Isolated town in northern border region

Xiao Lie and Jiang Min lingered in the room for most of the hour.

The sun outside the window had already climbed from the eaves to the top of the courtyard wall, and Bisu in the main hall had already changed three pots of tea.

The Sixth Prince, Xiao Ye, sat in the guest seat with his hands on his knees, his back ramrod straight. He didn't touch the teacup in front of him, nor did he glance out the window.

His back didn't look like it had slumped down at all from waiting.

Bisu secretly glanced at him, thinking to herself that this young prince was truly composed.

When Xiao Lie finally sauntered into the main hall, Xiao Ye immediately stood up and bowed.

"Xiao Ye pays respects to the Emperor."

He didn't look up at Xiao Lie, his gaze fixed on the other's chest, neither flattering nor avoiding the subject.

Xiao Lie glanced at the tuition fee on the table.

The six gifts of money were neatly arranged: dried meat, celery, lotus seeds, red dates, longan, and red beans, all wrapped in red paper and tied with meticulous care.

Xiao Lie sat down opposite him.

"Sixth Brother, your gift is too formal."

"We are brothers, so I'm afraid I cannot grant your request to become my disciple."

Xiao Ye looked up at him.

"Is Your Majesty afraid that I was sent by Father?"

Xiao Lie did not deny it.

"Your father was just punished by me yesterday, and you come to become my disciple today? The timing is a bit too coincidental."

Xiao Ye did not rush to defend himself.

"My brother is right!"

"If I were sent by my father, I wouldn't have chosen today to come."

He stood up, walked to the center of the hall, knelt down on both knees, and raised the teacup above his head with both hands.

"Disciple Xiao Ye, I humbly bow in reverence."

"Please, Your Majesty, have the gracious permission to accept me as your disciple."

Xiao Lie was stunned for a moment, he really didn't expect him to kneel down directly.

He reached out and lifted Xiao Ye up.

"Get up! Even if you kneel until tomorrow, I won't accept you!"

"You go back first."

Xiao Ye was lifted up by him, but he did not struggle. He simply placed the teacup in his hand on the table.

"Then let's leave this cup of tea for now. I'll come back tomorrow when my brother has calmed down."

He said he was leaving, but in reality, he looked up at Xiao Lie like a little puppy, blinking his eyes.

Why was this little boy, not even twelve years old, staring at him so expectantly? Xiao Lie couldn't just kick him away, could he?

At this moment, Xu De ran in, panting, clutching a roll of Xuan paper in his hand.

"Your Highness! Something has happened!"

Xiao Lie was troubled, so he grabbed a teacup and gulped it down.

"What's wrong now?"

Xu De spread the Xuan paper out on the table.

"Your Highness, look! Someone has posted notices all over the capital, detailing the whole story of your encounter in Bingzhou, including the Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince's trip to the Northern Frontier to investigate the situation, word for word."

"It's said that the Chu Emperor promised that if anyone could see through Zhou Xun's 'fake prince,' he would make him the crown prince. It's written down clearly!"

Xiao Lie stood up, walked quickly to the table, and looked down.

Xuan paper has a fine texture and subtle patterns on the edges, making it clearly a top-quality tribute paper.

The contents of the notice... the part about Bingzhou was written very briefly, as if it were hearsay.

However, the details about the Fifth and Sixth Princes' entry into the Northern Frontier are outrageously detailed, even clearly marking each day that Zhou Xun delayed their meeting under the pretext of "not yet recovered from a cold."

Only someone who has experienced it firsthand can write this!

Xiao Lie suddenly turned his head to look at Xiao Ye.

Xiao Ye was still standing there, holding the tuition fee in his hand, looking smug.

Xiao Lie stared at him.

"Did you do this?"

Xiao Ye's eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again, as if joy and hesitation surged up at the same time.

"Yes! What my brother did in the Northern Frontier should not be buried under those rumors."

"Father wants to suppress the matter in Bingzhou; he also wants to pretend that the matter between my fifth brother and me never happened."

"But those things did happen, and the people of the world should know how much injustice my brother suffered!"

Xiao Lie put down the notice and looked at him.

"You're his own son!"

"If this notice is posted, he'll be infamous for eternity, and what about you?"

Xiao Ye lowered his head.

"I know."

Xiao Lie's voice rose a notch.

"Then why do you still do it?"

Xiao Ye remained silent for a while.

"Because I believe my elder brother is right!"

"Every inch of land that my elder brother allocated in the northern frontier, every road he built, and every skill he passed down are far more important than my father's calculations."

Xiao Lie looked at him, his voice becoming stern.

"to be honest!"

Xiao Ye was so frightened by Xiao Lie that he took a step back.

"I thought... if I offered my pledge of loyalty... my imperial brother would accept me as his disciple!"

"Once my elder brother ascends the throne, he might spare their lives!"

"But I really like it..."

Before Xiao Ye could finish speaking, Xiao Lie let out a loud shout.

"Shut up!"

Xiao Lie's loud shout not only startled Xiao Ye, but also terrified Xu De and Bi Su.

He took a deep breath and sat back down in his chair with a helpless expression.

"The Xiao family... the throne... just how far will they push people!?"

"You're not even twelve years old yet, and you're already thinking of using your father as a pledge of loyalty!"

"I know... he's not a good person, but he's your father!"

"How could I possibly accept someone who would use the disgrace of his own father as a pledge of loyalty?"

"roll!"

Xiao Lie got angrier and angrier and kicked them out!

But just as Xiao Ye moved his feet, Xiao Lie spoke again.

"Xiao Ye! You're still young..."

"A young person's path should be filled with the joy of birdsong and the promise of a bright, sunny day; keep your heart pure..."

"Those manipulative and cunning tricks are best ignored; it's better to stick to the right path!"

"And... in any case, I am by no means a man of indiscriminate killing."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ye was stunned for a long time before bowing deeply.

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty. I understand now."

After saying that, Xiao Ye turned and walked out. He paused when he reached the threshold, as if he remembered something. He took out a thin booklet from his pocket and placed it on the low table by the door.

"This was written when my younger brother went to the northern frontier last time."

"If Your Majesty has the time, please offer your corrections."

Then he stepped across the threshold and left.

Xiao Lie walked to the low table and picked up the booklet. The cover had the words "Records of My Experiences in the Northern Frontier" written in neat handwriting.

He turned to the first page and saw what was written there.

"The official road in Cangzhou is about two zhang wide, and the road surface is paved with cement, as smooth as a mirror."

"It is said that this road is accessible to horse-drawn carriages, oxcarts, and trains."

"When the train travels on the tracks, plumes of smoke rise into the sky, and the sound is like thunder. From a distance, it looks like an iron dragon moving across the land."

He flipped through a few pages and saw another page that read...

"There is a workshop west of Youzhou City that specializes in making glassware."

"I once went inside to observe its production process. The craftsmen dipped a long pole into molten lava and blew it into shape, making it light, thin, and translucent like ice."

When asked about his method, the craftsman smiled and replied, "The prince said that skills should not be kept secret; if someone wants to learn, I will teach them."

A simple line drawing followed, depicting the profile of a craftsman bending over and blowing glass.

Turning a few more pages, he came across an even longer entry.

"The food customs of the people in the northern frontier are quite different from those in the capital."

"There is a canteen in Youzhou City that provides three meals a day for the artisans in the workshops. The lunch is especially lavish and often includes meat."

I once asked a craftsman, "Why do people in the northern frontier eat three meals a day?" The craftsman replied, "The prince said that only when they are well-fed can they have the strength to work."

There were also annotations in small print next to it.

"I tried it, and it was indeed true! Although I felt slightly sleepy after eating, I had plenty of energy."

When Xiao Lie saw the sentence "I tried it, and it was indeed true," the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

He continued flipping through the pages and saw another page that read...

"Rail laying method: First, lay the bottom with gravel, then lay the sleepers, and nail the rails on the sleepers."

"The rails are fixed with bolts, and the gaps must not be too large, otherwise the train may derail when passing by."

"I participated in the paving for a day, and my palms cracked, but I found it quite interesting."

Xiao Lie closed the booklet and stood there in silence for a long time.

Every word in the booklet is simple, without fancy words or grand principles; it is just one person earnestly recording what he saw with his own eyes, tasted with his own mouth, and tried with his own hands.

Xiao Ye may not have even added lamp oil himself in the palace, but in the northern frontier, he walked on cement roads, touched railway tracks, talked with craftsmen about how to blow glass, and tried to carry sleepers himself.

Xiao Lie closed the booklet and walked towards the door.

When Xiao Ye reached the door, he hadn't gone far. Hearing footsteps, he stopped and turned around.

Xiao Lie stood inside the threshold, looking at him.

"Becoming an apprentice, is that alright...?"

Before Xiao Lie could finish speaking, Xiao Ye's face lit up with joy, and he was about to kneel down and become Xiao Lie's disciple.

Before Xiao Ye's knees even touched the ground, Xiao Lie uttered his next words.

"but!"

"You need to resolve the issue of posting the notice first."

"I'll decide whether to accept you or not after I see how you resolve this."