"So, it's not unfamiliar!"
Thinking of how Liu Xunran used to innocently swing his injured arm that had been shot, and how she had foolishly offered to tend to his wounds, she felt like an idiot now.
Liu Xunran was thousands of miles away, so this debt should be paid by his disciple.
"Since you're so capable, can you make the Qin envoys stop coming to Daqian?"
"Yes."
Xue Hongyi enjoyed seeing Lu Qingwan surprised by him and was almost obliging to every request.
"Your Highness of the Reincarnation Palace commands talents from all walks of life, and you must have a considerable amount of medicinal herbs and provisions, right?"
She flashed Xue Hongyi a naive smile. Xue Hongyi flinched at her overly radiant smile. "We have medicinal herbs and provisions, but what do you want to do?"
"My husband is fighting on the front lines. Without provisions, I'll become a widow. If I become a widow, I won't be able to have daughters, and the Reincarnation Palace will have no next Saintess.
Therefore, for the future father of the Saintess, donating some provisions, military supplies, and medicinal herbs is not an excessive request, is it?"
Xue Hongyi stammered, "N-not excessive."
"Alright, then I'll trouble you."
Lu Qingwan grinned at him, "Give me a token or something first to reassure His Majesty, and then start preparing the provisions. Alright?
My demands aren't high. Prepare ten million piculs of grain, along with a proportional amount of fodder and medicinal herbs.
Notify me yourself when it's ready, and I'll send people to receive it."
"T-ten million piculs of grain, and proportional fodder and medicinal herbs. You really dare to ask for the moon!"
Xue Hongyi's peach blossom eyes widened in disbelief. "Aren't you afraid the Palace Lord will give you not a single grain if he knew?"
"He will."
Lu Qingwan smiled confidently, "Li Jin, escort His Holiness Xue!"
Xue Hongyi jumped, "You want to kick me out?"
"Otherwise?"
Lu Qingwan's disdainful gaze swept over him from head to toe. "My husband is gravely ill and bedridden. If a playboy like you stays in the manor, do you want the people of Shangjing to drown me in their spit?"
"Fine, you win!"
Xue Hongyi's slender finger tapped Lu Qingwan's nose. "I'm leaving!"
With that, he stomped off, humming with every step, like a child.
Lu Qingwan shook her head speechlessly and turned back to Wutong Courtyard. Upon entering, she saw boxes strewn all over the ground, wrapped in red silk, looking extremely festive.
Large and small boxes were packed tightly, filling the entire courtyard. Lu Qingwan didn't know where to step.
"What is all this stuff? Why is it placed here?"
Li Su hurried out from the room, "Answering the Princess Consort, these are gifts from the Lord of the Reincarnation Palace brought to you by His Holiness Hongyi."
"Gifts for me?"
Lu Qingwan opened a box in surprise and was almost blinded by the glittering jewelry inside.
"Princess Consort, look, there seems to be a letter!"
Li Su struggled to navigate through the maze of boxes and searched for treasures with Lu Qingwan.
Lu Qingwan picked it up casually. It was just a piece of paper, without an envelope, and the message was very simple.
"Greetings, my little niece A'Wan!
I am your eldest martial uncle, Zi Yi. I was absent when you visited last time, and I regret missing you.
I heard you are the Princess Consort of the Regent, and you'll surely need jewelry to maintain appearances. This is a见面礼 (meeting gift) from your eldest martial sister. Take it for now, and when I find something fun later, I'll have someone send it to you."
The language was so bold that Lu Qingwan felt like she could hear a voice message.
She opened another box. Lu Qingwan didn't recognize it, but Li Su's eyes lit up. "Princess Consort, it's Jiao Sha, Jiao Sha that's impervious to water and fire!
A whole box of it! This alone is worth at least ten million taels of silver!"
"So expensive?!"
Lu Qingwan's eyes sparkled. "Let's see the others!"
Five consecutive boxes were opened with a clatter: "Medicinal herbs, prepared medicines, weapons, rare books..."
Li Su's eyes turned green. "Princess Consort, you're rich!"
Compared to Li Jin, who managed the expenses of the entire manor, Li Su wasn't really a moneygrubber.
She even thought Li Jin, who was always eager for money, was quite pathetic. But at this moment, Li Su realized she wasn't ungreedy; she just hadn't been sufficiently shocked.
At this moment, Li Su felt that if anyone tried to snatch these things from her, she would fight them to the death.
Lu Qingwan was also surprised that several people she had never met were so generous to her.
After the initial excitement subsided, she calmed down. "Look through the remaining boxes for letters. Except for the food, put the rest in the storeroom."
Li Su, suppressing her excitement, led people to pack the items, her heart pounding and her hands trembling, unable to calm down for a long time.
Lu Qingwan returned to her room. Soon, Li Jin entered. "Princess Consort, as you instructed, Liren Workshop has showcased the banner attire.
Experienced nannies and female teachers have been provided to guide them in court etiquette and rules.
Many young ladies have already signed up for the training. Here is the list for your perusal."
Lu Qingwan took it and looked, satisfied. "Very good. If this continues, we won't have to worry about the military provisions for the Xuanjia Army."
Business was profitable, and Li Jin's mood was naturally good. However, "Princess Consort, there is no Empress of equal status.
Currently, the most noble female figure in the court is you. I've heard that the ministers are all proposing that you preside over the selection of consorts for the two princes.
What are your thoughts on this matter? If you are willing, I will not interfere. If not, we'll need to inform His Majesty in advance..."
"I preside over the selection of consorts?"
Lu Qingwan was shocked. "Aren't there suitable people in the palace? I remember His Majesty still has several imperial concubines in his harem!
They are all elders of the two princes. Can't they preside over the selection?"
"After the former Empress passed away, His Majesty did not establish a new Empress. Now that Noble Consort Ye has also had an incident, the highest-ranking women in the palace are Consort Jiang Hui, Consort Ning Shu, and Consort Chu Xian.
However, Consort Jiang Hui is the birth mother of Prince Jing, and the maternal clans of Consort Ning Shu and Consort Chu Xian are important forces that the two princes are actively trying to win over.
It is inappropriate for any of them to preside over the selection of consorts at this time. Therefore, if the Princess Consort does not actively refuse, this matter is likely to fall upon you."
After hearing Li Jin's analysis, Lu Qingwan was less resistant to the idea of presiding over the selection of consorts.
"Since that's the case, I believe His Majesty will consider it carefully. If this matter truly falls to me, I will do my best."
Lu Qingwan said this with a sense of going with the flow.
However, she didn't expect that going with the flow would actually lead to this situation.
Receiving news from the palace, Lu Qingwan was summoned and saw Emperor Jing You sitting up, which was rare. Wen Xiang was also standing before him.
As soon as Lu Qingwan saw Prime Minister Wen, she got a headache. "Your Majesty, there are no outsiders here. Why don't you let Prime Minister sit down first?"
What if the wound reopened? She would have to treat it, which would be troublesome.
Prime Minister Wen also knew that Lu Qingwan had been alerted after he had fainted last time. Hearing this, he said apologetically, "This old minister was being willful and troubled the Princess Consort. I am truly sorry!"