What Bad Intentions can the Yandere Crown Prince have?-Chapter 248 - 244: If Not You, Then Who

Mid-August, Nuanquan Post.

Outside the window, rain and snow intertwined, the night chill cuts to the bone.

Inside, under the warm yellow light, the young girl wrapped in a thick, soft white fox fur coat, stretched out a tender little hand from under the fur, held the pen, and meticulously outlined the contours of the terrain on the straw-yellow paper, stroke by stroke.

"...136 li northeast of Wuhai... Limo Sea—"

Speaking to this point, Li Mu paused, looking at her translucent white hand, slightly furrowed his brow, and said, "I’ve noted all these; there’s no need to rush organizing them tonight. You can sort them out when we return to Shanzhou, or back to the Central Plains."

"If I can organize them today, why delay?" Tang Xiaobai didn’t even lift her head.

Although they didn’t continue westward, the journey back still yielded much. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Previously, when they left Shanzhou, they were hurrying along and didn’t observe the terrain in detail.

Now, the journey back was different.

With the army moving slowly, Tang Xiaobai daily, accompanied by Li Mu, rode lightly, observing and measuring the terrain along the way.

At first, Li Mu was still somewhat confused, but after a bit of guidance, he smoothly replaced Wenren Jia’s position, becoming the qualified mapping assistant by Second Miss Tang’s side.

Especially since his memory was no worse than Wenren Jia’s, by the end of the day, he always remembered more data and details than Tang Xiaobai.

Throughout this more than a month, Tang Xiaobai relied much on him to record and organize the terrain materials.

Thus, hearing his intention to take a break, she instinctively opposed but quickly took it seriously, stopped writing, and asked with concern, "Are you tired?"

"Writing too much at night makes my hand cold." Li Mu replied.

"Cold?" Tang Xiaobai glanced at his hand.

Fine and rosy, it didn’t show any signs of cold...

"I’m not cold, I’m worried you’ll be cold." Li Mu hurried to say.

"I’m not cold!" Tang Xiaobai laughed, "This post is built over a hot spring, and I’ve just soaked in it, still warm!"

Li Mu looked at her face, blushing, with faint traces of steam not yet dispersed, like freshly steamed rouge glutinous rice cakes, tempting one to take a bite.

He shifted his gaze to his pen tip, saying, "Since you’ve just bathed in the hot spring, sleep earlier while you’re warm, or else you’ll get cold again later."

"If I get cold, I’ll soak in the hot spring again!" Tang Xiaobai said, lowering her head to continue drawing.

As her pen fell, her gaze was focused, her expression solemn and sincere.

Li Mu watched for a while, asking, "Are you serious about joining the Bureau of Maps?"

"Of course!" Tang Xiaobai replied.

"Do you want to formally enter the service in the future?"

Tang Xiaobai was taken aback, looking up at him.

"If you want, it’s not impossible," Li Mu said.

If she liked it, anything was possible.

"No need," Tang Xiaobai shook her head with a smile, "Being an official is secondary, I just need a title so I can openly draw maps."

Li Mu suddenly felt a bit out of sorts.

In the past, when they studied together, whatever she learned, he would accompany her and learn a bit too.

But ironically, her most diligent efforts weren’t in what he accompanied her in learning.

"Why did you suddenly like cartography?" Li Mu asked.

"Because you went to Hedong to suppress the bandits!" She answered without hesitation.

Li Mu’s heart soared at once, "Because of me?"

"Yes," Tang Xiaobai, although her head was down, could hear the joy in his tone, and couldn’t help but smile.

"Initially because you, my father, and my brother were going to war; I always wondered if I could help in some way, but in military strategy and tactics, you are all much more experienced than me. After much thought, I thought of maps."

Li Mu was over the moon.

She said because of him, Tang Shigong, and Tang Ziqian, putting him ahead of her father...

"However, I later realized my maps couldn’t help you much—"

"No, you helped a lot!" Li Mu said, "In Longmen Mountain and Taihang Mountain, your maps were several times more detailed than the ones we had; I could capture Longmen Village because of your maps."

Her brows curved as she smiled, "Ah Xiao is so capable, without my maps, he’d still capture Longmen Village."

Li Mu was utterly softened by her smile, "The Black Cavalry was drawn from the Longmen Village bandits. Without your maps and intel, I wouldn’t have been able to get such an elite force bloodlessly, and later, I wouldn’t have been able to rescue you from the wolves with these people."

Tang Xiaobai flushed red at his praise, coughed lightly, and shifted the topic, "Initially, I wanted to help you all fight, but now, I have new thoughts!"

Li Mu couldn’t help but curve his lips, quietly watching her.

"A map represents a country’s borders; when Qin conquered the Six Kingdoms, they gathered maps to show unification, and when foreign nations offered tribute, presenting a map was the highest form of submission. So, I want to draw a complete map of the borders—"

At this point, Tang Xiaobai picked up the map she had just drawn and handed it to Li Mu.

"For you!" she said.

Li Mu stared in astonishment at the map in her hand, "Why... give it to me?" After speaking, he realized his voice was trembling slightly, as though swept by some enormous wave.

"Who else would I give it to if not you?" Tang Xiaobai said with a smile.

From the second day she arrived here, she had met him, and afterwards, day after day, they advanced and retreated together, a bond unmatched by anyone else.

Unquestionably, he was the most important person in her world, without exception.

"Maps are military secrets, displaying loyalty of subjects, declaring the majesty of kings," she pressed the map into his chest, "Why do you think I’m giving it to you?"

"The Ministry of War initially didn’t have maps of Turkic, let alone Tibet. This trip, plus what Wenren Jia will bring back, adding them all in!"

"Once, this place might’ve been within Turkic or Tibet’s borders, but in the future, someday, this place and that—" Tang Xiaobai spoke increasingly excitedly, rising to point northwest, "All those will be our nation’s land, our inseparable territories!"

Tang Xiaobai was accustomed to seeing Qinghai and even further northwest as her own country, but such words in Li Mu’s ears had a different flavor.

He took her hand pointing northwest and softly said, "Alright."

Tang Xiaobai noticed something unusual in his tone, turned to look at him, and froze immediately.

At the corner of the youth’s eyes, the peach-red color deepened, and between several blinks, his eyes became seductive and captivating, like a fairy.

Tang Xiaobai was mesmerized, unconsciously lifting her hand to touch his eyes.

Before she could touch them, suddenly, her waist was tightly held...

...

Through a partially covered door, across a courtyard, Tao Fen sat on the railing of the corridor, watching in disbelief.

He originally came to enjoy a drink while appreciating the pure and beautiful sight of childhood friends reading and writing together, but how did they suddenly start embracing?

Ah, young people...

Tao Fen clicked his tongue, laughing and shaking his head, lifted his wine pouch, ready to take a hearty sip.

His gaze inadvertently shifted, and he saw Little General Tang walking in from outside, his cloak fluttering splendidly—