Disease rights policy

When Qiao Ran learned that Maoqiu was actually Xiaoyuehu, she was both delighted and surprised. However, it took her several days of coaxing before Maoqiu finally smiled at her.

Qiao Ran sat down under the eaves, feeding it a piece of jerky. "You little ungrateful thing, I thought you'd been kidnapped by some bad guy to be used as a fur collar. I felt so guilty for days. I didn't expect you to be eating and sleeping so well, and you've gotten so fat."

The maid Yingchun, who was standing to the side, said upon hearing this, "Miss, you don't know, the young master cherishes Maoqiu very much. The whole courtyard is busy playing with him."

"right."

Qiao Ran smiled radiantly as she picked up Maoqiu. Her injuries were slowly healing over the past few days, leaving her with a tingling numbness. Her legs were still a little unsteady, and she almost tripped.

Yingchun quickly helped her up, saying, "Miss, shall I help you to sit inside for a while?"

Qiao Ran stood on the steps. The courtyard was similar to the villas in Sichuan, with an emphasis on elegance and tranquility. She put down the pom-pom, stretched, and said, "It's a bit stuffy."

Yingchun: "Please bear with it a little longer, young lady. The young master has ordered that you are not allowed to leave the house."

“I know,” Qiao Ran smiled and said nonchalantly, “They’re all out there trying to arrest me.”

Yingchun couldn't smile at all.

In an instant, Qiao Ran's lowered eyes turned cold. Her current situation was very different from the day she was reborn. Back then, she was isolated and helpless, which led to many dangers. But now, she had someone to protect her. Although there were wanted posters flying everywhere outside, as long as she stayed in this courtyard, she would be safe.

"What about your son?"

Yingchun replied, "The young master is discussing matters in the study."

Qiao Ran turned her face away and went back inside. She sent Zhou Mu to inquire about the situation outside. As expected of Chen Jiu's protégé, Zhou Mu returned in less than half an hour.

Qiao Ran lazily drooped her eyelids. "Still looking for me?"

“Replying to Miss,” Zhou Mu said, “there are more soldiers on the street than yesterday, and there are many rumors circulating outside, with all sorts of speculations about you.”

Qiao Ran had a headache and lay on the table for a while, clutching her head. Suddenly, she slapped the table and perked up, startling Zhou Mu.

"I didn't kill anyone, I didn't set any fires, so why am I being made to take the blame as soon as something happens? It's one thing for women to fight over each other, but why are you arbitrarily labeling me a spy or assassin?"

Zhou Mu said awkwardly, "Please calm down, young lady."

Qiao Ran: "Are the Emperor and all the officials out of their minds? How could I possibly collude with spies and assassins to harm the Emperor's safety? Weren't the bodies of the men in black in the dense forest found? Didn't they find anything else?"

Zhou Mu shook his head.

They hadn't found anything at all. Qiao Ran paced back and forth, lost in thought for a while. "Is your young master done with his work? I need to talk to him."

Zhou Mu: "They should be done with their work by now."

"That's all for you, go and rest." Qiao Ran said, and quickly walked towards Chen Jiu's study without letting the maid follow.

"Chen Jinzhou".

Chen Jiu had just finished speaking with Xie Laoshi when he heard Qiao Ran call out to him, "Tell them to come later, go on."

“Yes,” Xie Laoshi said as he stepped out, giving Qiao Ran a slight nod. “Miss.”

"Sigh," Qiao Ran gave a mechanical laugh, entered the study and casually closed the door, saying mysteriously, "Chen Jinzhou, I have something to tell you."

Chen Jiu stood up. "What kind of things have to be said behind closed doors?"

“It’s something extraordinary,” Qiao Ran said without any of the coyness of a woman. She pulled Chen Jiu to sit down and leaned her head closer, saying furtively, “I originally only suspected this matter. Firstly, it had nothing to do with me, and secondly, I didn’t want to cause trouble, so I kept it to myself.”

Chen Jiu was pulled very close by her, and when he looked down, he could see the girl's long, curved eyelashes. "What is it?"

Qiao Ran moved closer again, and Chen Jiu subconsciously dodged, his expression becoming somewhat unnatural. When Qiao Ran looked directly at him, he avoided her gaze.

"Chen Jinzhou, how come you're so funny?" Qiao Ran blinked innocently, her gaze fixed on him. "Are you afraid I'll molest you?"

In an instant, Chen Jiu's face turned red to the roots of her neck. She gently pushed Qiao Ran's hand away and said softly, "Stop fooling around."

Qiao Ran was clearly toying with him. Chen Jiu was both amused and exasperated, but there was nothing he could do. After all, she was different from all the other girls in the world.

Qiao Ran smiled with satisfaction before standing up. "I just wanted to tease you. You're so shy. If you meet a girl you like in the future and she kisses you, you'll just stand there dumbfounded. That would be terrible."

The flush on Chen Jiu's face gradually faded, and she said seriously, "Stop fooling around."

Qiao Ran continued, "Fortunately, the one who matches you is a proper lady from a respectable family, well-mannered and not as unruly as me."

"Is this the important matter you wanted to discuss with me?" Chen Jiu raised his hand from under his sleeve and sat up straight.

"Of course not, I have something important to say, I'm not lying to you."

Qiao Ran casually leaned against a pillar in the room, crossed her arms, and said as she pondered, "I haven't been idle either. I've thought carefully about what you told me. It should be that Governor Qiao died first, because when I hid in the forest, nothing had happened yet. I just wanted to slip away in the chaos. Governor Qiao's death was probably caused by the group of men in black that I encountered."

"I told you that the leader of the men in black was a woman, but you said that woman wasn't among the corpses?"

“Hmm,” Chen Jiu even had Gong Yuyi check again, and there was indeed no woman’s corpse.

Qiao Ran: "She is a habitual user of poison. Yao Yuze was poisoned by her and is still in a coma. Yao Yuze can testify to this for me, after all, I saved his life."

Speaking of this, Qiao Ran recalled Yao Yuze's petty and despicable nature, and couldn't help but shake her head in denial, saying, "Not necessarily, after all, he's a narrow-minded and suspicious person."

Chen Jiu: "Even the Imperial Hospital is helpless against Yao Yuze's poison; it's quite a tricky situation."

"Is it that serious?" Qiao Ran wondered. Could Yao Yuze really be dead? Although she disliked him, she still went to great lengths to save him. Besides, he was the executioner who wiped out Qiao Zhiyuan's entire family overnight. She had her own selfish reasons for saving him back then.

Although she had no familial ties with the Qiao family, the real Qiao Ran was also pampered and spoiled.

In the court, right and wrong can change in an instant. If the matter of the Qiao family's massacre is brought to light later, Yao Yuze will be the key figure. With no one to testify, this case will truly be a headless miscarriage of justice.

If Qiao Zhiyuan's family knew this in the afterlife, they would probably come after her for revenge.

“I used Bi Chan to suppress some of the poison and protect his heart meridian,” Qiao Ran said suspiciously. “With Yao Yuze’s skill, he shouldn’t still be unconscious at this time.”

Chen Jiu seemed to have been suddenly awakened by Qiao Ran, "It is a bit strange."

Qiao Ran looked up. "Although I don't know the identity of the woman who can use poison, I know that there is someone who might be suspicious."

Chen Jiu: "Who?"

Qiao Ran paused for a moment before abandoning her lazy demeanor and saying seriously, "Your Highness, Consort Rong."

Chen Jiu frowned. "Why Consort Rong?"

Although Consort Rong is favored, she has no maternal family to support her. The reason she has been able to act so arrogantly in the palace is mostly because of her delicate and coquettish manner. Since she has not borne any children for many years, the officials and civil and military officials of the previous dynasty have turned a blind eye to it.

"Qiaoqiao, what do you know?" Chen Jiu's gaze suddenly sharpened. He had investigated all the concubines in the palace, but they all had a clear beginning and end, let alone Consort Rong.

When Consort Rong met Li Hezhang, her family had fallen on hard times, and both her parents had passed away. She was forced to show her face in public to make a living. However, her family was a clean and scholarly family. Her father had a bumpy career after passing the imperial examination. During his lifetime, he ran a private school and was highly respected for teaching and educating people. Consort Rong was known to all the neighbors.

Qiao Ran hesitated for a moment before saying, "Do you still remember Cang Zhengqing from Wuting Hall?"

"I remember." Chen Jiu's expression darkened almost immediately.

As expected, Qiao Ran continued, "The time you rescued me from Wuting Hall, I promised you something afterwards, do you remember?"

Chen Jiu replied, "I remember."

Cang Zhengqing lost a painting of a beautiful woman. The woman in the painting looked almost exactly like Consort Rong. Qiao Ran had promised him that she would point her out to him if she saw it.

Qiao Ran: "It's Consort Rong."

Chen Jiu's expression suddenly turned terrifyingly sinister, but when Qiao Ran looked over, only sorrow remained. She said gently, "Besides me, don't mention this to anyone else, understand?"

Qiao Ran wasn't stupid; she just smiled and said, "I didn't tell anyone. I kept it to myself before because I was afraid of causing too much trouble. Now that I have enough to do, I might as well tell you."

"Don't worry, I'll handle it." Chen Jiu smiled as well. "What are your plans next?"

"I originally planned to wait until things calmed down and then leave, but I've changed my mind."

Chen Jiu: "You're going to stay?"

Qiao Ran said indignantly, "I'm at their mercy, and constantly running away isn't my style. Every time, it's someone else who frames me. Do you think I'm such a good-natured person?"

Chen Jiu tried to comfort her, "Qiao Qiao's temper isn't good at all."

"I must investigate the matter of the Prefect of Qianzhou thoroughly. If he sent me to the palace simply to protect his daughter, I might consider it. But if there's another reason, don't blame me for being impolite." Qiao Ran said coldly, her mind focused. "Of all the people in the world, why was I chosen? Qianzhou isn't exactly close to Shu, is it really just a coincidence?"

So you mean someone deliberately tried to harm you?

“Hmm,” Qiao Ran said, “There’s more than one pair of eyes staring at me.”

Chen Jiu's expression darkened, but he still looked at Qiao Ran with his pure black eyes. "If you need anything, just tell me, and I'll help you."

When Qiao Ran met Chen Jiu's eyes, she couldn't help but feel guilty. She still had many things to hide, and whether she told them or not, it would put Chen Jiu in danger. She didn't want to put Chen Jiu in danger.

So he said honestly, "What I want to do might be extremely dangerous. Why don't you go back to Sichuan first? I'll come to see you after a while."

"I'll think about it later. I want to be closer to my family," Chen Jiu said sadly. "Once we part ways, I don't know if I'll ever see them again."

Qiao Ran glared at him, "What nonsense are you talking about? I asked Old Qu yesterday, and he said you're much better."

Chen Jiu smiled gently.

Qiao Ran shook her hand and rubbed her palm lines. "Actually, you don't need to worry about me. Although escaping from the dense forest was a near-death experience, I also managed to break through to the sixth level of the Azure Entanglement Realm by chance. After having so much free time, it's time for me to go back to my old profession."

Qiao Ran was itching to pull off a heist in a couple of days, to stir up some trouble in Kyoto. They like wanted criminals, so let them catch them slowly.

After Qiao Ran left, Chen Jiu arranged for someone to leave the city overnight to investigate something.