The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Ruan Yuhu returned to Yuxiu Palace with the important information he obtained from Duan Qingning.

"Where is Jiaojiao?" Ruan Yuhu asked as soon as he saw Xia He outside before he even entered the house.

"The master is reading a book." Seeing Ruan Yuhu walking anxiously, Xia He knew that something big had happened again.

Xia He stepped forward to support Ruan Yuhu, "Grandfather, please slow down."

"No time to waste, hurry up, I have something important to tell Jiaojiao."

Although Ruan Yuhu is already old, she is sometimes still as unstable as a little girl.

Hearing the voices outside, Shen Tianjiao, who was just tired of reading, put down the book in her hand and got up to come out.

"Auntie, what's going on?"

As soon as Shen Tianjiao came out, she ran into Ruan Yuhu head-on.

Ruan Yuhu pushed away Xia He's hand that was supporting him, stepped forward, held Shen Tianjiao's hand, and said, "Go to the study, I have something important to tell you."

"Okay." Seeing Ruan Yuhu's nervous look, Shen Tianjiao also became nervous.

The two entered the study, and before they even sat down, Ruan Yuhu couldn't wait to say, "Jiaojiao, Madam Yu's identity has been clarified. She is a princess of Nanchu, and her real name is Duan Yunna."

"Her mother is a witch from a Miao tribe. She holds a very high status in the tribe and is skilled in sorcery and poison making. I heard she also knows illusions."

"Duan Yunna grew up among the common people. She was already sensible when she was brought to the Nanchu Palace."

"Her situation in the Nanchu Imperial Palace was not good. The previous emperor of Nanchu wanted to marry her off to the leader of a tribe after she came of age."

"She was unwilling and escaped from the palace, but was caught again."

"But she was unwilling to give in, so she poisoned the people guarding her and escaped again."

"Later, for some reason, she met Shen Pingzhi and became entangled with him."

Ruan Yuhu had already come back jogging, and after talking so much in a row, her mouth was dry.

Shen Tianjiao tactfully handed over a glass of water. Ruan Yuhu took it and drank it all in one gulp without caring about his image.

Seeing that Ruan Yuhu was so thirsty, Shen Tianjiao immediately poured another glass of water and handed it to him.

This time, Ruan Yuhu was not so anxious. She regained her usual elegance and grace, holding the teacup and drinking from it in small sips.

Shen Tianjiao waited patiently on the side. She knew that Duan Yunna’s matter was not the point, and there would definitely be more surprising things later.

Otherwise, Ruan Yuhu wouldn't have come back in such a hurry.

Sure enough, after Ruan Yuhu put down her teacup, she continued, "Duan Yunna was brought back to the palace by a priest from the Nanchu Temple. I guess this priest must have a close relationship with her."

"Why else would he go to such a thankless task as to bring a princess who was left behind among the common people back to the palace?"

"And Duan Qingning also said that this priest's ancestor was not from Nanchu, but because a great plague broke out in Nanchu that year and no one was able to treat it."

"Because he stopped the plague, he was appointed as a priest in the temple by the Emperor of Southern Chu, and the title has been passed down from generation to generation."

"So I think if Duan Yunna and Shen Pingzhi wanted to use that person to join forces with Li Zhaohui to cause trouble, then it should be this priest without a doubt."

Ruan Yuhu's words evoked Shen Tianjiao's forgotten memories. She was only thinking about how to deal with Li Chaohui, but forgot that Li Chaohui had external aid.

Whether it is Shen Pingzhi's death or Duan Yunna's death, it has been kept secret so far.

So there was no way Li Chaohui could know that her two allies were dead.

Although Li Chaohui herself is very quiet, the people under her are very restless.

They have been contacting various forces, but no one has come to investigate Shen Pingzhi and Duan Yunna, which can only mean one thing.

That is Li Chaohui, who has a way to contact people in Miaojiang privately.

Shen Pingzhi would not participate in their transaction. He was just assisting Li Chaohui behind the scenes and waiting for Li Chaohui to succeed so that he could get what he wanted.

Thinking about it this way, it really makes me feel cold.

Seeing that Shen Tianjiao was silent, Ruan Yuhu continued, "The key now is to find out what conspiracy there is between that priest and Li Zhaohui."

"The people we sent to Miaojiang haven't returned yet. There's been no news recently. We don't know what happened."

"So what I mean is, send some more people to Miaojiang and Nanchu to investigate the priest and find the whereabouts of the previous group of people."

"Time is limited now. We can't delay any longer. If we delay any further, it might be too late."

"Our chances of winning against Li Zhaohui are limited to Miaojiang and Nanchu."

"Whether it's Miaojiang or Nanchu, they are all good at using poison. If we can't destroy their conspiracy, I'm afraid we will suffer a great loss this time."

Ruan Yuhu's words made Shen Tianjiao wake up instantly. She had to make a decision immediately.

After a brief thought, Shen Tianjiao made a decision. "Then we'll split our forces into two groups. One will go to Miaojiang, and the other will go to Southern Chu. This time, we'll attack from both sides. We must get this done before Li Zhaohui rebels."

"Even if we can't do it, we have to find a way to destroy their alliance."

"Yes, no matter what, we must destroy their alliance this time. If they join forces, we will be the ones who suffer."

It's okay to suffer losses if you are late, but Ruan Yuhu doesn't like suffering losses.

"But the problem now is that we don't have anyone capable enough to do this."

Shen Tianjiao has no shortage of manpower, but she lacks people who can get the job done.

Qiu Tong is not around, and the others are either capable but not smart enough, or smart but lack the ability.

Nanchu is adjacent to Miaojiang, both of which are dangerous places. Anyone who goes there must be able to deal with any emergencies there.

Ruan Yuhu also fell into deep thought. It was indeed a difficult task to decide who to send.

It seems that we need to speed up the process of cultivating talents in various aspects, otherwise we will be at a loss when the time comes.

Shen Tianjiao thought for a long time before she made up her mind and said, "Why not let my eldest brother take someone there? Although he has been staying in the Northern Frontier, his ability is unquestionable."

Ruan Yuhu looked up at Shen Tianjiao. She knew that this girl really had no one available now, otherwise she would never have taken the initiative to suggest that her elder brother go.

After being with Shen Tianjiao for a long time, Ruan Yuhu naturally knew that Shen Tianjiao loved her three brothers very much.

She didn't want them to get involved in anything dangerous, but now she wanted Shen Yiyang to bring people over, which was really putting her in a difficult position.

The matter of going to Miaojiang and Nanchu must be kept strictly confidential and no one can know about it.

We must send our own people to ensure safety.

"General Shen is extremely capable. At such a young age, he's already capable of leading the troops on the expedition in place of the Marquis of Zhenbei."

"Although Northern Xinjiang and Southern Chu are places of danger, with his intelligence and ability, it won't be difficult for him to escape safely."

"Also, Miaojiang and Nanchu are both major concerns for us Yunli. We can't wait until a multi-national war breaks out before we deal with them."

"It's a good opportunity to have General Shen go there in person, so that he can get to know the geographical environment, local customs and practices there in advance."

The meaning of Ruan Yuhu's words was very clear. This time, he asked Shen Yiyang to go to Miaojiang and Nanchu in order to prepare for the destruction of Miaojiang and Nanchu.

Shen Yiyang went to understand the local environment in advance and make strategic arrangements, so that the chances of victory would be much greater when attacking Miaojiang and Southern Chu in the future.

"Don't worry too much. General Shen is a veteran general. Facing so many enemies, he can still win safely."

"It's just a small Miaojiang and Nanchu now. Can't he handle it?"

Although Ruan Yuhu didn't understand why Shen Tianjiao was overly worried about her three brothers, she still comforted Shen Tianjiao with kind words.

The three brothers of the Shen family are all veterans of battles and have experienced life and death on the battlefield with the Marquis of Zhenbei.

They have outstanding abilities and can even enter and leave the battlefield with ease, but for some reason Shen Tianjiao always hopes that they can stay in Shangjing and not go anywhere.

It seemed that the three brothers of the Shen family would be in danger as long as they left Shangjing.

Shen Tianjiao sighed. How could others understand her thoughts?

She came from the future world. The tragic situation of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion and the experiences of all the people in the Shen family tormented Shen Tianjiao like a nightmare.

Shen Tianjiao could never feel at ease until she was completely sure that the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion had escaped its past misfortune and the fate of everyone in it had been reversed.

"I'm going to Fu Sheng Ruo Meng later to talk to my elder brother and my father."

"My eldest brother is a loyal and straightforward person. He is not afraid of fighting openly on the battlefield."

"But if he encounters someone as cunning as Miaojiang and Nanchu, he might not be able to deal with it so easily."

Among the three brothers of the Shen family, Shen Yiyang is the most cunning and honest.

What Shen Tianjiao feared most was that Shen Yiyang would not be able to defeat those people, and would be sold out and still help others count the money.

"Then why not let your second brother go? He's definitely smart enough."

Going to Miaojiang and Nanchu does require a lot of wit and a lot of caution. Thinking of this, Ruan Yuhu seemed to understand Shen Tianjiao's worries.

Although there are places on the battlefield that require scheming, most of the time, you are fighting with the enemy on the battlefield.

But it’s different when you go to Miaojiang and Nanchu. Facing unfamiliar environments and people, you need to be more careful.

If a simple-minded person goes there, he will definitely suffer a great loss.

Shen Tianjiao shook her head and said, "My second brother can't go. He has to stay in Shangjing to stabilize the situation. Since we want to change the minds of these aristocratic families, we should take action now."

"Besides, he's probably not in the capital right now. Waiting for him to come back will take up a lot of time."

"Not in Shangjing?" Ruan Yuhu looked up at Shen Tianjiao, "Didn't you tell him to stay in Shangjing and not go anywhere?"

"Is he such an obedient person?" Shen Tianjiao said with a wry smile, "How could he not get involved in Madam Wang's matter?"

"He always turns a deaf ear to what I say."

Shen Tianjiao doesn't like the practice of pretending to obey but actually disobeying. Shen Tingzhi will be of great use in the future. If there is no restraint to restrain him, something bad will happen sooner or later.

The people from the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion and the Shen family are the ones she would risk her life to save. What she wants is for their family to live in harmony forever.

Ruan Yuhu stopped talking. This was a matter between them and it would not be good if she interfered too much.

"By the way, Duan Qingning, the medicine for Li Chaohui, has been prepared." When Ruan Yuhu touched the medicine bottle in her sleeve pocket, she remembered that she almost forgot about the important matter.

"It's done so quickly?" Shen Tianjiao looked at the medicine bottle in her hand in confusion. "Didn't they say it would take at least three days to make it?"

"The palace has everything and is not short of manpower. As long as the materials are complete, preparing medicines will not be a difficult task for her."

Ruan Yuhu is still very confident about Duan Qingning's pharmaceutical business.

"Should we give this medicine to Li Zhaohui now?" Ruan Yuhu hesitated for a moment and said, "Otherwise, should we wait until General Shen returns and sorts out the issues in Miaojiang and Southern Chu before giving it to Li Zhaohui?"

Ruan Yuhu said this for her own reasons. They knew nothing about the situation in Miaojiang and Nanchu. It would be too risky to let Li Chaohui take the medicine and rebel after he regained his strength.

Shen Tianjiao pondered for a moment and said, "No, we can't wait any longer. No matter what conspiracy she has with Miaojiang and Nanchu, our plan can't be postponed any longer."

"The longer things are delayed, the more trouble they will cause. Uncontrollable external factors will increase. If you don't make a decision when you should, you will suffer the consequences."

"It would be best if my eldest brother could get to the bottom of this matter before Li Zhaohui rebels."

"If we haven't found out, that's fine. We'll find a way to deal with it if we take precautions."

"Aunt, wait two days and then go find Madam Duan and ask her to help make some universal antidote. As long as she agrees, she can set any conditions."

"Most people from Miaojiang and Nanchu can make poison. Their method of dealing with us is nothing more than using poison."

"Let's prepare in advance so that we won't be caught off guard and passively take the beating."

Shen Tianjiao has made up her mind that this time she will settle things with Li Chaohui no matter what.

If Li Chaohui is not dealt with, the multinational war that she has been planning since her previous life will be postponed indefinitely and become a distant prospect.

Sometimes, the longer things are delayed, the smaller the chances of success become. If they can no longer be accomplished, Shen Tianjiao is afraid that even if she lives her life again, she still won't be able to realize her great cause of building a country.