"Ah!"
A scream, Yue'er's anxious voice came, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Li Jin and the others rushed in, and before they could react, Yue'er shouted, "Don't come in! Go find Li Su quickly!"
Li Jin had already heard that Yue'er was in the bathroom. He grabbed Ying Yi and Li Yang and dragged the person out. Immediately, he rushed to Li Su's room, and in a moment, Li Su, completely bewildered, was pushed into Lu Qingwan's room by Li Jin.
A group of men were nervously squatting outside Lu Qingwan's door, not daring to breathe. Fortunately, it didn't take long before Yue'er came out.
Li Yang, quick-witted, shouted, "What's going on? What happened to the Princess Consort?"
"She fell asleep in the bath due to exhaustion." Yue'er's little mouth chattered, "When I went in, the water had already reached her mouth." Yue'er, with her red rabbit-like teeth, her voice tinged with tears, "Can you all advise the Princess Consort better? Things must be done one by one. Even a farmer's donkey isn't this tired..."
Li Jin and the others remained silent. They wanted to advise her, but currently, matters were piling up, and Feng Xi Wu was not present, so how could Lu Qingwan afford to rest!
"Should we tell the Prince about this?" Li Yang asked meekly. Although he knew that once Feng Xi Wu found out, they would surely be punished, he felt that this matter should not be kept secret. Li Jin had the same thought, "Let's tell the Prince. Only the Prince can persuade the Princess Consort a little."
Lu Qingwan was so exhausted this time that she fainted and slept until the next morning. In a daze, she saw the light outside the window and felt a bit disoriented about the date.
"Someone!" she called out softly. Yue'er and Li Su rushed in quickly.
"Your Highness, you're awake!" Li Su skillfully touched Lu Qingwan's forehead, "You still have a slight fever. Your Highness, please don't busy yourself today. Rest for a day? What if you become seriously ill and the Prince is not here? What will your subordinates do?"
At first glance, everyone would assume Li Su to be a cold beauty. But upon truly getting to know her, they would discover that her aloofness was merely her personality and did not prevent her from being a gentle woman at heart. For instance, now, with one hand on Lu Qingwan's forehead, she was gently negotiating with her. Lu Qingwan strangely felt a hint of motherly affection from this young girl. Surprised by her own absurd feeling, Lu Qingwan blinked and weakly asked, "I have a fever?"
"Of course, you do. You're better now, but last night you scared us to death, talking nonsense!" Yue'er said with lingering fear, "Fortunately, Guard Li Jin made a decisive move and invited Doctor Shen back to the mansion to give you medicine. Otherwise, you might not be awake right now. Your brain is so smart, it would be a pity if it were all muddled by a fever!"
Li Su immediately slapped her, "What nonsense are you talking about? It's not that serious?" Yue'er shrunk her neck at being hit, sticking out her tongue and giggling foolishly.
Li Su helplessly pulled her aside, "Yue'er is talking nonsense, Your Highness, please don't take it to heart. It's just a minor cold, not that serious. However, you really need to rest well. Otherwise, when the selection ceremony for consorts begins in a few days, there will be so many matters for you to decide, and your body won't be able to handle it."
Lu Qingwan shook her head slightly, "I know my own condition. You don't need to try to cheer me up. I'm not one of those melancholic young ladies confined to their chambers, so I'm not that fragile. I will rest when I need to, but after sleeping all night, I can't sleep anymore. Tell me about the outside situation. As you said, I'll soon be presiding over the selection of consorts, don't let me fight unprepared."
Li Su subconsciously nodded, then suddenly froze, "You fainted after returning last night, and in my haste, I didn't have time to inquire about outside affairs. Shall I let Li Jin come in and tell you in detail?" It was common for Li Jin and the others to report matters in the inner chambers when Feng Xi Wu was present, and since Li Su and Yue'er were there, there was no fear of gossip. Lu Qingwan nodded in agreement, "Alright, let Li Jin come in."
With Feng Xi Wu away, and the only female master of the mansion incapacitated, Li Jin, as the steward, dared not be far away and had been waiting outside. Upon receiving Lu Qingwan's summons, he hurried into the room and, as usual, paid his respects, "Your Highness, are you feeling better?"
"A little tired, but I'm fine now." Lu Qingwan gestured for Yue'er to help her up, "What's the situation outside? Have there been any new reports from various parties?" Since Lu Qingwan was a lady, Li Jin couldn't approach to check after she said she was fine, so he stood far away and reported. "The strategist has rushed, leading fifty thousand Xuanjia Army to Beixiao Pass. I heard the fighting was fierce, and the outcome is still undecided. However, with Marquis Xuanwu and his son leading eighty thousand Northern Army cavalry to the northern frontier, our army has the advantage in troop strength, and driving the Northern Wei army out of Beixiao Pass should not be a problem. The Emperor has already issued a decree announcing the selection of consorts, and the selected ladies from various regions are already on their way to the capital. So far, there have been no anomalies."
There were no anomalies anywhere; everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion. Just as Lu Qingwan breathed a sigh of relief, Li Jin changed the subject, "However, Your Highness, regarding the incident at Bai Xinglin yesterday, Han Guang seems to have investigated quite deeply. At this morning's court session, the Censor has impeached Minister Lan for poor management of his subordinates, stating that the Ci'en Hall, run by Minister Lan's cousin, caused a death and then shamelessly bribed the victims' families to slander Bai Xinglin. The incident at Bai Xinglin yesterday has already been brought before His Majesty."
It was preposterous for the matter of a mere medical hall to be brought before Emperor Jingyou. Lu Qingwan immediately thought of the person who provided Han Guang with the clue, "Ci'en Hall caused a death. Minister Lan would at most be charged with mismanaging his household and receive a scolding. What is the ultimate goal of the accuser in impeaching Minister Lan?"
Li Jin shook his head, "The Censor only mentioned this matter, and there were not many who agreed. As of now, there is no indication of any other purpose on their part." Li Jin said with some helplessness. Lu Qingwan actually understood him well. Everyone knew that the Censor impeaching Minister Lan at this time could not possibly be just about Ci'en Hall, but the other party simply wouldn't say. It felt like half a sentence was spoken, leaving people feeling uneasy. Despite the frustration, since they didn't reveal their next move, there was nothing they could do.
Lu Qingwan recalled what Li Jin had reported yesterday, "If Miss Chi comes today, don't stop her; bring her to me. As for Dowager Wen, tell her that the Prince does not wish to see her." Every time she met him, she used the excuse of repaying a debt of gratitude to try and foist people onto Feng Xi Wu. With the selection ceremony for consorts imminent, given Wen Rugo's status, she was bound to be involved. Lu Qingwan knew without thinking what Dowager Wen would say, and she had no desire to listen to her nonsense. Li Jin felt that if his Prince were here, he would give the same answer, and the Princess Consort's handling of it was impeccable.