Disease rights policy

Li Chen was stunned. How could Chen Jinning be his sister?

he……

"Mother Empress," Li Chen said even more urgently, his gaze towards the Empress even carrying a hint of pleading.

The Empress interrupted him in time, saying, "A-Ning will be your sworn sister from now on. You should take good care of her and make sure she is not bullied."

Li Chen arrived happily because he knew Chen Jinning was there, but he had to leave disappointed, without even having a chance to say a proper word to Chen Jinning.

The pavilion was full of women, so Li Chen didn't linger and left disappointed.

Later, when the flower-viewing banquet was almost over, Li Chen was unwilling to give up and went to Kunning Palace again, but he did not see Chen Jinning come out.

Qiao Ran walked towards the backyard and saw this scene. Li Chen was leaning against the side of the corridor, looking like he had lost his soul. He was nowhere to be seen as the spirited man he had been when he entered the pavilion that afternoon.

Tsk tsk, Qiao Ran silently sympathized with him, but still walked towards him, leaned forward and called out softly, "Your Highness?"

Fortunately, Li Chen was only disoriented and not deaf. He slowly turned his head and his pupils dilated slightly when he saw Qiao Ran. This was the first reaction most men would have when they saw Qiao Ran's face. Qiao Ran was not surprised.

Upon seeing that it was from the Empress's palace, Li Chen merely straightened up slightly, his tone dejected, "What is it?"

"Is Your Highness waiting for Miss Chen?" Qiao Ran could guess Li Chen's thoughts with her bare hands. Men who are troubled by love usually act like they're half-dead after their heartbreak, but as soon as they meet someone new, they immediately become energetic and lively. It's really amazing.

Li Chen's face showed a mixture of shame, indignation, and anger at being seen through.

Qiao Ran mustered her courage and kindly reminded him, "Miss Chen has been summoned to the palace by Her Majesty for a private talk, and she may not be able to leave the palace for a while."

This meant that Li Chen shouldn't wait anymore. Qiao Ran's main concern wasn't that Li Chen was waiting in vain, but rather that she could tell Li Chen was in a one-sided love and that A Ning didn't like him. She was worried that if A Ning came out later, she would be entangled with Li Chen and wouldn't be able to get away.

Given Ah Ning's gentle and delicate nature, if Li Chen had been more direct, she would have stood there dumbfounded.

The main reason for persuading Li Chen to leave was for A Ning's sake.

Li Chen flicked his sleeves, regained his composure, and said, "Don't tell Mother that I was here."

"Hmm." Qiao Ran smiled and saw Li Chen off as he was about to leave, but she couldn't resist asking, "Does Your Highness like Miss Chen?"

Li Chen stopped in his tracks. "How dare you!"

Who taught her to presume to guess her master's thoughts!

Qiao Ran shuddered, wishing she could slap herself, and forced a smile as she explained, "Your Highness is young and promising, and Miss Chen is gentle and kind. Anyone who sees you two would think you are a match made in heaven, but Your Highness's affection is a bit too blatant."

They insisted on making it public knowledge, and now look what happened—the object of their crush has turned into their half-sister, and even having a crush has become a sin.

How miserable.

Li Chen was initially somewhat angry, but seeing that Qiao Ran's words and actions didn't resemble those of a servant in the Empress Dowager's palace, and even feeling that she might say something useful, he asked, "What do you mean?"

That's why they say being love-struck lowers your IQ.

Qiao Ran, deciding to go all the way, clapped her hands and began to speak eloquently, "Your Highness is the eldest son of the legitimate wife, renowned for his virtue, while Miss Chen is... the only daughter of the Chen family. Both Your Highness and Miss Chen are of marriageable age, yet even though they don't know each other, outsiders are already gossiping. Now, Your Highness has almost made your feelings for Miss Chen public knowledge. Your Highness and Miss Chen seem like a match made in heaven. What are you expecting others to think?" Qiao Ran continued tactfully, "Only we know the true nature of our feelings, because in other people's eyes, feelings are the easiest thing to overlook, while interests..."

At this point, Qiao Ran stopped abruptly. She didn't want to be too presumptuous. Li Chen wasn't unaware of these things, but he liked A Ning and was afraid to think about them, so he never dared to.

He needs someone to say it to his face for him to remain clear-headed after weighing the pros and cons.

Li Chen asked, "You're Qiao Xiaoran?"

Qiao Ran nodded, thinking that she was quite famous herself.

"No wonder you were so bold." Li Chen said this out of the blue, then turned and left, leaving Qiao Ran scratching the back of her head in confusion before heading briskly to the backyard. She was exhausted after a long day and needed to go back and lie down.

Kong Hanyan was called away to do something else, and it should be over by now. The two of them can go back and exchange information.

But perhaps her luck was running out today, as she was blatantly deceived in Kunning Palace. A palace maid delivered a false message, asking her to go to the Imperial Hospital to fetch some medicine for the Empress. Qiao Ran knew that the empresses in the harem often drank all sorts of bitter things to regulate their bodies, and the person who coaxed her was wearing the same clothes as Ying Zi and Ying Hong, who were close attendants of the Empress. She couldn't refuse, so she agreed. Who knew that as soon as she left Kunning Palace, she was "invited" to Yuxiu Palace, which was the sleeping quarters of Consort Rong.

Her bedroom was the furthest from Kunning Palace, and Qiao Ran was forced to walk a long way, her face looking as long as a shoehorn.

Upon arriving at Yuxiu Palace, the palace maid led her directly to the main hall. Consort Rong was reclining on the chaise longue, holding a small jade pendant in her hand, gently tracing it under her face, watching Qiao Ran with a mixture of a smile and a cold gaze.

Just as Qiao Ran was about to bow, the person above said, "Let her sit down. I want to talk to her for a bit. Everyone else, please step aside."

"Yes." The palace maids who were serving nearby all withdrew.

Qiao Ran thought to herself that she could only improvise.

She was caught in a dilemma: whether to sit or not. Consort Rong was capricious, and she feared that if she became unhappy, someone would come in and torment her.

Consort Rong's behavior was unusually "friendly." She even got off the couch herself and slowly helped Qiao Ran up, leaving Qiao Ran flattered.

"Come, sit down and talk."

Qiao Ran panicked even more, "Your Majesty."

"What are you afraid of me for? I'm not going to eat you," Consort Rong said, suddenly appearing quite serious. Her words and actions were not at all unlikeable, and she even seemed much more approachable. Consort Rong smiled, her eyes narrowing. "Did they all tell you that I'm jealous of women prettier than me and that I'll tear your face off?"

Qiao Ran: "...No."

"Ah."

Consort Rong's voice was even more endearing.

She forced Qiao Ran to sit down. Qiao Ran thought she was going back to the chaise lounge, but to her surprise, she sat down next to Qiao Ran barefoot and stared at her intently, making Qiao Ran feel uneasy.

"Your Majesty?" Qiao Ran asked tentatively, "Have you seen me before?"

Consort Rong, with her beautiful face relaxed, said, "I have seen people as beautiful as you."

Qiao Ran smiled, thinking to herself, "But I've seen you before, and I know your secret."

Suddenly, Qiao Ran felt a warm touch on her face. She was startled. Consort Rong had reached out and casually pinched Qiao Ran's cheek. "Didn't you eat properly? You look pale and thin."

Qiao Ran: "..."

"Sigh," Consort Rong said to herself again, "It's so boring in the Empress's palace. You must be bored staying here. I'll think of a way to get you to come to my palace so you can keep me company, okay?"

not good.

Qiao Ran felt that Consort Rong must be up to something. She was acting friendly towards her now, but who knew what malicious scheme she was plotting?

"Your Majesty, please don't make things difficult for me. If I fail the test when the three-month period is up, I will have to go home to take care of my parents."

Consort Rong suddenly asked, "Do you still have parents to take care of you?"

Qiao Ran was taken aback. These words automatically translated into two meanings for her: one was that her real parents had died long ago, so who would she go back to take care of?

Did Consort Rong know that she was Qiao Xiuqi's daughter?

impossible.

Qiao Ran rejected the idea and deliberately emphasized, "Your Majesty, my parents are both alive and well in Qianzhou."

Consort Rong's eyes curved into a smile, and she straightened her body slightly, saying nonchalantly, "What's so good about Qianzhou? It's nowhere as interesting as the capital. You should stay in the capital."

After speaking, Consort Rong stood up and finally returned to her chaise longue, but stood with her back turned to the side. Qiao Ran breathed a sigh of relief, "If Your Majesty has no other instructions, this humble woman will take her leave without disturbing Your Majesty's rest."

Consort Rong did not respond. Qiao Ran thought to herself, "As expected, Consort Rong has a fickle temper."

Consort Rong asked her, "Miss Qiao, what do your family call you?"

Qiao Ran casually replied, "Call me Xiao Ran."

Consort Rong seemed to smile, then turned around and said inexplicably, "I should call you Xiao Bao, it sounds so nice."

Qiao Ran gave another awkward laugh.

Consort Rong lay back down, once again displaying her alluring demeanor. Qiao Ran quickly left Yuxiu Palace. She couldn't quite pinpoint what was strange about Consort Rong, but she vaguely knew that Consort Rong harbored no hostility towards her.

Could it be that the original owner of this body had met Consort Rong before?!

Qiao Ran felt a chill run down her spine. If the two had met before and were quite familiar with each other, then Consort Rong's attitude towards her would not be surprising. But since she recognized her, why didn't Consort Rong reveal her identity?

When Qiao Ran returned to Kunning Palace, it was already dark. The palace was quiet. Kong Hanyan was waiting for her outside. When she saw her return, she said anxiously, "Where have you been? You scared me to death."

Qiao Ran moved her lips, but didn't mention going to Yuxiu Palace. She only said, "Just going out for a stroll."

"I thought something had happened to you. I hadn't seen you for a while, and I didn't want to ask anyone else," Kong Hanyan said, pulling Qiao Ran into the house. She lowered her voice and asked, "Guess where I went this afternoon?"

Qiao Ran: "Where?"

"The Imperial Hospital," Kong Hanyan said. "Yingzi asked me to go to the Imperial Hospital to get some nourishing medicinal herbs. They are usually added to the meals in Kunning Palace, so I went. I saw that the Imperial Hospital has medicine that can help you restore your internal strength."

Qiao Ran's eyes lit up. "If my internal strength is restored, I'll have an extra layer of protection when I want to leave."

Kong Hanyan nodded and asked, "Has Yao Yuze made things difficult for you again?"

Qiao Ran's eyes flickered, and she shook her head.

Telling Kong Hanyan wouldn't help; it would only make her worry unnecessarily. Yao Yuze wouldn't dispel his suspicions about her anytime soon, and the bloodstained dress was still in her room.

Thinking of this, Qiao Ran's brows furrowed. After seeing Kong Hanyan back to her room, Qiao Ran listlessly pushed open the door and went in. She found that the room seemed to have been ransacked. Although everything was neat and tidy, the bed was wrinkled when she left in the morning, but it was now unusually smooth.

Qiao Ran opened the closet, and sure enough, the dress she had been wearing to test her was gone.

Who took it?

Could it be Yao Yuze?