The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

After what happened to Li Bin, Li Hong, and now Qian Wanhe, not to mention the smart people, even those who are stupid and clueless have understood one thing.

That is, things are different now. Their queen, who came from the harem to the former dynasty, is a person who is both kind and powerful and has the final say.

Any resistance and trickery are futile in front of the Queen.

In the past, people thought that the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei was a weak, easily bullied and easy-to-talk-to person. Although she was capable, she was easy to manipulate.

Only today did they realize that the weakness Shen Tianjiao had shown in the past was just a disguise she had to put on.

The current strong and decisive Shen Tianjiao is her true self.

After all, how could the daughter of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, which is famous for its military power and has fought in all directions since its establishment and has never been defeated, be a weak and useless person who is suppressed and bullied everywhere?

I'm afraid that Yunli's court will change from today on. No, not only Yunli's court, even Yunli's world will probably change.

"What? No one has anything to say?" The pressure emanating from Shen Tianjiao at this moment made everyone dare not even raise their heads.

Wang Yunzhi silently looked up at Shen Tianjiao at this moment, and suddenly an idea popped up in his mind: this is what a saintly king and wise leader should do.

If Yunli were under the rule of this queen, it might be possible that within ten years, Yunli would leap from its current state of decline to become the most powerful country among the six kingdoms of Kyushu.

This is what a qualified king should be like, working hard to govern the country, caring about the world, and putting the people and the country first, instead of being filled with selfish desires, being selfish and only having power in his heart but not the world and the people.

Unconsciously, the balance in Prime Minister Wang's heart tilted more towards Shen Tianjiao.

"Your Majesty is wise. Many problems have arisen over the years due to the private armies maintained by aristocratic families."

"Let's not talk about anything else, just the disputes between the children of each family and the use of their own private soldiers to gather and fight are happening frequently, and they can't be stopped despite repeated bans."

"Doing so not only affects the harmony among the gentlemen, but also creates a bad atmosphere in Shangjing City and endangers the daily lives of the people."

"The most important thing is that raising these private soldiers can easily breed desires. This is clearly demonstrated by Li Bin, Li Hong, and Qian Wanhe."

"Yunli is not at a stage where you can rest easy, everyone. External enemies are watching closely and may attack at any time, so Yunli must not start an internal conflict at this time."

"Killing each other will only bring pain to our loved ones and joy to our enemies. If Yunli falls apart, then we will become slaves of a conquered nation."

"Life is not easy for slaves of a conquered nation. I think none of you adults would want to try it, right?"

Prime Minister Wang always steps forward and sets an example at the most critical moments.

"Your Majesty has worked so hard so that Yunli can become increasingly powerful, so that everyone can live and work in peace and protect their homeland instead of becoming slaves of a conquered nation."

"The Emperor has already set an example by starting with his uncle's family. So my Wang family is willing to follow suit and hand over our private soldiers to reinforce the Xishan camp to protect the safety of the capital."

The reason why Wang Yunzhi was able to sit in the position of prime minister was not only because he had strong support behind him, but also because he was a visionary and capable person.

Prime Minister Wang has already expressed his stance. Although the aristocratic families are still hesitant, the small families and court officials with no foundation have responded immediately.

They expressed their willingness to accept the emperor's order, hand over their own private soldiers, and leave them to the queen's disposal.

Naturally, the direct descendants and supporters of the Marquis of Zhenbei were not willing to lag behind, and they all expressed their absolute willingness to obey and support the orders of the emperor and the queen.

This sudden response and defection caught the aristocratic families who were still trying to resist off guard, leaving them unable to fight back.

Although they did not express their attitudes at this time, they all knew in their hearts that the arm could not twist the thigh, and it was only a matter of time before they surrendered.

So when Wang Yunzhi solved the problem for Shen Tianjiao, he also successfully attracted a wave of hatred for himself and brought himself countless hatred.

"Well, since everyone is willing to accept the emperor's orders, I would like to thank everyone for their loyalty to the country on behalf of the emperor."

"Then I will leave this matter entirely to Prime Minister Wang to handle."

Shen Tianjiao still recognized Wang Yunzhi's ability. If these literati started to fight with others, no one could match them. They would not stop until the other person was killed.

"Your Majesty, I will obey your orders."

Abolishing the private army system has more advantages than disadvantages and will be of great benefit to Yunli's development.

Putting aside personal feelings, Wang Yunzhi is still willing to offend others to do things that benefit the country and the people.

Shen Tianjiao chose to hand over matters that originally came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War to Wang Yunzhi in order to use Wang Yunzhi to warn all the civil and military officials in the court.

Tell them that the era when they were indulged and used the power in their hands to control the imperial power is all over.

She, Shen Tianjiao, is not Li Rui, not the late emperor, nor Emperor Gaozu. She is Shen Tianjiao and will not let them control her.

There are some who are happy and some who are worried in the entire court, but no one dares to be the first to say anything in front of Shen Tianjiao, otherwise they will suffer the same fate as Su Cheng just now.

Although they don't say it, there are many people who are not convinced in their hearts.

How could those aristocratic families surrender so easily?

Although they knew they could not defeat Shen Tianjiao, this did not stop them from getting together to cause trouble. They would not let them have an easy time, and Shen Tianjiao would not be at ease either.

The more Zhenbei Hou looked at Wang Yunzhi, the more he liked him. This made him even more determined to bring this person over.

Just as we had resolved the issue of abolishing private soldiers, Quan Zheng arrived.

As soon as Quan Zheng entered the main hall, he knelt down and apologized to Shen Tianjiao, "Your Majesty, the guilty minister Quan Zheng pays homage to the Empress."

Shen Tianjiao looked up at Quan Zheng who was kneeling on the ground and said coldly, "Quan Zheng, do you admit your guilt?"

"Empress, I admit my guilt." Quan Zheng knelt on the ground with his head lowered, appearing submissive and obedient.

"It's all because of the guilty officials' poor governance and their failure to control their subordinates. As a result, they didn't realize that the person imprisoned in the prison was actually someone else impersonating Ling Xifeng, and the real Ling Xifeng was allowed to roam free."

"I, a sinner, am ashamed of the Emperor's trust. I cannot live in this world. I beg the Empress to punish me."

During the time he spent in the Ministry of Punishment, Quan Zheng didn't learn anything else, but he did improve his acting skills a lot.

Facing so many court officials, Quan Zheng had no pressure at all to lie.

Shen Tianjiao stared at Quan Zheng for a long time before she spoke: "Although you are wrong in this matter, your crime is not punishable by death."

"The Ministry of Punishment was previously managed by Ling Xifeng, and it was full of his people. His people helped him to replace the real thing with the fake one, allowing him to get away with it. This was not a difficult task at all."

"But you are indeed at fault in this matter. As the head of the Ministry of Punishment, you failed to supervise strictly, and it almost led to a serious mistake. If I do not punish you, it would be unfair."

"I, your Majesty, beg you to punish me."

Although Quan Zheng asked Shen Tianjiao to punish him, he was actually very happy in his heart. Soon he, the bird imprisoned in the cage, would be free and return to the world that belonged to him.

Shen Tianjiao looked at Quan Zheng and said after a while: "You are not strict in your rule. You can no longer sit on the position of the head of the Ministry of Punishment."

"But I also appreciate talent, and I know you were once a formidable general under my father."

"The Western Rong people are now frequently stirring up trouble at the border, waiting for an opportunity to strike."

"So I've decided to punish you. Go back to the border with my father, the Marquis of Zhenbei, and kill as many Western Rong people as you can for your country."

Although he already knew Shen Tianjiao's plan, when these words really came out of Shen Tianjiao's mouth, Quan Zheng was still excited and a little bit unbelievable.

"I, your humble servant, Quan Zheng, will definitely live up to your high expectations. Even if I die on the battlefield, I will follow you and beat the Western Rong back, so that they will never dare to invade Yunli again."

After saying this, Quan Zheng kowtowed heavily to Shen Tianjiao. At this moment, all the grievances and resentment he had ever felt were relieved.

As long as he can return to Ganzhou and go back to his battlefield, he will be willing to do so without any regrets, even if he really dies in battle in the future.

Those people who were originally worried that Quan Zheng would be severely punished all breathed a sigh of relief.

Your Majesty, this is not a punishment at all; it is clearly a reward, okay?

Those who originally wanted to take the opportunity to cause trouble also shut up. When did letting people get what they wanted become a punishment?

Why didn’t such a good thing happen to them?

Shen Tianjiao doesn't care what those people below are thinking. She has more important things to do.

Besides, it is not their turn to interfere in my decree.

"Now let's talk about the Pingzhou Iron Mine."

Shen Tianjiao looked around and stopped her gaze on Cheng Rui, the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Works.

The Cheng family is also one of the top ten families, but it ranks low and is last.

The Cheng family is now gradually declining. Except for Cheng Rui, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Works, most of the descendants are uneducated and live by relying on the protection of their ancestors.

For a declining family, nothing can make them more happy and loyal than a grace from those in power.

Moreover, Cheng Rui is a pretty good person. He has achieved a lot at a young age and has not contracted many of the bad habits of those children from aristocratic families.

Shen Tianjiao doesn't mind giving such a person more opportunities and making him and his entire family loyal to her.

When everyone heard Shen Tianjiao mention the Pingzhou Iron Mine, they started to make plans in their minds.

Even those children from aristocratic families who were in a bad mood began to shift their focus and became more proactive.

Although the iron ore is under state control, no matter who goes to Pingzhou today, it will be a good job that will bring both fame and fortune.

Looking at the restless crowd below, Shen Tianjiao couldn't help but sneer in her heart. These people usually don't seem so enthusiastic about the hard work of serving the country and the people, and they just push it around.

But once they encounter something profitable and beneficial to them, they will rush forward no matter how hard they try.

This is the face of the children of aristocratic families. If Yunli’s future is entrusted to these people, then Yunli will be on the verge of destruction.

Looking at the court officials below who were getting excited, Shen Tianjiao shook her head helplessly.

She lowered her head and wrote the word "Cheng", handed it to the eunuch, and asked him to find a chance to show it to Wang Yunzhi.

Shen Tianjiao cannot be the one to decide on the candidate to go to Pingzhou.

If Shen Tianjiao were to say this, it would surely trigger another verbal battle.

What Shen Tianjiao feared most was this kind of meaningless arguments and quarrels.

It would be different if this matter was handed over to Wang Yunzhi. Although Wang Yunzhi is a civil servant, he is not a simple person as he can reach the position of prime minister.

These court officials may not be afraid of her as the regent queen, but they will definitely be wary of Wang Yunzhi.

Although Wang Yunzhi was a civil servant, he was also the head of all officials. The court officials were usually afraid of him, after all, his official position was there.

He has the responsibility to supervise and punish all officials. Shen Tianjiao, the Queen Regent, is sometimes unable to punish people or things due to pressure or other special reasons, but this does not happen to Wang Yunzhi.

As long as Wang Yunzhi wants, there is no one he cannot punish.

The eunuch seized the opportunity, ran behind a pillar in the hall, and gave Wang Yunzhi a wink.

When Wang Yunzhi looked over, the eunuch had already opened the note written by Shen Tianjiao.

When Wang Yunzhi saw the word "Cheng", he understood that Shen Tianjiao wanted to use Cheng Rui to go to Pingzhou to supervise and handle the iron mine affairs.

Cheng Rui is indeed a good person. With his ability, there is no problem in doing this.

"Your Majesty, I have a suitable candidate to recommend."

Knowing who Shen Tianjiao wanted to use and that this person's ability was recognized by Wang Yunzhi, Wang Yunzhi naturally would not delay any longer.

As the prime minister of Yunli Kingdom, he is still very qualified.

"Tell me about it." Shen Tianjiao was not sitting behind the curtain at this time, but sitting next to the dragon throne. She saw the scene clearly from a high vantage point.

"The person I recommend is Cheng Rui, the Deputy Minister of Works."

As soon as Wang Yunzhi said this, the court was in an uproar.

If they didn't know that Wang Yunzhi kept his distance from everyone in the court and was not close to anyone, these court officials would have thought that Wang Yunzhi was being partial.

Cheng Rui was just a small official in the Ministry of Works. What qualifications did he have to take on such an important responsibility?

Not to mention that others didn't believe it, even Cheng Rui himself didn't dare to believe that Wang Yunzhi had recommended him.