Isolated town in northern border region

Zhou Xun waved his hand, and the soldiers withdrew.

He walked up to Tie Muyun and bowed.

"I am Zhou Xun from the Northern Frontier. I have met you before, young lady. I apologize for any offense I may have caused you. Please forgive me."

"May I ask your name, young lady?"

Tie Muyun pursed his lips.

"My name is Tie Muyun!"

"So pretentious and cheesy!"

Zhou Xun smiled awkwardly, but in his heart he was already making plans.

He had seen the name Tie Muyun in the letters Xiao Lie had sent back long ago.

The great plague in Qingzhou was caused by the Panlong Guard, to which this woman belonged!

Zhou Xun knew very well that, given Xiao Lie's personality, there was absolutely no way he would get together with the Panlong Guards!

Then... there's only one possibility left—Xiao Lie has been controlled by the Panlong Guard!

After thinking it through, Zhou Xun asked again.

"Was it the prince who personally designated you to come to the Northern Frontier?"

Tie Muyun shook his head.

"I don't know, but the prince didn't stop me when I received the token."

Now Zhou Xun understood completely.

The man in front of him, Tie Muyun, is the one Xiao Lie wants to turn against him, and also Xiao Lie's helper to break free from control!

The question "What kind of world do you want?" was a hint to him on how to win over Tie Muyun!

"It's getting late today, please rest a bit, Miss Tie. Tomorrow I will show you the scenery of the northern frontier."

The next day, Zhou Xun led Tie Muyun out of the government office, through the streets of Youzhou City, past the markets that were closing up and pedestrians returning home, and stopped on a high slope.

From there, you can overlook the entire city of Youzhou, with the sunset painting the sky and lights lighting up one by one.

In the fields outside the city, people were finishing their work, and a shepherd boy rode his ox slowly along the ridge.

In the distance, the sound of a train whistle could be heard, short yet long, like the earth breathing.

"That's a steam train."

Zhou Xun pointed to the iron contraption that was slowly passing by on the railway tracks in the distance, emitting white smoke.

"We've completed the blueprints left by the prince."

"It doesn't eat or drink, but it can run hundreds of miles a day."

"In the future, grain, cloth, iron, and medicine from northern Xinjiang can all be transported out using it."

Tie Muyun was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

A colossal creature made entirely of steel can run faster than a horse!

You don't need to eat or drink!

This is simply a miracle!

She stared blankly at the train until Zhou Xun said he would take her to the next place, at which point she nodded in a daze.

Zhou Xun took her to see the steel plant.

The glow of the blast furnace made her face glow red, and molten iron flowed from the bottom of the furnace like a luminous river.

She felt the heat wave hitting her face and watched the red-hot molten steel solidify, and she was completely dumbfounded!

Tie Muyun had seen blacksmiths before, but she never dared to dream of an assembly line that could produce countless pieces of fine steel in an instant!

"This...this...did the prince really make these?"

Zhou Xun smiled and shook his head.

"No, according to the prince, all of this is thanks to the people of the Northern Frontier!"

Tie Muyun looked completely bewildered, utterly confused.

"What does this mean? Aren't these people all subjects of the Prince? How dare they claim credit?"

"Besides, I've heard along the way that these things were all made by the Prince!"

Zhou Xun shook his head again.

"The prince merely pointed out the direction; it was the people who truly made all of this a reality!"

"The prince said..."

"The Northern Frontier! It belongs to the people!"

"The world belongs to all people!"

Tie Muyun remained bewildered. It wasn't that she didn't understand Zhou Xun's meaning, but rather that she couldn't comprehend how there could be a prince like Xiao Lie in this world!

He's clearly a member of the royal family, of noble birth...

Despite his illustrious military achievements and the granting of fiefdoms...

But they say things like "the northern frontier belongs to the people" and "the world belongs to all people"...

How is that possible?

If this Northern Frontier truly belongs to the people, then what is Xiao Lie, the King of the Northern Frontier?

Decoration?

Thinking of this, Tie Muyun suddenly understood why Xiao Lie was so angry back in Qingzhou.

Not only did they neglect the powerful Panlong Guard, but they also sought justice for the people of Qingzhou!

He... Xiao Lie!

He truly values ​​the people more than himself!

It's more important than the throne!

Tie Muyun opened his mouth, then closed it again, remaining silent for a long while before asking Zhou Xun.

"Are there such people in this world?"

Zhou Xun threw his head back and laughed, spreading his hands as he laughed.

"Finally, I'm not the only one who wants to ask this!"

"To be honest, before I met the prince... no!"

"Even for the first six months after I met the prince, I didn't believe it!"

"I don't believe there are truly people in this world who hold high positions yet can genuinely empathize with the suffering of ordinary people!"

"In my opinion, this kind of person isn't even human! He's a god! A saint!"

"But I witnessed with my own eyes how the Prince gradually recovered the northern frontier and how he slowly improved the lives of the people there. I believe him!"

"So, there really are people in this world who exist to help everyone live like human beings!"

After Zhou Xun finished speaking, he clapped his hands, seeing that Tie Muyun looked thoughtful.

"Iron Girl, there are still places we haven't seen yet."

Then Zhou Xun took her to a ranch.

There, warhorses and cattle and sheep roam the grasslands. Herdsmen are helping newborn foals give birth. A young herdsman sees them and greets them with a smile.

Zhou Xun eventually took her to the grasslands.

Tug was not present, but his men had become accustomed to the convoys that traveled freely between northern Xinjiang and the grasslands.

Tie Muyun saw children from the grassland tribes sitting outside their yurts, learning to read and write with teachers from the northern frontier; he saw herdsmen driving herds of cattle and sheep to the border markets in the northern frontier to exchange for tea and cloth; and he saw tribes that once relied on plunder for survival now focusing on raising horses, herding sheep, and shearing wool.

No one held a knife, no one argued, and no one pointed a knife at another living person in order to survive.

For seven whole days, Zhou Xun put aside all official business and traveled all over the northern frontier with Tie Muyun.

At first, Tie Muyun was a little anxious, constantly thinking about going back to report, but as she saw and experienced more, she gradually became infected by the atmosphere of the Northern Frontier, immersed in it, and lingered there, reluctant to leave.

That night, after showing Tie Muyun the northernmost fortress, Zhou Xun hosted a banquet and invited Tie Muyun.

The banquet was simple, with only Zhou Xun and Tie Muyun present. After the dishes were served, Zhou Xun dismissed everyone else.

Suddenly, Zhou Xun asked Tie Muyun.

"I already have the answer to the question the young lady asked on behalf of the prince. Please pass it on to him when you return."

Tie Muyun was holding the roasted lamb leg tightly when he saw Zhou Xun's serious expression, so he could only lick his lips and put the lamb leg down.

"Sir, please speak."

Zhou Xun walked to the window and looked up at the starry sky.

"I want to create one..."

"A world where ordinary people don't have to beg for survival on their knees."

"In this life, a person will not have to sell their children because they owe a few bushels of rice, will not have to wait to die because of a plague, and will not have to be herded away like livestock because they have no land."

"What Your Highness is doing in the northern frontier is what I want to do."

"Whether the Prince returns or not, I, Zhou Xun, will continue to do these things!"

"Iron Girl, the Panlong Guard... is not a good ending."

As soon as Zhou Xun finished speaking, Tie Muyun shuddered and his right hand instinctively reached for the knife used to cut the lamb leg!

"How did you know?!"

Zhou Xun shrugged.

"Iron Lady, you've been traveling in the Northern Frontier for so many days, surely you don't think that the Northern Frontier is as isolated from the world as your reclusive Panlong Guard, do you?"

"I knew it the very first day you arrived, the very first time we met."

"The prince sent you to the northern frontier, most likely to increase his own bargaining power, but more importantly, the prince believes that you... are still salvageable!"

He paused.

"Young lady, have you ever seen such a world?"

Tie Muyun released the small knife from his hand and stubbornly raised his chin.

"I saw it in northern Xinjiang!"

Zhou Xun was delighted to hear this and was about to press his advantage to continue persuading Tie Muyun when Tie Muyun picked up the lamb leg and took a big bite!

"snort!"

"No wonder the prince said, 'You're even more cunning than a monkey when you're covered in hair!'"