The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

No matter how noisy it was outside last night, the palace was blessed with a rare moment of peace and quiet.

It was a rare occasion for Shen Tianjiao to sleep until dawn. She slept very comfortably and didn't even have any dreams.

When you sleep comfortably, you will naturally feel better.

Shen Tianjiao already knew what happened in Wenyuan last night.

Ruan Yuhu's ability to control people is really amazing. Just a few verbal battles can make those people feel cautious and obey him obediently.

Because Shen Tianjiao got up late, she originally didn't plan to have breakfast, but Xia He said that Yan Yu had been waiting for her to wake up and it was not time for breakfast yet. Shen Tianjiao immediately told Xia He to set the table for breakfast.

Xia He quickly ordered someone to prepare breakfast.

As usual, after setting the breakfast, Xia He closed the door and went out, leaving Shen Tianjiao and Yan Yu to eat in the room.

The matter in Shangjing has ended, which also means that Yan Yu will soon leave Shangjing and return to the northern border.

The two of them didn't know how long it would take for them to meet again after parting this time, so they both ate breakfast in silence.

"When do you plan to leave?"

Shen Tianjiao put down her bowl and chopsticks, but finally couldn't help but speak first.

"It'll probably only be one or two days. After all, there are still many things to deal with in the northern border."

After hearing Shen Tianjiao's question, Yan Yu immediately lost his appetite and put down his chopsticks.

After the separation in the previous life, Yan Yu can now deeply understand what it means for a hero to be short-tempered and for a young man to be deeply in love.

If feasible, he would rather not be a great general, just stay by Shen Tianjiao's side, be a secret guard who can't see the light of day, and protect Shen Tianjiao silently.

But he can't do that now, because his country is still in a situation of internal and external troubles, and powerful enemies may invade at any time.

He must first conquer the four seas and completely free Yun Li from the threat of powerful enemies, and then he can come back to enjoy the love and be with his beloved.

"Oh."

When Shen Tianjiao heard Yan Yu say that he was leaving soon, she felt really upset.

In the eyes of outsiders, Shen Tianjiao is now an invincible and omnipotent person who cannot be defeated by anyone or anything.

But in front of Yan Yu, she just wanted to be a little woman who didn't have to worry about anything and had someone to protect her from the wind and rain.

Yan Yu looked at Shen Tianjiao who was keeping her head down and silent, and he felt an indescribable discomfort in his heart.

He reached out and held Shen Tianjiao's hand, whispering, "Don't worry, I promise I'll be back soon."

"I ordered a box of mints from the candy store. You eat one every day. When you finish the mints in the box, I should be back by then."

Shen Tianjiao looked up at Yan Yu and asked, "How big is the box? Is it bigger than a lunch box?"

"Then I won't be able to finish eating it until the end of time."

"Don't let your teeth get rotten because you ate too much candy before you come back."

Listening to Shen Tianjiao's complaints, which were full of anger, Yan Yu couldn't help but laugh, "Don't worry, I'm not a fool. Why would I give you a box of mints that is bigger than a lunch box?"

"Don't say you can't finish it by then. Even if you can finish it, the candy will go bad if it's been stored for too long and you won't be able to eat it anymore."

"Humph! You're the only one with a big mouth, you talk too much!"

Shen Tianjiao rolled her eyes at Yan Yu, lowered her head, and looked a little unhappy again.

Seeing Shen Tianjiao like this, Yan Yu felt even more upset. If this continued, he really wouldn't be able to move his legs or walk.

"The mints I ordered will last you until New Year's Eve."

"On New Year's Eve, I will definitely come back to be with you. We haven't celebrated the New Year together for many years."

"Although there are fewer people around us this year, let's spend a small reunion together."

When Shen Tianjiao heard Yan Yu say that he would be back during the Chinese New Year, her mood improved a little.

"There are still many things waiting for me to do in the Northern Frontier."

"When I left, General Bai's men discovered an iron mine near their base."

"If we are ready to go to war against the six kingdoms of Kyushu, weapons are indispensable, and they are also extremely costly in war."

"So the iron ore issue must be dealt with immediately."

"We still don't know whether the iron mined there is suitable for making weapons."

Even if two countries go to war, a lot of supplies need to be prepared, let alone going to war with the six countries in Kyushu at the same time?

What Yan Yu is most worried about now is not the army’s reserves or strategy, but the wartime material reserves.

When he fought in his previous life, he was best at defeating the enemy with a smaller force. How could a general who was famous for defeating the enemy with a smaller force be lacking in strategy?

However, in his previous life, Yan Yu had suffered a lot from the lack of supplies, food and wages.

Because Yan Yu suffered so much at that time, the psychological trauma left on him has not disappeared until now, so what he is most worried about now is still the preparation of various supplies for wartime.

"If the iron ore discovered in Baiqi Mountain cannot be mined to make weapons, what will you do?"

Based on Shen Tianjiao's understanding of Yan Yu, he would never easily give up the iron mined from the mine just because it could not be used to make weapons.

Yan Yu looked at Shen Tianjiao and smiled. He knew that his thoughts could not escape Shen Tianjiao's eyes.

"What else can I do? Of course, I can mine the iron and sell it to our neighbors, the Northern Qiang or the Western Rong. Iron is a rare commodity to them, and I can get a lot of money from them."

"With this money, we can buy more food and get more warm cotton clothes for the soldiers."

"Northern Xinjiang is different from Southern Xinjiang. It's snowing in Northern Xinjiang now. The whistling wind is like a knife, it hurts when it scrapes against your face."

"How terrible it would be for the soldiers if they didn't have warm clothes to wear."

"They are all men who are loyal to their country. I cannot let them go to the battlefield and fight without enough food and clothing."

As Yan Yu spoke, his eyes became red, thinking about the brothers who had fought alongside him in his previous life. They fought against the enemy on the battlefield, and they were all heroes who defended their country.

But he did not let them follow him and live a good life. They often wore tattered military uniforms and had no food to eat.

This time, he would never let such a thing happen to his brothers again.

Shen Tianjiao knew from Yan Yu's expression at the moment that he was recalling the past. What Yan Yu had experienced was also what Shen Tianjiao had experienced.

How could she not know how it felt to have no money or food and let the soldiers go hungry and cold?

Otherwise, how could she love money so much, opening a restaurant and asking Zuo Beichen and Qiu Tong to work hard to run a caravan.

She was also afraid of the lack of money and food in her previous life. She knew that without money, she would not be able to ensure that her soldiers had enough food and clothing and could go to war without any worries.

"From now on, I will give you two million taels of military funds every year to ensure the food, clothing, and daily necessities of the soldiers in the Northern Frontier, as well as to replace worn-out weapons. Is this enough for General Yan?"

Shen Tianjiao is no longer the same person she was in her previous life who was so poor that she couldn't even afford food and drink for her soldiers. She is now a rich person.

"A lot, a lot, how much?" Yan Yu was not doubting, but firmly believed that he must have heard it wrong. Two million taels of silver for military expenditure a year, this was impossible no matter how you thought about it.

Yan Yu's silly look immediately made Shen Tianjiao laugh.

"Look at your poor, foolish look, you heard me right. I just said that I will give you two million taels of silver every year for military expenses."

"I will never let you and those soldiers go to the battlefield hungry again."

"We will no longer allow them to fight the enemy on the battlefield with their broken weapons."

"We must use the best weapons in the future, so that our soldiers can go to the battlefield with all their energy and spirit."

This time Yan Yu really heard it clearly. That's right, Shen Tianjiao was talking about two million taels of silver for military expenses, not 20,000 taels, nor 200,000 taels, but a full two million taels of silver.

Two million taels of silver, not to mention Yan Yu in his previous life, even Yan Yu now wouldn't dare to think about it.

This cannot be blamed on Yan Yu's lack of experience. He has never seen so much money from so many people in his entire life.

"Don't worry, I'm a wealthy man now. I can support you and the soldiers in the Northern Frontier."

"I promise to pay your military allowance on time every year. There will be no delay or non-payment, so you can do whatever you want in the future."

"You can recruit as many soldiers as you want, and forge as many weapons as you want. You don't have to worry about recruiting too many people and not being able to support them, or worrying about weapons being worn out and not having enough money to buy new ones."

"Anyway, in short, no matter what you decide to do, I'll be there to back you up. Even if you poke a hole in the sky, I can fix it."

Shen Tianjiao had wanted to say these words to Yan Yu in her previous life, but unfortunately the conditions and strength did not allow it at that time.

But now it’s different, the conditions allow it, and the strength allows it.

Naturally, Shen Tianjiao would pamper Yan Yu without reservation, allowing Yan Yu to complete what he should do without any worries.

Yan Yu is a rare military genius in a century. If he is not restricted by any rules and is allowed to express himself freely, he will definitely achieve great things.

Moreover, Shen Tianjiao also firmly believed that the current Yan Yu was the same as the previous Yan Yu, and his innocent heart had never changed.

Yan Yu has not yet recovered from the shock of the two million taels of silver.

Now hearing Shen Tianjiao's bold words again, he was shocked again.

Yan Yu looked up at Shen Tianjiao. He felt that the person in front of him was the Chu Qingge he knew, but something seemed different about her.

"What's wrong, you don't recognize me?"

Shen Tianjiao admired the determined yet somewhat doubtful look on Yan Yu's face, and knew what he was thinking.

"Well, I always feel that you are still the same you, but you seem to be different from before."

Yan Yu had nothing to hold back in front of Shen Tianjiao, and he said whatever he thought.

Shen Tianjiao smiled, looked at Yan Yu and said, "I am still the same person as before. It's not me that has changed, it's the environment that has changed."

"Although I was Yunli's queen before, I didn't have any help or assistance around me."

"So there are many things that I can't do or change even if I want to. I can't do or change anything."

"But it's different now. I'm no longer alone. There are many people around me who are willing to help me."

"I have a father who loves me dearly, brothers who are willing to protect me, and Aunt Ruan who can make plans for me."

"There are still many people who are willing to believe in me and support me."

"So, in this life, I can be the one in charge of my own destiny. That's how you see me, a me that is both the same and slightly different from my previous life."

From Chu Qingge to Shen Tianjiao, she has now completely accepted the fact that she is Shen Tianjiao.

She would treat the Marquis of Zhenbei as her own father, loving and being filial to him in the same way, and would also treat Shen Yiyang, Shen Tingzhi, and Shen Xinghao as her own brothers.

The fatherly love, the love between brothers and sisters, and the warmth of family that I did not receive in my previous life have all been made up in this life.

No matter what the reason was that allowed her to cross two lives and have the opportunity to live again, she was very grateful to God for allowing her to have the happiness in this life that she did not have in her previous life.

Shen Tianjiao looked up at Yan Yu. What made her even more grateful was that Yan Yu was now by her side.

For her, with their support and companionship, she has the confidence to overcome any difficulties.

"When did our eldest daughter become such a wealthy woman?"

Yan Yu looked at Shen Tianjiao and joked with her.

For him, it doesn’t matter who Shen Tianjiao is now, and it doesn’t matter whether she has changed or not. What matters is that he can stay by her side and make up for the regrets of his previous life, and he will be satisfied.

"I experienced the pain of being poor in my previous life. If I could start over again, I would definitely make enough money to guarantee the dreams we shared in our previous life."

"It was probably a coincidence. When I was worrying about how to make money, Zuo Beichen appeared."

"I promised to avenge his mother, so he transferred all the assets under his name to mine."

"I originally thought that he was so young and wouldn't have much wealth, but I didn't expect this guy to be such a business genius."

"His businesses are almost all over Yunli. The Yipin Building, which ranks first in Shangjing City, is his business."

"Don't underestimate Yipinlou, it's just a restaurant. It's the most profitable of all the businesses right now."