The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Shen Tianjiao looked at the expression on Feng Yuanyuan's face and accurately judged that she was about to start making trouble again.

Shaking her somewhat depressed head, Shen Tianjiao concentrated her mind and entered a combat state. She didn't like being passively led by others. She liked to take the initiative and keep the initiative in her own hands.

"Noble Concubine Feng, if I remember correctly, you should be staying in your palace to reflect on your actions. I can't remember when I agreed to let you out and allow you to walk around." Shen Tianjiao smiled wickedly at Feng Yuanyuan and turned her gaze to her wrist. "It seems that Noble Concubine Feng has forgotten the pain after the scar healed. She has such a short memory."

Feng Yuanyuan couldn't help but tremble all over. Her wrist, which had not yet healed, seemed to be even more painful at this moment.

With tears in her eyes, she looked at Li Rui with a pitiful look as if she had been wronged, sobbing and calling out, "Your Majesty."

Li Rui, who was already upset at the moment, was in no mood to be gentle with women or consider Feng Yuanyuan's feelings. He waved his hand and said, "The affairs of the harem are the Queen's responsibility. I'm a little tired and need to go back to rest."

As soon as Li Rui finished speaking, Huang Chunhua immediately ran over and helped him leave the scene.

As soon as Li Rui left, the room immediately became lively again. They say three women make a play, and who knows how many plays the women in this room can perform.

Those who pretended to be innocent stopped pretending, those who tried to show weakness stopped showing weakness, and those who pretended to be dumb started talking. In short, the place was as lively as a vegetable market.

"Okay, shut up!" Shen Tianjiao, whose head hurt from the noise, slapped the table and the noise stopped abruptly.

Shen Tianjiao raised her eyes and scanned the faces of the women in front of her. She felt an inexplicable sadness in her heart. These were the women raised in the harem. Not only were they short-sighted and lacked righteousness in their hearts, but they also didn't know how to restrain themselves even when facing a powerful enemy. They all only thought about how to protect their own interests.

"The war is about to start, and none of you care about the country. Instead, you are quarreling here for your own personal gain and calculations."

"If the skin is gone, where will the hair stay? If we lose this battle, hum! The Queen Mother, the Imperial Concubine, the Mei Concubine, and so on will no longer exist. Then you will be reduced to slaves and be driven around by others. That would be fine. But I think that by then, you may not even be able to be slaves. After all, the three of you have a grudge against Li Bin. He will definitely remember the past kindness and will not show any mercy to you."

"I'm curious, if it really comes to that, will you still be so arrogant? Will you still be able to argue endlessly over your own greed? Will you still be able to laugh?"

The women who were chattering just now all shut up, and a rare look of fear appeared on their faces.

Shen Tianjiao stood up and looked at the three useless people in front of her. "The Queen Mother is old. From today on, she should recuperate in Kangning Palace."

"As for you two," Shen Tianjiao said, glaring at Feng Yuanyuan and He Wanying. "Noble Concubine Feng, return to your Jinyang Palace and recuperate. Stop dwelling on things you shouldn't be thinking about. The Second Prince is in the orphanage, and your sister Feng Baolin is in Country Garden. If you continue to behave yourself, I don't mind reuniting your family and imprisoning them forever."

"As for Concubine Mei, since you insist on being such a troublemaker, stirring up trouble and causing unrest in the harem just to stand up for others, then from today on, you will move to Jing'an Hall, where the concubines are supported. There, you will practice vegetarianism and Buddhist teachings, cultivate your temper and calm your mind. This will prevent you from being overly pampered and causing irreparable harm."

He Wanying shuddered, lowered her head in panic, and didn't dare to look at Shen Tianjiao.

"Queen, you can't do this to me. I'm the Queen Mother."

"The Emperor didn't even say he wanted to confine me. Queen, what right do you have to detain me? The Second Prince is the Emperor's own son. Why are you locking him up in a reformatory and torturing him? Aren't you afraid that if the Emperor finds out, he won't forgive you?"

He Wanying kept her mouth shut, but Empress Dowager Liu and Feng Yuanyuan were not the kind of people who would let it go.

Facing the aggressiveness of Empress Dowager Liu and Feng Yuanyuan, Shen Tianjiao simply smiled calmly, "Empress Dowager, the Emperor has just said that I am the mistress of the Central Palace and all matters concerning the harem are under my jurisdiction. The Empress Dowager is in poor health, and as your daughter-in-law, I am considerate of you and want to let you rest well. What's wrong with that?"

Shen Tianjiao handed her hand to Qiong Niang, and with her support, she walked to Feng Yuanyuan, her smile growing wider. "Noble Concubine Feng, I advise you to be more obedient. You have been confined to Jinyang Palace for reflection. Doesn't the Emperor know about this? Even if he knew, didn't he issue an order to release you?"

"This time, you left Jinyang without permission during your confinement period, so I won't bother with you. But if you dare to do it again, I will not let you off!"

"As for the Second Prince, humph! So what if he's the Emperor's legitimate son? Only the one born to me is the legitimate son of the Empress Dowager; the others are only illegitimate sons. You, Concubine Feng, are only his consort mother, while I am his empress mother. As the empress mother, how can you have any say in the way I, the empress mother, discipline my own son?"

"The Second Prince has been in the reformatory for some time. The Emperor knows about it but doesn't care. Perhaps he feels that he lacks discipline and is unruly, and needs proper discipline. Otherwise, even the best child would have been spoiled by you."

"Also, Feng Jie and Ling Xifeng will remain in custody for the time being. Once the war is over and they are found innocent, they will be released and reinstated. If they are found guilty, the law will apply."

After Shen Tianjiao finished speaking, she was supported by Qiong Niang, followed by Ruan Yuhu who was supported by Chunchao. The few of them walked out together in a swagger, not caring about the three people behind them.

After leaving Kangning Palace, Shen Tianjiao stopped, turned around and looked at Ruan Yuhu, saying, "Aunt Yuhu, you should move to Yuxiu Palace for a while. I will go and talk to the emperor."

Ruan Yuhu was stunned for a moment, then she understood Shen Tianjiao's good intentions. She had just offended Empress Dowager Liu. Although Empress Dowager Liu didn't dare to do anything to her openly, it was easier to dodge an open attack than to guard against an arrow from the dark. With Empress Dowager Liu's vengeful nature, there was no guarantee that she would not have murderous intentions and send someone to harm her secretly.

Living in Yuxiu Palace with Shen Tianjiao around, her safety was guaranteed. Even if Empress Dowager Liu wanted to harm her, it wouldn't be that easy.

Faced with Shen Tianjiao's kindness, Ruan Yuhu was still very happy to accept it. Living with a child she loved was much better than being alone and lonely.

"In that case, I would like to thank the Queen." Ruan Yuhu bowed to Shen Tianjiao.

Shen Tianjiao hurriedly helped Ruan Yuhu up, "Aunt, there's no need to be so polite. There aren't so many rules in Yuxiu Palace. Since you're here, just treat it like you're at home and be at your own pace."

"Well, okay." Shen Tianjiao had said so much. If Ruan Yuhu still put on airs, it would be a bit ignorant of what was good for her.

After arranging Ruan Yuhu's affairs, Shen Tianjiao took Qiong Niang to the imperial study to discuss things with the court officials. It was better to do it in the imperial study as it was legitimate and beyond reproach.

When Shen Tianjiao arrived at the imperial study, everyone who was supposed to come had already arrived.

"Your Majesty, may you be well." Seeing Shen Tianjiao come in, everyone came forward to greet her.

"Stand up." Shen Tianjiao sat down and asked everyone to sit down together.

"General Yan, how are the preparations going?" What Shen Tianjiao is most worried about now is whether the army can leave the capital smoothly tonight. Speed ​​is of the essence in sending troops, and a delay may affect the entire battle situation.

"In reply to the Queen, although the time is a bit tight, fortunately the Yulin Guards are all well-trained, so it is okay to go on the expedition tonight." Fortunately, Yan Mingde is also a veteran, and he knows that if soldiers want to survive on the battlefield, they must enhance their strength through hard training. Therefore, over the years, even though he has lived in Kyoto, he has never dared to slack off in any training.

Shen Tianjiao nodded. The key to sending troops is speed, but it is also important not to be too hasty. This time, there is really no other choice because of urgency.

"Thank you for your hard work, General Yan and all the soldiers. When you return victoriously, I will personally host a banquet to welcome you."

"General Bai, you will escort the soldiers to the battle on behalf of the Emperor and me."

"I will obey my orders."

Shen Tianjiao looked up at Zhang Ziqing, the Minister of Revenue, who was standing nearby packing quails. "Master Zhang, have you prepared all the food, fodder, and medicines needed for the army?"

"In reply to the Queen, I have tried my best to prepare, but the time is really too tight this time. I have only prepared enough food, medicine, weapons and other things for the army to use for about ten days. It will take some time to prepare." Zhang Ziqing said with cold sweat all over his body. He was really afraid of the Queen now.

Shen Tianjiao frowned in dissatisfaction. Although she knew that this matter was too hasty and a bit embarrassing for Zhang Ziqing, the ability of this Minister of Revenue was really too poor and much lower than her expectations. Maybe it was time to consider changing someone to be the Minister of Revenue.

While Shen Tianjiao was still lost in thought, Qiong Niang quietly handed the small note she had just written to Shen Tianjiao.

Shen Tianjiao opened the note Qiong Niang had given her and saw the words "Yufeng Grain Store" written on it. She frowned and thought for a moment, then quickly understood what it meant.

Shen Tianjiao looked up at Zhang Ziqing and said, "Ten days' worth of food and fodder can only sustain the army until Chongzhou. If the soldiers don't have enough food, how can they fight the enemy?"

"Master Zhang, as the Minister of Revenue, you can't even handle this matter properly. I am very disappointed."

"I beg the Queen to forgive me. I will do my best to replenish everything the army needs as quickly as possible." Zhang Ziqing, who was already nervous, became even more panicked.

Shen Tianjiao sighed and said, "I know that last year, many places suffered from drought and floods, resulting in poor harvests and little grain collected from the people. However, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The national treasury is empty. Lord Zhang can collect grain from the people. I have heard before that there is a store in the capital called, what was it called? Oh, right, it's called Yufeng Grain Store. It is the largest grain store in our Yunli Kingdom. Since it is the largest grain store, it naturally has branches all over the country. Lord Zhang can find a way to collect some grain from Yufeng Grain Store to use as military rations. This will facilitate coordination and prevent supply shortages."

"This time we're requisitioning grain from the Yufeng Grain Store, not expropriating it. The money for the purchase will be reimbursed by the Ministry of Revenue later. This should be easy to handle. What do you think, Lord Zhang?"

Just now, Zhang Ziqing was just sweating all over, but now he was weak all over. How did the Queen know about Yufeng Grain Store? Since she knew about Yufeng Grain Store, she must also know that Yufeng Grain Store was his Zhang family's secret industry. It's over, it's over. This time, it's not just his official position that is in danger, it's his life.

The Yunli Kingdom has a regulation that all officials and people with honors are not allowed to participate in grain trading. Once discovered, they will be convicted and punished according to the severity of the circumstances.

When Shen Tianjiao mentioned Yufeng Grain Store, it was like strangling Zhang Ziqing's throat. He could not and dared not to do anything tricky or disobey again.

"Master Zhang, did you hear what I said?" Shen Tianjiao looked at Zhang Ziqing's panic with satisfaction. Humph! These people, if you don't pinch his seven inches, he will always refuse to obey.

"Your Majesty, I will obey the Empress's order." The honest Zhang Ziqing dared not say anything more and could only listen to Shen Tianjiao's orders.

"Well, that's great. I believe that Lord Zhang will be able to handle this matter." If it weren't for the wrong occasion, Shen Tianjiao would have couldn't help laughing.

"Order the Imperial Hospital to bring medicine and send accompanying medical officers to accompany the army. There must be no mistakes."

"Your Majesty, give the order immediately." Wang Yunzhi, who had not spoken since he came in, finally had the chance to speak.

By the time the battle plan and preparations were redeployed, it was completely dark.

The army was about to set off, and Shen Tianjiao could not go to see them off. She could only stand on the city wall and watch them leave.

"Let's go back." The wind was still a little cold at night in early spring. Qiong Niang was worried that Shen Tianjiao was wearing thin clothes and would catch a cold, which would be troublesome.

Shen Tianjiao reluctantly withdrew her gaze. It would be great if she could also go to the battle with the army. Unfortunately, now she was trapped in the inner court of the palace, like a bird with broken wings, being kept in captivity and losing her freedom.

Sensing Shen Tianjiao's change of mood, Qiong Niang held her hand and comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, everything will be fine. Yan Mingde is very good at fighting, and he has a lot of skills. Wasn't it because he won many battles that he was recalled to the capital to serve as the General of the Imperial Guard to protect the capital?"

"I know. I'm not worried about General Yan's expedition this time. With him and General Wan working together, nothing will happen." Shen Tianjiao sighed and said, "I'm worried about other things."

"Don't worry about anything. We're not in a hurry, just take our time. I'm here. Tell me if there's anything, and we'll find a way to solve it together." Qiong Niang knew that the road ahead was not easy, but she was not afraid at all now.

"Let's go back quickly and talk about it when we get back." Apart from having some snacks today, Shen Tianjiao hasn't eaten anything yet after fighting all day. She just wants to go back and have a full meal first.