The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Not to mention Wang Yunzhi, even Wang Hengshan was intimidated by Shen Tianjiao's aura.

When Wang Hengshan was young, he had also been on the battlefield, and the fierce and ruthless aura he possessed remained.

However, when he was in front of Shen Tianjiao, Wang Hengshan felt an extremely strong sense of oppression.

This feeling was strange; he could only sense the imposing aura emanating from the Marquis of Zhenbei when he was leading troops into battle.

But at this moment, he also sensed it from Shen Tianjiao.

But the Empress in front of us has been living in the capital since birth and has never left.

She couldn't possibly have been to Northern Xinjiang, so where did this oppressive aura emanating from her come from?

Could it be due to heredity from the Marquis of Zhenbei? But Wang Hengshan had never felt such pressure from the Marquis of Zhenbei's three sons.

"Lord Wang, please calm down. I will find an opportunity to overturn the wrongful conviction against the Wang family back then."

"Once the case is overturned, Lord Wang will no longer be a criminal and can continue to serve the country."

After saying this, Shen Tianjiao left without lingering and took Chun Chao with her.

Wang Hengshan was stunned for a moment, and it was only after Wang Yunzhi nudged him from the side that he came to his senses.

Realizing what had happened, Wang Hengshan quickly knelt down and kowtowed in the direction Shen Tianjiao had left, saying, "Wang Hengshan thanks Your Majesty the Empress for your grace."

Seeing Shen Tianjiao leave, Wang Yunzhi helped Wang Hengshan up. The two brothers looked at each other, still recovering from their shock.

"Brother, do you still remember that incident from back then?"

Wang Yunzhi didn't specify which matter it was, but Wang Hengshan understood immediately.

"Are you referring to that prophecy from back then, the one that terrified the late emperor and led him to kill all the little girls under the age of three in Yunli?"

"Yes, that's right, I'm talking about that prophecy."

Wang Yunzhi looked up at Wang Hengshan and thought to himself that the tacit understanding between the brothers was indeed not just talk.

Wang Hengshan looked up outside, then turned to Wang Yunzhi and said, "Let's talk in the study."

"it is good."

Hearing Wang Hengshan say this, Wang Yunzhi also became cautious. This matter was confidential, and if others overheard it, the world would probably be in chaos.

The two brothers hurriedly entered the study, closed the door, and ordered their guards to stand watch outside before beginning their conversation.

"Yunzhi, do you think the prophecy from back then was true?"

Wang Hengshan looked at Wang Yunzhi, still harboring doubts about the prophecy in his heart, as he had never believed in divination or prophecy.

“Brother, I met Xu Ziwu back then, and he was indeed quite capable.”

“He’s no charlatan. The late emperor was such a shrewd man. If Xu Ziwu were deceiving him, how could he have stayed by his side for so long?”

"Moreover, Xu Ziwu suffered retribution back then because he revealed heavenly secrets. I heard that his death was extremely gruesome. It was our family's former Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Wang Gonglie, who personally examined the body. It should be true."

Back then, in order to cover up the truth of his imprisonment of Xu Ziwu and to prevent others from discovering that Xu Ziwu was still alive, the late emperor wanted to find out some secrets from Xu Ziwu that he did not want others to know.

Therefore, the late emperor set up a scheme to make people mistakenly believe that Xu Ziwu had been punished by Heaven for revealing heavenly secrets and died an unnatural death.

To prevent the scheme from being exposed, the late emperor specially ordered Wang Gonglie, the then Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, to personally examine Xu Ziwu's body.

The reason the late emperor ordered Wang Gonglie to perform the autopsy was because the old man Wang Gonglie was very stubborn and frighteningly straightforward.

He was recognized by the court officials as someone who would never lie or fabricate a story.

It was precisely because of Wang Gonglie's testimony that the claim that Xu Ziwu was punished for revealing heavenly secrets and died a violent death was able to stand, deceiving everyone and making them believe the cause of Xu Ziwu's death.

But they forgot that no matter how stubborn or upright Wang Gonglie was, he was still just a subject, and even the strongest arm can't twist the thigh.

Standing behind him were members of his Wang clan, and he dared not risk offending the emperor by taking the lives of his clan.

Therefore, faced with the life and death of his clan, Wang Gonglie had no choice but to cooperate with the late emperor and put on a show for the world.

Wang Hengshan originally didn't believe in these things, but seeing Wang Yunzhi's unwavering demeanor, his heart began to waver.

"Yunzhi, if that prophecy is true, then the person mentioned in the prophecy who will replace the Li Dynasty and become the restorer of the dynasty, could it be that person from earlier?"

Wang Hengshan had just felt the oppressive feeling that only true superiors could give off from Shen Tianjiao.

Therefore, he suspected that if the prophecy was true, then the restorer of the dynasty might be Shen Tianjiao.

Wang Yunzhi looked up at Wang Hengshan and said with a smile, "Brother, do you also have this premonition?"

Wang Hengshan nodded and replied, "Yes, that's exactly what I think."

"Yunzhi, judging from your expression, I think you feel the same way, don't you?"

"Yes, brother is right."

"Just now, when Her Majesty the Empress was saying those things, I suddenly thought of what the prophecy said about the female emperor who could replace the Li Dynasty."

"Could she be referring to Her Majesty the Empress? Since she took over the reins of government, her charisma, ability, and methods have made her worthy of being called a ruler of the world. She is a person who can govern everything and should have the demeanor of a superior."

"She did what the late emperor dared not do, what the current emperor dares not do, and even what the great-great-grandfather and the great-great-grandfather dared not do."

"That means cleaning up the court, taking action against the powerful families who interfere with politics, taking back the power they hold, and bringing the scattered power back into our own hands."

"Doing this will prevent those powerful families from acting arbitrarily and shaking the imperial authority because of their excessive power, thus causing irreparable consequences."

Wang Yunzhi placed the freshly brewed tea in front of Wang Hengshan, and then picked up his own teacup and took a few sips.

Then he continued, "Although Her Majesty the Empress is a woman, she shows no weakness whatsoever; she is stronger than any man."

“Li Hong had long harbored ulterior motives and his plot to rebel was common knowledge even when the late emperor was still alive.”

"But the late emperor was afraid of this and that, hesitant and worried that dealing with Li Hong would shake his rule, so he turned a blind eye and let Li Hong cause trouble."

"When it comes to our current emperor, he will be ruthless towards those who threaten his rule."

"But when it comes to someone as powerful as Li Hong, he hesitates and doesn't dare to really eliminate him; he only dares to suppress him."

"And then there's Qian Wanhe. He's been arrogant and domineering since the time of the late emperor. The Qian family is so powerful that they can do whatever they want not only in the capital, but also in the entire Yunli."

“When Qian Wanhe was still in power, even one of his servants could do whatever he wanted in the capital without any punishment.”

"But even these people, whom the late emperor and the current emperor dared not touch, the Empress showed no fear and directly took action against them."

"She first beheaded Li Hong in the Zhenghe Hall. You weren't there, so you don't know how terrifying the scene was that day."

"That day during court, the entire Zhenghe Hall was filled with corpses and blood. Those people were Li Hong and his accomplices."

"That scene would chill even the pampered civil officials in the capital, and even the military generals who were used to killing on the battlefield."

"At that time, I knew in my heart that this eldest daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei was not as weak as the world saw her to be."

"Then it was Qian Wanhe's turn. This arrogant man, who didn't even respect the emperor, probably couldn't believe that he would be defeated by a woman until his whole family was exiled and he died."

"You'll know everything that happened next; it was Li Zhaohui."

"I know better than anyone how powerful Li Zhaohui is."

"But the Empress still eliminated her accomplices one by one, and finally lured her into the palace, thus ending this decades-long rebellion."

"I suspect that after the Empress has dealt with these people, her next step will be to rectify the court and stabilize the political situation. After that, she will start to develop people's livelihood and make their lives better."

"Only when the people's lives improve can Yunli become more stable."

Wang Hengshan had long heard about the things Shen Tianjiao had done since becoming regent, but hearing Wang Yunzhi say it to him today gave him a completely different feeling.

"Yunzhi, what did Her Majesty the Empress mean by declaring war on the six kingdoms of the Nine Provinces?"

"You mean that matter? That matter is even more far-sighted and beneficial to Yun Li than eliminating Li Hong and Qian Wanhe."

"As early as when Li Bin led his troops in rebellion, the Empress had already laid out a plan, sending Bai Qishan to the northern frontier to begin preparations for waging war against the six kingdoms of the Nine Provinces."

"Compared to the late emperor and the current emperor, they chose to evade and not take the initiative."

"The Empress's proactive approach in eliminating the hidden dangers is more in line with the spirit and actions of an emperor."

"Over the years, because of the late emperor and the current emperor's constant concessions, Yunli has suffered a lot of harassment from the six kingdoms."

"Moreover, our most powerful enemy, the Western Rong, has recovered from the heavy blows of that year. Once they gain the upper hand and declare war on us, I'm afraid Yunli will be in grave danger."

Wang Hengshan listened to Wang Yunzhi's words and stared blankly at the scalding hot tea in front of him.

After a long silence, Wang Hengshan finally spoke slowly, "Yunzhi, if that prophecy is true, and one day the Empress truly ascends the throne, what will you do?"

Faced with Wang Hengshan's question, Wang Yunzhi was stunned for a moment.

Although he had already accepted in his heart that Shen Tianjiao was the prophesied one who would replace the Li dynasty and restore it.

But he didn't have time to stop and think about the question Wang Hengshan had just raised.

If Shen Tianjiao were to one day ascend the throne and replace the Li dynasty, what would he do?

Wang Yunzhi calmed down and began to think about the question Wang Hengshan had just asked.

To be honest, Wang Yunzhi was very disgusted by the idea of ​​a woman becoming emperor.

Before the previous dynasty was destroyed, three empresses ruled in their own right, and their achievements during their reigns were remarkable, no less than those of men.

However, Wang Yunzhi had been raised with the idea that men were superior, and this concept was deeply ingrained in his mind and would be difficult to change in a short time.

However, the deeply ingrained concept of male superiority and female inferiority prevented him from accepting this change so quickly.

However, if Shen Tianjiao really is the chosen one, Wang Yunzhi might not find it unacceptable. It wouldn't be impossible for Shen Tianjiao to become the empress.

For these subjects, the greatest hope in their lives was to encounter a wise and virtuous ruler, follow his guidance, accomplish great things, and leave a lasting mark on history.

Now, Shen Tianjiao perfectly meets the requirements to become a wise and virtuous ruler.

Wang Yunzhi recalled what Shen Tianjiao had just said, and he felt a surge of excitement. He declared war on the six kingdoms of the Nine Provinces and made Yunli the strongest nation in the Nine Provinces.

If these words had come from someone else, Wang Yunzhi would have just taken them as boasting or joking. But since they came from Shen Tianjiao, Wang Yunzhi believed them without a doubt.

“Brother, if that prophecy is true, and one day the Empress will indeed replace the Li Dynasty, ascend the throne as a female emperor, and become the restorer of the dynasty, to rule over Yunli.”

"Then I, as her subject, will also do my utmost to support and assist her."

"In this life, I am willing to serve a wise and virtuous ruler and watch her govern Yunli into the strongest nation among the six kingdoms of the Nine Provinces. No matter what price I have to pay, I am willing and have no regrets."

What Wang Yunzhi said at this moment was a heartfelt expression of his true feelings and a genuine submission to Shen Tianjiao.

"Okay, then I can rest assured."

Wang Hengshan breathed a sigh of relief. The reason he asked Wang Yunzhi this question was because he knew his younger brother too well.

His younger brother is talented, capable, and resourceful, but he is a bit old-fashioned and doesn't easily accept new things.

Now that he had heard Wang Yunzhi's answer, he had nothing left to worry about.

The Marquis of Zhenbei has indeed given birth to a fine daughter. If such a woman could become the Empress of Yunli, it would be difficult for Yunli not to rise to prominence.

A surge of heroic spirit suddenly welled up in Wang Hengshan's heart. This useless old man might still be able to contribute a bit of his younger brother's strength to Yunli's goal of becoming the strongest nation in the Nine Provinces.