Transmigrated Female Official

156 I'm relieved to hear you say that.

Seeing that Chu Qingluo had just gone out and returned with such a miraculous medicine, Gongsun Yu couldn't help but ask, "Was it a gift from the Seventh Prince?"

Chu Qingluo nodded truthfully, put the pill back into the small porcelain bottle, and tightened the sieve tightly. "There's only one of these, it's far too precious, I can't accept it."

“…I don’t think so,” Gongsun Yu said. “This Hundred Herbs Pill must have been hard to come by. If you were to return it like this, I doubt the Seventh Prince would agree. There’s also an even more important reason: I would feel more at ease if you carried it with you.”

Hearing Gongsun Yu's words, Chu Qingluo thought about it and agreed. If they went back, Ji Qiran might do something crazy again...

Seeing a beautiful jade pendant on her table, Gongsun Yu suddenly felt that it looked familiar and asked, "I feel like I've seen this jade pendant somewhere before."

She gave an awkward laugh and said, "This also belongs to Ji Qiran. I'll return it another day." She could accept the pills, but she still had to return the jade pendant.

Looking at the expensive jade pendant, Gongsun Yu involuntarily pulled his hand back from the box.

But the sharp-eyed Chu Qingluo still noticed and asked, "What are you holding in your hand?" She stared intently at the wooden box in his hand, her eyes lighting up, and asked again, "Is it a gift for me?"

Seeing that she had already discovered it, Gongsun Yu had no choice but to place the item on the table, move it in front of her, and say, "This is a gift for you."

"Wow--"

Chu Qingluo happily picked up the box and eagerly opened it, discovering a flat, smooth stone inside. It was a flat oval shape with a glossy surface and beautiful, straight lines of red, brown, and yellow. It was also strung with a red cord.

"...It's so beautiful!" She picked it up, admiring it, and asked, "Is this agate?"

"Hmm." Gongsun Yu nodded and said, "Agate is used to ward off evil spirits. This was blessed by the abbess of the Goddess Temple. I hope it will bring good luck to Qingluo." After saying that, he took the item and hung it around her neck.

Chu Qingluo looked down at the small red stone, her face a mixture of joy and worry, and said, "This gift is wonderful! But I haven't prepared anything yet..."

"Yes, I have one." Gongsun Yu showed the red envelope and said, "Didn't you already prepare this for everyone?"

Knowing he was trying to comfort her, she looked at him with gratitude and said, "Thank you, Gongsun." After saying that, she stood up, reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her head on his chest.

She truly didn't know what she had done to deserve such consideration and devotion from Gongsun Yu and Ji Qiran...

Gongsun Yu wrapped his arms around her. He knew that with his abilities, he couldn't possibly provide the same level of protection as Ji Qiran. But for him, her safety and well-being were the most important things.

……

Every year on the first day of the Lunar New Year at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the Empress would, as was customary, go to the Temple of Heaven to perform a sacrificial ceremony to pray for the well-being of all people.

The palace ladies-in-waiting were also required to accompany them.

Because she hadn't slept a wink while staying up all night, Chu Qingluo wasn't very energetic. Coupled with the biting cold wind, she could only keep her head down and keep walking forward.

As she approached the steps of the Temple of Heaven, she was momentarily careless and stepped on the trailing cloak of the person in front of her.

"I'm sorry! Please forgive me, Lord Yao!" Chu Qingluo quickly apologized to Yao Man.

Yao Man pouted awkwardly and said, "Lord Chu, please be careful." After saying that, she turned around and continued walking forward.

"Phew..." Chu Qingluo let out a soft breath, feeling much more awake now.

The day after the Yibinge incident, Yao Man apologized to Chu Qingluo before attending the morning court session. She said that she had drunk too much and didn't remember what happened afterwards, asking Chu Qingluo not to take it to heart.

Chu Qingluo figured she would be dealing with Yao Man for a long time to come, and since Yao Man had already given her a way out, she might as well let her back down. So Chu Qingluo was quite happy to accept Yao Man's explanation.

Just as she took her position, Chu Qingluo suddenly noticed a resentful gaze coming from the second level of the Temple of Heaven. She involuntarily met that gaze.

The owner of that resentful gaze was none other than Ji Qili.

She met his gaze without flinching. If he thought she would show any sign of weakness after experiencing such terrible things, he would be sorely mistaken!

“Fifth Brother—you’ve become even more radiant since you entered the sect.” Ji Qiran, standing next to Ji Qili, suddenly spoke up, interrupting the tense stare between Ji Qili and Chu Qingluo.

Ji Qili sneered and said, "This is all thanks to Seventh Brother."

Ji Qiran smiled dismissively: "Fifth Brother, please don't say that. Everything depends on one's own fate. This is what you deserve."

Hearing Ji Qiran's sarcastic remarks, Ji Qili became even more displeased. He gritted his teeth secretly... He would settle this score with them sooner or later.

All he needs to do is continue to wait patiently...

……

After the sacrificial ceremony, the palace took a three-day break.

Early on the third day of the Lunar New Year, Chu Qingluo led the Chu family and the people from Mingyifang to the center of Yancheng to wait for Luo Lifei's sedan chair to appear.

According to custom, all the grand sedan chairs used for coming-of-age ceremonies in Yancheng will first go around the market center. If the lucky charms are not thrown out during the procession, they will eventually return to the busiest place and throw them out again.

Just before leaving, Chu Qingluo went to Zhuqing Courtyard to call Chu Yilin, but he refused to attend, saying he still needed to sleep.

"Are you sure Chu Yilin will show up?" Gongsun Yu asked.

"...Only 70%, not 100% certain."

Chu Qingluo gazed at the snowflakes falling from the sky and couldn't help but reach out her hand... The snowflakes landed on her warm palm and quickly melted into water. "If Second Brother really doesn't come, then let him regret it to the fullest."

Gongsun Yu smiled after hearing this and said, "That's right. If I hadn't come to snatch it back then, I would have regretted it to death."

Chu Qingluo looked at him with a smile and said, "You did a good job."

Although her own judgment was not bad, and Wu Yang was very good, the shock that Gongsun Yu brought her was still much greater.

"I'm relieved to hear that," Gongsun Yu said with a smile, putting his arm around her shoulder as they waited together for Luo Lifei's sedan chair.

Seeing this, Wu Yang quickly turned his head away, avoiding the scene that he envied.

As the music grew closer, Tongmu couldn't help but swallow hard. At this moment, his heart was pounding with anxiety.

Before long, a large sedan chair carried by four men could be vaguely seen being led towards the center. But the girl sitting in the sedan chair... looked rather strange; her hair seemed to be covered with a bunch of gaudy things.

From what I understand, this doesn't seem like Luo Lifei's taste at all; she should be even more beautiful today...