After sending off Li Xingyuan, Li Mu lit the lamp and trimmed the wick, opening the letter he had just received.

As he was about to read it, a voice called from outside: "Miss Qin is here!"

Li Mu frowned: "I won’t see her!" He unfolded the letter in his hand.

Familiar handwriting entered his eyes like a gentle stream, warm and soothing, filling him completely, leaving no part untouched.

Unconsciously, his brows softened, and the corners of his lips tilted slightly as he read Miss Tang’s letter word by word.

"Winter has arrived, and with the bandit hunts mostly in the mountains, it must be colder than in the Capital City. Don’t forget to add clothing and food..."

That was certain; his winter clothes had all been prepared by her, and he was already wearing them. As for extra food—

Li Mu hesitated for a moment and instructed outside: "Make a bowl of lamb soup cake!"

"Eating lamb so late? Tsk tsk, aren’t you afraid of the heat?" Qin Rong’s teasing laughter came from outside.

Why is she still here?

Li Mu frowned again but ignored it, continuing to read the letter—

"Being your first time with the army, there might be inconveniences. In times of trouble, remain calm and do not anger..."

Inconveniences?

There were none, really.

Although since leaving the Capital City, the march had been slow, and they hadn’t captured a single bandit camp yet, it was all as expected. Why would he get angry over such matters?

"Hey! I heard that Princess Changshan is gone; isn’t that Young Hero Yuan of yours going to leave? Won’t it just be the two of us left?" Qin Rong’s voice came again from outside.

Why hasn’t she left yet?

Li Mu’s eyes darkened. Just as he was about to speak, he caught sight of the words "do not anger" on the letter and held back in silence.

"Now that Princess Changshan has passed, Prince Li must return to Zhenzhou for the funeral, and with Brother still not fully recovered... Luckily, there’s still Miss Qin..."

Li Mu frowned again.

What does that mean?

Tang Ziqian not mentioning it is one thing, and Li Xingyuan can be dismissed, but what about Qin Rong?

In her eyes, even Qin Rong is better than him?

"Creak—" The door was suddenly pushed open.

Qin Rong stood at the doorway with a tray, smiling broadly, with a large bowl steaming on the tray.

Seeing her, Li Mu’s face fell: "Who let you—"

"Shh—" Qin Rong made a gesture to keep silent, casting a glance outside.

Li Mu also heard footsteps approaching from beyond the wall, furrowing his brow without saying more.

"Seeing you up so late, I had someone make you a bowl of lamb soup cake. Eat it while it’s hot!" Qin Rong stood in the doorway, speaking softly.

The light inside the room shrouded her like mist or gauze, even just a silhouette, causing the person approaching along the corridor to stare in a daze.

But it was just a fleeting glimpse, and the beauty had entered.

The newcomer wiped their mouth, hastened a few steps forward, and shouted: "Qin Xiao! Prince Qing summons you!"

...

"Is Tang Ziqian still well-behaved?" Prince Qing, whenever he saw Li Mu, would first ask about Tang Ziqian, eyes flickering with a guilty conscience.

Li Mu coolly saluted and replied: "Heavy guards have been placed, and he hasn’t taken a single step out of his room."

"Good, good!" Prince Qing beamed with joy.

"May I ask the reason for Your Highness’s summon?" Li Mu inquired.

Despite being just a teenager of fourteen or fifteen, he spoke with hands properly folded and eyes lowered, though for some reason, Prince Qing felt a chill in his heart when facing him.

When questioned, his gaze subconsciously drifted toward the group of Yuwen Family generals inside the room.

Yuwen Bo, the foremost among them, received Prince Qing’s hint, cleared his throat, and said: "You’re so young and have never led troops; tomorrow’s assault on Longmen Village will be left to us. You should stay by His Highness’s side and guard!" The words were exceedingly arrogant.

Yuwen Bo, by rank, was a fifth rank official and Prince Qing’s uncle, who looked down upon Qin Xiao, a mere boy with no official position.

Even though he watched as Qin Xiao imprisoned Tang Ziqian and seized Tang Ziqian’s Commander’s Seal, he thought it was merely because Tang Ziqian was still recovering from his injuries, allowing a young lad to catch him off guard and thus paid it no mind.

But after he finished speaking, he saw the boy lift his eyelids and glance at him.

Those eyes, pitch black, seemed not to reflect any light, possibly due to the angle, and together with the cold green jade mask, appeared as sinister as a ghost.

Yuwen Bo shivered under that gaze.

Then, the young prince lowered his gaze again and calmly agreed with a single word, "Fine," without additional reaction.

Yet Yuwen Bo felt a sudden shame and annoyance due to his inexplicable fear earlier, snorted heavily, and in a harsher tone said, "In any case, you can’t lead, so give us Tang Ziqian’s Commander’s Seal too!"

Li Mu raised his eyes again, looked at Yuwen Bo, and in a calm tone, asked: "Would Mr. Yuwen think that Tang Ziqian’s men only recognize the Commander’s Seal?"

The faces of Prince Qing and the Yuwen Family members all changed.

Indeed, the troops brought by Tang Ziqian came from the Duke Yan Mansion; they couldn’t be simply maneuvered with the Commander’s Seal alone.

Even the personal soldiers by Tang Ziqian’s side were not so easy to handle, made possible because Qin Xiao was from the Duke Yan Mansion, allowing him to catch Tang Ziqian off guard.

And now, while Tang Ziqian is "ailing," only Qin Xiao holding the Commander’s Seal can command the Duke Yan Mansion’s forces.

But they had risked angering Duke Yan by imprisoning Tang Ziqian, not to let an unknown boy like Qin Xiao gain prestige.

Yuwen Bo exchanged a fierce glance with Prince Qing.

If Tang Ziqian’s troops proved disobedient, they wouldn’t mind executing a few commanders!

"However—" At this point, "Qin Xiao" spoke again, his tone still calm, "I can allocate a unit to accompany Mr. Yuwen in tomorrow’s assault on the camp."

Yuwen Bo’s heart stirred: "How many?" It wouldn’t be easy to report back if there were too much bloodshed.

"A hundred men! Tang Ziqian commands five hundred in total, divided into ten teams. I’ll allocate ten men from each team, ensuring minimal familiarity among teams, convenient for Mr. Yuwen to command."

Yuwen Bo suspiciously scrutinized the boy while pondering.

Some youngsters are as cunning as foxes. Since Qin Xiao has gained the emperor’s favor, he must not be completely lacking; could this be a pit?

However—

Yuwen Bo’s mind turned, and he nodded toward Prince Qing.

Prince Qing decided: "It’s settled then!"

...

"They probably want to use these hundred men to scout the way—" Tang Ziqian put down the medicine bowl, received the handkerchief from Xin Yi, and leisurely wiped his mouth, "Yuwen Bo desires merit yet feels insecure. He’d prefer to climb over my hundred, so not only to reduce my manpower but also to place the blame on me later, accusing me of poor command."

"Select those with agile movement techniques to disperse upon entering the mountains to preserve strength," Li Mu suggested.

Tang Ziqian was certainly not under house arrest, nor was his Commander’s Seal taken.

The Commander’s Seal had been handed to Li Mu in front of all his trusted commanders.

Prince Qing had no intention of sharing the bandit suppression gains, and conveniently, neither did they.

Thus, they turned the situation to their advantage, with Li Mu faking betrayal to imprison Tang Ziqian and claim Tang Ziqian’s troops.

Next, they’d wait for Yuwen Bo to inevitably relinquish his forces too, allowing Li Mu to claim the initial victory over Longmen Village.

Only—

Tang Ziqian looked at the boyish-looking crown prince with some concern: "Li Xingyuan is gone, and I’m being confined. Can Your Highness manage alone? Perhaps take Qin Rong along?"

Li Mu suddenly recalled the same doubt expressed in Miss Tang’s letter, and his gaze darkened instantly.

"How can I not?!"