The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

On the second day, news came from the Su Mansion that Su Chang's third concubine had died of a sudden illness.

Although only a concubine died, the Su family held a grand funeral. The funeral was as grand as when Su Chang's wife died.

When the news reached the palace, Ruan Yuhu remained silent for a long while.

However, this situation did not last long because Cui Yi entered the palace.

Shen Tianjiao originally planned to wait two days before leaving the palace to go to Cui Mansion to find Cui Yi to resolve Li Muyang's study problem, but no one expected that Cui Yi would come to her door before Shen Tianjiao even left.

Hearing that Cui Yi was coming, Ruan Yuhu didn't care whether he was depressed or not. He cheered up and went to the front hall.

When Shen Tianjiao heard that Cui Yi was coming, she was still handling government affairs.

"Please ask him to wait in the front hall for a moment and tell him I am dealing with very important government affairs."

The heavy rain in Quzhou has not stopped until now, and almost half of the city is submerged in water.

The officials sent to provide disaster relief have not taken any action for such a long time, and the problem has not only not been solved, but has become even more serious.

Looking at the secret letter reported back by the secret guard, Shen Tianjiao was so angry that her lungs were about to explode.

"What a bunch of parasites! They say you need to raise an army for a thousand days and deploy it for a single day. Normally, these people are fed by the emperor, but when they are needed, they fail to be loyal to the emperor and worry about his safety."

"What's the point of keeping these rubbish!"

Shen Tianjiao threw the secret reports on the ground in anger. She felt dizzy after reading them and wanted to faint.

Qiong Niang put down the tea and snacks in her hand, walked over to pick up the secret report that Shen Tianjiao had thrown on the ground, and put it back in place.

"Don't be angry. These officials have always been like this, not to mention those second-generation or even third-generation officials who have benefited from their ancestors' influence."

"They have been raised in a honeypot, never going through any trials or tribulations, and have never experienced the sufferings of the world. How can such people sympathize with the sufferings of the people and be good officials?"

"Zhang Pengliang, who went to Quzhou this time, is the grandson of Zhang Dun, a former Hanlin Academy scholar. His father was exiled to Yunyang County as the magistrate under his grandfather's influence."

"It's a pity that he's a useless idiot. In just two years, he was dismissed from his post for corruption and collusion with bandits, and now he's still unemployed at home."

"This Zhang Pengliang often played with my disappointing third brother when they were young. If his glorious deeds are compared with Bai Yunchi's, then Bai Yunchi is definitely an outstanding young man."

"Bai Yunchi just behaves a little differently, but Zhang Pengliang is truly bad and evil."

"He doesn't even qualify as a dandy. He's a complete bully!"

It was only after reading the secret report that Qiong Niang found out that the person who went to Quzhou to control the flood was actually Zhang Pengliang.

If she had known that the person going there was Zhang Pengliang, she would have stopped him no matter what.

After learning about Zhang Pengliang's character from Qiong Niang, Shen Tianjiao became even angrier. If the atmosphere in the court was not rectified, it would not take much time for foreign invaders to destroy themselves.

"Is this how the Minister of Works and the Vice Minister of Water Resources shared the country's worries? They actually sent such a person to Quzhou to provide disaster relief?"

"What are they up to? Are they sending Zhang Pengliang to provide disaster relief and appease the people, or are they sending him to intensify the conflict?"

"They are just hoping for chaos in the world. They want the people of Yunli to live a peaceful life!"

"Severe punishment, it must be severe! Since the fate of the former Minister of Works, Yuan Yu, did not serve to alert them to self-discipline, then let them learn a lesson."

If these inactive officials are not properly disciplined, there will probably be even bigger troubles in the future.

It wasn't that Shen Tianjiao didn't want to clean up the court before, but there were simply too many things to do and she was unable to handle them all. Now it seems that this matter cannot be delayed any longer.

We must act now, immediately.

"Is there any need to get angry about such a small matter?" When Ruan Yuhu came in, he happened to hear the conversation between Shen Tianjiao and Qiong Niang.

Looking at Shen Tianjiao's angry expression, Ruan Yuhu said with a smile: "This is a malpractice in the officialdom, and it has existed since ancient times. This is a bad thing, but it is also a good thing."

"What do you mean, ancestor?" Shen Tianjiao frowned. How could it be a good thing that Yunli's court was filled with these uneducated people who had no idea what was most important for an official?

"Whether it's good or bad depends on how you look at it. On the surface, Yunli's court has been ravaged by these parasites, but you can also use these people to clean up the court."

"The advantage of doing this is that you can clean up the court without offending anyone."

"This is the most dangerous time. At least half of the court officials are wavering and waiting."

"If you take action to rectify the court now, it will make those officials who are wavering and waiting choose to join Li Chaohui."

"But if you exploit their conflicts and make them quarrel with each other, not only will you save yourself the trouble of offending others, but the effect will also be doubled."

"Ultimately, by combining kindness and force, we can intimidate those wavering officials and make them behave themselves."

This old ginger is indeed spicy. Ruan Yuhu is Ruan Yuhu. She is worthy of being a woman who has been with the late emperor for decades and can play with the former and harem.

Shen Tianjiao looked at Ruan Yuhu with starry eyes and admiration, and said, "Aunt, do you have a plan to deal with this?"

"Yeah." Enjoying the admiring gaze from Shen Tianjiao, Ruan Yuhu nodded proudly.

Seeing this, Shen Tianjiao quickly stood up, walked forward to support Ruan Yuhu, helped her sit on the stool, and attentively poured her tea.

"Jiaojiao is not talented, please teach me, ancestor."

Ruan Yuhu looked at Shen Tianjiao who was acting strangely in front of him, reached out his hand and gently tapped her forehead, saying, "You clever little devil, listen carefully and learn from me."

"Actually, the Minister of Works Fang Yan couldn't be blamed for sending Zhang Pengliang to Quzhou for disaster relief."

"Although this matter is under his jurisdiction, the person who actually carried it out is Wang Jun, the Minister of Water Affairs."

"Fang Yan came from a noble family. He didn't have aristocratic background to rely on, nor did he have a strong family to lean on for shade. He was a top-ranked Jinshi (a scholar) and spent more than twenty years in officialdom before finally becoming the Minister of Works."

"He's now the Minister of Works thanks to the Gardens. If it weren't for you improving the Gardens, he would have died in this position."

"He's a simple person, with no one to rely on, yet he's able to sit in his current position. This shows that he's quite capable. But if he doesn't have someone to back him up, he won't be able to move freely. Do you understand?"

Shen Tianjiao understood immediately. She knew that Ruan Yuhu was telling her that Fang Yan was a useful person. As long as she could support him, this person would be likely to achieve something great.

"Yes, I understand." Shen Tianjiao looked up at Ruan Yuhu and asked, "Then, Auntie, how about letting this Minister Fang handle the affairs of Quzhou?"

Ruan Yuhu shook his head and said, "No, although he has the ability, he doesn't have the strength. This kind of thing still needs someone with a good background and support to do it."

"After all, whether it's Wang Jun, the Minister of Water Resources, or Zhang Pengliang's grandfather Zhang Dun, they are both influential. If we don't find someone more powerful than them, we won't be able to suppress them."

"Then does Aunt have a candidate in mind?" Although Shen Tianjiao is now managing the government for Li Rui, because her original body did not care about these things, Shen Tianjiao does not know these officials very well now.

"There is indeed a suitable candidate right now. Prime Minister Wang's eldest son, Wang Bin, is suitable."

"He has the ability and knowledge, and most importantly, he has a father who is the head of all officials. Even if something goes wrong, he has Prime Minister Wang to support him. What's there to be afraid of?"

Shen Tianjiao's eyes widened instantly. She was wondering in her heart, is my aunt confused now?

Wang Yunzhi had no time to avoid this matter. Not only did he have to know about it, but his son also had to go. Wouldn't this be a mess?

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not a fool." Ruan Yuhu poked Shen Tianjiao's head with his hand.

Shen Tianjiao, whose thoughts were seen through, stuck out her tongue and smiled embarrassedly. She argued cunningly, "I didn't think so. I just have some doubts and don't understand my aunt's intentions."

Ruan Yuhu was too lazy to argue with Shen Tianjiao. She said, "I just want to let Wang Yunzhi know about this. Wang Yunzhi is wavering right now. After all, he is no longer the young man who would risk his life for love."

"He is now the head of the Wang family. As the head of the family, his first consideration is the interests of his entire Wang clan."

"No matter how deep the love is, it cannot withstand the passage of time. Time can heal all pain, but it can also make us forget all the good things that once happened."

"Isn't Wang Yunzhi's current wavering the best proof?"

"Whatever happened between him and Li Zhaohui in the past is now in the past. The most important thing for him to do now is to protect the Wang family and his two sons."

"He may not have much real affection for his wife, but his sons are his own, and he will protect the lives of his two sons at all costs."

"Sending his son Su Quzhou to oversee disaster relief efforts at this time is like extending an olive branch to him, telling him that you, the Empress, can serve as his back-up plan."

After Ruan Yuhu's reminder, Shen Tianjiao came to her senses. The reason why Wang Yunzhi hesitated about whether to help Li Chaohui was because he was worried that what Li Chaohui was going to do would implicate the lives of his Wang family members.

Now I have come out and extended an olive branch to him, telling him that I will not remember the past and can provide protection for his family. Isn't this exactly what Wang Yunzhi needs?

"Jiaojiao, I understand. Thank you for the advice, ancestor." Shen Tianjiao bowed mischievously towards Ruan Yuhu.

"You'd better thank me later. I have important news to tell you."

Ruan Yuhu smiled and said, "Behind Wang Jun stands the Prince of Huai, Zheng Guang. Zheng Guang is also an old fox. Although he doesn't take sides, he is a fence-sitter, leaning towards whichever side has the advantage."

"I think we should use a counter-espionage strategy. Let Zheng Guang help them start fighting among themselves, and then we can take advantage of the conflict and reap the benefits. What do you think?"

"Well, that's great. My second brother was assassinated in his Songhe Tower a few days ago, and it almost caused a big disaster. This time, it can be regarded as the debt paid by the Huaiwang Mansion."

Shen Tianjiao is also a vengeful person. Although nothing happened to Shen Tingzhi in Songhe Tower, Shen Tianjiao still feels uncomfortable. She always wants to vent her anger for her second brother.

"Leave this matter to your second brother. He is more thoughtful than any of us."

Although Ruan Yuhu had never met Shen Tingzhi, she had heard a lot about Shen Tingzhi's deeds.

Ganzhou has always been a difficult place to govern. It is Yun Li’s last line of defense. It is a place where all kinds of people mix.

Before Shen Tingzhi became the governor of Ganzhou, there was a period of time when various forces dominated the area.

Although the Marquis of Zhenbei was good at fighting, his handling of government affairs was a bit disappointing.

Later, it was not until Shen Tingzhi, the second son of the Zhenbei Marquisate, became the governor of Ganzhou that the chaotic situation in Ganzhou was completely changed.

However, in just a few years, the chaotic Ganzhou was turned into an orderly one where all forces were pacified.

You don't have to see such a person in person, just hearing about his great achievements will tell you what a powerful and wise man he is.

"Well, I'll leave this matter to my second brother."

Shen Tingzhi is indeed the most suitable person to do this. Even if Ruan Yuhu didn't say it, Shen Tianjiao also planned to let Shen Tingzhi do it.

As the saying goes, those who are capable should work harder, and her second brother is the capable one, so he has to work harder.

Shen Tingzhi, who was eager to go to Fu Sheng Ru Meng yesterday, was pestered by his nephew and niece and played with them for most of the day, thus delaying his trip.

When he got up this morning, he hurriedly took his men to Fu Sheng Ru Meng.

How could he know that because he was a capable person, his sister entrusted him with an important task and he would be busy all the time.

Shen Tianjiao and Ruan Yuhu were so happy talking here that they had completely forgotten that Cui Yi was waiting for them outside.

Finally, it was Qiong Niang who remembered that there was a poor old man waiting outside.

"Is that Mr. Cui still waiting outside?"

Shen Tianjiao, who had forgotten her business, stood up and patted her head. She was about to offend Cui Yi badly this time, and now she had left the old man there for such a long time. The old man was probably going to get angry.

"Hurry, hurry, go quickly." Shen Tianjiao was about to rush out in a panic.

"Be steady, my queen. You are the ruler and he is the subject. Why should you be afraid of him?"

The one who can keep the most composure is Ruan Yuhu. Others are afraid of the old man Cui Yi, but she is not.

After hearing Ruan Yuhu's words, Shen Tianjiao inexplicably stopped panicking and calmed down.