This answer deeply pleased Si Fengwu.
He no longer dwelled on how Feng Qingheng handled matters, but returned to the topic at hand, saying, "Calculating the time and distance, if nothing unexpected happens, the Marquis of Xuanwu and his son should be dead by now.
Yue Yuanting, the Governor-General of Nan Zhili, should also be stepping down.
Do you have suitable candidates for these two positions?"
In fact, it wasn't just these two positions; many others in the court were vacant. However, the issues with many people hadn't been fully resolved, making it impossible to handle them properly at the moment.
Si Fengwu asked Lu Qingwan this question purely to find a starting point amidst the chaos.
Lu Qingwan pondered seriously, "Didn't you say Zhou Xuean was doing a good job? Let him try the position of Governor-General of Liaodong.
As for the Governor-General of Nan Zhili, I do have a candidate, but it might be a bit troublesome and require your personal intervention."
Si Fengwu had no objection to Zhou Xuean taking on the role of Governor-General of Liaodong. He was merely curious, "Oh? Tell me, who is the Governor-General of Nan Zhili you have in mind, and why would I need to intervene personally?"
"General Shen."
Lu Qingwan said without hesitation, "I've come to realize that governors of various regions need both the compassion of a Bodhisattva and the ruthlessness of a butcher to maintain peace in their territories.
General Shen has personally led the Xuanjia Army for many years; I believe his military skills are unquestionable.
When you were away from the Xuanjia Army, he was the one who coordinated various parties and relocated the populace. I believe he will have no problem as Governor-General of Liaodong. What do you think?"
This was indeed an unexpected choice for Si Fengwu, but upon hearing the answer, he thought, "Do you intend to break up the Xuanjia Army?"
The 400,000 strong Xuanjia Army was Si Fengwu's greatest asset, and he would never easily move them.
However, Si Fengwu also knew that Lu Qingwan would not rashly propose such an idea, so he simply wanted her to provide a reasonable explanation.
Lu Qingwan's thought was simple: "Forty thousand Xuanjia troops are enough to make the noble families and powerful clans of Da Gan deeply wary of you, and even the various feudal lords of Da Qin will show you some apprehension. But it's merely apprehension.
With only 400,000 Xuanjia troops, they are not enough to make them completely submit and silence their doubts about your ascension to the throne."
Her clear eyes revealed unhidden ambition, "But what if all the soldiers of Da Gan were as capable as the Xuanjia Army, and these soldiers all revered you as a god?"
Four hundred thousand Xuanjia troops sounded like a lot, but when pitted against the combined forces of the three southeastern kingdoms, as well as Da Qin, and the even more distant Tujue and Southern Qi, these 400,000 troops seemed insufficient.
If Si Fengwu was content to remain in a corner and be a leisurely emperor of the small territory of Da Gan, that would be one thing, but it was clear that was not the case.
Si Fengwu's ambition would not allow him to be satisfied with this, and of course, the powerful figures he and Lu Qingwan had offended would not give him the chance to slack off.
Therefore, as his confidante, Lu Qingwan had to start planning early.
Si Fengwu understood her intention immediately, "Listening to your words, it seems the Princess wants more than just General Shen, doesn't she?"
"That's right."
Lu Qingwan admitted without any hesitation, "In the future, I want General Lin Fengmian, General Qin Shi Guan, and even those like Shen Qingzhou and Shen Tangzhou to go to new positions and shine.
As long as Your Highness doesn't stop expanding the territory, their positions will never be permanently fixed in one place."
She said matter-of-factly, "So, Your Highness, I plan to depart for the Northwest immediately to personally select capable individuals from the Xuanjia Army. Do you agree?"
Si Fengwu calmly stared into her eyes, "Are you just going to select capable individuals from the Xuanjia Army?"
Lu Qingwan put on an expression of exaggerated surprise, as if she had been caught, looking very deliberate.
Si Fengwu, with a touch of mischief, simply watched her performance without responding.
Lu Qingwan had no choice but to whimper and act spoiled, "Your Highness has sharp eyes; I knew I couldn't hide anything from you.
Since you've seen through me, I won't hide it from you anymore."
After a brief display of sincerity, Lu Qingwan got down to serious business.
"Seriously, I want to conquer Yun Qiang, intimidate Xiliang and Bei Wei, and also quietly probe Nie Wuming's hidden strength.
I've carefully reviewed Nie Wuming's record. Even with the personal tutelage of the former palace master of Wu An Palace, he lacks the talent to unify the world.
As you've seen, with strong troops and great power in his hands, the best he could achieve was taking Bei Xiao Pass.
If it weren't for Feng Qingheng's poor judgment and Yue Yuanting's timidity and incompetence, he wouldn't even have been able to take Bei Xiao Pass."
The person who had once sincerely helped her had now become her primary enemy. Lu Qingwan was certainly cautious.
But the more cautious she was, the more clues she found.
She knew that whatever decision she made, Si Fengwu would support her unconditionally.
However, she didn't want Si Fengwu to be constantly worried for her sake, so she explained her reasoning very carefully.
"I believe you've also noticed that Nie Wuming's current imposing demeanor and his displayed capabilities are clearly inconsistent.
If we don't figure out what trickery is hidden here, I fear we will suffer a defeat at Nie Wuming's hands in the future."
The situation in Shangjing was now very clear. Regardless of what the old officials of Da Gan wanted to do, the fact that Da Gan's empire belonged to Si Fengwu was undeniable.
But for Si Fengwu to become the future ruler of a new dynasty, he had to handle court affairs himself.
However, border matters could not be neglected. This time, a temporary separation was inevitable.
Despite his reluctance, Si Fengwu could not refuse the radiant and energetic Lu Qingwan.
Therefore, after careful consideration, he simply said, "At least wait until news of the Marquis of Xuanwu and his son's death reaches the capital.
During this time, go visit Cheng Nanshu and her son at the Jici Hospital.
Nie Wuming has crossed paths with us multiple times, yet his sister and nephew remain in your territory. There must be some clues waiting for us to discover. What do you say?"
Lu Qingwan nodded without hesitation at such an obvious point.
"I'll leave the palace tomorrow to talk to Cheng Nanshu..."
A knock sounded at the door, a familiar rhythm of three short and two long knocks – it was someone close to them.
Lu Qingwan called out loudly, "Come in."
The door opened, and many people entered.
At the forefront was Li Su, "My Princess, your subordinate has investigated and discovered that the eunuch who organized the palace staff to put out the fires is the supervisor of the Directorate of Palace Servants, named He An.
He accidentally learned that Feng Qingheng had planted explosives throughout the palace. When the explosion in the Golden Imperial Hall affected other areas, he mobilized everyone he could to put out the fires."
Lu Qingwan became instantly interested, "How did a supervisor eunuch from the Directorate of Palace Servants know that Feng Qingheng had planted explosives in the palace?
Did he specify the locations where the explosives were planted?"
"Yes, he did."
Li Su nodded and looked to the side. Li Jin stepped forward.