The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

The Wang brothers, who were anxiously waiting for Lu Yan's arrival, breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Lu Yan walking towards them with ease.

The fact that Lu Yan was so relaxed and at ease showed that things had been done.

Wang Hengshan looked at Lu Yan who was about to reach him and said with a smile, "It seems that I have to buy you this drink today."

"That's right. As long as I take action, is there anything I can't accomplish?"

In front of his old friend, Lu Yan changed his usual steady and serious demeanor and became a little childish.

"Yes, if our Lu Tingwei takes action, is there anything we can't accomplish?"

Wang Yunzhi felt relieved. He was the type of person who would not listen to anyone until he gave up. But once he figured it out, if he gave up, no one could persuade him to turn back.

"Come, have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up." Wang Yunzhi placed a cup of freshly brewed hot tea in front of Lu Yan.

Lu Yan likes to drink tea, and he likes to drink boiling hot tea.

"We can't drink tonight. Let's have tea instead and celebrate a little. We'll get drunk after we're done."

Wang Yunzhi raised his teacup, first touched his elder brother's teacup, then touched Lu Yan's teacup, and then he picked up the cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing this, Wang Hengshan also raised the teacup in his hand and drank the tea in it.

Now only Lu Yan was left, staring at the two brothers in confusion. Although he really liked drinking boiling hot tea, he didn't like it enough to drink a cup of boiling hot tea in one gulp.

The Wang brothers put down their teacups and saw Lu Yan glaring at them. Then they understood what was going on and couldn't help but smile at each other.

"Still laughing, you two brothers are bullying an honest man like me."

Lu Yan rolled his eyes helplessly and complained to the Wang brothers who were laughing so hard that they could hardly straighten their backs.

"Sorry, sorry, I really forgot that the cup of hot tea I poured for you was freshly brewed. I really didn't mean to do that."

Wang Yunzhi couldn't remember how long it had been since he had laughed so heartily.

Having let go of the bad karma of the past and no longer troubled by those bad things that went against his conscience, he felt a lot more relaxed.

Now thinking about the things he did in the past, they were really stupid. He claimed to be a smart man, but in the end he found out that he was really a fool.

Fortunately, he has the help of his relatives and friends who constantly care for and advise him in order to prevent him from getting stuck in the quagmire.

Otherwise, this fool of his will really be doomed this time.

Lu Yan smiled and stopped arguing with the Wang Yunzhi brothers.

After the jokes, it’s time to get down to business.

"Li Zhaohui is now at the end of her rope. After seeing her tonight, I finally understand that when God wants someone to die, no one can stop it."

"She no longer has the wisdom and grace she once had. She is simply an old woman, filled with greed and selfish desires, and has become unrecognizable."

"Even so, she still fantasizes about sitting on the dragon throne and becoming the king who rules over Yunli."

"If Yunli is really handed over to her, then Yunli will really be destroyed."

"If that happens, you and I, as ministers, will not only be ashamed to face the people of Yunli, but we will also be ashamed to face our ancestors in the future when we die in the underworld."

Lu Yan did not tell Wang Yunzhi that Li Chaohui was about to die.

Because he also had concerns and fears in his heart. He was afraid that after Wang Yun knew that Li Chaohui was about to die, he would become soft-hearted and do something crazy again.

Anyway, Li Chaohui will die sooner or later, so he should stop disturbing Wang Yunzhi and let them finish this matter smoothly.

"Since she has taken the bait, let's proceed to the next step of our plan."

Wang Yunzhi had already predicted that Li Chaohui would take the bait. A person with a greedy heart will never give up any opportunity to satisfy his selfish desires.

Wang Yunzhi let go and that was it. From the moment he made the decision, he drew a clear line between himself and Li Chaohui. Li Chaohui's life or death had nothing to do with him anymore.

So everyone's worries about him now are actually unnecessary.

"We have completed the task of bringing Li Zhaohui into the game. Now we will embark on a new mission."

"We don't have to worry about guarding the Imperial City or how to lure Li Zhaohui into a deadly trap, but we have more important things to do now."

"Regardless of whether the major aristocratic families participated in Li Chaohui's rebellion or not, they will not sit still and just watch and do nothing."

"At this time, they will choose to jump out and stand on their side, re-selecting the forces they rely on. Some will even rely on both sides at this time, like the Su family."

"They will rely on whichever side is stronger and abandon the losing side, so that no matter who becomes emperor, they can protect themselves from losses and maintain a stable position."

"What we have to do now is never allow this to happen."

"Yunli can only have one emperor, and the orthodox authority must be guaranteed. Although the emperor is a tyrant and incompetent, as long as he is protected, the prince will be able to succeed to the throne smoothly in the future."

"Only if the Crown Prince successfully inherits the throne and becomes the Emperor can the stable development of Yunli be guaranteed."

It is easier said than done to appease the aristocratic families living in the capital.

Of all the aristocratic families that could stay in the capital, which one did not have a century-old foundation?

They are usually proud of their status, arrogant and look down on everyone. It is really not easy to make them obey.

"This matter is actually not that difficult." Wang Hengshan put down the teacup in his hand and said, "To put it bluntly, those people are just bullying others by taking advantage of their power."

"On weekdays, when everything is peaceful, they are all arrogant and look down on everyone. But when they are really threatened, they will wag their tails like a dog and obey obediently."

Wang Hengshan himself came from a prominent family, so how could he not understand the thoughts of those prominent families?

Just as it was said, all of these aristocratic families today rely on the influence of their family and the achievements created by the older generation to show off their power in the capital city.

Putting aside the halo of the older generation, how many aristocratic families are there today that are truly capable and have backbone?

"In fact, it's very easy to deal with those aristocratic families. Just invite their heads of families to have tea, and things will be easy to handle."

Wang Yunzhi frowned. It’s not that he hadn’t thought about what Wang Hengshan said, but who should he ask to do this?

Even if someone like him, who holds the title of the head of all officials and prime minister of a country, were to come forward, those people would not obey him and give him face.

"Are you worried that there's no suitable person to come forward to resolve this matter?"

No one knows a brother better than his own brother. When Wang Hengshan saw Wang Yunzhi sighing silently, he knew what his brother was thinking.

"Yes, looking across the entire Shangjing City, there is no one who can make these people obedient and submissive."

"If the Marquis of Zhenbei hadn't returned to Northern Frontier and was still in Shangjing, perhaps he could come forward and do this."

“Those aristocratic families, although they may not even take the Empress seriously on weekdays, they will still be considerate of the Marquis of Zhenbei and will not deny him face.”

"After all, the Marquis of Zhenbei is the Grand Marshal of Yunli's army. He controls hundreds of thousands of Yunli's troops. They can still see the situation clearly and know the interests involved."

"But the Marquis of Zhenbei is now too far away from the northern border to reach us. Even if we rush all night, it will be too late."

The Marquis of Zhenbei did not go to the Northern Frontier, but had been living in a dreamlike state. Except for Shen Tianjiao, Shen Tingzhi, and Wang Zongyuan, no one else knew about it.

"Marquis Zhenbei can't make it back in time, but there's a highly respected figure in Shangjing City who everyone fears and is worthy of his respect. He can do this."

The highly respected person that Wang Hengshan mentioned, who was feared by everyone, was Ruan Yuhu in the palace.

Although Ruan Yuhu has no status in the palace until now, these aristocratic families are wary of her when they mention her.

After all, didn’t that aristocratic family suffer at her hands back then?

What's more, there have been constant rumors about her in Shangjing City for many years, saying that before the late emperor died, he not only gave her an army to protect her, but also gave her many privileges that others didn't know about.

Although these are just rumors, the noble families in Shangjing all believe them.

This mostly depends on Li Rui's attitude towards Ruan Yuhu. If he hadn't been blessed with the privileges bestowed by the late emperor, how could Li Rui, with his intolerant personality, have always treated her as his own mother?

You have to know that even the empress dowager did not have this honor in front of the emperor, but she, a woman with no name or status, did it.

Who would believe that there is no hidden secret?

"Is that the old ancestor in the palace that my brother mentioned?"

Wang Yunzhi was not a stupid man. After Wang Hengshan mentioned it, he naturally knew who that person was.

"Yes, that's right, it's that old ancestor."

In fact, Ruan Yuhu is not much older than Wang Hengshan and others, but she has always been respected as the ancestor by these people.

This also illustrates a problem from another perspective, that is, Ruan Yuhu is indeed a person with outstanding abilities, and extremely resourceful and powerful.

Although Ruan Yuhu is capable of completing this task, Wang Yunzhi still has some concerns.

If Ruan Yuhu came forward, things could be done, but if so, I'm afraid it would cause a big change.

This is a big noise and it will inevitably attract attention. If we alert the enemy, the result will be more harm than good.

"Alright, stop dithering and let's just settle this matter and let the old man handle it."

"I understand your concerns, but with her rank and skills, even the heads of the aristocratic families will be powerless to resist her and will all obey her obediently."

Wang Hengshan had also experienced countless turmoil in the previous dynasty. How could he not have witnessed Ruan Yuhu's thundering methods back then?

He has absolute confidence in Ruan Yuhu's ability to get things done.

"Okay, let's do it this way." Wang Yunzhi, unable to come up with a better idea, compromised. "I'll immediately write a letter and have it delivered to the palace for the Empress's decision."

"The next thing we need to do is this." Wang Yunzhi's expression suddenly grew serious. "There are quite a few people in the court who follow Li Zhaohui. I've persuaded some of them to leave Li Zhaohui's faction and pledge their loyalty to the Empress."

"But there are still some people who are still stubborn and determined to follow Li Zhaohui to the end."

"We will split up and act immediately. It would be best if we can persuade them to change their ways. Otherwise, let Cao Ang and Pei Jian lead the troops to take them into custody."

"No force in Shangjing City can come to help Li Zhaohui at this time."

"Otherwise, even if everything is under our control, there will be many unexpected and uncontrollable factors."

Wang Yunzhi felt ashamed when he thought that Li Chaohui had such a great influence today and that he deserved at least half of the credit.

He now has to work hard to make up for his mistakes and keep things under control as much as possible so that he can feel at ease.

"Okay, I can go alone."

Lu Yan, who had been silent all the time, stood up first.

"One of you is injured, and the other can't show up in public. I'll just find a few colleagues to go with you."

The colleagues Lu Yan mentioned were naturally his trusted confidants whom he had cultivated over the years.

"No." Wang Yunzhi shook his head and said, "Some things I have to do myself."

"After all, I was the one who created this evil, and it's my turn to end it."

"My injuries weren't serious to begin with. I've been taking good care of myself these past few days. The medicine I took was all sent from the Imperial Hospital, so I'm no longer in serious condition."

"I should go out and move around, or my body will get rusty."

Wang Yunzhi looked back at Wang Hengshan and said, "As for my brother, let him disguise himself and go with me."

"Now that they've returned, some things should be settled and some grudges should be avenged."

"He came with me, and we both went out for a walk, so that we could learn more about the current situation in Shangjing."

"Brother, you have been away from the court for so many years. Now is the time to return."

Wang Yunzhi, as Wang Hengshan's younger brother, knows how capable Wang Hengshan is in emotions.

Wang Yunzhi didn't want to see his brother being buried like this.

Now Yunli is entering a new era, which requires more people to stand up and contribute to the country. Wang Yunzhi hopes that Wang Hengshan can return and become one of them.

When Lu Yan heard Wang Yunzhi say this, he stopped talking and agreed silently.