Transmigrated Female Official

17. The role of Gongsun

Half an incense stick later, Chu Qingluo had gone from being a chick pecking at rice to lying flat on the table and fast asleep.

Gongsun Yu then quietly got up and carefully carried her back to bed.

That night, Chu Qingluo had a very long dream. In her dream, she was still able to fall asleep with her head on her ex-boyfriend's arm. He hadn't gone abroad, they hadn't broken up, and their sweetness remained. He Yun and Momo scolded her every day for prioritizing her boyfriend over her friends…

When I awoke from my dream, it was already dawn; the past was gone forever.

When Chu Qingluo opened her eyes, she saw her arm draped over Gongsun Yu's waist... very intimately. She quietly withdrew her hand, sat up straight, and couldn't remember when she had gotten into bed. Fortunately, Gongsun Yu was still asleep, so she got up and left.

Today was her day off, and she dressed in light clothing. Gongsun Yu also got up during breakfast.

"Qingluo." He looked radiant, which made Jiuwei and Tongmu unable to help but cast envious glances at him.

"Gongsun, come quickly." Chu Qingluo shook the pancake in her hand, inviting him to eat together.

"Okay." He sat down next to her.

The two ate quietly without saying a word. But in Kurama's and Kirito's eyes, it was already a sweet breakfast. Kurama stared with envious eyes, while Kirito gave him a helpless look of 'deep sympathy'.

Before they had finished their breakfast, Steward Li brought word that Lord Gongsun had arrived in the main hall. The two of them, without even finishing their meal, quickly got up and went to meet him. Chu Qingluo swallowed the half-eaten biscuit in her mouth as she walked, and Gongsun Yu even used his finger to wipe the grease from the corner of her mouth.

The scene made her feel inexplicably nervous, like an ugly daughter-in-law meeting her in-laws...

Upon entering the main hall, one could see Gongsun Ruyi dressed in a magnificent brocade adorned with peony flowers, sitting on a sandalwood chair, holding her family's gold-threaded teacup, chatting with Chu's mother. She appeared to be a few years older than Chu's mother.

Chu Qingluo took a deep breath and bowed to her, saying, "Lord Gongsun."

Gongsun Yu smiled and bowed, saying, "Mother."

Gongsun Ruyi smiled faintly, nodded to them, and gestured for the two to sit down.

After examining Chu Qingluo, Gongsun Ruyi turned to Chu's mother and said, "The Chu family's daughter is naturally beautiful, and her reputation is well-deserved."

Although Gongsun Ruyi was an old acquaintance of Grandmother Chu, she had never met Chu's mother, let alone Chu Qingluo. However, on the day of Chu Qingluo's coming-of-age ceremony, Yancheng was in an uproar, and she had heard about it. She never expected that it would be her own son who received her lucky charm.

"You flatter me, sir." In front of outsiders, Chu's mother still showed some modesty.

"I heard from Yu'er that Qingluo also works in the palace. I wonder what rank she holds?"

Chu Qingluo replied respectfully, "It is in the clothing workshop of Lord Li, who is of the ninth rank."

“Oh, her…” Gongsun Ruyi raised her eyebrows, paused, and then said, “She should be able to learn something from a smart person.”

"Yes..." Although Chu Qingluo did not understand the deeper meaning behind Gongsun Ruyi's words, she knew that Li Ziyou was a smart person.

In reality, this meeting was merely a formality, a chance to get acquainted so that they wouldn't be strangers if they met on the street later. Therefore, Gongsun Ruyi didn't stay long. She chatted casually about family matters, made polite remarks such as asking the Chu family to take care of Gongsun Yu in the future, and finally gave Gongsun Yu a few casual instructions before leaving.

After seeing Gongsun Ruyi off, Chu's mother asked considerately, "Gongsun, you've just entered our Chu family, so you're probably still getting used to it. Did you sleep well at Qingluo's place yesterday?" She then gave Chu Qingluo a meaningful look.

Chu Qingluo suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Was her mother implying that their sexual relationship was harmonious? ...Why was she meddling so much?!

"Thank you for your concern, Madam. I slept very soundly last night." Gongsun Yu bowed slightly and smiled.

"Well, that's good. I've been looking forward to you two giving the Chu family a daughter soon." Mother Chu nodded in satisfaction. Just as she was about to leave, she remembered something: "Oh, by the way, let's leave it for today. Take Gongsun to visit Grandmother another day. She said she misses her granddaughter." After Chu Qingluo agreed, Mother Chu turned and left.

"Phew..." Fortunately, Gongsun Yu wasn't a talkative person, otherwise this noblewoman who was so eager to have a granddaughter would have gotten angry with her. Chu Qingluo was very satisfied with this, silently adding 0.1 points to his score in her mind.

The two walked slowly back to Ningxiang Courtyard. Gongsun Yu still had a slight smile on his face: "It's your day off today. Is there anything you'd like to do, Qingluo?"

She thought for a moment and replied, "Well... there is something I'd like to ask you for help with."

“No problem, please speak.” Gongsun Yu agreed readily.

"Teach me...to read." She really couldn't understand the characters here. If she didn't learn, she probably wouldn't be able to survive in the palace. If she was just expelled from the palace, that would be one thing, but she was afraid of being accused of cheating on exams or buying and selling official positions, and then she would be finished. But Jiuwei and Tongmu didn't know many characters either, and Chu Yilin was even more elusive. She didn't dare let anyone else in the palace know for the time being, so she could only worry in her heart.

"You can't read???" Gongsun Yu's reaction was exactly what she had expected. "How do I pass the official examination?"

Chu Qinglu sighed and then vividly recounted how she fell and lost her memory, emphasizing that she couldn't even recognize her mother after waking up, let alone her handwriting.

"..." In Gongsun Yu's opinion, the fall was too severe, and he didn't know how to comfort her for a moment. He could only say, "I have moved a lot of books here. They are in my room. I will go and get them now."

"Okay." Seeing his high level of cooperation, Chu Qingluo couldn't fall behind. She immediately returned to her desk in the room, spread out her writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and waited.

Gongsun Yu quickly brought in a stack of books, rolled up his sleeves, and said, "Let's start with your name." After saying that, he quickly picked up a pen and wrote the three characters 'Chu Qingluo' on the paper.

“Horizontal…vertical…horizontal…” She followed along, copying the characters… Suddenly, she remembered writing calligraphy with a fountain pen in elementary school. Sigh, after living for almost twenty-five years, she still has to start from scratch. It’s ridiculous.

"You need to apply force here for this horizontal stroke..." Gongsun Yu was quite the teacher. Seeing that she was still writing haphazardly without any method, he simply walked behind her, gently took her hand, and began to teach her step by step.

Seeing his extreme focus and seriousness, Chu Qingluo felt embarrassed to continue being casual and obediently followed along to learn.

Gongsun Yu's role in the Chu household rose rapidly.