Transmigrated Female Official

After Chu Qingluo made her special pickled dish, it received high praise in the Chu household. Madam Chu, who was also very business-minded, insisted that Chu Qingluo write down the recipe and then ordered the kitchen to produce it in large quantities, saying that she would sell it with pastry shops.

But to everyone's surprise, since no one had ever tasted it before, only a few people bought it. And Chu's mother was greedy and made too much pickling, and because she didn't pay attention to storage, many jars of pickled food developed white bubbles, and in the end, they could only be wasted.

Chu's mother looked heartbroken and defeated.

Chu Qingluo had no choice but to step forward and comfort her: "Mother, let's not do so much at once next time, okay?"

"Sigh—" Chu's mother sighed repeatedly.

Chu Qingluo looked at her with amusement: "If you really want to sell, then listen to me."

Chu's mother's eyes suddenly lit up, then she pouted and said, "Tell me, what kind of wicked idea do you have?"

"This isn't some crazy idea; it's a scientific method... I mean, a good method."

"Say, you say."

Seeing that Chu's mother had perked up, Chu Qingluo smiled and slowly said, "Let's make two jars first, but not to sell. Instead, we'll give them to every customer who buys pastries to try for free."

"free?"

"Yes, it's free. Customers will only want to buy it after they've tried it and know how delicious it is. Besides, this stuff is cheap to make, so please don't be stingy."

After hearing this, Chu's mother asked, "How long will this free service last?"

"That depends on how people react after trying it. If more people like it, we can sell it when the time is right, but we shouldn't make too much at once, just supply a limited amount." There are no refrigerators in this day and age.

"Hmm..." Mother Chu nodded as she pondered, then after a while, she remembered to ask, "Where did you learn about sour dishes, girl? I don't know about them."

Chu Qinglu shrugged helplessly: "Self-created." Then, remembering something, she added, "Actually, you can also pickle other things, like cabbage and..."

As the mother and daughter were discussing, Butler Li suddenly came to deliver a message: "Miss, Miss Peony has arrived. She says she has something urgent to discuss with you and is waiting outside the gate."

Chu Qingluo was taken aback. It was just after dinner, and this was the first time Shaoyao had come to see her at this time. Without saying a word, she quickly went out to check the situation...

Peony stood there in a pink dress. As soon as she saw Chu Qingluo, she hooked her arm around hers with a mysterious look and said, "Qingluo, come with me to a place."

When Chu Qingluo asked where they were going, Shaoyao wouldn't say, only that she would find out later.

After walking through several streets, we finally stopped in front of a three-story wooden building painted black. Bright red lanterns hung at the entrance, and plum blossoms were planted on both sides. The plaque above read "Flowers Bloom in All Seasons," and many women were coming and going from there.

"Where is this place?" Chu Qingluo asked.

"You'll see when you come in." Peony pulled her inside without saying another word.

A man in a floral shirt greeted them with a beaming smile: "Welcome, ladies, please come in."

Peony looked around the lobby on the first floor, as if looking for someone, and after a moment said, "We want a private room on the third floor."

"Alright." The man called out towards the stairs, "Third floor, two people." He then gestured for them to proceed.

Chu Qingluo followed Shaoyao directly to the third floor, but they did not enter the private room. Instead, they stood in the corridor and looked down.

Downstairs, sapphire blue silk curtains hung all around, fluttering gently in the breeze or as someone passed by, creating a dreamlike scene. Inside the hall, a lively scene unfolded, with men and women, wine and meat galore. Even more striking was the sight of a group of men surrounding a woman, whispering sweet nothings to each other.

Chu Qingluo didn't even need to guess; she recognized it at a glance as a brothel, albeit one open only to women. She swallowed hard: "Although I'm an open-minded person, you brought me here without saying a word... at least let me be mentally prepared!"

"Oh dear, what are you thinking about?" Peony looked at her with amusement, then pointed to the round table in the center of the lobby on the first floor and said, "Look who's over there?"

Chu Qingluo narrowed her eyes and saw the woman in the long blue dress happily drinking next to a man. "...Pan Yin?"

"Yes!" Peony nodded vigorously, indicating her approval.

"What does her coming here to drink and be with courtesans have to do with us?" Chu Qingluo didn't quite understand, since this didn't violate any palace rules.

“I just ran into her on the street and followed her here.”

"and then?"

"And then? Of course, it's time to find an opportunity to strike!"

Chu Qinglu rolled her eyes: "What? You wouldn't dare to kill someone and dispose of the body, would you?"

"...Shouldn't we at least teach her a lesson?!" Peony pouted angrily, "We just can't stand by and watch someone like her take the Seventh Prince away!"

Who isn't like that?! Chu Qingluo also felt sorry for the Seventh Prince, but she couldn't really kill Pan Yin, could she? "Then tell me, what do you want to do?"

After hesitating for a while, Peony finally managed to utter a few words: "...I haven't thought of anything yet." But she didn't intend to give up, and added, "I'll observe her secretly for a while, and then come up with a foolproof plan to deal with her next time."

"Sigh." Chu Qingluo sighed softly. What kind of solution could Peony's little brain come up with? It was really not a good idea.

"Now that we're all here, let's go into the side room and think of a solution." Peony was still full of morale.

"Alright." Chu Qingluo had no choice but to play along.

The two women stayed in the private room all night discussing their plans. They ordered food and drinks, but didn't ask any men to accompany them. This prompted the man in the colorful clothes who had just served them to frequently go in and make recommendations. Waves of men from the brothel came into their room, some tall, some short, some strong, some thin, all kinds of styles for them to choose from.

This man, whose beauty could rival that of the Empress's cloud attendants, was nonetheless quite as captivating in his ability to choose his consorts... It was rather satisfying, really. Unfortunately, they were discussing important matters, and it was hardly appropriate for anyone else to be present.

The man in the floral shirt leading the group looked really grim. After all, they came here to drink and have fun, and they couldn't just leave empty-handed after paying for the food and drinks. So, Chu Qingluo wisely asked about the price.

The man in the flowery clothes said that the price for a man to accompany you for drinks in the brothel was five silver coins, and one gold coin for an overnight stay... Chu Qingluo gave him two gold coins, considering it her order, and told them to leave quickly. Although the man in the flowery clothes wasn't entirely satisfied, he had at least paid for it and didn't need to be served, so he led his entourage out of the private room.

Finally, Chu Qingluo and Shaoyao drank until midnight before leaving Four Seasons Blossoms. Surprisingly, Shaoyao had a good capacity for alcohol; the two chatted and laughed, drinking to their hearts' content, to the point that they completely forgot about their plan to prank Pan Yin and rescue the Seventh Prince.

They say drinking leads to trouble, and there's some truth to that. I should have just had the men keep me company while I drank, so I could pretend to be a rich lady or something... What a waste!

……

Because the clothing store was rushing to complete orders, Chu Qingluo hadn't lingered at Guangrentang after court these past two days, instead rushing back to the shop to draw patterns. Seeing her busy, Shaoyao, without finding a chance to discuss it with her, came up with a brilliant plan on her own…