The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

In the mansion of Marquis Zhenbei, Shen Tingzhi had just finished his breakfast when he heard a servant come to report that Duke Tang had arrived with a group of colleagues.

Shen Tingzhi put down the chopsticks in his hand, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, sorted himself out, and stood up to prepare to greet Duke Tang.

Shen Tingzhi was no stranger to the Duke of Tang. His relationship with the Marquis of Zhenbei was not very good, but it was not bad either. They were the kind of people who greeted each other when they met and were polite on the surface, but ignored each other behind closed doors.

The Duke of Tang's Mansion is the closest mansion to the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion, and the two families can be considered neighbors.

Although the relationship between the two adults is not very good, the relationship between the children is still very good.

Duke Tang has two sons and four daughters. Although the four daughters do not have a very deep friendship with Shen Tianjiao, the two sons have a good relationship with the three brothers of the Shen family.

After all, we were all in the Imperial College, and the friendship between us childhood friends who fought and skipped school together was something that many people could not compare to.

Although Duke Tang has the title of Duke, in reality his rank and status are lower than that of Marquis Zhenbei.

The title of Duke of Tang can only be inherited for three generations, and the current Duke of Tang is the third generation.

However, the title of Marquis of Zhenbei is different. It is hereditary. Even if the current Marquis of Zhenbei does something treasonous, he will be deposed, but the title of Marquis of Zhenbei will be retained and will not be revoked.

He will just choose an outstanding person from among the children of the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion to replace the title of Marquis of Zhenbei and become the new Marquis of Zhenbei.

This honor is unique not only in the entire Yunli, but also in all other countries.

As Shen Tingzhi walked outside, he was thinking about something in his mind. The relationship between Duke Tang and the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion was quite harmonious in the past.

But people change. I haven't seen him for so many years, so I don't know which camp the Duke of Tang belongs to now.

Today he came to the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, and no one knew what his purpose was.

After all, if he did not revive the reputation of the Duke of Tang's Mansion while he was still alive, then after his death, the Duke of Tang's Mansion would quickly decline and be kicked out of the ranks of the aristocratic families.

So at this time, Duke Tang's sudden visit seemed a bit abrupt.

As he was thinking about this, he soon arrived at the front yard. Shen Tingzhi looked up and saw Tang Guogong waiting for him.

Shen Tingzhi put on his usual smile as the Marquis of Zhenbei, walked forward, and said, "Brother Zhenting, how come you have a seat at my humble abode today? It's truly an honor for me."

The Duke of Tang's surname was Gong, his given name was Chenghai, and his courtesy name was Zhenting.

"Brother Yunzhi, it's been a long time since we last met. You are still as healthy as ever." Gong Chenghai looked at the 'Marquis of Zhenbei' and smiled brightly.

Yunzhi is the courtesy name of Shen Lin, the Marquis of Zhenbei.

"No, no, it's you. I haven't seen you for many years, but you are still as charming as ever."

When the two sides met, they flattered each other so much that it was amazing. It was thanks to Shen Tingzhi pretending to be the Marquis of Zhenbei that he was able to handle the situation. If the Marquis of Zhenbei himself was there, he would probably just laugh it off.

Gong Chenghai looked up at the 'Marquis of Zhenbei' and felt that this old fellow had become much more tactful and sophisticated after not seeing him for many years. Compared to before when he would only reply one sentence out of ten, his cold and aloof feeling was really annoying.

It’s still more pleasing to the eye and makes me feel comfortable.

What Gong Chenghai didn't know was that the Marquis of Zhenbei used to be quiet, not because he was cold and aloof, but because he was simply too lazy to pay attention to or deal with anything.

"No, no, you're too polite, Brother Yunzhi." Gong Chenghai was almost smiling as he looked at the face of 'Marquis Zhenbei'.

"I knew you were back a few days ago, so I wanted to come visit you. However, your housekeeper said that you were tired after just coming back and needed to rest for a while before seeing guests. That's why I kept putting it off until now."

Gong Chenghai felt uncomfortable when this matter was mentioned. He was really a slave to his master. Han Ming's face was as stinky as that of the Marquis of Zhenbei. He looked so arrogant, as if he was the master of the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion.

Han Ming does have this problem. He can always accommodate people he likes, but to people he doesn't like, he is always cold and indifferent and doesn't even bother to smile.

Unfortunately, Gong Chenghai happened to be someone Han Ming disliked, so naturally he didn't treat him well.

Han Ming had offended countless people over the years because of his personality. If those people had not been unable to afford to offend the Marquis of Zhenbei Mansion and had given face to the Marquis of Zhenbei Mansion, Han Ming would have died countless times.

"Oh, I haven't been feeling well lately. The doctor said I need to rest, so it's not convenient for me to see guests."

"Brother Zhenting, please come inside for some tea. We haven't seen each other for many years, let's catch up."

Shen Tingzhi naturally knew Han Ming's personality. Looking at Gong Chenghai's expression, he was afraid that Han Ming had offended someone badly, so he had to quickly laugh it off.

When Uncle Han comes back, I have to have a good talk with him. He must change his temper. In the past, when he and his father were not in the capital, he offended those people, and others just thought that the master was away and he was just taking advantage of his power as a housekeeper to bully others.

But now that they, father and son, have returned to the capital, if Uncle Han continues like this, people will not only think that he is bullying others by taking advantage of his power, but will also think that the father and son of the Marquis of Zhenbei are arrogant and conceited, relying on their military achievements to look down on everyone.

If public opinion were to develop like that, it would not only be detrimental to the Zhenbei Marquisate, but would also be even more detrimental to Queen Shen Tianjiao and Crown Prince Li Muyang.

Thinking of this, Shen Tingzhi went to the inner hall with Gong Chenghai.

As for those who came with Gong Chenghai, they were not yet qualified to be personally received by the 'Marquis of Zhenbei' and would stay in the outer courtyard and be received by special personnel.

After sitting down in the inner hall, the servants brought up the prepared tea and snacks.

"Marquis of Zhenbei" personally poured tea for Gong Chenghai and placed it in front of him.

"Come, Brother Zhenting, how about trying this sweet rain dew? I brought it back from the northern border. It grows on the top of Yunwu Mountain. It is precious."

Gong Chenghai picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip. This tea was indeed different. It was sweet and refreshing with a lingering sweetness. It was truly a rare and good tea.

"Well, Brother Yunzhi, this tea is indeed a rare and good tea."

Among Gong Chenghai's many hobbies, tea tasting ranks among the top. It is no exaggeration to say that he loves tea like his life. He can skip meals every day, but he must drink tea.

Shen Tingzhi knew about Gong Chenghai's hobby. After all, this hobby was not a secret.

"If Brother Zhenting likes it, I'll have someone prepare some for you to take back and enjoy when you leave."

No matter what the purpose of Duke Tang's visit today is, this person cannot be offended.

People always say that it is better to offend a gentleman than a villain. Although Gong Chenghai cannot be considered a despicable villain, he is indeed a narrow-minded person and likes to care about everything.

Although this kind of person is not impossible to offend, offending him will bring a lot of unnecessary trouble. What the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion fears most now is getting into trouble.

"Then I would like to thank Brother Yunzhi." Gong Chenghai's mood immediately improved when he heard that the 'Marquis of Zhenbei' said he would give him such good tea.

"If Brother Zhenting likes it, I'll have someone deliver it to your house the next time someone brings it back from the Northern Territory."

For people like Gong Chenghai, as long as you don't offend him, he probably won't take the initiative to cause trouble for you. If you can still please him, then even if he encounters something that wants to cause trouble for you, he probably won't care.

"That's great. I would like to thank Brother Yunzhi here." As a person who loves tea like his life, not only can he get such good tea from Zhenbei Hou now, but there will be more later. How can Gong Chenghai not be happy about this?

Shen Tingzhi looked up at Gong Chenghai and knew that the tea he had given out had won Gong Chenghai's heart.

"You and I have served in the same court for many years. Is this just a small thing worth thanking Brother Zhenting for?"

"Alas, that's not the way to put it. Brother Yunzhi, you are willing to give me such good tea. I naturally want to thank you."

Gong Chenghai had a satisfied smile on his face. Compared to the tea, the face given to him by the Marquis of Zhenbei was what made him happiest.

"Brother Yunzhi, I came here today to congratulate you." Seeing that the 'Marquis of Zhenbei' was in a good mood today, Gong Chenghai's restraint disappeared and he directly stated his purpose.

Shen Tingzhi naturally knew what Gong Chenghai came to congratulate, that is, Li Muyang was canonized as the crown prince.

As the Queen's father and the Prince's grandfather, the Marquis of Zhenbei's status has risen sharply and he has supreme glory.

Gong Chenghai's purpose of choosing this time to congratulate Marquis Zhenbei was obvious.

One is to please, and the other is to test the waters. He wants to surrender to the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion and have the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion as his backer.

"No, no, this is all the grace of His Majesty. It's only with the blessing of our ancestors that we have this honor."

Although Shen Tingzhi was very unhappy about attributing Li Muyang's appointment as the crown prince to Li Rui's grace, he still had to pretend and do enough superficial work no matter how unhappy he was.

"From now on, my grandson will have to rely on everyone's support."

Don't refuse this favor for free. As for what will happen in the future, it all depends on Gong Chenghai's performance.

Gong Chenghai felt warmed by the words of the 'Marquis of Zhenbei'. Whether he could get closer to the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion depended entirely on this occasion.

"Brother Yunzhi, what are you talking about? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the future sage and wise ruler. As his subjects, we must naturally support him with all our strength and be loyal to him."

"This is part of our job. Brother Yunzhi, there's no need to explain. We will do our best."

Now is the best time for Gong Chenghai to show his loyalty. By his generation, the title of Duke of Tang will become history. Once the title of Duke of Tang is gone, the Gong family will soon decline.

So he had to find a new way of making a living for their Gong family while he was still alive.

Gong Chenghai had never been attached to the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion before because the Zhenbei Marquis was always difficult to get close to and never formed cliques for personal gain.

It is harder than climbing to the sky to get close to the Marquis of Zhenbei. Also, the Marquis of Zhenbei is not often in the capital, and most of the time he is in the northern border.

But things are different now. Marquis Zhenbei has returned to Beijing and will probably never go to Northern Frontier again.

Moreover, the grandson of Marquis Zhenbei has now become the crown prince, that is, the future emperor of Yunli Kingdom. If Gong Chenghai does not rely on such a strong backing, he would be a big fool.

"That's good. As subjects, we are supposed to assist our master and work tirelessly for the well-being of our country and the people until our death."

Shen Tingzhi, who had long seen through Gong Chenghai's thoughts, was also calculating in his mind whether the Duke of Tang's Mansion could become a help to the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion.

To be honest, he looked down upon Gong Chenghai from the bottom of his heart. He had no real ability and relied solely on the protection of his ancestors.

Moreover, even if he attached himself to the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion, he still couldn't change his fence-sitter nature. Such a person who cannot be loyal is very dangerous to use.

However, although Gong Chenghai is not a good person, his two sons are quite good. If we can't start with the father, then we can start with the sons.

Shen Tingzhi's mind was already elsewhere as he listened to Gong Chenghai's nonsense.

While he was still thinking about how to get rid of Gong Chenghai, 'Han Ming' arrived at the right time.

"My Lord, the Crown Prince has come to pay his respects to you."

As soon as Han Ming said this, Shen Tingzhi didn't have to worry about it anymore, because the order to expel him had already been issued.

The prince came to pay a visit to his grandfather. This was both a family affair and a state affair. Those who didn't want to get involved naturally could not participate.

Gong Chenghai immediately stood up and said goodbye, "Since it's His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who's here, I won't bother you anymore. I'll go back first and come back another day to ask for your help, Brother Yunzhi."

"Okay, take care, Brother Zhenting." 'Marquis Zhenbei' nodded slightly, looked at 'Han Ming' and said, "Han Ming, please see Duke Tang off for me."

"Yes, Lord." Han Ming walked up to Gong Chenghai, made a gesture of invitation, and said, "Lord, please follow me."

Gong Chenghai bowed to the 'Marquis of Zhenbei' and then left with 'Han Ming'.

Shen Tingzhi finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Gong Chenghai leave. Fortunately, it was Gong Chenghai who came today. He was not very familiar with his father, so he was able to get away with it.

The reason why Li Muyang came to the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion at this time was actually because Shen Tianjiao wanted to support her second brother.

When the news that Gong Chenghai brought people to the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion reached the Hot Spring Villa, Shen Tianjiao immediately changed her decision to return to the palace immediately.

She asked Li Muyang to go to the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion in order to tell everyone that the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion would become the prince's backer, and the prince would also become the Marquis of Zhenbei's reliance.

This will dispel all the suspicions that everyone had about the bad relationship between the original body and the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion. No one will dare to sow discord or question the relationship between the Queen and the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion.