The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

The people standing in front of him now were all those who had bullied him.

Just thinking about how these people would react later made Liu Pengfei want to laugh out loud.

It's true what they say, fortunes really do change.

"The servants no longer need to serve here. The steward should give the order to lock the ancestral hall door. No one is allowed to enter without my permission."

As soon as Liu Pengfei spoke, everyone in the Liu family tensed up.

If Liu Pengfei could say something like that, then it must be something serious.

As soon as Liu Pengfei finished speaking, the steward immediately removed all the servants, maids, and unrelated people from the ancestral hall, including himself.

In a short while, only members of the Liu clan remained in the ancestral hall; there was no one else present.

Meanwhile, Liu Zhenzhen and Liu Yitong, who had been drugged and knocked unconscious while being tied up, woke up one after the effects of the drug wore off.

After Liu Zhenzhen woke up, she saw her mother, Huang Shi, and thought she had finally found a powerful backer, so she started howling at Huang Shi desperately.

Because her hands and feet were tied and her mouth was gagged, Liu Zhenzhen had no way to call for help from her mother.

All it could do was howl at Huang Shi, looking at her pitifully.

It was originally Huang's idea to go to the palace to ask her great-aunt for help. It was also Huang who used her connections in the palace to get Liu Zhenzhen into the palace.

What Huang didn't expect was that Liu Yitong suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

After hearing Liu Pengfei's words and seeing the miserable state of her children, Huang could roughly guess what had happened.

At this point, Madam Huang no longer cared about protecting her children.

She has realized the seriousness of the problem.

The fact that her two children were treated this way can only mean one thing.

That is, her secret act of sending her daughter to the palace was discovered.

After realizing what had happened, Huang felt a sudden darkness before her eyes and almost fainted.

Although she has her family backing her up, she is fearless and can act with impunity in her husband's family.

However, she also knew very well that neither she, the Liu family, nor her illustrious maternal family could afford to offend the Empress in the palace.

Liu Pengfei stared coldly at Huang Shi. He knew without asking that Liu Zhenzhen and Liu Yitong dared to enter the palace to see the Empress Dowager without permission.

The mastermind behind this was their mother, Huang.

Without Huang's behind-the-scenes support and connections, Liu Zhenzhen and Liu Yitong would never have been able to enter the palace.

They probably wouldn't even have the thought of entering the palace.

Although these two children are usually spoiled, they are not so audacious as to dare to enter the palace without permission.

This Huang family member was truly wise all her life, but made a foolish mistake at one moment.

His own selfish desires led to a single wrong thought, which nearly cost him his life and that of his two children.

This truly shows that karma is a cycle, and no one escapes the wrath of Heaven.

Those who commit many evil deeds will ultimately be killed by the evil they have done when retribution comes.

"Mrs. Huang, is there anything else you want to say now?"

Liu Pengfei's words drew everyone's attention to Huang Shi.

At this moment, Huang Shi no longer possessed the arrogant and domineering aura she had when she first entered.

She stood there blankly, staring at her two children struggling and pleading for help, as if she had gone mad.

Seeing the scene before him, Liu Jingyu understood everything.

He was instantly enraged. He turned to look at Huang Shi, and his temper, which he had suppressed for so many years, finally exploded.

"What have you done that you shouldn't have done again!"

Liu Jingyu practically roared as he shouted those words.

He had had enough of Huang's arrogance and willful behavior over the years.

If it weren't for the Huang family's immense power and constant pressure on the Liu family, forcing Liu Jingyu to endure it, he would have divorced Huang long ago.

At this moment, although Liu Jingyu did not know how big a mistake Huang had made, he could see the unprecedented fear on Huang's face.

And then there's his older brother, with his tough attitude.

He also knew that the trouble Huang had caused this time was so great that it was like tearing a hole in the sky.

So he didn't care about anything else. If he was going to lose his life, what did he care about power or influence? To hell with it all.

"I'm asking you a question. Are you deaf or mute?"

Liu Jingyu glared at Huang Shi, a rare display of his temper and defiance in his life.

Faced with Liu Jingyu's rebuke, Huang no longer dared to argue or make a scene as she had before, acting unreasonably and arrogantly.

Today, it's uncertain whether the mother and her two children will even be able to leave this ancestral hall alive.

Huang knew very well that when things were peaceful, she could rely on her family's influence to act arrogantly and domineeringly in the Liu family.

But once she commits a heinous crime, not only will the Liu family abandon her, but even her maternal family, which she has always been proud of and who can be her support, will immediately sever ties with her and abandon her.

Seeing that Huang remained silent, Liu Jingyu, both angry and anxious, rushed forward and kicked her to the ground.

Liu Jingyu's action startled everyone in the Liu family.

Huang had done many outrageous things to the Liu family, but every time, Liu Jingyu had to swallow his anger and resolve the problem.

This is truly the first time we've ever done something like this.

Kicked to the ground, Huang, in pain, lay there clenching her teeth, not daring to utter a sound.

Seeing Huang's appearance only fueled Liu Jingyu's anger.

Just as Liu Jingyu was about to step forward and kick again, Liu Pengfei stopped him, saying, "Alright, stop fooling around."

"Let me tell you what she did."

In an instant, everyone's eyes in the ancestral hall were focused on Liu Pengfei.

Liu Pengfei raised his head, looked at the people in the room, and said, "Because of Zhenzhen's broken engagement, she instigated Zhenzhen to bribe people in the palace so that Zhenzhen could bring Yitong into the palace to beg her aunt to intervene on her behalf."

"As a result, the two of them had just arrived at Kangning Palace and had not yet seen their aunt when they were discovered and brought before the Empress."

"I was just summoned to the palace by the Empress. To save face for the Emperor, the Empress promised not to deal with this matter publicly."

"But I must handle this matter properly and give an explanation to her and the Emperor."

Liu Pengfei spoke these words calmly, but those who heard them felt as if they were in turmoil, unable to calm down for a long time.

The Empress Dowager is far too audacious. The Empress Dowager is now imprisoned in Kangning Palace by order of the Emperor and has no freedom of movement.

To put it bluntly, the Empress Dowager has actually been stripped of her honors and titles, and is now just a commoner.

The emperor was unwilling to announce to the world the abolition of the Empress Dowager's title simply to save face for himself.

At this time, Huang even dared to instigate her daughter to go to the palace to seek help from the Empress Dowager.

Even if they had met the Empress Dowager when they arrived at the palace, what power would she have to help them now?

Huang usually seems like a shrewd person, so why did she make such a foolish mistake at a time like this?

Before everyone could recover from the shock, Liu Pengfei spoke up again: "Fourth brother, this happened in your family, what do you think we should do?"

Liu Jingyu trembled. He looked up at Liu Pengfei, who was sitting there calmly, and an unprecedented fear instantly filled his heart.

He was born into the Liu family and was raised by his mother, Madam Ma, to be the next head of the Liu family.

He's not a brainless, ignorant, and foolish playboy.

He understood all too well why his aunt had been imprisoned and why his father had died.

Not only did he know this, but all the Liu family members present also knew it very well.

What kind of person was Empress Dowager Liu? What was her relationship with Li Hong? And what did she want to do through Li Hong?

As members of the Liu family who had once been behind the scenes, they understood better than anyone what had happened.

Now, not only has Empress Dowager Liu fallen from power, but the Liu family is also declining day by day.

In the elite circles of Beijing, money is nothing; power, influence, and a strong backer are the true foundation for survival.

The Empress is no longer just the one who manages the inner palace; she has also stepped into the front court and can manage state affairs.

The Empress is someone they can no longer afford to offend.

She not only controlled the government, but also had powerful clans, her father, the Marquis of Zhenbei, and the entire military behind her.

Let alone a small family like theirs, even powerful and influential princes and dukes like Li Hong and Qian Wanhe would be no match.

This empress, who came from a family of military merit, could turn her back on them at will and kill them without hesitation or mercy.

In the Empress's eyes, the Liu family was nothing at all. Dealing with the Liu family was as easy as crushing an ant for her.

The more Liu Jingyu thought about it, the more afraid and cold he felt.

He knew he had no other choice; he couldn't gamble with the lives of the entire Liu family.

Of course, he neither had the right nor the ability.

If he were alive today and had the guts to do that, he would be trampled into mincemeat by his own relatives in an instant.

Liu Jingyu felt no unease at the thought of Huang's death; in fact, he even hoped that Huang would die sooner rather than later.

Over the years, relying on the power of her maternal family, Huang has never treated Liu Jingyu as her husband.

She was constantly dissatisfied with Liu Jingyu, always complaining and disciplining him as if he were her own son.

If Liu Jingyu dared to resist in the slightest, Madam Huang would send people to her parents' home to make a scene.

What followed was suppression and reprimands from Huang's maternal family.

With such a wife and such a life, how could Liu Jingyu not wish for Huang Shi to die soon?

If this Huang was merely an arrogant and willful woman, that would be one thing.

Compared to these, her cruelty and ruthlessness are the most terrifying.

After marrying Liu Jingyu, Huang was unable to conceive for many years, so she had no choice but to allow Liu Jingyu to take a concubine.

However, after Liu Jingyu took concubines, Huang Shi cruelly abused and tormented them in every way.

Liu Jingyu's concubines and their children were either killed by Huang or persecuted by Huang and driven out of the house.

After Huang gave birth to Liu Zhenzhen and Liu Yitong, she treated the children born to Liu Jingyu's concubines even more cruelly.

Therefore, Liu Jingyu felt no affection for Huang as a married couple, only endless hatred.

Only when Huang dies can he find true liberation.

It's not a pity that Huang died, but what Liu Jingyu couldn't bear to part with were his two children.

Although Liu Zhenzhen and Liu Yitong were both born to Huang, they were, after all, Liu Jingyu's flesh and blood.

He simply couldn't bring himself to kill his own two children.

"Fourth brother, if you can't do this, I, as your older brother, don't mind doing it for you."

"This is no small matter; it concerns the very survival of our Liu clan."

"You can't abandon the lives of your entire clan just because you care about your wife and children, can you?"

Seeing that Liu Jingyu remained silent, Liu Pengfei lost patience and could wait no longer.

It was getting dark outside, and the time for the palace gates to be locked was not far off.

"Ayu, you can't be foolish. Those are your wife and children."

What Liu Pengfei said just now made Madam Ma anxious, even though she didn't like her daughter-in-law Huang either.

However, if Liu Jingyu were to kill his own wife and children with his own hands, his life would be ruined.

He would become a useless cripple, unable to even be a normal person, let alone become the head of the Liu family.

"Humph!"

Liu Jingyu gave a bitter smile; given the situation he was in today, he had no other choice.

"Mother, you should go back first. I'll take care of things here."

“Ayu, although the Empress is powerful now, the Huang family is not an unknown force.”

"Mother will send someone to the Huang family right away. As long as the Huang family is willing to help, the Empress will definitely give them face."

Madam Ma panicked. There was no way she would let her son kill his own wife and children with his own hands.

She only had one son, Liu Jingyu, who was her only hope and support.

Looking at his mother, who still hadn't figured out the situation and was still naively fantasizing about changing the outcome, Liu Jingyu could only manage a bitter smile.

“Mother, no one will save an abandoned child, let alone the Huang family.”

"They care more about the life and death of their own family than the life and death of a concubine's daughter."

"Mother, wake up! Why do you think Madam Huang, who is usually so arrogant and domineering, is so quiet right now?"

"That's because she knew she was going to die this time."