The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"Uncle Changyuan, why don't you get up and thank me."

Everyone in the Zhenghe Hall had left, but Gong Jianzhou was still kneeling there like a fool, not moving.

In the end, Ren Dongfang couldn't bear it anymore and walked up to remind him.

"Ah, oh." Gong Jianzhou came back to his senses. He wanted to get up, but he had been kneeling for too long. His feet and legs were numb and he couldn't stand up at all.

Ren Dongfang saw this and reached out to help Gong Jianzhou up. "Lord Changyuan, please tidy up your appearance and go to thank the Empress."

"Thank you, Mr. Ren, for the reminder." Gong Jianzhou, who had stood firmly, ignored his physical discomfort and hurriedly expressed his gratitude to Ren Dongfang.

"It's okay, congratulations, Uncle Changyuan." Ren Dongfang smiled at Gong Jianzhou, then turned around and went back to his own business.

Gong Jianzhou stomped his feet lightly to loosen his stiff body, then left Zhenghe Hall and went to Yuxiu Palace.

Originally, Gong Jianzhou planned to ask the queen to see him after the court was dismissed, report the situation of his uncles at home, and see how the queen would deal with it.

Who knew that in the blink of an eye, he would have an additional title.

Gong Jianzhou was really having trouble accepting the fact that he suddenly changed from being a criminal to being the Earl of Changyuan with a title.

In the Qinghe Cottage, Ruan Yuhu was drinking tea leisurely, completely ignoring Zheng Guang who was standing beside her with his head lowered.

In terms of age, Zheng Guang is more than ten years older than Ruan Yuhu.

But at this time, Zheng Guang was standing there with his head lowered, like a child who had made a mistake and was waiting for his parents to criticize him.

Finally, Ju Ruo came in to deliver snacks. Seeing that Zheng Guang was about to fall, she went to ask Ruan Yuhu for mercy.

After all, everyone in the Zheng family knew that Zheng Guang had been called into the palace. If anything happened to this person in the palace, it would be difficult to explain.

Ruan Yuhu looked at Zheng Guang's unsteady appearance and couldn't help but complain in his heart: "You are already old and about to enter the yellow earth, but you still don't know how to cherish your blessings and accumulate virtue. When you do things, you are still as cruel as before."

"If the Huai Palace continues like this, I'm afraid it will be nearing its end and won't last long."

"Okay, what are you doing standing there? Sit down." Ruan Yuhu winked, and the servants around him immediately understood and walked over to help Zheng Guang sit down on the chair.

Zheng Guang was also a ruthless man when he was young, but now that he is old, he looks like a defeated man in his twilight years.

Zheng Guang, who was finally allowed to sit down, began to breathe heavily after sitting on the chair.

This arrogant devil, the number one devil in the capital, is no longer as powerful as he used to be.

Ju Ruo brought the hot tea over, placed it in front of Zheng Guang and said, "Prince Huai, please have some hot tea."

Zheng Guang nodded, tremblingly picked up the hot tea on the table, and drank a few sips before he regained his strength.

Ruan Yuhu looked at Zheng Guang's expression and couldn't help but shook his head, "Prince Huai, you are really very old now."

"Yes, this old minister's health is indeed not as good as before." Zheng Guang, who was extremely arrogant outside, was unusually respectful in front of Ruan Yuhu.

Zheng Guang has lived to such an old age, how could he not know that the old lady sitting in front of him is a powerful person who can stir up the world.

Even the late emperor was played around by her and led by her nose. I wonder how many levels lower my status is than that of the late emperor.

What's more, now that he needs help from others, he dare not show the slightest dissatisfaction.

Therefore, Zheng Guang's attitude towards Ruan Yuhu was still very respectful.

Ruan Yuhu put down the teacup in his hand, looked at Zheng Guang and said, "Prince Huai, this man is old now, he should know when to advance and when to retreat, and accumulate virtue for his children and grandchildren."

"If you continue to be tyrannical and violent, I'm afraid you will exhaust the blessings of your children and grandchildren, leaving future generations to suffer."

Zheng Guang's body trembled slightly. He understood that the reason why Ruan Yuhu said this must be because of Gong Chengyu's matter.

When he knew that Gong Chengyu was the mastermind behind the assassination of Shen Tingzhi in Songhe Tower, he did not intend to kill him. He just wanted to hand Gong Chengyu over to Shen Tingzhi for disposal.

Because although Zheng Guang never took the Duke of Tang's Mansion seriously, it was still the home of a nobleman after all. If he didn't investigate immediately and people knew that the Prince of Huai's Mansion had killed Gong Chengyu, it would be a disaster.

This matter will definitely cause a lot of uproar, and the queen will definitely come forward to intervene.

By then, the Huai Palace would be in big trouble.

But his grandson Zheng Chuang said that the reason why Gong Chengyu assassinated Shen Tingzhi was because he had long been bribed by the Xirong people, colluded with the Xirong people, and worked for the Xirong people.

Although Zheng Guang was not a good person and had a bad character and reputation, he had one good thing, which was that he would never do anything like colluding with the Western Rong people to bring harm to Yun Li.

Zheng Guang had no intention of killing Gong Chengyu, but after learning that Gong Chengyu had colluded with the Xirong people and betrayed his country, he instantly became murderous.

Moreover, Zheng Chuang said that if the Huai Wang Mansion wanted to submit to the Queen, they had to show sincerity.

Gong Chengyu committed the capital crime of treason, and even if he was handed over to Shen Tingzhi, he would not be able to escape death.

They now want to submit to the queen, and Gong Chengyu is their best gift.

So he finally made up his mind and agreed to Zheng Chuang's proposal to kill Gong Chengyu, hang his body on the city gate tower, and make his crimes public.

But from what Ruan Yuhu said, he was wrong in this matter.

Zheng Guang swallowed his saliva and said, "What I did with Gong Chengyu was not thoughtful enough."

"When I heard that this guy had colluded with the Xirong people and betrayed his country, and was the mastermind behind the assassination of the Second Young Master, I couldn't hold back my anger."

"I am old and confused. I hope Aunt Ruan can plead for me with the Queen Mother."

Zheng Guang had no intention of quibbling or defending himself in front of Ruan Yuhu. They were all thousand-year-old foxes, and they understood each other. There was really no need to pretend.

"Alas, your temper has remained the same throughout your life. The late emperor once warned you to get rid of your evil spirit."

"But you haven't changed at all until now."

Ruan Yuhu looked at Zheng Guang and shook his head, then said, "You really should change your violent temper. Things are different now."

"You've been struggling in the capital for most of your life. Can't you see the situation right now?"

"If you continue to act like this, I'm afraid the demise of your Huai Palace will be imminent."

Zheng Guang was immediately excited when he heard this. He didn't care about his physical discomfort. He stood up and knelt on the ground, saying, "Aunt Ruan, please show us a way forward for Prince Huai's Mansion."

"The Huai Palace is now dwindling in numbers. My son is alive but stricken with tuberculosis. He spends his days bedridden, practically a living dead man."

"Zheng Chuang is my only grandson now. He is the only hope and future of our Huai Palace."

"I can die, but he must live. Please have mercy, Aunt Ruan."

Looking at Zheng Guang kneeling in front of him, Ruan Yuhu suddenly felt a very sad feeling in his heart.

Zheng Guang used to be a man who could remain calm even when faced with a mountain collapse, but now he can be so humble for the sake of his grandson.

"Get up." Ruan Yuhu asked Ju Ruo to come forward, help Zheng Guang up, and support him back to sit on the chair.

"I understand your thoughts, and so does the Queen."

"But there is one thing you need to know. The Zhenbei Marquis Mansion is different from your Huaiwang Mansion."

"The Zhenbei Marquisate relies on loyalty and trustworthiness to survive in the world. The generations of Zhenbei Marquis have all devoted their energy to Yunli and prioritized protecting the people of Yunli."

"Most of the men in the Zhenbei Marquisate are loyal and brave men who died on the battlefield for their country."

"And your Huai Palace has been known for its tyranny and violence since its establishment."

"Apart from the merits of your ancestors who followed Emperor Taizu in establishing the country, your Huaiwang Mansion has not produced any loyal and brave people who are loyal to the country in all these years."

"Although these few words may not sound pleasant, I still want to say them. If you listen to them, then your Huaiwang Mansion will be able to stand firm. If you don't listen to them, the fate of the Huaiwang Mansion will be worrying."

"I'm listening, I'm listening. Aunt Ruan, please speak." Zheng Guang's attitude was still humble at this time, because he knew that the only one who could save the Prince Huai's Mansion was Ruan Yuhu.

"Well, if you can listen, I'll tell you."

"Your Huaiwang Mansion has inherited the title, and it has only been four generations since its inception."

"Ever since your father, the late old Huai Wang, your Huai Wang Mansion has been declining in number, with descendants either dying in accidents or suffering from illness."

"You have three older brothers and two younger brothers, but you are the only one who survived, so it is natural for you to inherit the title of King Huai."

"As for you, your eldest son died a violent death many years ago, and your other two sons also died fighting evil."

"And the only surviving son has been frail and sickly since childhood."

"Have you really never thought about karma?"

Ruan Yuhu said so much, but in fact he just wanted to tell Zheng Guang a truth: God is watching what people do. If one only wants to get things through violent and tyrannical means, he will eventually lose his moral character and the retribution will be passed on to his descendants.

Zheng Guang was stunned. He grew up in the Huai Palace and had seen nothing but violence and tyranny from his grandfather and father. He was taught that as long as his fists were strong enough, he could get whatever he wanted.

As for things like cause and effect, he had never thought about it and did not believe in it.

But when Zheng Guang heard Ruan Yuhu say this, he suddenly felt as if he was enlightened.

Not to mention his ancestors and fathers, he alone has no idea how much blood is on his hands over the years. Some of these people deserved to be killed, but some were killed just because they blocked his way.

Now think about it, the descendants of the Prince of Huai's Mansion are dwindling, either people have died or they are embroiled in various troubles. Anyway, there are always big and small things happening, and there is never a moment of peace.

When Ruan Yuhu saw that Zheng Guang was silent, he knew that what he had just said had entered his heart.

"You also said that Zheng Chuang is the only grandson in your Huai Palace now."

"Zheng Chuang is a smart and capable kid. The fact that Songhe Tower has been able to stand tall in Shangjing for so many years shows how smart and capable he is."

"But his temperament is exactly the same as your grandfather's. If this continues, I'm afraid he'll cause new trouble."

"I see your body is not as good as it used to be. You can protect him for a while, but you can't protect him forever."

"There has to be someone to watch over him, manage him, and protect him for you."

Only by hitting the snake at its most vulnerable part can you defeat the enemy in one move, and the same is true for controlling people's hearts.

The person Zheng Guang is most concerned about now is Zheng Chuang. The reason why he is so anxious to find a backer for the Huai Palace is that he is afraid that if something happens to him, Zheng Chuang will not be able to support the Huai Palace.

If Zheng Chuang cannot keep the Huai Palace going, it will soon be swallowed up and divided up by others. At that time, both Zheng Chuang and the Zheng family will fall into a very miserable situation.

"Aunt Ruan, I'll do whatever you say. From now on, I'll hand Zheng Chuang over to you. You can teach him as you need to, and you can deal with him as you need to."

Ruan Yuhu was stunned. He just wanted to give Zheng Guang some advice and ask him to discipline his grandson so that he wouldn't cause any trouble in the future.

But how did this suddenly become her responsibility to discipline Zheng Chuang? She had no interest in disciplining other people's children.

Besides, is Zheng Chuang a child? He is already an adult, and his character is already formed. How can it be so easy to change him?

Zheng Guang seemed to think too highly of her. She didn't have the ability or energy to meddle in other people's business.

Before Ruan Yuhu could open her mouth to refuse, Zheng Guang stood up and knelt on the ground again. "Aunt Ruan, I hope you won't refuse. Zheng Chuang is the future of our Huai Palace."

"Although this child's actions are somewhat extreme, he has a good heart."

"You are the only one in the world who can manage and teach him. You can't just watch this child cause disaster in the future and destroy the entire Huai Palace, right?"

"Aunt Ruan, please, for the sake of our past friendship, have pity on me, an old man with only a few days left to live, and keep this child by your side and teach him well."

After Zheng Guang said these words, he started to kowtow desperately.

Ruan Yuhu was scared when she saw this. Zheng Guang had hit his head off. If anything happened to Zheng Guang in her presence today, she would not be able to take the responsibility.

"Juruo, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and help Prince Huai up."

Seeing that Zheng Guang showed no sign of stopping, Ruan Yuhu panicked. If Zheng Guang continued to kowtow like this, her life would be shortened.

After hearing the order, Ju Ruo hurried forward to help Zheng Guang, "Prince Huai, what are you doing? Get up quickly."

"No, if Aunt Ruan doesn't agree today, I won't get up even if I die kneeling here."