"It's okay, Ah Mo. You're the king of East Binh, and every bit of your hard work could bring about huge changes for the people here. I'm busy with my own life and dreams too, I'm happy and fulfilled knowing that you're by my side, working as hard as I am."
"Xiao Bei, thank you. Thank you for working hard with me. Together, we will build a more prosperous East Binh. The young are nurtured, the old have support." Calm's emotions surged. Because of North's trust and determination, he was more passionate and ambitious than ever, and because of North, he was now serene and content, as his heart had found its refuge. With one arm around the girl's shoulder and the other holding her soft and dry hand, the two embraced quietly, gazing out the window for a long time.
"Xiao Bei, there's something I need to tell you, and I hope you won't get angry." Despite not wanting to break the beautiful atmosphere, Calm thought of the troubling news he had been holding back in his heart, and he had to bring it up, despite the dampening effect it might have on their mood. But people were on the road, sooner or later they would meet.
"Did you secretly collude with some young girl behind my back?"
"How could that be? I'm the Cold Monarch of High Ridge. It's Father. My Emperor Father. Uncle Shan has been in full charge of East Binh County's affairs, but now that the waterway and pier have just been built, he has sent other people to take over, including the Deputy of the Ministry of Revenue who's supposed to manage the finances! He's labeled as a deputy but he's actually there to monitor."
"Well, this is actually good, you know. You can try to look at it from a different perspective. See, the most important indicator of development is the increase in tax revenue. The more tax revenue, the richer the country, and only a wealthy country can have strong people. Yunmeng belongs to your father, and to all the descendants of Huaxia. Letting more people understand the new education, new products, and new technologies, and making Yunmeng prosperous, isn't that the direction we're striving for? Nowadays, someone can report the details of development directly to the capital at any time, which means it's possible to spread and promote development from the central government to the outside world, isn't the development speed faster and wider?"
Xiangbei confided her ideals to Calm for the first time because she felt it was time to let him understand the Earth and the universe. "The world is vast, and our individual abilities are small, Ah Mo. A selfless heart makes the world wide. You are the master of this land."
"A selfless heart makes the world wide! Xiao Bei, it's Ah Mo who's narrow-minded. Your generosity makes you worthy of being called the master. Yes, you are the mistress of this land, and one day, I will make you the mistress of this world."
"I call this the spirit of stewardship. I for everyone, everyone for me, everyone treats the country as their own home to build, and the country becomes a home. Don't think about ruling the world, and I don't want to be a mistress of the world either. Let's take care of East Binh. Ah Mo, please get to know the people around you first." Xiangbei's greatest fear was the struggles of ancient imperial families for a lofty position, where they shed blood and trampled on the bones of their loved ones, only to end up imprisoned in the walls built with gold and jade, trapped in a cage created by their own ambitions. She didn't want herself to be trapped, still having parallel spaces to unlock by walking. It served as a wake-up call; she must spare no effort in dispelling Calm's thoughts and suffocate the seeds of desire in their infancy.
"Ah Mo, I was just thinking of suggesting you conduct a census, and here we have someone coming. A deputy is also an assistant, and this happens to be a task for the Ministry of Revenue."
"Don't rush tonight, alright? You go back and get a good night's sleep, and I'll make some arrangements tomorrow. Moving the whole family is a big deal, isn't it?"
"I'm not going back." Calm felt like Bei was rushing him to leave, so his words carried a sense of grievance and unconscious coquettishness.
"Yes, let's take care of East Binh's people first. Whoever comes, let them start with the census." Calm felt that no matter what happened, Xiangbei could turn things around for the better, so he superstitiously believed that once Xiao Bei saw his elder brother, he would recover. So he was somewhat impatient to take her back to the mountain. "Xiao Bei, shall we go back up the mountain now and have them move down?"