Transmigrated Female Official

178 No backing down

Meanwhile, on the other side, several guards escorted a young man into Princess Narcissus's palace, shouting, "Don't move!"

Princess Narcissus glanced at the man's attire on the ground and asked in surprise, "What's going on here?"

One of the guards replied, "Your Highness, this man from Ji Kingdom was acting suspiciously outside your palace. I was worried that he had ill intentions, so I subdued him and handed him over to Your Highness to deal with."

The man from Ji Kingdom, kneeling on the ground, hurriedly cried out his innocence: "I had no ill intentions. I was ordered to come and request an audience with Princess Shui Xian!"

"That's quite something," Princess Narcissus laughed. "Our distinguished guests from Ji Kingdom have only just arrived today, and someone is already so eager to see me? Could it be that my name has already become renowned throughout Ji Kingdom?"

“Our master said that Princess Narcissus is the most valiant and invincible princess of the Yuezhi Kingdom, and the only one who can inherit the throne.”

"Heh—" Princess Narcissus sneered and said, "You really dare to say that. If it weren't for the fact that everyone in this hall is one of our own, I think you'd be tired of living!"

"I dare not speak nonsense. I have a letter written by my master himself on me." His hands and feet were restrained by several men, and he could not move at all.

Princess Narcissus stared at him in thought for a moment before signaling the guards to search him and retrieve the letter, which she then unfolded...

After reading the letter, her expression changed from nonchalant to unusually serious. "The favor your master wants me to do is no small matter."

"As long as the princess is willing to lend a helping hand, the master will surely do everything in his power to repay the princess."

"...But I have no intention of interfering in the affairs of your Ji Kingdom." As Princess Narcissus spoke, she held the letter in her hand to the red candle and burned it.

"Please, Your Highness, reconsider!"

"Shut up!" Princess Narcissus glared at the man and said, "You'd better disappear without a trace right now! I don't want to get myself into trouble!"

"Princess... um..." The man tried to continue pleading, but the guards covered his mouth.

Princess Narcissus said to the guards, "Don't kill him. Just knock him unconscious and throw him out." She then added, "Don't mention what happened today to anyone."

"Yes."

……

The banquet in Yuezhi Kingdom was filled with the aroma of roasted meat. Besides wine, what was laid out in front of Chu Qingluo and her companions was a pile of roasted wild game.

Zhi Jun sat opposite them, holding a perfectly roasted animal leg, charred on the outside and tender on the inside, and munching on it with relish. "You guys hurry up and start eating too, don't be shy."

Seeing that the Sixth Princess and the other two hadn't moved, Fusang smiled and explained, "What's laid out in front of you is rabbit meat, mutton, venison, and civet cat meat."

The sixth princess nodded slightly and said, "It is far too lavish."

“Sister Anyang, you are honored guests of our Yuezhi Kingdom. The civet cat was specially prepared for you.” Fusang said with a smile, “The brothers can only look on with envy.”

Zhi Jun wiped the grease from his mouth and said, "I'm not greedy, I'm busy gnawing on a deer leg." His words drew another round of laughter from the crowd.

At the banquet, the other four princes of Yuezhi Kingdom also came, and Fusang introduced them one by one to the sixth princess.

Like Zhi Jun, the others, though perhaps not as burly as him, were all strong and robust. Perhaps due to their frequent hunting trips in the mountains, their skin was even darker and shinier than Zhi Jun's.

Since the birthday of the Queen of Yuezhi is just a few days away, there were no special programs arranged for tonight's banquet. After enjoying good food and drinks, everyone returned to their palaces to rest...

The next day, Fusang and Zhijun took the Sixth Princess and the other two on a tour of the palace.

Chu Qingluo bought a bunch of things, just like she was buying souvenirs while traveling. There were all sorts of exotic herbs, and also some incense she planned to take back as gifts.

She also specially selected two jade-handled purple-haired writing brushes as gifts for Gongsun Yu and Wu Yang, and also picked out jewelry for Shao Yao and Luo Lifei. She even bought some clothes, intending to take them back to study as well.

Fortunately, Ji Qiran was there to help her; otherwise, there were so many things that she couldn't carry them all even if she used both feet. They truly came empty-handed and left laden with treasures.

The sixth princess walked around looking at things, but didn't seem to find anything that particularly pleased her, so she didn't buy anything.

Ji Qiran was drawn to some daggers and bows. After careful selection, he decided to buy one of the bows. Although this bow was not as exquisite or valuable as the ones he kept in the Changxuan Palace, it was quite unique, with the handle wrapped in tiger skin.

The people of Zhaocheng are very simple and honest. When they see these women dressed in colorful clothes, they will take the initiative to greet them with great respect.

At first, Chu Qingluo was full of worries about this trip to Yuezhi Kingdom, but now she has forgotten that feeling of tension and is having a great time.

In the following days, Fusang led Chu Qingluo in various exchanges and discussions with the palace tailors. Fusang even brought out ready-made clothes she had brought back from the famous clothing store so that Chu Qingluo could explain them more intuitively and in a more accessible way.

Because Fusang had always been fond of fruit tea, Chu Qingluo also gave the recipe for making the tea to the royal kitchen of Yuezhi Kingdom, and also taught them how to pickle sour products.

The ladies-in-waiting in the imperial kitchen were very enthusiastic. To express their gratitude, they eagerly taught Chu Qingluo how to cook the specialties of the Yuezhi Kingdom, and even how to roast a leg of lamb...

After these few days of close contact, Chu Qingluo and Fusang have come to understand each other better.

Fusang told Chu Qingluo that she was happy to be friends with her, but that she was always courageous and forward-looking when it came to people and things she liked. Even if friends liked the same person or thing, they should still compete fairly.

Chu Qingluo knew that she was referring to Ji Qiran.

Fusang's personality is indeed quite straightforward, confident, and decisive. All of these qualities earned Chu Qingluo's sincere admiration and respect.

"Between good friends, there is no room for compromise."

Fusang's words kept echoing in Chu Qingluo's ears, forcing her to recall her relationship with Shaoyao. Perhaps she really had made a huge mistake from the very beginning. If she had been as straightforward as Fusang back then, things might have been better.

……

On the day of the Yuezhi Queen's sixtieth birthday, a tall pile of wood was erected outside the spacious palace. Apart from the Queen herself, who sat on a high seat with Wu Yue standing beside her, everyone else sat on the ground around the pile of wood.

Just as the moon rose, someone threw a torch into the pile of wood. The pile of wood, perhaps doused with oil, burst into flames in an instant.

Everyone cheered and jumped for joy as they faced the fire.

Chu Qingluo's heart was also ignited with excitement! To her, the scene before her was like a huge bonfire party!

Ji Qiran sat beside Chu Qingluo, the firelight illuminating his dark eyes and clearly reflecting her radiant smile.

Once again, he longed for time to stop at this very moment.