Transmigrated Female Official

144. A humble opinion.

Faced with Yao Man's persistent questioning, Ji Qiran frowned and replied, "I can't explain it clearly."

Even he himself was a little confused, because he felt that Chu Qingluo before and after losing her memory was a completely different person.

Yao Man thought he was just giving her a perfunctory answer, and said urgently, "Since we're going to lay it all out today, you should tell us everything clearly!"

Ji Qiran glanced at her, sighed softly, and replied, "If you insist on giving me a reason, I can only say that I am deeply attracted by her every smile and gesture, and I don't want to miss a single word she says."

Upon hearing this answer, Yao Man's heart skipped a beat! Although she still didn't understand what Chu Qingluo possessed that she lacked, Ji Qiran's heart was already firmly tied to Chu Qingluo, leaving her no room to make any effort.

She didn't know where she went wrong; she only knew that she had lost completely.

"Would you ask her to open the door?" Yao Man tried to remain calm, but her voice trembled.

"...She didn't agree." This was tantamount to touching Ji Qiran's sore spot. He curled his lips and continued, "But it doesn't matter, she'll agree sooner or later."

His words left Yao Man feeling like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat!

She wanted to vent her frustrations, and even wanted to smash up the cold Changxuan Palace to release all her pent-up emotions... But in reality, she couldn't do anything!

Ji Qiran looked at her, his eyes filled with apology. "It's all my fault. I should have told you sooner."

Yao Man sneered. Ji Qiran owed her nothing! From the moment she chose to support Princess Anyang because of him, it had all been wishful thinking on her part! Who could she blame?!

In that instant, it felt as if I had become a mute, numb with heartache!

……

On this day, after the newly made down comforter for the Empress had been aired out for several days, Chu Qingluo packed it into a box and brought it into the Phoenix Palace.

The Empress looked at the large box placed in front of her and asked in surprise, "Lord Chu, what's in this box?"

"Your Majesty, this box contains down comforters." Chu Qingluo replied as she opened the box, but a goose smell still wafted out.

The Empress frowned and covered her nose, saying, "Why does this thing smell?"

"Your Majesty, this down comforter is both warm and light, made from carefully selected white goose down, and is absolutely a top-quality product for keeping warm. Although the smell still lingers, it does not affect its functionality."

The Empress raised an eyebrow, clearly disbelieving. "You mean just this thin layer is enough to protect you from the winter?"

"Exactly."

"But this thing doesn't even look as thick and warm as fur."

"Your Majesty, I dare to suggest that you wait until the weather gets colder before trying this down comforter. I guarantee it will keep you warm."

Seeing Chu Qingluo's strong recommendation, the Empress said casually, "Alright then, since you say so, I will accept it for now. Thank you for your trouble, Lord Chu."

"That's what I should do," Chu Qingluo replied politely. She planned to wait until the Empress had actually tried it and thought it was excellent before recommending Jiang Hua and the Imperial Kitchen for credit.

……

As night falls, moonlight shines on the yellow glazed tiles.

A man in a grey-blue robe strode across the carved blue bricks outside the Phoenix Palace, arriving at the palace gate in the blink of an eye. Only after Chong Huan emerged from inside the palace and nodded slightly to him did he step inside.

"Is it Ziyan who has arrived?" The Empress's voice came from the inner palace.

The man in the gray-blue robe had also arrived at the inner hall. He stepped forward with a smile and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty has excellent hearing."

“Your footsteps always sound so hurried.” The Empress leaned back on the bench and reached out her hand to him.

“Ziyan wouldn’t dare keep Her Majesty waiting.” He smiled, bowed, took the Empress’s hand, and sat down next to her. “Just now, when I passed through the outer hall, I saw a quilt set up next to the incense burner. Is Your Majesty going to scent the quilt?”

"Yes, those bedding were presented by Lord Chu a couple of days ago. He said they were made of white goose down and were quite warm."

Upon hearing Chu Qingluo's name, Ziyan felt a surge of warmth. "Back when I was still in the clothing workshop, I often saw Lord Chu coming up with many novel gadgets."

The Empress nodded slightly: "She does indeed have many ingenious ideas. However, I find the bedding still has a slight odor, so I'll scent it with incense for now."

Seeing the Empress say this, Ziyan thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Your Majesty is truly kind-hearted. I, Ziyan, have always been unable to resist trying out new things immediately."

Seeing the gleam in his eyes, the Empress laughed: "Since Ziyan is so eager, then tonight I'll let you try it for me first."

Upon hearing this, Ziyan exclaimed with delight, "How honored I am to be able to test things on behalf of His Majesty!"

His words came from the bottom of his heart. Even if it meant testing poison for the Empress, he would be willing. Besides, this was something that wasn't ingested, and it was personally made by Chu Qingluo, so it was absolutely safe.

"Alright, then you can try out the bedding tonight."

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!" Ziyan bowed happily again.

……

The following day, after the morning court session, the Empress summoned Chu Qingluo to the Phoenix Palace.

"Minister Chu, please excuse the formalities and take a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Chu Qingluo was somewhat flattered. But judging from the Empress's address of "my beloved minister," she was certain that her summons must be for a good reason, so she sat down with peace of mind.

"The down comforter presented by Minister Chu is indeed a fine product," the Empress said bluntly. "Ziyan said that in this weather, he sweats as soon as he covers himself with it. He didn't believe that such a light thing could be so warm, so he tried it again and ended up sweating for two nights." The Empress seemed a little amused as she spoke of this.

Upon hearing that Ziyan had tried first, Chu Qingluo immediately understood that he must have subtly spoken well of her, and silently thanked him in her heart. "It must have been difficult for Lord Ziyan."

"That's because he was impatient and eager to try new things." The Empress's red lips curved into a smile as she said, "Minister Chu, you must have put a lot of thought into making these bedding, right?"

Chu Qingluo gestured with her hands: "Your Majesty, when making these beddings, Lord Jiang Hua and everyone in the Imperial Kitchen helped me a lot, which is why they were able to complete them smoothly."

The Empress nodded: "Such a fine product should be promoted throughout the country."

"This..." Upon hearing the Empress's bold words, Chu Qingluo couldn't help but feel worried for the geese and ducks. "However, the amount of down needed for this one quilt is quite large, so the cost is relatively high. I'm afraid it won't be enough to satisfy the entire Ji Kingdom for the time being."

"Hmm..." The Empress pondered for a moment before sighing, "It's truly a pity!"

“It is a blessing for the people that His Majesty cares for them.” Chu Qingluo paused, then continued, “I believe that we can first build a large-scale breeding farm outside the palace to raise ducks and geese in large quantities. This way, we can supply the imperial meals in the palace and also sell them to the people at a reasonable price. Most importantly, we should keep the down.”

Seeing that the Empress remained silent, Chu Qingluo added, "This is merely a humble opinion of yours..."