Transmigrated Female Official

At this moment, Chu Qingluo was leisurely reading a book in Guangrentang, completely unaware that her name had already been drawn into a war without gunpowder in the previous dynasty.

"Is there something you want to say?" The male attendant, He Qi, paced back and forth beside her several times, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, making it difficult for her to concentrate on her book.

Seeing her ask this, He Qicai leaned closer and whispered, "A jailer just came to deliver a message, saying that Lord Ji wants to see you... but the man looked very suspicious, so it's best if you ignore him."

"Eh? Lord Ji wants to see me?" This surprised Chu Qingluo. After all, she was not her confidante, at most a half-personal stylist. If anyone should be seeing someone, it should be Li Yan.

He Qi nodded, indicating that this was what he had heard.

Only then did Chu Qingluo begin to struggle with her decision...

At this point, Ji Jie had no chance of turning things around. What could she possibly want from her? If he went, he wouldn't be able to help her, and besides, Ji Jie didn't want to help. If he didn't go… it seemed like kicking someone when they were down.

Whether it was out of a soft heart or curiosity, Chu Qingluo finally decided to go and see what Ji Jie had to say to her.

……

Inside the prison.

When Chu Qingluo appeared before Ji Jie with a food box, Ji Jie was not only surprised, but also filled with gratitude.

At this moment, Ji Jie had become a destitute prisoner, imprisoned separately from Wu Lian. Gone was her former glamorous self; she was a completely different person compared to the flamboyant woman she once was. Her face was pale, her lips dry, and her already prominent cheekbones now appeared even more striking.

“I never expected… I gave away all my valuables and asked the jailers to pass on messages to many people, but apart from you, not a single person came.” When Ji Jie said this, besides self-mockery, there was more of a desolate feeling of having seen through the coldness of human relationships.

...So that's how it is. Chu Qingluo was speechless.

"Lord Ji, I brought you some food." Although she didn't like Ji Jie, she didn't harbor any deep hatred for her and couldn't bring herself to treat her cruelly. She opened the food box and handed over the plate containing potato cakes.

Ji Jie's eyes lit up when she saw the potato cakes. She grabbed one and stuffed it into her mouth, completely disregarding her image. Because she disliked the poor food in the prison, she was often so hungry that her eyes were practically sparkling.

Seeing her like this, Chu Qingluo served her another bowl of mustard green and pork porridge.

"...Thank you." Ji Jie took the porridge while chewing on a potato pancake and drank it down in big gulps.

After wolfing down her food, a bit of color returned to Ji Jie's face.

"Qingluo, I need your help." Ji Jie's hand reached through the wooden fence and gripped Chu Qingluo's hand tightly. "Please pass a message to the Fifth Prince, and tell him to plead for me! I don't want to be exiled to Bingshan! It's freezing cold there all year round, I'll freeze to death! I beg you!"

"...Lord Ji, please loosen your grip." Ji Jie said excitedly, and was also exerting force on her hand. Only after Chu Qingluo said this did she reluctantly let go.

Chu Qingluo really didn't understand why Ji Jie would think of asking Ji Qili for help. "Lord Ji, I can help you pass on the message, but I can't guarantee that the Fifth Prince will be willing to help you with this."

"He will... Even though he didn't come to see me, I know he will definitely help me!" Ji Jie kept muttering to herself.

Chu Qinglu really wanted to ask her where her confidence came from.

"Lord Ji, I will give it a try, but I cannot guarantee the outcome." She did not believe that Ji Qili would interfere in this matter, so she reiterated this point.

Ji Jie nodded, excitedly saying, "Tell him that I, Ji Jie, truly have feelings for him, and beg him to remember the nights we spent together and save me!"

...Wait, what?!

If she wasn't hallucinating, Ji Jie had just said the words "spend the night together"...

Ji Jie and Ji Qili?! ...

Damn it! Ji Qili is such a disgusting scumbag! A disgrace! He's sharing his pleasures with Ji Jie while simultaneously begging her to come to his door, saying things like "I won't give up"! Luckily, she's not the naive girl she used to be, or she would have been fooled by his innocent and hypocritical face long ago!

Chu Qingluo took several deep breaths, trying to calm the lingering shock in her heart.

Finally, she gritted her teeth and said firmly, "Don't worry, I will definitely pass on this message."

……

After leaving the prison, Chu Qingluo went straight to the Changming Palace.

People who look like this are just as hypocritical, whether in ancient or modern times. She couldn't wait to tear off Ji Qili's mask and see just how thick it was!

At that moment, they happened to encounter Ji Qili practicing his sword in the courtyard.

Seeing his powerful posture, sharp sword, and unstoppable momentum... Chu Qingluo's fierce aura was subtly diminished by more than half...

This couldn't have come at the worst possible time!

Will offending him now result in a fatal blow?

Just as he was having second thoughts, Ji Qili stopped. "Qingluo?"

Seeing Chu Qingluo's beautiful figure standing straight by the door, he was pleasantly surprised. Seeing that she had come alone, carrying a food box, he felt an indescribable sweet anticipation.

He quickly moved closer to her: "Let me guess, you're not here to exchange your potted plants today, are you?"

Chu Qinglu forced an ugly smile and pointed to the long sword in his hand: "Could you put it down first?"

Ji Qili was taken aback at first, then laughed heartily, threw the sword to his attendants, and dismissed them.

"Can you tell me now?" He winked at her.

...Chu Qinglu felt nauseous!

She gasped and said, "I just went to see Lord Ji."

"..." Ji Qili stared wide-eyed, clearly surprised: "So this food box is...?"

"Yes, we brought her some food."

So it wasn't for him after all. Ji Qili raised an eyebrow helplessly, waiting for her to continue.

"She asked me to pass on a message to the Fifth Prince." Chu Qinglu deliberately stared straight at his face, and after catching a fleeting hint of unease on his face, she continued, "She said that she truly loves you, and begs you to save her for the sake of the love and care you shared in the past! She doesn't want to be exiled to the bitterly cold Bingshan."

She said it all in one breath. Of course, the "loving and affectionate" part was embellished by her.

...The two just stared at each other. Chu Qinglu had no idea what Ji Qili was thinking, how could he still have the nerve to look her in the eye?

"Why did you go to see her?" He asked, his first question seemingly irrelevant.

"Because she wanted to see me."

His gaze deepened as he looked at her and said, "Do you know that at a time like this, everyone else is avoiding suspicion, but you insist on forging ahead?"

“If you are upright, you don’t fear your own shadow.”

Seeing that he had no intention of responding to Ji Jie's message, Chu Qingluo didn't want to continue arguing with him and said coldly, "The message has been delivered, so I'm leaving."

Just as she was about to turn around, Ji Qili grabbed her arm: "Qingluo..."

She pulled her hand away from his, glanced at him, and sneered, "By the way, before this, Ji Jie even asked me to tailor a set of clothes for her, saying that she was very happy to prepare it for her to greet you. Although I don't approve of her character, at least her feelings for you are genuine."

Unlike him, who is so hypocritical!

After walking a few steps, I heard his voice behind me again: "Are you angry with me?"

"How could that be! The Fifth Prince is overthinking things." This time, he left without looking back.

Chu Qingluo was indeed angry! But that didn't mean she cared about Ji Qili as a person! It was just that his face and actions were exactly like that of her first love, that scumbag, causing her to project her anger onto him. She originally wanted to slap him to vent her anger…

Thank goodness, seeing his longsword helped me regain my composure! Thank goodness, thank you Jesus, thank you Goddess!