The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

When Li Hong woke up, he not only received the news that the Feng family was under siege, but also the news that Ling Hai was killed.

These two things made Li Hong break out in a cold sweat. According to his original plan, after killing Li Muyang, he would take the opportunity to force Shen Tianjiao to make Li Minghua the crown prince.

In this way, he could openly realize his long-cherished wish, but he had no idea that the person Ling Hai sent was not only a waste, but also had the misfortune of meeting Shen Xinghao.

Li Hong never expected that Shen Tianjiao would act so quickly. She sent troops to besiege the Feng family as soon as the incident happened, and now she went to the Ling family in person to kill Ling Hai. This caught him off guard.

In the past, he thought Shen Tianjiao was just a paper tiger relying on the power of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion. Today, he realized that Shen Tianjiao was not a paper tiger, but a real tiger who would not only hurt people but also eat them.

"Your Highness, what should we do now?" Yuan Jiang hid his anxiety and asked Li Hong patiently.

Shen Tianjiao caught Li Hong off guard this time, making him completely confused. Compared with Shen Tianjiao, Li Hong was actually the paper tiger that looked good but was useless.

He grew up in the capital and was respected and flattered by others. Although he worked hard for more than 20 years to sit on the throne of the emperor, he was actually just hiding his strength and had no practical experience.

To put it bluntly, he is only good at talking and boasting, but when it comes to really putting it to use, he becomes like a headless fly and has no direction.

"Your Highness, why don't we take this opportunity to rebel?" Yuan Jiang saw that Li Hong had remained silent, and he couldn't help but say, "The Queen has already taken action against the Feng and Ling families. She should come after us soon."

"If we don't act now, I'm afraid we will be controlled by others. Your Highness, we have been preparing for so many years and we are still very powerful."

Li Hong slammed his hands on the table and asked, "What is that old fellow Shen Lin doing? Such a big thing has happened, and his daughter and son have come forward, so why is he not making any move?"

The most terrifying thing was that the Marquis of Zhenbei was unusually quiet.

Li Hong was not only wary of the Marquis of Zhenbei, but also felt awe and awe of him. This fear and awe was engraved in his bones and could not be shaken off.

Li Hong couldn't calm down because he couldn't be sure of the movements of the Marquis of Zhenbei.

Yuan Jiang looked up at Li Hong. He couldn't understand Li Hong's fear and awe of the Marquis of Zhenbei.

"The Marquis of Zhenbei hasn't made any moves yet. Your Highness, the legend of Yun Li, the Marquis of Zhenbei, is now just a name. We have the power, so why should we be afraid of him?"

"Besides, the Marquis of Zhenbei brought very few people with him when he returned to the capital this time. Even if he still has some influence in the court, it will be in vain if he does not have anyone under his command."

"Your Highness, today's opportunity is rare. If you miss it, you will never find it again."

Li Hong was already in a state of confusion, and now hearing Li Hong chattering on and on, he became even more angry.

"Okay, stop talking." Li Hong slammed the table and roared, "What do you know?"

"What do you mean Shen Lin still has some power? What do you mean he has no one under his command but it's in vain?"

"You really haven't seen how terrifying Shen Lin is, and his prestige in Yunli."

"There's no need for a single sword or gun. As long as he stands there, the soldiers of Yunli Nation will consciously obey his orders. The reason is simply because he is Shen Lin, the Marquis of Zhenbei, and the patron saint of Yunli."

Li Hong has been preparing and accumulating strength over the years, but the reason he dared not take action was because of the Marquis of Zhenbei.

He had seen with his own eyes the scene of Marquis Zhenbei slaughtering people everywhere. The God of War of Yunli Country was not a false title.

He now couldn't even guarantee that the soldiers he recruited would suddenly turn against him and point their weapons at him when they saw Shen Lin.

Apart from anything else, the name Shen Lin alone is enough to be an unforgettable nightmare in his life.

Yuan Jiang was dissatisfied, but he didn't dare say anything more. He was afraid that if he said too much, he would completely annoy Li Hong and his dream of founding a country would be shattered.

"Alright, while Shen Tianjiao hasn't made any trouble yet, quickly arrange for the princess to take the prince and the others out of the capital first, so that they won't be caught off guard."

Li Hong thought for a while, and then, as if he had made up his mind, he said, "Tell our men to stay put and wait and see what happens."

"Is there any news from the palace? How is Concubine Feng now?"

Li Hong placed his hopes on Feng Yuanyuan. As long as Feng Yuanyuan was safe, Li Minghua would be safe. If Li Minghua was safe, Li Hong would not take the risk and rebel when the Marquis of Zhenbei was in Beijing.

"The Empress has ordered Concubine Feng to remain in the palace for reflection, and the Second Prince has also been taken to Yuxiu Palace by the Empress."

Yuan Jiang didn't know that Li Minghua was Li Hong's grandson. Seeing that Li Hong had always been paying attention to Concubine Feng, he thought that there had been some kind of interest relationship between Li Hong and Concubine Feng. After all, Li Hong and the Feng family had always been close.

Yuan Jiang's words almost made Li Hong faint. Was this really fate's arrangement, to make him rebel?

Li Hong waved his hand and asked Yuan Jiang to leave. He needed to be alone and quiet.

For a long time, Li Minghua has been Li Hong's hope and support. He cannot accept anything happening to Li Minghua.

Regardless of whether Shen Tianjiao knows that Li Minghua is his grandson, as long as Li Minghua is under Shen Tianjiao's control, he will be restrained.

Maybe now is really the time to abandon Li Minghua as a chess piece and give it a try to fulfill his dream of becoming an emperor.

In the harem, after Feng Yuanyuan was punished by Shen Tianjiao and confined to the palace for reflection, Ruan Yuhu also ordered the punishment of He Wanying, charging her with the crime of disrespecting and offending the queen.

He Wanying's Green Lotus Palace was also closed and no one was allowed to enter or leave, and everyone was required to reflect on their mistakes.

This sudden misfortune made He Wanying realize that her father's conspiracy with Prince Qing had been exposed.

He Wanying collapsed on the beauty couch and suddenly felt like the sky was falling.

She supported the father of her child in conspiring with Prince Qing to assassinate Li Muyang, not for the sake of fighting for power. After all, she had been in the palace for many years without having any children. For a woman who didn't even have a child, it would be useless even if she fought for it.

She did this for only one purpose, which was to use Li Hong's power to release her cousin and childhood sweetheart Ling Xifeng from the Ministry of Punishment.

Ever since Shen Tianjiao locked Ling Xifeng up in the Ministry of Punishment, He Wanying has thought of many ways to get Ling Xifeng out.

For this purpose, she asked Li Rui for help, asked the empress dowager for help, and also asked someone to go back to the He family to find her father, the Minister of Works He Ping.

But in the end, they all ended in failure, because these people either ignored her, or didn't take the matter to heart, or they wanted to do it but couldn't.

In desperation, He Wanying agreed to let her father and Prince Qing conspire to assassinate Li Muyang.

Once Li Muyang dies, Shen Tianjiao will definitely lose power, and He Wanying will have the opportunity to rescue Ling Xifeng.

Unfortunately, now that the truth has been revealed, she herself is imprisoned. Not to mention saving Ling Xifeng, even her ability to protect herself has become a problem.

He Wanying did not try to send anyone out of the palace to find out what was happening to the He family. She knew it without asking. If she was imprisoned, how could the He family be well?

However, although He Wanying did not go to inquire about the situation at home, she still knew the news that Ling Hai was murdered.

The fact that she knew this news was naturally arranged by Shen Tianjiao.

After learning the news that Ling Hai was killed, He Wanying completely collapsed. She went crazy and smashed her own bedroom to pieces.

Because now, apart from smashing things, she can't find any other way to vent her inner panic and depression.

After Shen Tianjiao and Shen Xinghao returned to the hot spring villa, they started to get busy. Although they now have limited troops, they still have to prepare countermeasures in advance.

"Third brother, I will transfer the Imperial Guards to you. Although the number of people is not large, it is better to have them than not." Shen Tianjiao felt helpless at this time, as if a good cook cannot cook without rice.

She is not afraid of fighting, but without enough people, it will be difficult for her to win even if she has outstanding command skills.

"No." Shen Xinghao refused without a second thought. "The Imperial Guard's duty is to protect the safety of the Imperial City. If the Imperial City is safe, you are safe too."

At any time, Shen Xinghao always puts Shen Tianjiao's safety first.

"Jiaojiao, you don't have to worry too much. Big brother and second brother calculated the date and they should be back in the next three or four days."

"I'll send a pigeon to Big Brother later, asking him to mobilize nearby troops for support. I'll also send someone to urge General Yan Mingde to speed up the march and ask him to return as quickly as possible."

"This way, even if Li Hong really wants to rebel, we don't have to be afraid. As long as we can hold on for two or three days, reinforcements will arrive and we'll be fine."

The current situation is not optimistic, but Shen Xinghao still comforts Shen Tianjiao first, showing his positive and optimistic side to Shen Tianjiao so as not to put pressure on her.

Shen Tianjiao naturally knew that her third brother was comforting herself. If Li Hong really rebelled at this time, the disparity in military strength between the two would be too great, and the chances of winning would be very slim.

Moreover, this is in the capital, and those aristocratic families all have their own ideas, and there are quite a few who want to replace the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion.

If they take the opportunity to attack me this time, the situation will only get worse and I won't even have a chance of winning.

If the Marquis of Zhenbei was in good health now, Shen Tianjiao could still give it a try, because the Marquis of Zhenbei still has some prestige in the capital.

As long as the Marquis of Zhenbei is around, those aristocratic families will still be cautious and dare not act recklessly.

But right now, Marquis Zhenbei is in the process of detoxifying and is in a critical period. Shen Tianjiao is really in a dilemma.

However, Shen Tianjiao could not reveal her true thoughts, because she knew that Shen Xinghao was under more pressure than her, and she could not put more pressure on Shen Xinghao.

"Well, let's do as you say, Third Brother. Don't worry too much. We may not lose if we give it a try."

"Let's practice how to deploy our troops first, so we don't make mistakes when we get flustered."

"Oh, okay." Shen Xinghao glanced at Shen Tianjiao and didn't say much. His sister has never liked wielding swords and guns since she was a child, and she stays away from things like arranging troops and never participates in them.

What Shen Xinghao didn't know was that the sister in front of him, although still his sister, had changed inside.

The Shen Tianjiao in front of him is not the same Shen Tianjiao as before. In his previous life, this Shen Tianjiao was a war god like Yun Li, just like his father.

Shen Tianjiao looked at the map of the capital and wondered how to defend and counterattack.

Looking at Shen Tianjiao who was staring at the map in a trance, Shen Xinghao didn't dare to disturb her, for fear of disturbing her thoughts.

Shen Tianjiao picked up the flag simulated on the sand table used for drills and placed it at Yuhua Gate, the north gate of the capital.

This action made Shen Xinghao admire his sister. Although Yuhua Gate is the most remote of the four city gates in the east, west, south and north, it is also the most important and convenient.

The other city gates have a large flow of people, which makes it inconvenient to send troops because it will affect the marching speed.

But Yuhua Gate is different, because it is close to the hills. Although it is remote, there are no obstacles. Moreover, because it is close to the hills, it is very convenient to ambush and station troops.

If Li Hong's troops wanted to enter the imperial city, Yuhua Gate would definitely be his best choice.

Shen Tianjiao can send troops to occupy that place first and set up an ambush to deal a fatal blow to Li Hong. Even if it does not achieve the expected result, it can still inflict a heavy blow on the enemy.

Before Shen Xinghao could finish his sigh, Shen Tianjiao picked up the flag again and placed it at the location of Lingbo Bridge.

This surprised Shen Xinghao again. The location of Lingbo Bridge is at the junction of the outside world and the imperial palace, which has the effect of one man blocking the way for ten thousand.

As long as Lingbo Bridge is defended, the imperial city will be safe.

Shen Xinghao looked up at Shen Tianjiao, and suddenly felt that his sister's role as queen was not in vain. After becoming the queen, she became a completely different person.

For some reason, although nothing had changed, Shen Xinghao suddenly felt that there was nothing to be afraid of, and they would definitely defeat Feng this time.

Now there is one more person who is blindly confident in Shen Tianjiao.

"Master, you guessed correctly. A large number of people have really started to enter and exit Prince Qing's mansion. What should we do now?"

Qiu Tong, who was pulled out of the palace by Shen Tianjiao to gather information, reported the intelligence she had to Shen Tianjiao.

This Li Hong is really not a very smart person. If he wants to send his family away first, he should at least do it secretly. Is he afraid that others will not know about it because he is so blatant?

Qiu Tong looked at Shen Tianjiao, not daring to say what she was thinking.

Shen Tianjiao smiled and ordered, "Don't worry about these people. Send more people to keep an eye on Prince Qing's mansion. Those who come out of Prince Qing's mansion tonight are our targets."