Transmigrated Female Official

Upon returning to the palace, each official immediately began preparations for the evening's offering.

After dinner, a waning crescent moon hung high in the night sky. A row of red lanterns bearing the character "姬" (Ji) hung under the eaves, indicating that the banquet would be held in this open space. Guangrentang surrounded the cross-shaped platform with flowers, and hundreds of male attendants holding lanterns stood around the platform, illuminating the entire area outside Yongle Hall.

The cross-shaped platform was positioned directly north of the Phoenix position, and its height of only half a meter allowed the Empress a clear view. The platform's shape divided the seating area into four sections. The princesses sat in the northeast, a spacious area with only three seats. The princes were seated in the northwest; with eight princes together, plus the three sons of the fourth princess and the two sons of the sixth princess, it became somewhat crowded. The female officials sat on the southeast and southwest sides.

The Empress, dressed in a pure gold phoenix robe with a hundred birds returning to their nest, custom-made for her by Li Ziyou, and wearing a phoenix crown, sat on the high phoenix throne. The male attendants of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—were also seated around her in their respective positions. Various fruits and wines were placed before each table for her enjoyment. The executive officers were not entitled to sit and could only stand behind the seats of the tenth-rank female officials.

"Qingluo, I'm so nervous..." Chu Qingluo and the others were standing behind Li Ziyou's position, on the southeast side of the platform. Shaoyao was trembling with nervousness.

"Take a deep breath." Actually, Chu Qingluo was also very nervous, her palms sweating. She really didn't know where she got the courage that day, so recklessly offering advice to Li Ziyou. Only now, at the last minute, did she feel incredibly flustered. Even when performing at major shows before, she had never been this timid.

Fortunately, the costume department's presentation was scheduled last. This was thanks to Li Ziyou's repeated communication with Ji Jie, who finally reluctantly agreed. So they had some time to spare and could change their clothes after the show was halfway through.

The banquet began with the sound of drums. The first to appear was the Fourth Princess, who played the seven-stringed zither. She sat facing the Empress in the center of the stage, her hair styled in a high, slanted bun, adorned with a gold hairpin inlaid with jeweled butterflies, revealing the contours of her face and a pair of gold leaf earrings. She slowly raised her hands; her fingers were round and full, and the rose-colored nail polish made them appear even whiter and more flawless. The cuffs were exquisitely inlaid with jewels, displaying the utmost luxury.

She first lowered her head and plucked a few strings, producing a deep, resonant tone. This bending motion further accentuated her ample bosom. After a soothing melody, she gradually quickened her pace, her movements graceful and elegant, the music melodious and lingering for days.

Although Chu Qingluo didn't understand the zither, she could tell that the Fourth Princess's zither skills were truly exceptional. Moreover, her modified attire further accentuated her sexy and alluring charm.

Out of the corner of her eye, Chu Qingluo noticed that all the princesses and princes present had changed into new clothes specially made for the grand banquet. She couldn't help but admire her masterpiece of planning one by one.

Her gaze shifted diagonally to the opposite corner, where she immediately spotted Ji Qiran in a long indigo robe, but only glanced at him briefly. At that moment, he was sipping his drink, completely unaware of Chu Qingluo's gaze.

It has to be said, fate has been exceptionally kind to Ji Qiran. Because he's just so handsome, he looks good in anything… or perhaps, even better without clothes? Chu Qingluo suddenly had a wicked thought…

The Fifth Prince sat beside Ji Qiran, toying with a piece of jade in his hand as he listened intently to the music. His attire was actually in the style of a traditional Chinese ink painting, elegant and clean. One wonders if he smelled of mint.

In an instant, the Fourth Princess's rendition of "High Mountains and Flowing Water" came to an end.

The Empress praised with satisfaction: "Fulin's zither skills have become more and more exquisite. I will reward him with a hundred taels of gold and bestow two maids, Yun Shi. He should have a son soon."

The "cloud servants" the Empress referred to weren't the kind of male servants you could easily find on the streets of Yancheng. They were two men she had personally selected from her private treasury and bestowed upon the Fourth Princess. This private treasury of male servants, known as the "Cloud Palace," housed the most handsome men from all over the country, whom she trained and disciplined. The Empress could keep them for her own use in her harem or use them as gifts. This "Cloud Palace" was also under the jurisdiction of Ji Jie of the Guangren Hall.

The Fourth Princess was overjoyed to receive the gift of a cloud attendant, which was equivalent to the Empress bestowing a dish from her own plate upon her, demonstrating how highly she was regarded. She curtsied slightly and said, "Thank you for your generous gift, Your Majesty. I will certainly do my best."

Seeing this, the Eighth Princess smiled disdainfully, took a sip of wine, and muttered sarcastically, "Having a son is not something you can do just by trying your best."

After the fourth princess left the stage, her attendants quickly moved a wooden table onto it, placed a tall, narrow-mouthed glass vase on it, and then arranged a large bunch of fresh, unpruned roses on top of it.

With everything prepared, the Sixth Princess gracefully ascended the platform. Her hair was styled in a lily-shaped bun, adorned with simple pearl and jade hairpins. Compared to the Fourth Princess's opulent and luxurious attire, her blue-and-white phoenix-tail skirt possessed a more refined elegance. Holding a seven-star sword, she first bowed to the Empress. Then, as the music from below the stage began, she stepped forward, her long sword flashing like a water snake.

"I never would have guessed that such a frail sixth princess could wield a sword." Peony lowered her voice.

Chu Qingluo clearly agreed, nodding and saying, "It's gentle yet firm; it really has some strength."

Before anyone could see her move clearly, the Sixth Princess's sword suddenly slashed, aiming straight for the flowers on the table... The roses scattered in the air as she wielded her sword, petals rising and falling with her movements. In the blink of an eye, a neatly trimmed rose appeared in her left hand.

"Excellent!" The Empress's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed in admiration. This time, the Sixth Princess's sword dance and flower arrangement had a bit of novelty.

At this moment, the Fourth Princess and the Eighth Princess, who were sitting below the stage, both had rather unpleasant expressions.

The music continued, and the Sixth Princess once again used her Seven Star Sword to pick up a rose, and with two swift movements, another rose was in her hand. After several such movements, she carefully placed the roses into a glass vase and respectfully presented it to the Empress: "May Your Majesty remain forever young."

The Empress was very pleased to see that the Sixth Princess's flower arrangement skills were also very good: "Ling'er is very thoughtful."

Ling'er is the sixth princess's maiden name; she is the only princess who has not yet received an official title.

"The Sixth Princess's swordsmanship is relaxed yet skillful, on par with those who practice martial arts. Such a performance could never be achieved without long-term, consistent practice." The speaker was Yao Man, a fourth-rank female official, who made no attempt to conceal her praise of the Sixth Princess.

"Hmm—" The Empress nodded with pleasure. Remembering that only this daughter had remained unknown and had not yet been given a title, which would be unfair, she said, "Grant her a title, let it be 'Anyang'."

A hint of joy flashed in the Sixth Princess's eyes, but it quickly disappeared. She hurriedly bowed deeply to express her gratitude: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

Ji Ling'er was granted a title, placing her on par with the Fourth Princess and the Eighth Princess. With just one sword dance and another person qualified to inherit the throne joining the ranks, the two princesses' expressions became noticeably more unpleasant.

The female officials below the stage all understood the sudden change in the situation; it was truly a case of one family rejoicing while two families grieved. But outwardly, they were all offering their congratulations to the Sixth Princess.

Ji Qili glanced at Ji Qiran beside him and found him to be very calm, even when congratulating the Sixth Princess, his tone was merely polite and indifferent. Ji Qili's lips curled into a smile; his seventh brother was truly a man of few words.

Chu Qingluo had no idea about these hidden intricacies; she simply thought it was a reward.

Next up was the Eighth Princess. Her hair was styled in a flying apsara bun, adorned with five-colored ribbons, making her radiant. However, her mood was utterly terrible. Her face was grim, but as she passed Long Kui, a glance from Long Kui snapped her back to reality. It was just a title; it meant nothing… She quickly composed herself and approached with a smile.

The Eighth Princess gracefully raised her sleeves, her figure slender and elegant. Her eyes sparkled, and with another flick of her sleeves, she seemed poised to ride the wind and depart, like a celestial maiden descending to earth.

Just as Chu Qingluo had predicted, when the Eighth Princess turned around gracefully, the colorful gauze under her white skirt would bloom, and her hair ribbon would flutter, leaving everyone in awe.

"Eighth Princess, your colorful dress is so beautiful! Qingluo, you're amazing!" Peony was so excited that she tugged at her sleeve twice.

"That's right." Chu Qingluo also thought the scene was absolutely beautiful, and couldn't help but feel a little proud.

Seeing the Eighth Princess's subtly designed dress, Ji Qiran guessed it must also be Chu Qingluo's work, and he couldn't help but want to see her expression at that moment. However, with a group of people in light purple official robes standing below the stage, he couldn't find her at a glance.

As he was searching discreetly, he noticed that Ji Qili beside him was staring intently at a certain spot. Curious, he looked over and discovered that Ji Qili was staring at none other than Chu Qingluo, the person he was looking for.

Her face was beaming with a bright, sunny smile, and Ji Qili's lips couldn't help but curve upwards as well.

Ji Qiran noticed the change in Ji Qili's expression and was taken aback. Ji Qili's gaze was like that of a hawk locking onto its prey, while this slow-witted quail looked quite pleased with herself. Ji Qiran's brows furrowed involuntarily...

Li Ziyou, who had been watching the program, suddenly turned around and whispered, "You should go down and prepare in advance."

"Yes," Chu Qingluo replied, quietly relaying the message.

Afterwards, they quietly left Yongle Palace.

Inside the clothing workshop, Zi Yan and Li Yu, along with twenty male attendants, were already prepared. After the twenty female officials had changed into their clothes, they came over to apply makeup to them.

Chu Qingluo originally wanted to go for the Tang Dynasty makeup style, but she was afraid that if they didn't do a good job, they would go from being beautiful to being ugly. To be on the safe side, she only kept the trick of sticking flowers on their foreheads and the straight eyebrows that she planned to promote.

To maintain the mystery of their attire, the female officials also wore thin cloaks. After everything was prepared, Chu Qingluo spoke, "When you get on stage, don't be nervous. Just be as energetic as you are in training. We've all worked so hard these past few days, and tonight is the time to see how it goes."

She knew that if even she couldn't stay calm, the rest of them would be affected and become tense as well, so she had to be strong first.

"Anyway, I'm fine with it." Luo Lifei remained confident and eager to try.

Ziyan and Liyu nodded in agreement, indicating that they had no problem with it.

Chu Qingluo glanced at Shaoyao again, and only after Shaoyao gasped a few times and nodded in agreement did she continue, "Now, does anyone still have questions? If not, let's set off. Once we get there, no matter what difficulties we encounter, we must grit our teeth and persevere. Even if we fall on the stage, we must get up and keep going. Do you understand?"

After everyone nodded again, the forty people headed together to Yongle Palace. Chu Qingluo and Shaoyao held each other's hands, silently encouraging each other...