The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"What's wrong with the Queen Mother? Do we need to ask the imperial physician to come and take a look? If the treatment is delayed, my dream may not come true." Aunt Yuhu asked again without waiting for the Queen Mother Liu to respond.

Empress Dowager Liu took a deep breath and made all the necessary preparations before opening her eyes and staring at Aunt Yuhu. She said, "Why are you coming to my Kangning Palace instead of staying in Taihe Palace?"

"Why, your Kangning Palace is a den of dragons and tigers, an abyss and a quagmire, so why can't I come here?" Aunt Yuhu looked directly at Empress Dowager Liu. For a moment, there was a tense and oppressive feeling between the two of them.

Shen Tianjiao's eyes widened. What was going on between Aunt Yuhu and the Queen Mother? Why did their relationship seem reversed? Was she seeing things? The Queen Mother, always so arrogant and domineering, now looked at Aunt Yuhu with a look of panic, even fear.

Aunt Yuhu, who was supposed to be a slave who was many levels lower than Empress Dowager Liu, now looked down upon Empress Dowager Liu like a king who was high above and held the power of life and death.

The strange atmosphere between the two people made everyone present silent.

"Ruan Yuhu, don't go too far!" Empress Dowager Liu, who could no longer bear it, spoke first, but she didn't even notice that her voice was trembling slightly unconsciously.

"Liu Rongsan, you are the one who went too far!" Aunt Yuhu fought back without hesitation, her voice and momentum full of power.

Queen Dowager Liu, shaking with anger, looked up and saw Shen Tianjiao standing beside her. Her anger rose in her heart, and she immediately changed her target, "Queen, didn't I tell you to kneel at the palace gate and reflect on your actions? Now, even you dare to disobey me?"

Shen Tianjiao couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly. She was not the original Shen Tianjiao. In order to avoid trouble, she would endure everything and only hurt herself.

The one who is alive now is Shen Tianjiao's body, but the soul belongs to Chu Qingge. For her, there is no such thing as enduring any injustice. She has always been a person who enjoys watching the fun, not to mention that she has a teammate who is stronger than her by her side today. It should be okay for her to disobey the Queen Mother and vent her anger a little. After all, no matter how unhappy the Queen Mother is today, she can only endure it and vomit blood.

"I have something I'm not sure about, and I'd like to ask the Queen Mother. Have I violated any palace rules or even a divine law? How can the Queen of my country punish me at will? And why should I kneel at the gate of Kangning Palace?" Shen Tianjiao looked up and sneered, "The Queen Mother has probably forgotten that I am the Master of the Six Palaces, holding the Phoenix Seal."

When Shen Tianjiao said this, both Aunt Yuhu and Empress Dowager Liu were shocked.

In Aunt Yuhu's impression, Empress Shen Tianjiao had always been a quiet, gentle person who was tolerant and considered the overall situation. But it was precisely this temperament that caused her to suffer so much injustice.

She has never been as domineering and ostentatious as she is today, but Aunt Yuhu actually likes Shen Tianjiao like this.

In the past, when she saw Shen Tianjiao being wronged and bullied, she often felt distressed and regretful. She always felt that a woman like Shen Tianjiao should live a bright and free life, instead of being imprisoned in the backyard of the deep palace, losing her soul and becoming a puppet.

The person who was more shocked than Aunt Yuhu was naturally Empress Dowager Liu. Before Shen Tianjiao said those words just now, even if she was beaten to death, she would not believe that those words came from Shen Tianjiao's mouth.

Shen Tianjiao used to be so respectful in front of her, never talking back to her, and never disobeying her. Why is she so bold and presumptuous today?

Could it be that, Empress Dowager Liu glanced at Ruan Yuhu, confirming her suspicions. She snorted calmly and said, "Shen Tianjiao, do you really think that with Ruan Yuhu backing you up, I can't do anything to you? If I can't control Ruan Yuhu, can I still control you?"

"So what? I'm still the Empress Dowager, the Emperor's mother, and your mother-in-law." Empress Dowager Liu suppressed her anger and spoke through gritted teeth, "Shen Tianjiao, you are the Empress of a nation, yet you can't even practice filial piety. How can you be qualified to be the Empress who models the country, educating the people and receiving their support and respect?"

"Hmph! In my opinion, as a queen, you should have some self-awareness. It would be better to ask to be divorced and choose someone more virtuous and noble than you to be the queen. This will prevent people like you from bringing disaster to the country and the people in the future, and bring harm to my Yunli country."

Ruan Yuhu gave Empress Dowager Liu no respect, scoffing in her face and then lashing out. "Virtuously virtuous and noble, such beautiful words can be uttered by the Empress Dowager. It's truly rare."

"No wonder people don't want to die. It's so good to be alive. If you live long enough, you will encounter anything."

"The Emperor's mother, huh! You, Liu Rongshan, are probably the only one in this world who dares to lie so shamelessly. Forget whether the Emperor agrees or not. Even the deceased from Yilan Palace wouldn't agree. You know the relationship between you and her better than anyone else, don't you?"

"Ruan Yuhu, shut up!" Empress Dowager Liu suddenly roared like a madman, with panic and fear in her eyes.

"Why can't I tell you? It seems I've really hit the nail on the head, Queen Dowager. If you don't want others to know, then don't do it yourself. Lies are lies after all, and they will be exposed one day. I really want to see how you, Queen Dowager, no, and your entire Liu family will grovel and beg for mercy on the day the truth comes out."

As she spoke, Ruan Yuhu's eyes turned red, and all the memories buried deep in her memory suddenly appeared before her eyes.

"I told you to shut up, didn't you hear me?" Empress Dowager Liu lost control and picked up the white jade cup on the table in front of her and smashed it out.

Fortunately, she crashed into an open space and no one was injured.

Watching Empress Dowager Liu gradually losing control and going crazy, Ruan Yuhu felt an irrepressible pleasure in his heart.

"If you don't let me speak, then I won't speak. I have my own mouth, so I can speak whatever I want! Even the late emperor couldn't do anything to me, so what can you do to me?"

Just when the women were quarreling, Li Rui, the big grudge, arrived.

Seeing Li Rui coming, Empress Dowager Liu was like grabbing a life-saving straw. Her eyes immediately turned red and she complained, "Emperor, look at your good queen. How she colluded with others to bully your mother."

Empress Dowager Liu's superb acting skills really opened Shen Tianjiao's eyes. It turned out that the rumors in the palace were not groundless, but were actually true. Empress Dowager Liu's title of the number one "green tea" in the harem was indeed well-deserved.

Li Rui glanced at Shen Tianjiao and said, "The Queen has always been docile and polite. She never retaliated against the Queen Mother. If someone else bullied the Queen Mother, I would believe it. But if the Queen bullied the Queen Mother, not only would I not believe it, I'm afraid no one in the whole palace would believe it."

"You..." Empress Dowager Liu controlled herself in time, not letting out the curse words. She put on an even more pitiful expression than before, looking at Li Rui and saying, "Could it be that your mother could deceive the Emperor? You, after all, dote on her too much. You've spoiled her so much that she loses all sense of status and recognizes herself. It's bad enough that she's doting in the harem, but you even dare to reach out and interfere in state affairs. If this continues, it's only a matter of time before she surpasses you, the Emperor, and becomes the evil concubine who controls the government."

"Oh, I didn't know my queen had such a skill." Li Rui was also a sharp man. How could he not hear the hidden meaning in Empress Dowager Liu's words? "Then I wonder, in your opinion, how should I punish the queen?"

"Such a person with poor moral character is not fit to be the mistress of the harem. The emperor should depose her as soon as possible and choose another virtuous and noble concubine to be the empress." The mad Queen Mother Liu's IQ dropped sharply. She was completely offline and did not understand the meaning of Li Rui's words at all.

"Oh, there's actually someone better than the Empress among the concubines in the harem?" Li Rui raised a sneer at the corner of his mouth. "I think this person couldn't be the Empress Dowager's niece's granddaughter—Noble Lady Liu."

Li Rui spoke so clearly about what he had been planning, and Empress Dowager Liu suddenly had a very bad feeling.

"Whether Lady Liu is virtuous or not, I don't know, but considering her status as a lady, it's wishful thinking for her to ascend to the throne and become the queen in one step."

"I wouldn't dare say my queen is the greatest queen of all time, unprecedented and unrivaled, but in my eyes and in the hearts of the people, she is the best in the world and irreplaceable."

"I, looking throughout the entire harem, cannot find anyone with better moral character, gentleness, and respect than the Queen. Therefore, as long as I am alive, no one can think of deposing the Queen. Even if I die in the future, no one will dare to do so!"

Li Rui wanted Shen Tianjiao to die, but that was only because he was afraid that Shen Tianjiao and the Zhenbei Marquisate would threaten his rule. In his heart, Shen Tianjiao could die, but her position as queen could never be abolished.

Shen Tianjiao raised her eyes and glanced at Li Rui. She really didn't expect that this scumbag could be so reliable at times.

Li Rui's words completely put an end to Empress Dowager Liu's idea of ​​taking action against Shen Tianjiao. At this moment, she was grieving in her heart. If her biological son was still alive, how could she suffer such humiliation and injustice?

Thinking of this, she looked at Ruan Yuhu with a bit more cruelty in her eyes.

"Your Majesty, Concubine Feng and Concubine Mei have arrived and are waiting outside the palace."

The eunuch's report made Shen Tianjiao feel tired. None of these women were easy to deal with. They all had their own way of dealing with things without causing trouble.

Since they have come to cause trouble, Shen Tianjiao will naturally not let them down. She might as well take this opportunity to give them a warning and let them put themselves in their place, so that they won't jump out to cause trouble from time to time. She doesn't have the time and energy to deal with them.

"Now that you are here, please come in. Today, it is a good opportunity to tell your grievances in front of the emperor."

The eunuch raised his head slightly and looked at Li Rui. Li Rui looked unhappy and said, "The Queen has spoken. Why are you still standing there? Let them in."

When Feng Yuanyuan brought He Wanying in, they felt the strange atmosphere in the room and everyone looked unhappy.

"Everyone is here, just say whatever you want to say." Looking at Feng Yuanyuan and He Wanying standing in front of him, Li Rui felt a headache.

These women stay in the harem all day long, doing nothing but vying for favor and causing trouble.

"Your Majesty." Feng Yuanyuan and He Wanying bowed, then stood up and looked at Li Rui pitifully, saying, "I have brought my sister Mei Fei here to ask Your Majesty to make a decision for us sisters."

"I know, it's because of the matter between Feng Jie and Ling Xifeng." Li Rui was also very angry when this matter was mentioned. All his years of hard work were ruined.

"I need to rest now. These matters are under the supervision of the Queen. If you want to say anything, just tell the Queen." Li Rui said this with gritted teeth. He now has to rely on Shen Tianjiao and the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion. As the saying goes, a man has to bow his head under the eaves. No matter how unwilling he is, he has to endure it and wait for the future.

Feng Yuanyuan raised her head and looked at Li Rui in disbelief. If she hadn't really seen that it was Li Rui, she would have thought she had just hallucinated.

"The Emperor has already said that if you two, Concubine Feng and Concubine Mei, have any grievances, please speak up."

Shen Tianjiao looked at Feng Yuanyuan and He Wanying who were not aware of their own danger. They no longer had the determined look they had when they came in just now. Instead, they were like quails that fell into the water, quietly lowering their heads and pretending to be dead.

Seeing that neither of them was willing to speak, Shen Tianjiao spoke up, "Since you two won't say anything, then I will speak."

"It just so happens that the Emperor is here today, so let's make it clear. This will prevent anyone from gossiping behind my back and trying to sow discord and damage the relationship between me and the Emperor."

"Prince Li Bin of Jin has rebelled, and I need people to quell the rebellion. Feng Jie and Ling Xifeng have members of the Imperial Guard. I asked General Bai Qishan to bring them back, but they refused to cooperate and even took the lead in looking for opportunities to stir up trouble, so they were imprisoned by General Bai. General Bai was right to do this. With a formidable enemy at hand, all the people of Yunli Kingdom should unite and fight together, not to mention that they are officials of Yunli Kingdom."

"They rely on their backers to act so recklessly, disregarding the interests of the country. Imprison them and let them reflect on their actions, so that they won't make irreparable mistakes in the future due to excessive pampering. Your Majesty, do you agree?"

"Yes, that's right." In this situation, Li Rui had no choice but to cooperate with Shen Tianjiao. Furthermore, as Shen Tianjiao had said, this was a matter of life and death, with a powerful enemy at the door. Suppressing this rebellion was more important than anything else.

Shen Tianjiao raised an eyebrow and looked at Feng Yuanyuan and He Wanying with a smirk. "You all heard what the emperor said. I will discuss with the emperor how to deal with Feng Jie and Ling Xifeng. This matter is over today. I don't want to hear any more discussion about it. Do you two understand?"

When had Feng Yuanyuan ever suffered such humiliation? Feng Jie was her own brother. Not only was he beaten beyond recognition, but he was also locked up and not allowed to visit. Now she didn't know whether he was dead or alive. Today, she was determined to seek justice for her brother no matter what.