Disease rights policy

“Miss Yang won’t say a word. That won’t do.” Wen Shao said coldly, “They’ve already investigated you. There should be some results. Please, Miss Yang, make a trip to the Imperial City Guard.”

Yang Hui's body trembled, and two lines of clear tears flowed down her face. She looked at Wen Shao and bit her lip. In the blink of an eye, just as Yao Yuze shouted "Stop her!", she fell to the ground as lightly as a feather, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. When the guards lifted her up, she was already lifeless.

“Commander, like Liu Yun’s poison, it’s hidden in the back teeth, but in a larger dose,” the guard said. “It can kill instantly.”

Gong Yuyi looked down, seemingly lost in thought, before finally saying, "Report the results to His Majesty for a decision."

Wen Shao had the body carried away. As for He Yingying, she was half-dead and didn't move when she was dragged out.

Two people died in Shufang Palace in one day. The young ladies were so frightened that they hid to the side and dared not utter a sound.

With that, Liu Yun's death was basically clear. As for who Yang Hui was acting on her orders, that was not something Qiao Ran cared about. Fortunately, she escaped unscathed from this ordeal and went to report to the Empress later that evening. If all goes well, she will be able to leave the palace tomorrow.

Therefore, before Yao Yuze and Wen Shao left, she didn't take their increasingly hostile looks to heart. After tomorrow, when the emperor was far away, who would remember the two of them?

"Without orders, no one is allowed to enter or leave Shufang Palace at will," Gong Yuyi instructed before leaving with his men.

Chen Jiu followed behind him. Before leaving, fearing it would arouse suspicion, he did not look back at Qiao Ran. However, he walked very slowly, and Qiao Ran stared at his back for a while. Seeing that he was coughing silently with his head down, she couldn't help but worry about his health.

Before leaving tomorrow, I need to go see Chen Jiu.

As Qiao Ran was thinking, Xu Shangjian came over and pulled her aside, saying, "Things have gotten so big, now we can only hope that His Majesty won't take his anger out on us."

Even Xu Shangjian was shaken by the series of troubles, his haggard appearance revealing deep worry.

Qiao Ran comforted her, "Don't worry, Your Majesty is discerning and will certainly not let Shufang Palace suffer an undeserved disaster."

Supervisor Xu let out a long sigh of relief. "I hope so."

-

At night, the once calm sky was first stirred by the wind, and then a sudden rain fell, pattering against the eaves. Those with worries on their minds couldn't sleep well. Kong Hanyan stayed in Qiao Ran's room and said her final goodbye by the dim light of a lamp.

"I'm genuinely happy for you. There's no end to the troubles in the palace. The sooner you leave, the more peaceful it will be." Kong Hanyan, wearing a thin velvet cloak, smiled sincerely and said, "When you leave, and we meet again in the martial world, don't forget to recognize me."

Qiao Ran smiled and said, "How could I forget you? I will never forget you. After I leave, I will go to Jiangling first to see your mother and tell her that you are alright and that she should not worry."

Kong Hanyan lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling. "Mother must miss me too. I've been dreaming about her these past few days."

Qiao Ran's smile faded, and she suddenly said seriously, "If I leave, what will you do? I know you don't really want to stay in this palace, so why don't you leave?"

Kong Hanyan shook her head. "Xiao Ran, I'm not like you. I can't just leave whenever I want."

"If you want to come with me, I'll help you." Qiao Ran grabbed her hand; she didn't want to watch Kong Hanyan suffer in the palace.

Kong Hanyan's palm was warm as she placed it on Qiao Ran's hand, and she gave a wry smile. "Let's not talk about this. I'm hoping you'll go out and make a name for yourself so I can rely on you in the future."

"Nonsense." Kong Hanyan had her own unspeakable difficulties, so Qiao Ran chimed in, saying softly, "You are the daughter of the Prince of Jiangling, so it's more likely that I'd side with you."

The two laughed and joked for a while longer before Kong Hanyan asked, "Who exactly sent Yang Hui? Although I'm not familiar with her, I know she's usually quiet and reserved, and not very brave. I never imagined she would harm someone."

Qiao Ran remained silent. "I don't know either."

When she first discovered that Yang Hui had sneaked into her room and taken the dress, she suspected that Yang Hui was Yao Yuze's person. But seeing that Yao Yuze was almost dragged into the mess today, she knew that she wasn't. Even Yao Yuze didn't know why the Qiao family's evidence was in Yang Hui's room.

This is very strange. If Yang Hui and Liu Yun had a grudge, it would be understandable if she harmed Liu Yun. But why would she refuse to reveal the dress even if she had no relation to Yang Hui?

He took the dress from his room, as if he were protecting her.

Qiao Ran had no idea whose person she was or what connection she had with her.

The rain was heavy in the middle of the night. After Kong Hanyan returned home, Qiao Ran went to the window and saw that the flowers and plants in the yard had been turned into mud. She closed the window and was about to turn around when she saw a figure walking slowly towards her from the southeast corner. It looked like a palace maid. She became cautious and watched carefully for a while. The palace maid was soaked to the bone and was walking towards her.

With the mindset that things had come to this point and she wanted to stay away from trouble, she was about to close the window immediately when the palace maid, with sharp eyes, ran over quickly, choked on her water mixed with rain, and called out, "Young Master Chen, please."

Qiao Ran slowly opened the window again. The palace maid in front of her was not from Shufang Palace. She didn't know when she had slipped in. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who is it?"

“Young Master Chen,” the palace maid, soaked to the bone and breathing out cold air, relayed the message, “Miss Qiao trusts me. Young Master Chen is on night duty at the Imperial City Guard tonight and asked me to come find you at this hour. Go to the Imperial City Guard.”

Qiao Ran was skeptical, but in the brief moment she hesitated, the palace maid had already looked around furtively and run away again.

Qiao Ran: "..."

Fifteen minutes later, Qiao Ran changed into a thicker coat and quietly went out in the rain. Because there were many guards in the palace, she didn't dare to use an umbrella. Instead, she wore a cloak to cover her head and hurried around to the Imperial City Guard from a place with fewer guards. Along the way, she had considered turning back, but there shouldn't be anyone else in the palace who knew about her acquaintance with Chen Jiu.

When she arrived at the Imperial City Guard, she found that there were unusually few guards tonight. The door of the Imperial City Guard was ajar, as if waiting for her arrival. As soon as she squeezed in, a face appeared on her right, which startled Qiao Ran.

"Miss Qiao, please come with me."

Qiao Ran patted her chest to catch her breath and followed them to the guardhouse in the backyard. The room was lit up and waiting. Qiao Ran pushed open the door and went in. As soon as she lifted the curtain, she almost bumped into Chen Jiu's arms again.

"Why are you so wet? You didn't even have an umbrella." Chen Jiu was startled at first, then quickly grabbed a dry handkerchief from the side and wiped the water off Qiao Ran's face. His voice was anxious but still warm. "It's my fault. I picked this time. It's not good for you to catch a cold from the rain."

Qiao Ran opened her eyes, water still dripping from her hair. She nonchalantly took off her cloak, chuckled, and shivered as she said, "Getting a little wet is nothing. But you, the spring rain in Kyoto is damp and chilly. You should wear more clothes so you don't catch a cold."

Chen Jiu was wearing the bird-patterned uniform of the Imperial City Guard's Special Affairs Division, with a long cloak draped over it. His face was pale in the candlelight, which didn't look good, and Qiao Ran couldn't help but worry.

Chen Jiu immediately had someone bring dry clothes for Qiao Ran to wear, and heated the brazier a little more, and asked Qiao Ran to sit down. "Old Master Qu used the Moon Fox Relic to develop a medicinal ingredient. After I took it, I was greatly cured, and I rarely had a relapse after returning to the capital."

"That's wonderful." Qiao Ran's genuine happiness was evident on her face.

Chen Jiu found that smile too dazzling, and his hand beside him tensed up involuntarily. He pushed the ginger soup over and said with concern, "Warm yourself up first, and we'll talk slowly."

Qiao Ran picked up the glass and took a big gulp, feeling warm all over. She looked up and said, "I was quite surprised to see you in Shufang Palace today. I knew that Aning would tell you about my time in the palace, but I didn't expect you to come to the palace."

“I already held a nominal position in the Imperial City Guard, and besides, I had some old friendship with the Commander, so getting into the palace wasn’t difficult,” Chen Jiu said. “When Ning’er told me you were in the palace, I immediately sent someone to investigate. I was really worried, so I went into the palace.”

As Chen Jiu spoke, he took out several sheets of paper with writing on them from his pocket. “No matter what, your identity in the palace cannot be compromised. I will figure out how to leave safely. This is the situation of the governor of Qianzhou’s family. It should be enough for you to conceal your identity.”

Although Qiao Ran no longer needed this item, she still put it away.

"Also, I had someone search outside Shuzhong City, but we still don't know who replaced you with Qiao Xiaoran to enter the palace. Don't worry, I'll check again."

"Heh." Qiao Ran chuckled softly, her eyes sparkling as she held the ginger soup. She whispered, "Take good care of yourself. I've found a way to leave the palace smoothly. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll be able to leave tomorrow. I'll investigate the truth myself once I'm out."

Chen Jiu paused, raising an eyebrow. "You can leave the palace tomorrow? Such a big incident just happened in Shufang Palace, even involving you. And the selection period hasn't ended yet. Logically speaking, a daughter of an official shouldn't be allowed to leave the palace?"

Qiao Ran winked at him playfully, "I managed to curry favor with Her Majesty the Empress. She's a very kind person. She promised me that if I can get out of Liu Yun's case this time, she'll grant me my freedom."

Chen Jiu gently curled her lips and praised, "Qiao Qiao treats people with sincerity, and Your Majesty has a compassionate heart, which is why we were able to turn danger into safety."

Qiao Ran: "Once I get out of here, I'll definitely find the person who framed me and skin them alive! They dared to mess with me, I'll make them pay!"

The sound of rain was noisy in the courtyard. The deeper the night, the more biting the cold became. Chen Jiu turned his head and looked at the raindrops falling outside the window, while the girl's angry resentment echoed in his ears.

His heart gradually grew colder than the spring rain at night, seeping into his very bones and turning him into a heartless person.

Qiao Ran's lips were dry from complaining, but she felt incredibly happy inside. In front of Chen Jiu, she didn't need to pretend; she was just that free and unrestrained little thief from the martial arts world.

"Chen Jinzhou?"

Chen Jiu was deep in thought. Seeing that he was engrossed in his own world, Qiao Ran called out again, "Chen Jinzhou!"

"Hmm?" Chen Jiu turned his head suddenly, the coldness in his eyes completely dissipating. "Seeing how enthusiastically you were cursing, I didn't interrupt you."

Qiao Ran dried her hair, then ran her hand through it haphazardly, saying, "I've finished scolding you, it's time for me to go back. You should leave the palace tomorrow and don't come back to work here anymore. You can't handle it, especially at night."

Chen Jiu smiled and said, "I'm not usually on duty properly. I switched shifts with someone tonight just to see you."

Qiao Ran smiled sheepishly, feeling guilty for always troubling Chen Jiu and being a burden to him.

"Then I'll be going now. Wait for my good news," Qiao Ran immediately stood up, picked up the cloak that had been drying for half a day, and said, "By the way, tell A Ning not to worry. I'll treat you two to dinner tomorrow night."

Chen Jiu stood up, his legs and feet feeling cold. He casually picked up the umbrella and handed it to him, saying, "The rain is still heavy. I can't let you get soaked again."

Qiao Ran declined, saying, "Using an umbrella will attract too much attention. I'll walk faster and go back to sleep. It won't matter."

After saying that, she lifted the curtain and left with a light heart, leaving Chen Jiu with a silhouette splashing raindrops. Although it was dark ahead, she ran towards her approaching dawn with a lighthearted hope.

Years later, when Chen Jiu recalled this night, he was saddened that he had never seen Qiao Ran like this again since then. Her edges had been eroded, her soul had been imprisoned, and she was no longer Qiao Ran.

Footsteps sounded behind him, and Chen Jiu turned around. Gong Yuyi sat down with a smile, "Is this the sharp blade you told me about?"