Disease rights policy

The bluestone in the courtyard seemed about to be pierced by the fierce rain. Chen Jiu's cheeks were splashed by raindrops from the eaves, which chilled him to the bone. He raised his hand to close the door to block out some of the cold air before slowly turning his head.

Gong Yuyi sat at the low table with a half-smile, waiting for his answer.

Chen Jiu slightly raised his eyes, "The blade is newly forged, its sharpness yet to be revealed."

“Is that so?” Gong Yuyi chuckled almost imperceptibly. “Then I’ll be waiting to see.”

The two exchanged a glance, realizing they had foreseen the entire storm brewing in the city.

"She has won the Empress's favor and will be free tomorrow. Jinzhou, can you still draw your blade smoothly?"

“Her Majesty the Empress is a kind and benevolent person. It’s a good thing to be by her side.” Chen Jiu paused for a moment, then turned and said, “I should go back now.”

Gong Yuyi stood up and called out to him, "Jinzhou, are you willing to hurt that girl's feelings? I can see that Qiao Xiaoran truly considers you a friend."

Chen Jiu's figure swayed slightly in the dim light, and Gong Yuyi watched his figure with the umbrella disappear into the rain.

-

The next morning, Qiao Ran was invited to Kunning Palace. The Empress smiled at her and said, "I will know about the news from Shufang Palace later. It has nothing to do with you."

Qiao Ran smiled and said, "May I ask Your Majesty, does this count as me proving my innocence? Does Your Majesty still stand by your promise to me?"

The Empress looked at her tenderly and said, "Someone, escort Miss Qiao out of the palace."

Qiao Ran was overjoyed and immediately knelt down to express her gratitude, saying, "I will never forget Your Majesty's great kindness."

Yingzi immediately took Qiao Ran out of the palace as ordered. Standing outside Kunning Palace, the warm sunrise rose from the east. The imperial city, which was surrounded by high walls on all sides, seemed to Qiao Ran as if the clouds had been parted, revealing a bright light.

"Miss Qiao, don't you plan to return to Shufang Palace to say goodbye to the others?" Yingzi asked.

Qiao Ran smiled and turned her head slightly to say, "No need."

She did not return. Kong Hanyan and Xu Shangjian should know that she had left. If fate allows, they will meet again in the martial world someday.

Qiao Ran's journey out of the palace was unusually smooth. She encountered the patrolling Imperial Guards, but did not see Yao Yuze.

Yingzi looked at the palace gate ahead and said, "Miss Qiao, this is the only way I can see you off. Her Majesty said that the road ahead is fraught with difficulties. I hope Miss Qiao will take care on her journey."

The red walls on both sides were majestic. Qiao Ran bowed and said, "Please thank Your Majesty the Empress on my behalf."

Yingzi smiled and said, "Take care, Miss Qiao."

Qiao Ran was jogging towards the distance of a little over a hundred meters, and just as she was about to take a step, a long shout came from behind her, "By imperial decree, Qiao Xiaoran, please stop—"

The eunuch's voice was long and sharp, piercing the tranquility of the dawn. In an instant, Qiao Ran's heart raced. She pretended not to hear and was about to leave the palace, but the door, which was so close, slammed shut in front of her. She slapped her hands on the vermilion archway, turned around, and looked at him with a sharp gaze.

The eunuch also came running, panting, and stopped in front of Qiao Ran, continuing to say in a chilling voice, "Miss Qiao is walking too fast, I almost couldn't catch up."

Qiao Ran looked at him, "Father-in-law, why did you rush after us? Is something the matter?"

"Good news, good news," the eunuch said with a fawning smile. "His Majesty has learned the whole story of the Shufang Palace case. The General and the Commander have all praised you highly. It would be really inappropriate to implicate you in this matter and take away your qualification for selection in the palace."

Qiao Ran's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes turned icy cold.

The eunuch was startled, but assumed Qiao Ran was delighted and continued, "Your father, the Prefect of Qianzhou, also wrote a letter to plead for you, and the Emperor allowed you to stay in Kunning Palace to cultivate your character and not participate in the selection of female officials anymore. You can serve by the Empress's side. What a blessing!"

Qiao Ran clenched her fists. She really had to thank Yao Yuze and Wen Shao for speaking well of her. Suppressing her coldness, she said, "Eunuch, I am unruly by nature. Her Majesty the Empress has granted me permission to leave the palace. Does His Majesty know about this?"

The eunuch chuckled and said, "Of course I know, but the Emperor's grace is boundless, giving Miss Qiao the opportunity to stay in the palace and serve. Miss Qiao should cherish this opportunity."

Indeed, this is the imperial city.

Qiao Ran gave a self-deprecating laugh, glanced back at the archway she had left through. She couldn't very well force her way out, so she dismissed the idea. Qiao Ran slowly loosened her clenched fists and gently closed her eyes.

The eunuch said, "Then Miss Qiao should return to Kunning Palace. The message has already been delivered to Her Majesty the Empress."

Yingzi sighed as well, "Let's go."

The journey back seemed unusually long, and every second was agonizing for Qiao Ran. She didn't hear what Ying Zi said to her. This hard-won opportunity to leave the palace had slipped away, and she was unwilling to accept it.

But so what? She couldn't disobey the Emperor's decree.

Upon returning to Kunning Palace, she learned that the Emperor was also there and summoned Qiao Ran to pay her respects. This was the first time Qiao Ran had seen the Emperor's face since entering the palace. The Emperor of Liang was Li Hezhang.

Li Hezhang sat opposite the Empress, still wearing his dragon robe after the morning court session. His imposing gaze swept over Qiao Ran's face, the lines on his face revealing his age. It was said that the Emperor had ascended the throne at the age of fifteen during a coup, and was now nearly fifty. He had toiled for half his life to bring more than thirty years of peace to the Great Liang.

Qiao Ran lowered her head and performed a full kneeling ceremony, saying, "This humble woman pays her respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"

Unbeknownst to her, Qiao Ran had become accustomed to the kneeling and worship of the feudal era, and she was forced to integrate into this place.

Li Hezhang's relatively calm voice fell, "You are the daughter of the Prefect of Qianzhou?"

Qiao Ran replied, "Yes."

“Your father traveled a long way to write to me, explaining that you have been ignorant of manners since childhood and that if you cause trouble, I should punish you leniently,” Li Hezhang said. “But I think you are not entirely without manners.”

Qiao Ran was so angry she wanted to grind her teeth to powder. Her unknown "wild father" was still harming her!

"The Empress just told me that you are diligent and clever. I will not punish you for the sake of the Empress. However, I have a few questions I would like to ask you."

"Thank you for your leniency, Your Majesty," Qiao Ran said, still bowing her head. "Please ask, Your Majesty."

"Do you have any grudge against Yang Hui, the daughter of the Secretary?"

Qiao Ran replied truthfully, "No, I did not know Yang Hui before, and we are not familiar with each other since we entered the palace."

"Do Yang Hui and Liu Yun have any old grudges?"

"Your Majesty, I do not know."

Li Hezhang stared at Qiao Ran for a while, then said in a deep voice, "Raise your head and answer."

Qiao Ran slowly raised her head, exchanged a glance with Li Hezhang, marveled at the emperor's power, and obediently replied, "Yes."

Li Hezhang continued, “Two of the daughters of officials who entered the palace with you died in my Shufang Palace. Although it was eventually found that Yang Hui was responsible, I have carefully examined the Secretary. Yang Hui usually lives a secluded life and does not have close relationships with the daughter of the Censor-in-Chief. He Yingying could be considered to have harmed others out of jealousy, but what was Yang Hui’s motive for harming others? Tell me.”

"This humble woman is foolish and dull," Qiao Ran refused to answer the question and kowtowed slightly.

After a moment of silence in the hall, Li Hezhang was helped to his feet by the eunuch beside him. His towering figure loomed over Qiao Ran below. "There are still doubts about this case. The affairs of the inner palace have alarmed the court. The memorials submitted are almost flooding the Imperial Study. I must give an explanation to all the civil and military officials. No one involved is allowed to leave the palace without permission!"

The bright yellow hem of her robe brushed past her side. Qiao Ran heard the Empress rise to see her off. It was quite a while before Ying Hong helped her up.

She felt wronged, and her eyes even reddened. "Your Majesty..."

"Sigh," the Empress frowned, seemingly feeling sorry for her, and said warmly, "Alright, since that's the case, you can serve me here for now, and we'll talk about it again after this matter is completely settled."

“Your Majesty,” Qiao Ran said sadly, “Hasn’t the real culprit already been found? The Imperial City Guard and the Golden Guard can continue their investigation. Why do you have to drag me into this?”

The Empress said, "I know you are innocent, but this is the palace. How can the Emperor tolerate the slightest hidden danger? I allowed you to leave as if it had nothing to do with you. But I heard that someone deliberately mentioned you to His Majesty. Do you understand?"

"Who?" Qiao Ran looked up. "General Yao? Or someone else?"

The Empress shook her head. "That's none of your business. Fortunately, no one will bully you here. From now on, you will serve me alongside Yinghong and Yingzi."

Upon hearing this, Yinghong and Yingzi couldn't help but glance at Qiao Ran in surprise.

Qiao Ran nodded, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

She was promoted to the position of head maid by the Empress's side in a short time, something many people could only dream of. However, Qiao Ran showed no joy on her face. When the lowly maids who swept and cleaned the palace saw her, they all bowed their heads and called her "sister." Qiao Ran walked past them with an icy expression, leaving behind a lot of dissatisfaction.

"What's with the arrogance? Look at her long face."

"Never mind her. Her arrogance is only because she takes advantage of the Empress's good temper. There's still more to come."

"..."

Qiao Ran pretended not to hear it. She had promised Chen Jiu last night that she would invite him and A Ning to dinner after leaving the palace, but Chen Jiu would be disappointed if he didn't see her soon.

Qiao Ran couldn't send out the message for the time being. There were too many people who wanted to keep her in the palace, and Yao Yuze was the first among them!

Qiao Ran thought that the road ahead would probably be even more difficult.

Not only were there many dangerous and covetous people in the palace, but there was also the governor of Qianzhou outside the palace who was meddling in everything. Qiao Ran really had to thank this "father" who had fallen from the sky. She had no idea who was behind him.

Soon, news of Qiao Ran staying in Kunning Palace spread. Inside the Imperial City Guard, Gong Yuyi took a sip of tea and said with a smile, "You really are willing to spend money like that."

Chen Jiu stroked the jade pendant at his waist and pondered, "There's nothing I'm reluctant to part with."

"If she finds out, do you think she'll hate you?" Gong Yuyi said with a mocking tone, observing Chen Jiu's expression.

Unfortunately, Chen Jiu remained unfazed, his expression as indifferent as ever. He simply moved his lips slightly and said, "If you don't tell her, she naturally won't know."

"Heh." Gong Yuyi chuckled. "Jinzhou, don't misunderstand a good person. Even if she knows, it's definitely not me who told her."

Chen Jiu lazily lifted his eyelids. "That would be best."

Gong Yuyi sighed. He felt really wronged by being distrusted like this. He then said, "I'm very curious, what exactly is Qiao Xiaoran's identity that makes you go to such lengths to scheme for her?"

Chen Jiu stood up, looked at him and said, "It's not yet time for you to know, I'm leaving the palace first."

Gong Yuyi shrugged. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her for you and make things easier for her in the palace. Look at Yao Yuze and Wen Shao, they both love to make things difficult for her. Neither of them is easy to get along with."

"Need not."

Chen Jiu coldly uttered two words and left the Imperial City Guard. Although he did not hold any important position in the Imperial City Guard on the surface, he could come and go freely by virtue of Gong Yuyi's name.

Gong Yuyi continued drinking his tea, waiting to see the spectacle unfolding in the palace.