The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

The Gong family's affairs have finally been settled, and Shen Tianjiao can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

After dinner in the evening, Shen Tianjiao took Chunchao and Xia He to pack up Li Muyang's things.

When Li Muyang left, the weather was not too cold, so Shen Tianjiao did not ask Xia He to prepare thick clothes for him.

Firstly, she didn't want to be too conspicuous, and secondly, Shen Tianjiao was also hoping that Li Chaohui's issue could be resolved as soon as possible and the two children could be brought back.

Although the huge Yuxiu Palace was full of people, it seemed extremely deserted without the two little guys.

Shen Tianjiao took out the clothes from Li Muyang's room and picked them out, but couldn't find many that she liked.

Shen Tianjiao, the picky old mother, either complained that Li Muyang's clothes were too small and didn't fit him, or that the colors were too old and not suitable for her son.

Anyway, I picked and picked but couldn't find any clothes that I liked and fit well.

In the end, it was Xia He who said that she would pick out some cloth and let Shen Tianjiao choose the color. She and the embroiderers in the palace would be able to finish it within a day. This finally comforted Shen Tianjiao.

I am so busy on weekdays that I always want to take some time off to have a good rest.

But now that she really had some free time, Shen Tianjiao actually felt uncomfortable.

Seeing Shen Tianjiao's bewildered look, Chunchao suggested accompanying her to the Imperial Garden for a stroll to relax.

Since she had nothing to do, Shen Tianjiao agreed.

So the master, his servant and the other two began to wander aimlessly in the imperial garden.

The harem is now very deserted. The concubines have died or been expelled from the palace.

But now without all those miscellaneous people and things, the entire harem seems a little lifeless again.

The three of them walked and chatted together, and unknowingly came to a secluded place they had never been to before.

Shen Tianjiao looked up at the courtyard in front of her that didn't even have a plaque. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat and she couldn't describe the feeling.

"Master, what's wrong?" Chunchao looked at the yard in front of him, and for some reason he felt a creepy sense of unease in his heart.

"Master, let's go." Chunchao was not accompanied by any guards and was very unsure with his mediocre martial arts skills.

"Let's go in and take a look." Shen Tianjiao always felt that there was some secret hidden in this somewhat gloomy and strange courtyard.

Ever since she was reborn, Shen Tianjiao's sixth sense has become particularly sharp. As long as she feels something is wrong, she will definitely know that something is going to happen, and she will never be wrong.

If Shen Tianjiao doesn't figure out what's going on inside, she's afraid she won't be able to sleep tonight.

Since Shen Tianjiao said she wanted to go in, Chunchao didn't say anything else. She ran over and pushed the door, but found that it was locked from the inside.

This also proves that there must be people living there. This discovery made Shen Tianjiao slightly excited.

There are many unknown secrets hidden in this huge palace, and she is now the one who will uncover the secrets.

"Open the door." Shen Tianjiao gave an order, and immediately a secret guard appeared, flew over the wall, and opened the door.

Seeing the secret guard appear, Chunchao's pounding heart finally calmed down.

She stayed in the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion for a long time this time, and she felt a little uncomfortable returning to the palace.

Seeing that the door was opened, Shen Tianjiao walked in without thinking.

The yard was as desolate and dilapidated as it looked, with weeds everywhere.

However, the light coming from the room not far away proved that there were indeed people living here.

"Wow, wow, wow." Just as Shen Tianjiao was looking around the yard, the wow-wow sound attracted her attention.

Not far away stood a mute slave, drawing something with a pen and mumbling something.

The fact that there were mute slaves in the palace was a very abnormal thing in itself.

It also indicates that the person living in this yard is not a simple person.

Suddenly, Shen Tianjiao thought of a person in her mind, the most beautiful woman in Nanchu who was given to the late emperor by Qian Wanhe.

When this idea popped up in Shen Tianjiao's mind, Shen Tianjiao herself was shocked.

But this also aroused Shen Tianjiao's curiosity and made her want to find out the truth.

"Let her be quiet." As soon as Shen Tianjiao finished speaking, the secret guard beside her came over and pressed the mute point of the mute slave, making her completely quiet.

Shen Tianjiao walked to the lighted room and pushed the door open.

Under the dim light, sat a white-haired woman with dense scars around her eyes.

Although the woman in front of me now has a head full of white hair, her old age still does not affect her beauty and temperament.

Although he was just sitting there, he gave people an innate sense of nobility.

At this point, Shen Tianjiao was completely certain that the woman in front of her was the rumored most beautiful woman in Nanchu.

It was said that the most beautiful woman in Nanchu had died a long time ago, but no one expected that she was still alive and in the harem. This made Shen Tianjiao very curious about what had happened.

However, at this moment, the most beautiful woman in Nanchu seemed to be very abnormal. She sat there with her eyes closed, motionless, as if she was completely unaware that someone had come in.

Shen Tianjiao walked up to her and patted her gently, and she fell down, which shocked Shen Tianjiao.

"Chunchao, that's not right. You, go and get Doctor Zhang over here right away."

Shen Tianjiao supported the person in her arms and gave instructions to the secret guards around her.

The secret guard is very skilled in martial arts, and if he uses light skills, he can bring the person here quickly.

"Master, let's take the man back for treatment." Chunchao looked at the person in Shen Tianjiao's arms with some worry. It would take a lot of time to go back and forth.

"Okay, then take him back." Shen Tianjiao made a prompt decision and without hesitation asked the secret guard to carry the person away.

Chunchao left first, so when Shen Tianjiao and the others returned to Yuxiu Palace, Doctor Zhang was already waiting there.

After placing the person on the couch, Doctor Zhang rushed forward and began to treat him.

A moment later, Imperial Physician Zhang came to report to Shen Tianjiao, "Empress, the patient's pulse is weak, which may be caused by long-term malnutrition."

"Okay, let's find a way to save him." Shen Tianjiao didn't have time to listen to what Doctor Zhang said. She only cared about whether the person could be saved.

"Yes." Doctor Zhang looked at Shen Tianjiao's anxious look and didn't dare to delay any longer. He ordered Chunchao beside him, "Bring some ginseng soup."

While Chunchao went to serve the ginseng soup, Ruan Yuhu arrived. When she saw the person lying on the couch, she was really shocked.

The person who stepped on the lying person was indeed Duan Qingning, the most beautiful woman in Southern Chu.

"Didn't she die a long time ago? What is going on?" Ruan Yuhu, who was completely confused, turned around and looked at Shen Tianjiao and asked.

Shen Tianjiao smiled and replied, "I think I have a natural tendency to stir up trouble. Every time I go to the Imperial Garden to hang out, I always find something to cause trouble."

"After dinner in the evening, I took the two girls out for a stroll, and somehow we ended up in the yard where she lived."

"Looking at the yard, I felt a little curious, so I thought of going in to take a look, and that's how I saw her."

"Where is that courtyard?" Ruan Yuhu was very confused at the moment. Although she didn't dare to say it, she knew every place in the entire harem.

But it's impossible that she had known for so many years that Duan Qingning was still alive and living in the palace.

Ruan Yuhu's questions to Shen Tianjiao were useless. The Queen was either handling government affairs or busy with other things on weekdays.

In the harem, if she wasn't accompanied by someone, she wouldn't be able to find her way around by herself.

Finally, it was Xia He who spoke up: "That courtyard seems to be close to Concubine Zhuang's Jade Palace."

"It's near Concubine Zhuang's Yucui Palace?" Ruan Yuhu suddenly understood. "I see. I was wondering, she's been in the harem for so many years, how could I not have noticed?"

"So he was assigned to the Jade Palace."

Concubine Zhuang, Yucui Palace? Shen Tianjiao felt that the names sounded familiar, but she couldn't remember the connection between the two.

Looking at her master's confused look, Xia He knew that Shen Tianjiao didn't understand the matter.

But it's no wonder. Her master never left the house before and didn't care about the trivial matters and gossips in the harem. How could he know those old stories?

Even she herself only knew about it because she happened to hear someone mention it.

"Master, this Concubine Zhuang was the one who participated in the witchcraft incident and attempted to kill the late emperor but failed."

"After the truth was revealed, she was sentenced to death by the late emperor. She died in her own Jade Palace."

"But after her death, the sound of women crying could often be heard in Yucui Palace. Some palace maids even frequently saw Concubine Zhuang with disheveled hair in the palace."

"Others say that Concubine Zhuang was framed and died unjustly, so her soul cannot rest in peace and often comes out to seek justice for herself."

"After this rumor spread, the late emperor ordered the Jade Palace to be a forbidden area, forbidding anyone from entering. As a result, the place was gradually forgotten and became desolate."

After listening to Xia He's explanation, Shen Tianjiao also figured out some clues.

Because Concubine Zhuang's Yucui Palace was often haunted, the late emperor ordered that Yucui Palace be designated as a forbidden area and no one was allowed to enter or leave.

That's why Duan Qingning lived there for so many years without being discovered.

But the question now is, how did Duan Qingning end up living in Yucui Palace?

Who helped her escape the fatal disaster that year, protected her secretly for so many years, and provided her and the mute slave with daily necessities?

Shen Tianjiao looked up at Duan Qingning lying on the couch. These mysteries could only be solved after Duan Qingning woke up.

"Aunt, what's wrong with you?" Shen Tianjiao looked at Ruan Yuhu staring at Duan Qingning without saying a word, looking very worried, and couldn't help feeling strange.

There should be no intersection between the two of them, and no conflict of interest, but looking at Ruan Yuhu's appearance at this time, it seems that there is not so little connection between the two of them.

"Nothing, just thinking about some past events."

Ruan Yuhu looked up at the people in the room, then said to Shen Tianjiao: "Jiaojiao, come with me, I have something to tell you."

"Okay." Shen Tianjiao stepped forward to support Ruan Yuhu, and the two walked out together.

Since Ruan Yuhu wanted to avoid everyone and talk to Shen Tianjiao alone, what he wanted to say was naturally very important.

When they reached a deserted place outside, Ruan Yuhu spoke up, "Jiaojiao, do you know how Concubine Zhuang died?"

"I don't know." Shen Tianjiao answered honestly. She just heard about Concubine Zhuang today. How could she know the real cause of her death?

"This is also a rumor in the palace, but today I can confirm that those rumors are true."

"Concubine Zhuang didn't actually die in a witchcraft incident. The real cause of her death was probably that she bribed people around the late emperor to cast a witchcraft on him, just like Feng Yuanyuan cast a witchcraft on Li Rui to control him."

"It's just that she didn't have the same luck as Feng Yuanyuan. Instead of succeeding, she was discovered."

"Not only that, but many people were implicated in this incident. The Zhuang family had their property confiscated and were exiled. However, they were attacked by bandits along the way, and no one in the family was spared."

"It seems they were besieged by bandits. It's clear that the late emperor sent people to ruthlessly kill them and exterminate their entire clan in order to eliminate future troubles."

"When I heard this rumor back then, I couldn't understand why Concubine Zhuang, a lady from a prominent family who had lived in Shangjing since birth, could possibly know anything about witchcraft."

"But now it seems that if she and Duan Qingning teamed up, it wouldn't be surprising."

"Duan Qingning was born in Miaojiang, where people all know the art of witchcraft. As a member of the royal Duan family, it's no surprise that she knows these things."

"And Duan Qingning did indeed suddenly disappear after Concubine Zhuang was killed. No one would believe that there was no relationship between the two of them."

If Ruan Yuhu said so, then the whole incident can be explained.

"Then why did Concubine Zhuang insist on being so cruel to the late emperor and wanting to put him to death?"

"I don't remember any of the Zhuang family's concubines ever giving birth to children in the harem. But if she didn't want to help her son ascend the throne, why would she take such a big risk?"

"She has firmly established herself as the Grand Concubine. No one can threaten her anymore. She can stay in the palace to enjoy her retirement, or she can request permission to leave the palace and return to her parents' home, where her sons and nephews will provide for her in her old age."

Shen Tianjiao really couldn't figure out what was wrong with Concubine Zhuang. She could be so foolish as to seek death and harm the late emperor.

In the end, not only did he harm himself, but he also sacrificed his entire family. What was he trying to achieve?

Shen Tianjiao was not at all surprised that Duan Qingning hated the late emperor, so this kind of thing happened. After all, as a member of the royal family of Nanchu, the humiliation she had suffered was more than she could bear.

But why did Concubine Zhuang do this?