The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

The days were busy, and the day came when Li Muyang left the palace to study.

After discussion, Shen Tianjiao and Qiong Niang agreed that it would be most appropriate for Li Muyang to study where Cui Yi currently lives.

That was Cui Yi's own territory. On his territory, he would naturally take strict precautions, which would be safer for Li Muyang.

Shen Tianjiao took a day off today just to send Li Muyang to school.

Although it was only one day, Qiong Niang did make full preparations, preparing everything that should be prepared, as well as things that should not be prepared.

Shen Tianjiao looked speechlessly at the snacks and tea that Qiong Niang brought for Li Muyang, not knowing what to say. Qiong Niang really wanted to move her family there.

"There's no need to bring these things." Shen Tianjiao pointed at the pile of snacks and tea and said, "Cui Yi wouldn't even prepare snacks and tea. If you bring these things with you, not only will it be inconvenient on the way, but what will Cui Yi think? Can he not afford to treat us, or do we simply not trust him?"

"Once this arrangement is established, there will be a crisis of trust between Cui Yi and us. If there is any resentment, how can he wholeheartedly assist Mu'er in the future?"

"And these brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone. Have you forgotten that Cui Yi is a great Confucian master of his own school? He would have no shortage of these things."

Qiong Niang understood all of this; she was just too concerned. "I'm just worried that Mu'er won't be able to get used to the food outside. Dongyang takes care of all his meals now, so he's used to it. The brush, ink, paper, and inkstone are all things he's used to, so I thought I'd bring them along for him."

"He's a boy, and boys should act like boys. It's not good for boys to be too spoiled." Shen Tianjiao had never raised a child, but she knew what Li Muyang would face in the future. If Li Muyang wanted to ascend to the throne, in addition to having her as his mother's strong support behind him, he also needed to win the hearts of the people. He had to humble himself first. Only then could he understand and share the same aspirations as the people who supported the Yunli Kingdom. He could become a true king, a ruler who could protect the people of Yunli.

Shen Tianjiao is even considering letting Li Muyang go to the army for training in a few years, living and eating with the soldiers to build relationships with them. This way, more people will be loyal and willing to assist him in the future.

"I didn't think it through." Qiong Niang is usually a smart person, but she can get confused when it comes to things she cares about.

"Next time, just be careful." Shen Tianjiao looked at Li Muyang running towards her from a distance and hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Run slower, don't fall."

Li Muyang ran over and threw himself into Shen Tianjiao's arms and hugged her. He was a little excited about going out of the palace to study today, but he was also very worried and scared. After all, this was his first time out of the palace, leaving his familiar place and going to a completely unfamiliar environment to deal with a stranger.

"What's wrong?" Sensing Li Muyang's emotional change, Shen Tianjiao touched his head and asked.

After a while, the little man holding him said sullenly, "What if that teacher doesn't like me? Mother, you said he's a very learned man. If I'm too stupid to learn, will he spank my hand?"

All the bad things that had happened in the reformatory before appeared in Li Muyang's mind at this moment.

Shen Tianjiao was stunned. This villain always used unexpected methods to make her feel distressed when she least expected it.

"Son." Shen Tianjiao squatted down, looked directly into Li Muyang's eyes, and said to him, "Remember this: your mother is the Queen, and you are the legitimate son of the Empress. No one can hurt you anymore. Do you understand?"

"Mr. Cui may have a strange temper, but he's a very good person. You don't have to be afraid. If anyone in his house dares to bully you, just have the people around you beat him up. If no one around you can beat him up, don't be afraid. Come back and tell mother, and she'll go after him for you."

"Well, mother, I know. My mother is the most powerful person in the world." The little girl was no longer worried. In Li Muyang's heart, his mother, Shen Tianjiao, was incomparable to anyone else. She was the most powerful person in the world. Shen Tianjiao's words just now gave Li Muyang great confidence and encouragement, and even his mood improved.

"Okay, let Chunchao take you to wash your face. It's the first day of class, so we need to be in good spirits." Shen Tianjiao stood up, touched Li Muyang's head, and handed him to Chunchao.

Li Muyang was led by Chunchao to wash his face. Shen Tianjiao then turned back to look at Shisan and the several secret guards who were acting as attendants and said, "You all must protect the little prince. You must never let him move around alone. Especially Shisan, remember, you must follow the little prince closely and never let him out of your sight for even a moment."

"I understand. I will definitely follow the young prince closely and will not go anywhere." Thirteen is a smart child and loyal enough. Shen Tianjiao can feel more at ease with him around.

"Okay, all of you go down and get ready." Shen Tianjiao waved her hand and dismissed everyone.

When everyone had left and only Shen Tianjiao and Qiong Niang were left, Shen Tianjiao looked at Qiong Niang and said, "Go get ready. We're going out of the palace today."

"Leaving the palace?" Qiong Niang quickly covered her mouth and looked around carefully. Seeing that there was really no one there, she felt a little relieved.

"When did you become so timid?" Shen Tianjiao looked at Qiong Niang and shook her head with a smile.

"You're still laughing?" Qiong Niang glared at Shen Tianjiao angrily. "Tell me what you're thinking. Why do you act on impulse? You're the queen. There are countless eyes watching you, both openly and covertly. If something happens to you, it's no joke. Do you want us to live?"

Shen Tianjiao looked at Qiong Niang with a smile, and waited until she finished speaking before taking over and saying, "What am I afraid of? Don't you have me here? You've been training those people for some time, and today is a good time to see how strong they are. No matter how much you practice, it's useless without actual combat."

"I left the palace today not only to send Mu'er to Cui Yi, but also to get to know the people and see how they are doing now. More importantly, I wanted to see if I could find an opportunity to go to Anguo Temple and contact that person."

"No, you can't go to Anguo Temple with your current identity. Even if you go, you can't go secretly. You can only go openly." Qiong Niang had no problem with what Shen Tianjiao said before, but this last one was absolutely not allowed.

If Shen Tianjiao went to Anguo Temple secretly, she didn't know how many eyes would be watching her from behind, and how many people would try to harm her. No matter how good the defense is, some things are impossible to prevent.

But if they do it openly, although there will be people looking for opportunities to cause trouble, no one will dare to act openly, and those who want to make a move behind the scenes will also be cautious and cautious.

Shen Tianjiao sighed. It was simply impossible for her to leave the palace and go to Anguo Temple openly. At least based on the current situation, it was impossible.

"How about making this matter clear to Wang Yunzhi and letting him act as a messenger to set up this line first?" This is the best solution Qiong Niang can think of at the moment.

Shen Tianjiao shook her head, rejecting Qiong Niang's idea. "Her purpose is still unknown. It would be too risky to extend an olive branch to her so easily. I'm afraid we'll be in a passive position in the future, and she will lead us by the nose."

"Then wait a little longer. If it's not possible now, you can always find an opportunity later." Qiong Niang's meaning was very clear. It was impossible for Shen Tianjiao to go to Anguo Temple to meet that person today.

"Okay, I'll listen to you and wait a little longer." Shen Tianjiao shook her head helplessly. The housekeeper Qiong Niang was extremely powerful.

"Oh, by the way, when will Zuo Beichen enter the palace?" Thinking of Zuo Beichen, this became another headache. Shen Tianjiao couldn't help but sigh. Why did this trouble always come to her?

"It'll probably be just one or two days. Wang Yunzhi sent someone to say that Zuo Beichen's mother's death anniversary is approaching, and he can't enter the palace until after that." Qiong Niang knew that Shen Tianjiao was upset about this matter, so she comforted her, "Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on him. I won't let him do anything rash."

"I'm not afraid that he will do anything weird, but I'm afraid that he is a scheming person, which would make things difficult." Shen Tianjiao looked up at the spring scenery in the garden in front of her, and her mood improved a lot.

"Don't worry, no matter whether he is a villain or a disaster, I will keep an eye on him. You just need to worry less." Qiong Niang pushed Shen Tianjiao to change clothes.

Because of Shen Tianjiao's company, Li Muyang no longer had any worries and became a little chatterbox, chattering non-stop all the way, and Shen Tianjiao got a headache listening to him. She really didn't know that this kid was so eloquent and could talk so well.

Qiong Niang looked at the mother and son. The younger one couldn't stop talking, and the older one seemed to have a headache listening but didn't dare to ask them to stop. She laughed so hard that her stomach hurt.

After finally arriving in front of Cui Yi's residence, Shen Tianjiao interrupted Li Muyang, "Okay, stop talking. If you keep talking, your voice will be hoarse. How will you answer Mr. Cui's questions?"

Li Muyang was quite well-behaved. He shut up obediently, said goodbye to Shen Tianjiao, and was led out of the carriage by Shisan.

Someone was already waiting in front of Cui's house. When they saw Li Muyang get off the carriage, they immediately came forward, helped Li Muyang into a sedan chair, and had him carried into the house.

Shen Tianjiao watched Li Muyang enter the mansion before ordering the carriage to leave.

Since entering the palace, neither Shen Tianjiao nor Qiong Niang has ever stepped out of the palace gate.

Being a queen or a concubine sounds like an extremely noble status, but to put it bluntly, it is just like being imprisoned in a luxurious cage made of gold for life, like a canary with no freedom, and can only wait to wither and die in this small world day after day.

Accustomed to the quietness of the palace, they suddenly came to the market, watching the people coming and going, listening to all kinds of noisy sounds, and the lively atmosphere of human life made Shen Tianjiao and Qiong Niang a little uncomfortable for a moment.

"Take Chunchao and Qiutong with you, and go for a walk with a few of the guards. Opportunities like this don't come often," Shen Tianjiao instructed Qiong Niang. She herself hadn't changed her costume today, so she couldn't get out of the carriage and could only sit inside and watch the scenery outside. But she really wanted the people around her to get out and about more often. After all, they didn't belong in the outside world, so it was always good to take advantage of the opportunity to interact with the outside world.

"I won't go. I'll accompany you. Let the two maids go. They are at the age when they love to play and make noise. They stay in the palace all day long and always look steady and mature. They are not what young girls should be like." Qiong Niang looked at the hustle and bustle outside, and there was really no ripple in her heart. During these years in the palace, her temper had long been smoothed out and her enthusiasm had long been exhausted.

"Okay, stop being so pretentious. I just decided to come out today on a whim, so I didn't modify the carriage. Otherwise, after sending the child away, I would have jumped off the carriage and strolled around Nanjing." Shen Tianjiao grabbed Qiong Niang and drove her out of the carriage.

Qiong Niang smiled and shook her head, then looked at Shen Tianjiao and said, "Okay, I'll take the girls shopping and not disturb you. If there's anything you want to eat, tell me and I'll buy it for you when I come back."

"Yeah." Shen Tianjiao held her chin. In fact, she didn't know what she wanted to eat. From childhood to adulthood, she rarely had the opportunity to go out, so naturally she didn't know what delicious food there was outside.

Before Shen Tianjiao could figure it out, she suddenly smelled the scent of grease mixed with the aroma of flour, and she was stunned for a moment.

After waiting for a long time without any response from Shen Tianjiao, Qiong Niang reached out and nudged her, asking, "What's wrong? Have you decided what to eat?"

"Oh, I've made up my mind." Shen Tianjiao came back to her senses and looked at Qiong Niang seriously and said, "I want to eat the flatbread with beef in it."

"Braised pancakes with beef?" Qiong Niang didn't understand why Shen Tianjiao suddenly wanted to eat this kind of thing. Something like beef banh mi would probably be hard to find even if you searched the streets and alleys of the entire capital. Selling beef was illegal in Yunli. Who would have the courage to sell it openly on the street?

"Yeah, that's right, it's the flatbread with beef. That's what I want to eat." Shen Tianjiao was unusually firm. "But that flatbread isn't what we Yunli eat. It came from the Western Regions. You can go and have a look. If you can't find it, forget it."

"Oh, okay, I'll look for it." Qiong Niang looked at Shen Tianjiao and always felt that she had something on her mind.