Transmigrated Female Official

That night, Chu Qingluo thought about many things and didn't fall asleep until late into the night.

Since the Empress is dizzy, it's possible that it's due to sleep problems.

However, her abilities were limited, and if she wanted to help the Empress improve her sleep quality, she could only do what she could.

……

Two days later, it was time to change the potted plants in each palace.

Chu Qingluo first took advantage of her position to have her male attendants replace all the peonies placed in the outer hall of the Empress's Phoenix Palace with jasmine.

Lavender helps with sleep, everyone knows that. But in this godforsaken era, this flower hasn't been cultivated yet, so jasmine has to be used as a substitute for now. Although jasmine doesn't help with sleep, it's refreshing and pleasant, and can soothe the mind and relieve depression, so it does have some effect on relieving fatigue. This is something Chu Qingluo learned from a book that Gongsun Yu bought for her.

The Empress was so dizzy that she skipped the morning court session, which was unusual for her. Right now, she was leaning back in her chair, having Chonghuan massage her head to relieve her discomfort.

"How come your skills haven't improved at all over the years? You're not as good as Ziyan, who can pinpoint acupoints with perfect accuracy every time." The Empress said quietly, her eyes slightly narrowed.

Chong Huan was not in a hurry and replied with a smile, "Your Majesty, I certainly cannot compare with Lord Ziyan."

"Why can't we compare? Ziyan and you come from the same background. In my opinion, you've just been pampered by my side for many years."

Those who served the Empress naturally held a much higher status than other male attendants. They didn't have to do any of the rough or tiring work, and they even had people following them around.

After being reprimanded by the Empress, Chonghuan couldn't find a reason to defend himself. However, he knew the Empress's temperament well, so he wasn't afraid. He simply feigned fear and said, "Your Majesty, Chonghuan knows his mistake. I beg Your Majesty to have mercy and forgive this lowly person..."

At that moment, Chu Qingluo entered the inner hall carrying a pot of jasmine, only to be surprised to find that the Empress was also there... She hurriedly bowed and said, "This humble official was unaware that Your Majesty was here. I have disturbed Your Majesty's peace. Please forgive me."

It was court time, and there was no one serving in the outer hall, so Chu Qingluo couldn't possibly know that the Empress was here.

The Empress opened her eyes upon hearing the voice, raising a phoenix eyebrow: "Aren't you the executive officer promoted by Lord Ji on the day of the grand ceremony?" As she spoke, she turned to Chong Huan and asked, "What was your name again?" She couldn't recall her name for a moment.

Chong Huan immediately replied, "Your Majesty, her name is Chu Qingluo."

To be able to stay by the Empress's side, one must at least have some strengths or uses, otherwise how can one survive?

Seeing that Chu Qingluo was still bowing her head and standing at a distance, the Empress said, "No need for formalities—come closer." She then glanced at the jasmine in Chu Qingluo's hand and asked, "Did Lord Ji ask you to prepare these flowers?"

Chu Qingluo took a few steps forward and respectfully replied, "Yes."

"Hmm... but my favorite flower is the peony, didn't you know?" The Empress's tone carried a hint of doubt, and it was probably true that no one in the entire palace was unaware of this.

"Your Majesty, I know... but I heard that Your Majesty has been suffering from headaches and depression recently, so I took the liberty of sending jasmine, which is good for relieving depression, to the Phoenix Palace." Perhaps her actions were a bit bold, but her starting point was for the good of the Empress.

...Only if the Empress recovers can Ziyan possibly turn the tide.

Everyone else usually tries to please her, but this lowly executive officer dared to try something different, which shows some courage. The Empress took a few deep breaths and said, "It smells quite good, so let's put it out."

"Yes." Chu Qingluo complied.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from the outer hall. "Your Majesty—"

Upon seeing that the visitor was Long Kui, a first-rank female official, the Empress's brows furrowed involuntarily as she asked, "What has happened?"

Long Kui glanced at Chu Qingluo beside her, and said with a forced smile, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. There is an important matter in court today that cannot be resolved, and I have no choice but to ask Your Majesty to personally go to the front court..."

"...Never mind." The Empress sighed. She knew that Long Kui would never bother her with such trivial matters, so she could only endure the dizziness and leave the Phoenix Palace...

Incense burns day and night in the incense burner of the Phoenix Palace.

The smell was too strong and pungent for Chu Qingluo. She couldn't help but cough a few times, then beckoned to a male attendant. When he came over, she whispered, "Go and quietly put out the incense in this burner."

"This..." The male attendant instantly looked astonished and extremely embarrassed. He was one of the male attendants who had accompanied Chu Qingluo to the Phoenix Palace to arrange the plants, and his name was He Qi. But how could a mere male attendant like him dare to extinguish the incense burner in the Empress's Phoenix Palace?

Seeing this, Chu Qingluo continued to dispel his concerns, "This is also for His Majesty's good, to let the palace get some fresh air, and then take away the unburned incense. No one will notice." Since there was no one around, it would be absolutely possible to do it without anyone noticing.

“…Yes.” Although He Qi was timid, he did agree that this was not a bad thing, so he did as Chu Qingluo asked and went to put out the incense burner.

The air in this Phoenix Palace really needs a good cleaning!

"Go and pick a few more potted green plants," she instructed, and He Qi complied...

Immediately afterwards, Chu Qingluo went to the West Warm Pavilion where Ziyan lived and placed several pots of spider plants in the room.

At this time, Ziyan had been in the West Warm Pavilion for several days without eating or drinking, and his whole being was in a state of mental collapse.

Upon seeing that the person who had arrived was Chu Qingluo, she finally spoke: "Qingluo—"

In fact, Chu Qingluo had come twice before, but both times he happened to be out of the pavilion. After not seeing each other for more than a month, although they had finally run into each other, he was in no mood to catch up with her at this moment.

Seeing Ziyan so listless, his lips severely dehydrated and pale, Chu Qingluo sighed softly and poured him a glass of warm water. "At least fill your stomach first, then you'll have the strength to fight against feudal superstition to the end!"

He gave a wry smile and shook his head: "I can't eat." He took the water that Chu Qingluo kindly offered with trembling hands, but only held it in his hand without drinking it.

"Look how your hands are shaking! Hurry up and drink this, and eat something too. When His Majesty returns to the Phoenix Palace later, go and present her with a gift." Chu Qingluo said as she brought up a large wooden box.

Ziyan is only unable to serve the Empress in bed now, not confined to his quarters. He should still try to regain the Empress's favor.

"This is?"

"A cotton pillow, with some cassia seeds mixed in... you know, the herb cassia." Seeing his blank expression, she continued, "Isn't His Majesty feeling dizzy? How could he not feel dizzy with such strong incense? How could he not feel dizzy sleeping on such a hard pillow?"

She made the difficult decision to give away her beloved cotton pillow in order to help Ziyan. Such a righteous act is truly admirable!

Of course, she would never tell him that she had used the pillow for a few days... but she was still very sensible and took the pillow out to sun-dry it before bringing it into the palace.

Although Zi Yan didn't think this soft thing could turn the tide, he was extremely grateful to see Chu Qingluo going to such lengths for him and offering help in his time of need: "Thank you, Qingluo."

……