Disease rights policy

Qiao Ran's heart skipped a beat, and she almost broke out in a cold sweat. Just as the steward finished speaking, a maid in front of her was roughly grabbed and thrown to the ground. The maid didn't even have time to speak before she was whipped.

"It wasn't me, it wasn't me..."

"Where is the thing?" Cang Zhengqing gradually became impatient. The maid was frantically crying out her innocence, but the steward stared at her carefully and then felt that it wasn't her.

“Master, I remember that wench was temporarily transferred in from the outer hall.”

Cang Zhengqing: "Everyone's here. Do you even recognize who she is?"

"I...I recognize it..." the steward stammered, "but it was too dark at night, I...I..."

Before she could finish speaking, she felt a chill on her neck and was decapitated in full view of everyone.

"Master, we've searched both the inner and outer rooms, but found nothing."

Cang Zhengqing slowly stood up, stepping on the bloodstains under his feet, and suddenly said fiercely, "Kill all of these people."

The maids were so terrified that they forgot all about begging for mercy and frantically tried to escape; they didn't want to die. Qiao Ran also weaved through the crowd. It seemed that the portrait was a secret to Cang Zhengqing; he would rather kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free.

Under the steward's brutal torture, Qiao Ran's consciousness became blurred, and she couldn't remember Qiao Ran's face, which allowed her to survive a little longer. Terrified screams continued to come from behind her, and the smell of blood instantly filled the air. Qiao Ran couldn't help but recall the scene of corpses strewn all over the Qiao mansion. Was that night also like this?

"what!"

Qiao Ran covered her head to dodge the knife, staggered and rolled to the pillar. She looked up and met Cang Zhengqing's vicious gaze from afar. With a knife at her neck, she stopped breathing.

No way... I'm going to die, I'm going to die.

Qiao Ran tried to dodge again, but cold sweat dripped down her hair. There were many experts in Wuting Hall, and she couldn't beat any of them.

At the critical moment, Qiao Ran went from praying to Buddha to praying to Guan Yu. A long, celestial proclamation saved her life.

The gatekeeper disciple ran in, "Master, we have a guest."

Before Cang Zhengqing could ask who it was, the guests swaggered in. The few of them were imposing, and Qiao Ran immediately breathed a sigh of relief, feeling so moved she almost cried.

Xie Laoshi stepped into the pool of blood, completely unmoved by the horrific scene before him.

"Please give my regards to Master Cang on behalf of my young master," Xie Laoshi said with a laugh.

Cang Zhengqing scrutinized him closely. The fact that the outer disciples hadn't been able to stop these people showed that their strength was not to be underestimated. He immediately changed his expression and calmly asked, "Does this hall master recognize your young master?"

Old Master Xie raised his head and said, "I will recognize you from today onwards."

"Oh?"

"His Majesty has learned of Lord Yang's suspicious death in Sichuan and has ordered a thorough investigation!" Xie Laoshi's tone suddenly sharpened. "My young master is in charge of this matter. No one is allowed to interfere with the court's investigations! Lord Yang died a violent death in Master Cang's Wuting Hall. Guards!"

Cang Zhengqing suddenly stood up. "Impersonating someone from the imperial court? The Imperial City Guard or the Censorate?"

He naturally didn't believe it. The imperial court might not have even received the news yet, so how could it have arrived so quickly?

"Master Cang, take a look at this. Don't you recognize the Imperial City Guard's token?" Xie Laoshi turned his head and ordered, "Take everyone here away. Anyone who resists will be treated as a traitor!"

Cang Zhengqing's face was cold, but he dared not disobey the imperial court's order. Like a tiger whose claws had been removed, he could only grit his teeth and fawn, "Since you are a high-ranking official of the Imperial City Guard, I, a humble subject, will naturally not dare to disobey. I urge you to investigate this case as soon as possible and restore the innocence of my Wuting Hall."

Xie Laoshi ignored them and had the surviving maids in the courtyard escorted away from Wuting Hall.

"Master?" the disciple said anxiously, "What do we do now? We still haven't found the item, and the imperial court's people arrived so quickly. It's all too suspicious."

"Shut up!" Cang Zhengqing gritted his teeth. "A bunch of useless trash! They came in aggressively, and although they have the Imperial City Guard's order, they don't seem like people from the Imperial City Guard. Go and investigate."

The disciple asked in alarm, "Then tomorrow?"

"The news has been released that the cases of Master Kongji and the Prefect have been handed over to the imperial court. Wuting Hall will follow orders and will no longer interfere. All the thieves have been handed over to the imperial court."

"Yes!"

After leaving Wuting Hall, Xie Laoshi ordered his men to invite Qiao Ran into the carriage. The thrill of the previous ordeal had subsided, but the sweat on his body had not yet dissipated.

A maid brought over some clothes, her voice gentle and concerned, "Is Miss alright? Is anything bothering you?"

Wiping her forehead, Qiao Ran glanced at her and shook her head. "I'm fine, but could I trouble Guard Xie to come over? I..."

It was the first time in her life that Qiao Ran had asked someone for a favor, and she found it difficult to speak.

The maid was quick-witted and saw through her helplessness, so she continued, "Miss, are you worried about your friends? Please rest assured, my young master has sent word that Wuting Hall is just bluffing. Your friends have already left Shu and have not fallen into the hands of Hall Master Wu."

Qiao Ran asked in disbelief, "Really?"

"Hmm," the maid said, "Young master's news is surely true."

Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. For some reason, Qiao Ran trusted Chen Jiu completely. He was such a vulnerable person, yet she could entrust her back to him with peace of mind.

Seeing the smile on Qiao Ran's lips, the maid brought over clean clothes. "Guard Xie knew that Miss wanted to change her clothes, so he wasn't here. If Miss wants to find him again, I'll go and call him."

"No need." Qiao Ran smiled and took the clothes; they were made of fine silk, their brocade shimmering. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Scent of wood".

“Muxiang,” Qiao Ran repeated, instantly understanding, “Are all your names derived from medicinal herbs?”

"Yes." Mu Xiang nodded. "The young lady is insightful."

Because of Chen Jiu's illness, the maids who served him all used names related to medicinal herbs, which could be considered one of his little hobbies.

After quickly changing her clothes, the carriage slowly made its way to the villa. Qiao Ran casually leaned against the side and said, "When I was locked up in the villa, you were the one who brought me food. I was rude at the time, and there was some misunderstanding. I'm sorry."

Mu Xiang was taken aback, and quickly said, "You're too kind, young lady."

Unlike the cautious and timid maids of ordinary families, she was efficient, organized, and meticulous in her actions, though she was also careful in her conduct.

Qiao Ran thought to herself, "No wonder she was raised by a wealthy family."

When they arrived at the villa, Mu Xiang got out of the carriage and said a few words to Xie Laoshi before lifting the curtain and calling Qiao Ran out.

"It's still dark, and the young master hasn't woken up yet. This servant will take you to wash up and get some rest for a few hours."

Qiao Ran jumped out of the car. The courtyard was dimly lit and quiet. "Where are they?"

Neither Xie Laoshi nor the others were there.

Mu Xiang said, "The head guard has other important business to attend to. This way, please, young lady."

"alright."

Qiao Ran returned to the familiar house, the furnishings of which remained unchanged. She watched as Mu Xiang led people in and out to arrange for her to wash up.

"Don't bother, I can take care of it myself."

Mu Xiang responded and left.

After washing up, Qiao Ran lay on the tatami mat, almost closing her eyes, when she suddenly sat up with a start, slapping her forehead. "Oh no! I forgot about Qin Huai!!"

The city gates were closed, and he was waiting in vain for his brother to leave. He was also unaware of his brother's whereabouts. He was extremely anxious.

"Muxiang?" Qiao Ran called out, and Muxiang immediately pushed open the door and came in.

"Girl, what's wrong?"

"Tell me, is it possible to leave the city now?"

Mu Xiang shook her head. "The city gates won't open for another hour. Without a warrant, you can't leave now. Is there something urgent, young lady?"

Qiao Ran frowned, pondered for a moment, then helplessly lay back down, looked at the ceiling and sighed, "Forget it, let's talk about it in an hour, it's not... there's no rush."

Anyway, Qin Huai didn't come in, so it's good that he's safe.

Muxiang: "Miss, sleep peacefully. Call me if you need anything."

"Mm." Qiao Ran doesn't need to be served when she's sleeping. She said, "You go to sleep too, don't worry about me."

The door was gently closed, and this startled me so much that I couldn't fall asleep.