Transmigrated Female Official

With the downfall of Longkui and the Eighth Princess, Shaoyao finally returned safely to Guangrentang.

Having not seen her for many days, Chu Qingluo noticed that Shaoyao had become noticeably thinner, which pained her greatly. She gave her a few days off to go home and take good care of herself, and told her not to come back until she had gained five pounds.

Actually, after receiving special care from Ji Qiran, Shaoyao didn't suffer much in the prison, except for being incredibly bored every day, only able to count on her fingers for amusement. Now that Chu Qingluo has given her a break, she gladly accepted. Taking advantage of these rare days of leisure, she can also take Yanlu on a trip.

……

On the day that Long Kui and Long Xiaohan's entire clan were executed, the heavens seemed to be in an unusually good mood, and the sun shone particularly brightly.

The gleaming silver greatsword was swung violently in the sunlight... making it hard to tell whether the blinding light came from the beam of light or from the crimson blood.

With Longkui's body falling, this was not just the end of a farce; it even signified the end of an era...

The Sixth Princess stood in front of the Flying Rainbow Palace, gazing blankly at the blood-stained red sun on the horizon.

Zhi Jun approached her quietly from behind, intending to startle her, but she saw through his plan first: "Zhi Jun, I know you're here."

"Sigh—" Zhi Jun shrugged helplessly and went over to stand next to her. "Princess, you have excellent hearing. Zhi Jun is completely outmatched."

The sixth princess glanced at him with amusement and said, "It's because you made too much of a commotion."

"Is the princess laughing at my clumsiness?"

"That's what you said."

Zhi Jun, unable to win an argument with her, simply gave up. He followed her gaze, looking into the distance, and suddenly remarked, "It seems unusually peaceful today—"

The sixth princess smiled and said, "That's right."

Now no one can rival her.

……

After eliminating Longkui's faction, the Sixth Princess kept her promise and arranged a job for Lei Tian—feeding horses in the palace stables.

Lei Tian was naturally filled with bitterness, but compared to Du Yuan, who had given false testimony for Long Kui to frame Chu Qingluo, his fate was relatively good. He should be content and grateful that he hadn't been reduced to hard labor.

The Sixth Princess, of course, had not forgotten the bandit leader who had once served the Fourth Princess. Now that the Fourth Princess had been exiled, he could swagger around Yancheng without a care in the world.

However, because he had caused Ji Qiran to be seriously injured, the Sixth Princess originally wanted to simply end his life with a single blow, or imprison him for life... But she was in a very good mood recently and changed her mind on the spot, so she released him and handed him over to Ji Qiran to deal with.

If this man isn't killed, he absolutely cannot be allowed to cause trouble throughout Yancheng. Therefore, Ji Qiran assigned the bandit leader and his men to Zhou Yi, instructing him to keep them under strict control. Anyone who violates the law or breaks the rules must be killed without exception.

……

Ten days later, the morning court session began.

The recent crackdown on Longkui's faction has created a climate of fear and insecurity within the palace, leading to a somewhat turbulent situation.

The Empress's health was also not good; she was often plagued by minor illnesses and pains. In fact, the root cause was the multiple blows to her mental well-being, which left her exhausted.

"Now that the rebels have been eliminated, I have an important announcement to make." After saying this, the Empress gestured to Chonghuan.

Chonghuan immediately stepped forward, unfolded the imperial edict in her hand, and began to read: "By the grace of Heaven, the Empress decrees: The sixth daughter, Anyang, is of pure and virtuous character, respectful, frugal, benevolent, and filial. She reveres Heaven, Earth, and her ancestors, and cherishes all the people under Heaven. For the sake of the well-being of all people, I hereby appoint her as Crown Princess. So be it—"

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" The Sixth Princess expressed her gratitude.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" the female officials echoed.

Although it was a foregone conclusion that the sixth princess would be the crown prince, this process still had to be followed. The Empress entrusted Yu Fei with choosing the time for the investiture ceremony, and she selected an auspicious day seven days later.

In addition, the Empress announced another major event: the promotion of Chu Qingluo to the rank of First-Rank Female Official.

Amidst the congratulatory cheers from the court, Chu Qingluo felt no joy whatsoever. She stared blankly at the imperial edict before her, offering no response.

This scene felt strangely familiar to Chonghuan, who was issuing the decree; it was as if she had instantly returned to the moment when Chu Qingluo became a sixth-rank female official. Just like before, Chonghuan cleared her throat and reminded her, "Lady Chu, why don't you quickly accept the decree and express your gratitude?"

"Your Majesty... I am humbled and believe that Lady Jiang Sha is more suitable for this high position than I am."

Seeing Chu Qingluo say this, Jiang Sha quickly stepped forward and said, "His Majesty has discerning eyes; Lord Chu, there is no need to be so modest."

The Empress also said, "My mind is made up, so Minister Chu should not refuse."

At such a moment, it would be unwise to repeatedly humiliate the Empress in public. Chu Qingluo had no choice but to bite the bullet and kowtow in gratitude: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

The Empress smiled with satisfaction and said, "Minister Chu, you suffered unjustly before, and I will make it up to you today."

Compensation? Chu Qingluo couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. Bring on all the gold and antiques!

However, the Empress said: "I hereby grant my seventh son, Ji Qiran, the privilege of entering the service of Minister Chu."

"..." Chu Qingluo was stunned again.

The Sixth Princess chuckled to herself. The Emperor was indeed the Emperor; what was originally a vague matter, the Empress resolved with crystal clarity, making a decision without a word. Her Seventh Brother had finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Lord Chu…” Chong Huan reminded her again.

"I..." Chu Qingluo felt as if her brain was filled with solidified paste, completely unable to be stirred.

"I clearly remember that the Seventh Prince once said in this hall that he had a deep affection for Minister Chu..." The Empress deliberately emphasized the word "affection" and teased, "Could it be that Minister Chu, like others, is afraid of the rumors that the Seventh Prince is haunted by a female ghost?"

"Absolutely not." Chu Qingluo knew better than anyone where that female ghost came from.

"In that case, that would be perfect!" the Empress said immediately. "It just so happens that seven days from now is an auspicious day, so let the seventh prince enter the sect on that day as well."

Chu Qingluo lowered her head and looked down at the deep and shallow lines on her palm.

Perhaps, from the very beginning, it was destined that Ji Qiran would become that lingering, tender palm line.

……

After the court session, Chu Qingluo wanted to go straight to the Phoenix Palace to privately tell the Empress that she could not accept the position of a first-rank female official. However, she was blocked by the Sixth Princess as soon as she turned the corner.

"Princess Anyang?"

“I know where you’re going,” the Sixth Princess said bluntly. “The situation has only just stabilized. Even if you’re unwilling to take the position of a first-rank female official, you should wait a little longer.”

Seeing that the Sixth Princess was speaking frankly, Chu Qingluo also said directly, "The princess should understand me. This position... is not suitable for me."