Transmigrated Female Official

132 Moonlit Beauty

Just as Chu Qingluo was struggling with her own thoughts, Luo Lifei suddenly screamed in a frenzy, "Ahhh—!"

"You scared me to death!" Peony patted her chest, still shaken. "People will think there was a murder in the inner hall!"

Sure enough, the scream attracted He Qi. He rushed in, looking flustered, and asked, "Lord Chu, what happened?"

Chu Qinglu smiled and said, "It's alright, don't worry, you can go ahead and do your work."

"……Yes."

After He Qi left, she turned to Luo Lifei and said, "Don't be discouraged. Let's try to find a way to get my second brother to help!"

"How do we try?" Luo Lifei and Shaoyao immediately became interested and quickly gathered around, their four eyes fixed on Chu Qingluo with anticipation, as if they were placing all their hopes on her.

Chu Qinglu subconsciously shrank back a little and said weakly, "...I haven't thought about it yet."

"Tch—" The two of them parted ways with extreme disgust.

"Hey, I have to criticize you guys! Your attitude is really bad! But we can always find a solution!"

……

Emerging from the palace, Chu Qingluo sat in a carriage bound for the renowned clothing store. As the carriage passed through a bustling market, she suddenly heard someone outside shouting, "A spectacle! A spectacle! Ladies and gentlemen, do not miss this rare sight!"

"……what?"

Chu Qingluo's curiosity was instantly piqued, and she stopped the carriage with the Nine-Tailed Fox. She got out of the carriage, walked up to the vendor, and asked, "What wonder are you talking about?"

"Miss, you're in luck!" the vendor said with great enthusiasm. "Tomorrow night, on the lawn by Suyin Lake, there will be beautiful women under the moon for you to enjoy."

"A beauty under the moon?!" Chu Qingluo's eyes lit up suddenly. She licked her lips and asked with delight, "What beauty? How beautiful?" She had long wanted to see a beauty of the caliber of the Four Beauties of ancient China.

The vendor chuckled, "Miss, you're too kind. Aren't you a stunning beauty yourself?" His words were as sweet as honey, and he added with a smile, "The 'Moonlight Beauty' is a rare flower. It only blooms at night, and it is incredibly beautiful."

Chu Qinglu pouted in disappointment: "You mean the epiphyllum?"

The vendor looked extremely surprised and said, "Miss, you recognize it?!"

“That’s right.” She sighed softly and said, “I thought there would really be a beautiful woman to see.”

"Uh..." The vendor looked embarrassed. He didn't understand why she, as a woman, would be interested in admiring beautiful women. However, this did not dampen his enthusiasm at all, and he continued to describe the scene relentlessly: "There are vast fields of beauties under the moon! Just imagine, a whole field of flowers blooming under the moon at the same time, that sight is absolutely spectacular!"

“Hmm, that seems to be true.” Chu Qingluo also cooperated fully.

"It's already November. In previous years, the flowers would have already withered by this time. I reckon tomorrow night will be the last time they bloom, so Miss, you can't miss it."

Seeing the vendor's enthusiastic recommendation, she became curious and asked, "What benefit do you get from this spectacle?"

"Ahem." The vendor scratched his head sheepishly. "Tomorrow night, someone will fence off the lawn around Suyin Lake. Only those who have paid money can go in to admire it. If you like this flower, you can buy it right now."

"I knew it, this is the key point." Chu Qingluo raised an eyebrow and asked, "How much silver is needed to view this scene?"

"Ten silver coins each, guaranteed to be beautiful."

Chu Qinglu nodded, indicating that she understood. Just as she was boarding the carriage, she heard the vendor still enthusiastically calling out to her, "The spectacle should appear at the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), Miss, please don't miss it!"

Chu Qinglu smiled and sat back in the carriage. One hour is two hours, and it's uncertain when the flowers will bloom, which means she has to be there very early. She hadn't decided whether to join in the fun or not.

Like the ephemeral beauty of the night-blooming cereus, its brilliance is fleeting, lasting only a moment. The fact that beautiful things cannot last is a source of regret.

……

Back at the boutique, Chu Qingluo quietly drew patterns in the inner room. At this moment, Ling Nan approached her to discuss a few issues related to the pattern design. After some discussion, the problems were quickly resolved.

Chu Qingluo stared intently at Ling Nan, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She asked him, "Don't you like Luo Lifei?"

Seeing that she suddenly shifted from the issue of the design to this matter, Ryonan was completely confused by the question, but still answered honestly, "Yes."

"Then how come you're still so calmly making clothes here every day?" It's as if someone else is the one who likes Luo Lifei.

“…” Ling Nan glanced at Chu Qingluo and said indifferently, “This is my job. I get paid a monthly salary, so naturally I have to do the work.”

“But I’ve arranged for you to have five days off every month, yet you’re still staying at the clothing store. When will you ever have time to pursue Luo Lifei?” Although she liked employees who loved working overtime, life should have more fun.

Hearing this, Ling Nan opened his mouth slightly, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped. Finally, he lowered his head and fiddled with the paper pattern in his hand for a moment, and said, "Lord Luo is outstanding, how could I possibly be worthy of him?"

"Tsk." With Ryonan's dull appearance, it's no wonder he failed to attract Lorifei's attention. "I really can't stand your attitude of giving up before even trying."

After she finished saying those words to deliberately provoke him, Ling Nan's brows furrowed slightly, but then immediately relaxed.

"Tomorrow night there will be a spectacular sight of the moonlit beauties blooming in profusion. It's said that this will be the last time they bloom this year. Would you like to invite Luo Lifei to go see it together?"

Although Ryonan still didn't answer, a hint of attraction could be seen in his flickering eyes.

Chu Qingluo seized the opportunity and said, "Just imagine, on the lawn by Suyin Lake, a large number of beauties under the moon slowly bloom. This scene is truly spectacular!" She copied the vendor's words and tone exactly as he had spoken to her.

Ignoring her reverie, Ryonan suddenly stood up, walked to the side, picked up a pair of scissors, and prepared to start cutting the fabric.

"Ugh—" Chu Qingluo followed speechlessly, slamming her hands down on the fabric on the table. "Hey, can't you give me some kind of reaction?"

“Yes, it’s a spectacle,” he replied.

"So, are you going to ask Luo Lifei out or not?!" Chu Qingluo was getting anxious.

Thinking that Ryonan would continue to dawdle, he surprisingly nodded decisively this time: "Yes."

"...Ha! Leave this to me, I'll go and arrange a meeting with her for you!" Luckily, she didn't waste her breath.

"Thank you, Master."

Because Chu Qingluo was both the shop owner and a female official, the people at Mingyi Shop would occasionally address her that way.

"You're welcome. Remember to dress neatly and cleanly for tomorrow night." She reminded him, afraid he might become hopelessly dull.

"..."

Using Ling Nan to test Chu Yilin's feelings. Although this method is quite old-fashioned, good methods never go out of style. Besides, if Chu Yilin is truly unmoved, then it would be good to bring Ling Nan and Luo Lifei together. After all, Ling Nan is a very reliable person, and Chu Qingluo sincerely hopes he can find happiness.