The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"No, I want to go myself this time."

Yan Yu waved his hand and rejected Qin Gang's proposal. He had to go to Ziyun Villa today.

He wanted to see with his own eyes what was going on in Ziyun Villa.

"Whoever just spoke, come over here and go to Ziyun Villa with me."

Yan Yu shouted, and the secret guard who had just spoken stepped forward and said, "General, I will go with you."

"Okay, it's your turn." Yan Yu jumped onto the carriage and sat in the driver's seat.

"You drive the carriage." After giving instructions to the secret guards around him, Yan Yu shouted to his own men, "Come here, two people, come with me."

Qin Gang ran over and wanted to persuade Yan Yu, but Yan Yu spoke in advance to stop him.

"You stay here and find out what happened. If it's the Queen's secret guard, release him immediately."

"If the remaining ones are indeed Li Zhaohui's traitors, then we will detain them here first. Let these secret guards return to the palace to report to the Empress and deal with them according to her wishes."

"This is a serious matter. You must proceed with caution."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'll be back tomorrow evening at the latest."

After Yan Yu said this, he ordered the secret guards around him to drive away, leaving Qin Gang no chance to delay any further.

Although Yan Yu has never spent a single day in Shangjing since he came here.

But he was not isolated from the news and knew nothing about what was happening in the capital.

His father Yan Mingde would write to him from time to time, telling him about military affairs, as well as things happening in the capital and in the court.

The name Li Zhaohui has recently appeared frequently in Yan Mingde's letters to Yan Yu.

Therefore, Yan Yu also learned that this woman named Li Chaohui was once the eldest princess, but was later imprisoned in Anguo Temple for decades by the previous emperor because of her rebellious heart.

Not long ago, she was suddenly pardoned and released from Anguo Temple.

Although Li Chaohui had been imprisoned for decades, she was still restless after breaking free from the shackles and coming out of Anguo Temple. She was still fantasizing about how to rebel, overthrow the current emperor, and become the emperor herself.

Li Chaohui has great influence in the court. It is said that even the prime minister Wang Yunzhi, who calls himself a lone minister and is the most upright person in Yunli and never forms cliques for personal gain, is her man.

From this we can see that this woman is definitely not a good person. She has long been stirring up undercurrents in the capital city, and a coup may break out at any time.

Thinking of this, Yan Yu suddenly felt uneasy. If Li Chaohui really launched a coup, the first person in danger would be Shen Tianjiao.

At this moment, Yan Yu no longer had the timidity and fear of meeting Shen Tianjiao. Instead, his heart was beating wildly with excitement at the thought that he could finally protect Shen Tianjiao.

The scene in his previous life where Shen Tianjiao died in battle because of his own incompetence still appears in Yan Yu's dreams from time to time.

In this life, he will end the nightmare of his previous life, protect Shen Tianjiao, and prevent her from suffering any harm again.

As soon as Yan Yu left, the group of people who came to attack started to become restless.

They were just gangsters and robbers who had just been bribed. How could they live in peace and abide by the rules?

Qin Gang naturally would not show mercy to these provocative people. He had followed Bai Qishan for so many years, and it was not in vain.

Bai Qishan is known as the God of Evil. As someone taught by Bai Qishan himself, how bad could Qin Gang be?

Qin Gang swung his knife and chopped down several of the people who were leading the trouble. This made them shut up and not even one of them made any noise.

After doing all this, Qin Gang looked at the secret guards beside him who had already proven their identities and said, "Gather all your people together, and I will deal with them too."

The secret guards immediately gathered their men together. Qin Gang raised his knife and said, "Cut the tendons of the remaining men."

"Why, what gives you the right to cut our hamstrings? Your leader didn't tell you to cut our hamstrings?"

"That's right, brothers, instead of letting others slaughter us, we might as well fight it out."

"Yes, that's right, fight them."

As soon as Qin Gang's words came out, they immediately caused controversy and noise.

"Humph!" Faced with the arrogance of those people, Qin Gang was not at all flustered. He sneered and said, "I have been under General Bai of Baiqi Mountain for several years, and I have never met anyone who can defeat me."

"You dared to attack the Queen's personal guards tonight. This is a crime worthy of death. I have spared you and spared your lives. This is already the greatest mercy I have shown you."

"If any of you refuse to obey, you can come out and challenge me. I, Qin Gang, will fight you to the end."

When they heard Bai Qishan's name, everyone shut up.

They may not know others, but they know Bai Qishan.

It's not for anything else, just because General Bai is an absolute evil god. He never leaves any way for his enemies to retreat when fighting, and he will not stop until the other side is completely wiped out.

Because of Bai Qishan's cruelty, this was why the Marquis of Zhenbei insisted that he leave the northern border and return to Shangjing.

At least in Shangjing, Bai Qishan can still be restrained, unlike in the northern border where no one can restrain him once he goes to the battlefield.

There is actually a more important reason why these gangsters and robbers are so afraid of Bai Qishan. That is when Bai Qishan returned to Beijing, he encountered a group of ignorant bandits on the road.

When the bandits saw that Bai Qishan was accompanied by only a few people, they became malicious and wanted to rob him.

But after taking action, he found that he was no match for the opponent at all, and was chased and beaten by Bai Qishan until his entire team was almost wiped out.

If it happened to someone else, the main people would have died, and only a few small fry would have been left, and the matter would have been left unresolved.

But Bai Qishan is different from others. He chased those people until he wiped them out.

His actions made him famous that year and spread throughout Yunli.

Everyone in the underworld knows an unwritten rule, which is that if you encounter Bai Qishan, you must stay away from him, otherwise your life will be in danger.

Qin Gang didn't wait for these people to react. With just a glance, his subordinates swung their swords and started to act.

The silent night sky was suddenly filled with the wailing of these people, becoming chaotic and terrifying.

The carriage stopped while Yan Yu was still lost in thought, and someone came forward to check.

The secret guard at the side took out his badge. After Wang Zongyuan's men checked the badge, they reached out to Yan Yu and asked him for his badge.

When Wang Zongyuan left, he specifically instructed that Ziyun Villa must be strictly guarded.

Therefore, the soldiers did not dare to be careless. They had to strictly check everyone who entered and left Ziyun Villa.

"Don't be rude. This is Yan Yu, the Tiger and Cavalry General."

"We were attacked on the road, and it was General Yan who saved us and escorted us all the way here."

The secret guard's words made the soldier who came forward to check hesitate for a moment, but he finally extended his hand to Yan Yu again, "General Yan, please forgive me. I am only following orders. Please show me your badge."

Yan Yu smiled disapprovingly. It turned out that these were the soldiers led by Wang Zongyuan. They were worthy of being the number one guard in the capital.

He lowered his head and took out the military token that could prove his identity from his waist belt.

This military talisman is different from the tiger talisman. Yan Yu's military talisman can only mobilize his subordinates, while the tiger talisman in the hands of Zhenbei Hou can mobilize all the soldiers in the entire Yunli territory.

The soldier took the military token from Yan Yu's hand and verified that it was indeed authentic. He immediately bowed his head and presented the token to Yan Yu with both hands, apologizing, "General Yan, I'm sorry for the offense."

"It's okay. This is your duty." Yan Yu put the military token back and smiled at the soldier.

"Alright, let them go quickly. The Queen is still waiting for the nobleman in the carriage."

The secret guard was annoyed when he saw the soldiers who were dawdling. Others didn't know who was waiting for the person in the carriage to save their lives, but he knew that if they delayed for a moment longer, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the princess would be in more danger.

"Yes, let us go immediately." The soldier made way and the carriage immediately drove into the carriage lane on the side.

When Yan Yu heard the secret guard say that Shen Tianjiao was waiting inside, his heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

But then he thought that with Shen Tianjiao's current identity, it was absolutely impossible for her to leave the palace and come to Ziyun Villa. Yan Yu's nervousness disappeared instantly.

The carriage sped all the way and reached the destination at the fastest speed.

The secret guard stopped the carriage and immediately lifted the curtain. He said to Duan Qingning inside, "Old Madam, please get out of the carriage."

Duan Qingning did not put on airs and simply extended her hand, allowing the secret guard to help her out of the carriage.

As the secret guard supported Duan Qingning and they walked to the door, the door was immediately opened.

The person who came out was Shen Tingzhi. When he saw Duan Qingning, he asked with a puzzled look on his face, "Who is this?"

"In reply to the Second Young Master, this is Madam Duan, whom our ancestors specially invited from the palace to treat the Crown Prince and the Princess."

The secret guard reported the truth to Shen Tingzhi, and he breathed a sigh of relief at this moment. Although the journey was not smooth, at least he managed to get the person there safely.

After hearing what the secret guard said, Shen Tingzhi knew in his heart that this Madam Duan should be the poison-making expert that Shen Tianjiao mentioned.

So Shen Tingzhi quickly stepped aside to make way and said, "Mrs. Duan, please come in."

After the secret guard helped Duan Qingning into the house, Shen Tingzhi realized that there was another person who had just gotten off the carriage.

"I wonder who you are?"

The lights in Ziyun Villa were bright, just like daytime. Shen Tingzhi looked at the man in front of him. He was wearing a set of tight clothes commonly seen in the army, but he looked like a weak scholar.

Shen Tingzhi really couldn't guess the origin of the person in front of him.

When Yan Yu saw Shen Tingzhi asking about him, he quickly stepped forward, clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "General Yan Yu, I pay my respects to Lord Shen."

Yan Yu learned that Shen Tingzhi was the governor of Ganzhou on the first day he arrived in Ganzhou.

Although Shen Tingzhi has now returned to Beijing to report on his work, Yan Yu still feels it is better to address him by his official title.

"Yan Yu?" Shen Tingzhi couldn't help but carefully examine the man in front of him. "Are you Yan Mingde's son, the Yan Yu who broke through Ainuer Xiong'an and led hundreds of thousands of troops?"

It’s no wonder that Shen Tingzhi would be suspicious. It’s because Yan Yu looks too weak and frail, just like a pale-faced scholar.

It is really impossible to equate Yan Yu with the legendary hero who defeated Ainuer Xiong'an's 100,000-strong army in just three days and personally cut off Ainuer Xiong'an's left arm, leaving him a disabled man.

"It's me." Yan Yu did not show any excessive reaction to Shen Tingzhi's surprise.

He has faced too many doubts, and he has become accustomed to the way he looks now.

"Oh." Shen Tingzhi, realizing his own impoliteness, smiled awkwardly at Yan Yu and said, "General Yan, please come in."

Faced with Shen Tingzhi's sudden invitation, Yan Yu was stunned. He had never thought about going in, but now that Shen Tingzhi had invited him, he could not ignore Shen Tingzhi's invitation.

So Yan Yu was forced to walk over. He nodded at Shen Tingzhi and said, "Excuse me."

When Yan Yu entered, he found that the room was very lively. Not only were there two children lying on the bed, but there was also a lady with her back to the room and her face could not be seen, and an old man who was just standing there, exuding an intimidating aura.

Mrs. Duan, who had just come with him in the same carriage, was now taking the pulse of the two children in the bed.

The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

After a moment, Madam Duan stood up and said to the lady whose face could not be seen clearly, "Your Majesty, it is true. The Crown Prince and the Princess are not infected with the plague, but poisoned."

"This poison is colorless and odorless, and is spread through gas. Anyone who is poisoned by it will have a high fever that won't dissipate, and eventually they will burn to death."

When Shen Tianjiao heard this, her face turned pale. She turned around to look at her two children and asked, "Madam Duan, is there any way to save them?"

"Don't worry, Queen. I brought along an antidote pill that I specially prepared."

"As long as you haven't taken a poison that can kill you instantly, no matter what the poison is, this antidote pill can eliminate it from your body."

Duan Qingning's words made Shen Tianjiao, Zhenbei Hou and Shen Tingzhi all breathe a sigh of relief.

If what Duan Qingning said was true, the two children had escaped danger this time.

"Mrs. Duan, where are your detoxification pills?"

Shen Tianjiao, who was eager to save her son, could not remain calm at this moment. She stood up and held Duan Qingning's hand, asking anxiously.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. Let me get the medicine." Duan Qingning is also a mother, so she can understand Shen Tianjiao's mood at this moment.