Transmigrated Female Official

The night after the sun shower was bright and the stars were few.

Inside the Phoenix Palace, the Empress lay comfortably on the large phoenix bed, casually placing the headrest presented by Ziyan under her chin.

As usual, Ziyan sat on the edge of the bed and massaged her shoulders: "Your Majesty, have you been overworking lately? Your shoulders are quite stiff."

"Sigh—" The Empress closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh, murmuring, "Who could have imagined that a headache would lead to a case of selling official positions?"

When the Empress said this, it sounded like she was talking to herself, and Zi Yan didn't hear her clearly at all. Just as he was hesitating about how to respond, he heard her ask again, "Zi Yan, where did you get such a good thing?" This time, she made it clear that she was referring to the headrest that was pressed under her.

The Empress has been busy lately and only now has a spare moment to remember to ask him.

"Your Majesty, this item was actually presented by Lady Chu Qingluo." Fortunately, he had discussed a plan with Chu Qingluo beforehand, which allowed him to answer fluently.

"Oh?"

Seeing that the Empress was intrigued, he continued to explain: "That day, she was delivering potted plants to the West Warm Pavilion when she overheard my attendants and me discussing dizziness. She mentioned this plant, saying it could alleviate the symptoms. I was delighted when I heard that and quickly asked where I could find it. She said that cotton was a treasure, something only found in the distant frontier, and that she happened to have some... I immediately begged Lord Chu to part with it. She was reluctant at first, but when she heard that I was doing it for His Majesty, she immediately agreed."

Zi Yan frowned slightly and muttered to himself, delivering the half-truth, half-lies with great expression. After all, he was now the Empress's male attendant, and he couldn't let the Empress think he had too close a relationship with other women.

"I see..."

The Empress's long, drawn-out voice revealed no hint of joy or dislike, causing Ziyan's heart to skip a beat.

"She's not very old, but she's very knowledgeable and has a lot of courage... Not bad!" The Empress made this comment after recalling Chu Qingluo's various deeds.

Hearing the Empress praise Chu Qingluo, Zi Yan's tense nerves secretly relaxed, and he was very happy. However, he would never be complacent. He had to always remember his identity and be careful with his words and actions.

……

The following day, in the Qingming Hall.

Longkui, looking anxious, spoke first: "Your Majesty, there is an urgent report. The continuous heavy rains in Biancheng have caused the Shennv River to flood, inundating low-lying villages and fields. We request the court to provide disaster relief and assistance!"

The Goddess River flows through more than a dozen cities in the Ji Kingdom and is regarded as the country's mother river. Bian City is located on the lower reaches of the Goddess River and is most prone to flooding.

The Empress swept her phoenix eyes across the crowd in the hall, her gaze settling on Pan Yin. "Minister Pan, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to travel such a long and arduous journey once again."

Pan Yin was very sensible and stepped forward to accept the order, saying, "That is my duty, and I cannot shirk it."

The Empress nodded in satisfaction and made a decisive decision: "Lord Gongsun, I order you to allocate 30,000 taels of silver from the treasury and have Minister Pan take it for disaster relief. Once the inventory is complete, set off immediately." After saying that, she instructed Long Kui: "Pass on my decree that the prefects of the four cities adjacent to Biancheng should cooperate in distributing grain for disaster relief."

Finally, he said to the priest Yu Fei, "Lord Yu, I order you to immediately select an auspicious time to go to the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices and pray for blessings."

"Your humble servant obeys the decree." The three men accepted the order.

Yu Fei then asked, "Your Majesty, which prince should be sent to the Goddess Temple for fasting this year?"

Whenever a natural disaster struck, a prince would be sent to the Goddess Temple to fast for a year, chanting scriptures and praying for blessings, as a sign of respect for the Goddess. This was a long-standing custom in the Ji Kingdom.

After a moment's thought, the Empress decided, "Let the Ninth Prince go. He's reached the age where he needs some training."

The court officials echoed, "Your Majesty is wise."

"Your Majesty, there is one more matter that cannot be delayed." Qin Mei began to speak, and the Empress gestured for her to continue. "The position of a sixth-rank official has been vacant for many days, and it is only right that someone be selected to fill the vacancy."

Upon hearing this, the Empress smiled knowingly and asked, "Who do you, my lords, think is suitable for this position?"

The Eighth Princess gave a wink to her rear, and Pan Yin stepped forward at her behest, saying, "As far as I know, there is an executive officer named Li Yan in Guangrentang. She is very experienced and meticulous, and should be a good candidate."

The Fourth Princess, unwilling to back down, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Lady Qin Mei has held a rank of the seventh grade for many years, upholding the law and remaining upright and incorruptible. She has never committed such an evil act as selling official positions. Moreover, she has more seniority and is more meticulous. Fulin believes that Lady Qin Mei's promotion to the sixth grade is truly well-deserved." After speaking, she glanced at the Eighth Princess in a seemingly irrelevant manner.

This blatant sarcasm and provocation made the Eighth Princess grit her teeth!

Yu Yi, who was of the eighth rank, also stepped forward and agreed, saying, "This humble official also believes that Lord Qin Mei is the most suitable candidate."

Pan Yin became somewhat anxious: "Your Majesty, I insist on recommending new people."

Seeing the differing opinions on the steps, the Empress suddenly gave a sinister smile. Her gaze fixed on Li Ziyou, who stood silently with her head bowed at the far end: "Lord Li—"

Li Ziyou was suddenly called out by name. She was taken aback at first, then quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty..."

"I ask you, what is your evaluation of Chu Qingluo, the first executive officer who came from your clothing workshop?"

The name 'Chu Qingluo' was not among the candidates recommended by the ministers. Immediately, everyone in the hall looked surprised.

“This… I believe that Chu Qingluo is intelligent and outstanding… beyond the reach of ordinary people.” Li Ziyou did not think for long and did not hesitate to use words.

The Empress raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh? Lord Li has a rather high opinion of her."

Li Ziyou bowed his head: "Your Majesty, I am only telling the truth."

Seeing this, Pan Yin asked doubtfully, "Does His Majesty intend to promote Chu Qingluo? I believe she is still too inexperienced to shoulder such a great responsibility."

The Empress's lips curled slightly, and her phoenix eyes swept across the hall again, keeping everyone in suspense: "Has anyone here ever heard of cotton?"

"..." The group looked at each other in bewilderment.

Seeing no one respond, the Empress slowly said, "It seems that you ministers, like me, have never heard of this before. But Chu Qingluo not only recognizes it, but also made it into a soft and comfortable headrest, which is very novel. Just now, Minister Pan also said that he wanted to recommend a new person. In my opinion, she is quite suitable."

Now, the Qingming Hall fell into a deathly silence once more.

Yao Man, who had remained silent throughout, suddenly frowned and broke the silence: "Your Majesty is wise! I also recommend Chu Qingluo." Although it was a seconding of her opinion, it was still a risky decision.

Another round of discussion broke out inside the hall.

The position of a sixth-rank female official would be most advantageous for the Sixth Princess if neither the Fourth Princess's nor the Eighth Princess's people could secure it today. Yao Man's decision to step forward at this moment was simply to seize this rare opportunity...