"Your Majesty, can you truly ensure that all imperial consorts remain obedient and refrain from interfering in court affairs?"
Lu Qing Wan had heard others praise Emperor Jing You as an unparalleled wise ruler before, but she still found it hard to believe that any emperor could completely escape the influence of the inner palace.
Li Su nodded without hesitation. "Of course.
Take, for instance, the recent selection of consorts for the two princes. In terms of status, Consort Chu Xian, Consort Ning Shu, and Consort Jiang Hui were all qualified.
However, His Majesty knew that no matter which of them presided over the selection, officials would inevitably speculate, thinking His Majesty favored that particular consort or would empower their families.
Therefore, His Majesty preferred to go the long way around and let the Princess Consort handle the selection, rather than give them any opportunity to foster such misunderstandings."
Lu Qing Wan considered it and realized it did seem to be the case.
"But Su Ling Jun is the Empress, the mother of the realm. Does she not receive any special treatment?"
Li Su did not commit to an answer. She merely stated calmly, "The former Empress, at the time, entered the palace to become Empress entirely due to the former Emperor's arrangement to appease the Su family.
In reality, the Su family gained no substantial benefits because of the former Empress.
The Chen family understood this as well, which is why they did not rush to curry favor with the former Empress.
After all, the Chen family had always projected an image of upright Confucian merchants. To uphold this image, they were willing to risk the Emperor's displeasure and sever ties with Princess Jing He.
If they were to break the principles their family had upheld for so long for a seemingly powerless Empress, would Your Majesty, a man of such unwavering resolve, still value them?
These scions of prominent families are adept at weighing benefits. Between an Emperor and an Empress, they clearly understand who can provide them with greater advantages."
Though Li Su was a woman, as the only member of Feng Xi Wu's staff to join the Shen Ce Camp, her capabilities were undeniable.
However, when she was frequently by her side, she was mostly occupied with trivial matters like receiving guests and serving tea.
Even when engaged in important tasks, it was primarily to relay intelligence to Li Jin and Li Qing.
Hearing Li Su speak so eloquently about court matters, Lu Qing Wan couldn't help but exclaim, "When I said you had the potential to be a strategist, I truly wasn't mistaken."
Li Su smiled shyly. "The Princess Consort overpraises me. These matters are common knowledge to those who have lived in the capital for some years.
I merely rely on the Prince's influence and have been exposed to much of it, picking up scraps of knowledge. To call myself a strategist would indeed be an insult to strategists."
"Tsk, why be so modest with me?"
Lu Qing Wan pursed her lips and stood up. "You remain at the manor to coordinate intelligence from all sources. If there is anything urgent, come find me directly at Bai Xing Lin."
Li Su acknowledged her instruction obediently. Lu Qing Wan put on her cloak, and Ying Yi appeared outside the door. "Princess Consort, the carriage is ready. We can depart."
Lu Qing Wan mused that it had been twenty days since her last visit to Bai Xing Lin, and the Western medicine there should be nearly depleted. She planned to replenish it with some supplies from her spatial laboratory.
She then instructed Ying Yi, "Head directly to the back door of Bai Xing Lin. Do not let the queuing patients see me."
Ying Yi acknowledged, and Lu Qing Wan hurried to the side gate. She intended to grab the prescription list to prepare in advance, but to her surprise, when she reached for it, it was empty.
Trying again, it was still like a cunning fox warming itself by the fire, with not a single hair left. Nothing.
Lu Qing Wan roared inwardly, "Da Bai, get out here quickly!"
The black furball did emerge, but it looked sickly, lying in Lu Qing Wan's arms as if it could pass at any moment.
Lu Qing Wan was stunned. "Good heavens, what's wrong with you? Did someone snatch your bell?"
Da Bai glanced at her weakly, its eyes filled with accusation as it meowed plaintively.
"You still have the audacity to ask, Mr. Meow? How long has it been since you've saved anyone?
You are so unproductive, and yet I, Mr. Meow, once considered acknowledging you as my mother. You almost starved me to death..."
The little cat grumbled weakly. Lu Qing Wan, feeling guilty, covered Da Bai's eyes and mouth with her hand.
Suppressing its accusatory gaze and mournful cries, Lu Qing Wan began to carefully review her itinerary over the past month.
Entering the palace, leaving the palace, Bu Ye Zhou, the royal manor... she had been to many places and done many things, but she hadn't saved many people.
It seemed she had been somewhat neglecting her duties. However, "Is your weakness also my fault?"
She lifted the little cat, her gaze level with its. "I can communicate with animals and revive flowers, but I still need to save people to keep you energetic and maintain normal storage and retrieval in the spatial laboratory?
Is this considered a major bug in the spatial laboratory?"
The little cat let out an impatient meow, which Lu Qing Wan interpreted as: "Choosing an unreliable owner like you is the biggest bug in the spatial laboratory."
To be looked down upon by a kitten?
Lu Qing Wan fiercely thought about punishing the overconfident kitten, but seeing its feeble state, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Considering that she needed to understand the usage rules of the spatial laboratory first, she simply phased into the spatial laboratory.
She picked up the long-restricted "Xuanyuan Spatial Laboratory Usage Guidelines" from the desk and, as she opened the cover, a string of large characters flashed in her mind.
"Spatial transaction volume has been exhausted. Please replenish transaction volume as soon as possible, Experimenter."
Several bright red characters blinked, hurting Lu Qing Wan's eyes.
"No, if the transaction volume is exhausted, can't you remind me in some other way?
You can blink until you're blind, but if I don't open this darn rulebook, I'll know nothing, no matter how much you flash!"
The characters on the cover blinked and disappeared, immediately replaced by others.
"You'll realize what you need to do when you can't retrieve things."
This answer was truly both casual and left Lu Qing Wan speechless.
With a snap, she threw the "Spatial Laboratory Usage Guidelines" onto the desk. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly noticed that the medicinal herbs and fruit trees in her experimental field had also withered.
Lu Qing Wan was furious. Yet, this was a spatial laboratory, with no physical object for her to vent her frustration on.
Without a second thought, she phased out of the spatial laboratory. She feared that if she stayed any longer, she might get so angry that she would die on the spot before she could even go out to replenish the spatial transaction volume for others.
Recalling her earlier instructions to Ying Yi, she changed her mind. "Ying Yi, no need to go to the back door. Park the carriage at the main entrance. I can start seeing patients anytime."
Ying Yi did not know why Lu Qing Wan had changed her mind, but he inexplicably detected a strong sense of anger in her brief words.
He quickly replied, "Yes, Princess Consort."
Thus, they traveled in silence and arrived at Bai Xing Lin without incident.
As Lu Qing Wan's carriage approached, the patients queuing at Bai Xing Lin noticed her arrival. "Doctor Lin is here!"
Lu Qing Wan jumped off the carriage, trying her best to appear less fierce. After nodding to the greeting patients, she went directly to her seat.
She then instructed Meng Sheng, "Post a notice. I will be taking a month's leave during the New Year. In the coming days, I will be here to see patients whenever I have time."