The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"Wang Zongyuan, did you not hear or understand what I just said?"

The Marquis of Zhenbei now doesn't even want to glance at Wang Zongyuan. This old guy is really getting worse as he gets older.

"Going to Xirong is a matter of great importance and no child's play. You better behave yourself and don't get involved anymore."

"If you don't listen, don't blame me for being ruthless. We will punish you with military law."

Seeing that his father was really angry, Shen Tingzhi hurried forward and pulled Wang Zongyuan, saying, "Uncle Wang, please go out first. I have something to talk to my father about."

Wang Zongyuan was also a sensible man. He knew that Shen Tingzhi was trying to give him a way out, so he obediently left.

After Wang Zongyuan left, Shen Tingzhi looked at Zhenbei Hou and said, "Father, why are you so angry?"

"Uncle Wang is just saying that. It's up to you to decide whether someone can go or not."

"This Wang Zongyuan is really old and confused. For such an important matter, he dared to recommend someone so easily."

"Okay, Dad. Don't be angry. Maybe Song Haonan really has some abilities, so Uncle Wang wants him to go to Xirong."

"He has good intentions and wants Yu Sheng to stay by my side and protect me."

Shen Tingzhi poured a glass of water for Marquis Zhenbei and placed it in front of him.

Zhenbei Hou picked up the teacup and drank some tea before he calmed down a little.

"Tingzhi, I want to take your mother's ashes out of Huguo Temple and bury them in the cemetery I have chosen for her long ago on the back hill of Ziyun Mountain."

"Ah?" Shen Tingzhi looked at the Marquis of Zhenbei in confusion, wondering why the Marquis of Zhenbei suddenly proposed to bury his mother.

Since his mother passed away, her ashes have been kept in the Huguo Temple and have not been moved over the years.

The reason why Marquis Zhenbei had not buried his wife in these years was because he was often away on military campaigns. If he buried his wife, he would not be able to return to the capital often to take care of his wife's cemetery, which would neglect his wife.

So he placed his wife's ashes in the Huguo Temple, hoping that in this pure Buddhist place, she would be worshipped every day and be able to be liberated and go to a good place, so that she would not have to suffer in the next life.

"Father, why are you suddenly thinking of taking Mother's ashes out of the Huguo Temple and burying them?"

Although the Marquis of Zhenbei didn't say anything, Shen Tingzhi had already noticed that something was wrong with him.

These past few days at Ziyun Villa, the Marquis of Zhenbei always looked preoccupied and absent-minded.

Shen Tingzhi had grown up, and this was the second time he had seen his father like this, except for when his mother passed away.

Anyone who is not blind can see that Marquis Zhenbei has something on his mind, let alone someone as smart as Shen Tingzhi?

Shen Tingzhi could understand that the Marquis of Zhenbei was like this two days ago because he was worried about going to Xirong, but today Shen Tingzhi could clearly feel that there was something more important than going to Xirong weighing on the Marquis of Zhenbei's mind.

"Oh, nothing much. I just thought that I'll be in your hands from now on, and it's time to let your mother rest in peace."

"She has been alone in Huguo Temple for so many years. It's time to bring her back and bury her properly."

"After all, Dad will have plenty of time in the future and can spend more time with your mother."

What the Marquis of Zhenbei said was true, but not entirely true. Ever since he returned to the capital, he had actually been thinking about burying his wife, but he had never stopped thinking about it since he came back.

I was busy with one thing or another all day long, so this matter was put on hold.

The most important reason why the Marquis of Zhenbei made up his mind to bury his wife this time was Shen Tianjiao.

Before Li Xian died, every word he told Zhenbei Hou was kept in mind.

Since those words are stored in my heart, I naturally have to do them.

Li Xian had instructed that Shen Tianjiao should not be allowed to go to Huguo Temple again, and the abbot of Huguo Temple should not be allowed to see Shen Tianjiao. Although Zhenbei Hou did not know the reason, he knew that since Li Xian had given such instructions, he must have his reasons.

He knew one thing very clearly, that is, Li Xian would never harm Shen Tianjiao.

As long as his wife's ashes remain in the Huguo Temple, his daughter will inevitably go to the temple to pay homage to her mother.

By then, no matter how good the preventive measures are, Shen Tianjiao and the abbot will still meet.

In order to prevent anything unfavorable to his daughter, the Marquis of Zhenbei must make a decision now to keep his daughter away from the Huguo Temple and the abbot.

Shen Tingzhi was skeptical about what the Marquis of Zhenbei said, as he knew that his father was hiding something from him.

However, he also knew that if the Marquis of Zhenbei didn't want to tell him, then it would be useless for him to ask, as the Marquis of Zhenbei would not tell him.

"Okay, since Dad thinks so, let's do it."

"Brother is not in the capital right now, so I'll have to do it for you. Is there anything else you want to tell me, Dad?"

"No, you can do whatever you want."

The Marquis of Zhenbei could not participate in the burial of his wife, so he could only leave it to his son.

Because of this incident, the Marquis of Zhenbei was in a very low mood.

He and his wife were deeply in love. Although the wife of the Marquis of Zhenbei had passed away for more than 20 years, her position in the Marquis of Zhenbei's heart remained the same and had never changed.

"Okay, then my son will get started."

Shen Tingzhi looked at the Marquis of Zhenbei with some worry. He knew that the Marquis of Zhenbei must be in a terrible mood at this moment.

In order to prevent the Marquis of Zhenbei from indulging in this state, we must find a way to divert his attention.

Shen Tingzhi quietly retreated from the room, turned around and called the servant who was serving beside the Marquis of Zhenbei.

"Xiao Wu, has the Marquis met anyone these days?"

Shen Tingzhi would never feel at ease until he found out what had happened to the Marquis of Zhenbei.

"The Marquis has been here these past few days, and the people he has met are all people we are familiar with. No outsiders have come to see the Marquis."

Xiao Wu scratched his head and thought carefully. Since the Marquis of Zhenbei came to Ziyun Villa, the people he saw every day were the people around him. No outsiders came to ask for a meeting, and the Marquis had never ordered anyone from outside to come and see him.

"Is there anything unusual in the letter?"

If he couldn't get to the bottom of the matter today, Shen Tingzhi would not be able to calm down.

Xiao Wu shook his head and said, "No, apart from the letter sent from the Queen Mother from the palace, there is nothing else."

Shen Tingzhi, who didn't find out anything, waved his hand and let Xiaowu leave.

As soon as Xiaowu left, Wang Zongyuan arrived.

Looking at Wang Zongyuan's dejected look, Shen Tingzhi was really puzzled as to why he insisted that Song Haonan follow him to Xirong.

"Uncle Wang, tell me the truth, what exactly do you want to do by letting Song Haonan go with you to Xirong?"

Shen Tingzhi went straight to the point and asked Wang Zongyuan.

Wang Zongyuan looked up at Shen Tingzhi, then lowered his head again. After a long pause, he said, "I don't want to do anything."

"It's just that Song Haonan is the son of a bandit brother of mine before I was recruited by the Marquis."

"His father Song Zhuang once blocked a knife for me and saved my life."

"Back then, I decided to turn over a new leaf and follow the Marquis, but Song Zhuang was unwilling to do so. He was used to being free and undisciplined and didn't want to be constrained. He also had a violent temper and loved a life of violence."

"We have different paths, so we cannot work together. We each follow our own aspirations. So we parted ways."

"Seven years ago, Song Haonan suddenly came to Northern Xinjiang to find me, saying that his mother asked him to come to Northern Xinjiang to find me."

"That's when I realized that not long after parting ways with me, Song Zhuang and a group of people started a murderous business in the underworld."

"In order not to bring trouble to his family, he abandoned Song Haonan and his widowed mother."

"When Song Haonan came to see me, his mother had already passed away. He had no one to rely on, so he listened to his mother and came to me."

"Later, Song Haonan told me that he heard from others that his good-for-nothing father had followed a group of Xirong people."

"He wanted to go to Xirong, find his father, and fulfill his mother's dying wish, which was to have Songzhuang return home to visit her grave."

Shen Tingzhi nodded and said, "So, this is why you want Song Haonan to go to Xirong with you this time?"

"Yes."

In fact, apart from this selfish motive, another reason why Wang Zongyuan recommended Song Haonan was that the boy was indeed a capable man, brave and careful, and he would fight to the death.

"Uncle Wang, don't blame me for being angry after being beaten. You are really confused."

"You know how important and dangerous this trip to Xirong is."

"You're recommending Song Haonan to go at this time. What are you asking him to do? Is he going to complete the mission or is he going to take advantage of the opportunity to seek personal favoritism and go to his unreliable father?"

Shen Tingzhi was speechless looking at Wang Zongyuan. This old man was good in every way except that he liked to act on impulse.

"Tingzhi, I asked Song Haonan to go to Xirong not just to try his luck and see if he could find Songzhuang."

"More importantly, this kid does have some skills. He's smart, has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, is brave, and has a careful mind. I taught him Kung Fu, so he's quite capable in fighting."

"If I go to Xirong in Yu Sheng's place, I can also help the person chosen by the Queen."

Wang Zongyuan liked to act on impulse, but he would not go to the point of following his own will and ignoring the overall situation.

His original plan was to give Song Haonan a chance to go to Xirong to gain some experience, so that he could have a chance to make some achievements.

As for asking Song Haonan to find Song Zhuang, it was just something he did on the side while completing the task.

Wang Zongyuan's words aroused Shen Tingzhi's interest. He had seen Song Haonan before. Although he looked fair and clean, he was indeed a capable man.

This man was once an excellent archer during a military competition. He could shoot arrows through the target from a hundred paces away without missing a single target.

And he still has some cleverness and ideas.

People like this often play a greater role than those with great strategies. Perhaps it is a good idea to let Song Haonan go along.

However, Shen Tingzhi looked up at Wang Zongyuan and wondered if he could trust this man.

Wang Zongyuan also said just now that Song Haonan’s biological father followed the Western Rong people.

What can you do if you follow the Xirong people? Either you become their lackeys or you help them do bad things.

Besides, Song Haonan’s biological father was a bandit.

If Song Haonan arrived at the place and found his biological father, it is hard to say whether he would rebel.

"Tingzhi, what are you thinking about?"

Seeing Shen Tingzhi frowning and not speaking for a long time, Wang Zongyuan asked curiously.

"I was thinking, if I agree to let Song Haonan go to Xirong, and he meets his biological father, what will be the chance of him rebelling?"

Shen Tingzhi spoke frankly in front of Wang Zongyuan and said whatever he thought.

"Ah?" Wang Zongyuan tilted his head and looked at Shen Tingzhi for a long time before he realized what he meant.

"Tingzhi, I can't guarantee anything else, but I can guarantee you this: Song Haonan will never betray me just because Song Zhuang is his biological father."

"Oh, are you so sure?" Shen Tingzhi looked at Wang Zongyuan and asked, "How sure are you? Song Zhuang is his biological father."

"The hardest thing to break free of in this world is the blood bond of parental love."

"It sounds good now, but it's hard to say once you see Songzhuang."

"Tingzhi, don't worry about this matter. Although Song Zhuang is Song Haonan's biological father, he has almost never taken care of the child. Song Haonan has no impression of his biological father at all."

"And Song Haonan's mother died at the hands of the Xirong people."

"That year, the Western Rong invaded and crossed the border. Song Haonan went hunting in the mountains and escaped, but his mother was injured by the Western Rong."

"I waited for him to come home, told him about my funeral arrangements, and then I died."

"Song Haonan swore at that time that if he didn't slaughter all the Xirong people and avenge his mother in this life, he would no longer be a human being."

"Don't tell me whether Song Zhuang defected to the Xirong people or not. Even if he did, and became an official, Song Haonan would not forget his mother's revenge and become his accomplice."

"If Song Zhuang surrenders to the Xirong people, Song Haonan will definitely kill Song Zhuang for the sake of justice. I will guarantee this with my own life."

Wang Zongyuan patted his chest and made a solemn promise to Shen Tingzhi.

Shen Tingzhi lowered his head in thought for a while, then looked up at Wang Zongyuan and said, "Uncle Wang, what you are saying now is not a joke. It is a military order, do you understand?"

"If you fail to complete a military order, it's a capital offense. You have to think it through."

Wang Zongyuan was stunned, and then he understood what Shen Tingzhi meant.

"Tingzhi, I have signed this military order."