What Bad Intentions can the Yandere Crown Prince have?-Chapter 364 - 360: What He Held Dear in Life

People all say that Xue Tenth Son is a gentleman of upright conduct.

But Tang Xiaobai remembers, in the original book where the plot had already collapsed, Xue Tenth Son was the first to betray the ruler.

In other words, he has great potential for turning dark.

Whether he has turned dark now, Tang Xiaobai hasn’t really investigated.

But during the investigation of Zhong’s Calendar, Xue Shaojian was the most aggressive.

He didn’t go from start to finish to pick faults, only grabbed a few of the most obvious mistakes he remembered.

On the fifteenth day of the second month, on the full moon morning court session, Xue Shaojian submitted a memorial pointing out seven errors in Zhong’s Calendar Correction Technique.

An edict was issued to restart the compilation of the new calendar.

At the same time, the Xue Family found Xue Shaoqin’s corpse in his mother’s room.

Mrs. Xue, in the sorrow of losing her son, was muddle-headed all day long, so even if she hid her deceased son’s body, it only drew sighs, who could bear to criticize?

So they just acted as if nothing had happened and continued to investigate the triple murder case at Chongwen Hall.

The cause of death was almost determined the same day the bodies were found.

And the murderer was quickly captured—

"This result..." Tang Xiaobai chuckled softly.

This result was not unexpected.

The so-called "murderer" was two colleagues who were also Lanshi Lang at Chongwen Hall.

They hired an assassin out of jealousy of Xue Shaoqin and others’ achievements, as well as spread rumors to defame them.

This result truly wasn’t unexpected.

Otherwise, who else could they catch?

"When the new calendar is promulgated, don’t forget to include their three names, as a form of consolation to the deceased," Tang Xiaobai sighed.

Li Mu nodded.

Then he saw her lower her head and busy herself again.

Not content to be ignored, Li Mu leaned in to see.

He took a glance at what she was writing, then looked at her in surprise and asked, "When did Ah Jiao learn mathematics?"

He knew Tang Xiaobai had a broad range of interests and had previously done calculations for map-making, but they were relatively simple.

Now she was holding a mathematics classic doing calculations.

"Right now," Tang Xiaobai replied without looking up.

Before she entered the book, although she had learned mathematics, she hadn’t used it for many years and had practically returned it all to her teacher.

Now she truly was starting from scratch.

But fortunately, the nine-year compulsory education hadn’t been wasted on her; some things were engraved in her bones, so understanding ancient mathematics books now wasn’t too hard.

However, understanding them and calculating are two different things.

For example, the mathematics classic at hand had a total of twenty problems, covering astronomy and calendar, hydraulic and civil engineering, and the Pythagorean theorem.

She found the Pythagorean problems easier to grasp, but the problems involving astronomy, calendar, hydraulic and civil engineering applications, she struggled with.

Tang Xiaobai was grasping her pen hard, struggling with the lunar declination calculations, when Li Mu’s voice sounded beside her—

"At fifty-three degrees of four ten-thousandths of a degree in Scorpio."

Tang Xiaobai looked up in surprise and asked, "You know?"

Li Mu nodded, "Mr. Lin explained this mathematics classic to me."

"And you just got it?" Tang Xiaobai questioned.

Explaining and understanding are two different things.

The answer Li Mu gave was indeed in the book, but she hadn’t yet grasped how to come to this answer.

Yet, the little ancestor nodded nonchalantly as if it was effortless.

Explaining it once meant he understood it.

What kind of people are these!

Tang Xiaobai was secretly indignant, but seeing him looking eagerly at her with a "praise me" look, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Seeing the attendants around all with their heads down, she couldn’t resist squeezing the Crown Prince’s cheek and whispered, "Your Highness is so smart!"

She intentionally elongated the word "Your Highness", making it soft and coy, causing Li Mu’s heart to itch and his eyes to look more yearning.

Tang Xiaobai could easily interpret his gaze, and checking around again, seeing no one was looking up, she quickly gave him a peck on the cheek—

"Muah!"

Tang Xiaobai’s face instantly turned bright red.

A disaster in progress.

How could it be so loud...

Inside Lizheng Hall, the attendants continued to dutifully keep their heads down in silence.

It was their silence that made Tang Xiaobai’s kiss appear extraordinarily loud.

And next to her, the one who got kissed shamelessly chuckled out loud.

Tang Xiaobai glared at him angrily, then buried her head pretending she was always working on the arithmetic problem.

"Ah Jiao wants to learn mathematics?" Li Mu leaned over and asked beside her.

The voice still carried a smile.

Tang Xiaobai ignored him.

"Shall I teach you?" he offered diligently. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Tang Xiaobai shot him a sidelong glance, "I want to learn astronomical calendar calculations, do you know all of this?"

Li Mu was silent for a moment and said, "I’ll learn with you."

Tang Xiaobai snorted lightly, "Why are you learning this? Got nothing better to do?"

"For whatever reason you learn, that would be my reason."

Tang Xiaobai shook her head, "You are the Crown Prince overwhelmed with state affairs, whereas I am not that busy," her expression turned slightly serious, "this time, many people were lost in the Chongwen Hall, I’m cramming to see if I can help with anything."

"There’s no need to worry," Li Mu comforted, "compiling a calendar is not something that is accomplished overnight. After next month’s examination, I plan to open a mathematics class in the Imperial College. Those who succeed can be directly entered into the Chongwen Hall, and Xue Shi volunteered to remain in the Chongwen Hall to participate in the new calendar compilation—"

"Xue Shi wants to come?"

This was truly a surprise!

Xue Shaojian has the capability, fame, and ranks in office, with the entire Xue Family behind him.

The key point is, Xue Shaojian volunteered himself, which is almost like taking a stand!

"Xue Shi said that the new calendar compilation was the only thing Xue Qi was concerned with before his death, and he wanted to fulfill Xue Qi’s last wish."

Tang Xiaobai paused in a daze, murmuring, "The only concern..."

What Xue Shaoqin was concerned with before his death was not the only thing...

...

"Still haven’t found Su Zhenniang?" Tang Xiaobai asked.

Before his death, besides the new calendar, Xue Shaoqin was also concerned with this fiancée of his.

Yet Su Zhenniang seemed to have vanished into thin air, not only had Li Mu failed to find her, but Yao He had also reached a similar dead end.

"I asked Lady Xue, and she only said she left, mentioning nothing else, so it should be that she left of her own accord."

Tang Xiaobai was somewhat surprised, "So Lady Xue...knows?"

Yao He nodded, "Miss Su’s whereabouts, Lady Xue should know a bit, but since she doesn’t want to speak of it, let it be."

Tang Xiaobai laughed slightly, "This is unlike you."

Yao He had been quite stubborn years ago when investigating the little ancestor, yet now he chooses to give up even when there are leads.

Yao He also laughed slightly, with a trace of bitter smile.

"Brother Shaoqin was Lady Xue’s lifeline, if Miss Su had even the slightest suspicion, Lady Xue would not let her go. Since Lady Xue doesn’t want to find her, she must have her reasons. If I press on with it, it would not be wise."

Tang Xiaobai nodded.

Initially, investigating Su Zhenniang was due to the many peculiarities surrounding her, suspecting her involvement in Xue Shaoqin’s death.

Now that Xue Shaoqin’s murder case already had reached a conclusion, it made little difference whether they found her or not.

"What are your plans next?" Tang Xiaobai turned to ask Yao He himself.

"I want to stay in the Capital City, to care for Lady Xue, so Brother Shaoqin can rest in peace." Yao He answered without hesitation, it seemed his mind was decided long ago.

But after speaking, he showed a hint of unease: "That... the young mistress... won’t drive me away, will she?"

Tang Xiaobai could not help but laugh, "Why would she even think of you?"

Yao He smiled, "That’s alright then."

Tang Xiaobai suddenly recalled the two gifts sent last year, and put away his smile, speaking warmly, "The Jade Beauty Snow Flower Pill and Red Mohe, my sister instructed me to return them to Xue Seventh Son, she already had her plans in her heart, don’t send them again in the future."

Yao He nodded, "I understand."

Tang Xiaobai asked again, "Since you want to stay in the Capital City, do you have a preferred place you’d like to go? The County Government, Government Office, and Ministry of Justice won’t be a problem."

Yao He previously helped her father and brother in the Northwest; with her father’s connections, there was no place he couldn’t enter.

Yet Yao He smiled and shook his head, "I have accepted the Crown Prince’s recruitment, and have entered the Eastern Palace’s Xuan Yi Guard, tomorrow I will be going hunting in Zhongnan Mountain with them!"

...

The Eastern Palace’s Xuan Yi Guard is a very special Imperial Guard.

Its predecessor was the hundred riders of Xuan Jia that Li Mu brought to the Turkic region; further back, they were bandits Li Mu subdued in Hedong.

Tracing further back, they were the generals from the persecuted faction of Emperor Hui Zhao’s lineage.

Quite a loyal faction rooted deeply in the Eastern Palace.

Later, when Li Mu took charge of the Eastern Palace, he streamlined the hundred men, leaving only fifty as the Crown Prince’s personal guard.

Li Mu originally intended to divide half of them to the Duke Yan Mansion, but was sternly refused by Tang Shigong and Tang Ziqian.

Until the decree of marriage alliance was issued, he took the opportunity to insert ten people into the Duke Yan Mansion.

Yao He’s entry into Xuan Yi Guard was indeed surprising to Tang Xiaobai.

The young ancestor may be of a young age, yet he possesses considerable authority!

The Xuan Yi Guard, being the Crown Prince’s close escort, naturally accompanies him on the hunt.

Zhongnan Mountain is not far from the Capital City, this hunting expedition is scheduled for three days.

However, on the second day, the imperial entourage returned to the Capital—