Transmigrated Female Official

When the penultimate celebratory program began, the group from the Clothing Pavilion gathered on the south side of the cross platform.

Ahead of them was the Liyuefang's offering.

It begins with a melodious flute tune, followed by the harmonious sounds of the zither and lute, and finally the sounds of the pipa, sheng, xiao, and chime bells are added together to create a magnificent and grand musical piece.

It seems Li Ziyou's guess was right. Yu Yi will have to play some instruments, since her music and dance studio has no shortage of them.

Of the seven musicians playing instruments, only two were men, making them particularly conspicuous. One was playing the chime bells, and the other was playing the flute. Chu Qinglu could only see the profile of the flute player, who seemed somewhat familiar... She peeked slightly to the side, but still couldn't make out who he was.

"Qingluo, shouldn't we get ready?" When Shaoyao's cool little hand touched the back of her hand, she realized that she should be waiting to go on stage.

“Alright, everyone get ready.” She quickly unfastened her cloak and handed it aside. The others followed suit, removing their cloaks as well. She gave a final reminder: “Lorife, pay attention to the drumbeats.”

Chu Qingluo had already informed Li Ziyou of her ideas for the music to accompany this tribute. The two instruments were drums to create rhythm and zithers to produce melody. Li Ziyou had specially gone outside the palace to hire musicians skilled in both instruments to assist them. The musicians also trained alongside them regularly, so they had already developed a strong rapport.

Luo Lifei nodded vigorously, held her breath, and waited for the first drumbeat.

Chu Qingluo felt her heart pounding wildly, unable to distinguish whether it was nervousness or a strange excitement...

After the presentation of gifts by the Ritual and Music Bureau concluded, the Empress bestowed rewards as usual.

Afterwards, the musicians moved down from the south side of the stage, passing right by the girls who were waiting to perform.

As the man playing the flute passed by Chu Qingluo, he stopped in his tracks, frozen in place.

Chu Qingluo finally saw him clearly... but why was he in the palace? She stared at him in surprise.

All I can say is... this world is too small...

The steady drumbeats began, and the presentation by the Clothing Pavilion officially commenced. Chu Qingluo, disregarding any reminiscing, gave him a polite smile and a slight nod before turning to focus on the situation on stage.

Upon seeing this, the flute player composed himself, took a few steps back, but did not go far.

As the piano music joined the drums, Lorife appeared on stage. Her arrival immediately sparked a murmur of discussion from the audience. "What's she doing?" "Her clothes look a bit strange..."

Li Ziyou clenched her fists, enduring immense pressure, and sat silently in her seat to observe the ceremony.

Luo Lifei's outfit was actually a modified version of the cheongsam. It was a long purple peony brocade robe with a stand-up collar, sleeveless, and fitted at the waist, with a high slit on the side of the skirt reaching her thigh. Her hair was styled into symmetrical buns, and on her forehead was the plum blossom ornament that Chu Qingluo had uniformly applied.

Fearing that the scene would be too revealing at the beginning, Chu Qingluo added a fan-shaped long gauze sleeve to Luo Lifei's upper arm with light purple sheer gauze, slightly covering her arm but revealing her jade-like shoulder.

As she walked, the lines of her legs were faintly visible...

What Chu Qingluo is most concerned about now is how the Empress will react.

The Empress raised an eyebrow slightly, her eyes filled with confusion. Chu Qingluo held her breath, afraid that the Empress might suddenly shout "Stop!"

Following Chu Qingluo's plan, Luo Lifei walked from south to north on the cross platform, presented herself to the Empress, then moved from east to west, and finally returned to the south side. When she reached the west side, Li Yu, who was second in line, took her turn. As long as everyone followed this order, there would be no mistakes.

Although the Empress couldn't understand what kind of tribute program it was, the costumes and makeup of the people on stage were very novel to her, and she just wanted to continue to find out more.

Upon seeing the tenth person, the Empress's expression changed slightly, showing not only curiosity but also a hint of anticipation. At this moment, Chu Qingluo's wildly beating heart finally calmed down a little.

Chu Qingluo adopted a combination of Chinese and Western styles for most of these forty sets of clothing. In fact, she didn't put much thought into the design, since no one had ever seen them before, and she could easily impress them with just a few simple touches.

With more than half of the participants taking the stage, the level of their clothing has become increasingly daring, with arms and legs no longer shyly concealed but boldly displayed.

Peony also entered the stage, wearing a light green strapless top underneath a blue, fitted, puff-sleeved long-sleeved top, paired with a light green floral pleated chiffon skirt and a blue tassel belt. Her slender waist was on full display, swaying in the air…

Chu Qingluo was second to last to perform. Her hair was styled in a double-moon bun, adorned with a red plum blossom hairpin. Her flowing, bright red dress was dazzling; the off-the-shoulder neckline revealed her delicate collarbones and slender shoulders, while the layered, long-backed sheer fabric revealed her fair, straight legs. Her specially made platform shoes made her legs appear exceptionally long.

She moved with incredible speed, her trailing veil billowing in the air. Her deft steps and commanding stage presence left everyone in awe.

Feeling the admiring gazes around her, Chu Qingluo's lips curled up slightly... Don't forget, she's a professional.

Ji Qiran stared intently at her. Her eyebrows, eyes, lips, shoulders, collarbone, neck, and even her legs were all on full display. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Yet, a surge of desire welled up within him—an urge to hide her away, a desire he didn't want to share with anyone. This impulse churned within him, swirling like a vortex, with the rise and fall of her flowing gauze dress.

Meanwhile, Ji Qili's mind had already been captured, his eyes reflecting only a bright red, as if he could no longer tolerate anyone else.

The flute player was utterly shocked! His mouth agape, he stared blankly at her flowing gauze skirt… Perhaps it was a blessing from heaven that allowed him to meet her again after missing her sachet. And the woman before him was so beautiful.

Even after Chu Qingluo stepped off the stage, the person who had been lost in thought still hadn't woken up.

The grand finale was Zi Yan, a carefully orchestrated arrangement by Chu Qingluo. As the two brushed past each other, she could feel the resolute aura emanating from him.

He wore a long robe with a blue brocade pattern, over which was a white gauze overlay. A jade crown adorned his head, and a white, gold-trimmed half-face mask covered his face, shrouding him in mystery. The gauze fluttered gently in the breeze, revealing bright, piercing eyes beneath the mask. He gazed directly at the phoenix-faced woman before him, his expression serene and his demeanor elegant.

At this moment, the Empress unconsciously leaned forward. Having looked at over thirty faces, this one was the only one she couldn't make out, making her even more eager to find out what was going on.

Even as he approached, he did not remove his mask. The Empress narrowed her eyes.

Finally, the forty-person procession came to a close, marking the end of the Clothing Pavilion's gift presentation. Ziyan's mask remained on.

The music stopped. At this moment, the entire Yongle Palace fell silent. No one dared to make any rash comments before the Empress spoke.

"This year's gifts from the Clothing Pavilion..." The Empress paused, her face expressionless. Everyone held their breath. Suddenly, a smile appeared on her lips: "They are truly diverse and absolutely brilliant!" With that, she burst into laughter.

Li Ziyou felt her body go limp, and she stood up, supporting herself on the armrest. She said with a slight tremor, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty!"

"It's really novel." "Yes, yes." "Beautiful! Beautiful!" "Especially the clothes and makeup..." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and praised it lavishly.

This scene almost brought Chu Qingluo to tears! She had truly poured her heart and soul into this day! It was as if she had put on a personal brand launch event.

"Lord Li, I am very satisfied with this gift. What reward do you wish to receive?" The Empress was overjoyed and allowed Li Ziyou to choose his own reward.

"Your Majesty, I dare not ask for a reward," Li Ziyou replied respectfully, having regained his composure.

"Oh? Why?" The Empress was puzzled, refusing the reward.

"Your Majesty, in fact, there is someone who deserves great credit for this gift presentation. From offering suggestions to rehearsals, from costumes to makeup, she handled everything by herself. Therefore, I dare not take credit or ask for a reward," Li Ziyou said humbly.

"Who is that?" The Empress was very curious; who could come up with such a gift?

“She is… Chu Qingluo, the executive officer of the Clothing Pavilion,” Li Ziyou said truthfully.

Upon hearing this, Chu Qingluo's heart, which she had just swallowed, leaped into her throat again. She had never imagined that Li Ziyou would give up such a good thing as being awarded credit, so she was completely unprepared.

Those who knew Chu Qingluo all turned their gazes toward her, while those who didn't whisper and gossip among themselves. "Come here quickly," Li Ziyou's voice called out.

Under everyone's gaze, Chu Qinglu walked over in a daze.

"Are you Chu Qingluo?" the Empress asked.

Chu Qinglu bowed and said, "Yes..." At this moment, she really couldn't think of whether to refer to herself as "this humble official," "this humble one," or "this lowly person," so she only uttered one word.

"So, the idea of ​​presenting this gift, the bold breakthrough in clothing, and even the way he walks—were all your ideas?" the Empress asked repeatedly.

Chu Qingluo gasped and mimicked Li Ziyou's tone, "Your Majesty, it is thanks to Lord Li's careful guidance that I was able to come up with these ideas."

"Hmm—" The Empress nodded in satisfaction without being arrogant or impatient, and said, "Then I will reward each of you with one hundred gold pieces, and also reward the Clothing Pavilion with one thousand gold pieces. Everyone will get a share."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" The people from the Clothing Pavilion had all stayed and listened carefully, and they all expressed their gratitude in unison.

A hundred gold coins! A hundred gold coins!! The first pot of gold after transmigrating! Chu Qingluo was overjoyed and really wanted to open a bottle of champagne to celebrate!

Ji Qiran's gaze towards Chu Qingluo deepened. When exactly had this seemingly ordinary woman become so incredibly powerful?

The Fifth Prince, Ji Qili, had no other thoughts but made a decision in his heart: he would request to join Chu Qingluo's family.

He's already twenty-four, and it's possible the Emperor might suddenly decide to bestow an honor upon him one day. Rather than wait and see, it's better for him to strike first. Besides, Chu Qingluo is so captivating to him. However, her attitude towards him will likely require some time to develop…

“Oh, oh, oh, you actually missed out on such an extraordinary woman…” In another corner of the audience, the man playing the flute was also secretly grieving for Chu Qingluo.

How much sorrow can you have? It is like a river of spring water flowing eastward.

/

~~~~~~~A simple and straightforward dividing line~~~~~~~~

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