The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"Don't be so sad. The old woman won't die any time soon."

Ruan Yuhu couldn't bear to see Shen Tianjiao in this state. In the past, she really hoped to get her revenge as soon as possible, and then go to the underworld to see her family so that the family could be reunited as soon as possible.

But now that he had some concerns in his heart, Ruan Yuhu felt that it might not be impossible to wait a little longer for the family to reunite.

"Aunt called me over. Is there something wrong?" Shen Tianjiao changed the subject. She didn't want to be affected by such sad emotions.

Although she has lived two lives, she still cannot learn to be open-minded about the separation of life and death.

"Madam Wang came to the palace yesterday. She said she wanted her youngest son, Wang Rui, to go to Quzhou with his brother, Wang Wei."

"Her youngest son has been fascinated by architecture since he was young. Quzhou has just suffered a severe flood, and the people are homeless."

"What I mean is, let Wang Rui go to Quzhou with Wang Wei. Maybe he can really help and make a difference?"

"Okay, then let him go." This was originally a small matter, and Shen Tianjiao probably wouldn't care about small things.

Letting Wang Rui follow his brother Wang Wei to Quzhou was just a favor to Lady Wang.

As for whether Wang Rui can achieve something after going there, that is not important at all, as long as he does not cause any major disaster.

"There's one more thing. The assassination of Second Master Shen at Songhe Tower has been confirmed to have been done by Gong Chenghai's fourth brother, Gong Chengyu."

"Gong Chengyu has already defected to the Xirong people. Not only did Zhou Haibei confirm this, but our people have also thoroughly investigated everything he has done over the years."

"What I mean is, it's useless to keep this kind of person around. He might even cause some trouble. It's better to get rid of him as soon as possible. What do you think?"

Ruan Yuhu has always hated people like Gong Chengyu who collaborated with the enemy and betrayed their country. If people like Gong Chengyu were allowed to live, she would probably not be able to sleep at night.

"Well, let's spread the news to Prince Huai's Mansion and let Zheng Guang handle it."

Although the Gong family is now considered one of their own in a sense, Shen Tianjiao will not allow their power to grow.

If the Gong family is allowed to grow in power, there will surely be endless troubles in the future.

Leave this matter to Zheng Guang and let the two families fight each other. In the end, they will both suffer losses without her intervention.

Shen Tianjiao was happy to see such a result. The art of checks and balances was needed in the court, and it was also applicable among these aristocratic families.

"Okay, let's do it." Ruan Yuhu looked at Shen Tianjiao with satisfaction and nodded and smiled. This girl has grown up now and is becoming more and more like a person in power.

"Jiaojiao, do you have anything else to tell me?" Ruan Yuhu is not like Qiong Niang. Nothing in the harem or the previous dynasty can be hidden from her.

Shen Tianjiao smiled, knowing that Ruan Yuhu couldn't hide what was happening in Pingzhou, so she said, "There's chaos in Pingzhou, and my second brother is in Pingzhou now."

"Humph! That old man Qian Wanhe finally lost his patience. I thought he would wait until he was on his deathbed before taking action."

Ruan Yuhu knew best what kind of person Qian Wanhe was. After all, they had been dealing with each other for decades.

"That's good too. We can take this opportunity to clean up the Qian family and avoid it becoming a big trouble in the future."

Shen Tianjiao sighed. She just felt tired now. The Yunli Kingdom now seemed like a country that had been stabbed in the back, whether it was the royal relatives or the aristocratic families.

Each of them is restless and unruly. Some are raising private soldiers, while others are plotting rebellion.

All these things happened one after another, which really made Shen Tianjiao feel overwhelmed.

She still hasn't figured out why things turned out like this.

Is it because things were supposed to develop this way, or is it because of her arrival that things deviated from their original track and became what they are now?

"Don't sigh!" Ruan Yuhu smiled and held Shen Tianjiao's hand tightly. She knew and understood what Shen Tianjiao was thinking at this moment.

"Girl, being the king of Yunli Country is not easy. Since ancient times, no matter who is in power, these troubles are inevitable."

"These aristocratic families are deeply rooted and possess considerable power. How could such people be content to remain inferior to others forever?"

"That throne is coveted by people all over the world. They want to fight for it even if it costs them their lives."

"If these things are discovered early, they can be resolved early. Otherwise, if they erupt all at once in the future, that would be really troublesome."

Shen Tianjiao smiled and nodded. She was barely comforted by Ruan Yuhu's words.

Ruan Yuhu was right. Those people had money, power and strength. It was inevitable that they would develop disloyalty after serving as officials for too long.

It's good that they appear one after another like this, as it gives her enough time to defeat them one by one, and avoid a collective outbreak in the future, which will not only make her exhausted to deal with, but may even directly endanger her life.

In fact, if you calm down and think about it, although this matter is troublesome, it also has many benefits.

After these people were subdued, they were killed and their properties were confiscated. As for the property found after the confiscation, it would naturally be deposited into the national treasury.

Originally, Shen Tianjiao was still worried. If she started to expand the army, there would be so many people to support, which would be a lot of money.

Soldiers need food and drink every day, monthly salaries, weapons and war horses. Which of these doesn't require money?

Only those who manage the household know how expensive food and fuel are. If she hadn't been so poor in her previous life, she wouldn't have... Well, it would be tears if I said too much, so I'd better not say anything.

"Since the two children have gone to the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, let them stay there temporarily. In the current situation, the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion is much safer than the palace."

Li Muyang and Li Muyan are now the most precious to everyone in the palace. Even though the palace has the tightest defenses, Ruan Yuhu is still worried that the fight with Qian Wanhe will affect the two children.

"Yeah, I think so too." Ruan Yuhu was so worried, let alone Shen Tianjiao, the mother?

She had originally planned to let her two children follow their father, Marquis Zhenbei, to Fu Sheng Ru Meng.

"Girl, it's time to put an end to the old woman's affairs. Although we announced to the public that she was confined to Kangning Palace because of Concubine Feng's incident, she can't stay out of the public eye forever, right?"

"And the Liu family probably already guessed that she was no longer alive. If we don't announce this in advance, I'm afraid the Liu family will take advantage of it to cause trouble again."

Ruan Yuhu's worries were not unreasonable. Empress Dowager Liu had been dead for such a long time, and the news of her death had been kept secret. She had not appeared in public for a long time, which was bound to arouse suspicion.

"Then tell the public that the Empress Dowager was depressed because of Concubine Feng's incident, which triggered her old illness and she passed away."

Shen Tianjiao naturally wouldn't let anyone make a big fuss about Empress Dowager Liu's death and stir up more trouble.

She doesn't have the time and energy to deal with all that right and wrong now.

"Okay, let's do it this way." Ruan Yuhu thought for a moment and said, "She committed the grave crime of confusing the royal bloodline, so her funeral doesn't need to be grand. Just a decent one will do."

"Even the Liu family members are now under criminal detention, so there is no need to allow them to enter the palace to observe mourning and see them off."

"it is good."

In the current situation, it is better to have less trouble than more. Although the Liu family has lost power, they are still unwilling to settle down until they are completely dead.

"Jiao'er, how's Taihe Palace doing?"

Ever since Li Rui came out of Taihe Hall last time and conferred the title of Crown Prince on Li Muyang in Zhenghe Hall, he has never left Taihe Hall again.

Ruan Yuhu now has neither the mood nor the energy to care about Li Rui's affairs. Although there are eunuchs who come to report Li Rui's situation to Shen Tianjiao every day, that is limited to reporting to Shen Tianjiao.

If Ruan Yuhu didn't ask, no one would tell her.

Shen Tianjiao shook her head and said, "The situation isn't very good. It will probably only last for one or two months."

In fact, Shen Tianjiao exaggerated by saying one or two months. Judging from Li Rui's current condition, he might not be able to last even half a month.

Li Rui's body had already been hollowed out by the poisonous insects in his body, and coupled with his previous excessive indulgence in sexual activities, it was impossible for him to live long.

Previously, because of the matter of enthroning the crown prince, Shen Tianjiao asked Chao Yun to prescribe medicine for Li Rui. The medicine was a strong one. After Li Rui's spirits were lifted for a while, he would immediately decline faster.

It's a miracle that Li Rui can hold on until now.

"Jiao'er, you should make plans early."

Ruan Yuhu looked at Shen Tianjiao and said meaningfully, "He can't die now, and he can't die in an undignified way. Do you understand?"

Shen Tianjiao was slightly stunned, and then she understood what Ruan Yuhu meant.

Now is a turbulent time. If Li Rui died at this time, those restless ministers in the court would definitely take the opportunity to make things difficult for Shen Tianjiao and her son.

Not only that, the son is weak and the mother is strong. Even if Li Muyang can successfully ascend the throne and become emperor, he is too young to rule the country.

Since Li Muyang cannot rule the country personally, Shen Tianjiao will have to take charge of the affairs of the court.

Doing so would definitely bring Shen Tianjiao criticism and big trouble.

Shen Tianjiao can now serve as regent and handle court affairs because Li Rui is still alive. This was something Li Rui personally approved in front of all the court officials.

Even if those people were dissatisfied in their hearts, they did not dare to say it out loud.

But if Li Rui died and Li Muyang ascended the throne, and Shen Tianjiao continued to manage the government on his behalf, those people would definitely not agree easily.

The Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion was originally the most prominent family in Yunli, and was feared by others. If the Marquis of Zhenbei's grandson became the emperor, and the Marquis of Zhenbei's daughter also controlled the government, this would make those people even more fearful.

Those people could not tolerate the dominance of the Zhenbei Marquisate and allow a woman to take the lead in controlling the government.

At that time, it will inevitably lead to a situation that is no less chaotic and turbulent than the current world.

If you want to calm the situation by then, the price you have to pay will be extremely high and the risk will be even greater.

Furthermore, if that situation really happens, Yunli will not be able to become the strongest country in Jiuzhou. By then, it will probably be even worse than it is now, and will completely fall into the trap of those hostile countries.

Also, when Shen Tianjiao was regent, if the emperor suddenly died, it would arouse the imagination of people all over the world and put Shen Tianjiao at the center of public opinion.

Then there will be more people who will use this incident to attack Shen Tianjiao and drag her into the dust.

Shen Tianjiao sighed, looked at Ruan Yuhu and asked, "Then, in your opinion, how should this matter be resolved?"

"Replace everyone in Taihe Palace with our people. Huang Chunhua must not be allowed to stay. As long as he's around, there will be no peace in this palace."

"Those closest to him were all dealt with. No hidden dangers can be left behind."

"Since this matter cannot be done openly, we will use the same method we used against Zhou Haibei. After we get rid of them, we will let our people replace them."

"As for the Emperor, the same method will apply. If he truly dies, we will keep it a secret and bury him secretly in his own tomb."

"Then find someone to pretend to be him and continue to recuperate in Taihe Hall."

"But he should be allowed to come out occasionally and meet with the court officials. This will not arouse other people's suspicion and can also deter those people from having any evil intentions."

"Of course, when Mu'er grows up and our power grows stronger, we can find a dignified way for him to die and let him leave this world."

It has to be said that as Ruan Yuhu, who was able to crush the entire harem and finally succeeded in the palace fight, becoming the only well-deserved king of the harem, her scheming, wisdom and courage are indeed unmatched.

It is no wonder that even the domineering and cruel Empress Dowager Liu could not defeat her and became her defeated opponent.

Shen Tianjiao thought about it and decided that although this method had risks, it was the most effective method at the moment.

"Okay, let's do it this way." Shen Tianjiao looked at Ruan Yuhu and said, "Let's leave this matter entirely to my aunt."

The reason why Shen Tianjiao gave this matter to Ruan Yuhu was not only because no one else could do it, but also because Shen Tianjiao wanted to find something for Ruan Yuhu to do to distract her attention and ease her mood.

When people have something to do, they won't have random thoughts. If they don't have random thoughts, they will have energy and spirit. With energy and spirit, they will no longer be endlessly depressed.

How could Ruan Yuhu not know what Shen Tianjiao was thinking? He looked at Shen Tianjiao and smiled, saying, "If Her Majesty the Queen is assured, then I will definitely fulfill my mission."

Shen Tianjiao looked up and met Ruan Yuhu's gaze, and they smiled at each other.

"I can't bear the title of Empress. Please take it back and call me Jiaojiao instead."

Seeing that Ruan Yuhu seemed to be in a better mood, Shen Tianjiao also became happy and started joking with Ruan Yuhu.