The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Bai Yunchi was shocked by Shen Tianjiao's words. From childhood to adulthood, no one had ever told him, "Bai Yunchi, you will become a great general."

Although he was born into a family of generals and his father was also an outstanding general, no one who knew him thought that he could become an outstanding general like his father and inherit his father's career to become the guardian of a region.

He is actually a child who lives in his father's shadow, is inferior and cowardly. He has always longed for affirmation and praise from his father, but he has never received it, not even once.

Since childhood, he grew up being ignored by his father and being compared with others. When he failed to achieve the results he expected, he could not bear the failure and gap, so he chose to degenerate and let himself go, paralyzing himself in debauchery.

Now suddenly there is someone telling him, Bai Yunchi, you can do it, as long as you work hard you can do it, which makes him suddenly feel that he is not so useless and unbearable.

"Empress, if one day I really learn the skills well and can become a qualified soldier, can you let me go to the Shen family army and serve under General Shen Yiyang, and let me fight side by side with him?" Bai Yunchi felt that if he could fight side by side with his idol on the battlefield one day, he would die without regrets.

"Ah!" Shen Tianjiao never expected that Bai Yunchi would make such a request. Looking at Bai Yunchi's expectant face, she suddenly understood. She thought that her brother was an outstanding man. When he was young, he went to war on behalf of his father. In his first battle in his life, he defeated the enemy and returned victorious. Such a person is an unattainable existence in the minds of many people. Being able to follow such a person is probably the greatest wish of all the men in Yunli Country.

Shen Tianjiao, having figured it out, nodded and smiled, saying, "Okay, if you truly become a qualified warrior, I will have my brother personally come to the capital to pick you up and take you to Northern Frontier."

"Really?" Bai Yunchi's eyes lit up again. There were so many surprises today that he even suspected he was dreaming.

"Why, do you still need to question what I say?" Shen Tianjiao suddenly felt that the little playboy in front of her was quite cute. "Don't worry, I will keep my word."

"However, I do have conditions. In addition to working hard, you also need to learn to listen to Qiu Tong. If Qiu Tong is willing to teach you what she has learned, then she is your teacher. It is natural for students to respect their teachers."

"Learning to obey and submit is also a required course for a warrior in his growth process. Can you agree to my request?"

Bai Yunchi bit his lip and thought for a while. He had always been against Qiu Tong just because he didn't want to be trained and it came from the rebellious nature in his bones. It wasn't because he didn't like Qiu Tong, nor did he look down on a woman teaching him.

Although he didn't say it, Bai Yunchi still admitted in his heart that Qiu Tong was terrifyingly strong, more powerful than most of the people he knew who had real abilities.

If he really studied seriously with Qiu Tong, then even though he started later, he would definitely progress faster than others.

"Okay, I agree to your request, Queen, and I will try my best to obey you in the future."

Shen Tianjiao looked at Bai Yunchi and nodded with satisfaction. This boy is teachable. On the surface, Bai Yunchi seems to be a cynical person who doesn't care about anything, but in fact, he is a man with his own ideas and knows when to advance and retreat.

"Alright, let's go eat. A full meal will give you the energy to continue training." Shen Tianjiao stood up and said, "Zuo Beichen will also be entering the palace in two days. You'll have company then, and in your free time, you two can drink together and have a good chat."

"Farewell, Her Majesty." Seeing Shen Tianjiao stand up and leave, Bai Yunchi hurriedly stood up to see her off. Only after Shen Tianjiao was far away did Bai Yunchi react, "Zuo Beichen is going to the palace too? What is he doing here?"

As soon as Shen Tianjiao reached the waterside pavilion, her eldest son Li Muyang rushed over, "Mother."

Shen Tianjiao hugged Li Muyang, who threw himself into her arms. "Be careful, what if you fall?"

Li Muyang fell asleep as soon as he came back yesterday, so Shen Tianjiao didn't see him until now. "Mu'er, were you okay at Master Cui's place yesterday?"

In fact, what Shen Tianjiao wanted to ask Li Muyang was what his impression of Cui Yi was yesterday and whether he liked Cui Yi. She had heard a long time ago that although the old man Cui Yi was very knowledgeable, he was a very strange person. She didn't know if he had made things difficult for her eldest son.

"Well, it's great. The Master is a very kind person. He even roasted sweet potatoes and chestnuts for me yesterday. They were delicious." Li Muyang buried his head in Shen Tianjiao's neck and said coquettishly, "I originally wanted to bring some back for Mother, but Thirteen said no, so I didn't bring any back."

"Mother, can I ask Sister Dongyang to roast some sweet potatoes and chestnuts for us to eat?"

Li Muyang looked at Shen Tianjiao pitifully. Shen Tianjiao couldn't stand his little gaze and quickly said, "It's not that difficult. Let Dongyang grill it for you. How can you be full if you only eat that? Tell Dongyang to arrange barbecue, grilled lamb chops, and grilled chicken. Thank you, so you can eat enough at once, okay?"

"Okay, mother, will you eat with me?" Although Li Muyang now also lived in Yuxiu Palace, Shen Tianjiao was too busy, and he himself had a lot of homework to do every day, so the mother and son could only see each other very rarely. This was very sad and difficult for Li Muyang, who was somewhat clinging to Shen Tianjiao. He always looked for opportunities to spend more time with his mother.

"Okay, mother will eat with you." It just so happened that Shen Tianjiao had not had lunch today, so she could accompany Li Muyang to grill some food. This would not only fill her stomach, but also enhance the relationship between mother and son, killing two birds with one stone.

The mother and son were talking so excitedly that they didn't even notice Li Rui standing not far away and watching them.

Since the last incident in Kangning Palace, Shen Tianjiao and Li Rui have never seen each other again.

In the past, Shen Tianjiao would often go to Taihe Hall to offer warmth. At that time, Li Rui was impatient and wished that Shen Tianjiao would never appear in front of him again. Now his wish has come true. Even if he took the initiative to extend an olive branch, Shen Tianjiao would ignore him, as if he didn't exist.

This person is such a jerk. I used to ignore you, but now you're out of my reach. Shen Tianjiao no longer cares about Li Rui, but Li Rui is actually interested in Shen Tianjiao. Not only does he send people to check on Shen Tianjiao from time to time, but he also likes to hang out in Yuxiu Palace whenever he has time. Although he is rejected by Shen Tianjiao nine times out of ten, he still enjoys it.

"Is that the eldest prince?" Li Rui had no impression of his eldest son. After all, he was just a concubine's son born to a lowly maid and was not presentable. He would not take it seriously, so he just knew that this child existed, and he didn't care about anything else.

"In reply to the Emperor, the one with the Empress is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Rui knew that Shen Tianjiao brought Li Muyang back to Yuxiu Palace to raise him, but he did not expect that Shen Tianjiao could raise the child so well. It was completely beyond his expectations.

The little child had a delicate appearance, and although he still had a childish look between his eyebrows, he already showed a noble temperament, just like a prince should be.

Why does this child, whom I disliked and even didn't think about before, look so pleasing to the eye today?

When Shen Tianjiao was pulling Li Muyang to go back, she discovered Li Rui standing there staring at them.

This dog-skin plaster made Shen Tianjiao feel very upset. Does Li Rui have nowhere else to go in this huge harem? He keeps running to her Yuxiu Palace every few days. If you don't know, you would think that the emperor and empress are deeply in love and inseparable.

Although Shen Tianjiao was annoyed, she still had to save face. What's more, Li Muyang was right in front of her. If she wanted Li Muyang to become the crown prince in the future, she needed Li Rui's help.

Shen Tianjiao then took Li Muyang's hand and walked over. "Your Majesty, how did you find time to come to Yuxiu Palace today? Why didn't anyone from the palace come to inform you in advance?"

Li Rui touched his nose and complained in his heart: "If I had asked the palace servants to report in advance, would I still be able to enter the gate of Yuxiu Palace?"

Although Li Rui was complaining about his dissatisfaction with Shen Tianjiao in his heart, he put on a smile and said, "I just wanted to come and see the Queen and have a cup of tea."

Shen Tianjiao couldn't help but roll her eyes. She'd come to Yuxiu Palace and have a cup of tea. What kind of tea? Green tea? Shouldn't he go to his childhood sweetheart? After all, Feng Yuanyuan's tea making skills were incredible. Not only in this palace, but even in the entire Yunli Kingdom, there was probably no one who could match her. Green tea and black tea were a perfect match!

"The emperor wants to drink tea, just let the palace maids prepare it." Since Li Muyang was there, Shen Tianjiao had to endure and save some face for Li Rui, otherwise, with her temper, she would have lost her temper and chased him away.

"Okay, then the Queen will have some tea with me." Li Rui was also a person who would take advantage of others to climb up the ladder. As soon as Shen Tianjiao gave him a good look, he became so proud that he didn't know who he was.

Shen Tianjiao could save some face for Li Rui in front of the children, but that didn't mean she could let him manipulate her and make her do things she didn't like. "Your Majesty, please drink by yourself. Prime Minister Wang is still waiting for me to come over to discuss matters."

Shen Tianjiao's principle in dealing with Li Rui is to never force herself to do anything she doesn't want to do and to refuse all invitations from Li Rui.

"The Queen is really busy now." Li Rui spoke with a sour tone, like a poor husband who was neglected and abandoned by his wife.

Shen Tianjiao felt goosebumps all over her body. She really didn't know what this bastard was thinking. He was living a good life and came here to disgust her and make her unhappy.

"That's right. After all, the war on the front is intense. There are many things that need to be discussed, and various affairs of the court must be handled." Shen Tianjiao glanced at Li Rui. "Shouldn't the emperor know these things better than me?"

Li Rui smiled awkwardly and said nothing. After all, being the emperor was extremely easy for him and he was not competent.

Unable to get any good from Shen Tianjiao, Li Rui turned his attention to Li Muyang. He reached out and touched Li Muyang's head, asking, "Shouldn't you be studying at this time? Why are you still playing around here?"

When Li Rui's hand touched Li Muyang, Shen Tianjiao clearly felt Li Muyang's fear. The child had a shadow in his heart towards Li Rui, an extremely incompetent father. He could already remember when his biological mother died. The gossip of those palace people and Li Rui's cold and ruthless attitude had caused Li Muyang harm, which he might never be able to let go of in his life.

Shen Tianjiao held Li Muyang's hand tightly to comfort him. When she looked up and saw Li Rui, she was furious. This bastard was not only not a good husband, but also a terrible father.

Shen Tianjiao dared to guarantee with Li Rui's life that he didn't even know his son's name and had never cared for or loved the child. How could he have the nerve to blame the child now?

"Today is a day off, you don't have to go to study." Shen Tianjiao calmly pulled Li Muyang behind her, "Your Majesty, please wait a moment, I will send someone to bring tea. Prime Minister Wang is still waiting, I won't accompany you anymore." After saying that, without caring about Li Rui's mood, she pulled Li Muyang and strode away, leaving Li Rui alone there sulking.

When they could no longer see Li Rui, Shen Tianjiao stopped, squatted down, held Li Muyang in her arms and whispered, "It's okay, with mother here, there's nothing to be afraid of."

"Yeah." Li Muyang nodded in agreement, and finally burst into tears after holding back for a long time.

Shen Tianjiao sighed and picked up Li Muyang. "Come on, I'll take you to find Sister Dongyang and get some barbecue for us. Son, eat more later. Eating more will help you grow taller."

"Yes, I understand, mother." The little boy lay in his mother's arms, his hands still tightly hugging her neck, as if only with her, he could be fearless. "Mother, your son will grow up quickly. He must be tall and strong, and he must practice martial arts well. When he grows up, he will be able to protect you, and no one will be able to bully you."

Shen Tianjiao's eyes turned red after hearing Li Muyang's words. She had only given the child a stable home, but she did not expect to receive so much love from him in return. In fact, she was not a competent mother. She would have to spend more time and effort to accompany the child in the future.

"Okay, then my son, grow up quickly. When you grow up, I, your mother, will do nothing all day long and just eat and drink like a rich idler." Shen Tianjiao patted Li Muyang on the back and said, "Let's go and have some barbecue."