The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"The fact that I now hold so many unknown secrets of the noble families is actually thanks to the late emperor."

The world only knows that the late emperor was a well-behaved emperor, but in fact, only those around him know how terrible, petty and cruel he was.

"In order to suppress these aristocratic families, the late emperor sent out the so-called Cloud Messengers to investigate and gather their secrets."

"So Yun Li was not only the aristocratic families in Shangjing, but even the noble families and princes who went to their fiefdoms were unable to escape."

It is precisely because of this heroic feat of the late emperor that Ruan Yuhu now has the opportunity to control and hold these people in check.

"Then how did our Zhenbei Marquisate escape the late emperor's investigation?"

Shen Tianjiao didn't believe that the late emperor would believe this. They were in the Zhenbei Marquis' Mansion, so she simply avoided the Zhenbei Marquis and did not explore the Zhenbei Marquis's secrets.

Ruan Yuhu smiled. This girl was indeed a clear-headed person. She would never believe in human nature, especially the emperor's scheming.

"How could the Zhenbei Marquisate possibly escape the late emperor's investigation? Even though the late emperor and your father grew up together, they were good brothers who had weathered countless storms and life and death together."

"But as the Zhenbei Marquisate, the most prominent family in Yunli, it's natural that it can't escape his suspicion."

"It's just that the secrets he obtained about the Zhenbei Marquisate were all insignificant and wouldn't threaten his rule."

Shen Tianjiao was stunned. The only person who could take the information brought back by Yun Xinshi, filter out the information that should not be known to the late emperor, and report the irrelevant information to the late emperor was Ruan Yuhu.

It turns out that the bond between the two of them had already begun when she didn't even know about it.

"aunt…."

"Alright, don't say anything." Shen Tianjiao opened her mouth to say something when Ruan Yuhu interrupted her. "The reason I did that back then was not for anything else, but because the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion was a family of loyalty and bravery."

"Six generations of Zhenbei Marquis, from the founding of Yunli until now, have never had any selfish motives. They have all been dedicated to the country, leading the Shen family army to defend the northern border, and giving their all."

"Such loyalty, such sacrifice, and such righteousness cannot be slandered or destroyed by the selfishness of others."

"I'm not protecting the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, I'm protecting the entire Yunli."

Shen Tianjiao felt a lump in her throat and her eyes turned red. If it weren't for Ruan Yuhu's protection back then, the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion would definitely not be able to stand on Yunli's land anymore.

"Alright, the past is the past. When I die, I will hand over all these secrets to you. When those aristocratic families act dishonestly again, you can take these out and deal with them."

Ruan Yuhu hated to see Shen Tianjiao like this, so she quickly interrupted and started joking with Shen Tianjiao.

Shen Tianjiao's feeling of gratitude and wanting to cry disappeared instantly after hearing Ruan Yuhu's words, and she smiled helplessly.

"Okay, stop talking about useless things and let's talk about something useful now."

Ruan Yuhu knew very well that by saving the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion she was saving Yun Li, and she didn't want Shen Tianjiao to owe her a favor, because she was doing it for Yun Li, not for anyone else.

"Tomorrow we will go to the ancestral temple to offer sacrifices to the heavens. Li Zhaohui will also be taking action soon. Will the one leading the troops to protect the imperial city this time be your father, the Marquis of Zhenbei, or Wang Zongyuan?"

Ruan Yuhu has been very busy recently and has no time to worry about whether she is guarding the imperial city this time. Because she knows that the Marquis of Zhenbei did not leave Shangjing for the northern border, she does not have to worry about this matter.

But the battle with Li Chaohui is about to begin tomorrow, so she has to worry about who will be the head coach tomorrow.

Shen Tianjiao lowered her head and took a sip of tea. After putting down the teacup, she said, "The commander-in-chief defending the Imperial City this time is neither my father nor Wang Zongyuan, but someone else."

"Someone else?" Ruan Yuhu looked up at Shen Tianjiao in confusion. She never expected that the coach this time was not Marquis Zhenbei, nor Wang Zongyuan, but someone else.

"Yes, it's not appropriate for my father to be involved in this matter, and neither is Wang Zongyuan."

Ruan Yuhu immediately understood the implication of Shen Tianjiao's words.

Everyone in the capital knew that the Marquis of Zhenbei had already returned to the northern border. If he returned to the capital to quell the rebellion without an imperial decree, it would inevitably cause criticism from the court officials.

Shen Tianjiao is now the queen who is in charge of the country. The power she holds is supreme. I don’t know how many people are jealous of her because of this.

In this situation, if the Marquis of Zhenbei showed up rashly, even though it was to quell the rebellion, it would also become a criticism for others to attack Shen Tianjiao and the Marquis of Zhenbei in the future.

As the commander of the Xishan Camp, Wang Zongyuan's responsibility is to guard the periphery of the imperial city. If he takes over as the commander-in-chief at this time, once Li Chaohui's men attack the Xishan Camp, the imperial city will really be lost.

"Who will be the head coach tomorrow?"

Ruan Yuhu thought about it in his mind and realized that Shangjing really couldn't find a suitable candidate to be the head coach tomorrow.

At this moment, Shen Tianjiao suddenly became nervous for some reason. She swallowed her saliva and said, "It's Yan Mingde's son Yan Yu."

"Yan Yu?" Ruan Yuhu never thought that tomorrow's head coach would be Yan Yu.

"When did he come back?"

Ruan Yuhu felt that he had simply not asked about this matter for a few days, as if he had missed a lot.

"He just happened to be back in Beijing to handle some official business. I was able to return to the palace safely this time, thanks to his help."

"There are no available generals in Shangjing right now. The generals who remain in Shangjing are either sick or injured, so I decided to let him be the commander-in-chief."

Shen Tianjiao's words sounded unconvincing, as if she had done something shameful.

"Well, this Yan Yu is indeed a useful talent, a young and promising man."

"As soon as he arrived on the battlefield, he was able to help his father, Yan Mingde, and defeated Ainuer Xiong'an's army of 100,000. Not only did he send Ainuer Xiong'an back in defeat, he also turned him into a cripple."

"Ainur Xiong'an has become a useless cripple. It's not just him who's been devastated, it's the entire Xirong."

"The Western Rong suffered a heavy blow and their vitality was severely damaged. It will be difficult for them to recover in a short period of time."

"I think we should let Yan Yu stay in Shangjing after this matter is over."

Ruan Yuhu didn't notice at all that Shen Tianjiao looked nervous, and her words were full of admiration and praise for Yan Yu.

Although she had never met Yan Yu, she was deeply impressed by him. The battle between Yan Yu, Li Bin and Ainuer Xiong'an, where the outnumbered team defeated the larger force, was a feat that could be recorded in the history of Yunli.

"If he stays in Shangjing, what will happen to the upcoming multinational war?"

Doesn't Shen Tianjiao also want Yan Yu to stay in Shangjing and stay by her side?

But she couldn't do that. Yan Yu had his mission, his world, and things he had to do.

"That's right." Ruan Yuhu smiled. Letting Yan Yu stay in Shangjing was really a waste of his talent and it was unfair to him.

"By the way, what I want to say is that there is a secret passage in the palace, and we must send someone to guard it."

"Is there a secret passage in the palace?" Shen Tianjiao's heart moved. The secret passage that Ruan Yuhu mentioned must be the secret passage that she and Yan Yu took when they returned together.

"Yes, that secret passage was discovered in the palace by Emperor Taizu when he conquered Yun Li's kingdom."

"It should have been specially built by the previous emperor when he built this palace to prevent emergencies."

"This is a secret unknown to the palace. No one knows it except the emperors of all generations."

"But Li Zhaohui seems to know this secret. Not only did she often enter and leave the palace, she also participated in government affairs."

"She knows a lot of secrets in the palace. If she also knows that there is a secret passage in the palace, I'm afraid she will plan to use the secret passage to let her people enter the palace."

The reason why Ruan Yuhu knew the secret of the secret passage was naturally because of the late emperor. As the most trusted and closest person to the late emperor, there were very few things in the palace that she didn't know.

After hearing Ruan Yuhu's words, Shen Tianjiao was not worried because she knew about the secret passage in the palace, which Li Chaohui did not know.

Not to mention that she had walked through that secret passage in her previous life, even when she was walking with Yan Yu a few days ago, she saw that the secret passage was already badly damaged wherever she looked.

This means that no one has walked through the secret passage for a long time. Given Li Chaohui's personality, if she knew about the secret passage, she would have used it to cause trouble long ago and would not have had to wait until now.

In addition, Yan Yu has already sent people to repair and guard the entrance to the secret passage. Even if Li Chaohui knew about the secret passage and planned to use it to enter the palace, he would not be able to do so.

"I understand. I'll send someone to take care of it."

Shen Tianjiao did not tell Ruan Yuhu that she knew about the secret passage. Some things did not need to be said.

"Does Li Rui also know about the secret passage?"

Shen Tianjiao asked this out of pure curiosity. Although the original body had a bad relationship with Li Rui, Li Rui did not hide anything from the original body.

But in the original body's memory, it seems that there is no such thing.

"He doesn't know. The late emperor passed away suddenly. Before he died, he asked me to tell Li Rui about this, but I didn't want to tell him, so I didn't tell him."

Ruan Yuhu will never know because she doesn't want to tell Li Rui the secret of the secret passage. Shen Tianjiao already knew it.

"Hahaha." Shen Tianjiao couldn't help laughing. Li Rui's popularity was really terrible. He annoyed everyone who saw him.

However, this also explains why Li Heng didn't know that there was a secret passage in the palace in his previous life.

It turns out that for Li Rui, this secret has really become a secret.

"Just take care of this matter, and I won't worry about it."

Ruan Yuhu said that she no longer worried, but how could she really not worry?

Since entering the palace, Ruan Yuhu has experienced countless life and death situations, but she has never been afraid.

But this time is different from the past. All the storms and life-and-death difficulties in the past were actually nothing to Ruan Yuhu.

It is lucky to be alive. If you really die, it is nothing more than leaving with regret without taking revenge.

But this time was different. The people who experienced this storm were the ones she cared about in her heart, the ones she loved, so for the first time in her life, Ruan Yuhu felt scared.

Although she believed that Shen Tianjiao had made all the necessary preparations, she still had to be prepared for the worst. If there was even a slight mistake, the result would be different.

"Auntie, don't worry, everything will go well tomorrow."

Shen Tianjiao felt Ruan Yuhu's nervousness, and she smiled and comforted Ruan Yuhu.

"I know it will go well."

Ruan Yuhu forced a smile, "After things are over tomorrow, Mu'er and An'an can come back."

"It's been a while since I last saw them. I really miss these two little guys."

Shen Tianjiao held Ruan Yuhu's hand and said warmly, "Well, after they come back this time, they will be able to accompany you every day in the future."

"Well, I'm old now, and I just like the noise and fun of children around me."

"I just don't know if An An, that heartless little girl, will still recognize me after she comes back?"

Ruan Yuhu was not worried about Li Muyang. After all, Li Muyang was already a big boy. Not to mention being separated for just a few months, even if they were separated for a year or two, Li Muyang would not fail to recognize her when he came back.

But the same cannot be said for the little girl Li Muyan. She is still young, and it is normal for her to forget her after being separated for a while.

"How could she forget you? This little girl is very smart. Don't worry, she will definitely recognize you when she comes back."

Although Shen Tianjiao didn't know whether Li Muyan would recognize Ruan Yuhu when she came back, she still made a solemn promise to Ruan Yuhu.

Shen Tianjiao's life is not easy now. She has old people above her and young children below her, and she has to take care of both the old and the young.

Although Shen Tianjiao said so, Ruan Yuhu knew in her heart that when she was in the palace, Li Muyan was always by her side every day, but they were not necessarily very close.

We have been separated for so long, it would be strange if I could recognize her when I come back this time.

"By the way, Auntie, is Qiong Niang's injury that serious this time?"

"It's been a while, why is she still recuperating in the Imperial Hospital?"

Shen Tianjiao changed the subject and took the opportunity to ease Ruan Yuhu's tension.

"Her, eh!" Ruan Yuhu shook his head and said with a smile, "I'm afraid she will be sold to the Imperial Hospital in the future."

"Sold it to the Imperial Hospital?" Shen Tianjiao looked at Ruan Yuhu in astonishment, and asked in confusion, "Why was it sold to the Imperial Hospital?"

Ruan Yuhu suddenly burst into laughter and said mysteriously, "That's a long story. I guess she's already enjoying herself in the Imperial Hospital."

Looking at the bewildered Shen Tianjiao, Ruan Yuhu finally stopped laughing and said, "I told you, don't be too surprised."

"In a few days, maybe we will prepare the dowry and send it to Qiong Niang for marriage."