Isolated town in northern border region

"To end it all by dying?"

"Hmph, that's easy!"

"But haven't you ever thought about avenging these suffering people?"

Xiao Lie's casual remark caused Du Ming to frown deeply.

"The plague is a natural disaster; how will Du seek revenge?"

Xiao Lie looked directly into Du Ming's eyes and said, word by word.

"Who told you it was a natural disaster?"

Du Ming froze on the spot, then grabbed Xiao Lie's arm tightly.

"Who is it? Who could be so utterly depraved?"

"Please, Your Highness, grant me, Du, a chance to atone for my sins!"

Xiao Lie raised an eyebrow.

Alright! To deal with these honest people who still have a conscience, you have to use PUA!

Xiao Lie then recounted the existence of the Panlong Guard and their deliberate instigation of the plague, including the possibility that the Mu family might be involved.

Du Ming was dumbfounded. He had originally thought it was some ignorant scoundrel, but it turned out that it involved the late emperor's personal guard!

Du Ming looked at Xiao Lie with suspicion.

In Du Ming's view, the personal guard battalion left by the late emperor was no different from Xiao Lie's own personal guard battalion.

Could it be that the Panlong Guard deliberately caused trouble to boost the reputation of Xiao Lie, the young master?

Xiao Lie saw through Du Ming's thoughts at a glance, but he didn't argue. He just raised his chin and asked a question in return.

Have you ever seen a prince who risked his life to maintain his reputation?

Du Ming was rendered speechless by the question, and his previous guesses vanished instantly.

Indeed, although Xiao Lie brought the epidemic under control, at the very beginning, even as the prefect, he was forced to order the burning of villages for isolation!

Under these circumstances, Du Ming would still dare to plunge headlong into it, even if it was truly for fame and fortune!

Xiao Lie took out a memorial from his pocket and handed it to Du Ming.

"I have made a deal with the Mu family and would like to ask you for a favor: to present this memorial to them."

"As for the connection between the Mu family and the Panlong Guard, I will send someone to investigate. Once it's verified, I'll let you know. At that time, you can also help me write a secret report to my good uncle, how about that?"

Du Ming reached out and took the memorial, glanced at it briefly, and nodded in agreement.

"Such a great achievement, Your Highness is truly generous!"

"I wonder what kind of deal Your Highness made with the Mu family?"

Xiao Lie winked mischievously.

"Speaking of which, you, as the prefect, should really thank me!"

"The Mu family promised to provide the disaster-stricken people with money and food so that they would not perish because of a plague."

Du Ming's gaze towards Xiao Lie changed once again!

This time, it wasn't doubt, but shock and a hint of admiration.

"Your Highness... is extremely benevolent!"

"But... this matter of the Panlong Guard... should it really be presented to the Emperor?"

"That's the legacy left to Your Highness by the late Emperor!"

Du Ming himself didn't realize that at this moment, he had already sided with Xiao Lie.

Xiao Lie shook his head.

"While the Panlong Guards are loyal and righteous, they have indeed gone astray. Whatever their motives, they owe the people of Qingzhou an explanation!"

"Alright, remember my instructions. Farewell!"

"Oh, and remember to help the Mu family build up their reputation!"

…………

Du Ming's methods of building momentum for the Mu family were faster than Xiao Lie had imagined.

When the people of Qingzhou learned that the credit for their efforts in treating the disaster victims had been attributed to the Mu family, they were first angry, then bewildered.

Some people slammed their fists on the table and cursed, some squatted by the roadside and cried, and some wanted to confront Xiao Lie, but after making several inquiries, the people learned that Xiao Lie had already left.

"The prince exchanged his merits for money and provisions!"

The news, which came from an unknown source, spread like wildfire throughout Qingzhou.

"The prince made a deal with the Mu family, exchanging his merits for silver to rebuild our homes!"

"The prince didn't keep a single penny for himself; he gave it all to us!"

Some people didn't believe it and went to the Mu family's door to block them and demand an explanation.

The Mu family was cornered and had no choice but to close their doors and pretend to be mute.

After the news spread, the people of Qingzhou fell into an eerie silence.

Then, the next morning, someone started it, and the people Xiao Lie had saved spontaneously gathered together and caught up with Xiao Lie's convoy in the dark.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

When Xiao Lie's entourage awoke at the post station the next day, the people on both sides of the road knelt down in a rush.

"Your Highness!!!"

The sound traveled from one end of the official road to the other, like waves, one after another, higher and higher, and it just wouldn't stop.

Bisu lifted the carriage curtain and saw those kneeling figures; tears welled up in her eyes instantly.

Xiao Lie dismounted and bowed to the elders and folks of Qingzhou to say goodbye.

An elderly woman was helped to the side of the road by two people.

She shakily lifted a basket of eggs and called out to Xiao Lie.

"Your Highness! Please eat before you leave!"

Xiao Lie turned his head and glanced at her, walked up to her, took the basket of eggs, peeled one in front of her, and ate it.

"Old man, you're from Shanyangou, aren't you? I remember you have a little girl in your family."

The old lady burst into tears.

"Thanks to Your Highness! My granddaughter and I were able to survive!"

Xiao Lie helped the old lady up and said softly.

"The good days are far from over; things will definitely get better and better!"

Then, Xiao Lie leaped onto the horse and shouted to all the people who had come to see him off.

As the saying goes, those who survive a great calamity are sure to have good fortune in the future!

"But this good fortune didn't come for nothing!"

"Having survived this ordeal, we are now one family. From now on, if any neighbor in the east is short of labor, or any neighbor in the west is short of food to eat, I would like to ask you all to remember how we have helped and supported each other during this time!"

With that, Xiao Lie leaped onto Xu De's horse and lifted him up with one hand.

"besides!"

"Dr. Xu deserves a lot of credit for saving everyone's lives!"

"Everyone, please show your support!"

The crowd was amused by Xiao Lie's friendliness and liveliness, and they all bowed and greeted him.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Xu, for saving my life!"

Xu De had never experienced anything like this before. He was being held in Xiao Lie's hands like a monkey, curled up into a ball, covering his face with his hands and grinning foolishly.

That day, the journey that should have taken two hours took Xiao Lie a whole day.

Because at every village they passed, someone would block the road and stuff freshly picked vegetables from their own fields onto the horse-drawn cart.

The soldiers of the Trapped Camp initially tried to stop them, but after being dazed by an old man hitting them with a winter melon, they stopped trying.

Jiang Min sat in the carriage, looking at the kneeling figures outside through the curtain, and remained silent for a long time.

Then she lowered the carriage curtain and whispered something.

"I finally understand why the Northern Frontier has achieved its current state."

Zhang Quan asked why, but Jiang Min did not answer.

She was just thinking...

How much heart must one put into others to earn such a line of people seeing them off?

The news reached the capital half a month later.

Just as the Chu Emperor put down the memorial praising the Mu family, his spies presented him with a secret report.

The secret report said that the people of Qingzhou spontaneously saw off the King of the Northern Frontier, lining up and kneeling for fifteen miles, their cries shaking the heavens!

The Emperor of Chu slammed the report onto the table.

"The fifteen-mile official road?"

"And they even knelt down to offer it?"

"A bunch of troublemakers! Do they think Xiao Lie is a god?"