The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

After Ruan Yuhu returned to Qinghuayuan, where he currently lives, he sat there in a daze.

"Miss, it's late, please go to bed." Nuanxiang, the maid who served Ruan Yuhu, was the one who grew up with her. Later, her family encountered misfortune, and Nuanxiang accompanied her in suffering. Then she entered the palace with her. Until now, Nuanxiang's way of addressing Ruan Yuhu has never changed, and she only calls her Miss.

Ruan Yuhu took a sip of the hot tea in front of him, then put it down and sighed, "Nuanxiang, tell me, if there is an opportunity now to realize my original ambition, but the future is unpredictable and it will bring trouble to those around me, should I still do it?"

Nuanxiang walked over to Ruan Yuhu and massaged her shoulders. "Girl, you always say that life is short. You should do what you want to do in time to avoid leaving behind irreparable regrets."

"Young lady's ambition is to benefit the country and the people. This is not only your ambition but also the master's last wish. You once said that when it comes to doing the right thing, even if you know it means death, you must never turn back and must persevere. When it comes to doing the wrong thing, even if a knife is placed on your neck, you must not lose your resolve, tarnish your innocence, or go against your conscience."

"There are only the Third Master's descendants in our family now. They have long since moved away under different names. Even if something happens in the future, they won't be found."

"As for me, ever since I was sold into the mansion and followed you, I have been yours in life and death. Wherever you go, I will go too. If you give birth, I will live. If you die, I will die too."

"So, girl, whatever you want to do, just go for it. Everyone will die in the end. It doesn't matter if you die early or late, it's all death anyway. So what's there to be afraid of?"

Ruan Yuhu reached out and held Nuanxiang's hand. She had experienced all kinds of hardships in her life, but God was kind to her after all. There was someone by her side who understood her and was willing to stay with her through life and death.

After a brief silence, Ruan Yuhu handed a jade cicada to Nuanxiang and said, "Go, you've waited for so many years, it's time for the truth of that matter to come to light."

"Also, go call Yan Zheng back. He is a member of the Gu family. This matter concerns the Gu family, and he carries an unshirkable responsibility. So no matter what happens in the future, he must come back and take up his responsibilities. His grandfather, his father, his uncle, their grievances and innocence must be cleared by him, Gu Yan Zheng. Only then will he be worthy of being a member of the Gu family."

Ruan Yuhu paused for a moment, then continued, "Let Yan Zheng settle the house before he comes back. We can't let this matter implicate the family and children."

Nuanxiang stroked the jade cicada in her hand and opened her mouth, but finally swallowed the words to dissuade Gu Yanzheng from returning to Beijing. The people of the Gu family have the integrity that a Gu family member should have, but they lost it just to survive. This is not something a Gu family member can do.

"I understand. I will arrange it immediately."

Nuanxiang left, and Ruan Yuhu sat there alone, still in a daze.

Throughout the dynasties, any reforms involving the interests of aristocratic families were extremely cruel and terrifying, and were all forged with the blood and tears of countless people.

Although things have not started yet, Ruan Yuhu can already foresee what a tragic scene and situation it will be.

The lives of her father, the Minister of Revenue Gu Junting, her brothers, and all 327 members of the Gu family were ruined by that incident.

It has been decades since the incident, but until now she can still see the blood in the Gu Mansion that day, and can still hear the screams, wails, and cries of her grandmother, her mother, her sister-in-law, and many other people.

This is something she can never forget, and it is also her lingering nightmare. It has tormented her for so many years and is about to swallow her up.

Feeling uneasy, Ruan Yuhu stood up, took some incense, lit it, and went to pay her respects at the tablet she had set up for her parents.

After lighting the incense, Ruan Yuhu stared at her father's tablet and said, "Father, I have decided today to follow the same path you took back then. I know that even though you lost your life for that incident and implicated the entire Gu family, you never regretted it."

"You have lived a life of integrity and selflessness, always caring about your country and the people of Yunli. It has always been your ambition to bring all the wealth and grain back to the national treasury to strengthen the country, to ensure that all the people have enough to eat, and to ensure that all the children in Yunli can go to school."

"Now there is someone who shares your aspirations. She is willing to endure humiliation and brave all difficulties to change Yunli's current situation. My daughter wants to go with her. If you are still alive, please bless her and me so that we can achieve our wishes and live in peace."

Shen Tianjiao slept very deeply and when she woke up it was already noon.

"Why didn't you call me?" Looking at the bright sunshine outside, Shen Tianjiao felt annoyed. She missed the morning court because of her oversleeping. What kind of thing was this?

"Master, don't panic. Today is not a grand court meeting, so you don't need to go to court." Chunchao smiled and handed a handkerchief soaked in warm water to Shen Tianjiao.

Shen Tianjiao took the handkerchief and wiped her face. Her head, which was still a little confused because she had slept for too long, instantly became much clearer. There had been so many things happening recently that her mind was no longer clear.

After a brief panic, everything returned to calm. Shen Tianjiao had breakfast and handled some matters. Before she knew it, it was noon.

Because she had breakfast too late, Shen Tianjiao had no appetite for lunch.

Looking at the meal on the table, Shen Tianjiao stood up and said, "I'm not hungry. I ate too much this morning and haven't digested it yet. You guys eat first. I'll go take a walk in the garden to help digest it. I'll eat when I'm hungry later."

Walking into the garden, the memories of last night suddenly came flooding back. Shen Tianjiao remembered the chance encounter with Ruan Yuhu and the others last night. She didn't think anything of it at the time, but now she thought about it, something seemed wrong. It shouldn't have been a chance encounter at all last night, but Ruan Yuhu had been waiting there for a long time, waiting to meet her by chance.

Shen Tianjiao recalled the conversation she had with Ruan Yuhu last night. She always felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't figure out what it was. She just had a premonition that something big was going to happen, something very, very big.

This Aunt Ruan is a person that is hard to see through. Shen Tianjiao can feel that she is hiding many big secrets.

While Shen Tianjiao was still thinking about Ruan Yuhu, she suddenly heard a man's nagging complaints.

Shen Tianjiao pricked up her ears to try to hear what the other person was saying, but the man's voice was too soft. She could only hear the sound of his voice but couldn't make out what he was saying.

The more she couldn't hear, the more she wanted to know. Shen Tianjiao's burning gossip heart made her ignore her status. She tiptoed carefully and moved under a sweet-scented osmanthus tree very close to the source of the sound.

"Damn woman, I told you to be cruel and beat me, just wait for me, when I learn the skills, I will definitely defeat you. I will pin you to the ground and beat you hard. If I don't beat you to your knees and beg for mercy, I will take your surname."

Shen Tianjiao almost laughed out loud. Ever since Bai Qishan left the capital and went to Ganzhou, and Shen Tianjiao told Qiu Tong that they could fight Bai Yunchi, this dissolute little devil was beaten to death by Qiu Tong almost every day.

It's a pity that this big baby who has been pampered since childhood has now become a poor little thing. If Mrs. Bai knew about this, she would definitely be heartbroken and hate herself to death.

Shen Tianjiao couldn't help but shook her head when she thought of this. It was no wonder that Qiu Tong was so ruthless and beat Bai Yunchi every day. It was really because this kid was not motivated. Apart from being lazy and playing tricks all day long, he was also ignorant and unlearned. He always opposed Qiu Tong in everything, which made Qiu Tong very angry.

In a nutshell, Bai Yunchi is a naughty boy. There is nothing he dares not to do, no matter where he goes. However, such a capable person is also a little coward. He was dealt with by Qiu Tong. He dared not talk back to Qiu Tong in person and could only talk behind her back.

Bai Yunchi is a complete wimp who is both inexperienced and loves to play.

She wanted to enter the palace on her own initiative and she brought trouble upon herself, so Shen Tianjiao had no choice but to take care of it.

Shen Tianjiao walked out from behind the osmanthus tree. She decided to fool, no, to enlighten Bai Yunchi, to pull him out of the abyss of depravity and make him a good boy.

"Mr. Bai, what are you doing here alone?" Shen Tianjiao's sudden appearance almost scared Bai Yunchi to death. He stood up suddenly, and when he saw clearly that the person standing in front of him was Shen Tianjiao, he really wanted to disappear on the spot immediately.

"Empress, why are you here?" As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Bai Yunchi wanted to slap himself twice. He quickly turned around and knelt down, "Bai Yunchi greets the Empress. May the Empress be blessed."

Bai Yunchi's movements were so funny that Shen Tianjiao couldn't help laughing. "It's okay, get up quickly."

"Yes." Bai Yunchi stood up tremblingly, lowered his head and did not dare to look at Shen Tianjiao. His fear of Qiu Tong was different from his fear of Shen Tianjiao. Although Shen Tianjiao had always been kind to him and had never punished, beaten or scolded him like Qiu Tong, his fear of Shen Tianjiao came from deep in his heart, while his fear of Qiu Tong was the kind of fear that he said but was not convinced in his heart.

"Come on, sit down." Shen Tianjiao sat down on a stone bench beside her and pointed to the stone bench opposite and said to Bai Yunchi.

"No, that's fine, kid, just stand." What a joke! There was no place for him to sit in front of the Empress. Even his own father had to stand properly when he met the Empress, let alone him. If he dared to sit down today, he was sure that if his father found out tomorrow, his bottom would be in tatters.

"Okay, I asked you to sit down, so just sit down. There's no outsiders here, so just be casual." Shen Tianjiao gestured to Bai Yunchi to sit down and talk.

The Queen Mother said so, if Bai Yunchi didn't sit down, it would be a bit ungrateful. He sat down obediently, but sitting was more uncomfortable than standing.

Looking at Bai Yunchi who was sitting in front of her so stiffly that he didn't know where to put his hands, Shen Tianjiao was quite surprised. After all, she had the honor of seeing how fierce this guy was when he quarreled with Qiu Tong.

"You've been in the palace for quite some time now. How are you? Are you adapting to life in the palace?"

"To reply to the Queen, everything is going well for me in the palace." It would be even better if that she-devil didn't beat me up all day long. Bai Yunchi couldn't help but complain in his heart when he thought of Qiu Tong.

"I've heard your father say before that you are an extremely intelligent child. From childhood to adulthood, as long as it is something you want to learn, you will study it very hard, and you spend half the time less than others." Shen Tianjiao said this to fool Bai Yunchi. She said this because she knew that every child longs to be praised and affirmed in front of their parents, and Bai Yunchi is no exception.

As expected, Bai Yunchi looked up at Shen Tianjiao in disbelief and asked, "Did my father really say that in front of you?"

"Yes, your father has said it more than once or twice. He also said that you became one of the three most dissolute playboys in the capital, and it was all his fault because he was away from home for many years and neglected to discipline you. If he had brought you with him since you were a child, you would definitely be a young general with both civil and military skills now." Shen Tianjiao was based on the principle of fooling Bai Yunchi to the end, so she just said whatever Bai Yunchi wanted to hear.

The sight of a young general who was proficient in both civil and military affairs made Bai Yunchi's heart move, and he recalled the scene when he first met Shen Yiyang. If he could really become a general, would he have the opportunity to fight the enemy and defend his country with the hero in his mind?

Seeing Bai Yunchi fall silent, Shen Tianjiao knew that her words had struck a chord with him. "Do you know why I asked Qiu Tong to teach you when there are so many people in the palace?"

"Why?" Bai Yunchi was in a daze and had not yet woken up from his dream of being a general.

"Because if someone else were to teach you, they would definitely not discipline you strictly out of respect for your father, and they would not hold you to high standards in every aspect. That way, you wouldn't be able to learn real skills."

"Qiutong grew up under my watch. Although this girl looks cold and unapproachable, she is actually a warm-hearted person who works extremely hard. She is strict with you in everything for your own good. You have missed the best age to practice martial arts now. You started later than others, so you must work harder and be more diligent. Otherwise, you will always be left behind." What Shen Tianjiao said was the truth. Although Qiutong was a bit harsh on Bai Yunchi, she had no selfish motives. She just wanted Bai Yunchi to learn the skills well.

"Empress, do you really believe that I can become a great general like my father in the future?" Bai Yunchi looked up at Shen Tianjiao, hoping to get a positive answer from Shen Tianjiao.

"Why not as long as you are willing to work hard?" Shen Tianjiao looked at Bai Yunchi and asked back.