The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"Ah!" Shen Tianjiao's mind was already confused at this moment, she just stared at Ruan Yuhu stupidly.

Ruan Yuhu burst into laughter at Shen Tianjiao's amusement, "Silly girl, you believe me when I'm joking with you?"

"Oh, then how did you know that?" Shen Tianjiao still looked at Ruan Yuhu stupidly, waiting for her answer.

"You told me yourself." Ruan Yuhu looked at Shen Tianjiao tenderly, like a mother looking at her child.

"I told you, when?" Shen Tianjiao pointed at herself and asked in confusion. Did she say that? No, why didn't she remember when?

When Ruan Yuhu saw Shen Tianjiao like this, he knew that she must be too tired and her brain was not working well enough at the moment.

She took Shen Tianjiao's arm and prepared to send Shen Tianjiao back to her own bedroom. What the child needed most now was a good rest.

"When news of Li Bin's rebellion arrived, you immediately dispatched Yan Mingde to quell the rebellion. From that moment on, I knew your intentions and ambitions."

"Just based on that, you know it?" Shen Tianjiao still couldn't understand. Li Bin rebelled and she sent people to lead troops to suppress the rebellion. Isn't this a very normal thing?

How did Ruan Yuhu see from this that she was planning to declare war on the six kingdoms of Jiuzhou, to end the war with war, so that Yun Li would no longer suffer from the pain of war and would usher in a prosperous and peaceful era?

"This isn't a simple matter. Your father is the Marquis of Zhenbei, and Yan Mingde is, not only in the past but even now, a trusted subordinate of your father. There are so many military commanders in the court, and you didn't choose the nearest garrison to quell the rebellion. Instead, you directly sent Yan Mingde to lead the troops from the capital, traveling thousands of miles to quell the rebellion."

"Isn't this telling everyone your determination to put down the rebellion, and that you will no longer shy away from suspicion and will once again use your father's trusted associates?"

"In the past, to avoid suspicion, you wouldn't even bother using your father's confidants, let alone speaking to them in public."

"And your reckless use of Yan Mingde this time is revealing that you are going to use the direct descendants of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion."

"As everyone knows, the Marquis of Zhenbei's men are all fierce generals, and most of them have fought against the Western Rong, Northern Jie, Tibetans, and Turks, all of whom have invaded or threatened Yunli."

"And we've fought the most numerous battles against the most powerful of them, the Western Rong. Many years ago, your father, the Marquis of Zhenbei, led his troops to conquer various nations and even destroyed them."

"Even the Western Rong were nearly destroyed back then. In recent years, they have recuperated and their national strength has gradually recovered. They are determined to avenge the national destruction that nearly came to them."

"Didn't General Yan collude with the Western Rong people this time when he went to quell the rebellion? He allowed the Western Rong's Left Wise King, Ainuer Xiong'an, to infiltrate the rebels with Western Rong soldiers?"

"Ainur Xiong'an is a wild wolf king just like his father, cunning and cruel by nature. As long as he's around, he's always a major threat to us Yunli. Not only did he suffer such a huge setback this time, but he also became one-armed. I'm afraid the Xirong won't dare to raise an army to attack us again in the short term."

"Both Yun Liren and Xirongren know one thing very well: your father, the Marquis of Zhenbei, and Xirong are sworn enemies. Anyone who belongs to the direct line of the Marquis of Zhenbei is naturally also a sworn enemy of Xirong. So is it so difficult to guess what you're thinking?"

"Besides, you are the daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei. How can a daughter of a general be weak? You must inherit your father's will and protect Yunli."

Shen Tianjiao widened her eyes in shock. This, this was really an injustice to her.

The first thing she thought of was to ask Yan Mingde to lead the troops to quell the rebellion because she knew that before she passed the message on, it was Yan Mingde who quelled the rebellion when Li Bin rebelled.

That's why she chose Yan Mingde without hesitation. She really didn't think too much about it at the time. If she had used her brain to think about it at the time, things might have had a different outcome now.

Shen Tianjiao wanted to laugh but didn't dare to. She never thought that her unintentional mistake would cause others to make such speculations. It must be said that people's imagination is too rich. As long as a motive is given, it can trigger countless stories.

Since Ruan Yuhu thought so, then those people in the court must have their own guesses. No wonder there were people targeting her both in the court and in the harem. This turned out to be the reason.

Even after knowing the truth, Shen Tianjiao couldn't expose it, so she could only let the misunderstanding continue. However, her intentions were no different from what others had guessed, so she just let it be.

"Aunt is indeed the smartest person in the world. You have guessed my thoughts and intentions before I even said anything." There is no one in this world who doesn't like to hear nice words. Shen Tianjiao didn't mind saying something nice to appease the ancestor in front of her.

"I am ashamed, ashamed. Compared with the Empress's foresight, I am really unworthy." Ruan Yuhu also joked with Shen Tianjiao. She found that she really enjoyed teasing this little girl.

The two smiled at each other, feeling that their relationship seemed to have become one step closer.

"Girl, can I ask you a question?" This question has been on Ruan Yuhu's mind for a long time. She has asked many people, even the wise and benevolent ruler mentioned by others, but none of them gave her a satisfactory answer.

"Aunt, just ask whatever you want to ask." Shen Tianjiao already had a premonition that from now on she and Ruan Yuhu were people in the same boat. Shen Tianjiao has always been very tolerant towards her own people.

"Okay, then I'll ask." Ruan Yuhu's expression suddenly became serious. She was a little scared, afraid that Shen Tianjiao's answer would not be the one she wanted.

"Jiao Jiao, in your heart, who is more important, the emperor or the people? Is your purpose in intimidating the six nations to better safeguard the imperial power of the Li family, or for the millions of people in Yunli?"

Ruan Yuhu's words left Shen Tianjiao stunned. This was a question she had thought about for a long time in her previous life.

In this era, people's deeply rooted idea is to put loyalty to the emperor and imperial power first, and believe that thunder, rain and dew are all the emperor's grace.

The imperial power is greater than heaven. The emperor is the chosen one of heaven, incomparable to ordinary people. He represents the god-like existence of heaven and earth.

So many times, even if people knew that what the emperor did was wrong, most people would only choose to obey and tolerate it, and few would question or object.

However, in Shen Tianjiao's opinion, imperial power is respectable but not to be feared. This is not only because she was raised as a lone ranger by her grandfather in her previous life and was accustomed to the sufferings of the lower-class people in the world.

It was also because in her previous life, when she led troops to fight, she witnessed with her own eyes how those poor and unarmed people became the prey of those invaders and the powerful people in her own country, who could be killed and bought and sold at will.

At that time, she was thinking, what exactly should she protect?

It was not until she was dying that she realized that what she had to protect was the people of Yunli, not anyone's kingdom.

After living a new life and looking at Yun Li now, Shen Tianjiao's idea became even more firm.

"My father taught me since I was little that the people are the foundation of a country. Only with the people can there be a country. This Yunli Country belongs to all the Yunli people in the world, not to any one person or any one family."

"So whether it's me or the Zhenbei Marquisate, what we have always wanted to protect are the people of Yunli Country, not those who sit high and mighty in that position."

Ruan Yuhu suddenly stopped. She had waited for so many years and finally got the answer she wanted. At this moment, she felt a mixture of emotions and had an urge to cry.

Her father and her entire family lost their lives for this answer.

"Aunt, what's wrong with you?" Shen Tianjiao, who felt that Ruan Yuhu was in a bad mood, turned to look at Ruan Yuhu.

"It's okay. Auntie is happy." Ruan Yuhu reached out to wipe away the tears on her face. She held Shen Tianjiao's hand tightly. "Jiaojiao, don't worry. Everything you wish for will come true. Although the process will be difficult and painful, as long as you hold on, you will definitely get what you want."

"Although I am useless now, I can still support you. I am just afraid that you will despise me and refuse to do so."

Shen Tianjiao's heart skipped a beat. How could she dislike him? Who was this? This was Ruan Yuhu, who even had a harem. Was there any reason for her to dislike him and refuse him? No!

"Aunt, what are you talking about? I'd be more than happy to have you help me. How could I be dissatisfied with you?"

Shen Tianjiao was no longer sleepy at this time, and she felt energetic again. She felt very peaceful now, as if she was held in place by a magic needle.

"Okay, as long as my Jiaojiao doesn't mind that I'm old and useless." Ruan Yuhu held Shen Tianjiao's hand tightly again, and another strongest alliance of kings was established in the harem.

"Aunt, I've always had a question in my mind: why didn't my father destroy the Western Rong? I once asked my father this question, but he just sighed and shook his head without answering my question."

Shen Tianjiao had this question in her previous life. Back then, Xirong was only one step away from being destroyed. But what happened that led to the failure in the end?

Ruan Yuhu sighed, and her heart felt upset when she thought of what happened back then.

"Girl, everyone in this world says that the late emperor was a wise ruler during a prosperous era, but that's just the appearance. In reality, he wasn't a wise ruler at all. He was only slightly better than the current emperor. He was merely blessed by the last true wise ruler, Emperor Taizong."

"Before Emperor Taizong passed away, he arranged for loyal ministers and wise generals to assist him. One was the old Taifu Qin Zican, who passed away many years ago, and the other was your father, Zhenbei Hou Shen Lin."

"Rather than saying that Yunli prospered under the late emperor, it would be more accurate to say that it prospered under the leadership of Grand Tutor Qin and your father."

"To put it bluntly, the late emperor was a man of empty ideas, boastful and content with the status quo. He lacked foresight, vision, ability, and courage. When the Western Rong were about to destroy their country, they presented him with a large amount of money, cities, and beauties, and he began to think he was a great victor."

"As a winner, he should have compassion for the world and not kill the losers. But he forgets that those losers are like wolves. If you can't kill them in one go, they will attack back and won't stop until they bite you to death."

Ruan Yuhu didn't say anything else, but Shen Tianjiao already understood that the reason why the Western Rong was not destroyed was because of the incompetence and greed of the previous emperor.

The king had no foresight and only cared about satisfying his own children's selfish desires, which led to the current predicament of being controlled by others.

Shen Tianjiao's mood suddenly became a little depressed. It seemed that not everyone could be the emperor. To be a good emperor, she really had to train Li Muyang well.

"Aunt, you know the things in the harem best. I want to ask you something about Feng Yuanyuan."

Surprise? Accident? As the queen in charge of the harem, the original Shen Tianjiao truly lived up to her dignity and generosity, possessing the demeanor of a virtuous queen.

No matter how many women entered the harem, she was neither envious nor jealous, and treated them all equally. What was most incredible was that in the harem she only handled palace affairs and did not interfere with or inquire into the private affairs of any concubine.

Is there any woman in this world who can compare with such broad-mindedness and magnanimity?

Fortunately, Ruan Yuhu knew the original body's temperament, and he would not become suspicious of Shen Tianjiao just because she asked about Feng Yuanyuan.

"Jiaojiao, why did you suddenly mention her?" Not to mention Shen Tianjiao, even Ruan Yuhu felt a headache and upset when he mentioned Feng Yuanyuan.

"It's nothing, I just want to know some things to confirm my guess." The current Shen Tianjiao is not her original self. She has no feelings for Li Rui, so naturally she won't have any feelings for Feng Yuanyuan. She just wants to know the truth at this moment.

"Just ask whatever you want to ask. As long as it's something I know, I will tell you everything I know." Ruan Yuhu knew that Shen Tianjiao's expression was the same as usual. He thought that she had let it go, so he felt relieved.

"I want to ask if anything special happened when she gave birth to the second prince?" Shen Tianjiao's guess is still just a guess, she needs definite evidence to confirm her guess.

"Well," Ruan Yuhu frowned. She thought for a moment and said, "When she gave birth, there was quite a lot of noise. She had miscarried twice before due to health reasons, so she attached great importance to this child."

"But what was strange at the time was that the woman in Kangning Palace was also particularly concerned about this matter. She and Feng Yuanyuan don't usually have a very close relationship, but that time she personally went to Jinyang Palace and accompanied Feng Yuanyuan as she gave birth to the child."

"Feng Yuanyuan's delivery was extremely dangerous. The heavy bleeding almost took her life. If it weren't for the presence of Doctor Wang, the director of the Imperial Hospital, she would have died."

"Although the child was born safely, Doctor Wang said she would never be able to have children again."