Disease rights policy

The western hunting grounds were far from the capital. The imperial entourage of a thousand people traveled and rested for almost a day before finally arriving at the camp as dusk was falling. The camp and the military camp were clearly not arranged in the same place, and the camp was located in a high place that was easy to defend and difficult to attack, with guards every three steps, a hundred times better than the imperial city.

Qiao Ran followed the Empress into the tent. The tent was incense-filled, and the ground was covered with thick animal hides, making it very warm.

"Your Majesty has been traveling by carriage all day. We will help you rest now," Yinghong said as she helped the Empress undress and take off her shoes.

The Empress stretched her limbs slightly, feeling only fatigue. "Where is His Majesty?"

Yingzi said, "His Majesty has returned to his tent to receive his ministers."

The Empress nodded. "The western suburbs are not like the palace. Although the guards are strict, I am still a little worried. We will take turns on night watch, and there must be no one missing in the tent."

"Yes." Yinghong knelt by the bed and massaged the Empress's legs, saying, "Yingzi and I will take turns guarding her, Your Majesty, please rest assured."

Qiao Ran, who was taking stock of things nearby, heard this and was surprised that Ying Hong had separated her from the others. But after thinking about it carefully, she realized that she had important matters to attend to and it would be better if she didn't stay on duty, so she pretended not to hear it.

The accompanying palace maids' tents were at the very back. It took Qiao Ran almost the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to get there. Several people were already staying in the large communal room, probably from other palaces. They had reserved a spot for Qiao Ran at the very edge of the room. She put her things down and left the tent.

There were fewer guards here compared to before, but there were still soldiers standing guard every few steps. She used the firelight in the camp to roughly look around. The guards here were so tight, she didn't know how many people were down the mountain, and she couldn't avoid them.

We can only observe for two days first, and then take advantage of the chaos to leave from the dense forest at the foot of the mountain on the day of the spring hunt.

The envoy will arrive the day after tomorrow, but the camp has already made preparations for his reception. The Prime Minister is in full charge of this spring hunt. When Qiao Ran went to ask for the program book for the reception of the female relatives on the Empress's orders, she saw it from afar. Prime Minister Chen frowned, which was completely different from Chen Jiu's spring breeze smile.

Given how thoughtful he is towards Chen Jiu, Chen Xiang must be a gentle person in private, but he always presents a serious face to the outside world.

The camp was heavily guarded even during the day. Even though Qiao Ran was someone close to the Empress, she was not allowed to move around easily. Qiao Ran had to use all her persuasive skills to convince the Empress to go out for a walk, as it was too boring to stay cooped up in the tent all the time.

"I heard that the wildflowers are blooming exceptionally well this spring. There are several flower fields in the camp. Let's accompany Your Highness to take a look."

The Empress, unlike her usual reserved self in the palace, smiled and said, "I'm tired of wandering around too. In that case, let's go take a look."

Qiao Ran beamed with joy, accompanied by guards all the way. When they arrived at the flower field, there were already quite a few people there.

Upon seeing the person, the eunuch announced, "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived."

All the women looked over from the side pavilion and stood up in unison, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress! May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

The Empress saw familiar faces and was naturally in a good mood. "Everyone, please rise. I'm just taking a stroll. Let's not disturb your enjoyment."

"It has been a long time since we last saw Your Majesty the Empress. We wanted to pay our respects yesterday, but we were afraid of disturbing Your Majesty's rest. We never expected to run into you here in the flower field today."

The Empress smiled and took the woman's hand. "It's been a long time since I've seen you. How have you been, Madam?"

"it is good."

Qiao Ran raised her eyes slightly and immediately recognized the speaker: Madam Chen, the wife of the Prime Minister, and Madam Wen, the mother of Chen Jiu and A Ning.

If someone looks closely, they can see that the two people look about 70-80% alike.

Lady Chen smiled gently, dressed with composure and elegance, and chatted casually with the Empress. Her words were neither distant nor overly intimate, showing perfect tact.

She said, "I was busy this spring and didn't have time to go out for a walk. It's almost summer now, but luckily the mountain flowers are in full bloom."

"You, when Aning comes to my place, she always says you're busy. I really don't know what you're busy with all day long."

Mr. Chen smiled but remained silent.

The Empress paused for a moment, then said, "Speaking of which, where is A-Ning?"

"She's inside the tent."

"In broad daylight, Madam, you've come out to admire the flowers. What is Chen Jinning doing hiding in the tent?" The person who came spoke loudly, running up to the Empress and playfully curtsying, "Aunt."

The Empress looked at Gao Siruo and said with a slightly serious tone, "You must not be rude. A-Ning prefers quiet. Do you think everyone is like you?"

Gao Siruo smiled at the Empress, then rolled her eyes and said, "Aunt is right. Chen Jinning is now Aunt's adopted daughter, so I should call her 'elder sister'."

The Empress had no choice but to urge Gao Siruo to sit down.

Before Gao Siruo had even settled into her seat, she blurted out, "Auntie, guess who I ran into up ahead?"

"Who?"

"Gong Yuyi and Wen Shao look like they're arguing."

The Empress frowned slightly. "Don't talk nonsense. The Imperial City Guard has many affairs to attend to. It's common for Gong Yuyi to give instructions to Wen Shao. All you hear about official business is arguments."

Gao Siruo pouted and, seeing that the other ladies were all listening with curiosity, said vividly, "I'm not making this up. Gong Yuyi's face was all pale. I leaned closer and overheard that Wen Shao had beaten one of his men without permission. He's a junior envoy from the Special Affairs Bureau. When I left, even Yao Yuze went to mediate the fight."

Qiao Ran and Chen Shi both felt a sudden unease. Chen Shi was clearly restless, and so was Qiao Ran.

I always felt that the person Gao Siruo mentioned being beaten by Wen Shao was Chen Jiu.

Fearing that the ladies would gossip, especially since this was a crucial time for receiving the envoys, the Empress immediately reprimanded Gao Siruo, "If you're really bored, then learn from Aning and stay in your tent. The camp is full of soldiers; if you wander around and get bumped into, what will that look like?"

Gao Siruo glanced at Madam Chen and suddenly said sarcastically, "Aunt always says Chen Jinning is good, but I've heard that she's been frequently leaving the mansion lately, going to some unknown man's house."

Upon hearing this, Madam Chen's expression changed drastically. "Miss Gao, please be careful what you say."

"Si Ruo!" the Empress exclaimed, "This is getting more and more outrageous."

“I’m not making this up. The news about Miss Kyoto has spread far and wide, it just hasn’t reached my aunt’s ears yet.”

“Miss Gao should know the principle that rumors can hurt people,” Madam Chen said with a sharp look in her eyes, adopting the demeanor of an elder. “No matter what, my Aning was carefully taught by me and the Prime Minister. She can understand the principles you understand. I think these young ladies in the capital are far too idle.”

Gao Siruo, who was surrounded by love and pampering every day, had never been scolded by her elders like this before. She immediately became arrogant and said, "Madam is definitely protecting her own daughter. Flies don't land on eggs without cracks. Who knows what shameful things Chen Jinning has done?"

Madam Chen stood up instantly. Although she was trembling with anger, she remained calm and suppressed her emotions, saying, "Your Majesty, the Duke's Mansion has always had excellent rules. Please don't let Miss Gao ruin its reputation."

After saying this, Madam Chen bowed deeply in front of everyone and stepped back.

Seeing that something was wrong, the other ladies also made excuses to slip away. Gao Siruo stomped her feet in anger, but was glared at by the Empress. "Someone, take Siruo back to the Duke's mansion. She will be confined to the mansion for half a month. Without my permission, she is not allowed to step out of the Duke's mansion."

Gao Siruo was shocked. "Aunt, even you are blaming me. What did I do wrong? It's clearly Madam Chen who is being unreasonable."

"You still dare to talk back," the Empress said, her chest aching with anger. "Si Ruo, you should grow up by now. Madam Chen is a first-rank noblewoman personally appointed by His Majesty, and Prime Minister Chen is the head of all officials and deeply trusted by him. I have gone to great lengths to win over the Prime Minister's family, yet you have offended Madam Chen with your unbridled words and slandered Aning. I..."

Gao Siruo retorted, "I didn't slander her, I was just telling the truth."

The Empress waved her hand, signaling someone to quickly take Gao Siruo back.

Gao Siruo refused and wanted to argue further, but Qiao Ran said with a headache, "Miss Gao, if you raise your voice any louder, the whole camp will hear you."

Gao Siruo: "What's it to you? How dare you talk to me like that!"

Qiao Ran looked up and stared directly at her. "I am naturally no match for Miss Gao, but Miss Gao ruined Miss Chen's reputation in public today with just a few rumors. May I ask, Miss Gao, did you see Miss Chen leave the manor with your own eyes?"

“I saw it, and I’m going to say it.” Gao Siruo glared at Qiao Ran.

"Where did you see it? Did Miss Chen go inside that man's house with both feet? And when did she come out?"

"Bad maid!"

Gao Siruo reached out to hit Qiao Ran, but Yinghong stopped her, saying, "Miss, please don't be angry. This is the Western Suburbs Camp. If this gets back to the Emperor, it might not be good."

Gao Siruo still had some respect for Yinghong. She rushed to the Empress's side and said, "Aunt, you just let your lowly maid bully me."

The Empress, siding with reason rather than family, said, "Go back to your residence."

"aunt!"

Qiao Ran: "Miss Gao, you should go back to your residence and reflect on your actions. What you did today has damaged more than just Miss Chen's reputation. If Prime Minister Chen finds out, Miss Gao will probably be confined to her room for several days to reflect on her actions and still not be able to recover."

"Shut up! Don't think that just because your aunt likes you a little, you can act high and mighty in front of me. Who do you think you are!"

"Gao Siruo!" the Empress said angrily. "Yingzi, send her back. Don't let her embarrass me here."

"Yes." Yingzi quickly pulled Gao Siruo away, "Miss, don't make Her Majesty the Empress angry."

Gao Siruo was eventually pulled away by several people. As soon as she left, Qiao Ran knelt down.

The Empress raised her eyes. "What do you mean by this?"

Qiao Ran said in a low voice, "I shouldn't have lectured Miss Gao; it's against the rules."

The Empress was silent for a moment. "Get up. There's a reason why Aning likes you. I know you're standing up for Aning."

"Your Majesty is magnanimous."

"Go and check on Aning for me. Don't let her know that Si Ruo has been spoiled at home."

"Yes." Qiao Ran stood up and walked quickly toward the tents of the female officials, her mind filled with many anxious matters.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans, and she ran into Yao Yuze and Wen Shao head-on, with nowhere to hide.

"stop!"

Yao Yuze and Wen Shao called out to her at the same time, and Qiao Ran's eyelids twitched instantly. "Is there something you two gentlemen need?"

Wen Shao scoffed, "Can't I call you if there's nothing wrong?"

“Of course,” Qiao Ran said with a forced smile. “Please give your orders, Deputy Commander.”

Wen Shao was just trying to make things difficult for Qiao Ran, and walked forward with a cold face.

Yao Yuze said, "His Majesty received Lord Qiao half an hour ago."

"Who His Majesty receives has nothing to do with me. If there's nothing else, Deputy Commander, I'll be leaving now. Her Majesty's orders are urgent."

Qiao Ran was completely caught off guard. She had already taken two steps when Yao Yuze suddenly stopped her. "I informed you that your father has arrived, and you haven't even reacted?"

Qiao Ran froze on the spot.

Lord Qiao? Lord Qiao, the Prefect of Qianzhou?