The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Qiong Niang used to say that she had let go of the past, but in fact, there was still an invisible net in her heart that she could not break through, which was trapping her and preventing her from being truly free and released.

However, the moment she saw Li Rui dead, the unbreakable net in her heart suddenly fell off, no longer binding her and preventing her from being free.

Qiong Niang knew in her heart that from this moment on, the former Wang Danyang was really dead, and the one who would live from now on was Qiong Niang.

Shen Tianjiao was amused by Qiong Niang's words. She looked up at the sky. In the future, she would follow the people around her to create a new era.

In Qingfeng Pavilion, Ruan Yuhu was in a good mood, sipping tea and enjoying the scenery.

He completely ignored the dying old guys next to him and what they were feeling or thinking at the moment.

These people have been invited to drink tea until now. Apart from a few limited and limited varieties of snacks served during the meal, they really can only drink tea.

The oldest of this group of old men was over seventy years old, and the youngest was over fifty years old. They drank tea all day and only ate some cakes in between.

For those of them who are used to a life of luxury, this is tantamount to torture.

Looking at Ruan Yuhu sitting by the window and sipping tea leisurely, they knew in their hearts that this old ancestor had made up his mind and would not give up until he achieved his goal.

But who are they? They all come from aristocratic families. They have experienced changes of dynasties and transfers of power countless times. Would they be afraid of being embarrassed by a woman?

The matter of withdrawing the private soldiers of each family is of great importance and it is not something that can be done easily by just talking about it.

What can be done even if the emperor issued an imperial order? The fact that each family could raise private soldiers was allowed by Emperor Gaozu himself. Even the famous Emperor Gaozu could not do anything about them back then.

How could it be cancelled today just by an imperial decree?

Even if we are forced to cancel it, we must give them benefits to make up for their losses.

Otherwise, no one can make them agree to this. As long as they can unite, not to mention the emperor, they can overthrow the entire Yunli.

These old men all have their own plans in mind, but they forget the most important thing, which is that they have never stopped fighting for their own interests.

They have always been at odds with each other in spirit, and it is simply impossible for them to unite and resist this thing together.

Because each of them is too selfish, they will never sacrifice the interests of their own family for the benefit of others.

Their disloyalty is their biggest downfall. If one of them is defeated, the rest will fall.

This is why Ruan Yuhu is sure that they will bow their heads and compromise. They are just a group of scattered sand, and a group of scattered sand can't accomplish anything.

Ruan Yuhu, who let these old men drink tea and eat snacks here, would not suffer with them.

Every time it was time for dinner, she would find an excuse to leave, and then come back after she had eaten and drunk her fill and had a good rest.

Those old-fashioned people were so angry that their hearts and lungs ached, but they could do nothing but suffer in silence.

During this period, many people found various reasons to ask Nguyen Ngoc Hu to resign and go home, but they were all rejected by Nguyen Ngoc Hu because he put national affairs first.

Other things are easy to talk about, but as long as it comes to national affairs, the mouths of these old guys who are always pretending to be righteous and clamoring about being loyal to the country can be shut up immediately.

After all, being loyal to the country is not something that can be achieved by just talking about it, it must be demonstrated through actions.

In short, the trick used by Ruan Yuhu made those people so angry that they could die, but they could do nothing about it. It was like an iron fist hitting cotton, which could hurt the enemy but could avoid it without any injury.

This move is truly brilliant. Knowing her enemies' weaknesses and using them to subdue them, Ruan Yuhu is indeed a king who is good at manipulating people's hearts. She has never met an opponent better than this one.

"Grandfather, the Queen asks you to go to the front hall to discuss matters." The palace servant's report broke Ruan Yuhu's leisurely time.

"Okay, I understand." Ruan Yuhu opened her eyes, handed her hand to Ju Ruo, and asked Ju Ruo to help her up.

He walked up to the group of old foxes, with a well-matched smile on his face, and said, "Please sit here and enjoy some tea. The Queen has asked me to go to the front hall. I'll be back soon."

After saying this, without waiting for anyone to react, Ruan Yuhu walked away leisurely with the support of Ju Ruo.

The old men in the room were left staring at each other in bewilderment.

The main person has left, but these people still remain silent, sitting quietly and drinking tea.

This is not to say that they are well-educated, don't talk behind people's backs, or don't want to talk behind people's backs.

It’s just because they all know one thing very clearly, that is, this is Ruan Yuhu’s territory.

Not to mention that they dared to fight in front of him, even if they just whispered to each other briefly, it would be reported to Ruan Yuhu.

Otherwise, they have been here for almost a day and a night, ignoring each other and not even saying anything to each other. Is this normal?

Ruan Yuhu met Shen Tianjiao and Qiong Niang in the garden. Seeing the two of them talking and laughing as they came over, Ruan Yuhu couldn't help but feel happy in his heart.

"What are you two talking about? Why are you so happy?" Ruan Yuhu stopped and asked with a smile as she looked at Shen Tianjiao and Ruan Yuhu walking towards her.

Shen Tianjiao looked up at Ruan Yuhu. She took a few quick steps to Ruan Yuhu's side and took over from Ju Ruo to support Ruan Yuhu.

Li Rui's death was a good thing for her, but for Ruan Yuhu, it was a sad thing.

After all, as Li Rui's actual adoptive mother, Ruan Yuhu took care of Li Rui for several years after Li Rui lost his mother in his childhood.

When Empress Dowager Liu took Li Rui away to raise him, Li Rui was almost an adult.

So when it comes to feelings, Ruan Yuhu has deeper feelings for Li Rui.

Although Li Rui has done many wrong things over the years, making Ruan Yuhu extremely disappointed in him, this does not mean that Ruan Yuhu can treat Li Rui's death as normal.

The grace of giving birth is as deep as the sea, and the grace of raising a child is greater than the sky. Shen Tianjiao only understood this truth after raising Li Muyang and Li Muyan.

"Aunt, the emperor just passed away."

"Ah!" Ruan Yuhu was slightly startled. Although she had been prepared for a long time, the news still shocked her a little.

"Aunt, are you okay?" Shen Tianjiao quickly supported Ruan Yuhu and sat her down on a stone bench nearby.

Ruan Yuhu shook his head and said, "I'm fine, just a little surprised."

Although Li Rui's actions did make Ruan Yuhu extremely disappointed in him, but as Shen Tianjiao had just thought, Li Rui was her raised child after all, and she still had feelings for him.

"Aunt." Shen Tianjiao felt sorry for Ruan Yuhu. To her and Qiong Niang, Li Rui was just a past event, but to Ruan Yuhu, he was the one who carried her memories.

Ruan Yuhu looked up at Shen Tianjiao and smiled, "Don't worry, I'm really fine, I just think it was a little too sudden."

"Well! It's better that he's gone like this. He's in such a state now that he's suffering if he lives. It's better for him to die early."

Ruan Yuhu held Shen Tianjiao's hand and asked, "Has he been sent out of the palace?"

"Well, I have sent people to collect his body and take it to his imperial tomb for burial."

"After some time, when the political situation has stabilized, I will arrange for him to die in the most dignified way and give him a grand funeral."

In front of Ruan Yuhu, Shen Tianjiao could not say anything else at this moment, and could only say some more words that could comfort Ruan Yuhu.

"Well, okay." Ruan Yuhu didn't want to continue this topic, so she asked, "What about the two children? Have they left with your father?"

"Well, I sent them away yesterday. I thought you would have to deal with those stubborn old men, so I didn't alarm you."

"They will be back soon. If you miss them, you can go out of the palace and visit them at Fu Sheng Ruo Meng."

"That place called Fu Sheng Ru Meng is simply a paradise on earth, even better than our imperial palace."

"Aunt, just think of it as going out to relax. To be honest, I went there yesterday and didn't want to come back."

Shen Tianjiao sent the two children away, which indicated that a war was about to break out between her and Li Chaohui.

Once this life-and-death battle begins, no one knows what the outcome will be.

If possible, Shen Tianjiao actually hopes that Ruan Yuhu can temporarily leave the palace and avoid this fight.

"I'm not going!" Ruan Yuhu stated his attitude. "If I have to go, I'll have to wait until Li Zhaohui's matter is over."

Shen Tianjiao is thinking about Ruan Yuhu, and Ruan Yuhu understands that Shen Tianjiao doesn't want Ruan Yuhu to take risks. And doesn't Ruan Yuhu also want to protect Shen Tianjiao?

"Don't even think about how to drive me away. I've already said that as long as I'm alive, we'll be together no matter what happens."

Shen Tianjiao looked at Ruan Yuhu and smiled, then pulled Qiong Niang over and said, "The three of us will advance and retreat together."

"Grandpa, you are quite biased. Why is it that Jiaojiao is the only one you cherish, and I am just a fence-sitter?"

Qiong Niang looked at Ruan Yuhu aggrievedly, expressing her dissatisfaction.

Ruan Yuhu smiled guiltily, then looked up at Qiong Niang and said, "I didn't. Don't blame me. I didn't drag you along because I felt sorry for you."

Qiong Niang smiled at Ruan Yuhu's guilty look. She was not the kind of person who would pursue someone and fight to the end.

She turned to look at Shen Tianjiao and asked, "You won't?"

"No, no, absolutely not, I promise not!" Shen Tianjiao quickly raised her hand and swore.

"It's okay as long as you don't." Qiong Niang deliberately approached Shen Tianjiao, put her arm around Shen Tianjiao, and leaned her head on Shen Tianjiao's shoulder.

Ruan Yuhu took a look and deliberately angered his Qiong Niang, but just rolled his eyes at her and said nothing more. After all, he was in the wrong.

Shen Tianjiao looked at the two people in front of her, one old and one young, shook her head helplessly and smiled.

"Aunt, I have something to ask you." After the joke, Shen Tianjiao got back to the topic and asked Ruan Yuhu the questions in her mind.

"What's the matter? Just ask." Ruan Yuhu's heart sank when he saw Shen Tianjiao suddenly become serious.

"There's someone else behind my father's assassination. I'd like to ask my aunt if there's any unknown power hidden in Shangjing City?"

Shen Tianjiao didn't know much about the aristocratic families in the capital, so she had to rely on Ruan Yuhu for this kind of thing.

Ruan Yuhu lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, "Well, Jiaojiao, wait for me for two days. I'll have someone check it out and give you the answer."

"Okay, Auntie, there's no need to worry. That man fell into my father's hands this time, and he lost the lackey of the He family. He should be quiet for a while."

No matter who that person is, it will not be detrimental to Shen Tianjiao for the time being, and Shen Tianjiao has a hunch that this person should have no connection with Li Chaohui.

As long as they are not Li Chaohui's allies, there is nothing to be afraid of.

"Jiaojiao, please send someone to inform your father about the emperor's death so he can make plans early."

"Although we are being cautious in this matter, it is always better to be prepared."

Having lived in the palace for decades, Ruan Yuhu knows the importance of acting with caution.

"Yes, aunt, I know. I will send someone to tell my father about this later."

Originally, Shen Tianjiao was going to send someone to tell Marquis Zhenbei that even if Emperor Li Rui was a bad or incompetent person, he was still Yunli's emperor after all.

Now that Li Rui is dead, others don't need to know about this matter, but as Yun Li's pillar of defense, the Marquis of Zhenbei must know about it.

Now is an important moment for the transfer of imperial power. Just as Ruan Yuhu worried, it is better to be safe than sorry. No matter how carefully things are done, one must be afraid of being spied on and harassed by those with ulterior motives.

In order to prevent anything from going wrong, it is necessary to make full preparations in advance.

"Jiaojiao, let your third brother lead the troops back to Shangjing. Find a place to settle them first. Once this matter is safely resolved, let him do what you want him to do."

If the capital city really gets into chaos and there are not enough soldiers to defend the city, all of them will be in danger.

"Aunt, I have sent someone to inform my third brother to lead his troops back to the capital."

Shen Tianjiao looked up into the distance, her mood suddenly heavy. "There has to be a conclusion between me and Li Zhaohui. This matter can't be dragged on any longer."

"She may not have much time left to live. If she delays any further, I'm afraid she'll suddenly die from the poison. Then we'll be in endless trouble."

"Whether or not she suddenly dies from the poison, a decision must be made on this matter."