Disease rights policy

Qiao Ran thought that this life of imprisonment without knowing the passage of time would have to be endured indefinitely, but that evening she was led out of the courtyard by the guards. The winding stream in the courtyard made a melodious "ding-dong" sound, and the fragrant aroma was wafting in the air. Although Qiao Ran came from the future and had seen many changes, she was amazed by the fairyland in front of her.

"Where are you taking me?"

The guard at the front answered truthfully, "My young master requests your presence."

Chen Jiu?

He finally agreed to see her. Qiao Ran didn't ask any more questions and was led by the guards to the main courtyard, where they met in Chen Jiu's bedroom.

Qiao Ran felt uneasy. She didn't mind, but this was Chen Jiu's territory, and who knew what kind of schemes might be brewing. She didn't want to cause any more trouble with the inappropriate relationship between men and women, so she stopped at the door and said, "I'll wait here for your young master to come out. We can talk about it openly in the hall."

The guard glanced at her in confusion, then went inside to report. The soundproofing was excellent, and even with her ears straining, Qiao Ran couldn't hear a single word.

The guard came out and reported, "Please wait a moment, young lady. My young master is unwell and it will take some time before he can settle in and entertain you. Why don't you go to the hall and sit for a while?"

Qiao Ran: "Your young master hasn't left the hospital? Is he... seriously ill?"

“My young master has been in poor health since last time…” The guard paused, but Qiao Ran understood everything. He continued, “The young master is not in good health. The doctor forbids him from being exposed to the wind. He has been in a coma for the past few days and only woke up this afternoon. He has kept you waiting for so many days, young lady.”

Qiao Ran felt a pang of guilt and lowered her head, saying, "I didn't expect it to be this serious."

The guard said, "I will take the young lady to Lanshan Hall first. The young master will come after he has taken his medicine."

Qiao Ran immediately said, "No need. Didn't the doctor say that your young master shouldn't stay in the hospital? He's just recovered from a serious illness, so he shouldn't overexert himself. This place is fine. Please take me inside."

"Yes, please come in, young lady."

Once inside the master bedroom, Qiao Ran realized she had been too clever for her own good. The master bedroom had a well-organized layout, with a living room at the front and a study to the left. The couch was definitely still inside.

Chen Jiu also got out of bed and waited for her in the study, not in the innermost bedroom.

Having just woken up, Chen Jiu did not tie his hair up. He sat down at the small desk on the floor, wearing a thick coat. When he saw Qiao Ran enter, he slowly glanced over and said with a smile, "Miss Qiao, please sit down."

Qiao Ran couldn't help but look into his eyes first. Although he was on his deathbed, his eyes were still incredibly captivating against his pale, bloodless face. He looked at Qiao Ran with gentle tenderness, and for a moment, Qiao Ran forgot that she had been imprisoned for almost a month.

She went over and sat down, but when she opened her mouth, she didn't know what to say. She said dryly, "Are you feeling better?"

Chen Jiu said, "I have been ill since childhood, and it has nothing to do with Miss Qiao. There is no need to worry about it."

Qiao Ran's eyes widened in surprise at Chen Jiu's magnanimity, which made her feel embarrassed.

"And Young Master Qin, I also ordered people to take good care of him," Chen Jiu explained. "It wasn't that Jin Zhou misspoke that day, but rather that his health failed him. He fainted after giving the orders and couldn't explain things clearly to his confidants, which led them to mistakenly arrest Miss Qiao and Young Master Qin, and also caused you to be injured. I'm sorry."

It turned out to be a misunderstanding; it was all because Xie Laoshi didn't understand his master's instructions before he fainted.

Chen Jiu got straight to the point and explained the reason clearly in a few words, and Qiao Ran's anger completely disappeared.

Touching the tip of her nose, Qiao Ran smiled and said, "Young Master Chen is so magnanimous that he doesn't hold it against me, so why should I hold it against him? I'd also like to apologize for hurting you this time."

Chen Jiu looked at Qiao Ran with a warm gaze, a smile in his eyes, "Miss Qiao is a person who can distinguish right from wrong and is also a generous and righteous person."

Qiao Ran couldn't help but praise, and asked with a laugh, "What is the 'Jinzhou' that Young Master Chen mentioned just now?"

“Oh,” Chen Jiu said, “My name is Jiu, and my courtesy name is Jinzhou.”

"Chen Jinzhou? A noble gentleman, gentle and refined, steadfast as a rock, with lofty aspirations." Qiao Ran praised, "A good name."

Chen Jiu smiled again, and Qiao Ran couldn't take her eyes off her once more. She sincerely said, "You're really beautiful. I'm not trying to be mean, I'm genuinely complimenting you."

"Miss Qiao, would you like to take a look in the mirror first?" Chen Jiu asked seriously. "In this world, if we're talking about looks alone, there are probably very few people who can rival Miss Qiao."

Qiao Ran couldn't resist the compliments. She rested her chin on her hands and grinned foolishly, "I know I'm pretty too, like a femme fatale. If some monarch takes a liking to me one day, the king will never hold court again."

Chen Jiu was amused by her.

"As the saying goes, beauty is a curse," Qiao Rantian said shamelessly, "beauty can ruin a country, which is why I always stay far away from the capital when I travel the world."

Chen Jiu admired her frankness and shook his head, "Miss Qiao has a free and easy personality, she's really interesting."

"I have many interesting qualities," Qiao Ran said proudly. "Of course, what I'm most proud of is my professional ability. I'll let you see it for yourself another day."

Chen Jiu gently raised her eyes, "Your ability to steal?"

“That’s called the art of stealing,” Qiao Ran tapped the table with her finger and corrected, “Theft, theft, it doesn’t sound very nice coming from the mouth of a handsome man like you, Young Master Chen.”

“Alright, I’ll steal your skills.” Chen Jiu pursed his lips, took a sip of water to moisten his throat, and then asked, “I’ve heard that a ‘Ghost Hand’ has recently appeared in the martial arts world, claiming to be the number one thief in the world. Could it be Miss Qiao?”

Qiao Ran blinked, paused, and said, "Young Master Chen even knows this? No wonder he's the prime minister's son; he's powerful and influential, and he's got his ears everywhere."

Chen Jiu looked at Qiao Ran, genuinely curious about the kind of upbringing she had in. He raised his eyes and said, "Since you have such formidable skills, why don't you just come to the capital and take what's in my Chen family's pocket? Why go through all this trouble to kidnap me? Instead, you alarmed my parents and caused a huge uproar in Sichuan."

“This…” Qiao Ran couldn’t very well tell him that she was a fugitive from Kyoto, could she?

The hundreds of dead souls of the Qiao family are still floating over the capital. She hasn't even figured out the reason for the massacre, and she doesn't know anyone in the Qiao family. There's no need for her to rush to avenge the extermination of her clan.

Besides, while her "Ghost Hand" was exceptional, her martial arts skills were mediocre. In later generations, missions would involve coordinated teamwork, but now there was no one to help her. Why would she rush to the capital to die?

"What's wrong?" Chen Jiu asked curiously, and said slowly, "Could it be that all that boasting you did just now was to fool me because you thought I was easy to fool?"

Some people are questioning their own professional abilities!

"Impossible." Qiao Ran insisted on defending herself. "I'm not lying to you. My hands are elusive. What's so difficult about stealing a 'Spring and Autumn Annals' from your Chen residence?"

Chen Jiu persisted, "Then why did you kidnap me?"

"I..." Qiao Ran was at a loss. Why did this sickly person have so many questions? She put on a brave face and said, "I'm in Sichuan, and the capital is so far away. I'm too lazy to go. I was thinking of having your family send 'Spring and Autumn' over to me."

Chen Jiu smiled slightly, "Oh."

Qiao Ran slammed her hand on the table and stood up, afraid he wouldn't believe her, and explained, "Besides, I wasn't planning to kidnap you, I was planning to kidnap your young lady. Who knew you would deliver yourself to my door like this..."

We can't entirely blame her, can we?

Chen Jiu sighed, then suddenly became serious and said in a questioning tone, "You want to kidnap my sister? She returned to the capital a long time ago. Besides, she is timid and a woman. Have you thought that if you kidnap her, her reputation and honor will be ruined?"