"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

The door opened.

Qin Rong slipped inside and asked, "What do you want with me?"

Under the lamp, the young man sat upright, his head slightly lowered as he looked at the letter in his hand. His side profile was as striking as a painting, yet the flickering candlelight added an element of cold eeriness.

"Tomorrow, to Yanmen Pass. I will fight alongside you."

Qin Rong was taken aback, "Isn’t it too soon for the first battle?"

"Within a month, fight to Yunzhou. After that, I will request to return to Taihang Mountain to root out the bandits and hand over the entire Zhenzhou Army to you!"

"What are you planning?" Qin Rong’s suspicion arose.

Although she did desire the Zhenzhou Army, being given it so easily made her feel there was a conspiracy.

Li Mu did not answer her and continued, "As long as you hold back Prince Jin and Prince Qing in Yunzhou until I return from rooting out the bandits, these sixty thousand Zhenzhou troops will be under your command in the future."

Qin Rong’s eyes sharpened as she stared at him for a long while and asked, "Is this your decision?"

"Gu (my) decision." Li Mu said.

He could do without the Zhenzhou Army, but he could not avoid going to Liangzhou.

...

Elsewhere, Tang Xiaobai’s worry about her brothers-in-law’s contention had not yet manifested, as everyone was keeping up pretenses.

With Gu Yuan as the deputy inspection envoy, the group proceeded quickly on its journey, stopping in towns only for resupply.

On the first of May, they arrived in Lanzhou.

From Lanzhou, heading northwest leads to Liangzhou.

Already in the northwest region, although it was the height of summer, it was not hot.

Especially in the evening, there was even a slight chill.

After dinner, Tang Xiaobai donned a cloak and paced along the inn’s corridor to the courtyard guarded by the traveling Imperial Guard.

"Request to see Mr. Xue."

Xue Shaojian was still wearing his dark green official outfit, impeccably dressed, with a distinguished appearance, truly a gentleman like jade.

"Thank you for your care along the journey, Mr. Xue." Tang Xiaobai solemnly bowed to Xue Shaojian.

Xue Shaojian had indeed cared for her throughout the journey—

Let’s put it this way, because the choice was well made, there was no one along the journey who didn’t look out for her.

If it weren’t for the fact that she was busy with her travels by day and mapping the terrain by night, she might have thought she was on a tour.

Relatively speaking, Xue Shaojian was the most distant from her, his care probably driven by decorum.

She really appreciated men of such decorum!

Especially when they were handsome, well-mannered men.

Xue Shaojian smiled slightly, "Second Miss is too polite." He only said this then fell silent, waiting for her to continue.

Tang Xiaobai bowed her head, took a rolled-up note from her sleeve, and handed it to Gu Yuan to give to Xue Shaojian.

Xue Shaojian unrolled it and glanced at it, his eyes gleaming slightly.

"These are the spies Prince Changshan placed in Liangzhou." Tang Xiaobai said.

Li Xingyuan had discovered spies with a clear list. Her first task on this mission was to take control of the persons on the list.

But the list only had names without specific information. She was unfamiliar with the Liangzhou populace and could not act rashly, so she wanted to collaborate with Xue Shaojian.

Apprehending spies could not be more justified than when done by a court inspection envoy.

"Where did Second Miss obtain this list?" Xue Shaojian, holding the note, looked up at her with a hint of scrutiny.

"Prince Li handed it to Qin Xiao, who then gave it to me. To prevent leaks, I haven’t told anyone," Tang Xiaobai said, glancing at Gu Yuan, who hadn’t spoken.

In truth, the list had been given to Mr. Zhou by the young master, who then passed it to her, and indeed she hadn’t told anyone else.

But just now, when she mentioned "the spies Prince Changshan placed in Liangzhou," Gu Yuan showed no shock.

Did he have a hidden agenda, or was it... for another reason?

Tang Xiaobai temporarily put aside her doubts and continued, "Apart from this, a secret letter from Prince Changshan mentioned that there are other spies in Liangzhou, but it doesn’t specify who they are, so we need to investigate ourselves."

"Are they Turkic spies?" Xue Shaojian asked.

Tang Xiaobai hesitated for a moment, shook her head, and reiterated, "It doesn’t specify."

It didn’t specify, but there was a hint that it might be related to the Capital City.

"Thank you, Second Miss. This official will handle it at his discretion." Xue Shaojian put away the list.

With that, they had said all they needed to, and Tang Xiaobai rose to take her leave.

Gu Yuan also left with her, escorting her back to her room.

They stopped at Tang Xiaobai’s door.

Tang Xiaobai glanced at Gu Yuan.

Gu Yuan nodded and whispered, "We’re almost in Liangzhou. Keep a closer eye, and it won’t be leaked prematurely."

The reason Tang Xiaobai chose to hand over the list now was to prevent leaks if given too early, as the inspection team was full of varied personnel and information could easily spread.

But now that they had reached Lanzhou, it was time to prepare.

Nevertheless, Tang Xiaobai wasn’t intending to speak about that now.

"Why did Fourth Cousin decide to take this trip?" Tang Xiaobai asked.

Gu Yuan paused and said, "How could the Gu Family stand by in the matters of the Duke Yan Mansion? My brothers also wanted to do their part. It was decided by Uncle that I and the Fifth Son would accompany."

This answer was perfectly reasonable, but Tang Xiaobai felt there might be more to it.

"Did you know about the Zhenzhou list all along?" Tang Xiaobai asked.

Gu Yuan paused yet again and then smiled and nodded.

Tang Xiaobai’s thoughts whirled, and she suddenly got a shock. She quickly pulled him inside the room and asked in a low voice, "Fourth Cousin, are you working for the Crown Prince?"

"Yes," Gu Yuan answered frankly with a nod.

Tang Xiaobai slapped her forehead.

How had she not realized it earlier!

Gu Yuan’s biological mother was the sister of Empress Xiao’ai, making Gu Yuan and Crown Prince Li Mu cousins by marriage!

The young master had given Mr. Zhou a list, likely the same list given to Gu Yuan, hence Gu Yuan going to Liangzhou to eliminate spies personally!

Gu Yuan’s earlier decision to pursue the civil service examination path was because entering by grace might lead to suppression.

But once the Crown Prince ascended the throne, why would his mother’s family, the Yu Family, be suppressed?

Ah, the calculations and balances of these people change in an instant...

At this moment, Tang Xiaobai couldn’t help but ask, "Then what was your purpose in proposing to my family? Was it Grandmother’s idea or the Crown Prince’s?"

As she asked this, the bearded guard outside threw a glance inside, seething with killing intent.

Tang Xiaobai quickly gave him a warning look that said "don’t cause trouble."

This exchange made Gu Yuan turn his head in slight suspicion.

The door was open; no one was stationed at the entrance.

Five steps away, two guards stood on either side.

One was Yingying from the Eldest Princess Mansion, and the other, a tall, lean man with a full beard, he didn’t recognize.

Both held their breath, heads bowed, appearing normal.

Gu Yuan turned back, smiled, and said, "It was my decision alone."

Tang Xiaobai scrutinized him carefully, "You truly like my sister?" To be honest, she hadn’t seen it.

Gu Yuan suddenly sighed, raised his hand, and with gentle eyes, brushed a lock of her hair softly and said in a low voice, "Marriage is not child’s play; elders have their arrangements. It couldn’t be possible before, but now that it is—" he smiled gently, "who wouldn’t like Jiaojiao?"

After saying this, he once again felt a wave of murderous intent from behind.