The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"She was fine at first, but gradually she started to conspire with my eldest brother."

"They want to kick all of us out and keep all the property for themselves."

"In order to achieve their own goals, they started to cause all kinds of trouble at home, framing one person and then another, as if they would not stop until they had killed all of us."

"But my great-grandfather would never allow it. They killed their brothers and sisters and each other for the family property."

"So I stepped forward to stop them, but I didn't expect them to bring in Prince Su to back them up. With Prince Su as a powerful supporter, even my great-grandfather couldn't resist."

"Although they can't fight, they still have some concerns because Great Grandpa is still alive. They don't dare to do evil things openly, but they keep making small moves behind the scenes."

"Later, they felt that my great grandfather was still alive and blocking their path, so they poisoned him, hoping to kill him so they could do whatever they wanted."

"Fortunately, my great grandfather was prepared in advance and was able to escape the disaster, but it's not a solution to continue like this for a long time."

"So my great grandfather took this opportunity to ask the Empress for help."

"I beg Your Majesty, for the sake of the Marquis of Zhenbei, to go to Ziyun Mountain to meet my great-grandfather."

"Originally, it was my great-grandfather who should have come to see you, but now I really don't have the ability to do so. I hope you can atone for your sins."

After saying this, Li Ziyan knelt down again and kowtowed deeply to Shen Tianjiao.

Shen Tianjiao's heart sank. She was not angry because Li Xian wanted her to go to Ziyun Mountain in person, but because after hearing what Li Ziyan said, she understood that another dispute was coming.

What happened in Li Xian's family was not the children and grandchildren fighting over the family property and killing each other. It was clearly that they were being targeted by that Prince Su, Li Xuan.

He just wanted to take Li Xian's property and take it for himself.

What does Li Xuan want so much money for? The answer is obvious and can be figured out without thinking.

Naturally, they wanted to use the money to recruit soldiers and win over the hearts of the people, and then when the time was right, they would of course rebel.

Just thinking about it gave Shen Tianjiao a headache. These ambitious people did not think about how to be loyal to the country, how to make the people live and work in peace and contentment, and how to have enough food and clothing to live a prosperous life. Instead, they thought about how to satisfy their own selfish desires all day long.

Do they really think that anyone can become emperor? Do they really think that being emperor is easy?

Shen Tianjiao took a deep breath. Since Li Xuan wanted to make her unhappy, she would just grant his wish.

A hereditary prince who has no real power and is only blessed by his family actually dares to have such thoughts. He is really asking for trouble.

Since Li Xuan is determined to drag his entire family to seek death, wouldn't Shen Tianjiao be letting him down if she didn't follow his wishes?

Shen Tianjiao suddenly felt murderous and Li Xuan's life was in danger.

"Get up, I still have a lot of things to deal with today. Once I'm done tomorrow, I'll go with you to see Li Xian."

Shen Tianjiao's words finally put Li Ziyan's heart at ease.

Originally, he didn't believe what his great-grandfather said, that Shen Tianjiao would definitely agree to go to Ziyun Mountain with him. Now that he heard Shen Tianjiao's promise with his own ears, he realized that his great-grandfather was not trying to help him.

"On behalf of my great grandfather, I would like to thank the Empress for her great kindness. If I can ever be of any use to you in the future, I will be happy to help you."

"Okay, you go back first." Shen Tianjiao now has to think about how to capture Li Xuan without any soldiers.

"When I finish my work tomorrow, I will send someone to look for you."

"I'll take my leave." Li Ziyan was no longer the gloomy look he had when he first came in. Now that he had received Shen Tianjiao's promise, he felt more confident and the worry on his face disappeared, and he looked radiant.

When Shen Tingzhi appeared in front of Wang Yunzhi, Wang Yunzhi realized how serious a mistake he had made.

He clasped his fists towards Shen Tingzhi apologetically and said, "I am really old and confused. I have not thought things through. I hope Second Young Master will forgive me."

Shen Tingzhi smiled at Wang Yunzhi and said, "It's okay. The Empress knows the Prime Minister's worries. She asked me to come here today to reassure the Prime Minister and the others."

"The Queen's words are as good as gold. What she said is absolutely true and will never be changed."

"Your Majesty, I have no intention of questioning the Empress. I just want to..."

"Alright, Prime Minister, there's no need to say anything more. The Empress knows what you're thinking. Otherwise, she wouldn't have let me come."

Shen Tingzhi interrupted Wang Yunzhi before he finished speaking. This is the bad thing about scholars. They like to talk a lot and never look relaxed.

"Okay, I won't say any more." Wang Yunzhi nodded with a smile and said, "Since the Second Young Master is here, I'll let them all in."

"Prime Minister, please do as you please."

Shen Tingzhi sat down in the main seat first. He represented Shen Tianjiao today, so this was the main seat without a doubt and he had to sit there.

After Shen Tingzhi sat down in the main seat, Wang Yunzhi ordered people to invite the people from the next room in.

Those people came in one after another. When they saw Shen Tingzhi, they were all stunned for a moment, then saluted Shen Tingzhi and sat down in their respective seats in order.

Wang Yunzhi saw that everyone was gathered, so he said, "My Lords, I have already told the Queen about this matter."

"The Queen Mother means that as long as everyone follows me and returns to the right path from now on, she will forgive all the past events."

"It was Wang who initially lured you all into this game, and it's also Wang who is leading you out now."

"Mr. Wang has been bewildered for years, led astray and done many things he shouldn't have done. Now he has finally woken up and realized that he was wrong all these years."

"Today, I am grateful that the Queen Mother has not abandoned me and is willing to believe in me and give me a chance to repent. Therefore, I naturally dare not abandon everyone."

"I also hope that you can join me, Wang, in returning to the right path, serving the country with all your heart, eradicating the treacherous, stabilizing the country, and wholeheartedly assisting His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, contributing to the prosperity of Yunli and the enduring strength of our nation."

As soon as Wang Yunzhi finished speaking, the group of people immediately stood up and expressed their loyalty in front of Shen Tingzhi.

Each of these people has served in the court for many years and comes from a prominent family. The most inconspicuous ones are also from a family of officials. They are all shrewd and well versed in the ways of the world, otherwise it would be impossible for them to be so successful in officialdom.

Everyone knew very well what Shen Tingzhi's appearance here today meant.

They followed Li Chaohui before only because of Wang Yunzhi. Now Wang Yunzhi has abandoned Li Chaohui and returned to the right path. If they don't follow him back, do they really want to die with Li Chaohui?

These people can see clearly the current situation in the court. They also know in their hearts that orthodoxy is orthodoxy. Even if Li Chaohui has the so-called gimmick of being the chosen one by heaven, he will ultimately be no match for the orthodox royal bloodline.

The crown prince was enthroned by the current emperor himself in Zhenghe Hall in front of all the civil and military officials, who announced it to the world.

The status of the crown prince, who was personally appointed by the emperor, is absolutely irreplaceable in the eyes of court officials and people all over the world, and no one can replace him.

Even Li Zhaohui, who has many supporters, cannot cross this line.

Even if Li Chaohui succeeded in his rebellion and became the new emperor, she would be labeled a traitor and would never be recognized as a legitimate emperor by the people of the world until her death.

Moreover, because her identity could not be recognized, even if Li Chaohui ascended the throne, there would be countless people who would rise up and rebel in the name of maintaining orthodoxy.

Such a situation cannot guarantee the stability of the regime. If the regime is unstable, to put it bluntly, the country cannot function normally.

A country that cannot function normally cannot last long.

By then, what difference will they make from abandoned pawns?

Moreover, judging from the current situation, even with the help of these people, Li Chaohui does not have much chance of winning this battle.

Ever since Empress Shen Tianjiao took over as regent for the Emperor, her ruthless tactics and decisiveness have been witnessed by everyone.

Even if you stand on the opposite side of Shen Tianjiao and are her enemy, you cannot deny the fact that Shen Tianjiao is the one who is qualified to be the ruler.

Shen Tianjiao's political acumen, foresight and way of governing the country are beyond Li Chaohui's reach.

The most important thing is that Shen Tianjiao is the queen and the mother of the prince. Behind her stands not only the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, but also the generals who hold the troops in Yun Li's hands.

With such a huge disparity in strength, isn't it obvious who has a greater chance of winning?

Even a fool can see that whoever you follow has a better future and will live longer.

There are some people among these people who have long wanted to turn from evil to good, but they are just hindered by Wang Yunzhi's presence.

Now that Wang Yunzhi has turned against them, there is no point in them holding on.

Since ancient times, people go to high places and water flows to low places. This is the goal that people pursue throughout their lives. They just choose the right thing at the right time.

When these people came yesterday, Wang Yunzhi had already had a deep discussion with them, analyzing the pros and cons and talking about a lot of matters of national interest.

With Shen Tingzhi's arrival today, all of these people, without exception, expressed their loyalty to Shen Tianjiao and swore an oath to be loyal to the prince from now on and to assist him in governing Yunli with all their heart and soul.

Originally, Shen Tingzhi thought that this matter was not so easy to solve, but who would have thought that it would be solved so smoothly.

This made Shen Tingzhi feel very unreal, as if he was dreaming.

However, this incident once again made Shen Tingzhi deeply feel the ability and influence of Wang Yunzhi.

It seems that I must maintain a good relationship with Wang Yunzhi in the future. As long as Wang Yunzhi is there, Yunli's court will be at least half stable.

The agreement was reached, and these people surrendered to Shen Tianjiao. Shen Tianjiao would naturally not treat them unfairly. No matter what intentions these people had in surrendering, at least it was enough that they did not cause trouble now.

If they behave themselves and obey orders in the future, then there will naturally be harmony between the ruler and his subjects. If they develop other ideas again, it will not be too late to deal with them then.

The matter was resolved, and Shen Tingzhi did not stay for too long. Everyone dispersed and prepared to go back to their own business.

All of them are now on the same boat, and they must be of one mind and act in unison.

No one has time to spare now, including the injured Wang Yunzhi.

Everything has been done, but someone must take charge of the situation when going to the capital, so Wang Yunzhi has to rush back immediately to be the helmsman and ensure that their ship can land smoothly.

They were about to leave the Huguo Temple and return to the capital, and the person Wang Yunzhi was most worried about was Madam Wang.

Before leaving, Wang Yunzhi had to go see Mrs. Wang no matter what.

After two days of treatment and rest, Mrs. Wang's spirit and physical strength have recovered a lot.

When she saw Wang Yunzhi coming, she could no longer hold back the grievances that had been pent up in her heart for many years and burst into tears.

Everyone in the room wisely left, leaving all the time to the couple.

Looking at Mrs. Wang crying bitterly, Wang Yunzhi naturally felt extremely guilty.

I have let my wife follow me for so many years. Not only has she been worried and frightened all day long, but she has also suffered a lot of grievances. All this is my fault.

"Atang, don't cry. It's all your husband's fault. You've been wronged all these years."

"But I promise you that from now on my mind and body will only be at home. I won't go anywhere I shouldn't go."

Wang Yunzhi's words did not comfort Mrs. Wang, but instead made her feel even more aggrieved.

During the time she was awake, she had heard Guirong talk about how Wang Yunzhi stepped forward to save her, and she also knew that Wang Yunzhi was injured in order to save her.

This made her heart, which had already given up on Wang Yunzhi, suddenly surge with a myriad of thoughts and complex emotions.

Ever since she married Wang Yunzhi, she has been neglected and ignored. When she was young, she hated him, resented him, was unwilling to accept it, and even argued and made a fuss about it. However, Wang Yunzhi was always like a heartless stone, and no matter what she did, he would not respond to her.

Gradually, her heart died and she no longer had any expectations for Wang Yunzhi. She only thought about how to raise her two sons into adults.

But who would have thought that the thing I had been looking forward to all my life would actually come true.

How could this not make her feel a mixture of emotions, with all sorts of feelings surging in her heart?

"Atang, don't cry. Your health is important. You can't cry."

Looking at Zuo Yutang who couldn't stop crying, Wang Yunzhi was really panicked.

Ever since Zuo Yutang married him, the two have lived together for most of their lives, but he has never seen Zuo Yutang cry in front of him.