Ubuntu LXQt: Create virtual/dummy display when remote desktop isn’t connected

I recently setup a linux machine in another room to run some scripts which require pinging some servers (like getting the IP address when connected to VPN etc.). I’m running the machine without a monitor and controlling it via Remote Desktop. Oddly enough, one of my python scripts continually gets a timeout exception when the Remote Desktop connection is not active. Obviously, I want to run this in the background without having to connect to the system.

I can’t figure out why it cares if there’s “someone watching” so to say, so I just wanna create a virtual display that’s always connected. My search can only find posts from the year 2020 on this forum, and a lot of people are saying those solutions are bricking their linux systems, or making them innaccessible after reboot. Does anyone have an up-to-date solution on how to do this?