The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

When Shen Tianjiao arrived at Zhenghe Hall, all the civil and military officials in the court were already waiting.

Shen Tianjiao couldn't sit on the dragon throne now. She could only sit in the compartment next to it and look outside through the gauze.

"The Emperor has decreed that, due to his poor health today, the Empress has been granted the authority to govern the country. All ministers may report any matters to the Empress, who will make the final decision."

The person who read the emperor's edict on behalf of Huang Chunhua was Zhou Dehai, the previous emperor's personal eunuch and former chief steward of the Imperial Household Department. Although he was now forced to stay in the palace and was only responsible for some daily chores, the weight of his words was incomparable to that of Huang Chunhua.

As soon as Zhou Dehai finished speaking, everyone in the court began to whisper among themselves. Clearly, these court officials harbored considerable doubts about their emperor's will. Rumors of discord between the emperor and the empress had been circulating for a long time. The emperor, wary of the Shen family, had usually treated the empress with contempt and humiliation. So why had he suddenly made such a drastic change, allowing the empress to exercise the monarch's power on his behalf? This sudden change was quite dramatic.

While the court officials were still whispering, the civil officials, Prime Minister Wang Yunzhi, and Bai Qishan, were the first to step forward and kneel down to respectfully wish the Queen well.

The two bosses in the court had no objection, and the rest of the people dared not disobey. They followed suit and respectfully wished the emperor well, to show that they were obeying the emperor's will.

After the court returned to silence, Bai Qishan stepped forward and reported, "Your Majesty, the Queen, Prince Li Bin of Jin has rebelled in Youzhou and is now heading towards the capital with an army of 200,000."

As soon as Bai Qishan said this, the whole court was in an uproar. The court, which had been quiet just now, instantly turned into a vegetable market with endless noise.

"Quiet!" When Zhou Dehai's majestic and solemn voice with a sharp tone sounded, the court officials in the hall quickly chose to shut up and remain quiet.

After everyone quieted down, Shen Tianjiao finally spoke up, "General Bai, do you have any plan to repel the enemy?"

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin is coming with great force this time. An army of 200,000 men is not easy to deal with. I recommend someone to lead the army to fight."

"I wonder who General Bai recommended?"

"General Yan Mingde of the Imperial Guard is a brave and resourceful general. With him leading the troops, we will surely quell the rebellion, capture the rebels, and return victoriously to the court."

As soon as Bai Qishan finished speaking, the court officials began to discuss in low voices in groups of three or five.

The Imperial Guards are responsible for protecting the capital and are the guarantee and support of the capital. If Yan Mingde goes to redress the injustice, who will guard the capital?

Or who will take over Yan Mingde's position and become the general of the Yulin Guard?

Shen Tianjiao looked down upon the court officials, feeling somewhat desolate in her heart. She knew all too well what was going on in their minds at the moment; she had seen too many such scenes in her previous life.

Normally, these court officials boasted that they were loyal and good ministers who could disregard their personal life and death and honor for the sake of the country. However, when it really came to that point, not only did they all find excuses to be afraid of death, but they even wanted to frame others for their own benefit.

Shen Tianjiao suppressed her disgust and raised her voice, "Where is Yulin Guard Yan Mingde?"

"Your servant Yan Mingde is here!" Yan Mingde, who was standing aside, took a few quick steps, stepped out of the line and knelt down.

This scene silenced the court officials who were still discussing, and everyone's eyes in the hall were focused on Yan Mingde.

"General Bai recommends you to be the expeditionary officer to quell the rebellion. Are you willing? Do you have the confidence that you can quell the rebellion and return victorious?" Although Shen Tianjiao's tone was calm, it carried the majesty of a superior that could not be questioned.

"I am willing to lead the troops to fight against the rebels. If we do not annihilate them in one fell swoop and capture the traitor king Li Bin, I will present his head to you."

Yan Mingde is also a brave general. Apart from a little bit of favor from his ancestors, he was able to sit in this position today because of his real fighting skills on the battlefield.

To be able to rise step by step from an unfavored bastard in the family to where he is now and become a powerful and influential minister, it would have been impossible without real ability and ruthlessness. This is one of the reasons why Shen Tianjiao chose him to quell the rebellion at the first opportunity.

"Alright, then, I, under the orders of the Emperor, have issued an edict appointing Yan Mingde of the Imperial Guard as the Grand General of the Expedition. He is to lead the troops to quell the rebellion immediately without delay."

"I obey your orders and will set off immediately."

"I'm afraid this is inappropriate, Your Majesty." The one who jumped out to object was the Minister of War Yuan You.

"Then this general would like to ask Lord Yuan first, what is wrong with the Queen?" Before Shen Tianjiao could answer, Bai Qishan jumped out to speak for her and asked Yuan You in return.

Yuan You looked up at Bai Qishan. He was still a little afraid of this god of death. Although he was the Minister of War, no one was willing to look at him directly when these desperate criminals rushed out from the battlefield.

"Your Majesty, dispatching troops is a major matter. We must first obtain the Emperor's approval. After that, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue must work together to come up with a plan before we can send troops."

"Your Majesty, it is inappropriate and against etiquette for you to act so rashly. I hope Your Majesty will retract your order and think twice before acting." Yuan You is usually a bit stubborn and a complete old-fashioned person. He does things without any flexibility and only knows how to recite from the script.

"Bah!" Bai Qishan immediately jumped up and objected. "Now it's the Prince of Jin who's rebelling. He's bringing an army of 200,000 and is about to march straight to Kyoto. He's here with a knife to kill us, not to greet the emperor with gifts and a feast. With your life about to be lost, what the hell are you talking about with such a bunch of bullshit about etiquette? You can't even grasp the situation and don't know how to slow down when things are urgent. How did you, an old bastard, get to be the Minister of War?"

"Why, when Li Bin's army reaches the city, are you going to throw you and your sons, those useless, weaklings, from the city walls to defend against the enemy?"

"Don't leave after the court session. Wait, I want to have a good talk with you and open up your stupid brain."

Bai Qishan's attack made Yuan You so angry that he almost fainted.

"You, you, you..." Yuan You pointed at Bai Qishan and shivered for a long time without being able to utter a complete sentence.

"General Bai is right. If we don't send troops to quell the rebellion now, we will lose the best opportunity. What if Li Bin really lays siege to the city?" Yan Mingde was not indulging in Yuan You. He had long disliked Yuan You, the Minister of War. If he didn't take advantage of this opportunity today to deal with him, it would be truly unforgivable.

"You are endangering the country and putting His Majesty and the people of the world in danger. Is this how you should serve as a minister and an official, Lord Yuan? I'm afraid all those sage books you read have been wasted."

"You, you, you..." Yuan You, who had not yet recovered, was stabbed by Yan Mingde's fatal blow.

"You are talking nonsense! I have lived an upright life. My loyalty to the emperor and my patriotism are known to heaven and earth. How can I allow you to slander me with empty words? I will die to prove my loyalty. I will die in this Zhenghe Hall today."