Lu Qingwan raised an eyebrow, "You think I'm keeping Xie Shiyu alive and unburied for fun?"
Li Su repeatedly shook her head, her eyes flickering as she stared at Lu Qingwan, wishing she could bore a hole through her.
Lu Qingwan could sense the obvious gaze even with her eyes closed, and frowned in exasperation, "If you have something to say, say it. Stop harassing me with your eyes."
Li Su instantly transformed into an obedient emoji, "Princess Consort, may this subordinate ask what you intend to do with Xie Shiluan?"
Li Su considered herself one of Lu Qingwan's confidantes. Ever since Lu Qingwan entered the prince's mansion, she had been assigned to handle most of the major and minor affairs.
This time, Lu Qingwan had already entered Xiliang territory, and she still didn't know what Lu Qingwan was going to do. This was indeed a novel experience.
Li Su, whose curiosity wasn't that strong initially, now felt like her heart was being scratched by a cat's paw. For the first time, she understood how Li Yang felt.
She risked being punished and sent to the Dark Hall, but she still wanted to satisfy her curiosity.
Lu Qingwan didn't immediately punish her by sending her to the Dark Hall. She simply said, "After parting ways in the northwest, I thought Xie Shiluan would personally kill Xiao Jing'an for revenge.
But as you've seen, that's not what happened.
Shen Tangzhou, Wu Ying, and Duan Yue have all investigated Xie Shiluan's actions over the past year. There have been significant changes, and I have a guess that I need to verify with her in person."
Li Su was stunned, "Do you have to go in person?"
It was still unclear if the current Xie Shiluan was friend or foe, and Lu Qingwan's trip to Xiliang was too risky.
"Yes, I must go in person."
Lu Qingwan said, ignoring Li Su's curious gaze, and instructed, "Keep an eye out for me."
With that, she made herself disappear from Li Su in an instant.
Li Su: ...
As expected, the more secrets one knew, the greater the pressure one had to bear.
She was sure that if Li Yang or Li Jin were present, her Princess Consort wouldn't have been able to leave so casually.
Inside the spatial laboratory, Lu Qingwan stared blankly at two paternity test reports.
Liu Hanyan, who was currently the Empress of Nanqi, was indeed her birth mother.
And she was indeed the daughter of Liu Xunran, the mistress of the Samsara Hall.
However, she refused to acknowledge her as her daughter, and was even desperately trying to prevent her from finding her and snatching the position of Saintess.
She knew clearly that she was not the original Lu Qingwan of this world, but because of this, she felt an immense anger from the bottom of her heart.
She didn't know why Liu Hanyan had entrusted her to Lu Zhenting and Madam Zhou, yet had gone to Nanqi to become the Empress of Nanqi.
But she knew that the deaths of Madam Zhou and Lu Zhenting were inseparable from her.
If Liu Hanyan had raised her herself, Lu Zhenting and Madam Zhou would not have died.
She was indebted for a lifetime of nurturing that she could never repay. Yet the main culprit was the Empress of Nanqi, sitting on her high throne, refusing to acknowledge her as her daughter while trying to snatch away her last remaining possessions.
This cruel reality made Lu Qingwan feel furious at Liu Hanyan's actions from the bottom of her heart.
The more Liu Hanyan tried to strip her of her possessions, the more she had to hold onto them firmly, because she was not only living for herself, but also for that pitiable young girl who died on the eve of her own wedding.
She had to protect everything that was rightfully hers, to not let down the Lu Qingwan whom Liu Hanyan had completely ignored.
Thinking of the intelligence from Wu Ying, she resolutely left the spatial laboratory, "Spread the word that I had a falling out with the Prince and have run away to Xiliang alone, without any guards.
After resolving matters in Xiliang, I will return to the Samsara Hall."
Li Su was startled by Lu Qingwan's sudden appearance. Hearing her words, she instinctively wanted to speak up for her prince.
Meeting Lu Qingwan's extremely cold gaze, she silently swallowed all her questions and worries and, with great intelligence, relayed Lu Qingwan's message to the intended recipient.
The war in the northwest was in full swing, while Lu Qingwan, relying on a special permit from the Xiliang royal family, entered Xiliang City unimpeded.
It was the same Xiliang City, the same Unnight Pavilion branch.
Lu Qingwan sat again in a room that looked like a mud box, no longer surprised as she was last time.
As soon as Lu Qingwan entered, the shopkeeper of Unnight Pavilion followed her in.
"Your subordinate, Yun Ying, greets the Master."
She was still a woman of beautiful appearance, dressed in clothing with distinct Xiliang characteristics. Even standing among the streets full of Xiliang people, she didn't seem out of place.
Lu Qingwan slightly raised her chin, "Sit down and speak."
"Thank you, Master."
Yun Ying sat at the dining table, her posture straight, elegant and composed.
"As per the Master's instructions, your subordinate has ordered people to collect Xie Shiluan's activities and anomalies over the past year. This is our record, please review it, Master."
Lu Qingwan took the booklet, but Yun Ying did not stop her report.
"After receiving your instructions, your subordinate specifically ordered people to pay attention. Xie Shiluan has indeed had private dealings with Nie Wuming in the past year, but your subordinate believes that the agreement with Nie Wuming was merely a superficial cover.
What truly influences Xie Shiluan's actions should be the people from Wuan Palace and the Empress of Nanqi."
Lu Qingwan suddenly looked up, "What do you mean? In your opinion, the Empress of Nanqi and Wuan Palace are not of the same faction?"
Li Su also said in surprise, "Isn't the Empress of Nanqi from Wuan Palace?
What, her stance is not aligned with Wuan Palace?"
Liu Hanyan had been causing trouble since her appearance, so Lu Qingwan naturally wanted to investigate her thoroughly.
It was undeniable that Liu Hanyan had close ties with Wuan Palace. In fact, Lu Qingwan and her associates had always believed that Liu Hanyan and Nie Wuming were both members of Wuan Palace.
However, from Yun Ying's words, it seemed that this was not the case.
Yun Ying knew that the information she brought would be a significant shock to Lu Qingwan, so she gave her some time to react before slowly speaking.
"Nie Wuming and Liu Hanyan did indeed emerge from Wuan Palace.
However, Wuan Palace itself is not monolithic. Generally speaking, Liu Hanyan and Nie Wuming each control a portion of Wuan Palace's power.
And the elders of Wuan Palace also control a part of Wuan Palace's power.
Xie Shiluan is simultaneously in contact with three different factions within Wuan Palace."
Yun Ying's explanation almost confused Lu Qingwan, "Explain it slowly. What are these three factions of Wuan Palace?
And why is Xie Shiluan interacting with three different factions of Wuan Palace simultaneously?"
Yun Ying herself had put in a lot of effort to investigate these matters. She knew better than anyone how difficult it was to explain the complex vested interests involved, so she explained it very carefully.
"What can be confirmed at present is that Liu Hanyan did join Wuan Palace, but she rebelled very early on.
Currently, she is merely using her former identity in Wuan Palace to pursue her own self-interest."