The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Shen Tianjiao had already stepped out of the room, but she suddenly stopped.

He said to Qiong Niang in the room, "Don't go to Yipinlou to reconcile the accounts today. I found an assistant for you. She will come over later."

"After you meet with her, go to Yipinlou with her tomorrow to reconcile the accounts."

"Okay." Qiong Niang nodded in agreement. She just thought that Shen Tianjiao really found a helper to help her. How could she have imagined that this was a surprise prepared by Shen Tianjiao for her?

When Shen Tianjiao and Ruan Yuhu rushed to the front hall, they saw old man Cui Yi leisurely sipping tea.

"Mr. Cui, sorry to have kept you waiting." Shen Tianjiao sat down in the main seat and greeted Cui Yi with a smile.

"The Empress is very busy with government affairs, and I am sorry to bother you." Seeing Shen Tianjiao come in, Cui Yi did not stand up, but put down the teacup in his hand, sat down and replied.

His aura is even greater than that of Shen Tianjiao's biological father, Marquis Zhenbei. People who don't know him would think he is the emperor emeritus.

Seeing Cui Yi like this, Shen Tianjiao did not get angry. As a proud teacher with students all over the world and who had taught two generations of emperors, Cui Yi had the qualifications to be unreasonable in front of Shen Tianjiao.

Ruan Yuhu, who was sitting behind the screen, did not have the magnanimity of Shen Tianjiao. She was dissatisfied with Cui Yi's arrogance and rudeness, but she didn't know what to say at this time.

"I believe the Empress knows why I came here today. Shouldn't the Empress give me a reasonable explanation?"

Cui Yi has been flattered and admired by others throughout his life, and has developed a domineering attitude. Even in front of Queen Shen Tianjiao, he has no intention of restraining himself.

Facing this somewhat difficult old man, Shen Tianjiao was actually still a little scared, but when she thought of Ruan Yuhu's support, she immediately calmed down.

Anyway, she couldn't deal with Cui Yi's words, and Ruan Yuhu was there. Cui Yi could refuse to give her, the queen, face, but he might not dare to act rashly in front of Ruan Yuhu.

"Before I explain to Mr. Cui, may I ask him a question first?"

Shen Tianjiao looked at Cui Yi, turned the tables on him, and threw the question back.

Cui Yi was stunned. He really didn't expect that Shen Tianjiao did not answer his question, but asked himself a question instead.

For some reason, Shen Tianjiao's attitude at this moment made the arrogant Master Cui feel panic-stricken and have a bad premonition.

This is a feeling that Cui Yi could never experience under normal circumstances, nor had the opportunity to experience.

Master Cui straightened himself and said calmly, "Your Majesty, please speak."

Shen Tianjiao nodded and said, "I want to know why Mr. Cui agreed to teach me when he was still the eldest prince's prince?"

"After all, although the eldest prince had the status of a prince, his situation was actually worse than those young masters from aristocratic families."

"There are many people all over the world who want to be Mr. Cui's students. Many of them are not only outstanding in literary talent, but also have a good family background."

"And the Crown Prince at that time was a prince that no one cared about. I don't know how he managed to win Mr. Cui's favor and be looked at differently by you."

"You actually left your hometown, disregarding your age, and traveled thousands of miles to the capital, just to teach him?"

Shen Tianjiao's question was quite sharp and made her attitude clear. She only wanted to hear the truth, not any flattering lies, and even less did she want to hear hypocritical flattery.

Cui Yi looked up at Shen Tianjiao. This queen seemed really different from what he had imagined.

Although he had been in Beijing these days and had not left his house, he had not missed a single thing about the Empress' deeds.

Before entering the palace and meeting Shen Tianjiao today, he was still skeptical about the stories he had heard.

As a teacher who once taught Li Rui, Cui Yi actually knew a lot about this queen whom he had only met a few times.

Before Li Rui became the crown prince, Cui Yi often visited his palace to teach him how to be a king.

At that time, Shen Tianjiao was a very quiet and virtuous princess. She never showed off in front of others and always did her job quietly.

Later, when Li Rui ascended the throne, Queen Shen Tianjiao remained as quiet and virtuous as ever. Apart from doing her own job well, she did not care about anything else.

Even when helping Li Rui handle state affairs and solve some difficult problems, she would not show off in front of others, but would only assist behind the scenes.

So when Cui Yi heard about what Shen Tianjiao had done these days, he actually didn't quite believe that all those things were done by Shen Tianjiao.

Especially the Zhenghe Hall incident, Cui Yi was sure that it was definitely not something Shen Tianjiao could do.

At one point, Cui Yi even suspected that Shen Tianjiao did these things because she was coerced. It was her father, Marquis Zhenbei, who had the intention of rebellion and coerced and instigated Shen Tianjiao to do these things behind the scenes.

The Marquis of Zhenbei is really sitting at home and the blame comes from the sky. He would never have thought that Cui Yi's unique train of thought would put such a big hat on him.

Had he harbored the intention of treason? Just thinking about it was an insult to the century-old reputation and unwavering loyalty of the Zhenbei Marquisate.

If the Marquis of Zhenbei knew that Cui Yi thought of him this way, there is no guarantee that he would not immediately come over with a knife and chase after Cui Yi.

But when Cui Yi looked at Shen Tianjiao again today, she was still the same person, but her aura had completely changed.

She is no longer the peaceful empress she once was. The empress in front of him exudes the pressure of a superior, making people dare not look directly at her.

Facing such a Shen Tianjiao, Cui Yi suddenly felt awe, and his previous arrogance was completely gone.

"In reply to the Empress, I have no other intentions. It is certainly not as the Empress suspects, that the Grand Princess deliberately arranged this, using the pretext of teaching the Crown Prince to commit any inappropriate acts."

"I was not recommended by Wang Yunzhi. I was the one who approached Wang Yunzhi and asked him to come to the palace. I told the Empress that I was willing to teach His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

This answer surprised Shen Tianjiao. She had always thought that Cui Yi was invited by Wang Yunzhi, but she didn't expect that it was Cui Yi who asked Wang Yunzhi to come and recommend himself.

"Then why did Mr. Cui do this?" Shen Tianjiao really couldn't understand why a great scholar like him, who was respected by others, ran to the capital to teach Li Muyang.

"Your Majesty, I know that I was once the teacher of the late Emperor and the Emperor, but I never supported them and taught them to become wise and capable rulers."

"Today, I, an old minister, have spoken presumptuously in front of Her Majesty the Queen. I hope Her Majesty will forgive my disrespectful behavior."

If it were someone else, even Li Rui, Cui Yi would not say this, but looking at Shen Tianjiao, he suddenly gave in for some reason.

"Well, okay, no matter what Mr. Cui said today, I will pardon you."

It was just some outrageous words, not a big deal, so Shen Tianjiao could still accept it.

"Thank you, old minister, for your grace, Her Majesty."

Once people accept a setting, they will change accordingly. Cui Yi has redefined Shen Tianjiao's personality at this time, so his thinking has also changed accordingly.

At this moment, Cui Yi was no longer the arrogant Cui Yi in front of others, but the humble Cui Yi in front of Shen Tianjiao.

To be honest, Cui Yi had never been so humble in front of the late emperor and Li Rui before.

If he hadn't been too unruly, how could he, a great scholar, have lost the opportunity to teach two generations of emperors in succession?

"I, an old minister, taught the late emperor and served as his advisor. People say the late emperor was a benevolent ruler, but in reality, that's not entirely true."

"The late emperor was a man of courage but no real strength. He spent his life obsessed with ostentation and was addicted to the flattery of others."

"All his achievements in life were paved for him by others. Outside, there was the Marquis of Zhenbei who conquered the four corners of the country, expanded the territory, and intimidated foreign tribes."

"With the Nguyen family, he helped stabilize the government and implemented various policies that benefited the people, thus reassuring them."

"But even so, he still did many irreparable mistakes, bringing harm and hidden dangers to the royal family, the people, and Yun Li."

"He is not a good emperor!"

Cui Yi spoke the truth so frankly that Ruan Yuhu, who was sitting behind the screen, couldn't find any reason to refute it.

The late emperor was indeed a man who loved to show off and to be flattered.

Not only that, he was also an extremely extravagant person, doing too many things that wasted people's money and labor for his own enjoyment.

In order to consolidate his imperial power, he held the principle of rather killing someone innocently than letting them go, making everyone feel insecure, whether they were officials in the court or ordinary people.

All his good reputations were actually blown up by others to please him.

When he died, he had almost exhausted the entire treasury.

Such an emperor cannot be called a good emperor.

"Your Majesty today is even more inferior to the late emperor."

"This old minister must say something that should not be said. If it were not for the Zhenbei Marquisate and the Empress, the Yunli Kingdom would have changed hands long ago."

This was the truth. Ruan Yuhu couldn't help but look at Cui Yi differently.

The old man Cui Yi has a bad temper, but I didn’t expect that he has such a cute side.

It seems that this old man is not completely useless. At least he is very honest and likes to tell the truth.

"The greatest regret in my life is that I didn't serve a wise and capable ruler. It was only because I was appreciated by Emperor Gaozu that I was qualified to teach the late emperor."

"But now, in this situation, I am truly unworthy of the trust placed in me by Emperor Gaozu. I will not be able to face him in the afterlife."

"Although I, Cui Yi, am not as sage as those great scholars of the previous dynasties, I have also established my own school, and my disciples are spread all over the world."

Cui Yi looked up at Shen Tianjiao, and after a long moment, he spoke: "Your Majesty, I believe you have understood what I mean."

"I, as an old minister, do not participate in party disputes, and have nothing to do with the Grand Princess, nor will I have anything to do with her in the future."

"I, an old minister, only wish to assist a wise and virtuous ruler who can truly serve the people of the world, create a new century of prosperity for Yunli, and contribute my own strength as a Yunli citizen."

Shen Tianjiao looked up at Cui Yi, the old man with silver hair. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Mr. Cui, it's not that I don't want you to teach the prince anymore, but it's not safe now, whether inside or outside the palace."

"There will definitely be a great battle between me and Li Zhaohui. I cannot possibly choose to release the Crown Prince from the palace at this time."

"Besides, the Crown Prince was only a prince before. He is now the Crown Prince, and he is still an underage Crown Prince, so he cannot leave the palace at will."

Shen Tianjiao has made it very clear. For Li Muyang's safety, Li Muyang cannot go to Cui Mansion now.

"I understand. If the Queen doesn't mind, I'm willing to go into the palace and teach His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"I don't ask for much. All I want is a small courtyard to live in."

Shen Tianjiao looked at Cui Yi and felt deeply touched. She really couldn't refuse Cui Yi's request.

Moreover, if Cui Yi entered the palace, it would be helpful to Li Muyang, the previous dynasty, and even to himself in dealing with Li Chaohui.

"Okay, then I'll have to inconvenience Mr. Cui and live in the palace for a while."

"I will have someone prepare a place for you to stay."

"In this case, I, your Majesty, would like to express my gratitude for your grace."

Cui Yi was satisfied with achieving his goal. After thanking him for his kindness, he left happily, went back to pack up his things and prepare to enter the palace.

After Cui Yi left, Ruan Yuhu came out from behind the screen.

"Jiaojiao, you're going to let this old man enter the palace as a shield."

"Aunt, I didn't force him to do that. Mr. Cui volunteered to come here. I didn't force him to do that."

"Besides, he is Mu'er's teacher. Even if I don't plan for Mu'er, he will."

Although Cui Yi said that he had not assisted a wise and capable ruler and was afraid that he would be ashamed to face Emperor Gaozu in the future, Shen Tianjiao actually knew that he liked Li Muyang very much.

Whether as a teacher or as a subject, Cui Yi will become a helper to Li Muyang in the future.

As a mother, Shen Tianjiao naturally has to choose the most reliable and safest path for her child.

Ruan Yuhu stepped forward and took Shen Tianjiao's arm, saying, "Yes, yes, yes, all of this was done voluntarily by old man Cui Yi. It has nothing to do with our Queen."

"That's the truth. Wasn't my aunt listening right beside me?"

Indeed, from the beginning to the end, it was Cui Yi who had been asking to go to the palace to teach Li Muyang, and Shen Tianjiao really didn't say a word.

"Great! With Cui Yi's help, Mu'er will have fewer hardships in the future, and there will be many people to help him."

Shen Tianjiao and Ruan Yuhu smiled at each other. They were both smart people. Although they had different ideas, their goals were the same, which was for Li Muyang's good.

After seeing Ruan Yuhu off, Shen Tianjiao plunged into the never-ending government affairs.

She completely forgot about the big surprise she had given to Qiong Niang.