"I..." Song Qingshu had wanted to retort loudly, but scenes from the previous night involuntarily surfaced in his mind. Feeling guilty, he hastily changed the subject. "I don't want to discuss such boring matters with you. Go call Xian'er over so we can continue practicing how to handle memorials and government affairs."
Li Qinglu's eyes shifted. "Should we call Qin Hongmian over too?"
Song Qingshu finally grew angry. "Are you done yet? Why do you bring her up every time you open your mouth?"
"I'm thinking of the bigger picture," Li Qinglu said with an aggrieved expression. "We have so few people now and desperately need help. Besides, these matters are far too confidential for outsiders to know about. After thinking it over, she's the most suitable person to help."
Song Qingshu froze, suddenly feeling that she had a point. Since Qin Hongmian already knew about this, the best solution was to have her help as well, lest they waste manpower.
"But there's one major problem with that," Li Qinglu suddenly said.
"What?" Song Qingshu instinctively asked.
"How do we ensure Qin Hongmian's loyalty?" Li Qinglu frowned tightly, as though deep in thought. "The methods First Rank Hall used to control spies were, first, controlling their lives and futures; second, holding their parents and children hostage. Spies in certain critical departments even had to take poison regularly. But none of those methods can be used on her."
Song Qingshu said in a low voice, "Madam Qin isn't that kind of person. Besides, Wanqing is here. She won't leak our secrets."
"Those in power cannot be ruled by sentiment. They need various measures to balance and restrain one another; they cannot rely solely on people's hearts," Li Qinglu warned. Born into royalty and having long overseen such an important department as