The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"No matter who you are, or what brings you here, I advise you to leave immediately."

"Otherwise, the swords of my Prime Minister's Mansion are not vegetarians. I'm afraid you will never be able to return."

Wang Yunzhi was playing with the dagger in his hand. Unlike other civil servants, he had practiced some martial arts since he was a child because of his family background.

"Ha! After all these years, your tone hasn't changed at all. Prime Minister Wang is so majestic."

Hearing the other person's voice, Wang Yunzhi was stunned. After a long while, he asked uncertainly, "Brother, is that you?"

"It's me, what? Are you going to kill me with the knife from your Prime Minister's Mansion?"

Wang Yunzhi was stunned for a moment. He threw away the dagger in his hand, opened the window with trembling hands, looked at the man standing outside, and shouted in a trembling voice: "Brother, it's really you who are back."

"I, Wang Hengshan, will not change my name or surname. I am back."

This Wang Hengshan is none other than Qiong Niang's father.

Wang Yunzhi stared at Wang Hengshan for a long time before he said, "Brother, you are old too."

"How can I not age? Over the years, I've endured all the sufferings of the world in the Northern Frontier. I've tasted every flavor of the world. I'm no longer the high-spirited Wang Hengshan of the past."

Wang Hengshan stared at his cousin for a moment and said, "Prime Minister Wang is now in great power and glory, but why does he look even older than an old fellow like me?"

"Is it because you've been fighting with others too much, overworking yourself, and have become gray-haired and old?"

Facing Wang Hengshan's ridicule, Wang Yunzhi could only smile bitterly, "It seems that the wind in the northern border is still not strong enough to smooth out your temper, brother."

"Hmph! I remain true to myself, unlike you, Prime Minister Wang, who understands the current situation and knows how to adapt."

"Otherwise, how could he have ascended to the position of Prime Minister step by step, becoming a powerful official with omnipotent power and influence?"

Wang Hengshan mocked Wang Yunzhi without hesitation. No matter how great Wang Yunzhi was in the eyes of others, he was just a younger brother in Wang Hengshan's eyes.

Wang Yunzhi, who is usually eloquent and capable of debating with many scholars, has no choice but to remain silent in front of Wang Hengshan.

"Why, Prime Minister Wang, are you going to let the guests stand outside and talk like this? Is this the way you treat guests in your Prime Minister's Mansion?"

Faced with Wang Hengshan's dissatisfaction, Wang Yunzhi finally realized that he was so surprised that he forgot to ask Wang Hengshan into the house to talk.

"Brother, please come in and sit down." Wang Yunzhi put down his hands that were supporting the windowsill and hurried out to greet Wang Heng.

After welcoming Wang Hengshan into the house, Wang Yunzhi hurriedly ordered people to heat up wine and prepare food so that Wang Hengshan could drink some hot wine and eat something to warm himself up.

After the two men sat down in the room, Wang Yunzhi poured hot tea for Wang Hengshan.

"Brother, a few years ago I sent people to take your family back to the capital, but you refused to come back no matter what. Why are you back now all of a sudden?"

Wang Hengshan took a few sips of hot tea. This was his favorite ice green cloud tea, but now when he drank it, he could no longer taste the same as before.

"I didn't come back with you, Prime Minister Wang, because I was afraid of affecting your reputation. Now that I'm back, I'm afraid of having a reason to come back."

Wang Yunzhi glanced at Wang Hengshan, lowered his head and said, "Brother, you are still blaming me for not standing up for you back then."

"It was indeed my fault back then. I shouldn't have chosen to remain silent and watch you and your family being wrongly accused and exiled to the northern border just for fear of getting yourself implicated."

Wang Hengshan put down the teacup in his hand, looked at Wang Yunzhi and said, "Let's not talk about what happened in the past. The past is the past."

"Besides, I didn't let you show up back then in order to protect the safety of my Wang family. I can't blame you for that."

"And you saved my father from suffering the hardships of exile with us."

"In the end, it was you who took care of him and provided for his retirement."

"I will always keep this kindness in my heart and will never forget it."

Back then, Wang Hengshan was framed and his entire family was implicated. In order to prevent his clansmen from being implicated, he refused their offer to stand up for him.

But he asked Wang Yunzhi for one thing that year, which was to ask Wang Yunzhi to save his elderly and sick father.

Wang Yunzhi went to great lengths to save Wang Hengshan's father, his uncle Wang Yan.

Afterwards, Wang Yunzhi arranged Wang Yan in a secret place and sent someone to take care of him until Wang Yan died of illness three years later.

After Wang Yan passed away, it was Wang Yunzhi who hid it from everyone and buried him in the Wang family's ancestral tomb. Except for the lack of a tombstone, all other necessary burials were in place.

"Brother, why are you saying all this? You and I are blood relatives. He's your father, and he's also my uncle. Isn't it my duty to respect him and take care of him until his death?"

"If it really comes down to who owes whom more, then it's only me who owes my uncle and brother more."

"I lost my father when I was young. If it weren't for my uncle raising me, how could I be where I am today?"

People who don't know the truth really think that Wang Hengshan and Wang Yunzhi have a bad relationship, so when Wang Hengshan was framed and treated unfairly.

Wang Yunzhi didn't care about family affection at all. Not to mention trying to find a way to save Wang Hengshan's family, he didn't even stand up to say a word of justice for him.

Later, this matter became another of the few criticisms of Wang Yunzhi, except for his confusion with Li Chaohui.

In the eyes of others, Wang Yunzhi is a self-centered person with no family affection, no kindness, and is cold-blooded and heartless.

But in fact, the relationship between the two brothers has always been very good.

The disharmony that outsiders see is just a show for outsiders.

The reason for this is Wang Yan's wisdom and foresight.

Not only is the Wang family a big family among the aristocratic families, the Wang surname is also a big surname in Yunli. If the power of the minister's family is too strong, it will inevitably be feared and liquidated.

Wang Yan is the former patriarch of the Wang family. In order to preserve the power of the Wang family, he ensured that the Wang clan could gain a foothold in Yunli and would never be called abandoned children.

So when he was the head of the family, he selected some intelligent, courageous and responsible people and separated them from the family.

Normally, except for some occasions and things that we must participate in, we don’t contact each other at other times.

This creates the illusion to outsiders that the Wang family is not harmonious and each is looking after its own interests.

Then no matter which person or branch of the Wang family gets into trouble, it will not affect the interests of the family as a whole.

The reason why Wang Yunzhi was able to succeed Wang Yan and take the position of the head of the Wang family was because Wang Yan agreed and personally supported him. Otherwise, it would not have been Wang Yunzhi's turn in terms of power or qualifications.

"Alright, stop nagging about those things." Wang Hengshan picked up his wine glass and said, "Come on, let's not talk about anything else today. We've been apart for so many years, and it's really not easy for us to meet again today."

"How about we have a few drinks tonight and talk about our true feelings?"

"Brother, I feel guilty." Wang Yunzhi picked up the wine glass and drank it all.

"I couldn't save that girl Danyang. It was a pity that she lived a lonely life and ended up being burned to death in the fire. It was all my fault."

"I have thought of ways over the years, but the palace is in the palace, and I am far away from it. I have the will but not the power."

Speaking of Wang Danyang's death, Wang Yunzhi felt regretful again.

Wang Hengshan raised the wine glass and drank it silently.

For the sake of the overall situation, he could not tell Wang Yunzhi no matter what that his Danyang was not dead and was still alive and well.

"We agreed not to talk about the past anymore. Let's talk about something else."

Wang Hengshan didn't want to say anything more about this matter. Too much talk would lead to mistakes, and now was not the time to let Wang Yun know everything.

He came to see Wang Yunzhi today, but he came with a purpose and a mission. This not only concerns the life and death of their Wang family, but also the safety of the entire Yunli people.

I just hope that Wang Yunzhi will stop being stubborn and let go of his obsession and turn back.

"Yunzhi, the reason why my elder brother came back from the northern border all the way here is because of you."

"Brother, you came back because of me?" Wang Yunzhi was stunned for a moment, then he understood what Wang Hengshan meant.

Apart from Li Chaohui's matter, Wang Hengshan probably had nothing else to worry about and had no reason to return to Beijing.

Going to Beijing was a sad place for Wang Hengshan. He was framed and not only lost his status and position, but also caused his family to suffer with him.

Both his father and daughter died in Shangjing, and he never saw them again until his death.

If there is a place in this world that Wang Hengshan never wants to go to again, it is probably Shangjing.

"Brother, I..." Wang Yunzhi was interrupted by Wang Hengshan before he could say anything.

"Don't say anything, just listen to me first."

"Yunzhi, you are a smart person. You have been more insightful than my brother since you were young and have a long-term vision."

"When my grandfather was alive, he often praised you, saying that among his grandchildren, you were the most insightful and capable of foresight and consideration of the overall situation."

"He also said that the glory of my Wang family will be carried forward through you in the future, to a level that no one can surpass."

"So, the whole family regards you as the hope for the future of the Wang family."

"Even if nothing happens to me, the position of the head of the family will be passed to you."

Wang Hengshan looked up at Wang Yunzhi, sighed, and said, "Yunzhi, you can be confused for a while, but you can't be confused for your whole life."

"From a small perspective, you are the head of the Wang family, and you should always put the interests of the Wang family first in everything."

"To put it in a broader sense, as the head of all officials, you are a court official valued by the Emperor and Empress. You receive the Emperor's salary and bear the Emperor's worries."

"You must act in all things with the goal of benefiting the people and maintaining national stability."

Wang Hengshan's words made Wang Yunzhi lower her head in shame. She had failed to fulfill her duties to her family or to the people of the country.

Seeing Wang Yunzhi lower his head and remain silent, Wang Hengshan continued, "It is indeed a very lucky thing to meet someone you like at a glance in your youth."

"But life's circumstances are often not what we want."

"Li Zhaohui is a dazzling pearl, but she doesn't deserve your deep affection for her."

"Yunzhi, you've already done too many wrong things for her. You can't keep making the same mistake over and over again just because of the obsession in your heart."

"If you insist on making such a mistake, both my Wang family and Yunli's country will be in jeopardy."

After a long silence, Wang Yunzhi finally spoke, "Brother, I know everything you said. I've been reflecting on what I've done lately."

"That fleeting glimpse in our youth, now thinking about it, is probably not such a simple encounter between the two of us. It was deliberately created with some purpose."

Wang Yunzhi is not a fool. He is just fascinated by Li Chaohui and is unwilling to delve into the matter.

Now, if you put aside all that love and think about it carefully, you will find that those beautiful pasts were just the result of Li Zhaohui's deliberate planning and planning.

It was just the obsession in his heart that refused to let him calm down and delve into it. Now he is no longer the ignorant and impulsive boy he used to be.

He can now face many things with the most peaceful attitude.

When he let go of his obsession and abandoned his blind worship of Li Zhaohui's halo, he realized that all this was just a carefully designed dream.

"Yunzhi, since you know everything clearly, why do you have to get involved?"

Wang Hengshan looked at his disappointing brother, suppressed his anger, and said, "Brother, let me ask you, when it comes to governing a country, who is better, Li Zhaohui or the Empress?"

"Of course, the Empress is superior. Although Li Zhaohui speaks of righteousness, he is the chosen one by fate."

"But in reality, apart from the perfect persona Ye Xinghua created for her, she doesn't possess any political acumen or foresight."

"But the Empress is different. She comes from the Zhenbei Marquisate and has a natural sensitivity and control over politics."

"Besides, she is someone who plans ahead. She doesn't want Your Majesty to be like the rulers of previous dynasties, who had no ambition to make long-term plans for Yun Li."

"Be it the Emperor, the previous Emperor, or even the previous kings of Yunli, they all cared about their immediate interests and coveted temporary comfort and so-called prosperity."

"But the Queen is different. She is more concerned about Yunli's future and long-term peace."

"The kings of Yunli throughout the ages have always advocated peace, adopting a passive attitude of 'if no one offends me, I will not offend anyone'. They only rush to find ways to deal with it when others attack them at their doorstep."

"They never think about eliminating hidden dangers in the bud, so these Yunli are always harassed, provoked, and fought."