When the morning court session ended, the ministers filed out one by one, but Empress Ling Shuang signaled for Li Rufeng to stay behind. Once everyone had departed, the Empress led Li Rufeng to a pavilion in the imperial garden. The two of them sat down, and a palace maid served fragrant tea.
The Empress took a gentle sip of her tea, her expression grave as she said, "Minister Li, your performance in court today was outstanding, and the strategies you proposed are truly practical. Yet, our Daxia currently faces troubles both internal and external. Although various policies have been continuously implemented, I always feel their results fall short of expectations. Meanwhile, neighboring countries eye our territory with covetous eyes. What are your views on this?"
Li Rufeng set down his teacup, cupped his hands, and replied, "Your Majesty, national policies are much like cooking. The various policies are the ingredients, and the methods of implementation are the culinary techniques. Right now, we may have chosen good ingredients, but our cooking methods are a bit too simple, and we haven't quite mastered the heat. Perhaps we could treat it like changing a recipe and adjust how we roll things out. For instance, some policies could be tested on a small scale first, and only expanded nationwide once they succeed—much like stir-frying a small side dish to test the flavor before cooking a massive pot of rice for everyone."
Chapter 127