The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

After dealing with the important matters, the next step is to deal with the big trouble of Zhang Ping.

Compared to what happened just now, how to deal with Zhang Ping is what really gives Shen Tianjiao a headache.

Normally, it would be normal for Zhang Ping to be stripped of his title, have his property confiscated, beheaded, and have his entire family exiled for such a serious crime. But now things have gone wrong because of that golden medal of immunity from death.

The reason why the Yunyang Marquis Mansion had the golden medal of immunity from death had to do with Zhang Ping’s grandfather.

At that time, Yun Li's foundation had not yet been established and he was still fighting everywhere.

When Emperor Taizu personally led his army to attack the northern barbarians, he fell into a trap set by others and was about to be wiped out with no chance of survival.

At this time, Zhang Ping's grandfather, Zhang Ziyi, the then Marquis of Yunyang, suddenly appeared with a group of soldiers and fought the enemy desperately. He finally broke through the enemy's defense line, tore open a hole, and allowed Emperor Taizu to escape.

Although Emperor Taizu escaped safely, Zhang Ziyi was not so lucky. He was hacked to death by those people. It is said that it was a very tragic incident.

Not to mention leaving a complete body, even the remains were not found.

Emperor Taizu, grateful for Zhang Ziyi's loyalty and bravery, specially ordered a golden medal of immunity from death to be made and bestowed upon the Yunyang Marquisate.

This golden medal of immunity from death was originally a supreme honor, but in Zhang Ping's hands, it became a talisman for him to do evil, which was really contrary to the original wishes of Emperor Taizu.

But now the difficulty lies. Shen Tianjiao wants to deal with Zhang Ping, but this golden medal of immunity from death is ultimately a chasm in front of her.

If Shen Tianjiao dealt with Zhang Ping, it would be a great disrespect to Emperor Taizu. After all, the golden medal of immunity from death was bestowed by Emperor Taizu himself.

However, if Zhang Ping is not punished, I am afraid that even heaven will not tolerate it.

"Empress, this Yunyang Marquis Zhang Ping is a complete idiot, only knows how to stir up trouble and do shameful things."

"Today, he relied on the favor of Emperor Taizu and even ignored you and the emperor. He even dared to lead people directly into the harem."

"To offend the Emperor like this without any fear is truly despicable. Even if he is killed on the spot, it is what he deserves."

Shen Tianjiao looked up and saw that the person who was speaking was Zhao Yiming from the Zhao family. This guy had helped with Gong Jianzhou's affairs last time. He was a rare talent.

Shen Tianjiao hadn't figured out how to reward him for the last incident, but this time he helped her when she was in trouble.

It seems that Zhao Yiming is more suitable to be the head of the Zhao family than his brother Zhao Yike.

After all, Zhao Yiming is much more perceptive and capable than his old-fashioned, conservative and somewhat dull brother Zhao Yike.

Before Shen Tianjiao could speak, the voice suddenly rang in her ears again.

"That's right, the majesty of heaven cannot be touched. The harem is where the ladies live and spend their daily lives. No man other than the emperor is allowed to enter or leave at will."

"But Zhang Ping actually dared to secretly bring a group of outsiders into the forbidden harem. Isn't this blatant treason?"

"If we don't kill this person, will we let him harm me, Yun Li?"

The person who spoke this time was Cheng Rui's younger brother Cheng Lei, who was the other helper who helped Shen Tianjiao confront those court officials and shut them up together with Zhao Yiming last time.

"Emperor Taizu bestowed the golden medal of immunity from death to commend loyal and brave men, not to allow his descendants to use it to commit crimes."

"If someone uses this golden medal of immunity from death to collude with someone who has already been expelled from the imperial family and commits evil together to disrupt the imperial court, then what is the point of this golden medal of immunity from death?"

"In the future, will any meritorious family that receives a reward be able to use their family's merits to allow their descendants to disregard the law and defy the majesty of the imperial power, challenging the laws of the country? Then, won't Yunli cause chaos in the world?"

"By then, before we have to wait for foreign invasions or wars, I'm afraid we will destroy our own country."

"If a prince breaks the law, he will be punished the same as a commoner. How can he, a mere inheritor of his ancestors' influence, be more noble than the royal family?"

"Empress, in my humble opinion, you should revoke the golden medal of immunity from death bestowed upon him by Emperor Taizu today. According to the laws of Yunli, you should strip him of his title and send him to death row. You can make a final decision after the matter is thoroughly investigated."

The even more ruthless person who was speaking in front of him was also a member of a prominent family, Pu Zhiwei from the Pu family.

As soon as Pu Zhiwei said this, it immediately caused a commotion. After all, although this was the truth, it was difficult for many people to accept it when it was said so openly.

There is one more person that Shen Tianjiao admires. Although the heads of these aristocratic families are not really that good, their descendants are all outstanding and talented.

"Your Excellencies, what you said is inappropriate. The old Marquis of Yunyang was loyal and courageous. In order to save Emperor Taizu, he was imprisoned and slaughtered by those barbarians. Not a single bone was left."

"Emperor Taizu bestowed this golden medal of immunity from death to the Yunyang Marquisate to ensure the safety of the future generations of the Yunyang Marquisate."

"If Yunyang Hou is stripped of his title and thrown into death row just because he made a small mistake, then where is the majesty of Emperor Taizu?"

There are likable people, and there are also disgusting people.

Shen Tianjiao didn't even need to raise her head to know who the person who spoke so disgustingly was.

Although this person is not from Li Chaohui's camp, he often does many disgusting things by relying on his status as a royal relative.

Shen Tianjiao had wanted to deal with him for a long time, and now the opportunity came.

At this moment, Shen Tianjiao just wanted to be a bystander and watch how this annoying person was dragged into the water and received the punishment he deserved.

"Hey, what the Bingxian County Lord said is rather too rash. You are defending the Yunyang Marquis like this. Could it be that you are his accomplice, willing to join him in rebellion, waiting to be sent to the guillotine, and your entire family buried with him?"

Pu Zhiwei's mouth is indeed very poisonous. When he speaks, he is determined to make the other party angry to death.

"You, you are talking nonsense." The county lord of Bing County was named Situ Nan. He was able to squeeze into the ranks of royal relatives because his father married a princess of an inferior royal family.

Because his father died early, the late emperor felt sorry for him as an orphan and his widowed mother had a hard time in the family, so he gave him the title of Duke of Bing County.

However, Situ Nan was a man who did not use his brain when he went out. With his identity, he was not allowed to come to the Zhenghe Hall, but he relied on his thick skin to keep writing letters to Li Rui.

In the end, Li Rui was so annoyed that he had to make an exception for her mother's sake and let him enter the Zhenghe Hall to attend the court meeting.

But this person has no self-awareness at all and does not want to enter the Zhenghe Hall to participate in state affairs. It is just the emperor's pity that makes him feel sorry for himself.

But he always feels good about himself, thinking that he is a member of the royal family. He is the kind of person who wants to get involved in everything and join in the fun.

"Am I talking nonsense?" Pu Zhiwei looked at Situ Nan with disgust on his face and said, "What you just said was disrespectful to the Emperor and the Empress."

"Zhang Ping led his men into the harem without imperial order. For this crime alone, he should be beaten to death on the spot."

"It is a great grace from Her Majesty the Queen that she has allowed him to live until now."

"Just because the Yunyang Marquisate has a golden medal of immunity from death bestowed by Emperor Taizu, does that mean they should allow their descendants to do whatever they want and bring disaster to the world?"

"If that's the case, what position do you place the current Emperor and Empress?"

"To say that you followed Zhang Ping in conspiracy and rebellion is an understatement. Based on your daily behavior, you should have been dismissed and investigated long ago, and sent to the Ministry of Punishment."

As soon as Pu Zhiwei finished speaking, Zhao Yiming immediately followed up, "Master Pu is right. Zhang Ping's private entry into the harem is a capital crime."

"What's more, he is now in cahoots with Li Zhaohui. For his own selfish interests, he even colluded with the people of Nanchu to poison the people of Yunli."

"How harmful is this poison? Didn't the County Magistrate just hear it?"

"Which of these crimes wouldn't have landed Zhang Ping in the Ministry of Punishment's dungeon?"

"The facts are now clearly laid out here. How dare you, Situ Nan, confuse right and wrong and plead for such a person? What are your intentions?"

"Some people are like wild boars that can't stomach fine bran. Even if they shamelessly make it to the capital, they still can't change their ignorant, country-slick nature."

Zhao Yiming's critical hit had not yet ended, and Cheng Lei took advantage of the victory and continued his critical hit journey.

Cheng Lei has disliked Situ Nan for a long time. He is obviously an ignorant fool, but he insists on portraying himself as a self-righteous person and causing trouble for others everywhere.

If we don't take this opportunity today to get rid of this person who deserves a beating, we will be wasting this opportunity given by God.

"You, you, you..." Situ Nan was repeatedly confronted and didn't know how to respond. After all, he was indeed as Cheng Lei said, a useless person with no knowledge or skills.

All his knowledge combined, no matter how hard he tried, was no match for the three people before him.

"What do you mean? What did Lord Cheng say wrong?" Pu Zhiwei came on stage again. What he said never disappointed anyone.

"Don't you know why you came to Zhenghe Hall?"

"As a person, you should know your own limitations. You can't be the one who flatters yourself when others don't praise you. Are you a royal relative?"

"Humph! Look around you all here in Zhenghe Hall. Who has a family background that's not better than yours?"

"They haven't said anything yet, so why are you talking nonsense here? It's really disrespectful and brings shame to your Situ family."

"Yes, as a human being, one should know who he is. He cannot be so ignorant as to offend others everywhere."

Today, these three people are firing on all cylinders and united against the outside world. They are determined to drag down Zhang Ping, the Marquis of Yunyang, and Situ Nan, who is ignorant and has no sense of propriety, into the water and make them receive the punishment they deserve.

"Just now you even used the Emperor Taizu to plead for Yunyang Marquis. If the Emperor Taizu knew that Yunyang Marquis's family had such misfortunes and had such a rebellious son, I'm afraid he would not let him go first."

"Think of how wise and powerful the Emperor Taizu was. The reason he bestowed the death-proof golden medal upon the Yunyang Marquisate was simply to inspire the younger generations of the Yunyang Marquisate to be as loyal to the country as the old Yunyang Marquis."

"I absolutely have no intention of defending a traitor. Situ Nan, you have committed the crime of disrespect by saying this about Emperor Taizu."

Zhao Yiming's mouth is constantly talking, and now not only the Yunyang Marquisate cannot escape the blame, but even Situ Nan cannot escape this time.

After all, everyone heard what Situ Nan said just now. If Shen Tianjiao did not punish Zhang Ping, it would go against the original intention of Emperor Taizu to grant him the golden medal of immunity from death.

There is also Shen Tianjiao. If Situ Nan is not punished as well, it would be an insult to the majesty of Emperor Taizu.

As for the court officials present, they all wisely chose to keep silent and watch the show.

At this time, none of them would plead for Yunyang Marquis Mansion and Situ Nan.

These smart people all knew that Yunyang Hou Zhang Ping was doomed to die today. Even if his own grandfather came, he would not be able to save his life.

As for that Situ Nan, he was nothing more than a worthless toad that lay on people's feet without biting them but was annoying.

Normally they didn't deal with Situ Nan because they were afraid of lowering their status. Now that someone is willing to help them vent their anger, why not do it?

Therefore, at this moment, everyone in the hall maintained a wonderful tacit understanding on this matter, which also meant that they all agreed with this matter.

But Shen Tianjiao still didn't speak at this time. She was still waiting, waiting for someone to come.

In fact, the matter could have been decided at this point, but Shen Tianjiao didn't want the matter to be resolved by her.

When Zhang Ping came to cause trouble today, the excuse he used was that Shen Tianjiao was interfering in politics, so she was punished by heaven, which led to the outbreak of plague in Shangjing City.

If this matter ends with Shen Tianjiao now, it will become a criticism of Shen Tianjiao's future political career, and people will bring it up from time to time to make groundless accusations and spread it.

So at this time, the "tool man" in the Hall of Supreme Harmony needs to appear.

When the court officials saw Shen Tianjiao remained silent, they were still trying to figure out what was going on when they suddenly heard the eunuch loudly say, "The Emperor has arrived!"

All the civil and military officials knelt down immediately. It was not easy for them to see their emperor now.

Li Rui suddenly came to Zhenghe Hall at this time. The court officials knew without thinking that he must have come to support Shen Tianjiao.

Ever since Shen Tianjiao became regent, the relationship between the emperor and the empress has become better and better.