The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 224 Father and Son Conspiracy

"We have to wait until dawn before we can set off." Chu Yan sighed. It was still some time before dawn.

For an impatient person, waiting is a very difficult thing.

"Father," Chu Yi asked, looking at his distraught father, "The Empress only told Uncle Feng not to get involved in Pingzhou's affairs. You could have just sent someone to inform them. Why did you insist on going there in person?"

"Silly boy." Chu Yan raised his head and slapped Chu Yi on the back of the head again. "I told you to read more books and use your brain more, but you refused to listen. When you encounter something, you don't understand anything."

Chu Yi scratched his head embarrassedly, "Then Dad, tell me."

"Listen carefully, silly boy. Pingzhou is in a complex situation and is controlled by the evil forces in Shangjing City."

"There's a mix of all kinds of people there. Over the years, because it's been protected by someone, it's become an independent little kingdom, outside the control of the imperial court."

"Over the years, those people in Pingzhou have lost all conscience and committed all kinds of evil. The people there are suffering terribly, but they are powerless to change the status quo."

"Now the Empress has made up her mind to eradicate those evil forces, to clear up the skies of Pingzhou, and to make life easier for the people there."

"This is such a wonderful thing. This has been your father's long-cherished wish for many years."

"So how could I not participate in such a good thing?"

"Also, the person in charge in Pingzhou this time is the Empress's second brother, the second son of the Marquis of Zhenbei, and Lord Shen of Shen Tingzhi, the governor of Ganzhou."

"In the early years, when Lord Shen was still a military commander and not yet a civil official, your father and I once fought alongside him on the battlefield and witnessed his bravery and wisdom."

"At that time, I was thinking, how lucky would it be to be able to work with such a person one day?"

"When I later heard that the Second Young Master had given up his military career and turned to civil service, I felt regretful for a long time."

"But later I heard that he became the governor of Ganzhou. In just a few years, he managed to transform a chaotic Ganzhou into a well-ordered one where people don't pick up things on the streets and leave their doors unlocked at night. Only then did I truly understand how terrifying this second young master's abilities were."

"Now that my father wants to go to Pingzhou, besides wanting to contribute, he actually has selfish motives. He wants to see the Second Young Master's demeanor once again."

The Chu family is different from the Shen family. They are not from aristocratic families or families with military honors. The ancestors of the Chu family came from humble backgrounds. The Chu family’s current status is entirely due to the hard work of several generations.

People always envy what they lack, so Chu Yan envied Shen Tingzhi's talent and ability very much, and always wanted his son to become like Shen Tingzhi.

But unfortunately, his son is not very motivated. He can't concentrate on reading at all and just likes fighting and killing all day long.

Hearing his father speak so highly of Shen Tingzhi, Chu Yi was actually a little dissatisfied. He was only seventeen or eighteen years old, which was the age when he was competitive.

Besides, he himself is a capable person, so he can't help but feel some resistance and doubt towards his father's words.

"Father, I want to go with you this time." Unconvinced, Chu Yi made a request to his father.

"You little kid, why are you going?" Chu Yan looked at Chu Yi and felt his head explode. "You just stay home and spend more time with your mother. I'll only be gone for a few days and I'll be back."

Chu Yi looked at Chu Yan and snorted. Don’t think that he didn’t know what his father was planning. He asked him to stay at home to defend him from his mother’s nagging, but he ran out to take revenge without any hesitation. This is impossible!

"If you don't take me with you, I'll go complain to my mother right now, and then none of us will go."

After battling wits and courage with Chu Yan for more than ten years, Chu Yi still knew very well how to control his father.

"You're such a ruthless little bastard." Chu Yan was indeed caught in the act. "Don't make a sound. Pack yourself up. I'll take you out later."

"But I'm telling you in advance, you have to behave yourself when you get there. Don't try to show off and don't cause any trouble. If you dare disobey me, don't blame me for not giving you face. I'll beat you up in front of everyone and make sure you can't hold your head up anymore."

Chu Yi can control his father, so his father naturally knows how to fight back against him.

"Okay, I'll be obedient." Chu Yi answered with gritted teeth. As a young man who cared about his reputation, he could not let his father beat him in front of everyone.

"Then what about mother?" Chu Yi was not afraid of his father, but he was afraid of his mother. His mother was a powerful Hedong Lion, and her beatings were much more painful than his father's.

Chu Yan frowned and said, "I can't care less. Let's go first."

Not to mention that Chu Yi was afraid of his mother, even Chu Yan, the general who was so majestic outside, had to lower his arrogance a little when he met his wife.

In fact, to put it bluntly, he is a typical henpecked husband who is afraid of his wife.

Chu Yi opened his mouth but didn't say what was in his heart. No matter what, he would leave first. He was afraid that when he came back, the father and he would be in big trouble.

This time was different from the past. Chu Yan was also a general guarding the border. The reason why he was in his own home in Shangjing City at this time was because he was ambushed when he was chasing a small group of invading enemy troops not long ago.

Although the injury was not serious, he was old after all, and his old illness was triggered, so he had to return to Beijing to recuperate.

If Mrs. Chu knew what happened today, she would be furious and would tear Chu Yan’s head off if she knew that Chu Yan dared to run out and join the battle while recuperating from his injuries, regardless of his own safety!

The scene was daunting just thinking about it. The key point was that Chu Yan couldn't beat him, and he couldn't run away. Unless he never went home in this life, he would definitely not be able to escape this beating.

Here, the Chu family father and son simply packed up and started their escape plan. Over there, Shen Tianjiao also got on the carriage and was heading to the hot spring villa.

After sitting in the carriage for a long time, Shen Tianjiao still had not gotten over her awkwardness and discomfort.

Thinking that they might meet often like today, Shen Tianjiao felt a headache. It seemed that she had to quickly adapt to this change of identity.

Otherwise, every time she sees him, it could cost her her life. She really can't bear this kind of tension and excitement.

While thinking about this while sitting in the carriage, Shen Tianjiao actually fell into a deep sleep.

When the carriage entered the hot spring villa and arrived in front of the courtyard where the Marquis of Zhenbei was temporarily living, Xia He got into the carriage and was about to ask Shen Tianjiao to get off, only to find that her master had fallen asleep at some point.

Xia He walked over with light steps and put a coat on Shen Tianjiao. After going outside and instructing the guards not to disturb anyone, she turned around and went back to sit aside and watch silently.

Her master was really too tired. He had endless state affairs, family affairs, and all kinds of messy troubles to deal with every day. He had no time to rest all day long and had never had a peaceful sleep.

Ever since Shen Tianjiao began to rule the country for Li Rui, she has become increasingly haggard and thinner at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The poison in Zhenbei Hou's body has been almost eliminated and his health has recovered well, so he gets up very early every morning to practice boxing and stretch his muscles.

Today, the Marquis of Zhenbei got up early as usual and was about to start boxing when he heard the sound of a carriage approaching outside.

As soon as the Marquis of Zhenbei heard it, he knew that it was his beloved daughter who had returned. However, he waited in the yard for a long time but did not see Shen Tianjiao come in. Unable to wait any longer, the Marquis of Zhenbei went out of the yard to check.

The carriage stopped at the gate of the courtyard, and the guards driving the carriage were standing by. When they saw Marquis Zhenbei coming out, the guards hurried to greet him.

"My Lord, the eldest lady fell asleep in the carriage."

"Yeah." Marquis Zhenbei nodded. He was really distressed when he heard that his daughter fell asleep in the carriage.

Now all the big and small affairs of Yunli Kingdom are on Shen Tianjiao's shoulders. She is a weak woman, and her shoulders are really bent by the pressure.

The old father felt sorry for his daughter, but he could do nothing about it. Since Shen Tianjiao had chosen this path, she had to go on no matter how difficult it was.

The only thing that Marquis Zhenbei can do now is to work with his sons to help Shen Tianjiao share as much of the burden as possible.

"Go, tell the kitchen to make some bird's nest soup for the young lady, and also prepare a few snacks and dishes that the young lady likes."

The first step to showing your love for your daughter is to make sure she is well fed. After all, only when she is well fed will she have the strength to face those bad things.

Hearing the voice of the Marquis of Zhenbei, Xia He got off the carriage, walked to the side of the Marquis of Zhenbei, bowed, and said, "My Lord, I wish you all the best."

"Hmm." The Marquis of Zhenbei looked at the carriage in front of him and asked, "Leaving the palace so early, has something big happened again?"

"My Lord, the Second Young Master took people to Wuya Mountain a few days ago."

"He went to Wuya Mountain? What were he doing there?" Zhenbei Hou frowned and asked, "Are there any remnants of Shen Pingzhi left there?"

Apart from this reason, Marquis Zhenbei really couldn't think of any other reason why Shen Tingzhi would go to Wuya Mountain.

"Yes, it was when the Second Young Master went to Fu Sheng Ru Meng that he accidentally learned that Shen Pingzhi had raised a large number of private soldiers in Wuya Mountain."

"So, the Second Young Master led his men to Wuya Mountain, hoping to recruit those people. However, after arriving at Wuya Mountain, he discovered that Shen Pingzhi was colluding with Yin Qihui, the current governor of Pingzhou."

"Yin Qihui discovered an iron mine in Fuping and brought all the private soldiers from Wuya Mountain to Fuping to mine the iron ore."

"The Second Young Master immediately decided to lead his men to encircle and suppress the perpetrators. This matter concerns the iron mine, after all. Those people hid the mine and didn't report it. Who knows what evil intentions they have. The Master also means that they must be eradicated as soon as possible."

Xia He has handled a lot of affairs on Chunchao's behalf these days, and she has become much more capable. She is no longer as shy and timid as before when she just hid in the room all day embroidering and making clothes.

"Pingzhou?" When Zhenbei Hou heard Pingzhou, his brows frowned even deeper. This was the old man's ancestral home. The illegal mining of iron ore was most likely related to that old man.

It's really because life is too comfortable and easy, the scars have healed and the pain has been forgotten, and now they want to make trouble.

That old guy is getting more and more confused as he gets older. The people who can protect him are all gone now. He is unwilling to live the rest of his life in an obedient manner, and instead chooses to come out and seek death. It seems that this time God is going to take him away.

After waiting for so long, it's time for him to go down and reunite with his family.

I just don’t know how he will face it when they meet in the underworld?

And why does the name Yin Qihui sound so familiar? I don't have any impression of him, but why does the name sound so familiar?

Seeing that Zhenbei Hou frowned and said nothing, Xia He didn't dare to say anything more and stood aside waiting silently.

Sleeping in a carriage is an extremely uncomfortable thing, especially now that Shen Tianjiao is sleeping while sitting, so in this uncomfortable state, Shen Tianjiao woke up.

Shen Tianjiao moved her stiff and uncomfortable neck, feeling uncomfortable all over, and couldn't help but sigh.

This person really changes. In her previous life, when she was leading troops to war, she would sleep in the wilderness, not only in a carriage, but also on the grass or among the rocks.

But now that she had been pampered in the palace for so long, her body had become much more delicate. She felt extremely uncomfortable and sick just after taking a nap in the carriage.

Not seeing Xia He and sensing that the carriage was now stopped, Shen Tianjiao knew that they must have reached their destination.

Stretching, Shen Tianjiao stood up and got off the carriage. As soon as she got off the carriage, she saw her father, Marquis Zhenbei, standing beside her.

"Dad, why are you up so early?" Shen Tianjiao looked up at the sky. It was still gray and there was still some time before dawn. Was her father up so early?

"As we get older, we sleep less. I've been lying in bed all these days. If I don't move, I'm afraid Dad will become useless."

Seeing his daughter get off the carriage, the Marquis of Zhenbei, who had been frowning just now, immediately put on a smiling face and said to Shen Tianjiao with a smile.

"You can't get up so early, can you?" Shen Tianjiao stepped forward and took the arm of Zhenbei Hou. "Your body hasn't fully recovered yet, so you still need to pay attention to what you need to do."

"Okay, okay, okay, I'll do as you say. Dad won't get up so early in the future. I'll listen to you and take good care of my health."

As a typical daughter slave, Zhenbei Hou has always been unconditionally obedient to Shen Tianjiao.

If his sons had said these words, they would have been scolded at least if not beaten. But when it came to his daughter, whatever she said was the final word and he would obey her completely.

"Dad, how is my elder brother?" Shen Tianjiao has been so busy these days that she has no time to care about her elder brother Shen Yiyang.

Although someone would report to Shen Tianjiao every day about what was happening here and the recovery of Zhenbei Hou and Shen Yiyang, Shen Tianjiao was always uneasy because she hadn't seen it with her own eyes.