The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 467 Preparation before departure

Shen Yiyang, the future heir of the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion, is crucial to the stability of the entire Yunli.

Therefore, Shen Yiyang must return from Southern Chu safely.

The Marquis of Zhenbei was well aware of how important Shen Yiyang's safety was.

In truth, during the days that Shen Yiyang was not by his side, the Marquis of Zhenbei had never felt at ease.

The reason why the Marquis of Zhenbei kept Shen Yiyang by his side was precisely for this reason.

"Moreover, after Madam Duan goes to Southern Chu, she can take over the affairs there."

"With Madam Duan's abilities, finding out those things wouldn't be difficult at all."

"It would be more suitable for her to do those things than for my older brother to do them."

Shen Yiyang is good at fighting, but when it comes to playing mind games, he's no good.

Shen Tianjiao understood perfectly well that what Shen Yiyang needed to do for a month, Duan Qingning could probably do in just three days.

"Okay, but isn't leaving tomorrow morning a bit too rushed?"

Even though we are currently at Ziyun Manor and have enough manpower, it will still take time to prepare.

"So we need to take action right now and not waste any more time."

Although Shen Tianjiao was anxious inside, she didn't show it on the surface.

She has plenty of people around her now, and as long as the arrangements are made properly, she can still ensure that Duan Qingning can set off smoothly tomorrow morning.

"Chun Chao, quickly send a message back by carrier pigeon and tell them to send Chao Yun and Duan Furong over now. They don't need to prepare anything they need on the way."

"I will have people prepare things for them here, as long as they are brought here safely."

"Also, tell Yu Po to come along as well."

"Yes, slave, I'll do it now."

After hearing the instructions, Chun Chao immediately turned around and went to carry them out.

"Girl, did you bring Yu Po here so that she could go to Southern Chu with you?"

It has to be said that the Marquis of Zhenbei is really good at grasping the key points. He immediately grasped the most important point of what Shen Tianjiao just said.

"Yes, I plan to have Yu Po accompany Madam Duan to Southern Chu."

Shen Tianjiao's words lacked conviction. Just moments ago, she was angry and strongly opposed to Shen Tingzhi sending Yusheng to Xirong.

But then she turns around and wants Yu Po to go to Southern Chu with Duan Qingning. That's quite a quick slap in the face.

"No, I object!"

Now it was the Marquis of Zhenbei's turn to be angry. "Even if your second brother loses Yusheng, it won't matter."

"But it's different where you are. You know better than anyone what the palace and the court are like now."

"How can you manage without someone trustworthy, reliable, and highly skilled in martial arts protecting you?"

"Jiaojiao, don't you know your current status?"

"You are now carrying the weight of the entire Yunli on your shoulders. Your safety is of utmost importance."

Seeing that the Marquis of Zhenbei was truly angry, Shen Tianjiao quickly apologized, feeling guilty.

"Father, don't be angry, listen to your daughter."

"Letting Yu Po go to Southern Chu with Madam Duan was a decision I made on a whim."

"Originally, Qiu Tong would have been the most suitable person to handle this matter, but she is not in the capital now, and my daughter doesn't have anyone more suitable than Yu Po."

"Although Madam Duan is in charge in Nan Chu, she hasn't been there for many years. She probably doesn't know what the situation is like there now."

“After returning to Southern Chu, Madam Duan will have to start all over again. Without capable helpers by her side, there are many things she will be unable to do.”

"But now we don't have much time left to wait."

"If the matter of Southern Chu is not resolved quickly, my daughter's plan to wage war against the six kingdoms of the Nine Provinces will have to be shelved and stopped."

"Because I cannot expose my back to the Southern Chu."

"If that's the case, we're likely to die before we even get started, caught in a pincer attack by our enemies, and become meat that can be devoured at any moment."

The reason Shen Tianjiao was so anxious to urge Duan Qingning to return to Nan Chu was because of what she had just said.

Southern Chu is the closest to Yunli. If the situation in Southern Chu cannot be guaranteed to remain completely stable...

Shen Tianjiao's Yunli army was unable to focus on fighting the foreign enemy.

Because if chaos breaks out in Southern Chu when she goes to war against the six kingdoms of the Nine Provinces, she will be attacked from both sides and unable to take care of herself.

However, if the situation in Southern Chu had stabilized before she launched her war against the six kingdoms of the Nine Provinces, and if she had her own people guarding it, then she would have no worries whatsoever.

Then you can deal with all your powerful enemies with peace of mind.

"As for my side, Father, don't worry. Those guards aren't just there for show."

"My daily safety is naturally their responsibility, and I guarantee there will be no problems."

"Besides, there's another very important reason why I'm thinking this way, and that's my older brother."

“My elder brother is also a stubborn person. If he doesn’t find out what he wants on this trip to Southern Chu and returns empty-handed, he will definitely not be satisfied.”

"But if Yu Po leaves, even if he is unwilling, he will not dare to disobey or act recklessly according to his own nature."

Shen Yiyang was an extremely competitive person and a victorious general on the battlefield, so he rarely suffered setbacks in anything he did.

If he goes to Southern Chu to investigate something and is asked to return without any results, he will definitely be unhappy.

Furthermore, with Bai Yunchi, the troublemaker, by his side now, it will be even more difficult to get Shen Yiyang to stop and obediently return.

If Yu Po went to Southern Chu, Shen Yiyang would naturally know that his request for her to return was not because of her younger sister Shen Tianjiao, but because of the current Empress Shen Tianjiao's wishes.

In private, Shen Yiyang and Shen Tianjiao are siblings. Although Shen Yiyang's disobedience to his younger sister may upset Shen Tianjiao, the two siblings never hold grudges overnight.

Once Shen Tianjiao's anger subsides, everything will be fine.

However, from a public perspective, Shen Tianjiao is now the ruler, and Shen Yiyang is the subject.

Shen Yiyang had to obey and follow all the orders given to him by Empress Shen Tianjiao, who was in charge of the country.

Otherwise, it would be considered a crime of deceiving the emperor, a grave disrespect, and would be punishable by law.

Shen Tianjiao had thought of this, which is why she finally decided to let Yu Po go with her.

Marquis Zhenbei was not appeased by Shen Tianjiao's explanation. He was still worried about losing her, fearing that something might happen to her.

But Shen Tianjiao had no idea what he was feeling or worried about.

Seeing that the Marquis of Zhenbei was still angry, Shen Tianjiao had no choice but to continue comforting him.

"Father, don't worry. You'll be going back to the capital soon. Once you're back, will you still be afraid of not having anyone to protect me?"

"Who am I? I am the daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei. With my father in the capital, who would dare to lay a hand on me?"

“Those people dared to cause me trouble before only because you weren’t here, Father. Now that you’re back, they’ve naturally quieted down.”

The Marquis of Zhenbei sighed, looking at Shen Tianjiao, and thought helplessly, "This is the debt of children. Parents always have endless worries, but how can children ever understand their parents' feelings?"

Now that things have come to this, no matter how angry the Marquis of Zhenbei is, he can't change the outcome.

We can only put in more effort after he returns to the capital.

"Girl, you can't just act on your own whims in the future. You have to think twice before you act."

“Your status is different now than before. Before, you were just the Empress of Yunli, and all you had to do was manage the harem.”

"But now you are not only the Empress of Yunli, but also the Empress Regent of Yunli. Your safety is related to the fate of Yunli and the future of its people."

"You can't be careless, do you understand?"

Faced with her father's concern and worry, Shen Tianjiao could only lower her head and admit her mistake.

“Father is right. I was rash. I will think twice before I act in the future. I will never do something like this again.”

Seeing Shen Tianjiao's smiling apology, even if the Marquis of Zhenbei had a lot of anger in his heart, he couldn't vent it at this moment.

"You know that as a ruler, a king who governs a country, you should know that your every move is related to the safety of this country."

"Yes, yes, yes, daughter understands, she will definitely change next time."

It wasn't that Shen Tianjiao wanted to upset the Marquis of Zhenbei on this matter. Although she had no shortage of people around her, she lacked capable, loyal, and competent individuals.

Once Qiu Tong and Yu Po return, they will immediately be tasked with training another batch of new talent.

If there were more people around who could be of use, the current situation would naturally not have occurred.

The unpleasantness between the father and daughter was merely a trivial incident, the least noteworthy part of this busy evening.

In the following period, everyone, including Shen Tianjiao, was extremely busy.

Going to Southern Chu is no easy task; you have to prepare food, lodging, and transportation for a large group of people.

And why not attract attention? They also need to develop a series of plans. In short, everyone is extremely busy, and there is no one who is idle.

By the time all the tasks were completed and everything was prepared, it was already late at night.

Fortunately, Ziyun Manor was very wealthy, and the manor had everything it needed to eat and drink.

So the preparations went relatively smoothly. Otherwise, Duan Qingning's Qichen plan for tomorrow would definitely have fallen through and been postponed.

Having finally forgotten what she was doing, Shen Tianjiao stretched and loosened her muscles before going to rest.

At this moment, Li Ziyan suddenly stood up and walked to Shen Tianjiao's side.

Seeing his hesitant expression, Shen Tianjiao probably already knew what he wanted to say.

So without waiting for the shy child to speak, she said first, "You want to tell me that you also want to go to Southern Chu this time, right?"

"Yes, yes, I want to go to Southern Chu with them."

Li Ziyan is usually eloquent, but for some reason, he became so nervous in front of Shen Tianjiao that he didn't know what to say.

Looking at Li Ziyan standing nervously and reservedly in front of her, Shen Tianjiao couldn't help but start to reflect on herself. Was she really that scary?

"Stand up straight and speak properly. I'm not a tiger that can't eat people."

Upon hearing Shen Tianjiao's words, Li Ziyan involuntarily straightened up, but he still kept his head down and dared not look up at Shen Tianjiao.

"Tell me why you want to go to Southern Chu with us. If your reasons are sufficient, I will agree to let you go."

Li Ziyan swallowed hard, steadied himself, and then said, "Your Majesty, I would like to go to Southern Chu with you this time to get some training."

“I was too well protected by my grandfather at home. If I hadn’t gone through some trials, I wouldn’t have been able to grow up.”

"When my grandfather was dying, he told me to listen to Your Majesty the Empress and to follow you in doing things."

"But what can someone like me, who has no ability, do for Yunli, or for Your Majesty the Empress?"

"It's just like now, becoming a useless, wealthy idler who is protected by others."

"But I don't want to be a useless, well-protected rich idler."

"I also want to become a useful person, and I beg Your Majesty to give me this opportunity."

Since Li Xian's death, Li Ziyan has been pondering a question: what path should he take in the future?

He knew that even without his own efforts, he could live a peaceful and carefree life with the help of his grandfather's legacy and the protection of Shen Tianjiao and the Marquis of Zhenbei.

But he knew very well that this was not the life he wanted.

He envisioned a life completely different from his current one, one he had never experienced before.

For him, going to Nan Chu was a great opportunity.

Shen Tianjiao looked at Li Ziyan and remained silent for a long time. She understood Li Ziyan's thoughts very well.

Li Ziyan is only seventeen or eighteen years old. As a young person, it is normal for him to be full of curiosity about the outside world and want to go out and explore.

Moreover, the family business left by Li Xian was simply too vast; without the ability, one could not manage such a large enterprise.

Li Ziyan can't rely on others for everything; he has to make himself strong.

No matter what stage of life a person is in, ability and strength are always their source of confidence.

However, Li Ziyan's current situation is special. He is now the only heir of Li Xian's lineage, and his trip to Nan Chu is not something that Shen Tianjiao can decide alone.

Shen Tianjiao still needs to consult with the Marquis of Zhenbei before she can make a decision and give Li Ziyan an answer.