When Qiao Zhi proposed dividing the herb beds into sections with different watering schedules, Xan Min asked who would oversee the change and what would happen if one section failed. When she suggested that Mount Hua send a smaller medical contribution to the Alliance, Xan Min asked how they would explain their refusal to an official who valued obedience more than practical sense. The questions were not meant to discourage her. They were meant to force her to see the parts of a good idea that could still go wrong.
At first, Qiao Zhi answered too quickly. She liked finding solutions, and her mind often jumped from the problem to the shape of an answer before she had considered every step in between. Xan Min noticed that habit and made her slow down. By midday, Qiao Zhi had learned to ask herself three questions before presenting a proposal: Who would do the work? Who would pay for it? And what would happen if it failed?
