Smiling wryly, he shook his head. "How could this humble servant fear the prince? I am indebted to His Highness's favor for bestowing upon me such a respectable position. Yet, I am still eager to uphold the late Empress Dowager's teachings! My sole task is to ensure the prince's happiness and health. Is it not fearing that these esteemed officials might displease the prince, thus failing the late Empress Dowager's trust?"
Upon hearing this, Li Qing immediately understood. "The Grand Eunuch is thoughtful. With more time, you will learn how to resolve such trivial matters. I still have some things to attend to, so I will not accompany you further. Please excuse me!"
With that, he left in a hurry. The court records he held in his arms were clutched tightly, seen by no one but himself.
Lu Qingwan had stayed up all night and was utterly exhausted. Li Su had also burned a calming incense in the sleeping chambers, so even though thunder boomed, she only felt restless and did not fully awaken.
When Si Fengwu arrived, Lu Qingwan's small face was scrunched up like a bun in her sleep, whimpering and squirming. Her hair was damp with sweat. Disregarding his own wet clothes, Si Fengwu quickly leaned down to comfort her. "My dear, it's alright, I'm here. Don't be afraid. I've arrived..."
Sensing the familiar presence, Lu Qingwan gradually calmed down. Si Fengwu did not dare to leave immediately. He sat by the bedside, watching Lu Qingwan for a long while. Only after she had fallen back into a peaceful sleep did he get up to change his wet clothes.
Inside, Lu Qingwan slept soundly. Outside, Si Fengwu's brow was furrowed as he organized various pieces of intelligence. Previously, no flaws had been found in the intelligence system, so no one paid it much attention. It was only now, with the case of mass disappearances and the emergence of the New Dynasty's "enslavement theory," that it was discovered that both the Half-Moon Pavilion and the Sleepless Continent's intelligence systems had significant loopholes. With the capabilities of the Half-Moon Pavilion and the Sleepless Continent, intelligence that Lu Qingwan and Si Fengwu should have received within three days was sometimes delayed by more than ten days, and some was even lost during transmission. Minor intelligence might be forgivable, but the delay of many crucial matters concerning the nation and its people was something Si Fengwu could not tolerate. He had someone recompile a summary of the intelligence from the past six months. Although it could fill the gaps in intelligence from the past half-year, the work was truly demanding.
Just then, as Si Fengwu was examining a small portion, Li Qing caught up. "Reporting to His Highness, you and the Consort were attacked in Guihua City previously. The Consort requested the Emperor of Qin to send a notification to the Turks, demanding a reasonable explanation from the Turkic royal court. Khagan Helü of the Turks received the message and has specially sent an envoy to Great Qin, stating they wish to apologize to His Highness in person."
Li Qing then presented a uniquely designed memorial. "This is the Turkic reply forwarded from Great Qin. Judging by the time, the Turkic envoy party should arrive in Zhongzhou in two months."
Si Fengwu's gaze remained fixed on the intelligence in his hand. Hearing Li Qing's words, he took the Turkic reply. "The Turks wish to apologize to me, yet their delegation is traveling to Zhongzhou? Do they expect me to travel a thousand miles back to Zhongzhou to accept their apology?"
"They wish for you to return to Zhongzhou, but not to accept their insincere apology. It is to keep the New Dynasty in a state of disarray, allowing them to continue causing trouble within it," said Lian Yu, who walked in with a stack of books in his arms.
Si Fengwu lazily raised an eyebrow. "You come at this time. Have you received any new information?"
"I've brought what the Consort wanted, along the way." Lian Yu placed the books on the table and continued, "There has been progress from Tang Xiao's side. It has been confirmed that this 'New Dynasty enslavement theory' originated from Northern Wei, and the missing people were also sent from Northern Wei to Great Qin. The Turks making such a scene at this time makes it difficult not to suspect that this so-called New Dynasty enslavement theory is a scheme by the Turks in conjunction with remnants of Northern Wei to cause trouble."
Si Fengwu, engrossed in the sea of intelligence, listened to Lian Yu's words without even looking up. "This matter still requires Great Qin's cooperation to find the people. With so many people disappearing consecutively, not all of them can be in Great Qin. Focus on finding those who are not in Great Qin. Although they are all missing persons, amidst the current extreme rumors, finding one person from Southern Qi, the Turks, or elsewhere in the New Dynasty will be more convincing than finding someone in Great Qin."
"Yes, I understand..." Lian Yu's tone stretched out. This matter did not fall under his responsibility, so he did not dwell on it. He pulled up a chair and sat opposite Si Fengwu, starting a new topic. "Speaking of which, the Consort threw a huge fit at the Ministry of Revenue last night. Did you hear about it?"
Si Fengwu, who had been busy, immediately looked up. "What happened? Did Chen Jianzhang, that stubborn old man, anger the Consort again?"
Lian Yu's eyes held a hint of amusement. "His Highness finally deigns to glance at me. It seems you aren't that busy after all?"
Si Fengwu's gaze was cold, his tone merciless. "I am indeed not very busy, but do you believe I can make you very busy immediately?"
"Don't." Lian Yu quickly adopted the demeanor of a wise and adaptable person. "You know, this time it truly isn't that old man Chen Jianzhang who upset the Consort, but someone else. And this person is not easy to deal with. I've inquired, and if this matter is not handled well, the Consort could face a significant setback."
In Si Fengwu's eyes, anything related to Lu Qingwan was never a minor issue. Moreover, with Lian Yu speaking so seriously, he could not afford to be negligent. He immediately put aside the matters at hand. "Who is so formidable that you believe they can cause the Consort to falter?"
Si Fengwu had witnessed the many traps within Lu Qingwan's small mind. Every time he learned more about her, he couldn't help but feel grateful that she was his Consort. If she were an enemy, she would be the lifelong rival he faced. Now, with Lian Yu suggesting someone could make Lu Qingwan stumble, Si Fengwu's worry was overshadowed by curiosity.
Lian Yu was not one for unnecessary words. He pulled out a memorial from the books he had brought. "The de facto ruler of Xindu, the Lin Corporation. Their misdeeds are all detailed here. You can take a look yourself, and have an idea of the obstacles the Consort will face if she moves against the Lin Corporation."
Si Fengwu wanted to ask Lian Yu why Lu Qingwan intended to target the Lin Corporation, but as soon as he opened the memorial, he didn't need to ask anything further. Tang Xiao, as someone who had interacted with Lu Qingwan early on, understood her methods. The first page of the memorial listed the Lin Corporation's repeated transgressions that harmed the interests of the court and undermined the integration and unity of the various departments of the New Dynasty. As a result, Si Fengwu immediately saw the Lin Corporation's crime of forcibly contracting the Ministry of Works' projects and then cutting corners to produce shoddy grain storage facilities.
Thus, Si Fengwu understood why Lu Qingwan had erupted in anger at the Ministry of Revenue. In the end, after all these years, Lu Qingwan's innate thrifty nature had not changed. For the Lin Corporation to tamper with Lu Qingwan's most cherished treasury, wasn't that like lighting a lamp in a toilet – courting death?