The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

In fact, Shen Tianjiao didn't have to worry about the turtle-catching plan that was arranged at night.

For Yu Po, this kind of thing is as easy as pie. She can handle it alone and there is no need for Shen Tianjiao to intervene.

Shen Tianjiao, who finally had some free time, could finally calm down and sit alone by the window, drinking tea, daydreaming, and thinking about her own worries.

We are so busy that we don’t even have time to eat. How can we have this kind of time for ourselves?

For Shen Tianjiao, the leisurely and comfortable time like today, which belongs only to herself, has really become a luxury.

Shen Tianjiao sat by the window, holding a cup of hot tea in her hand, her eyes gazing at the place she longed for but could not go to now - Northern Xinjiang.

That person should have arrived in the northern border by now. He had always lived in the southern border in his previous life, and it was unknown whether he could adapt to the environment in the northern border now that he was there.

After living a new life, I have become another person, and I don’t know what he looks like now.

If they meet again, will they still recognize each other?

The more Shen Tianjiao thought about it, the more panicked and insecure she became. In her previous life, their identities were so different that they were unable to bridge the gap between them. In the end, she could only feel regret and sadness.

Even if they were to live their lives again, fate would still not favor them.

There is also a huge difference in their status, a difference between the ruler and his subjects, and the gap between them cannot be bridged.

Even if they met again, what would it matter? They still couldn't escape the teasing and manipulation of fate.

Thinking of this, Shen Tianjiao couldn't help but sigh heavily. It was fine when she was usually too busy to think about these things, but now that she has time to think about them, it will only increase her troubles and pain.

Yu Po came in with something to report, but when she saw Shen Tianjiao's appearance at this moment, she just stood there and dared not move.

Shen Tianjiao, who was thinking about something sad, raised the teacup in her hand and poured the tea in it into her mouth as if it were wine.

Seeing this, Yu Po could no longer bear it. She quietly walked to Shen Tianjiao, took the cup from her hand, and said softly, "Master, what's wrong with you?"

"Oh, nothing, just remembered some sad things."

Shen Tianjiao came back to her senses, looked at Yupo and asked, "Are you prepared for tonight? Be careful not to alert the enemy or make too much noise."

"There are not only some women who come to burn incense in this Huguo Temple now, but also ministers from the court."

"If the noise is too loud, it will shake the morale of the army and make those people unstable."

"Master, rest assured. Tonight's matter will only be resolved in our courtyard. There will be no noise that will spread outside."

"Our courtyard is only separated from the abbot's residence by a wall, but it's still some distance away from the outside."

"The abbot is not here right now. He went to see the Marquis. So far, there is no one in his residence except for a few people who usually serve him."

"I've already sent those attendants away. I'll have them stay somewhere else for now, and we'll have people watching over them."

Yu Po is a very capable and careful person. Tonight's action is related to the situation in the court, so he is even more cautious.

"Well, that's good." Shen Tianjiao was still in a bad mood at this time. She had not yet recovered from the pain just now.

Yu Po raised his head and glanced at Shen Tianjiao, then he said cautiously, "Master, the one from Ziyun Mountain is here and wants to see you."

Shen Tianjiao was slightly stunned. Is this person really unscrupulous now?

It's broad daylight now, and he comes here so openly. He is not afraid of being seen and causing unnecessary trouble.

Hearing that the person from Ziyun Mountain had arrived, Shen Tianjiao quickly calmed down and ordered, "Go and invite him in."

The reason why Shen Tianjiao was so cautious was because the person from Ziyun Mountain had a special identity and was not an ordinary person.

The owner of Ziyun Mountain was named Li Xian. He was the eldest son of Emperor Taizong and should have been the first in line to inherit the throne.

He was born with great intelligence, but his character was too weak, not as good as his brothers who were decisive, brutal and fond of fighting for power.

Such a character destined him to become a loser who would be abandoned on the road to succession.

At that time, the elderly Emperor Taizu watched with his own eyes his sons killing each other for the throne, and the killing continued until it came to him.

As the victor in the fight for the throne, Emperor Gaozu made no secret of his ambition and desire for imperial power in front of his father.

He directly forced the then old and frail Emperor Taizu to issue an edict to appoint himself as the crown prince. He did not want to be a power grabber who was criticized and reviled by others, but wanted to be the natural and legitimate heir.

Emperor Taizu, who was once a great hero who was decisive and able to turn the tide, had no choice but to surrender when faced with the butcher knife and coercion of his own son.

However, the only thing Emperor Taizu insisted on was that after Emperor Gaozu ascended the throne, he should spare his eldest son Li Xian.

He still liked his eldest son very much, although he was weak in character but extremely intelligent.

Moreover, of his more than ten sons at that time, only four were left because they died in the fight for the throne.

The eldest son Li Xian, whom he had always protected well, Emperor Gaozu and the seventh son who conspired with Emperor Gaozu, and the remaining eleventh son who was still in his infancy.

He couldn't control the situation from getting out of control, but he had to do his best to keep his surviving sons protected and safe.

So Emperor Taizu plotted to have his own son, Emperor Gaozu, swear an oath in front of all the court officials and the people of the world.

No matter whether he is alive or his descendants live, he cannot kill his eldest son Li Xian and his family.

If the oath is violated, Emperor Gaozu and his descendants will be cursed. None of his descendants will live to middle age, and all will die suddenly in their youth.

This oath was extremely poisonous, but Emperor Gaozu really agreed to it for the sake of his throne.

Thus, Li Xian became the most peculiar existence in Yunli Kingdom, and became the taboo of Yunli emperors of all generations, but also the target that no one dared to harm.

After leaving the palace, Li Xian went to his fiefdom, Yanzhou, which was closest to Shangjing, and became the King of Freedom on a mountain called Ziyun Mountain there.

Although Li Xian was defeated miserably in the fight for the throne, he was successful in other aspects.

Not only was he successful in business, becoming the richest hidden man in Yunli Country, but he also lived a long life.

Not only did he outlive Emperor Gaozu, he also outlived the previous emperor, and he is still alive and well today.

However, although he enjoyed all the blessings in the world, none of his descendants lived up to his expectations. They were all playboys who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun.

It is rumored that his descendants made the family home a mess in order to fight for his huge fortune.

Everyone is waiting for him to close his eyes and divide the family property.

While Shen Tianjiao was still daydreaming, Li Xian, a wealthy idler dressed in gorgeous clothes, came staggering in.

When Shen Tianjiao saw Li Xian coming in, he spoke first before she could say anything.

"Please ask your Majesty to dismiss the attendants. I have something important to discuss with you privately."

Listening to Li Xian's voice, Shen Tianjiao suddenly understood what was wrong when she saw Li Xian yesterday.

The voice was too young. Although it had been disguised and modified, it still didn't sound like the voice of an octogenarian.

"All of you please leave." Shen Tianjiao waved her hand to signal everyone in the room to leave.

So in an instant, all the other people in the room left, leaving only Shen Tianjiao and Li Xian.

"Tell me, who are you and what is your purpose in coming here to see me?"

Shen Tianjiao was too lazy to deal with the other party, so she spoke directly and made it clear that she already knew that the person in front of her was not Li Xian.

The other party was also a smart man. After knowing that Shen Tianjiao had seen that he was not Li Xian, he no longer pretended and knelt down and said, "I, Li Ziyan, pay my respects to the Queen."

"I am Li Xian's great-grandson. I did not come here intentionally to deceive the Empress. I came here to seek help from the Empress at the order of my great-grandfather."

Shen Tianjiao stared at the man kneeling in front of her, who claimed to be the great-grandson of Li Xian. She thought that she had only learned yesterday that Li Xian had helped her father, and she wanted to repay the favor, but who would have thought that he would come to her door today.

"Get up and talk."

Although she didn't know what Li Ziyan was going to say to her on Li Xian's orders, Shen Tianjiao had a premonition that what Li Ziyan was going to say should be a very good thing for Yun Li.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Li Ziyan stood up from the ground, but kept his head lowered.

Although his true appearance could not be seen clearly at this moment, one could still feel the noble temperament emanating from him.

"Tell me, your great-grandfather asked you to come see me, why?"

"In reply to the Queen, my great-grandfather asked me to come here to ask you to save our family's lives."

Li Ziyan lowered his head and spoke in a low voice, but what he said was shocking.

Shen Tianjiao was shocked when she heard this. Although starting from Emperor Gaozu, three generations of emperors had regarded Li Xian and his family as a thorn in their eyes and a thorn in their flesh.

But no one dared to harm Li Xian. After all, everyone knew about the oath he made. Even if they had reservations, who would be willing to break their oath and bring retribution upon themselves?

I can't harm Li Xian, but I am really embarrassed.

But who on earth dared to harm someone that even the emperor didn't dare to harm?

"What happened? Is your great-grandfather Li Xian still alive?"

The reason why Shen Tianjiao asked this was because there were many rumors about Li Xian in the outside world, saying that he was dead, but because of the property dispute, there was no way to make his death public. He could only keep his body at home and wait until the property was divided before making any plans.

"In reply to the Empress, my great-grandfather is still alive, but he is now at the end of his rope and won't last much longer."

When he said this, Li Ziyan couldn't help but feel sad, and his voice was also tinged with sadness.

Hearing that Li Xianren was still alive, Shen Tianjiao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Then what kind of help did he ask you to seek from me?"

"In reply to the Empress, my great grandfather has the audacity to invite you to Ziyun Mountain. He wants to speak to you personally about something."

Although Li Ziyan said these words to Shen Tianjiao on the orders of his great-grandfather, he himself felt it was ridiculous.

Shen Tianjiao is now the queen regent and has an important status, which is equivalent to that of the emperor.

Although his great-grandfather was once a member of the royal family, he is now a commoner.

My great-grandfather was just a commoner, but he asked the most noble queen in the world to condescend to come to Ziyun Mountain to see him. It sounded unreasonable no matter how he listened to it.

But Li Ziyan also knew that this was a helpless choice that his great-grandfather had to make.

Shen Tianjiao was shocked. She obviously never expected Li Xian to make such a request to her.

Li Xian has been doing business in an honest and law-abiding manner over the years and has never done anything out of line.

He now let his great-grandson take the risk to come here and make such a request to him. He must have encountered some big problem. Otherwise, he would definitely not do this.

"What happened to your family?"

It is not impossible to let Shen Tianjiao meet Li Xian, but before Shen Tianjiao goes, she must know the real situation in Li Xian's family.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to report this." Li Ziyan bowed to Shen Tianjiao and then said, "This is an unfortunate scandal for our family. I hope Your Majesty will listen and not blame me."

"Our family is indeed in a state of chaos, just as the rumors spread. Each branch of the family is fighting over the family property, and there is no longer any respect for the family."

"My great-grandfather had five sons, and my five grandfathers had a total of 21 sons, and my uncles and father had more than 40 sons."

"With more sons, there will naturally be more disputes and family disharmony. Everyone wants to fight for more family property and become the owner of Ziyun Villa."

"Everyday we fight openly and secretly, but that's all family business, with no outsiders getting involved."

"But I don't know since when, my uncle's family actually got close to Prince Su. My uncle's son even married Prince Su's illegitimate granddaughter a year ago."

"Ever since Prince Su's illegitimate granddaughter entered the palace, our family has been in complete chaos."