Disease rights policy

Qiao Ran and Kong Hanyan returned to Shufang Palace. Perhaps having heard that they were doing well in Kunning Palace, the Empress not only did not punish them, but even took special care of them. Sure enough, someone came to Kunning Palace early in the morning and specifically instructed Supervisor Xu.

"Qiao Xiaoran and Kong Hanyan have already caught the Empress's eye. The Empress likes them very much. In the future assessments, Supervisor Xu will be more lenient with them."

Isn't this blatantly telling Supervisor Xu to turn a blind eye?

Therefore, when they saw Qiao Ran return unharmed, all the young ladies in the courtyard were jealous and their faces contorted. Liu Yun was the most jealous, her eyes looking as if she wanted to tear a piece of Qiao Ran's flesh out. But Qiao Ran was too lazy to pay attention to her and walked straight past her.

Liu Yun twisted the handkerchief in her hands, her fingernails turning white from the force.

He Yingying tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Sister He, let's hurry to Fengxing Pavilion, don't keep the ladies-in-waiting waiting."

Liu Yun then gave a soft hum and reluctantly headed towards Fengxing Pavilion.

Qiao Ran and Kong Hanyan tidied up, ate something, and went to Fengxing Pavilion. Xu Shangjian was not there in the afternoon, so today's lessons were taught by two Shangyi. First, they reviewed the previous rules, and then they learned about Shangyi. Sun Shangyi taught seriously, and when she looked at Qiao Ran, she nodded in satisfaction.

It seems that Kunning Palace is indeed a good place to nurture people.

Qiao Ran had missed a few days of classes, and given her previous clumsy nature, she shouldn't have been able to do anything well. But today, she stood up straight, made no mistakes, and was even better than others.

Qiao Ran saw the approval in Consort Sun's eyes. She was just too lazy to pretend anymore. The Empress had indeed treated her well, so she would just endure it for the sake of Kunning Palace's reputation. Since she was too lazy to pretend, she revealed her true strength. She not only did well, but she did it quickly.

After an afternoon of study, Consort Sun looked at her with newfound respect and praised her repeatedly. Everyone assumed this was the result of her spending several days in Kunning Palace, and their jealousy was mixed with envy.

On the contrary, Liu Yun, who was competitive in everything, made mistakes frequently. Even after Sun Shangyi personally gave her four or five pointers, she still seemed completely clueless.

Sun Shangyi cleared her throat. "Liu Yun, what's wrong with you today?"

Liu Yun lowered her head and replied, "Shangyi, I'm also stupid. Many of the things you taught me today were too difficult."

Sun Shangyi frowned. "Everyone else did a good job, why couldn't you?"

"Is Shangyi referring to Qiao Xiaoran?" Liu Yun said pointedly, "If Qiao Xiaoran hadn't received guidance from the Empress, how could she have suddenly become so insightful? If I had also spent a few days in Kunning Palace, I could have made a custom-made piece a thousand times better than hers."

After she finished speaking, she smiled smugly.

Surrounded by young ladies, she had witnessed most of the power struggles in the inner quarters, which were nothing more than petty tricks and jealousies. Liu Yun's yearning for Kunning Palace could not escape the discerning eyes of Consort Sun.

She deliberately acted stupid and clumsy, deliberately did poorly, and made frequent mistakes, thinking that Supervisor Xu could also send her to Kunning Palace for instruction.

Do they really think Kunning Palace is some kind of place?!

Sun Shangyi suddenly became serious and asked, "Do you think the reason you made a mistake is because you didn't go to Kunning Palace with Qiao Xiaoran and Kong Hanyan?"

Liu Yun nodded without hesitation.

The Empress is indeed as approachable as rumored. She doesn't even mind someone as uncouth as Qiao Xiaoran and even likes her. If I go there and work hard and try to please her, I'm sure I can win the Empress's favor. Not only will I have face, but my father will also have a higher position in the court.

Upon thinking of this, Liu Yun unconsciously raised her head, and her gaze towards Sun Shangyi lost its respect.

Consort Sun suddenly laughed, took two steps back, then turned around and said to everyone, "On your first day in the palace, Consort Xu reminded you to behave yourselves, be polite and respectful. But I see that some of you are too ambitious and look down on Shufang Palace and Fengxing Pavilion. In that case, I'll just report to Consort Xu and have her report it as a matter of routine, so that you can all be sent to where you want to go?"

The young ladies who understood the implication in Sun Shangyi's words all shivered inexplicably, and lowered their heads, fearing that Liu Yun would implicate them.

Qiao Ran cursed inwardly, "Idiot."

What a mindless idiot.

Liu Yun was still in high spirits. Although Sun Shangyi's words were unpleasant, they meant that she was to be sent to Kunning Palace. Her eyes lit up even more.

Sun Shangyi glanced at her and said, "Everyone performed well overall today. Everyone else can go back to Shufang Palace to rest, but Liu Yun can stay."

"Shangyi," Liu Yun was already a little excited, smiling as she was about to rush to Sun Shangyi's side, but Sun Shangyi's next words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing her completely.

"You will stay in Fengxing Pavilion for extra training. I will have someone keep an eye on you. You can only return when you reach Qiao Xiaoran's level."

"What?" Liu Yun exclaimed in disbelief. "Why, Shangyi?"

Sun Shangyi snorted coldly, "You still don't know where you went wrong? Stand in the corner for an hour before you practice again."

Liu Yun's eyes widened. "Consort Sun!"

Sun Shangyi shook her head and led the others back. Liu Yun was furious; she didn't know what she had done wrong.

Qiao Xiaoran couldn't learn it, so Xu Shangjian and Sun Shangyi patiently taught her, again and again. But she was punished just once for not being able to get ahead!

Why!

Liu Yun's face was contorted with hatred. There were only two or three lamps left in Fengxing Pavilion at night. Liu Yun had been standing for an hour and was already drenched in sweat, but the female official next to her was still staring at her with a ruler in hand, and "smack" hit her back.

"It's time for extra practice. Don't be lazy. Learn it quickly so you can go home and rest sooner."

Liu Yun clenched her teeth, tears welling in her eyes, and her lips were bitten until they bled.

The ruler stung my body, but my heart was filled with shame.

Forced to practice for a while longer, the female official went to relieve herself, and Liu Yun took the opportunity to slump to the ground. It was pitch black outside the Fengxing Pavilion; the weather was not good tonight, with dark clouds covering the sky, and it was likely to rain.

The female official hadn't returned for a while. Liu Yun looked outside the pavilion and suddenly had an idea. She quickly got up and walked towards the bridge in the back of the pavilion. The night wind was a bit chilly. Liu Yun hesitated for a moment, looked at the shimmering water below the bridge, gritted her teeth, and jumped down.

By the time the water reached her neck, it was too late for Liu Yun to regret it. The icy water filled her mouth, and she could only manage a few scattered cries of "Help..."

When the female official returned, she heard the commotion behind her and rushed over. She saw that Liu Yun had lost all strength to struggle. After a couple of thrashings, she slowly sank to the bottom. The female official turned pale and screamed at the top of her lungs, "Help! Help! Someone has fallen into the water!"

That night, Shufang Palace was even more lively. Liu Yun was also rescued by the Imperial Guards, but unlike them, she almost lost her life. It took the Imperial Hospital to administer medicine all night to barely pull her back from the brink of death.

The Empress was awakened in the middle of the night and came to Shufang Palace in person. She also sent someone to inform the Censor-in-Chief. The Censor-in-Chief entered the palace overnight and knelt in the outer room all night, begging the Empress to give him justice.

The Empress was in a terrible predicament. Xu Shangjian quickly asked Sun Shangyi to explain the whole story. Sun Shangyi hadn't expected that Liu Yun could be so stupid and so jealous that she would even do something like jumping into a lake just to compete with others.

The Empress turned to the imperial physician and asked, "How is she?"

The imperial physician wiped the sweat from his brow. "Your Majesty, his life has been saved; he needs to rest."

"Liu Yun doesn't need to participate in this selection of female officials," the Empress said with a frown. "Have Vice Minister Liu take her back to her residence to rest."

Liu Yun was taken away just like that. The Empress's actions served as a warning to them that not just anyone could enter Kunning Palace.

Qiao Ran was summoned by the Empress. Kunning Palace was brightly lit, and Qiao Ran knew it was about Liu Yun.

As expected, the Empress didn't beat around the bush. With a calm face, she asked Qiao Ran, "Do you think today's events are related to you?"

Qiao Ran thought for a while, then shook her head in denial, "Liu Yun wanted to show off and used the wrong methods. I did not frame her openly or secretly. I do not think that her accident has anything to do with me."

“But she’s jealous of you,” the Queen said slowly. “If you were as mediocre as everyone else, why would she compare herself to you in everything?”

Qiao Ran looked up and said, "Your Majesty, in terms of family background, I am far inferior to her. In terms of the various doctrines I have been taught since childhood, I am even less than her. What is there for Liu Yun to be jealous of? She is not jealous of me, but of anyone more prominent than herself. If it is not me, then it is someone else."

The Empress looked down at her for a while. "Liu Yun was certainly wrong, and she suffered the consequences of her own actions. But what about you? I knew from the beginning that, unlike Liu Yun who went to great lengths to stay in the palace, you have no desire to stay here. I ask you, do you still want to leave the palace now?"

Qiao Ran was not surprised that the Empress could see through all of this; she was glad that the Empress only knew the surface.

"I do," Qiao Ran said frankly. "The palace is like a deep sea, and I've been lazy since I was a child. I know I'm not suited for this place."

The Empress smiled and said, "Then why didn't you explain things clearly to your family in the first place? Now that you've come, why are you thinking of leaving? Isn't that deceiving me?"

Qiao Ran trembled. She really couldn't answer that question, so she lied and said, "I really can't bear to go against my parents' wishes. I don't want them to be disappointed from the beginning and think that I'm immature."

The Empress pondered for a moment, then sighed and said softly, "I'm just reminding you that today's matter is no small thing, and Liu Zhongcheng is a stubborn man. He won't let this go so easily. Such a commotion in Shufang Palace will likely alarm many people tomorrow, and His Majesty may personally question you. If you can get away with this unscathed, I might consider letting you leave the palace."

Qiao Ran opened her eyes wide, her dark pupils shining brightly, and kowtowed heavily, "This humble woman thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness."

"Go back."

With the Empress's guarantee, Qiao Ran's chances of leaving the palace were greatly reduced. She knew that if she behaved herself and safely passed tomorrow's interrogation, she could let the Emperor know that this matter was entirely Liu Yun's own fault and had nothing to do with her. Then she could leave this dangerous place.

Qiao Ran was excited all night, thinking that since the Empress was so reasonable, the Emperor should also be very insightful and would certainly not make such a small matter known to everyone.

Early in the morning, Supervisor Xu and the two ladies-in-waiting woke everyone up one by one, and they all waited in the courtyard.

Soon, someone from the Imperial Guard should come to take them to the Imperial Garden, where the Emperor will rest for a while after the morning court session.

But instead of the Imperial Guards, the Imperial City Guards arrived.

When Xu Shangjian saw the people from the Imperial City Guard, he frowned and had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

"Lord Wang, what brings you here?"