Alex looked at her. "Why would I fire him?"
"Because... because you're talking about making everything more efficient, and he's not efficient..."
"He's experienced, he's loyal, and he knows the palace. Those are valuable assets." Alex turned back to the window. "I'm not going to fire people for being old or having physical limitations. I'm going to fire people for being disloyal or lazy. There's a difference."
He could see the relief on Xiao Cui's face. Good. Building loyalty meant showing that you valued people, not that you discarded them the moment they became inconvenient.
Of course, if someone betrayed him, he would crush them without hesitation. But that was different.
Lao Zhang appeared about an hour later. He was indeed old, with a weathered face, bent back, and hands that trembled slightly. He bowed deeply when he entered, looking nervous.
"This old servant greets Consort Yan," he said in a raspy voice.
"Lao Zhang. Sit down." Alex gestured to one of the stools.
The old man looked shocked. "I couldn't possibly..."
"Sit. I need to talk to you and I don't want you falling over from standing too long." Alex waited until the man had carefully lowered himself onto the stool. "How long have you worked in this household?"
"Three years, my lady. Since you entered the palace."
"And before that?"
"I worked in the Empress Dowager's gardens for thirty years. But my hands got worse, and I couldn't maintain the delicate plants anymore, so they transferred me here." There was shame in his voice.
Translation: He had been demoted to the lowest-ranked consort's household because he was no longer considered useful enough for important positions.
"Do you know about plants?" Alex asked.
"I... yes, my lady. I know which ones are medicinal, which ones are decorative, which ones are poisonous. I used to grow the Empress Dowager's private herb garden."
Poisonous plants. That was interesting.
"Can you still identify plants, even if you can't do delicate gardening work?"
"Yes, my lady. My eyes are still good, and I remember everything I learned."
"Perfect." Alex leaned forward. "Here's what I need. First, I want you to make a complete list of every plant in the palace that has medicinal or poisonous properties. Where they grow, what they look like and what they do. Can you do that?"
Lao Zhang blinked. "I... yes, my lady. But why..."
"Because knowledge is power, and I need to know what resources are available to me. Second, I want you to start rehabilitating this courtyard. I know you can't do heavy work, but you can supervise. I'll have Eunuch Wu help with the physical labor. I want this place to look less like an abandoned graveyard and more like someone important lives here."
"Of course, my lady! I'll start immediately!"
"Third, and this is the most important one." Alex held his gaze. "I need you to teach me about poisons. How to identify them, how they work, how to counteract them. I was poisoned five days ago, as you probably know. I don't intend to let that happen again."
The old man's eyes widened. "You want to learn poison craft?"
"I want to learn defensive toxicology. I need to be able to protect myself." Alex softened his tone slightly. "Look, Lao Zhang. I know my position here is terrible. I know everyone thinks I'm useless and powerless. But I'm going to change that. And I need people I can trust to help me. Xiao Cui is loyal but inexperienced. Eunuch Wu is competent but cautious. You have knowledge that no one else in this household has. That makes you valuable. So I'm asking you. Are you willing to help me?"
It was the same recruitment speech he had given the others, adapted for this particular audience. Acknowledge their value, give them a purpose, make them feel needed.
Lao Zhang stared at him for a long moment. Then, slowly, he smiled. It was a gap-toothed smile, but it was genuine.
"The other servants said you had changed after the poison, my lady. They said you were acting strange. But this old man thinks you're acting smart. Yes. I'll help you. It will be nice to be useful again."