Disease rights policy

Qiao Ran's sleeve was gently tugged, and she stood up along with the other ladies and young women. After Consort Rong entered, she promptly curtsied and said, "Greetings, Consort Rong."

"Rise, all of you." Consort Rong's soft voice was light and cheerful, her charming demeanor natural and captivating. "I'm late, Your Majesty the Empress, please forgive me."

She said sorry, but her tone didn't convey any remorse.

The Empress naturally understood as well, and said calmly, "Someone, help Consort Rong to sit down."

"No need," Consort Rong said. "I won't sit down, lest I disturb Your Majesty's enjoyment."

The Empress's face darkened further, but fearing that her true intentions might be noticed in front of outsiders, she still spoke kindly, "Since you're already here, why not sit with the ladies and young ladies for a while? It's also a good opportunity for Consort Rong to talk with the young ladies and perhaps arrange a match for Sheng'er with any of them she likes."

Consort Rong suddenly covered her mouth and smiled, "Sheng'er is still young, there's no rush to get married."

The Empress had been repeatedly humiliated, and the atmosphere in the pavilion visibly became tense. Everyone knew in unison that the Empress and Consort Rong had always been at odds. It couldn't be said whose fault it was. The Empress was born into a family of loyal ministers, and those she had been close to since childhood were all legitimate daughters of noble families.

Including the concubines in the harem, which one of them didn't have parents who were officials in the court and came from a respectable family background?

But Consort Rong was different. Her origins were unknown. She was brought back from Jiangnan by the Emperor during his personal tour. She claimed to be an orphan with no one to rely on. She attracted the Emperor's heart with her delicate and pretentious manner. At first, she was only brought back to the palace to be raised as a maid. But as time went on, she continued to act very obedient and lovable. The Emperor cherished her and gave her a title. With the Emperor's favor, she gradually rose to her current status.

How could a flirtatious woman with no relatives or support possibly win the favor of a dignified empress?

Consort Rong neither sat down nor wanted to cultivate a relationship with the Empress. Dressed in delicate pink, she stood out like a crane among chickens in front of everyone. With a glance, she said to the Empress, "I know that Your Majesty likes Miss Chen and talks about Aning the most. Is it because His Highness Chen has taken a liking to Miss Chen?"

The Empress paused, and the jade ruyi she was holding sank slightly. She frowned slightly, her displeasure vanishing in an instant. "I like Aning. It's obvious to everyone. I have no princesses. Treating Aning as my daughter is no big deal. Consort Rong, don't talk nonsense."

Consort Rong feigned surprise, "So it turns out that I misunderstood Your Majesty's meaning. Seeing that Prince Chen has reached the age of marriage, I thought Your Majesty had already made up your mind about choosing a princess consort."

What is said with good intentions may be taken to heart by the listener.

The Empress has given birth to three princes in total. The eldest prince, Li Chen, was born when he was still a prince. Now that he is over eighteen, according to palace regulations, it is time to secretly arrange a princess consort for him.

The second prince, Li Xun, was still young. As for the third prince, he died at only ten months old. The empress fell seriously ill because of this, and the palace mourned for many days. Now it is a taboo subject, and no one dares to mention it.

Thinking about it this way, it really is time for His Highness Li Chen to choose his consort. It's one thing for the Empress to be close to Chen Jinning on ordinary days, but no one would think of it this way. Now that Consort Rong has reminded them, the way they look at Chen Jinning is different.

Li Chen is the emperor's legitimate son and the oldest surviving prince. He is upright and approachable, and everyone in the court praises him. He is the most likely candidate to become the crown prince. Wouldn't the eldest princess be a potential future mother of the nation?

Madam Chen glanced at Consort Rong silently, quickly concealing the fear in her eyes. Fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and she did not want Aning to be drawn into the vortex of power too early. She immediately echoed, "Aning is foolish. It is Aning's blessing that Her Majesty the Empress can treat her like a daughter. This humble woman thanks Her Majesty for her great kindness."

"Madam Chen, do you really expect Her Majesty to adopt your Aning as her goddaughter?" Consort Rong said sarcastically. "You'll regret it when Her Majesty takes a fancy to another young lady."

Madam Chen secretly clenched the handkerchief in her hand. "Your Highness Consort Rong is too kind. The Empress is the mother of the nation. My Chen family and A-Ning are but tiny specks. How dare we claim kinship with Your Highness?"

"Your Chen family is still considered lowly?" Consort Rong said aggressively. "The most glorious place in the entire capital is your Prime Minister's residence. Your Aning is not worthy of His Highness Chen. I think the others are just chickens pretending to be phoenixes, with their ambitions higher than the sky."

Madam Chen stood up abruptly, her gentle nature flaring with suppressed anger, and stared at Consort Rong for a long time.

Consort Rong didn't care at all. She knew that she had survived in the palace by being shameless. She smiled and looked back at Chen, who was completely defeated.

"Enough!" The Empress suddenly raised her voice. "His Majesty is in charge of the marriages of the princes. Consort Rong, you have overstepped your bounds."

Consort Rong reached out and touched her temple, leaned forward, and said softly, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I talked too much for a moment."

"If there is nothing else, you may return to the palace to rest."

No one but Consort Rong could force the Empress to lose her gentle demeanor in front of everyone.

Consort Rong spun around on the spot, fixing her gaze on Chen Jinning. Her red lips moved slightly, "A-Ning..." Before she could finish speaking, Consort Rong's face suddenly stiffened, her body trembled almost imperceptibly, and she tightened her grip on the silk handkerchief, unable to speak for a long time.

Chen Jinning stood up blankly, feeling a growing sense of annoyance. Consort Rong was not an easy mistress to get along with. Just when she thought Consort Rong was going to make things difficult for her, she saw Consort Rong move her waist and ask the Empress with a smile, "I didn't know that Your Majesty's palace had such a beautiful and charming maid. She is truly enviable."

Consort Rong's beauty was second to none in the harem. She made a living by her looks and usually resented any woman in the palace who was more beautiful than her. Otherwise, she would beat and scold her at the drop of a hat. Her cruel methods could take half of someone's life.

The Empress glanced at Qiao Ran beside Chen Jinning and said with a headache, "That's not from my palace. She's a young lady from an official family who was summoned to the capital to participate in the selection of female officials."

"Oh?" Consort Rong did not give up and asked, "I wonder which official's residence it belongs to? You are truly blessed."

Her ambiguous attitude made those who knew her methods worry for Qiao Ran.

Chen Jinning said, "It comes from the Prefectural Governor's Office of Qianzhou."

"Qianzhou? Prefect?"

Consort Rong suddenly laughed out loud, took two steps toward Chen Jinning, but her gaze went straight past her and landed on Qiao Ran beside her, and she even reached out to lift Qiao Ran's face.

Qiao Ran was on the verge of tears, and could only desperately lower her head, her mind filled with Rong Fei's arrogant and provocative appearance just now... Why did she feel that Rong Fei's appearance was somewhat familiar?

Once this question arose, Qiao Ran became increasingly puzzled. She couldn't help but look up, and her eyes met those of Consort Rong.

She couldn't quite describe the feeling. Consort Rong had a mocking smile on her lips, but her eyes seemed to be filled with sorrow. In just a moment, Qiao Ran inexplicably couldn't bring herself to dislike Consort Rong.

Consort Rong withdrew her gaze first, her affected manner vanished, and she stood upright, her voice softening, "A mere Prefect of Qianzhou, how could he be worthy of Her Majesty the Empress placing his daughter in Kunning Palace for her personal instruction? Why don't you entrust her to me, Your Majesty, and I will take her back to the palace to discipline her on Your Majesty's behalf?"

The Empress refused without hesitation, "No need."

Consort Rong knew this would be the answer, so she turned to Qiao Ran and asked, "What's your name?"

When Qiao Ran looked at her face again, she finally remembered where she had seen her before!

Wuting Hall!

The portrait that Cang Zhengqing treasured like a precious gem!

The woman in the portrait is Consort Rong!

Qiao Ran's mind was in complete turmoil. She couldn't fathom what connection Rong Fei and Wuting Hall could possibly have. Why did Cang Zhengqing keep her portrait, and why did he make such a fuss after it was lost?

This secret was probably known only to her in the entire palace. Qiao Ran was so shocked that her heart almost jumped out of her chest. She stammered out three words, "Qiao Xiaoran".

“Qiao Xiaoran,” Consort Rong deliberately repeated, emphasizing each word, intentionally omitting the word “Xiao” so that Qiao Ran would think she had genuinely called out, “Qiao Ran.”

She was so scared that she almost knelt down.

Consort Rong said again, "A good name," before saying to herself, "This concubine takes her leave."

After saying that, he strode away from the pavilion without looking back. The people in the pavilion stared at each other, not knowing how to cover up the awkwardness that had just happened.

Qiao Ran and Chen Jinning exchanged a glance, feeling as if all their strength had been drained, and remained unable to recover for a long time.

She was increasingly horrified by the bizarre and unpredictable nature of the Great Liang Imperial Palace, where the slightest misstep could lead to utter destruction.

A layer of cold sweat unknowingly seeped out from my forehead.

In the end, it was Madam Chen who spoke first. She gently nudged Chen Jinning and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for helping Aning out of this predicament. Aning, why don't you thank Your Majesty?"

Chen Jinning stepped forward and said, "A-Ning thanks Your Majesty for your kindness."

The Empress lowered her brows and sighed softly. When she looked up again, she had regained her initial gentleness. She smiled and told Chen Jinning to get up. She said to everyone, "I am destined to meet Aning. Since it has been brought up today, I will hereby recognize Aning as my goddaughter to make up for my regret of having no daughter."

Upon hearing this, the ladies and young women in the pavilion began to whisper among themselves. Madam Chen pulled Chen Jinning down to kneel. Although Chen Jinning was unwilling, he could not disappoint the Empress's wishes, so the two kowtowed to express their gratitude.

The Empress took off the jade bracelet from her wrist and personally put it on Chen Jinning's snow-white wrist. "Come to Kunning Palace often in the future and keep me company to relieve my fatigue."

"Yes." Chen Jinning smiled as he stood up, accepting the favor with trepidation.

Madam Chen smiled bitterly. The Empress's move undoubtedly put an end to the rumors spread by Consort Rong that the Empress intended to make Aning the Grand Princess. From now on, Aning and Prince Chen would address each other as brother and sister... It wasn't a bad thing, at least those in the court who had ulterior motives would be less wary of the Chen family.

As soon as you speak of the devil, Yingzi reports, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince has arrived."

"Chen'er is here," the Empress said with a smile, releasing Chen Jinning's hand. "Perfect timing, I can tell him that he now has a younger sister. Come here, Aning."

Chen Jinning followed half a step behind, and when he looked up, he saw Li Chen striding in. His black robe made him look tall and straight, with sharp eyebrows and eyes. He already had the heroic spirit of a grown man, but he was also known for his virtue. In court, he treated people and things with the elegance of a scholar.

As soon as he entered, he announced loudly, "Your Majesty, I am here to join you in the flower-viewing banquet."

The Empress smiled and said, "We'll admire the flowers later. Come and see your sister."

Li Chen asked curiously, "Sister?"

"A-Ning," the Empress turned and called Chen Jinning over. In an instant, Li Chen's eyes widened, his gaze dimmed, and his lips moved as if his anxiety was about to burst forth.