The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

How could a strictly controlled weapon like a siege crossbow appear in the North City Patrol Camp? What on earth was going on?

So, except for the Marquis of Zhenbei, everyone in the hall looked at He Ping.

He Ping hadn't figured out what had happened yet. Facing everyone's inquiring gazes, his nervousness and fear reached an unprecedented level.

"Why, Master He, aren't you going to come and explain this?"

The first people to question He Ping were the direct descendants of Marquis Zhenbei.

Others have already come to their door, if they don’t fight back, they’d be fools.

"Yes, Lord He, why don't you explain why siege crossbows, which are strictly controlled even by the military, appear in a small patrol camp?"

"My memory is a little off at my age, but if I remember correctly, the patrol chief of the North City Patrol Battalion is your brother's son. I think his name is He Lei, right?"

This is not a bad memory, I clearly remember it.

With these people starting, everything else started to happen in a hurry.

He Ping, who had never been so popular in his life, now had an urge to die immediately.

"Okay, everyone, be quiet." Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Wang Yunzhi spoke.

When Wang Yunzhi spoke, the noisy people quieted down.

"Master He, no matter why the siege crossbow used to assassinate the Marquis of Zhenbei appeared in the North City Patrol Camp today, it is all due to your dereliction of duty."

"After the siege crossbow leaves the Equipment Department, it must be handed over by the Ministry of War to the Ministry of Works for inspection, numbering, cataloguing, and then storage."

"And you, as the Minister of Works, didn't even know when the siege crossbow was lost."

"You are so irresponsible and disregard the law of the country. I really have nothing to say."

"Regardless of whether the siege crossbows in the patrol camp in the north of the city today have anything to do with you, you are no longer the Minister of Works."

"Come here, take off He Ping's official uniform and detain him temporarily. Once the matter is thoroughly investigated, we can then convict him."

Wang Yunzhi gave the order expressionlessly, but beneath his calm exterior was a raging rage that he could no longer suppress.

He never expected that Li Chaohui would join forces with the He family to assassinate the Marquis of Zhenbei.

How could a woman who was so smart before become so stupid now?

The He family had just recently participated in an unsuccessful assassination attempt on the current crown prince Li Muyang.

Although it is unknown why Shen Tianjiao only punished the Ling and Feng families who were also involved, she spared the He family.

But Wang Yun knew that Shen Tianjiao was definitely not that easy to talk to. The prince almost died at the hands of the He family. With her personality, she would never give up.

The He family has always been a thorn in Shen Tianjiao's side. Now that Li Chaohui has chosen to join forces with the He family, is he afraid that he won't die fast enough?

If Wang Yunzhi was just disappointed with Li Chaohui before, now he is desperate about Li Chaohui.

The balance in Wang Yunzhi's heart tilted again at this moment.

The Prime Minister has spoken, so why hesitate? The guards in the hall immediately stepped forward, stripped He Ping of his official uniform, and dragged him away before he could even protest his innocence.

Marquis Zhenbei glanced sideways at Wang Yunzhi. He had known Wang Yunzhi for many years, and he was well aware of Wang Yunzhi's infatuation and loyalty to Li Zhaohui.

But looking at Wang Yunzhi's attitude today, it seemed that something had happened between him and Li Chaohui. If he could take advantage of this opportunity to destroy the relationship between the two, it might not be a bad thing.

The Marquis of Zhenbei had a plan in mind. Although Wang Yunzhi was a person who did not know how to judge people, it had to be said that apart from the matter of Li Chaohui, he was still a very capable person.

Shen Tianjiao is now the regent, and what she lacks is someone like Wang Yunzhi, who is capable and can control all officials.

If Wang Yunzhi could be subdued and used for his own purposes, the situation in the dynasty would surely gradually stabilize.

It seems that it is time to let that stubborn old man return to Shangjing.

The commotion in the hall caused by He Ping soon calmed down.

Shen Tianjiao looked at the officials below with different expressions and felt really tired.

These officials do not make progress every day, do not think about how to share the country's worries and seek benefits for the people, and all they do all day is to abuse their power for personal gain, commit fraud, and form cliques for personal gain.

Oh! It's really not easy for her to be the regent. If it weren't for her strong inner strength and so many people helping her, it would be impossible.

Not to mention recreating the prosperous era Yun Li left for her son, I'm afraid that even if he is not dead now, he is only half alive.

Recovering from her somewhat depressed mood, Shen Tianjiao looked at the Marquis of Zhenbei and said, "My Lord, the situation in the northern border is tense right now. I know you were frightened today and need some time to rest, but what can I do..."

Shen Tianjiao's voice was choked with sobs and she couldn't continue.

"Don't worry, Queen. For the past hundred years in our Zhenbei Marquisate, all the men in our family have been born to protect the peace of the northern border."

"The shock I've experienced today is nothing compared to this. I will immediately accept your orders and depart for the Northern Frontier."

"As long as I am here, Your Majesty need not worry about unrest in the Northern Border. Those foreign tribes would invade from the Northern Border to harass the people of Yunli."

"Unless I die, no one in the Shen family army will survive."

These few short words from the Marquis of Zhenbei pierced the hearts of everyone in the hall like needles.

Let the court officials who have long forgotten the border wars not feel ashamed.

If it weren't for these soldiers who fought to the death, the Yunli Kingdom would probably have been torn apart by now.

Forget about sharing a peaceful and prosperous era, it’s not even certain whether we will become slaves of a conquered nation.

"On behalf of the people of Yunli, your daughter thanks your father for his righteousness."

Shen Tianjiao didn't care that she was in the hall at this time. She didn't call Marquis Zhenbei "Lord Marquis", but directly called him "Father".

As people who had all experienced the baptism of blood, Shen Tianjiao truly understood the meaning of what Zhenbei Hou had just said.

Being reborn as the daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei in this life is her greatest luck.

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. Serving our country with loyalty is the duty of this minister and my entire family."

Since the establishment of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, all the men in the family have been guarding the border, and many of them have sacrificed their lives for the country.

The Zhenbei Marquisate has adhered to the belief of guarding the border and defending the country for a full hundred years and has never forgotten its mission.

Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion is the backbone of Yun Li.

"Your Majesty is righteous." Wang Yunzhi turned around and saluted Marquis Zhenbei. Putting aside his personal feelings for Li Chaohui, Marquis Zhenbei still held a very high position in his heart.

"Your Majesty is righteous." All the officials followed closely behind and saluted the Marquis of Zhenbei with their fists clasped.

Even Shen Tianjiao came out from behind the curtain. She looked at the Marquis of Zhenbei and said, "Daughter, please personally send your father off to battle."

But before Shen Tianjiao could send Marquis Zhenbei away, another eunuch came with an urgent report.

"Empress, Generals Tong Tai and He Chao have sent urgent reports that a rebellion has broken out in Pingzhou."

"What did you say?" Shen Tianjiao stared at the eunuch with wide eyes and said, "Why is there chaos in Pingzhou at this time? Tell me quickly."

Shen Tianjiao had known about the riot in Pingzhou for a long time, but she could not show it and clearly tell the ministers in front of her that she knew it.

Moreover, her second brother Shen Tingzhi went to Pingzhou secretly this time, and even their father, Marquis Zhenbei, didn't know.

Now Shen Tingzhi is still the governor of Ganzhou. As an official appointed by the court, he will be severely punished if he enters Pingzhou to investigate a case without an imperial edict.

At this time, Shen Tingzhi asked the eunuch to report the events in Pingzhou to the Zhenghe Hall.

That also means that something big has indeed happened in Pingzhou, and this matter has a bearing on the country and the people.

It is necessary to report this to Shen Tianjiao in front of all the court officials in order to prove the Qian family's guilt and leave them no chance of recovery.

"Your Majesty, please read the report."

The eunuch presented the report in his hand to Shen Tianjiao.

Shen Tianjiao took the report, tore it open, and started reading.

This look was not a big deal, but it made Shen Tianjiao's blood boil and she was extremely angry.

Qian Wanhe was really courting death. Not only did he secretly mine iron ore, he even dared to collude with the Xirong people and plot a rebellion.

Even the rebel army was ready, with a total of 200,000 troops.

When the imperial court needed reinforcements and replenishment of troops, these old bastards all came out and tried their best to obstruct it.

But the result was that they secretly raised hundreds of thousands of private soldiers, ready to confront the court at any time.

This has simply reached a point where it is unbearable.

These old foxes wouldn't really think that Shen Tianjiao was a weak and useless woman who was bullied by them.

Relying on his status as a royal relative and a high-ranking official, he dared to act so recklessly and did not take the imperial power seriously.

They thought that she, Shen Tianjiao, could do nothing to them, but today she, Shen Tianjiao, would let these people see her methods and majesty.

If she didn't take this opportunity to shock these people into behaving themselves and behave themselves from now on, she would not be Shen Tianjiao.

"This is a rebellion! It's going to turn the world upside down. This is intolerable! Kill them!"

Shen Tianjiao angrily threw the report in her hand to the ground.

The confused court officials looked at the furious Shen Tianjiao and fell silent, huddling there like quails.

Marquis Zhenbei walked forward and picked up the report that Shen Tianjiao had dropped on the ground.

His daughter Jiaojiao has always had a good temper. If she could get so angry, then this matter must not be a trivial matter.

The Marquis of Zhenbei looked at the report in his hand. The more he read, the angrier he became. This old man Qian Wanhe really dared to do such a thing.

Illegally mining iron ore and raising more than 200,000 private soldiers were enough to get his entire family executed.

He even colluded with the Western Rong people and had secret dealings with them, intending to rebel.

This old bastard is really crazy. He doesn't even care about his ancestors for his own selfish desires.

He, Shen Lin, swears here today that if Qian Wanhe does not die today, he, Shen Lin, will be killed on the spot in this hall.

Wang Yunzhi, who was standing by, saw that the Marquis of Zhenbei was so angry that his whole body was shaking after reading the report. He no longer cared about etiquette and snatched the report from the Marquis of Zhenbei's hand.

The content inside made Prime Minister Wang, who was always elegant and calm, become angry.

Wang Yunzhi looked up at Shen Tianjiao and said, "Empress, order the siege of the mansion and arrest the people."

Shen Tianjiao was stunned when she looked at Wang Yunzhi. This Prime Minister Wang always insisted on speaking with facts, but now he didn't even bother to verify it and asked her to order the siege of the mansion. It was obvious that he was really anxious.

"Father, I'm afraid you can't go to the Northern Frontier today."

Shen Tianjiao turned to the Marquis of Zhenbei. She was angry but also relieved that the Marquis of Zhenbei did not leave. If he had left, she would have been so anxious that she would have gone crazy.

"The Queen's uncles are here in the Northern Frontier, so we can hold out for a while. The current matter is more important. Please give the order, Queen."

The Marquis of Zhenbei looked at Shen Tianjiao, just waiting for Shen Tianjiao's order, and then he would lead his troops to tie up Qian Wanhe and that old bastard, and then ask him personally whether he had any conscience and shame!

Shen Tianjiao glanced at the ministers in front of her and said, "Okay, I will immediately issue an order that no one in Zhenghe Palace will be allowed to enter or leave without an imperial decree."

"Zhenbei Hou obeys your orders."

"Your servant, Shen Lin, the Marquis of Zhenbei, obeys your orders."

The Marquis of Zhenbei lifted the hem of his clothes, knelt straight down, and waited for Shen Tianjiao's order.

"I order you to immediately lead your troops to surround Duke Chen's mansion and escort Duke Chen Qian Wanhe to Zhenghe Palace."

"If he doesn't give me and the people of this world an explanation for what happened today, I will completely exterminate the entire Qian clan of Duke Chen's Mansion without a single one left alive."

Shen Tianjiao was really angry at this time. If she didn't teach these people a lesson, they would really not know their place.

Not only did she want to use Qian Wanhe's incident to make an example of someone, she also wanted to use it to completely abolish Emperor Gaozu's policy of allowing royal relatives, provincial governors, and local princes to raise troops privately.

Take back all the scattered rights into your own hands.

Without the privileges, she wanted to see how these people could still make trouble!

"Your Majesty, Shen Lin accepts your order."

The Marquis of Zhenbei stood up and walked with the swiftness of a tiger, ignoring the doubtful and inquiring looks of the court officials, and quickly left the hall.

Because of his old age, Qian Wanhe has long been unemployed at home and no longer needs to attend court.

Although Qian Wanhe no longer had to attend court, his two sons were still serving as officials in the court.

After hearing Shen Tianjiao's words and seeing the Marquis of Zhenbei coming out, they all began to tremble.

The whole family was not exiled but directly beheaded. What kind of heinous crime did their father commit?

Qian Wanhe has always been cautious in doing things. He knows that his two sons are cowards, so he has kept what he has done a secret from his two sons until now.

Even at the old house in Pingzhou, only Mr. Qian Si, who was going to do this for him, knew about it. The rest of the people only knew about the iron mine at most.

Qian Wanhe had two sons, one named Qian Jun, who was then a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, and the other named Qian Yun, who was then a doctor in the Ministry of Works.

At this time, the two men were so scared that they were paralyzed.