The more Luo Zhao thought about it, the more restless she became, though she could not let any of it show on her face.
She drew a deep breath and suppressed the jealousy roiling in her heart.
First, she glanced at Lin Qingyan, who was resting with her eyes closed.
Then she turned toward the other side, where Cui Zilu was standing.
Dressed in a proper female official’s uniform, Cui Zilu held a stack of ledgers from the Imperial Household Department in her hands. Her back was straight, and she kept her eyes focused ahead, looking every bit like a serious and meticulous official.
As the legitimate daughter of the Cui Clan and the beloved pearl of the current Grand Secretary, Cui Zilu possessed absolute confidence and backing. Even though Luo Zhao was the Crown Princess, she would never treat Cui Zilu harshly.
She would give her all the respect she was due and leave her all the room she needed.
But Cui Zilu clearly had no intention of relying on her family background to coast through her position.
Instead, she had placed immense pressure on herself. She wanted to do better than Shangguan Yunying—to be even more outstanding.
She wanted Gu Chengyin to know that Cui Zilu was formidable too, and certainly not some sheltered young lady who knew nothing but embroidery.
“Zilu.”
Luo Zhao called out to her. At the summons, Cui Zilu instinctively turned around.
She quickly came to Luo Zhao’s side and gave a slight curtsy.
“What are Your Highness’s orders?”
Her voice was crisp and capable, carrying the earnestness of a new official on her very first day in office.
The ledger was tucked beneath one arm, while her other hand produced a small notebook for taking notes at a moment’s notice.
That level of professionalism hardly seemed like something one would expect from a newcomer on her first day.
Looking at Cui Zilu’s energetic appearance, Luo Zhao nodded inwardly.
After Shangguan Yunying had resigned as Chief Female Official, Luo Zhao had initially worried that the affairs of the Imperial Household Department would be difficult to manage.
After all, the department handled far more than mundane palace matters. It also dealt with a vast number of affairs requiring coordination with the outer court, as well as certain special tasks that could not be spoken of openly.
Shangguan Yunying had been able to keep everything running in perfect order through more than just ability. She also had years of accumulated experience.
Whether a newcomer like Cui Zilu could take over the position was something Luo Zhao had honestly been unsure about.
But now, it seemed that worry had been unnecessary.
Judging from the ability and potential Cui Zilu had displayed so far, she was in no way inferior to Shangguan Yunying.
Moreover, the Cui Clan behind her was even more deeply rooted in the court than the Shangguan clan, with far greater resources at its disposal.
In many matters, the power Cui Zilu could mobilize was even greater than what Shangguan Yunying had possessed.
At the very least, if anyone truly dared to make things difficult for Cui Zilu, the matter would resolve itself without the Crown Princess needing to intervene.
Of course, it would not be the matter that got resolved.
It would be the person.
“What about Gu Chengyin’s whereabouts report?”
Luo Zhao asked in a lowered voice, clear displeasure in her tone.
“It’s been nearly two hours.”
Cui Zilu could not help but freeze.
A report on Gu Chengyin’s whereabouts?
She blinked, and a subtle glimmer flashed through her lively eyes.
So this was what Her Highness and Sister Yunying had been doing behind her back...
Cui Zilu had no idea how to describe what she was feeling at that moment.
Was she shocked?
A little, but not very much.
And so, Cui Zilu quickly accepted the truth.
After all, she was actually interested in Brother Chengyin’s whereabouts herself.
No—she was extremely interested. Interested to the point of obsession.
Cui Zilu wished she could know what Gu Chengyin was doing every minute and every second, where he was, who he was with, what he had said, what he had eaten, what color underwear he was wearing, whether he was in a good mood, and so on.
She wanted to know every piece of information about him. She wanted to have every scrap of news concerning him firmly within her grasp.
The moment that thought surfaced, Cui Zilu’s eyes lit up.
That was right. She was now the Chief Female Official, and this authority had fallen directly into her hands.
For the Chief Female Official, obtaining Gu Chengyin’s whereabouts was merely a matter of moving her lips.
She did not even need any additional justification, because it fell squarely within the scope of her duties.
That thought set the little abacus in Cui Zilu’s mind clicking furiously.
The report was something Her Highness had requested. Cui Zilu was merely carrying out her orders.
What was wrong with dutifully completing a task assigned by Her Highness?
There was absolutely nothing wrong with it.
But as the Chief Female Official, she was responsible for all information submitted to Luo Zhao.
Naturally, she had both the responsibility and the duty to review it in advance, ensuring that nothing in the report could harm Her Highness.
As for whether she should keep a copy after reviewing it, that was another matter entirely.
It was all for Her Highness’s sake.
That was right—for Her Highness’s sake.
In the span of just a few breaths, Cui Zilu had thought through every detail. Then she raised her head.
Her eyes were filled with determination and a sense of mission as she declared loudly, “Rest assured, Your Highness. I’ll go see what’s happened right away!”
With that, she turned and left without the slightest hesitation.
Watching Cui Zilu’s clean, decisive departure, Luo Zhao could not help but smile in satisfaction.
What a wonderful girl. She handled matters briskly, acted with swift decisiveness, never dragged her feet, and was so adorable on top of that.
She might not be as well-endowed as Shangguan Yunying, but she had a charm all her own.
And when that earnest attitude and sense of responsibility were combined with Cui Zilu’s figure and appearance...
She was practically a loli mom.
Just then, Lin Qingyan, who had been resting with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them.
Her gaze turned toward the blue sky and white clouds outside the hall, and a trace of solemnity appeared in her eyes.
“Zhao’er, I have a bad feeling.”
Luo Zhao’s heart lurched.
Had Lin Qingyan noticed what she was hiding in her arms?
No. She could not frighten herself over nothing.
Luo Zhao quickly calmed herself and managed her expression in the shortest time possible.
She turned her head slightly toward Lin Qingyan and asked with feigned confusion, “What is it, Auntie? Is there something wrong with the sect representatives?”
Her voice was as steady as ever, carrying a hint of concern for her elder and the seriousness appropriate to the matter at hand. Not the slightest trace of guilt could be heard.
Lin Qingyan’s gaze remained fixed on the blue sky and white clouds beyond the hall. Her brows drew together slightly, and she replied hesitantly, “It shouldn’t be. Although the cultivation of these sects’ Golden Core cultivators has improved considerably, they are still far inferior to me.”
Her confidence and domineering presence were unmistakable.
But immediately afterward, hesitation crept back into her voice.
“It feels... as if someone is trying to take something of mine.”
Luo Zhao had not yet had time to react to Lin Qingyan’s words when Cui Zilu’s figure appeared at the entrance of the hall.
Her chest was heaving violently, and it was obvious that she had run all the way there.
She had even forgotten to bow, abandoning every rule of etiquette expected of the Chief Female Official.
Before she had even crossed the threshold, she cried out in a hurried, trembling voice:
“Something terrible has happened, Your Highness! Brother Chengyin is missing!”
“What!?”
Luo Zhao shot to her feet, casting the Crown Princess’s composure and decorum to the wind.
Lin Qingyan rose as well. The aura erupting from her body caused the temperature throughout the main hall to drop several degrees.
“Explain yourself.”
Lin Qingyan’s voice was cold as ice, utterly devoid of emotion.
Yet everyone who heard it could sense the murderous intent that had condensed into something almost tangible.
“What do you mean, he’s missing!?”
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
