The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

After being scolded by Shen Tianjiao, Wang Yunzhi lowered his head in shame.

As the prime minister of a country, it was indeed inappropriate for him to have the idea of ​​resigning at this time.

There's no medicine for regret in this world. If there were, he would buy it even if it meant going bankrupt.

During his time recuperating at home, he calmed down and thought things through again, wondering how he had been so blinded by greed.

So foolish as to be willing to overthrow the very foundation of Yunli's kingdom for the sake of a woman.

Despite his self-proclaimed intelligence, he spent his entire life in the imperial court, overcoming countless political enemies and rising step by step from an unknown figure to his current position.

But this very man almost ruined not only his entire family but also the entire country for the sake of personal feelings.

This is a stain that Wang Yunzhi can never wash away in his entire life; it is his shame.

Others can forgive him, but he cannot forgive himself.

Seeing that Wang Yunzhi was still keeping his head down and not speaking, Shen Tianjiao said, "Prime Minister Wang, please sit down and talk."

The eunuch walked up to Wang Yunzhi and said softly, "Prime Minister Wang, you should listen to Her Majesty the Empress and sit down to talk."

This time, Wang Yunzhi did not refuse. He allowed the eunuch to help him up and sit down in his seat.

Seeing that Wang Yunzhi was seated, Shen Tianjiao waved her hand, and all the servants in the room, except for Chun Chao, withdrew.

After all the servants in the room had left, Shen Tianjiao spoke up, saying, "As Prime Minister Wang just said, I have lofty ambitions."

"That's true. What I'm thinking about is not just to let the people of Yunli live a peaceful and prosperous life."

"I have an even greater plan in mind, which is to cultivate a wise and benevolent ruler, so that Yunli can become the strongest nation among the six kingdoms of the Nine Provinces under his leadership."

"I am already making preparations for waging war against the six kingdoms of Kyushu."

"Once the time is right, I will personally lead the army into battle and vow not to return until the enemy is defeated."

"If I were to lead a large army to war against the six kingdoms of the Nine Provinces, then there would be a need in the court to help me stabilize the situation."

"There also needs to be someone to support the Crown Prince and assist him in handling affairs of the court."

"This is a great achievement. Prime Minister Wang, are you sure you want to resign and retire at this time?"

Shen Tianjiao's words stunned Wang Yunzhi and Wang Hengshan, leaving them speechless for a long time.

Wang Yunzhi knew that Shen Tianjiao had stationed troops in the northern frontier, and that Shen Tianjiao had sent Bai Qishan to the northern frontier to train those soldiers in preparation for war against the Western Rong.

However, to Wang Yunzhi's surprise, their Empress had such lofty ambitions; her goal was not merely to eliminate the threat of the Western Rong.

What she wanted was to conquer the entire Nine Provinces and Six Kingdoms and become its ruler.

Such ambition and lofty goals are something that even the current emperor Li Rui, let alone the founding emperor of Yunli, probably never even considered.

But now Shen Tianjiao is just saying these things right in front of him, things that others wouldn't even dare to think of, as if they were the most ordinary things. How could Wang Yunzhi not be shocked?

For some reason, at this moment, the prophecy from years ago appeared in Wang Yunzhi's mind: Yunli would become an empress, replace the Li Dynasty, become the restorer of the dynasty, and lead Yunli to become the strongest nation among the six kingdoms of the Nine Provinces.

Because of this prophecy that appeared out of nowhere, every family in Yunli with a daughter under the age of three suffered the pain of losing their daughter overnight.

At that time, Wang Yunzhi was just an unknown minor official. The reason he knew the inside story of that matter was because several little girls in his Wang family had died one after another that year.

Later, I heard that not only in the capital, but all over the country, little girls were dying, and they were all under the age of three.

This aroused suspicion from one of his uncles, because his youngest daughter had died around that time.

Even later, when the late emperor had the imperial advisor explain that the strange occurrence was due to the Black Widow year and the sudden deaths of the little girls being caused by natural disasters, the situation remained unchanged.

People commit crimes and anger Heaven, which is why they suffer such calamities.

However, his uncle never believed these explanations. Once he had doubts, he would naturally start to take action.

After some twists and turns, his uncle finally found out the truth.

However, the matter was ultimately suppressed by the then-head of the Wang family.

This matter is a royal secret. Even if the royal family knew the truth, they could only pretend not to know. No one could argue with the emperor about right and wrong.

If they were to expose the emperor's secrets, the entire Wang family would likely be wiped out.

Because of this incident, his uncle was even ordered to take his entire family away from the capital and return to Langya, where they were looked after by the clan elders.

He feared that his uncle, out of resentment, might speak carelessly and bring trouble upon the Wang clan.

As one of the few people who knew about that incident back then, Wang Yunzhi originally thought that it was just because of the emperor's suspicion.

The words of those sorcerers cannot be trusted. All they do is create illusions and deceive people for their own benefit.

But at this moment, upon hearing what Shen Tianjiao had just said, Wang Yunzhi actually believed it immediately.

Because he saw in Shen Tianjiao the kind of aura of a ruler who reigns supreme that neither the late emperor nor the current emperor, Li Rui, possessed.

Seeing Wang Yunzhi standing there motionless, Shen Tianjiao was a little puzzled. What was wrong with him?

If Shen Tianjiao knew what a dramatic scene Wang Yunzhi had just been going through, I wonder what she would think?

"Prime Minister Wang, what is the meaning of your silence?"

"You weren't scared by what I just said, were you?"

Shen Tianjiao looked at Wang Yunzhi in confusion. She knew that Wang Yunzhi could not possibly be frightened by what she had just said.

Wang Yunzhi has gone through countless trials and tribulations to rise from an unknown person to the position of Prime Minister.

He has even been to the gates of hell countless times. Now, even if someone holds a knife to Wang Yunzhi's neck, he will not flinch.

"The Queen."

Wang Yunzhi suddenly stood up, walked to Shen Tianjiao, and knelt down.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. This old minister is willing to follow Your Majesty the Empress and do whatever it takes to make Yunli the strongest nation in the six kingdoms of the Nine Provinces. I would even risk my life if it means sacrificing myself."

Wang Yunzhi understood in an instant that, apart from the unforgivable mistake he made regarding Li Zhaohui, he had nothing to criticize in his entire life.

As a prime minister who oversees all officials, and a civil official, Wang Yunzhi also longed to assist the monarch and make a name for himself in Yunli for all time.

However, he served two emperors, neither of whom were the wise and benevolent rulers he envisioned.

Although the late emperor was more diligent than the current emperor Li Rui, he was narrow-minded, overly ruthless, obsessed with power, and content with the status quo with no ambition.

Such an emperor is incapable of accomplishing anything earth-shattering or leaving a lasting legacy.

The current emperor, Li Rui, is even worse than the inaction of his predecessor.

He was ruthless and indifferent to fame, yet he was also lustful and lazy in his duties to the people, but he still wanted to keep power firmly in his own hands.

To prevent others from taking power from him, he tried every means to eliminate dissidents.

He never hesitates to eliminate anyone he deems a threat, showing no mercy or letting anyone go unpunished.

The experience of my elder brother's family is the best proof of this.

Following a master like that, let alone achieving anything great, you'd be lucky to even keep your life and avoid being suspected by him and having your whole family suffer.

Wang Yunzhi had already resigned himself to his fate, giving up his idea of ​​serving the country and only wanting to live his current life in a mediocre way.

But Shen Tianjiao's words have once again stirred up the fighting spirit that Wang Yunzhi had buried in his heart for many years.

He's not a useless old man yet; it's not time for him to retire at home, grow flowers and plants, feed cats and play with birds.

He can work for at least another ten years. Even if he doesn't live to see the prosperous era that Shen Tianjiao just described after ten years, he will still be content.

After all, he had worked hard for Yunli's future, and that was enough.

"it is good."

Shen Tianjiao smiled; this was exactly the attitude Wang Yunzhi wanted.

If she wants to accomplish great things and achieve the goals she just mentioned, she needs someone to help her and provide assistance.

Wang Yunzhi is the best candidate, without exception.

Wang Yunzhi was not appointed prime minister for nothing. On the surface, he was a true recluse minister who did not associate with court officials.

But that was just a facade created to mislead others.

Putting aside everything else, just considering Li Zhaohui's matter this time, at least half of the people in the court have close ties with Wang Yunzhi.

With Wang Yunzhi's help, many things will be much easier to do.

In this way, Shen Tianjiao will be one step closer to her dream of governing Yunli into the strongest nation among the six kingdoms of the Nine Provinces.

Shen Tianjiao seemed to already see herself wearing battle robes, leading thousands of troops, and galloping across the battlefield.

Of course, there is another prerequisite: Wang Yunzhi must be completely loyal and become Shen Tianjiao's person.

We must do our best to serve Shen Tianjiao.

As long as Wang Yunzhi remains loyal, Shen Tianjiao will never mistreat him, or even the entire Wang family.

Shen Tianjiao now needs to confirm one more thing.

Shen Tianjiao looked at Wang Yunzhi and asked, "Prime Minister Wang, can I trust you and entrust the Crown Prince and Yunli's court to your hands?"

Faced with Shen Tianjiao's question, Wang Yunzhi did not hesitate at all.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. I, Wang Yunzhi, guarantee with my own head that you can entrust the Crown Prince and the court to this old minister with complete peace of mind."

"As long as I, Wang Yunzhi, live, the Crown Prince and the court will be safe and sound."

From the day Wang Yunzhi went to the inner palace to ask Shen Tianjiao to step forward and manage the court, Wang Yunzhi had never underestimated Shen Tianjiao.

Later, Wang Yunzhi witnessed firsthand how Shen Tianjiao, who had been silently supporting the emperor from behind, turned the tide and gradually stabilized the turbulent Yunli court.

This made him admire Shen Tianjiao even more. This seemingly weak woman did things that were in no way inferior to any man.

What Wang Yunzhi appreciated most was Shen Tianjiao's magnanimity and her attitude towards life.

Everyone knew that Yun Li dared not speak, and that he had a past with Li Zhaohui. However, everyone in Yun Li's court knew about his relationship with Li Zhaohui.

As the ruler of Yunli, Shen Tianjiao did not treat him with the same ruthlessness and ruthlessness as the late emperor and the current emperor, Li Rui.

Instead, after he severed ties with Li Zhaohui, he was still willing to trust him, give him important responsibilities, and entrust him with the important tasks of assisting the crown prince and overseeing the court. Such magnanimity is rare among emperors throughout history.

If Shen Tianjiao is indeed destined to replace the Empress of the Li Dynasty, as the Imperial Advisor predicted, then Wang Yunzhi would naturally be willing to serve her.

Wang Yunzhi was not an open-minded person. He had always been opposed to women's involvement in politics, let alone having a woman as emperor.

Even regarding Li Zhaohui's strong desire to become empress, he opposed it.

However, Wang Yunzhi did not feel any aversion to Shen Tianjiao's interference in state affairs, or even the possibility that Shen Tianjiao might ascend the throne in the future.

Wang Yunzhi even felt that it was perfectly normal for this to happen to Shen Tianjiao, as if this was how things were supposed to be.

Shen Tianjiao got up, walked over to Wang Yunzhi, and personally helped Wang Yunzhi up.

"Good, I am relieved to hear the word 'growth' today."

"From this day forward, I will hand over the Crown Prince and the court to the Prime Minister."

"Prime Minister, you know that the Crown Prince is destined to become a wise and benevolent ruler, a great emperor for all time. I hope that you will do your best to assist him in the future."

"This old minister will certainly do his utmost to assist His Highness the Crown Prince."

Wang Yunzhi instantly felt that the burden on his shoulders had become much heavier.

"Alright, that's all for now. I should head back."

Shen Tianjiao looked at Wang Hengshan, who was standing behind Wang Yunzhi and had not spoken, and said with a smile, "We will have to rely on Lord Wang more in the future."

"I only wish that you and Prime Minister Wang, as brothers, can be loyal to the country, shoulder the responsibilities of being subjects, and help me govern Yunli well."

"This humble subject is filled with fear and trepidation. If Your Majesty does not despise me, I am a subject awaiting punishment, and I will do my utmost to serve you until my dying breath."

Wang Hengshan, who had been named, quickly came out to pledge his loyalty.