The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"Did you know that boy is going to leave Jinyang Palace today?" Qiong Niang stared at Jinyang Palace and asked Shen Tianjiao beside her.

"I don't know. I just brought you here to try my luck." Shen Tianjiao also stared at Jinyang Palace in a daze. She was a person who couldn't hide things in her heart. Once she had an idea, she would act immediately.

If the guess in her heart cannot be confirmed, she might not be able to sleep today.

"Ah! Aren't you too careless?" Qiong Niang turned to look at Shen Tianjiao, her face full of shock and disbelief. Is the person standing in front of her still the queen she knew?

"Don't look at me like that. Look carefully at the road under your feet." Shen Tianjiao stretched out her hand and turned Qiong Niang's face away from her.

At this time, Shen Tianjiao began to regret that she was indeed a little too impatient. This habit of being impulsive when encountering things was not good. She really needed to change it in the future.

"Let's go back." If Shen Tianjiao swaggered into Jinyang Palace at this time, I'm afraid the entire harem would be in an uproar.

It is broad daylight now, and Shen Tianjiao cannot just jump into Jinyang Palace to find out information.

So in order to avoid causing unnecessary trouble, I had no choice but to go home and make plans after returning.

"If we go back now, wouldn't this trip be in vain?" Although she didn't know what Shen Tianjiao was going to do, Qiong Niang's principle was to do her best to help Shen Tianjiao do what she wanted to do, even if it involved great risks.

"Let's walk forward. Since we're already out here, we might as well just pretend that we're really out to get some fresh air and relax." If the two of them continued to hang around near Jinyang Palace, it would arouse suspicion. Now they didn't know how many people were watching them.

Qiong Niang and Shen Tianjiao walked forward together. "If we're lucky, we might be able to meet Li Minghua. If we're unlucky and don't meet him, that's fine. I'll notify the people in Jinyang Palace to find a way to get Li Minghua out. If that doesn't work, we can send out his portrait. It's the same thing with the portrait."

Qiong Niang's intelligence network now covers the entire harem. In addition to her outstanding abilities, this is also due to her previous layout in the harem.

After the Wang family was exiled and she herself lost power, although most of the people who followed her left or defected to other masters, the remaining small group stayed because of Xiao Yunzi.

This small group of people became the sharp blades in Qiong Niang's hands, inserted into various palaces and became the most reliable source of intelligence.

"Yeah." Shen Tianjiao has calmed down now, and she is no longer anxious.

The two continued to wander around, and finally they could not walk anymore, so they went to rest in a small pavilion by the only Biluo Lake in the harem.

There used to be many lakes in the harem, but later they were all filled up due to some uncontrollable reasons, and in the end only this Biluo Lake was left.

"Oh, I'm so tired. If I had known I had to go on such a long tour, I should have brought a few people with me. That way, at least there would be someone to serve tea, water, and snacks when I get tired."

Qiong Niang had been in the palace for quite some time, but this was the first time she felt how huge the harem was. Even if she was paralyzed by walking, she probably wouldn't be able to turn around just by relying on her two legs.

Shen Tianjiao was in a hurry to go out today, so she only took Qiong Niang with her and slipped out from the back door of Yuxiu Palace.

In fact, Shen Tianjiao was quite annoyed that there were always a bunch of people following her wherever she went. She couldn't do this or that. If it weren't for the fact that no one else could do it for her, she would have saved herself the trouble.

Shen Tianjiao did not answer. Although she was not as exhausted as Qiong Niang, she was indeed tired.

When Shen Tianjiao and Qiong Niang were resting in the pavilion, they suddenly heard whispering voices.

"Can I just throw it here?"

"What's wrong with that? This place is very remote. If you go further ahead, you will reach the cold palace. This place is very unlucky and no one usually comes here."

"I wonder how many people like her are buried at the bottom of this lake. Why are all the lakes in the harem filled up, leaving only this one, called the Blue Sky Lake? The sky is as blue as the sky and the underworld is as vast as the netherworld, and both are invisible."

"This is where the dead must have been buried. Let's do it quickly. Just put two large stones in this bag and it will sink to the bottom of the lake. No one will notice it."

"If such a living person disappears, won't the Ministry of Internal Affairs take action?"

"Hey, stop talking nonsense and just do your job properly, okay? She's just a little palace maid. How could the Imperial Household Department care about her life or death?"

"Alright, I know you feel bad, but this is the fate of us servants. If we offend our master, we will die. If we fail to complete this mission, we will end up like her."

Shen Tianjiao became excited after hearing these words. This was a sign of life. Her physique in this life was really a bit special, and she always encountered such things.

Shen Tianjiao looked up and gave Qiong Niang a wink. Qiong Niang immediately understood and stood up. She walked to the side and waved her hand, and immediately two figures appeared.

"Master." These were the two secret guards who were secretly protecting Shen Tianjiao and Qiong Niang.

Shen Tianjiao and Qiong Niang came out of Yuxiu Palace without bringing anyone with them, but that doesn't mean there weren't secret guards following them secretly.

"Go, capture those two people and bring them back to Yuxiu Palace, and bring the one on the ground back as well." After giving the order, Qiong Niang returned to Shen Tianjiao.

Although she didn't meet Li Minghua by chance today and resolve the doubts in her heart, encountering such a thing was still a fruitful experience, and Shen Tianjiao was still very satisfied.

"Let's go, it's time for us to go back. If we don't go back now, some people will worry." Shen Tianjiao stood up and looked ahead. The women in the harem were really becoming more and more bold and presumptuous. Now they did evil things so blatantly in broad daylight without any fear.

It seems that her, the Queen Mother, has not disciplined them enough, which is why these people dare to defy the palace rules and deal with palace servants at will in private.

If that's the case, then it's no wonder she's so cruel. If she doesn't stop this evil trend of killing and taking human lives at will, she won't be Shen Tianjiao anymore.

After returning to Yuxiu Palace, Shen Tianjiao had just finished washing up and had not had time to rest properly when the person she least wanted to see, Li Rui, arrived.

She was already upset, and now because Li Rui came, Shen Tianjiao had to cheer herself up to deal with him, which naturally made her mood even worse.

This person is in a bad mood, so naturally his words will not sound nice.

"Why is the Emperor here at this hour? The beauties in Taihe Palace are taking a day off today, so aren't they going to serve you?" Shen Tianjiao lowered her head to drink her tea, not even looking at Li Rui. She felt like even glancing at Li Rui would be a stain on her eyes.

Li Rui now stays in Taihe Palace all day long, and is served by different beauties every day. Taihe Palace is now comparable to King Zhou's wine pool and meat forest.

"You!" Shen Tianjiao choked Li Rui to death as soon as she opened her mouth. Li Rui was angry but he didn't dare to vent it in front of Shen Tianjiao.

"How can the Queen speak so rudely now!" Li Rui was like a cat whose tail was stepped on, his fur stood on end but there was nothing he could do.

Li Rui also knew that since Shen Tianjiao came to power, his private life had been extravagant and licentious.

Although the court officials and concubines didn't say anything, they were cursing him to death in their hearts.

His queen disliked him so much at this time, and she must have despised and looked down on him in her heart.

Li Rui felt nauseous when he thought of this. It was clearly Shen Tianjiao's fault that he was in this state, but now Shen Tianjiao looked down upon him. Where could he go to seek justice?

"I can't speak, and the emperor has known this for a long time. If you want to hear pleasant words, you can go to any hall in the harem outside Yuxiu Palace and hear them."

Shen Tianjiao naturally wouldn't indulge Li Rui. Their relationship was no longer the same as before.

"You, you, you..." Ever since Shen Tianjiao started to ignore Li Rui, Li Rui always felt inexplicably that Shen Tianjiao was superior to him. The sense of oppression from Shen Tianjiao made him often feel that he could not raise his head in front of Shen Tianjiao.

Unable to convince Shen Tianjiao, Li Rui changed the subject. He looked at Shen Tianjiao and directly asked the question in his heart, "I heard that you were wandering around the harem today. Is there something wrong?"

Shen Tianjiao sneered inwardly, but remained expressionless as she said, "Why, don't I even have the right to wander around in this harem? Shall I remind His Majesty that I am the mistress of the Central Palace, and the entire harem is under my jurisdiction. Not even Your Majesty has the right to interfere."

Li Rui was so angry that he almost vomited blood when he saw Shen Tianjiao's expression of not taking him seriously. "You know that's not what I meant. I just wanted to ask about you and show my concern. Do you have to be so rude to me?"

"Care? Humph!" Shen Tianjiao was so angry that she almost laughed. "Your Majesty, is this concern or worry? I just wandered around the harem on a whim, how did I arouse suspicion?"

"What do I have to worry about? What you said is so harsh!" Li Rui, whose worries were hit, did not show any fluctuation on his face. He had not been the emperor for so many years in vain. If he did not even have this little determination and ability, how could he deal with those ministers and concubines?

"Hmph! What is the Emperor worried about? Doesn't the Emperor know? Why does he have to let me tell you?" Shen Tianjiao put down the teacup in her hand and said word by word, "The Emperor is simply afraid that I will win over the hearts of the people in the harem and collude with that concubine to deal with you."

"Why can't you say something so simple? Why do you have to hide it? We're all smart people, so there's no need to be so hypocritical. Some things are better off being spoken out."

Faced with Shen Tianjiao's frankness, Li Rui could hardly hold back. Some things could be kept in the heart and nothing could be done, but once they were said, some things could no longer be done.

"Ah Jiao, am I so unbearable in your heart now?" Since entering the palace, Li Rui has never called Shen Tianjiao by the nickname he used to call her all the time. When he called her by the nickname again today, Shen Tianjiao felt so nauseous that she wanted to vomit.

"Your Majesty, you're overthinking it. All I can tell you is that I always like to do things openly and honestly, and I don't like to do things secretly."

"I have no desire to collude with the concubines to seize power. Your Majesty can rest assured."

"By the way, I have something to tell the Emperor. My father, the Marquis of Zhenbei, will be returning to the capital soon."

Li Rui was startled and almost lost his composure. He looked up at Shen Tianjiao and asked calmly, "Is my father-in-law coming back?"

"Yes, my father is coming back. He's old and his old injuries have relapsed, so he plans to have my eldest brother take his place and guard the northern border while he stays in Shangjing to retire."

Shen Tianjiao glanced at Li Rui. She had seen through Li Rui's forced calm appearance and saw his panic and helplessness. This was exactly the result Shen Tianjiao wanted.

Shen Tianjiao told Li Rui the news that her father had returned to Beijing in order to warn Li Rui to just behave himself and be a good emperor, and not to interfere too much in things that were not his business.

Her father, Marquis Zhenbei, has a worse temper than hers. If she angers the old man, Li Rui will really be finished as emperor.

Li Rui looked at Shen Tianjiao with complicated eyes. He obviously had not yet recovered from the news that Marquis Zhenbei was returning to Beijing.

The fear of Marquis Zhenbei has been engraved in Li Rui's bones. This is not only because Marquis Zhenbei is the pillar of Yunli's country, but also the only victorious king who has never been defeated since Yunli left the country.

Also, when he was young, the Marquis of Zhenbei had been his master for a period of time. Although Li Rui did not achieve much success in his studies after being taught and instructed by the Marquis of Zhenbei, the Marquis of Zhenbei's strictness left an indelible mark on him.

Shen Tianjiao naturally knew what Li Rui was most worried about at the moment. Anyway, she had already made it clear today, so it would be better to lay everything out in the open.

"Your Majesty, do not worry. Neither I nor the Zhenbei Marquisate will threaten your position. Our Zhenbei Marquisate is a century-old family of noble rank, and has been a loyal and capable general since the founding of the country."

"As long as the emperor does not doubt the Zhenbei Marquisate, then the Zhenbei Marquisate will always be a loyal family, defending the borders and expanding the territory for the people of Yunli, and resisting the invasion and harassment of foreign enemies."

Not to mention the Marquis of Zhenbei Mansion, even Shen Tianjiao has no intention of replacing it. What she wants in her mind is to cultivate a wise ruler for Yunli, to assist him in governing Yunli well and make Yunli the strongest country among the six countries in Jiuzhou.

There will be long-term peace and stability without any disturbance, and the people will be able to live and work in peace and contentment, without suffering from the pain of war and displacement, and enjoy a prosperous and peaceful scene with clear seas and calm rivers.

The Shen family and the Marquis of Zhenbei Mansion have never protected anyone's kingdom. They have always protected the people of Yunli.

This has been the original intention of the Shen family, which has never changed since the establishment of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion.