Disease rights policy

Li Hezhang stayed in the army for two days before ordering his return to the palace. The atmosphere in the Empress's tent was heavy, and everyone packed their things on tiptoe.

The Empress was slightly ill, and Yinghong served her tea, saying, "We'll be setting off soon, so Your Majesty should take a short nap."

The Empress took a sip of tea to moisten her throat before beckoning Yinghong to her side and asking in a low voice, "Go out and inquire again, has Xiaoran been found?"

Yinghong quickly looked around to avoid the others, saying, "Your Majesty, you must never mention this person again."

Although the assassin's infiltration of the camp was kept perfectly secret, how could the Empress, of such high status, be completely unaware? With Qiao Xiaoran's disappearance, the officials all suspected she was the spy, having infiltrated the palace with ulterior motives. It was already a miracle that the Emperor hadn't punished Kunning Palace.

The Empress said, "The matter has not yet been concluded, so why can't it be mentioned? Xiao Ran is, after all, someone close to me. If something really happens to her, how can I not be held responsible?"

“Your Majesty, that’s not what I meant,” Yinghong knelt down and said softly, “His Majesty is in a bad mood right now, so it’s better for us to avoid trouble.”

"To avoid trouble?" The Empress lowered her eyes, looking at the gold handkerchief in her hand, and said quietly, "As long as I am in this palace, there will be no peace and tranquility."

Yingzi came in and asked, "Does Your Highness wish to rest?"

"Let's not rest any longer, let's prepare to set off." The Empress slowly rose, supporting herself on the table and chair, and looked at the spring scenery outside the tent, saying, "Don't be late."

"Yes."

Yinghong and Yingzi helped the Empress out of the tent. They had been waiting outside for a long time. Once she returned to the palace, she didn't know when she would be able to come out again.

Qiao Ran's heart was never in Kunning Palace, nor in this imperial city with its vermilion walls and green tiles. The Empress knew this all too well, but she never expected that of all the options available, she would choose the most foolish one.

Maybe this is fate.

The forest is teeming with wild animals. Once the spring hunt is over, jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards begin to roam. Even the soldiers in the main camp have to patrol the forest in groups. Every year, there are unlucky ones who get lost and are attacked and killed by wild animals, let alone a young girl like Qiao Ran.

No sooner had Li Hezhang left than Gong Yuyi, carrying the Emperor's decree, dealt with Cao Yong, serving as a warning to the 100,000 garrison troops. The commanders of each battalion were summoned to the palace overnight to receive the imperial edict, and in the end, they were either punished or beheaded.

The envoys from both countries naturally had to stay in the capital for two more days. Li Hezhang arranged for them to stay at the official post station, and soon after they settled in, guests came to visit.

Baili Mingzhe accompanied Baili Jiayue out to buy novelties. In a clothing store, someone quietly approached them and said, "Please tell your family that there is still hope."

Baili Mingzhe was momentarily stunned, and when he turned around, he only saw the back of a young master.

"Brother, do you think this looks good?" Baili Jiayue asked him with a bright smile as she tried on a lake-blue dress.

Baili Mingzhe turned around and smiled: "It looks good."

“Brother has such good taste,” Baili Jiayue said excitedly as she paid the bill. Baili Mingzhe walked over to her and gently nudged her to leave. Baili Jiayue suddenly understood and exclaimed, “Let’s go, let’s go look at other places.”

Once outside the street, Baili Jiayue whispered, "Brother's efforts are useless. There are always people watching us the whole way, they can see into every nook and cranny."

"I know that we have obtained the best news from our trip to Daliang."

Baili Jiayue looked up at Baili Mingzhe with slight shock, "What brother said is..."

"Yes, let your brother take you back to Pingjing. You don't have to stay here."

Baili Jiayue lowered her head, tears welling up in her eyes. Although she had always been a pawn to be manipulated, she still hoped to stay in the place where she could survive within her own choices.

Daliang is like hell. Over the years, countless pawns have come here one after another, only to die silently in the darkness. Their bones cannot be buried, and their souls cannot return home.

She thought she would die here, but fortunately, heaven took pity on her.

"Thank you, brother." Baili Jiayue said these four words in a very low, trembling voice.

Baili Mingzhe was in high spirits after the happy event. The next day, after entering the palace, he told Li Hezhang that there were many important matters to attend to in Pingjing and that they could not be delayed.

Li Hezhang was eager for him to leave, so he naturally agreed without hesitation.

Soon after, Tian Ziche returned to Jin and Chu in a huff, and only then did Li Hezhang dare to severely punish those who were disloyal and unjust.

After a long day of official duties, Gong Yuyi was so tired that he could barely straighten his back. When he returned to the Imperial City Office, he collapsed onto the bed. "This is really killing me. I just wanted to retire and live a peaceful life as soon as possible. Why have I been treated like a piece of trash? Sigh... When will I be free from these constraints and go home to farm?"

Chen Jiu passed by him and gently tapped him with the rib of her fan. "Stop overthinking. Did you have any success today?"

"I suppose so. At least one bad apple has been purged, and everyone in the court is on edge. Things will be better for a while."

“Heh,” Chen Jiu fiddled with the tea table and said slowly, “There are so many bad apples. Once the storm has passed, they’re still the same greedy and blind people.”

Gong Yuyi sat up abruptly. "Isn't this the current predicament of the Great Liang, beset by both internal and external troubles? If the external troubles are difficult to resolve, we can't let the internal troubles run rampant as well."

"Hmm." Chen Jiu poured tea. "What you said makes sense."

Gong Yuyi lifted his robe and sat down opposite him, took a sip of tea, and said, "Good tea."

Chen Jiu smiled and said, "I need your help."

"You wouldn't come to this place without a reason. I guessed it the moment you walked in." Gong Yuyi just kept drinking his tea and said, "Don't worry, I've made the arrangements."

Chen Jiu looked up at him, paused for a moment, then cupped her hands in thanks. "Thank you."

"With Cao Yong down on his post and His Majesty far away in the palace, what difference is there between the 100,000 troops stationed in the western suburbs and the army being leaderless? I have been ordered to investigate the matter of the assassin and spy in the forest. It is not a problem to turn a blind eye and let one person out. You just need to provide support outside."

Chen Jiu thanked them again, "Have you found her?"

Gong Yuyi's face stiffened, and she blinked. "No."

Speaking of this, Gong Yuyi was really puzzled. Logically speaking, they had searched the forest inch by inch, and even a vicious tiger should have been driven to its death by now. But so far, they had not found any trace of Qiao Ran.

"Hehe." Chen Jiu couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Now you should believe me. She's not simple."

Gong Yuyi was puzzled. "I just don't understand. Where did she get her skills? Maybe she was eaten by wild beasts long ago, which is why we can't find her."

"will not."

Are you so sure?

Chen Jiu still says the same thing all the time: "I believe her."

Gong Yuyi looked at Chen Jiu, a faint smile playing on his lips as he spoke. A hint of tenderness appeared in his usually cold eyes as he lowered his head, deep in thought. His smile gradually deepened.

Gong Yuyi looked away, thinking that whether it was a blessing or a curse was still uncertain.

He interrupted Chen Jiu's thoughts and said seriously, "Cao Yong's position needs to be filled. Do you have anyone to recommend?"

Chen Jiu thought for a while, dipped his fingertips in tea, and wrote three words on the table.

Gong Yuyi read it aloud, "Visiting Tongtai?"

“Exactly.” Chen Jiu wiped away the marks on the table with a wave of his hand.

Gong Yuyi took a breath. "Why does this name sound so familiar?"

"The second son of the Marquis's family, the son whom Lord You once despised the most, failed the imperial examination twice and became the laughing stock of all the young masters in the city. The matter of separating from the Marquis's family caused a great uproar in the city back then, how could I not remember it?"

Chen Jiu finished speaking in one breath, tapped his fingers on the table, and slightly raised his eyelids to remind Gong Yuyi, "Do you remember now?"

Gong Yuyi said "Oh," and then said, "I remember now, but since the Marquis's mansion fell into ruin five years ago and the corruption was exposed, the whole family was exiled to the northern lands. There has been no Marquis's mansion in the capital for a long time now?"

Chen Jiu then asked him, "Was You Tongtai also exiled?"

"No?" Gong Yuyi couldn't think of anything for a moment. "Although You Tongtai is disliked by Marquis You, he is still the legitimate son of the Marquis's family. How can we let him off the hook after he is exiled?"

Chen Jiu did not intend to let Gong Yuyi remember on his own. "After the Marquis's family split up, You Tongtai was kicked out of the house and his career was not going well, so he joined the army and volunteered to go to the frontier. At that time, there were nomadic tribes harassing the frontier, and he had made many military achievements, so he was exempted from exile. From an unknown soldier, he has now become a captain."

"Really?" Gong Yuyi asked. "Then where is he now?"

"The military camp in the western suburbs."

Gong Yuyi: "..."

Chen Jiu believed that Gong Yuyi had already understood his meaning. All he needed was for many people in the court to recommend You Tongtai to a higher position and temporarily take over the garrison. Then things would be much easier later.

Gong Yuyi was more concerned. He grabbed Chen Jiu, who was about to leave, and said, "When did you arrange for You Tongtai to be placed in the western suburban military camp? He is the only bloodline of the Marquis's mansion. If he has ulterior motives and wants to restore the glory of the Marquis's mansion, wouldn't we be digging our own graves?"

“He wouldn’t dare,” Chen Jiu pushed away Gong Yuyi’s hand, straightened his sleeves, and looked up to say, “I can promote him, and I can suppress him. Besides, he is one of my Tian Shu people.”

Gong Yuyi was speechless. He only knew that Chen Jiu had spent ten years building Tian Shu, which was filled with elites selected from among thousands, skilled in both literature and martial arts. Those who were sent out were all spies who could bring back top-secret information. But Gong Yuyi knew nothing about how many people were in Tian Shu, what kind of organization it was, or how Chen Jiu had made these people follow him to the death.

"What's the rush? Talk to me a little longer." Gong Yuyi was deflated, feeling that he, a strong man, was no match for Chen Jiu in any way. Chen Jiu was shrewd and calculating, seemingly friendly to everyone, but in reality, he was ruthless and decisive.

Chen Jiu said, "I can't sit here anymore, I have to go pick someone up."

The dense forests on the outskirts of Beijing are not all dead ends. The closest path to the Daxiangguo Temple connects to the west side of the forest. If one can stay in the forest without losing one's way, and survive the temperature difference between day and night and the prey of poisonous insects and wild animals, there is a chance to find a way out.

Qiao Ran lay in ambush in the dense forest for seven days and seven nights. Her body was filthy and covered in wounds, but she didn't feel tired. This was the territory she knew well. The dense forest was where she had survived many times in her previous life in the organization. She knew how to survive. No bullets could harm her, let alone cold weapons.

She fled westward until she heard the bells.

She bandaged her wound, wiped her face, and quickly headed towards the road. The trees overhead gradually grew shorter, and as she hid away, she finally saw the long-awaited sunlight. Just ahead on the road, a carriage slowly passed by and finally stopped.

Qiao Ran hid in the distance, squinting as she watched a familiar figure get out of the car. To his right was the long staircase of the Daxiangguo Temple, and he was going to climb the staircase instead of taking the flat road on the left.

Just as Chen Jiu stepped onto the stairs, as if by some kind of telepathy, he turned around and looked into the distance, seemingly making eye contact with Qiao Ran.

Looking back, Qiao Ran realized that at that moment she never thought of the word "coincidence," but only felt that it was fate and a matter of destiny.

After being ushered into the carriage, Chen Jiu ordered the driver to hurry up and leave. In less than half an hour, the Xiangguo Temple would be at its busiest, and he would inevitably run into acquaintances.

Qiao Ran's hands warmed up from the warmth, her face so dirty that her true features were obscured, but her eyes were bright and clear. She teased, "Were you waiting for me here?"

Chen Jiu used a damp cloth to gently wipe away the dirt from Qiao Ran's face, revealing her scarred skin. With red eyes, she said, "I've come to pray for you."

Qiao Ran recalled the long, leaf-covered steps she had just seen, where few people would walk up to offer prayers for others.

So he smiled and said, "Daxiangguo Temple is truly efficacious. I will come back to ask for a favor later."