Transmigrated Female Official

Ji Qiran and the Sixth Princess were truly well-prepared to bring He Qi to the Qingming Hall for an audience with the Emperor. They first analyzed all of Long Kui's possible reactions and then devised ways for He Qi to respond accordingly. This was to ensure that He Qi wouldn't lose his composure in the hall.

After hearing He Qi's testimony, the Empress summoned Du Yuan to the palace again. Du Yuan, of course, stuck to his previous statement, insisting that he had no grudge against Chu Qingluo and had no reason to frame her without cause.

With both sides sticking to their own versions of events, the situation quickly reached a stalemate.

“Your Majesty, even if Du Yuan and Lord Chu have no personal grudges, we cannot rule out the possibility that he was instructed by someone with ulterior motives,” the Sixth Princess said.

The Empress narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly and said cautiously, "Does Anyang mean that someone else wants to frame Lord Chu?"

The Sixth Princess replied, "That's right. Anyang believes that since Lord Chu holds an important position and is highly valued by the Emperor, it's inevitable that some people will be envious and covetous."

Although Du Yuan continued to cry foul, Zi Yan remained steadfast in his stance. The Empress realized the matter was far from simple, and now it was difficult to discern the truth from falsehood…

In the end, the Empress decided not to torture Chu Qingluo for the time being, so as not to harm innocent people.

"Alright then, Minister Long, there's no need to rush to a conclusion on this matter. You must investigate this matter step by step and get to the bottom of it thoroughly."

"This..." Long Kui's face turned extremely pale as she saw the situation turn from favorable to unfavorable. Why did the Eighth Princess have to give birth at such a crucial moment, giving the Sixth Princess an easy opportunity to exploit the situation?

"This matter is too complicated. I will send you another helper." The Empress's tone was firm and left no room for refusal. After speaking, she looked at Jiang Sha and said, "Lord Jiang has a wealth of experience in investigating cases. She will surely be able to help Minister Long solve his problems."

"Your humble servant obeys the decree." Jiang Sha immediately stepped forward to receive the decree, expressing that she had a duty to share the Empress's burdens.

Although Longkui was unwilling, seeing the Empress's resolute attitude, she could not disobey the Emperor's will in public and could only reluctantly accept the arrangement.

The Sixth Princess was somewhat satisfied with this stalemate, as it at least saved Chu Qingluo's life. If she had followed Long Kui's wishes and tortured Chu Qingluo, there was no guarantee that Long Kui wouldn't resort to underhanded tactics, then claim that Chu Qingluo was weak or ill and couldn't withstand the torture... In that case, even if the Empress was furious, she would only punish her a little, which wouldn't amount to much.

The fact that things have slowed down gives the Sixth Princess and Ji Qiran more time to gather evidence. Therefore, the current situation is advantageous for them.

……

When Ji Qiran appeared in the prison late at night, he looked exhausted.

Chu Qingluo thought that he wouldn't come to see her again recently because he left in anger last time, but she didn't expect him to come late at night.

"Why are you still up so late?" Seeing that his face showed no other expression besides fatigue, Chu Qingluo asked cautiously.

She was unsure of herself and didn't know if things weren't going well.

"I can't sleep." Ji Qiran crossed his arms, leaned against the door frame, stared at her with his dark eyes, and said softly, "As long as you're here, I won't be able to have peace of mind for a single day."

"..." Seeing his bluntness, Chu Qingluo gasped and mustered her courage to say, "Last time... I'm sorry."

Ji Qiran seemed quite surprised by her apology. He raised an eyebrow, chuckled softly, and asked, "Apologize for what?"

"Uh... well..." Chu Qingluo bit her lower lip and said, "You've all helped me so much, and I even said I was going to give up on myself. I'm really sorry!"

Ji Qiran didn't say anything, but strode over and sat down next to her. He then sighed and said, "You've wronged me in many ways, not just this one."

"No way!!" Chu Qingluo vehemently denied it, stating that apart from what she had just mentioned, she had nothing to apologize for. Although she admitted that there were indeed many things she wanted to thank him for, that was completely different from apologizing.

Ji Qiran leaned closer to her, deliberately putting pressure on her. "Really not? Think carefully."

"..." As his handsome face drew closer, her heart skipped a beat. But she wasn't about to give up easily, was she?! So, she replied with absolute certainty, "Don't try to trick me, there's no way!"

"Sigh—" Ji Qiran sighed heavily again, took out the jade pendant from his waist and waved it in front of her, saying, "Here, this is it. You've wronged me so much!"

Chu Qingluo was taken aback at first, then realized that he probably thought she had really lost the jade pendant he had given her, so she chuckled and said, "I don't have anything to apologize to you for. Anyway, it was something you insisted on giving me, so what I do with it is my business."

"Tch!" Ji Qiran grunted unhappily.

Seeing his awkward expression, she couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he stared at her intently, lost in thought. It seemed like an eternity since he'd seen her smile. That smile that haunted his heart was worth going through fire and water for…

Ji Qiran couldn't help but reach out and pull her into his arms. "Soon, I'll take you away from here."

He desperately wanted to take advantage of this heartwarming atmosphere to tell her that he, Ji Qiran, would never marry anyone else in his life but her. He wanted to tell her that no matter what, he would never let her go. However, things were different now, and he wouldn't force her. The wounds in her heart forced him to be careful and tender in his care.

A thousand words can only be expressed in a heartfelt embrace, hoping that my beloved will know.

……

The morning sunlight dappled the ground in front of the Feixian Palace, casting dappled shadows. Ji Qibai strode cheerfully towards the sunlight.

"Has my eighth sister gotten up yet?"

The male attendant from Feixian Palace respectfully replied, "Ninth Prince, the princess has already risen."

"What about Xiao Tianyun? Has he gotten up too?"

"They've already gotten up."

"Great!" Ji Qibai hummed a little tune and skipped into the inner hall. "Eighth Sister, I've come to see the adorable little Tianyun!"

The attendants had just finished serving the Eighth Princess her soup when she leaned back on the recliner listlessly, completely devoid of any life.

Ji Qibai looked around but didn't see the little princess. He quickly asked, "Eighth Sister, where is Tianyun?"

The Eighth Princess didn't even look up, casually replying, "The wet nurse is with her."

"Quickly, let the wet nurse bring her out. I brought her something really fun." With that, Ji Qibai took out a small rattle drum and shook it lightly in front of the Eighth Princess.