The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

“Almost all the dignitaries in Shangjing are regular visitors there.”

"It won't work this time. When you come back for the New Year, I'll take you to Yipinlou for dinner. How about you try the dishes?"

As Shen Tianjiao spoke, the sadness of parting surged into her heart again. Yan Yu was really about to leave.

"Besides this Yipin Building, does the young lady have any other businesses?"

"No matter how much money this building makes, it can't cover such huge expenses."

Seeing Shen Tianjiao looking lonely, Yan Yu quickly changed the subject. He hated to see Shen Tianjiao sad the most.

"How is that possible? I own so many shops all over Yunli, and I'm the richest man in Yunli."

"Not only do I have a lot of business on my hands, but as Yunli's regent queen, I can also raid the homes of those who plot evil and intend to rebel."

"For example, Li Hong, Qian Wanhe, and their followers, they are all wealthy people. If they just raid their houses, they can easily get not only tens of millions of taels of silver, but also millions of taels."

"Also, the reason I sent Zuo Beichen and Qiu Tong to trade was not only to allow them to secretly establish an intelligence network and obtain a large number of horses."

"Of course, it's all about making money. The people in those barbaric lands lack the salt, tea, various exquisite porcelains, silks, brocades, and other things that we have in Yunli."

"And these things are nothing new to us. Why not exchange them for a large amount of money?"

Thinking that it had been some time since there was any news about Zuo Beichen and Qiu Tong, Shen Tianjiao couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Although they had made all the necessary preparations for their trade trip in advance, the people they brought with them to serve as servants were all selected from the guards of the Zhenbei Marquis' Mansion.

Moreover, Zuo Beichen is a scheming man, and Qiu Tong is also a martial arts master.

But even if she had made all the necessary preparations, she would still be going to someone else's territory, so Shen Tianjiao was still a little worried.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine."

Yan Yu saw what Shen Tianjiao was thinking at a glance.

"When I return to Northern Xinjiang, I will immediately send an elite team to meet them along the route they took."

"I believe they will complete their mission soon and return safely."

"Yeah." Shen Tianjiao looked up at Yan Yu. Although she knew that Yan Yu could take good care of her, she still had many concerns.

"When you return to Northern Xinjiang, you must take good care of yourself. Don't do everything yourself. You'll easily tire yourself out."

"Also, don't be so aggressive, competitive, or try to gain a short-term advantage. Don't do anything dangerous."

"You must eat three meals a day at regular times and places. Northern Xinjiang is not like Beijing. It's much colder there. Remember to put on more clothes when you go out."

"I've already instructed them to make some winter clothes for you. Take them with you when you leave."

"If it's not enough to wear, or if it's not warm enough, ask someone to find a local clothing shop to make it for you."

"Don't take it lightly just because you're young. If you don't pay attention now, you'll suffer when you're old."

Listening to Shen Tianjiao's ordinary nagging, Yan Yu felt warm in his heart. He was born to be lonely, but now there is finally someone who loves him.

"Okay, I know everything and I've remembered it."

Yan Yu looked at Shen Tianjiao and said with a smile: "Don't just worry about me, you should also take care of your health."

"Although you don't have to fight on the battlefield now, handling these court affairs is much more troublesome and laborious than fighting on the battlefield."

"Besides, there are still many people in the court with evil intentions. They will not stay quiet just because Li Zhaohui is dead."

"The road you're about to take is much more difficult than mine. You should take better care of your health than I do."

Yan Yu had never been to the court in his previous life, but he knew that the court was much more dangerous than the battlefield.

Although these military generals would use strategies on the battlefield, most of the time they fought the enemy with real swords and guns.

When they are fighting with the enemy, they don't have to worry about being stabbed in the back halfway by someone's trick and losing their lives in vain.

But it’s different in the court. Although those civil servants appear to be well-mannered and polite on weekdays, they are actually full of evil intentions.

They are full of tricks and evil from head to toe. Their schemes can kill people without them even noticing. They are truly evil.

Thinking about the people Shen Tianjiao had to face every day, Yan Yu really had no choice but to leave with peace of mind.

"You don't have to worry. I have my second brother and Aunt Ruan by my side, and now there's also Wang Yunzhi."

"Even though those civil servants are cunning and calculating, they won't get any advantage from me."

Shen Tianjiao and Yan Yu have become invincible in terms of mutual understanding and tacit understanding.

Yan Yu understood Shen Tianjiao's intentions, and Shen Tianjiao naturally knew Yan Yu's worries.

"Now that Li Zhaohui's matter has been resolved, the court will slowly return to its previous order."

"My second brother will soon return to the court to assist me in handling state affairs."

"Once the affairs of the court are more stable, I will hand over the government affairs to my second brother and Aunt Ruan."

"I will go to the Northern Frontier myself, and then we can work together to plan a war against the six kingdoms of Kyushu."

"We didn't do what we did back then due to various reasons, so we must not leave any regrets this time."

"If we join forces, we will surely be invincible."

"This time, we must eliminate all of Yun Lisi's powerful enemies and prevent the previous situation of the country being destroyed and the people suffering from poverty from happening again."

The tragic situation after the fall of Yunli’s country in the previous life still appears from time to time in Shen Tianjiao’s dreams.

The cries of grief everywhere, the scene of corpses everywhere, and the scenes of powerful enemies from the Nine Provinces and Six Kingdoms looting and killing Yunli's people at will often made Shen Tianjiao shudder.

It was enough that something like that happened once. Shen Tianjiao would never allow the same thing to happen a second time.

"Okay, I'll prepare everything we need for the war in advance, and then wait for you to come to the Northern Frontier. This time, we'll fight side by side."

"No matter who the enemy is, no matter how powerful they are, we must join forces to defeat them."

"This time, Yun Li will never let his country fall like a liar and be trampled and bullied by others."

Compared to the scenes he had heard about Shen Tianjiao being hung in the Taimiao after her death, Yan Yu had witnessed that tragic scene with his own eyes.

Since God has given him a chance to live again, he will never let it down again. He must conquer the nine provinces and six kingdoms with the chance God has given him and prevent the tragedy of his previous life from repeating itself.

In his previous life, Yan Yu was Yun Li’s god of war and Yun Li’s patron saint. So in this life, he will also be Yun Li’s god of war and patron saint.

He must protect Yunli's beautiful land and not allow others to trample on it.

Yan Yu turned his head and looked at Shen Tianjiao, his heart filled with infinite strength and courage.

In his previous life, he was alone and fighting alone, but now it is different, he has Shen Tianjiao by his side.

This time, when the two of them join forces, they will definitely be able to change fate and alter Yun Li's fate of losing his country in his previous life.

"Okay, I will deal with the affairs of the court as soon as possible, and then go to the northern border."

Shen Tianjiao's heart had already flown to the northern border, to the battlefield she once knew well.

Compared to being the regent queen in Shangjing, she is more suitable to go to the battlefield and be a victorious general leading thousands of troops to fight.

She was born to be on the battlefield, not imprisoned in this palace.

"And your foot, the imperial physician said it needs to be healed for three months."

"Don't forget that you are a wounded person now."

"A broken bone needs a hundred days to heal. If it doesn't heal properly, how can you lead troops into battle?"

Yan Yu witnessed with his own eyes how busy Shen Tianjiao had been these past few days. He could now imagine how busy Shen Tianjiao would be after he left.

If Shen Tianjiao gets busy, she will definitely not have time to take care of her foot injury.

Although her foot injury is not very serious, it can still cause physical harm if she does not get enough rest.

Thinking of this, Yan Yu felt that he might really be unable to move his legs and leave.

"I know, I know. Even if you don't watch me, I still have two housekeepers watching me."

"Before, it was because of Li Zhaohui's incident, but now Li Zhaohui's issue is over. Don't worry, the two of them will take good care of me while I recover from my injuries."

The two housekeepers Shen Tianjiao mentioned were naturally Chunchao and Xia He.

Apart from anything else, just based on their nagging, Shen Tianjiao had to be obedient and heal her foot injury.

Yan Yu sighed. Why did he simply not believe what Shen Tianjiao said?

"That person, what are you going to do? You can't let people keep pretending like this."

After worrying about Shen Tianjiao's foot injury, Yan Yu got back to the topic and discussed serious matters with Shen Tianjiao.

Shen Tianjiao naturally knew who the person Yan Yu was talking about was.

It's not that she doesn't want to solve this matter now, but the current situation is special. She can only let things continue like this for now, and wait for the right opportunity in the future to find a way to solve it.

"Li Zhaohui has just died, and the government is still unstable. I still need to use his influence to intimidate the officials."

"After all, compared to me, the Queen Regent, his words as a dead emperor are more effective in front of those ministers."

"Especially after what happened in the Taimiao, the court officials' fear of him will only grow."

"Some things, coming from the mouth of a dead man like him, are far more shocking than coming from the mouth of a living queen regent like me."

"The Crown Prince is still just a child, and although his position is irreplaceable, he is still young and cannot command the support of the masses."

"He still needs to exert his remaining strength to help the Crown Prince consolidate his position."

"And I can't use excuses like he died suddenly of a serious illness to explain his death."

"After all, those court officials just saw what he looked like in the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

"If I use this as an excuse, they won't believe me. If they investigate further, they'll probably sniff out some clues."

"Not to mention me, even the prince's life is in danger."

"Let's wait a little longer. As the Crown Prince's father, he must be given a dignified death. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing if the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future."

Shen Tianjiao may not care about Li Rui, nor may she care what others say about this matter, but she cannot help but consider Li Muyang.

Since she has decided to make Li Muyang a wise and holy ruler, she has to consider every aspect for him.

"In a few years, when the Crown Prince is older and the time is ripe for him to ascend the throne and rule the country, I will leave Shangjing and settle down in the Northern Frontier."

Shen Tianjiao's seemingly unintentional words were actually sending a signal to Yan Yu, that is, she was not greedy for the dignity and power of the queen, or even the future empress dowager.

What she wanted from the beginning to the end was that Yunli could live in peace and prosperity, and no longer lose her country like in her previous life and become a target for being slaughtered and bullied at will.

When she fulfills her wish, she will give up all her current power, become an ordinary woman, stay with Yan Yu, and never leave again.

Shen Tianjiao's words undoubtedly gave Yan Yu great comfort and a full sense of security, which calmed his heart and stopped him from having wild thoughts.

"Okay, then I won't be a great general anymore. Let's find a beautiful mountain and build a few cabins there."

"We can also enjoy a quiet and happy life."

Although he didn't know when that day would come, Yan Yu could already picture the scene of that time in the future in his mind.

When that day really comes, he and Shen Tianjiao will live in seclusion in the mountains and live a life without being disturbed by anyone.

He went hunting in the mountains every day, and Shen Tianjiao stayed at home to look after the house and wait for him to come back, and then they would enjoy the prey he brought back together.

Thinking about days like that made Yan Yu feel happy.

Shen Tianjiao looked at Yan Yu and felt a surge of guilt in her heart.

It was all because of her that Yan Yu was alone until his death in his previous life. I really don’t know how Yan Yu managed to survive those days alone.

Although the identities of both people have not changed in this life, there is still an unbridgeable gap between them.

But Shen Tianjiao is willing to take the first step bravely, no longer be trapped by these worldly rules, and grasp her own happiness.

In order to prevent the regrets of the previous life from repeating themselves, it will give up everything it has now and will not let Yan Yu live alone anymore.