The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"If Your Majesty can't figure it out, just go back to your Taihe Palace and think about it slowly. General Yan will lead his troops to quell the rebellion tonight. There are too many things to prepare, and I don't have the time to waste with you here." Shen Tianjiao didn't want to see Li Rui again for a moment. Her patience with the man in front of her had disappeared. Even if she looked at him one more time, she couldn't help but beat him up.

Li Rui looked up at Shen Tianjiao blankly. He had received too many blows from Shen Tianjiao in the past few days. They had been married for more than ten years, but it seemed as if he had never really known the woman in front of him.

Seeing Li Rui's idiotic look, Shen Tianjiao stood up in disgust and walked to the palace gate, shouting outside, "Huang Chunhua, come in and escort the emperor back to Taihe Palace."

Huang Chunhua, upon hearing Shen Tianjiao's order, came over without a word, walking in quick, small steps. He first bowed to Shen Tianjiao and asked how she was doing, then walked to Li Rui and whispered, "Your Majesty, please proceed to Taihe Palace."

"Ah!" Li Rui, who had regained consciousness, looked at Shen Tianjiao's back and said to himself, "I don't want to go back to Taihe Palace. I want to stay in Yuxiu Palace. Huang Chunhua, tell them to serve the meal. I'm hungry."

Huang Chunhua didn't dare to say a word. He secretly glanced at Shen Tianjiao. This was Yuxiu Palace, the territory of the Empress Dowager. Without the Empress Dowager's order, he, as a servant, didn't have the courage to make decisions on his own.

Seeing that Huang Chunhua didn't respond, Li Rui was so angry that he kicked him. "You little slave, now even you don't take me seriously? Didn't you hear me? Are you deaf or blind?"

Listening to Li Rui's unreasonable noise, Shen Tianjiao clenched her hands tightly, and she could even hear the crackling sound of her finger joints.

This was her warning to Li Rui, and also a reminder for herself to be patient and never beat Li Rui in Yuxiu Palace, otherwise it would be said that the emperor and empress were not in harmony, and that the empress was cruel and oppressing the king and attempting to rebel.

Qiong Niang, who was waiting outside in a rage, could no longer suppress her impulse and ran over after hearing Li Rui's roar coming from the hall.

As Qiong Niang arrived at the palace gate, she saw Shen Tianjiao clenching her fist. She ran over, held Shen Tianjiao's fist with one hand, and patted her back with the other to comfort her, "Don't get angry. A little impatience can ruin a big plan. It's not worth it for such a bastard."

"I'm fine. I can still bear it." Shen Tianjiao loosened her clenched fists and said in a low voice, "I won't beat him in Yuxiu Palace. If I have to beat him, I'll find a deserted place, put a sack on him, and beat him. I'll make him suffer in silence and have no place to complain. He won't even have a place to reason with me."

Qiong Niang almost burst out laughing. She felt relieved knowing that Shen Tianjiao didn't really want to hit Li Rui. "Call me when the time comes, and we'll beat him up together."

Qiong Niang has now let go of her obsession and resentment towards Li Rui, her former husband, and faces both honor and disgrace calmly.

Hearing what sounded like voices outside, Li Rui turned and shouted at Shen Tianjiao, "Didn't the Queen say that this Yuxiu Palace is also mine? Well, I'm hungry now. Shouldn't the Queen order someone to serve me a meal?"

Shen Tianjiao breathed a sigh of relief, comforted herself not to be angry, and told Chunchao, "Chunchao, go serve the emperor a meal."

"Yes, I'll go right away." Seeing Chunchao was about to leave, Shen Tianjiao whispered, "Put some poison in his food. If it doesn't kill him, at least give him diarrhea and he'll die."

Qiong Niang and Chunchao couldn't help but smile at each other when they heard Shen Tianjiao's childish speech. Qiong Niang shook her head gently at Chunchao, who nodded and left with a knowing smile.

"Your Majesty, please have some snacks first." Qiong Niang held Shen Tianjiao's arm, and the two walked out together.

When there are outsiders around, you still have to pretend to be the right person. Otherwise, Qiong Niang is just a palace maid now, and if she is too ostentatious, it will arouse suspicion from others.

"No, I won't eat it. I've seen something disgusting. If I eat it now, I'll choke and have indigestion." Shen Tianjiao felt as if something was blocking her chest, making her feel uncomfortable neither up nor down.

"It's better not to eat now. Let's go for a walk in the small garden. The apricot blossoms in the garden looked like they were about to bloom yesterday. I wonder if they have bloomed today? Let's enjoy the flowers to change our mood." Qiong Niang knew that Shen Tianjiao was in a bad mood and wanted to accompany her to relax.

Before Shen Tianjiao could say anything, a palace maid came to report that the emperor asked the empress to accompany him for dinner.

"I really gave him face. I was too nice to him, and he even dared to ask me to have dinner with him? Believe it or not, I dare to poison him to death." Shen Tianjiao's anger had just subsided a little when Li Rui came to make things difficult for her again.

Qiong Niang held back Shen Tianjiao, who was about to storm off, and whispered to her, "Just hold your temper for now. If you dismiss the Garden Guards, the Queen Mother won't have much to worry about. Give him some sweet treats, and when the Queen Mother gives you trouble, let him handle it. After all, they're just biting each other, and it saves us from having to deal with it and causing trouble."

Shen Tianjiao stopped and thought about it. She felt that the benefits outweighed the disadvantages and it was still worth doing. It was better for her to suffer some minor grievances from Li Rui than to go to the Queen Mother, that old witch, and suffer.

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Shen Tianjiao patted Qiong Niang's hand, "You'd better stay outside and don't go in, so as not to pollute your eyes."

"Don't worry about me. I'm calm and steady right now. In my eyes, he's no longer a human being. At most, he's just a piece of rotten stone. Why would I get mad at a stone?" After adjusting her mindset, Qiong Niang's outlook changed. "If I stay by your side, I'll have someone to remind you and tell you not to lose your temper."

"I have Chunchao and the others by my side, so I don't need you." Shen Tianjiao felt a little unhappy when she thought about Qiong Niang having to kowtow like a maid in front of Li Rui. Not only Qiong Niang, but even Chunchao and the others, Shen Tianjiao was unwilling to let them serve Li Rui, because Li Rui was not worthy at all.

"When you lose your temper, Chunchao and the others won't try to stop you. They will only add fuel to the fire, hand you a bamboo whip when you want to beat someone up, and give you a big knife when you want to kill someone." In just a few days, Qiong Niang completely understood the way Shen Tianjiao and the others get along as master and servant.

"Pfft!" Shen Tianjiao couldn't help but laugh without caring about her image. "It's not as exaggerated as you say. They are still very reliable."

But her inexplicably proud tone betrayed her true thoughts.

"Yes, they are reliable. As long as you, the master, are reliable, they will be reliable too." Qiong Niang said she was disgusted, but she was a little envious in her heart. Shen Tianjiao was much better than her. She had so many loyal people who were willing to follow her until death. But as for her, once she lost power, the people around her scattered like monkeys when the tree fell and disappeared without a trace.

Li Rui, who had waited for a long time and finally saw Shen Tianjiao, did not lose his temper. Instead, he unconsciously restrained his temper, lowered his posture, and his attitude became much better.

However, Shen Tianjiao was not only indifferent to Li Rui's transformation, but even felt a little disgusted.

"When did the Queen get a new person by her side?" Li Rui looked at Qiong Niang. Although it was a face he didn't recognize, he always had an inexplicable sense of familiarity, especially Qiong Niang's eyes, as if he had seen them somewhere before.

"Why, the emperor is now interfering with me even because I have a new servant?" Shen Tianjiao picked up a piece of lychee meat and put it in her mouth. She didn't know if it was because of her mentality, but she felt that the taste of the lychee meat today was much worse than usual.

"I just think she looks unfamiliar. I've never seen her before. Can't I even ask her?" Li Rui looked at Shen Tianjiao's calm face, guessing her mood at the moment.

"Your Majesty, it would be better if you don't interfere with the people who serve me." Shen Tianjiao's voice was as cold as the frost in winter, with a naked threat in it.

"You..." Li Rui wanted to lose his temper again, but looking at Shen Tianjiao's face, he held back, "Forget it, I won't argue with you during the meal, so as not to affect your digestion later."

Shen Tianjiao rolled her eyes and complained in her heart that Li Rui was really a hopeless scumbag.

"Your Majesty, someone has come from Kangning Palace, saying that the Queen Mother wants you to come over to discuss something."

Shen Tianjiao put down her chopsticks, knowing that she wouldn't be able to have a peaceful meal today. She glanced at Li Rui from the side. Now was the time to use this guy. Whether the Queen Mother could restrain herself from causing trouble in the future depended on him.

"Why are you looking at me?" Li Rui gloated at Shen Tianjiao and said, "The Queen Mother is looking for you, not me. Since you have the guts to dismiss the Garden Guards on the spot, you should also be able to deal with the Queen Mother." After taking a bite of the lotus soup, he said in a humble tone, "The dishes prepared by the kitchen today are very good and very much suit my appetite. It seems that I will have to come to Yuxiu Palace more often in the future."

Shen Tianjiao looked at Li Rui's smug look and decided not to indulge him. She directly ordered, "Chunchao, I'm full. Clear everything away."

"Why are you retreating? I haven't even eaten enough." Li Rui complained aggrievedly, "How can you not even give me food? Don't go too far."

"This is Yuxiu Palace, I have the final say. If the emperor is not full, he can go back to Taihe Palace. Could it be that Taihe Palace is so poor that it can't even afford to prepare meals, and the emperor has to go out and beg for food?" Shen Tianjiao, adhering to the principle that if she is not having a good time, then Li Rui will have a worse time, completely ignored Li Rui's protests and had all the food on the table cleared away.

After being humiliated by Shen Tianjiao for a long time, Li Rui, who was now hungry and not even allowed to eat his fill, looked like an angry toad.

"What do you want to do?" Li Rui looked at Shen Tianjiao as if he wanted to eat her.

Shen Tianjiao, while trimming her nails, replied nonchalantly, "Isn't Your Majesty aware of what I want to do? Your Majesty, you don't think that because the Queen Mother has embarrassed me, she won't bother you again, do you?"

"Although the Liu family has not grown as strong as before, they still have some influence. If they want to stir up trouble, it's not impossible. By then, the emperor won't have the leisure to sit here and watch the joke. It will really be a headache for him."

Li Rui was very unhappy to hear these words, but it was undeniable that they were the truth. If Yuan You was dismissed, the loss suffered by the Liu family would not be as simple as losing a Minister of War.

Given Empress Dowager Liu's temper, she will never give up until this matter is turned upside down. Li Rui now has a headache when he thinks of Empress Dowager Liu's fuss.

"Then what do you say we should do now?" Under pressure, Li Rui had to bow to Shen Tianjiao.

"What else can I do? Naturally, I'd like to ask the Emperor to work with me to stabilize the Empress Dowager first, so that she doesn't embarrass me and doesn't hinder Yan Mingde's plan to quell the rebellion."

Shen Tianjiao didn't know about Li Rui's other abilities, but she had personally confirmed that he was scheming and cunning, which was beyond doubt. It was really the most appropriate thing for him to fight against the empress dowager who had the same temperament as him.

"The Empress Dowager is not someone to be trifled with. She managed to stand out from the previous emperor's concubines and ascend to the position of Empress Dowager. How could she be a good person?"

"Outside the palace, she has the Liu family as her backer, and inside the palace, she has many people she has cultivated. I don't have the ability to fight her. Besides, she is my mother now. I have filial piety as my duty. How dare I do anything to her?"

It's not that Li Rui doesn't want to deal with Empress Dowager Liu, but to deal with Empress Dowager Liu, he has to fight with the Liu family and the forces behind the Liu family. This process is too dangerous. Li Rui is a person who seeks stability in danger. He will never take the initiative to do anything beyond his ability before finding the best opportunity.

Of course Shen Tianjiao knew what Li Rui was thinking. He would not act easily without any bargaining chip that could move his heart, so Shen Tianjiao decided to give him a strong dose of medicine, forcing him to listen to her and deal with Empress Dowager Liu.

"Your Majesty has probably heard that Li Shan has a son who is being raised by the Empress Dowager in the Liu family. You said the Empress Dowager hid her grandson from others and wanted to raise him in secret. Why is that?"

It has to be said that Shen Tianjiao's strong medicine immediately touched Li Rui's heart. This was something he had always been reluctant to mention.

How could he not understand Empress Dowager Liu's thoughts? Although she supported him to ascend the throne, it was only a temporary measure to protect the interests of the Liu family and herself. In the final analysis, he, the emperor, was just a pawn in her hands.

She secretly raised her own grandson without telling anyone else. Her purpose was to wait for the opportunity so that her grandson could replace her as the emperor in the future.

He knew how hard it was to obtain this throne, what he had sacrificed, and how much humiliation he had endured. He was the only one who knew this, and he would never allow anyone else to lay hands on his throne and his kingdom. He, and only he, was worthy of being the emperor!

"Okay, I promise to help you. What do you want me to do?" Li Rui's eyes were as vicious as if they were poisoned. He had already decided to kill.

Having achieved her goal, Shen Tianjiao couldn't help but smile. The show officially began from now on.