Disease rights policy

After dinner, Qiao Ran accompanied Chen Jiu for a while and explained everything to him clearly. She was used to being free and was afraid that she would feel extremely uncomfortable in Kyoto.

Chen Jiu understood her feelings and no longer insisted.

At night, Qiao Ran tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She changed into casual clothes, took a shortcut, and climbed over the wall to leave the villa. The guards at the villa knew it was her and did not stop her.

Qiao Ran can now come and go freely in the villa. She had just stepped out onto the street and hadn't walked far when she heard a murmur above her head. She looked up and saw it was a carrier pigeon.

It must be Qin Huai who sent me a letter.

Bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight, Qiao Ran found a quiet spot, sat down, and began to slowly read the letter.

After watching for a short while, she frowned slightly; it wasn't good news.

While Baili You was recuperating in the palace, Consort Lian found a pretext to send people to serve him, and brought Qin Huai into the palace along with him.

Consort Lian was determined to give Helian Huai an explanation. Within three days, she punished several people around the Third and Fifth Princes, as well as several craftsmen whom Baili You had never even met. She said that she had ordered them to repair the Prince's residence earlier, but the craftsmen had embezzled money and the project had not been started at all.

She appeared gentle, but her methods were actually extremely ruthless. In a short time, she had everything under control, ensuring that everyone spoke with one voice and leaving Qin Huai with no leverage whatsoever.

Fortunately, Qin Huai had never intended to confront Consort Lian head-on. He had Baili You feign illness, and Consort Lian invited several groups of doctors to diagnose her, but they were all helpless. As time went on, her condition not only did not improve, but it became even more serious.

Qin Huai spread the news that Baili You was seriously ill. After the Emperor of Jin Chu learned of this, he also sent people to administer medicine day and night. Baili You's complexion did indeed become worse and worse.

After nearly a month of delay, Qin Huai saw that the time was right and spoke with the Helian clan, hoping they would whisper in Emperor Pingjing's ear.

As for him, during his stay at the Jin Chu Palace, he did whatever he wanted, including walking the cats and playing with the dogs. He also insulted several princes. Consort Lian was afraid that he would become desperate and tried to protect him. However, he not only did not change his ways, but became increasingly disrespectful and put pressure on Emperor Jin Chu.

If Baili You were to die, the Helian clan would be the first to not let Jin Chu off the hook. The implication was that even if Baili You was seriously ill, he could not die in Jin Chu.

Fearing the Helian clan's army, the Emperor of Jin-Chu finally sent a letter to Ping Jing, stating that the Crown Prince Baili was in poor health and unsuitable to stay in Jin-Chu to recuperate. The Crown Prince was homesick and ill, and hoped to return to his homeland as soon as possible.

As for who Emperor Pingjing will send to Jin and Chu as hostages, that is entirely up to Pingjing.

They all thought the matter was half accomplished. After waiting for a long time, Pingjing finally sent a letter, but what they received was the devastating news that Baili Yousheng's mother had passed away.

Upon learning this, Baili You fell seriously ill and has not recovered since. In the eyes of the Jin Chu Emperor, Baili You had been abandoned by Ping Jing, who was determined not to replace him with another prince. As for Baili You, as long as he was still breathing, he would let him hold on.

The friendly treaty between the two countries was practically defunct, and Qin Huai's situation was extremely precarious. If it weren't for the Helian clan behind him, the Emperor of Jin-Chu would probably have thrown Baili You back to the Crown Prince's residence to fend for himself.

Although Qin Huai had not stayed in Pingjing for many years, he knew more or less about the news at home. He guessed that there was a new upheaval in the Pingjing court and the situation was unstable. In a situation where the lips are gone and the teeth are cold, who would care about the life or death of a prince?

Qin Huai planned to forcibly take Baili You away as Helian's grandson, but Baili You was unwilling to return to Pingjing after waking up, as he did not want to be a burden to Qin Huai.

Qin Huai could only turn to Qiao Ran for help. He had to return to Pingjing as soon as possible, but he was afraid that if he left, Baili You would be in grave danger.

Qiao Ran burned the letter and sat in the corner gazing at the moon for a long time.

Qin Huai really overestimated her; she was powerless to help Baili You from a distance.

Baili You's reluctance to return to Pingjing was certainly not just due to his fear of burdening Qin Huai; he also harbored an unspeakable secret.

Qiao Ran had no way to give Qin Huai an answer. After returning home, she pondered deeply all night. Now, no one could help Baili You. If he wanted to survive, the only person he could rely on was himself.

She secretly wrote a letter to Qin Huai, devising a desperate plan to ensure Baili You's safety.

The courtyard was bustling with activity from early morning. With the master gone, many things had to be temporarily stored away. Everyone was working non-stop, and Qiao Ran, amidst it all, felt like an outsider.

The carriage was ready for the journey. Chen Jiu's carriage was very spacious, and a soft couch had been specially prepared for him. Qiao Ran touched the three white horses that were being pulled along, and when she turned around, she saw Zhou Mu coming over.

She lowered her hand and walked to the side.

Zhou Mu said, "The young master instructed that the young lady should stay in the villa. If the young lady has any other arrangements, I will follow suit."

He even arranged a bodyguard for himself.

Qiao Ran chuckled, "I don't need you to follow me. My whereabouts are unpredictable, and it wouldn't be convenient for you to follow me."

Zhou Mu pretended not to hear and said only, "I dare not disobey your orders, young master."

“Okay,” Qiao Ran patted the grass clippings off her fingertips, raised an eyebrow at Zhou Mu, and walked away. “I’ll go talk to your young master.”

The thought of having a grown man follow her around all the time was too much trouble for Qiao Ran.

She went to Chen Jiu's courtyard, where a maid told her that Chen Jiu was discussing matters in his study when the prefect arrived.

Qiao Ran nodded and sat down at the stone table in the courtyard to wait. Xie Laoshi came over, nodded to her, and went into the study to inform her.

Chen Jiu and Min Heyu only exchanged some comforting words about the future. Min Heyu knew that Chen Jiu was leaving, so he came over specifically to see him off.

Chen Jiu simply said, "Uncle Min, you've gone to so much trouble."

Min Heyu waved his hands repeatedly and said with a smile, "When we return to the capital, please give my regards to your father."

“Of course,” Chen Jiu said with a slight smile, following Min Heyu’s lead. “Uncle Min has taken good care of me. When I return to the capital, I will have my father send someone to deliver a gift of thanks.”

Min Heyu's eyes crinkled with laughter. "No need for trouble. Sichuan is far from the capital, and I cannot enter the capital without being summoned. I have no way to visit the Prime Minister at his residence, so I can only trouble you to take good care of him."

Chen Jiu nodded and agreed, "I will definitely bring it."

Seeing that it was getting late, Min Heyu got up to say goodbye.

After he left, Chen Jiu leaned against the tea table, gently rubbed his temples, and asked Xie Laoshi, "Is everything arranged?"

"Reporting to Young Master, everything has been arranged," said Xie Laoshi. "Miss Qiao is waiting for you in the courtyard."

Chen Jiu slowly raised his eyes, lowered his hand, and said, "Let her in."

"Yes."

After Xie Laoshi turned and left, Chen Jiu touched the warm "Spring and Autumn" on his chest, a shadow falling over his eyes.

“Miss,” Xie Laoshi walked up to Qiao Ran, who was in a daze, and said politely, “Young master invites you in.”

Qiao Ran stood up, smiled at him, and went inside. Inside, Chen Jiu was leisurely drinking tea. He caught a glimpse of Qiao Ran out of the corner of his eye and immediately smiled.

Seeing that his room was completely empty, Qiao Ran instantly lost the desire to sit down. Her tone was tinged with disappointment as she said, "If you're leaving, why did you leave Zhou Mu here to keep me company?"

Chen Jiu guessed that she had come for this matter, and pursed his lips, saying, "Just pretend he doesn't exist. He's following you from a distance and won't let you see him. How can anyone feel at ease when you're traveling alone in the world?"

Qiao Ran glanced at him and muttered, "Isn't this spying on me?"

"What are you whispering about?" Although Chen Jiu didn't hear clearly, he could tell from Qiao Ran's expression that she was unwilling. He gently persuaded her, "Since Zhou Mu has been assigned to you, he will only listen to you from now on. You can use him if you are comfortable with him, or get rid of him if you don't want to. I won't interfere. Is that okay?"

Qiao Ran stared wide-eyed. Zhou Mu was a human being, after all. How could he be spoken of so casually by Chen Jiu?

She said, "Then I don't want him, I'll give him back to you."

"You."

Chen Jiu slowly walked to Qiao Ran's side. "Are you really unwilling to let him protect you? Zhou Mu may be a bit slow-witted, but he's quite skilled. If anything happens, he can protect you."

Qiao Ran retorted, "I'm not going to kill or commit arson, why would I need someone to protect me every day? At most, I'll go out and eat and drink, and if I need money, I'll just grab some. It's not like I'd get myself killed, is it?"

Chen Jiu raised an eyebrow with amusement, teasingly reminding her, "The turmoil of the Sichuan Heroes Gathering has just passed, so speak with your conscience."

Qiao Ran: "..."

"Are you sure you don't need it?" Chen Jiu asked her, lowering his head. His tone was gentler, almost pleading, as he coaxed her into accepting Zhou Mu.

Qiao Ran stubbornly shook her head, "No, you need protection more than I do. Zhou Mu is so skilled, you can keep him."

"it is good."

Chen Jiu gave in and sighed softly, "Then forget it. If anything happens to you, remember to write to the capital."

"What could possibly happen to me?" Qiao Ran said dismissively. "When are you leaving?"

Chen Jiu ironed his robes neatly, then stood with his hands behind his back in front of Qiao Ran, his face as gentle as a spring breeze. "Are we about to leave? It will get dark later, and the roads will be difficult to travel."

Qiao Ran stared at him for a long time, trying to see a trace of reluctance in his eyes, but instead she felt a surge of anger in her heart.

She lowered her eyes and said softly, "Then I'll see you out of the city."

Chen Jiu said, "Okay."

Qiao Ran rode her horse alongside the carriage, not saying a word to Chen Jiu the whole way. When they arrived at the city gate, Xie Laoshi gently advised her, "Miss, you should go back."

Qiao Ran inwardly mocked herself. Where was she going back to?

The villa wasn't her home. Now that her master was gone, she certainly wouldn't have the nerve to stay there.

But in front of Xie Laoshi, all she could say was, "Then I'll leave you here. Be careful on your way."

"Don't worry, young lady." Xie Laoshi mounted his horse.

Qiao Ran waited for a long time, but Chen Jiu's carriage curtain showed no sign of being lifted except for a slight breeze. She sulked to herself, thinking how annoying this person was, unable to even say "goodbye" to her.

When the carriages behind caught up, Chen Jinning suddenly leaned out, her eyes red, and waved to her, "Sister Qiao, you must come to Kyoto!"

"I'll definitely look for you when I get there." Qiao Ran watched from afar, waving to Chen Jinning, and only when she saw them all walk away did her face fall.

Little did she know that Cheng Kaiji, who had been watching her from the shadows for a long time, had seen through her displeasure.

Just as Qiao Ran was about to turn back, Cheng Kaiji jumped out from the side, startling her.

Qiao Ran patted her chest and glared at him.

Cheng Kaiji approached with a grin, helped her lead the horse, and teased her while tilting his head back, "Qiao Qiao is unhappy? You can't bear to part with the young master, can you? If you can't bear to part with him, just say so."

Qiao Ran pretended to be indifferent, gazing at the bustling street, and said lightly, "It's alright."