Xue Hongyi frowned in distress, "You've really stumped me with this question."
Lu Qingwan raised an eyebrow, "How so? Is it that hard to tell the difference between 'big' and 'small'?"
"Of the six of us senior and junior brothers, all were taken in by Master from outside. Only Ziyi and your mother were born within the Reincarnation Palace. Your mother, as you know, is the treasured daughter of Master and Mistress. Ziyi is the daughter of the former Grand Elder. These two were born almost in the same year, month, day, and hour. Even the midwife couldn't definitively say who came first. Thus, they've been arguing for over a decade, always fighting to be the elder one, until seventeen years ago when your mother ran down the mountain, and the issue still wasn't settled."
"In that case, I understand." Lu Qingwan pondered for a moment, "There's nothing else. You may leave now."
"Tsk, the river hasn't even been crossed, and you're already dismantling the bridge. You're something else!" Despite his grumbling, Xue Hongyi knew his identity would ultimately cause trouble if discovered. He pouted and muttered as he left.
Lu Qingwan watched him go, then summoned Li Jin. The latter appeared solemn. Emperor Jingyou had seized control of all intelligence in Da Gan, making Li Jin even more anxious than Lu Qingwan. Upon seeing Lu Qingwan, he immediately said, "Princess Consort, Duan Yue and his group are only twelve men. Can they protect His Highness from those lunatics at Wuan Palace? Should I inform Shen Tangzhou to send more men to protect His Highness?"
The journey from Saibei to Shangjing was long and fraught with peril. Any lapse in defense would be a fatal danger to Feng Xi Wu. Li Jin now wished he possessed the ability to shrink distances, to personally bring Feng Xi Wu back.
Lu Qingwan sighed as she listened, "You yourself said that the eyes and ears of the Wufeng Hall are everywhere. How can you be sure that Shen Tangzhou's men are not also under Wufeng Hall's surveillance?"
Li Jin exclaimed, "His Majesty treats His Highness like a brother and father. Even if Wufeng Hall knows His Highness's whereabouts, they wouldn't harm him, would they?"
"I didn't say His Majesty would harm His Highness. But if others discover His Highness's whereabouts, and then investigate his actions in Saibei, a charge of unauthorized troop deployment could be brought. How would His Majesty handle that?" Feng Xi Wu was indeed the commander of the four hundred thousand Black Armored Army, but when to march and how many troops to mobilize required Emperor Jingyou's approval. Emperor Jingyou had indeed granted Feng Xi Wu considerable autonomy, allowing him to use his own soldiers to support Lian Yu, to deter Xiliang, Yunqiang, and even the restless bandits and rebels in the northwest after the severe snow. On the surface, Feng Xi Wu's actions benefited Da Gan in countless ways. However, this was all predicated on the news of Feng Xi Wu leaving the capital not getting out. Once it did, coupled with a charge of unauthorized troop deployment, it wouldn't be seen as thoughtful planning to assist Emperor Jingyou, but rather as defiance of the sovereign and exceeding one's authority.
Li Jin was furious. "It was clearly His Majesty who needed our Prince to secure the court internally and deter enemies externally, thus allowing His Highness to feign serious injury to avoid attention and go to Saibei to take charge of the situation. How can it be that in the end, His Highness is caught between a rock and a hard place..."
Lu Qingwan's eyes curved into a smile. "His Highness is a wise man. Since he has done so, it means that Da Gan, or rather His Majesty, is worthy of his dedication. Complaining is fine, but the main task must still be done. His Highness trusts His Majesty and is willing to go through fire and water for him; we cannot fail to plan for His Highness. Otherwise, if Feng Qingheng inherits the throne, we'll be left to starve."
Li Jin had watched Lu Qingwan and Feng Xi Wu interact for as long as they had known each other, so he couldn't help but notice Lu Qingwan's resentment towards Feng Qingheng. Hearing her words, he said with guilt, "I've caused the Princess Consort to suffer alongside us. Please speak your mind, Princess Consort. Your subordinates will do their utmost to cooperate with your plans."
"Zhaolie Marquis's estate has three hundred mu of land in the southern suburbs of Shangjing, which was previously leased to tenant farmers. Please attend to this for me and reclaim those three hundred mu after spring. Additionally, purchase some land in His Highness's fiefdom. We will grow our own grain and medicinal herbs."
Even though he had just vowed to cooperate wholeheartedly with Lu Qingwan's plans, Li Jin couldn't help but ask, "Princess Consort, even if Prince Chen inherits the throne and might mistreat His Highness, our Prince has a fiefdom and shops. He shouldn't be reduced to growing his own food, should he?" Li Jin suppressed the words, "Princess Consort, are you perhaps worrying unnecessarily?" for a long time.
Lu Qingwan chuckled, "Who said we are aiming for self-sufficiency? Just do as I've asked, it will be useful. Remember, the act must be convincing. We must make it seem as though you didn't want others to discover you buying land and growing crops, but rather that they discovered it through their own cleverness. Can you do that?"
Li Jin nodded helplessly, "I understand. May I ask what Princess Consort intends to grow on those lands?"
Lu Qingwan smacked her lips, "Let's grow some of the grains and medicinal herbs most needed on the battlefield. A variety of them." The storage function of the spatial laboratory and the plant-based abilities were there to be used, but suddenly producing so much would be too conspicuous. Preparing early meant that if the spatial laboratory and plant-based abilities were ever needed, these lands would serve as the perfect cover. If no one noticed, it would be great. If someone did, then it would be a windfall of grain and medicinal herbs!
Having settled these matters, Lu Qingwan changed the subject, "The New Year is approaching. Are the noble ladies in Shangjing preparing their new clothes for the festivities?"
"Indeed. I was just about to ask the Princess Consort if there were any new ways to make money?" When money-making was mentioned, Li Jin's eyes sparkled.
"Tomorrow, call Man Chun and the others back. We will discuss it in detail. We'll inject some fresh ideas into all aspects of food, drink, and entertainment, aiming to make a fortune during the New Year!"
"Yes, Princess Consort!" Li Jin responded and cheerfully ran off.
Lu Qingwan, meanwhile, sat behind her desk with brush and ink. Thanks to the hairpin maker's hobby, she was thoroughly familiar with the styles of Chinese clothing and jewelry from five thousand years of history. With a few strokes, the figures on the paper were adorned in elegant robes and jewelry. However, "I feel like something is missing?" Looking at her bare fingers, Lu Qingwan realized, "Of course, with such beautiful clothes, how can the fingers be so bare?" Thus, the ladies in her drawings were adorned with beautiful finger guards.
...
With a flicker of inspiration, she added another stroke, becoming more engrossed as she drew. Lu Qingwan busied herself in her room all night.
As night fell, Yue'er came to serve her bath and found Lu Qingwan asleep at the table, her hands and face smudged with ink from the brush. Yue'er covered her with a blanket. Although she moved stealthily and with extreme caution, Lu Qingwan was still woken up.