Transmigrated Female Official

To Chu Qingluo's surprise, there were indeed many matters to discuss at today's morning court session.

For some reason, the Eighth Princess suddenly became out of line and asked the Empress to recruit more cloud attendants this year, since the Cloud Palace had not held a selection of cloud attendants for a long time.

The selection of Cloud Attendants for the Cloud Palace falls within the purview of the Guangren Hall, so Chu Qingluo is well aware of this. In the past two years, the Empress has lost much interest in collecting Cloud Attendants; those selected are mostly kept as rewards, ultimately intended for the heir to the throne. This matter had been overlooked, but the Eighth Princess has brought it up again today.

At first, the Empress remained unmoved and didn't bother with any further action. The Eighth Princess, however, continued to feign a pitiful state, saying, "Your Majesty, I humbly beg you to select a concubine for your three children! None of us three have yet given birth to an heir; our future is bleak, Your Majesty—"

Longkui frowned in displeasure when she noticed that the Eighth Princess was once again ignoring her advice and speaking recklessly. However, since the Eighth Princess had already spoken, she could only step forward and agree: "Your Majesty, Princess Xile is absolutely right. Yun Shi must undergo rigorous screening at every level, and only those with robust physiques will be allowed to remain. Perhaps these people can bring offspring to the Ji Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, Chu Qingluo understood. This was a pretext for selecting male attendants for the princesses under the guise of choosing imperial concubines. However, since the suggestion came from the Eighth Princess, she felt a vague, inexplicable unease.

"The matter of the Phoenix Heir is indeed of utmost urgency..." This concerns the future of the Ji Kingdom, and the Empress is very anxious. She then called out, "Lord Chu."

Chu Qingluo was already prepared and immediately stepped forward: "Your Majesty."

"The matter of selecting Yun Shi will be handled by Guangrentang. I hereby order you to take charge of it immediately."

"Your humble servant obeys the decree."

Just as Chu Qingluo was about to retreat, the Eighth Princess spoke again: "The matter of the Dragon Girl concerns the very foundation of the nation, and everyone has a responsibility. Xile believes that this year we should adopt a mandatory participation measure, instead of having the court slowly select candidates from the common people. This way, we can also save time."

What does "joy" mean?

"All men aged sixteen to thirty who have not yet entered the family should come to participate in the selection." As the Eighth Princess said this, a sly glint flashed in her eyes.

Just as Chu Qingluo had predicted, this was clearly aimed at Chu Yilin. It seemed that the Eighth Princess was going to use force against him.

"But... there are too many men in this area, making it really inconvenient to select them for the palace." The Empress felt this matter was difficult to handle.

"Your Majesty, it is well known that Lady Chu is intelligent and resourceful. She will surely find a way to resolve this matter. Furthermore, we will do our utmost to help."

The Empress hesitated for a moment, then said, "Lord Chu, the safety of the palace should be our top priority. As for the rest, you can discuss it with the princesses."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey." Chu Qingluo reluctantly accepted the order.

Chu Yilin, oh Chu Yilin, his charm is just too much. He's even forced the Eighth Princess to resort to the tactic of trapping him like a turtle in a jar… Where can he possibly escape to now?

……

"Achoo—!" Chu Yilin suddenly sneezed.

"What's with your reaction?" Ji Qiran glanced at him sideways and asked, "Didn't you already know I changed my gender?"

Today, Chu Yilin specifically asked Ji Qiran to take him to the palace, all for the purpose of confronting the Eighth Princess later. Unexpectedly, Ji Qiran first delivered a completely unexpected inner monologue, leaving him stunned and speechless! "You just said you confessed your feelings to my third sister?"

Ji Qiran nodded.

"You? Confessing your feelings?!" Chu Yilin asked again in disbelief.

Ji Qiran rolled her eyes at him and continued walking forward. "Making a fuss over nothing."

"No, you're moving way too fast! Didn't you vehemently deny it before?" Chu Yilin pressed on, following closely behind him. How could he let such a juicy juicy gossip slip by? "What did you tell her? No, no, tell me first, when did you realize you liked Third Sister?"

Ji Qiran smiled but did not answer, nor did he stop walking, letting Chu Yilin keep asking questions...

Chu Yilin still has the mood to gossip about others because he is unaware that trouble is about to befall him.

"The court hasn't adjourned yet. Now that you're here, why don't you take a stroll around?" Ji Qiran asked.

Chu Yilin had been to the palace a few times before, but he had always stayed in the Changxuan Hall and hadn't gone anywhere else. Now that Ji Qiran was in a good mood and had even suggested taking him for a stroll, he certainly couldn't miss it, so he replied, "We must go!"

Ji Qiran first led Chu Yilin on a stroll through the Imperial Garden, and finally headed towards Guangrentang. Upon seeing the peony, Chu Yilin realized that it was actually Ji Qiran who wanted to see Chu Qingluo, and had cleverly claimed he was bringing him along.

When Peony saw Ji Qiran, her eyes lit up immediately: "Seventh Prince?" Seeing Chu Yilin standing next to him, she smiled shyly: "Brother Yilin is here too?"

Chu Yilin could also see that there was admiration in Shaoyao's eyes when she looked at Ji Qiran. After greeting Shaoyao, he was happy to watch the two talk and analyze the gossip.

Ji Qiran likes Chu Qingluo, but Chu Qingluo's best friend likes Ji Qiran... In addition, Chu Qingluo's personality has changed drastically, and she has long been indifferent to Ji Qiran. It seems that the future of these two is fraught with obstacles...

"Why is Second Brother here?" Chu Qingluo returned to Guangrentang looking exhausted, only to find Chu Yilin and Ji Qiran both there. She glanced at Shaoyao subconsciously, and remembering Ji Qiran's confession, she felt a little nervous.

Ji Qiran saw her come in and smiled at her. She nodded and smiled back in response.

"Yes, I came to the palace on business and took the opportunity to visit our lady-in-waiting," Chu Yilin teased with a grin.

"Get things done?" Chu Qingluo raised an eyebrow, unable to imagine what Chu Yilin could possibly do in the palace. She continued, "Perfect timing, I have some unfortunate news to tell you, Second Brother."

After hearing this, Chu Yilin glanced at Ji Qiran, then turned back to her, his face instantly falling: "Why is it that nothing good ever comes out of your mouth? It's either bad news or a trap."

Chu Qinglu smiled, recalling the image of Chu Yilin returning from delivering pickles to Luo Lifei yesterday, completely soaked. She couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Even if it was a trap, you dug it yourself, don't blame it on me." After saying that, she put away her smile and became serious, saying, "I'm not joking with you anymore, Second Brother. I really have something to tell you."

Seeing this, Peony offered to prepare tea for them. She was secretly delighted and wished the Seventh Prince and his companions could stay longer.

"Tell me, what bad news is it this time?" Chu Yilin asked.

"The Eighth Princess proposed to His Majesty to select Yunshi (Military Attendants). The problem is that this year is different from previous years. This time, Yunshi are mainly selected for the three princesses, and all unmarried men between the ages of sixteen and thirty are required to participate." At this point, Chu Qingluo specifically emphasized to Chu Yilin, "In other words, Second Brother, you must also participate."