The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Moreover, Sun Feng was the only patriarch of a prominent family who was not invited to the palace by Ruan Yuhu this time.

In addition to knowing that Sun Feng was involved in Li Chaohui's rebellion, there was a more important reason: Ruan Yuhu and Shen Tianjiao also wanted to take this opportunity to completely suppress the Sun family.

From then on, the troublemaker Sun Feng not only disappeared from Shangjing, but also disappeared from the ranks of the aristocratic families.

Shen Tianjiao has made up her mind to take advantage of this opportunity to clean up all the aristocratic families in Shangjing City, reshuffle them, and re-rank them.

Yan Yu narrowed his eyes. This was extremely dangerous information.

"If I were to kill Li Zhishan and Sun Feng here, would that implicate the Empress?"

Although Shen Tianjiao told Yan Yu before coming that he didn't have to worry about anything and let him do it freely, and Shen Tianjiao would take responsibility for anything that happened.

But this is exactly what Yan Yu is most worried about. He is afraid that if he fails to control the situation, the matter will get out of hand and Shen Tianjiao will be embarrassed.

Yan Yu knew almost nothing about these aristocratic families in Shangjing.

So before he did anything, he had to ask Chunchao's opinion first. After all, Chunchao knew the aristocratic families in Shangjing very well.

"Since the master has already told the general that you don't have to worry, then do whatever you want."

"I'll go and ask the 'Emperor' to come over later. Our Emperor never does things according to common sense."

"Plus, he was frightened last night. So, right now, he wants to deal with the two rebels in this temple in front of all the ancestors, to appease the ancestors' protection and bless Yunli with prosperity in the future."

"This is absolutely understandable. No one can say a word against it. Anyone who dares to oppose it today will surely die."

"It was the emperor who ordered the execution of the rebels. This is what should be done. There is no problem at all."

No matter what Yan Yu wants to do today, Chunchao can find a reason for him to enable him to do it smoothly without implicating Shen Tianjiao.

"Okay." After hearing Chunchao say this, Yan Yu felt relieved.

Shen Tianjiao had already killed Li Rui, and she had told Yan Yu a long time ago that the current Li Rui was someone else's imposter, so Yan Yu had no hostility towards the current Li Rui.

Being able to use a dead person to achieve one's own goals is a good choice.

"Send someone to bring Li Zhishan and Sun Feng out. I want them to serve as a warning to these court officials today."

"I want to see if, after witnessing Li Zhishan and Sun Feng's deaths before their eyes, they still dare to act arrogantly and do not fulfill their duties as subjects. They spend their days thinking about how to assist the Queen, govern Yunli, and seek benefits for the people of Yunli."

"But they only think about how to form cliques and pursue their own interests."

"From now on, it would be fine if they behaved themselves. Otherwise, I will kill everyone with the sword in my hand."

Yan Yu led troops in battles for more than ten years in his previous life. How could he be a weak person?

The knife in his hand was to protect the people of Yunli, not to protect those court officials who had evil intentions, were only thinking about enjoying themselves all day long, and were doing nothing.

"Yes, I will tell someone to bring them here."

"General, you can go to the main courtyard first. The Emperor Taizu is enshrined in the main hall of the main courtyard. It is most appropriate to do what we will do later there."

Chunchao made such a suggestion naturally for the sake of the overall situation. Dealing with the rebels in front of the portrait and tablet of Emperor Taizu, I am afraid that even if Li Rui was resurrected, he would not dare to say anything.

"Okay, let's split up."

Yan Yu walked towards the main courtyard, while Chunchao went to the backyard, a place specially provided for the emperor and empress to rest when they came to the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors.

The person who brought Li Zhishan and Sun Feng here was none other than Chu Mingyu. He was the person arranged by Shen Tianjiao to pick up Yan Yu.

"General, the people have been brought here."

Yan Yu felt much more relaxed when he saw that the person who came was an old acquaintance.

"Come on, come with me to meet those people."

"I want to see who is more sharp, the knife in my hand or their tough talk."

"Okay, General, please."

Although Chu Mingyu and Yan Yu had only spent a short time together, they got along very well and felt like they had known each other for a long time.

Yan Yu walked in front, followed closely by Chu Mingyu, while the people behind him carried Li Zhishan and Sun Feng, who had their mouths gagged, and the group walked towards the main courtyard in a mighty procession.

When they arrived at the main courtyard, Chu Mingyu asked someone to bring a chair to Yan Yu, and Yan Yu sat down directly.

"Go, call all the people here, I have something to tell them."

The place where Yan Yu was sitting was a martial arts training ground on a higher ground. The reason why there was a martial arts training ground in the ancestral temple was because Yunli’s founding emperor, Emperor Taizu, was a military general himself.

The country was seized by force, so the martial arts training ground in the ancestral temple was built at the request of Emperor Taizu himself. The purpose was to warn his descendants not to forget their roots, and to inherit the family's character even if they hold high positions.

There is a large open space in front of the martial arts training ground, which is large enough to accommodate all the civil and military officials in the court.

After receiving Yan Yu's order, Chu Mingyu immediately took people to bring the court officials over.

Soon, Chu Mingyu arrived with the court officials. After last night's attack, these officials who usually acted arrogant were now all listless, like defeated roosters, without any energy at all.

At this time, when they were brought to the martial arts training ground, everyone was actually feeling uneasy.

Their master, the supreme ruler of Yunli, now the Emperor, is notoriously sinister and paranoid. He never does things according to common sense and always acts according to his own mood.

What happened yesterday was what the Emperor hated the most. Since he ascended the throne, he has never been lenient towards rebels.

Although the Queen is now the regent, isn't it His Majesty the Emperor who stands behind her?

So it seems that the queen is doing things, but in fact, all of this is the emperor's intention. If the emperor does not agree, the queen would not dare to do those things.

The court officials didn’t know that their emperor had passed away long ago, and they still thought that the person in power in Yunli was still their emperor Li Rui.

They didn't understand the situation at all, and didn't know that Yunli's situation had changed a long time ago. Their master had been replaced by their regent queen Shen Tianjiao.

Yan Yu sat high in the center of the martial arts training ground, looking down upon the crowd of people below.

After a long while, he finally spoke: "This great general has been ordered to come here today to tell you something."

"Yesterday, Li Zhaohui led her rebel army, intending to attack the imperial city, invade the palace, and seize the throne."

"But her so-called rebel army was wiped out in one fell swoop before it even entered the imperial city."

"Li Zhaohui himself, fearing punishment, jumped from the city wall and died."

"Her body is still lying at the fire scene, waiting for you to return and bid her farewell."

The fire scene that Yan Yu mentioned was the place where the eunuchs and palace maids who died of old age in the palace but did not leave the palace were finally cremated.

It was considered the lowest, dirtiest and most filthy place in the palace.

It is really sad to know where Li Zhaohui, a legendary figure of his generation, went after his death.

Those present who had no connection with Li Chaohui were all lamenting Li Chaohui's fate. Those who had connection with Li Chaohui, or even participated in the rebellion, all wished they could disappear on the spot.

Yan Yu watched the changes in the expressions of the people below, but did not say a word. This silent atmosphere was strange everywhere.

Under Yan Yu's intimidating gaze, everyone standing in the empty field began to feel uneasy.

After Yan Yu had finished admiring the expressions of the court officials below, he spoke up, "Come on, bring up Li Chaohui's accomplices, the masterminds who dared to openly seek refuge in the ancestral temple and attempt to murder the emperor."

Soon Li Zhishan and Sun Feng were pressed forward.

These two old men, who were already over seventy years old, had experienced yesterday's failure and a night of detention. They were already frightened and pale, and looked more than ten years older, just like two dying quails.

When they saw Li Zhishan and Sun Feng being gagged and brought to the martial arts arena, some of the people who were mentally fragile and had participated in the rebellion with them fainted.

Because they all knew very well that if Li Zhishan and Sun Feng were brought up in front of everyone at this time, it would mean that their lives were over.

The lives of the two masterminds are in danger, so how can these small fry who followed in the trick still survive?

They don't have the courage to die if they don't succeed, but they still follow others to make trouble. How can they not be afraid?

"Everyone knows these two, so I won't waste any more words."

"Li Zhishan and Sun Feng, as accomplices of Li Zhaohui, dared to plot the assassination of the emperor in the ancestral temple. This is a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of their clan."

"This great general has been ordered to execute them on the spot in the ancestral temple in front of all the civil and military officials. I will apologize to all the previous emperors and serve as a warning to others."

As soon as Yan Yu finished speaking, several people fainted while discussions broke out.

"Who on earth are you? Whose power did you give to be so arrogant? You even dare to kill people at will in front of Emperor Taizu in the ancestral temple. This is simply a disgrace to society!"

"Do you know who these two are? One of them is the emperor's uncle, and the other is the emperor's great-uncle. How could you kill them just because you want to?"

"If you want to do anything unlawful to them, you must at least have the emperor's order. Otherwise, I don't think anyone would dare to do it!"

The extremely arrogant man who jumped out was also an accomplice of Li Chaohui, a distant cousin of Empress Dowager Liu, a lowly light cavalry captain Liu Xun.

Although he is also a member of Li Chaohui's party, this old man is very scheming and cunning. When Li Zhishan and Sun Feng started the rebellion yesterday, he didn't even show his head, for fear that if they failed, he would be implicated.

He jumped out at this time and strongly opposed Yan Yu, not because he wanted to protect Li Zhishan and Sun Feng, but because he wanted to take the opportunity to create chaos. He just wanted to incite the rest of his accomplices to join him in opposing Yan Yu.

Because he knew very well that once Li Zhishan and Sun Feng were killed, it would be the turn of these small fry.

As long as Li Zhishan and Sun Feng are alive, they will be safe.

"Huh, Liu Xun, who gave you the courage to actually jump out at this time and say such outrageous nonsense?"

Chu Mingyu spoke up before Yan Yu could. He didn't even address Li Xun by his official title, but just called him by his name.

Yan Yu was not often in the capital, so he did not know who these people were and their backgrounds, but it was different for Chu Mingyu.

He was born and raised in Shangjing, and he himself did not come from an ordinary family, but from a prominent family.

He is the eldest son of the Chu family, ranked sixth among the aristocratic families in Shangjing.

Therefore, Chu Mingyu is very familiar with the situation in Shangjing and the people below. If he takes action, it will be no problem for him to control these people.

The court officials below all knew Chu Mingyu. In places like Shangjing, where one might encounter royal relatives, if one did not do his homework and have a clear understanding of the major families and officialdom, one might accidentally offend an important person.

At that time, losing your life is not a big deal. If things go wrong, the whole family will be implicated and will not be able to reunite in the underworld.

Besides, Chu Mingyu is not an unknown person who relies on the protection of his family.

He was in charge of the defense and security of the capital, and was one of the few generals who could carry a sword into the imperial city.

At this time, Chu Mingyu stood up and said these words again. What was there for those smart people below not to understand?

Moreover, the masked man sitting on the martial arts stage was actually Yan Mingde, who dared to fight for life and death with Ainuer Xiong'an with his meager strength and won a great victory.

Ainuer Xiong'an was forced to flee and his son Yan Yu became a disabled and useless person.

He is also the only person in Yunli's family since the founding of the country who has become the Tiger General personally appointed by the Queen at a young age.

If anyone at this time were to follow Li Xun's lead and be foolish enough to jump out and say something inappropriate, offending the two people on the martial arts stage, he would simply be courting death.

The reason why these two people can appear here at the same time is naturally because they are here on the emperor's orders, which means that the emperor really wants to wipe out Li Chaohui's accomplices without mercy.

At this time, all the court officials were very uneasy, regardless of whether they were Li Chaohui's accomplices or not.

Moreover, some particularly astute people have already discovered that Shen Tianjiao, as the Queen Regent, did not follow the emperor to the ancestral temple to offer sacrifices to heaven this time.

Not only did the injured Wang Yunzhi not show up, but even the Chief Justice Lu Yan was not present.