The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"The result of this is that Yunli's national strength has declined due to years of war, and the people are unable to live and work in peace and develop agriculture and commerce."

"The national treasury is often empty, with revenues exceeding expenditures, and the people are living in poverty."

"Yunli now appears prosperous and powerful on the surface, but in reality it is just a hollow shell."

"If we continue to waste time like this, the Yunli Kingdom will soon be destroyed."

"The Empress must have realized this problem a long time ago, so after she became regent, she has always abandoned the practice of past emperors who valued civil affairs over military affairs."

"She has begun to heavily utilize and cultivate the military's power. I suspect the Queen may be planning to take the initiative and declare war on the six nations to fundamentally resolve the issue."

"Once and for all, after the Six Nations War, Yunli can rest and recuperate, and from then on become the strongest among the six nations."

"We will truly ensure that the people of Yunli can live and work in peace and contentment, enhance national strength, and achieve a truly peaceful and prosperous era."

Wang Hengshan nodded. He had to say that Wang Yunzhi was really smart. He could guess Shen Tianjiao's intentions from her daily actions.

"Then let me ask you again, is the Empress truly the wise and holy ruler you envision?"

What Wang Hengshan said was actually a bit presumptuous. As the queen, Shen Tianjiao was only a regent and could not replace the emperor. Only the emperor could exercise imperial power.

Therefore, no matter how powerful Shen Tianjiao is, even if she can cover the sky with one hand and control the government, she cannot be called a wise ruler.

But Wang Yunzhi answered without the slightest doubt: "Yes, the Queen is the wise ruler in my brother's heart."

Wang Hengshan smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, Yunzhi, what is the greatest hope for us as officials in our lifetime?"

"Isn't it just the hope of meeting a wise and virtuous ruler, assisting him in achieving great things, not only making achievements and leaving a name in history, but more importantly, protecting the well-being of the people?"

"How lucky you are to have met such a wise and holy ruler. If you are wavering at this moment, you will not be able to follow him wholeheartedly to the end."

"You have failed the expectations of your elders, and you have also let down the many people of Yunli, and the soldiers at the border who fought bloody battles and sacrificed their lives to protect this land."

"At the same time, this is also unfair to you. You have studied the sage's books for ten years, but you are unable to be loyal to the emperor and serve the master. Isn't all your study in vain?"

"Yunzhi, as a person, you must first be worthy of the conscience of heaven and earth, and secondly, you must be worthy of the common people."

"You cannot ignore the safety of the world and the lives of all people for your own selfish reasons."

"My brother is a rough man, unlike you, who is well-read and knowledgeable. He knows this inexplicable truth, so how could you not understand it?"

"When people do something wrong, they must admit their mistakes and repent. They can't just make one mistake and then make more mistakes."

"Behind you are the entire Wang family, and your two sons.

"As the head of the family and a father, you are to establish the family tradition so that the Wang clan can have a correct attitude and have the right values, and set an example for the younger generations."

"This is the foundation that will ensure that our Wang family remains invincible for thousands of years to come."

Wang Hengshan's words made Wang Yunzhi silent again. Putting aside other things, as the head of the Wang family, he was not qualified enough.

As the head of the family, he must first have a selfless heart and not have his own selfish desires, but he obviously did not do enough in this regard.

Over the years, he has caused dissatisfaction among many people in the clan because Li Chaohui has done many things against his will. However, because he now holds the high position of prime minister, those people dare not speak out.

Seeing that Wang Yunzhi was silent again, Wang Hengshan sighed softly. His younger brother was good in every way except that he was too infatuated.

If he was just an ordinary person, a lovesick man, it would be fine, but he is the prime minister of a country with great power and the patriarch of a clan.

In this way, his infatuation will not become a beautiful story praised by people, but will only become his shackles and his original sin.

"Yunzhi, please think carefully about this. Don't bring yourself, your children and grandchildren, and the entire Wang family into a place of no return."

Wang Hengshan also knew that he couldn't push people into a corner, and that everything had to be done in moderation.

Wang Yunzhi is a smart man, he has just been trapped in an inherent concept for so many years and cannot get out of it.

Give him some time, let him calm down and think carefully, maybe he will figure it out.

"Brother is going back. I'll come to see you another day." Wang Hengshan stood up and was about to leave.

"Brother, where are you going?" Wang Yunzhi came to his senses and quickly stood up. He stopped Wang Hengshan and said, "You're back now. Why aren't you staying at home? What are you going to do?"

Wang Hengshan looked at Wang Yunzhi and said with a smile: "Don't worry, brother has a place to stay and won't sleep on the streets."

"You can't leave even if you have somewhere to go. Listen to me. I'll have someone prepare a place for you to rest. Take a shower and go rest quickly."

How could Wang Yunzhi let Wang Hengshan go?

Apart from anything else, just because Wang Hengshan has returned, the two brothers should have a good reunion together.

Drinking and chatting, talking about your circumstances over the years and what happened, all of these are no problem.

"No, I'll come see you another day. If you want to find me, go to Yipinlou."

"Your sister-in-law was unwell a few days ago, so she came back with the two sons of the Zhenbei Marquis."

"She's now living in the First Floor Building, recuperating there. I haven't seen her for a while, and I miss her so much. I wonder how she's doing now?"

"I have to rush back to see her first and make sure she's safe. Only then I can feel at ease."

Having said that, Wang Hengshan looked at Wang Yunzhi and couldn't help but want to nag him again.

"Over the years, your sister-in-law has really suffered a lot following me. She used to be a pampered young lady, but before, she rarely even picked up a needle and thread, let alone washing her hands and cooking."

"But she's worked so hard and suffered so much over the years. If she hadn't been by my side, I wouldn't have been able to get through this."

"I'm afraid he died long ago in the Northern Frontier, and has turned into a pile of bones."

After praising his wife, Wang Hengshan looked at Wang Yunzhi and said meaningfully, "No matter how long it takes, the bond between husband and wife will always be long-lasting."

"Your sister-in-law has been with you through a lot of hardships over the years. If it weren't for her, how could you be so successful now?"

"People should always have some conscience. You should be more understanding and considerate of her difficulties."

"Be nice to your sister-in-law, or you'll regret it later. Life alone is not easy."

"Although what you said may be unpleasant to the ears, it is the truth. Please do not mistreat your sister-in-law."

"Yeah." Wang Yunzhi nodded and said, "Brother, I'll take note."

"Since the Marquis of Zhenbei has already prepared a place for you to stay, I won't keep you here."

"I'll go to Yipinlou some other day to pay my respects and visit my sister-in-law."

"Brother, let me ask someone to take you to Yipinlou. It's quite far from here."

Although Prime Minister Wang went straight home after court every day and never participated in any gatherings or banquets among his colleagues, he was not an ignorant person.

He knew very well who owned Yipintang now.

"No need, there's a carriage waiting outside. You should stop here and don't send any more, lest you get seen and get into trouble."

Although many years have passed, Wang Hengshan's identity is still a criminal exiled to the frontier.

If people found out that he had secretly returned to Shangjing and met with Wang Yunzhi in private, most of Shangjing would go crazy.

After Wang Hengshan said this, he didn't wait for Wang Yunzhi to say anything else and just strode away.

After leaving Wang Yunzhi's yard, Wang Hengshan walked to the courtyard wall, jumped up, then flew down and landed steadily on the carriage waiting for him outside.

Apart from other things, Wang Hengshan's martial arts have improved greatly in the northern border over the years, which is undeniable.

Wang Hengshan was sitting in the carriage at this time, extremely anxious. He really wanted to go to Yipinlou immediately. He was not only worried about his wife, but he was even more worried about and wanted to see his poor daughter Wang Danyang.

Wang Yunzhi stared at the place where Wang Hengshan disappeared for a long time before calling Changhai over and asking him to tell his wife to prepare some medicinal herbs, supplements, and some daily necessities and send them to Yipintang.

Although he also knew that since the Marquis of Zhenbei had asked Wang Hengshan to return to Shangjing, everything would naturally be arranged properly and the couple would not suffer any lack.

But he still had to prepare these things and send them over. As a younger brother, this was his duty to his brother and sister-in-law.

Because it was night and the carriage was traveling on a remote path, the speed was much faster than usual.

But Wang Hengshan, who was sitting in the carriage, still felt that the pace was too slow. If he was not afraid of causing trouble, he would have gotten off the carriage and ran to Yipintang.

Qiong Niang in Yipin Building was also feeling uneasy at this time. She had not seen her father for many years. When she knew that her father was coming back, in addition to being surprised, she also felt a lot of worry and melancholy.

When her father was framed and a huge incident happened in the family, the root cause was actually her.

If she had not fallen in love with Li Rui at first sight, been fascinated by his face that brought disaster to the country and the people, and insisted on entering the palace to be a concubine, perhaps that thing would not have happened.

The family will not be implicated by her, and her parents and brothers and sisters will not suffer so much.

Mrs. Wang looked at her daughter who was restless and knew that she was having wild thoughts again.

"Son, come and sit next to me and be quiet for a while. You've been spinning around so much that I'm almost dizzy."

"Mom, why hasn't Dad come back yet?" Qiong Niang returned to her mother and sat down obediently.

"Why are you worrying about this? He's already in Shangjing, can he still fly?"

Mrs. Wang held her daughter's hand and patted it gently. "Son, you are not to blame for what happened back then. Your father and I have never blamed you."

"Even if you hadn't entered the palace as a concubine, our family would still be plotted against by the emperor."

"The Wang family is powerful and has many talented people. Sooner or later, they will be suspected and liquidated."

"You are just too worried and think too much. Don't put everything on yourself. You will be too tired if you do that."

"Mother, I know, but whenever I think about how much suffering you've endured in Northern Xinjiang, my heart aches like a knife."

Qiong Niang lowered her head and was in a very bad mood. Although her life in Youming Palace was extremely difficult at that time, she would still feel sad when she thought of the suffering her family had endured.

"What's done is done. It's done. It's nothing to suffer a little. At least our family is still alive and well."

"Is there anything more worthy of celebration and happiness in this world than a family reunion?"

"Son, as a person, you shouldn't be too greedy. Wanting everything, wanting everything to be smooth and healthy, how can such a good thing be possible?"

"The moon waxes and wanes, and wanes and waxes. This is the natural cycle of reincarnation. How can ordinary people like us overturn it and change it?"

"In all things, as long as we keep a normal mind and don't worry about gains and losses, we will welcome them with joy and let them go silently."

"The suffering, hardships, and blessings you will experience in this life have all been predetermined by God. You can't just ask for them and then dispose of them."

"Every year, people are exiled to the frontier, but how many of them can make it there alive and reunite with their families?"

"Our family's situation is already good enough, and mother is very content."

Mrs. Wang's family is also a prominent family. She was raised in pampered condition since childhood. Who would have thought that such a delicate person could survive in the northern border?

"Alright, hurry up and heat up the food. Your father must be raring to go after traveling for so many days."

"Your father's favorite food now is the noodles made by mother. Let's heat up the dishes while the other one makes the noodles. When your old father comes back, we can have a good meal."

The mother and daughter went to the kitchen, chatting and laughing. Before the carriage stopped, Wang Hengshan couldn't wait to jump off the carriage.

"Ajing, Ajing, are you there?" Mr. Wang Hengshan had not yet entered the house when he heard the shout.

Ajing is Mrs. Wang’s name. Her surname is Sun and her given name is Jing.

Hearing Wang Hengshan's shout, Sun Jing hurriedly put down the rolling pin in her hand, grabbed Qiong Niang's hand and ran out.

Seeing Wang Hengshan standing in front of her, Sun Jing reached out to wipe the tears from her face and scolded him with a smile: "Old man, what are you yelling about? I'm not deaf, I heard it."

When Qiong Niang looked at her father who had grown old and no longer looked like he used to be, her nose felt sore and her eyes turned red.

"Silly girl, why are you crying? Your father is alive and well."

Wang Hengshan hugged Qiong Niang and comforted his daughter, saying, "Don't cry. Daddy is hungry. Hurry up and prepare something for him to eat."