Disease rights policy

After Qiao Ran left, Xie Laoshi stared at her back for a moment, then nodded and went into Chen Jiu's room.

Xie Laoshi usually stayed by Chen Jiu's side. Last time, it was only because someone came from the capital that Chen Jiu ordered Xie Laoshi to personally escort him. He was in a bad mood, so he took a few people to visit the nearest Buddhist holy site. Who knew that they would be kidnapped by Qiao Ran? It was fate.

When Xie Laoshi went in, Qu Lao was watching Chen Jiu administer the medicine. Chen Jiu's complexion was not as good as before, and he was sitting in the soft chair with a furrowed brow.

Old Master Qu said with exasperation, "You talked to that Miss Qiao for so long, what important things were you talking about? You even forgot when to take your medicine. You can't stop taking this medicine every time. Why don't you take it seriously?"

Chen Jiu rubbed his temples and said slowly, "It won't happen again next time, please forgive me, Elder Qu."

"Jinzhou," Old Master Qu suddenly called out to him earnestly, "Your husband and wife are extremely worried about you this time. You know that your health cannot be taken lightly, and you cannot let outsiders know about your connection with 'Spring and Autumn Annals.' You should understand the principle that 'a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.' How could you..."

Chen Jiu put down his hand, propped himself up on his elbows and sat up a little straighter. He said to Master Qu, "Master Qu, although Jinzhou doesn't interact with the outside world, he has read a lot of Confucian classics in the past twenty years. He is not a pure and kind person who doesn't understand people. His judgment of people is not wrong. Miss Qiao will not harm me. She is the only friend I have."

Seeing that Chen Jiu was determined, Old Master Qu took back the medicine bowl, took his pulse, and gave him a few more words of advice before leaving.

As soon as Elder Qu left, Chen Jiu's expression changed immediately, all warmth vanished, and he coughed a few times while pressing his chest, which felt stuffy, before slowly leaning back.

Old Master Xie offered the tea with both hands, saying, "Young Master, you must take care of yourself."

Chen Jiu frowned in pain, closed his eyes, rubbed his palms, and asked, "How's the investigation going?"

Xie Laoshi hurriedly said, "News has come from the capital that Yao Yuze, the commander of the Jinwu Guard, is still searching in secret. There are also spies from the capital in various parts of Sichuan, but since the Qiao family suffered their misfortune, they have found nothing."

“Everything is clear now.” Chen Jiu murmured in a deep voice, “The Qiao family has been wiped out, but many people were still executed in the palace. Yao Yuze was also punished for no reason. The capital city was under lockdown to arrest the murderer. I thought there was a suspect who had escaped. Now… cough cough, it seems that they are looking for the fish that escaped the net.”

Xie Laoshi brought a blanket to cover Chen Jiu and stood aside, saying, "The Qiao family's daughter is a few years younger than the young master. In recent years, she has rarely attended major events in the capital. Everyone knows that Qiao Xiuqi's family is strictly disciplined, and over time, people have stopped talking about the Qiao family's daughter. Therefore, very few people have seen Qiao Xiuqi's daughter, and even fewer know her given name."

After a moment of silence, Chen Jiu opened his eyes, his pupils unfathomable, and said as if mocking himself, "I've never even met Qiao Xiuqi's daughter."

“But as you know, the Qiao family’s daughter has only one given name, ‘Ran’,” said Xie Laoshi.

"Qiao Ran," Chen Jiu murmured repeatedly in a slightly hoarse voice, still feeling unwell from the medication, "Qiao Ran... is indeed a good name."

The name suddenly brought a glimmer of light to Chen Jiu's bewildered and troubled path. He pondered for a moment, then chuckled softly.

He and Qiao Ran were destined to be together.

Xie Laoshi added, "I think what Elder Qu said makes sense. Is it too risky for you to tell Miss Qiao about such a life-or-death matter without reservation?"

Chen Jiu touched the spot on his chest marked with the character 'Spring and Autumn', and said dismissively, "How bad can the heart of someone who trembles and sheds tears in the face of death, yet is willing to risk his life for his friends, be?"

Chen Jiu understood Qiao Ran's character and treated her with sincerity. Qiao Ran was kind and gentle, and naturally she would lower her guard and become closer to him.

"Miss Qiao is about to leave."

"What is the background of that young master Qin?" Now that Chen Jiu had met Qiao Ran here, he had to find out everything about the people around her.

Xie Laoshi said, "There is a gang of petty thieves in the martial arts world, but they are not any particularly evil or wicked people."

"Okay, I understand." Feeling drowsy, Chen Jiu was a little weak. He had just recovered from a serious illness and had been dealing with so many things, so he was inevitably tired. He said in a low voice, "Young Master Qin has been left in the villa with us for some time now. Have his little thief brothers left Sichuan safely? If he and Miss Qiao can't find anyone, please help them out in secret."

Xie Laoshi paused, then looked at Chen Jiu again. Chen Jiu's weary eyes held a hidden sharpness. He nodded slightly to him, and Xie Laoshi immediately cupped his hands in greeting, "Yes, young master, please rest."

Chen Jiu drifted off to sleep again. In his dream, there was no distinction between years and months. He was still in the mansion in Kyoto, accompanied by his medicine pot. His mother was in tears all day long, and his father was sighing. From the lifeless atmosphere of the family, he understood his own life and death at a young age.

My father is the prime minister of the court, with countless supporters. Every day, students and officials visit the front hall of the mansion in an endless stream, some good and some bad. Sometimes, guests come to visit late at night. The capital city is a mysterious and unpredictable net, covering one group after another of masked people. They are all travelers in the dark, whose identities and names are unknown, and whose origins and destinations are unknown.

The Qiao family is a testament to those who perished in the silent struggle under this vast net. After the Qiao family, a series of upheavals are about to unfold.

Chen Jiu gradually woke up two days later. When he woke up, Old Master Qu was sitting beside him, inserting needles into the exposed part of Chen Jinzhou's arm, and said, "Young Master is awake?"

Chen Jiu slowly opened his eyes, but the dark shadows in front of him made him dizzy... so he simply closed them again.

Seeing him like this, Old Master Qu's forehead wrinkled, and he asked anxiously, "Young master, can't you see clearly?"

Chen Jiu was already used to it, and mumbled a reply, "I can't see clearly."

"Alas," Old Master Qu said dejectedly, "This time, young master has suffered a great calamity. The gentle and nourishing prescriptions are no longer suitable, so we have switched back to the old prescriptions that were meant to save his life. I'm afraid young master will have to endure this for a while longer. He will get better."

"Hmm." Chen Jiu's chest rose and fell steadily. Over the years, he had learned to accept the ever-changing fate and calamities. He would just pretend he was half-blind. He patted Old Qu's hand and whispered, "I'm fine. At least I can still hear clearly."

Old Master Qu slowly removed the silver needles used to unblock blood vessels, patiently instructing, "If you suddenly lose your hearing, young master, you must tell the people serving you. Under no circumstances should you move around and injure yourself."

Chen Jiu let out a long sigh, "I know."

Old Master Qu was still grumbling, "No one can say for sure how the medicine works. Young Master has been using it for so many years and has suffered all the hardships he could, so why doesn't God help him at all?"

His young master endured torment day after day, sometimes going blind, sometimes deaf, and sometimes both. If it weren't for his extraordinary resilience, he probably wouldn't have been able to bear it.

Old Master Qu, being so old, became increasingly distressed. He wiped his face with his sleeves, and Chen Jiu, though blind, could clearly hear everything through his ears, which were still functioning for the time being. He helplessly comforted him, "Old Master Qu, Jinzhou is really alright."

"If the master and madam saw this, they would be so heartbroken for their son..."

Chen Jiu: "...Old Qu, you must be tired too, go and rest."

Old Qu wiped away his tears, muttering "Young master, your life is hard" and "You are blessed with good fortune" as he spoke. The silence returned, and Chen Jiu could hear his own heartbeat, faint but continuous, accompanied by the warmth emanating from "Spring and Autumn". At such times, he would always feel grateful that he was still alive.

"I don't have much time left," Chen Jiu murmured. "I'm about to die."