Isolated town in northern border region

Just as Zhou Xun's battle to protect his love was beginning to show some promise, Xiao Lie placed an appointment letter on his desk.

The national inspection team, led by Zhou Xun and with Tie Muyun as its personal bodyguard, will set off immediately to inspect the administration, commerce, taxation, schools, and factories of various prefectures and cities.

After reading the appointment letter, Zhou Xun glanced at Tie Muyun beside him.

She was leaning against the door frame wiping her knife, as if the matter had nothing to do with her.

Zhou Xun swallowed.

"Your Highness, isn't this... inappropriate?"

Xiao Lie patted him on the shoulder.

"This is official business! What are you thinking!"

"Just do it right, don't think about anything else."

"Of course, as a grown man, you have to take good care of this tough girl."

Zhou Xun opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. However, he subtly pushed the several-page "Patrol Route Planning Document" rolled up in his sleeve further in, adopting a businesslike expression.

On the day of departure, Tie Muyun changed into a light leather armor, with a short sword and bow sack hanging at his waist, and only a small bundle on his back.

Zhou Xun's carriage was parked at the door. She walked over and glanced at the roof of the carriage, then said to Zhou Xun.

"Mr. Zhou rode in a carriage, and I rode a horse."

Zhou Xun wanted to persuade her to ride with him, but he was afraid of appearing too eager, so he just nodded in the end.

After the carriage set off, he lifted the curtain and saw Tie Muyun riding a horse alongside the carriage. The morning light shone through her shoulder, gilding the outline of her profile with a pale gold edge.

As he lowered the curtain, he mentally calculated the distance, then added a line of small print to the edge of the map hidden in his sleeve.

"It is advisable to stop and stay overnight at Laoyue Lake along the way."

Our first stop is Qingzhou.

After entering the city, Zhou Xun first went to the government office, where he looked through the tax and silver accounts and trade records from the past six months. He then walked around the trade market several times.

The powerful families in Qingzhou had already received the news and kept their accounts clean. Zhou Xun checked for three days but couldn't find anything seriously wrong.

When he returned to the inn, it was already late. Tie Muyun was practicing archery in the courtyard. In the moonlight, her figure was stretched into a long, thin shadow, and each note of the bowstring was crisp and clean.

Zhou Xun stood under the corridor for a while, then went back to his room, spread out the paper, reviewed his notes from the past few days, and drew a question mark next to "the third shop on the south side of the market".

Tie Muyun walked in carrying a bowl of noodles, placed it on his table, and left.

Zhou Xun was taken aback.

"Iron Girl, this is...?"

Tie Muyun didn't even turn his head.

"It would be a waste not to eat the extra food made in the kitchen."

Zhou Xun looked down at the bowl of noodles. The noodles were of varying thicknesses, clearly made by her own hands.

He picked it up and took a bite; the soup was extremely salty, and some of the noodles weren't fully cooked.

After he finished eating, he washed the bowl clean and placed it at the door, then put a note under the bowl that read:

"Thank you, Iron Girl, it's delicious."

The next morning, Tie Muyun saw the note, picked it up and looked at it for a while, then casually put it into his sleeve.

Zhou Xun peeked half his head out from the corner of the wall. After seeing her tucking the note into her pocket, he relaxed his shoulders slightly and then shrank back inside.

At his second stop, Yongzhou, Zhou Xun finally caught a big fish.

A minor official in Yongzhou, who was in charge of salt transport, made a nearly imperceptible tampering with the accounts, pocketing the price difference between official and smuggled salt.

Zhou Xun worked through the night to clarify the chain of evidence, and the next morning he led his men to take down the minor official and the several connections behind him.

Tie Muyun stood behind him, his gaze sweeping from the sealed warehouse to the hand that was signing.

"They investigated quite quickly."

Zhou Xun put down his pen.

"These small cases aren't difficult; the real challenge lies with the powerful figures behind them."

"If we really take action, it will probably involve many people."

Tie Muyun hummed in agreement.

He wanted to use this opportunity to chat a bit more, and then talk about the scenery along the way at the next stop, but Tie Muyun had already turned and walked towards the door.

"Investigate immediately, and kill as many as you find!"

Zhou Xun swallowed back the words he was about to say, silently put away the files on the table, and followed behind.

As Zhou Xun passed a lotus pond on the road, he saw that the pond was full of lotus flowers in full bloom. The pink and white flowers spread out in the afternoon sun, and the lotus leaves rippled like waves when the wind blew.

He reined in his horse and said to Tie Muyun beside him.

"Iron Girl, would you like to take a break? The lotus flowers over there are blooming beautifully."

Tie Muyun followed his gaze and glanced at him.

"Um."

Zhou Xun waited a while, then spoke again.

"Should we stop and take a look?"

Tie Muyun reined in his horse.

"Is Mr. Zhou in a hurry?"

Zhou Xun shook his head.

"No rush."

Tie Muyun dismounted and stood by the pond for a while. The wind blew and the lotus leaves rustled. Zhou Xun stood beside her, holding a poem about lotus flowers in his hand, just about to speak.

Tie Muyun suddenly said something.

"We're done watching, let's go."

She raised her hand and patted her neck to shoo away the mosquitoes.

"Mr. Zhou, did you make a special trip just to see the lotus flowers?"

Zhou Xun swallowed the line of poetry back.

"Um...I guess so."

Tie Muyun glanced at him, then turned and mounted his horse.

"Let's go, there are still several states to check."

The horse's hooves trod the dirt road again, and Zhou Xun followed behind, wishing he could slap himself twice!

Unlucky in love, Zhou Xun's career also began to falter after he uncovered several cases.

When he discovered a merchant in Bingzhou who was colluding with a powerful family, the merchant disappeared overnight.

When Zhou Xun and his men arrived at his house, there was only a corpse and a dagger left in the courtyard. The bloodstains on the wall were not yet dry, and several torn pages of account books were scattered nearby.

Tie Muyun squatted down to examine the corpse's wounds.

"The knife cut from the lower left to the upper right, so the killer is left-handed."

"The body wasn't completely cold yet; the person had only been gone a short time."

She stood up and glanced at the alley entrance, noticing faint traces of blood.

"The killer headed north, should we give chase?"

Zhou Xun remained silent for a moment.

"Don't pursue, just in case it's a trap!"

He crouched down and picked up the few tattered pages. The edges of the pages were stained with undried blood, which shone with a dark red light in the sunlight.

"They're killing people to cover their tracks; even if we catch them, we won't get any evidence."

After that, several cases resulted in bloodshed, and one family was even wiped out!

The news spread like wildfire, someone whispered in the teahouse.

"Wherever Zhou Xun went, people died."

Someone responded.

"None of the people he investigated had a good ending."

Another voice said.

"He was a cruel official who used the Northern Frontier King's command to kill people everywhere."

The third person added in a low voice.

"Maybe he killed those people so he could frame others."

Zhou Xun sat in the post station looking at the copied reports that had been sent back, flipped the papers over and placed them face down on the table, scratching his head incessantly.

Over the next two weeks, Zhou Xun investigated five or six more cases, each of which made progress, but each case encountered unexpected changes just as the operation was about to be completed.

The disappearance of witnesses, the destruction of account books, and the "committing suicide out of fear of punishment" of key figures seem to suggest that an unseen hand is taking things away before Zhou Xun can reach out.

Meanwhile, the rumors about "the cruel official Zhou Xun" became increasingly believable, and newspapers even published articles alluding to him, emphasizing the phrase "a certain imperial envoy," making it clear to everyone who they were referring to.

The once bustling construction of the school on the construction site has come to a halt, and several counties that were under construction have stopped work on the grounds that "the accounts need to be re-verified."

Merchants began to reduce their purchases, and the transaction volume in the border market dropped by 30% compared to the previous month;

Local officials are all on edge, and some have started to claim illness and take leave, not wanting to be dragged into this storm.

Xiao Lie sat in the imperial study, looking at the reports sent back from various states. He put down a report about the suspension of school construction, picked up another one about the reduction of businesses, remained silent for a long time, and then said something to the clerk next to him.

"Let him investigate first, and then we'll see."

While investigating a case in the fourth prefecture, Zhou Xun discovered that a businessman he had been targeting had hanged himself in his study.

The rope marks did not match the normal angle of hanging, clearly indicating that the person was strangled and then hung up. However, the local authorities quickly closed the case, concluding that the person "committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

Zhou Xun stood at the door of the study, looking at the corpse that had been laid down and the clerk who was cleaning up the scene, without saying a word.

Tie Muyun walked to his side and whispered.

"This case is so frustrating to investigate!"

"If you ask me, forget about any evidence. Just tell me who's a suspect, and I'll storm their door!"

Zhou Xun shook his head.

"We can't act impulsively and cause trouble, which will be difficult for the prince to handle."

He turned and walked out, speaking to his bodyguard as he went.

"Pass down the order: depart for the capital tomorrow."

Zhou Xun wrote a very short letter to Xiao Lie.

"The investigation has encountered resistance. I suggest that we suspend it and return to the capital to report in person."

When Xiao Lie saw the letter, he was reviewing documents related to railway expansion. He placed the letter on the table and remained silent for a long time before replying with a single word.

"it is good."

On the day Zhou Xun returned to the capital, Xiao Lie did not meet him in the Imperial Study, but instead set out a pot of tea in the pavilion of the Imperial Garden.

When Zhou Xun sat down, his steps were a bit heavier than usual.

"Your Highness, I am incompetent."

Xiao Lie poured him a cup of tea.

"Are the cases you investigated real or fake?"

Zhou Xun replied.

"real."

Xiao Lie nodded.

"That's enough. Those people's lives have nothing to do with you; they chose it themselves."

Zhou Xun held his teacup in silence for a long time. Xiao Lie didn't say anything more and drank the tea in his cup in one gulp.

"You rest first, we'll figure out the rest later."

That afternoon, Xiao Lie invited Jiang Min to the Imperial Study.

After hearing about the obstruction of the border trade and the investigation in northern Xinjiang, Jiang Min did not immediately express her opinion. She held her teacup and thought for a while.

"What we found out were just pawns of powerful families, minor figures in the game."

"To uproot them, we must start from the shadows."

Xiao Lie leaned back in his chair.

"How do we start from the shadows?"

Jiang Min put down her teacup.

"Stop the overt patrols and let those powerful families think you've given in."

"Then, as they become more and more unruly, their weaknesses will become more and more apparent."

Xiao Lie rested his fingers on the edge of the table for a while.

Just then, Bisu came in carrying tea and sneezed. Xu De was adjusting medicine nearby. He glanced at Bisu and took her pulse.

"You have just caught a cold. Did you open the window and let the wind blow on you again last night?"

Bisu touched her nose.

"I was too hot while sleeping... so I opened the door halfway..."

Xu De shook his head.

"Your spleen and stomach are weak and cold, and this condition flares up every time the seasons change. You are also more susceptible to catching a cold from the wind."

"I'll prescribe two doses of medicine for you to take first."

Xiao Lie was listening to them talk when his gaze suddenly sharpened.

"Old Xu, what did you say Bisu got?"

Xu De answered casually.

"The first signs of a cold."

Xiao Lie's gaze shifted between Bi Su and Xu De.

"When you make house calls, can you tell from a person's pulse what they've eaten, where they've been, and who they've been in contact with?"

Xu De was taken aback.

"After examining it to a great extent, the pulse can reveal a lot, such as excessive exposure to cold, indigestion, and excessive worry..."

Xiao Lie interrupted him.

"When you look at a person, can you tell if they are greedy or afraid?"

Xu De thought for a moment.

"Those who are thoughtful tend to have a deep but shallow network of connections; those who are insecure have a superficial and unreliable network of connections; and those who have recently been frightened have a chaotic network of connections."

He raised his head.

"Your Highness, you want me..."

Xiao Lie stood up and walked to the window.

"The overt investigation has been stopped."

"Those powerful families are probably feeling quite pleased with themselves right now."

"They think Zhou Xun was scared away and that I have conceded defeat."

He turned around and looked at Xu De.

"You take the physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy and go to various prefectures and counties under the guise of free medical consultations."

"Those high-ranking officials and nobles value their lives the most, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to meet them."

"The princess's people will be investigating from the shadows; you just need to help them find out what's going on."

Xu De accepted the order and left. Bi Su stood at the door with the medicine bowl in her hand, watching his retreating figure. She opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

After Xu De left, Zhou Xun locked himself in his study.

He closed his doors to visitors during the day and spent his nights organizing old files under the lamp, never going out or seeing anyone.

When Tie Muyun knocked on the door and entered, Zhou Xun was sitting under the lamp writing something, with a pile of loose pages spread out on the table.

She walked over and sat down opposite him.

"How long do you plan to lock yourself up?"

Zhou Xun did not look up.

"When I served the prince, everything always went smoothly, and I even thought I had extraordinary talent!"

"Now, a task to investigate a case has ended in failure!"

Tie Muyun reached out and gently pushed aside the stack of papers in front of him, forcing him to look up at her.

"Coward!"

"This isn't over yet. You're not going to stop playing just because you lost one game?"

Zhou Xun remained silent for a moment.

"How should I play?"

Tie Muyun looked at him for a while.

"That's your problem. Anyway, you're always the one using your brain while I do the knives."

She stood up.

"Come with me."

Zhou Xun was taken aback.

"Where to?"

Tie Muyun did not answer. He followed Tie Muyun through the long corridor, out of the city gate, and to the river outside the city.

The lights on both banks and the twinkling lights of fishing boats are reflected on the river, and the water flows gently.

Tie Muyun stood still on the riverbank.

"You told me before that you wanted a different world."

"You haven't even finished changing yet, and you're already planning to hide away like a coward?"

Zhou Xun stood behind her.

"I remember what I said!"

"But sometimes, there's a huge chasm between saying and doing!"

Tie Muyun did not turn around.

"You don't think the prince will win every time, do you?"

Zhou Xun was taken aback by what he heard, and Tie Muyun continued.

"But in Panlong Valley, the prince could barely walk, and he only had Bisu by his side!"

"Back then, both the Chu Emperor and Mo Shu wanted the prince dead, but I never saw the prince give up!"

Tie Muyun turned around and looked at him. The moonlight shone on her face, clearly reflecting the expression in her eyes.

"I've seen through all your convoluted schemes."

Zhou Xun's face flushed red. He opened his mouth to explain, but Tie Muyun continued speaking.

"But I don't like those things. I don't understand romance or anything like that, but I don't want my man to be a coward!"

She reached out and patted Zhou Xun's shoulder, the force so strong that he slumped down.

"Speak your mind directly from now on."

Zhou Xun touched his numb shoulder, his expression a mixture of embarrassment and relief.

"Okay! I'll be frank! Iron Girl, I like you."

Tie Muyun grinned.

"Isn't that all?"

She turned and walked towards the city gate.

"Starting tomorrow, let's cheer up!"

A few days later, Xiao Lie received an urgent report from Jingzhou.

After he opened it and glanced at it, his expression changed.

Dr. Xu, after handing over a crucial lead to an undercover agent during his investigation in Jingzhou, disappeared without a trace.

The messenger said that Xu De was still seeing patients at his clinic in Jingzhou on the last day before he disappeared, and no one had seen him since the next day.

Xiao Lie put down the letter and sighed deeply.

"Xu De! I actually believed your lies!"

"You managed to disappear right under the noses of so many spies!?"