who were standing nearby, couldn't help but laugh.

After getting to know him better, I realized that Zhi Jun's fierce image was just a facade. In reality, he was a rather honest and straightforward person, much simpler than I had imagined.

……

Two days after entering the country, the group finally arrived at Zhao, the capital of the Yuezhi Kingdom. Although the streets of Zhao were not as wide and bustling as those of Yancheng, they were still a thriving and prosperous place.

Chu Qingluo lifted the curtain and looked outside...

Some vendors were selling various fresh flowers from flower baskets, some were selling Yuezhi incense, which is famous in Yuezhi, and some were selling all kinds of exquisite daggers.

What surprised Chu Qingluo the most was that most of the people were dressed in simple clothes such as beige and gray. This formed a stark contrast with the colorful clothes worn by Fusang and Zhijun.

Chu Qingluo lowered the curtain and asked curiously, "Princess Fusang, what are the customs and traditions of the Yuezhi Kingdom regarding clothing?"

"Qingluo has such a keen eye; she asked the right question right away." Fusang smiled slightly and explained, "The higher a person's status, the more vibrant and colorful their clothing will be."

"Wouldn't that make it much easier to identify members of the royal family?" the Sixth Princess asked.

From the perspective of the royal family's own safety, such a distinction is simply too glaring. And from the perspective of ordinary people, isn't this move somewhat inhumane?

“Sister is right. If you don’t want to be recognized, just change your clothes.” Fusang paused, then continued, “When I was browsing the market in Yancheng, I also paid special attention to the clothes worn by the people of Ji Kingdom. Although there was no particular distinction in the color of their clothes, Sister’s noble demeanor made her stand out in the crowd at a glance.”

Chu Qingluo felt that Fusang's words made a lot of sense.

The royal family always wears only the finest materials, which is easily recognizable with a little attention. Therefore, whether or not the color of clothing is deliberately used to distinguish between noble and commoners, the result is the same: the royal family's sense of superiority is innate.

The Yuezhi Kingdom merely made this distinction more pronounced.

The sixth princess nodded thoughtfully and said, "Your words have taught me a lot, sister."

“It is my sister who has gained a lot,” Fusang said. “The clothing of the Ji Kingdom is ever-changing. Even with only a few colors, they can make the clothes look very different. It is wonderful that Qingluo can come back to the Yuezhi Kingdom with us. She will definitely change the appearance of our Yuezhi people.”

"Princess Fusang flatters me," Chu Qingluo said with an embarrassed smile.

……

The Yuezhi Kingdom's palace was situated on high ground, and after the carriage stopped outside the palace gate, they had to climb many stone steps.

Looking at these steps, Chu Qingluo secretly rejoiced that there weren't as many as at the Goddess Temple, otherwise she was afraid that her legs would give way and she would collapse to the ground when she met the Queen of Yuezhi later.

A moment later, they reached the top of the steps.

Compared to the vibrant and colorful attire of the Yuezhi royal family, their palace exudes a different kind of monotonous simplicity. The entire palace is devoid of excessive coloring, retaining mostly the natural wood hue. The most striking feature is a large, blue python with its mouth wide open, revealing its fangs, coiled around a black pillar.

As mentioned before in Fusang, the snake is the guardian deity of the Yuezhi people. In other words, it is their totem and their belief.

Fusang led the group directly into the main hall. Two neat rows of people were already standing inside, all staring intently at these distinguished guests who had traveled from afar.

The Queen of Yuezhi sat enthroned on a throne made of pure gold and inlaid with jewels. A golden nine-headed serpent adorned her crown, its head held high in haughty pride, like a god gazing down upon all living beings.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well." Fusang and Zhijun bowed.

"Anyang pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress." The Sixth Princess stood between Fusang and Zhijun, and also performed the Yuezhi state salute to the Empress. She bowed slightly, placed her hands horizontally, first at forehead level, then at chest level, and finally placed her hands on her abdomen.

Ji Qiran and Chu Qingluo stood behind the three of them and also bowed.

The empress was old, her silver hair pulled back. Although her face was etched with wrinkles, her once sculpted features were still visible. She smiled kindly and said, "Distinguished guests from the Kingdom of Ji, please do not stand on ceremony. Fusang and Zhijun, you have also had a long journey."

The five men said in unison, "Thank you, Your Majesty."