The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 452 Arranging a Way Out

"The current Empress is Shen Tianjiao, the only daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei."

A weight was finally lifted from Ruan Yuhu's heart.

As long as Shen Tianjiao is the chosen one, the Ziwei Empress, then it is destiny, and no one can stop her from ascending the throne in the future.

Ruan Yuhu, who had always wanted to support Shen Tianjiao to ascend the throne as empress, became even more determined and confident in her idea.

Yunli is finally about to usher in a brand new era, an era completely different from the past when male dominance reigned and women had to depend on men for everything and were forever appendages of men.

Ruan Yuhu once had lofty ambitions and wanted to change the status quo where women had no self, no dignity, and no status.

Although she had this idea, she was limited by her abilities and could not actually do it.

However, it seems that her long-cherished wish may soon be fulfilled.

Once Shen Tianjiao ascends the throne and becomes the Empress of Yunli, the status of women in the world will inevitably be elevated.

If Empress Shen Tianjiao were to issue another decree allowing women to study, engage in commerce, freely enter and exit public places, and even enter the palace as female officials.

Then the situation will be very different, and Yunli will present a magnificent scene of a hundred flowers blooming.

It is no longer a purely male-dominated, patriarchal social environment.

In the future, not only men will be able to enter the court as officials, but women will also be able to openly walk into the Zhenghe Hall and participate in national affairs and matters concerning people's livelihood.

They should make their due contribution to the prosperity and flourishing of Yunli.

Instead of having to hide behind a man, confined to the inner courtyard, living for her husband and children.

Even with the greatest talent and ambition, one can only sigh in vain, powerless to put their talents to use.

Although such a scene seems unattainable now, as long as there is hope, it will eventually come true.

"So she's the daughter of Marquis Shen Lin of Zhenbei. No wonder, no wonder!"

Xu Ziwu smiled and nodded. If the current Empress Yunli was the daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei, then everything seemed to make sense.

For over a hundred years since its founding, from the first Marquis of Zhenbei to the current Marquis Shen Lin, the Zhenbei Marquis has consistently done one thing: protect the well-being of the people of Yunli.

The Zhenbei Marquis's family is a family of loyal martyrs, devoted to Yunli, and protecting the safety of the people of Yunli is their inherent responsibility.

Such a family of loyal and brave people still enjoys such good fortune.

Back then, when he had nothing to do, he once cast a divination for the Marquis of Zhenbei. The divination clearly showed that the Marquis of Zhenbei was destined to die young and violently, not to die of old age or on the battlefield, but to be murdered.

But now it seems that the Marquis of Zhenbei is still alive and well, and the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion was not destroyed overnight as he had predicted.

Xu Ziwu was certain that his divination was correct, so the only explanation now was that this intruder from another world had changed everything.

This intruder not only changed the fate of Yunli's nation, but she also changed the destiny of the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion.

It seems that Yunli's world is truly going to flourish under her leadership.

Although he was about to die, he had no regrets if he knew that Yunli would become the strongest nation among the six kingdoms of the Nine Provinces under the leadership of this restorer.

It's time for him to go underground and apologize to his parents, wife, and children.

If he hadn't been so stubborn back then, his family wouldn't have lost their lives in vain.

He should have gone with them back then. Instead, he was delayed for so many years, leaving him alone in this world to suffer endless pain.

Now he should go and reunite with them.

“Miss Ruan, now that I have told you the answer you wanted, shouldn’t you also fulfill your promise and do something for me?”

Ruan Yuhu suppressed her excitement and looked at Xu Ziwu, saying, "Yes, I will keep my promise."

"Tell me, what do you want me to do for you?"

Xu Ziwu raised his head with a smile on his face and said calmly, "My request is very simple, I just ask Miss Ruan to let me die."

Everyone hopes to live a long life, but only those who have truly experienced despair know that sometimes death is better than life.

"You want to die?"

Ruan Yuhu looked at Xu Ziwu with a puzzled expression, but she quickly understood why Xu Ziwu would make such a request.

Having been imprisoned here for so many years, without any personal freedom or sunlight, living like this is truly worse than being dead.

"Yes, all I want to do now is die. I never want to live again."

Xu Ziwu was unusually calm in the face of death, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

Ruan Yuhu nodded and said, "I understand how you feel, but would you like to listen to what I have to say before deciding whether to live or die?"

Since he had already decided to die, Xu Ziwu didn't care. He wanted to live a little longer and hear what Ruan Yuhu had to say.

"Miss Ruan, please feel free to say anything else. I am all ears."

Ruan Yuhu walked back to the seat she had been sitting in, sat down again, poured herself some wine, and took a small sip.

Then he slowly began to speak: "After what happened to you back then, the late emperor ordered that your entire family be killed."

"Many of your parents' relatives were implicated because of you. Almost the entire Xu family perished in that upheaval."

"But there are always exceptions. Your wife, Ms. Hu, was diagnosed with pregnancy after your accident."

“The sins of parents should not be borne by their children. When I saw Hu Shi, who was pregnant, and your eldest son who was crippled and unable to walk, I felt pity for him.”

"Thinking that we have known each other for a while, I still want to preserve a trace of your bloodline, which can be considered as fulfilling the friendship we had back then."

"So I saved Hu Shi and your eldest son, and had them sent out of the capital and settled in Ailao Mountain, where you studied under your master."

"But later, when Ms. Hu gave birth, her son was also born with a disability; he was born blind."

"The doctor who treated him said it was a congenital eye disease he was born with, and it could not be cured by any medication."

"The suffering they are in is all because of you. Even if you don't want to live anymore and want to die, you should at least go and give them an explanation in person."

Ruan Yuhu's words struck Xu Ziwu as if he had been struck by lightning, leaving him frozen in place.

He simply couldn't believe what he had just heard.

In order to force him to submit and obey, that person ordered the killing of his entire family.

On the day of his execution, he had someone personally escort him to witness how his relatives were killed one by one.

But now Ruan Yuhu tells him that his wife Hu and two sons are still alive. How can he accept such a huge contrast?

Ruan Yuhu looked at Xu Ziwu and knew that he was having difficulty accepting this situation, so she said nothing more.

Anyway, she has said everything she needed to say. What she should do next is up to Xu Ziwu himself.

It took Xu Ziwu a long time to process what Ruan Yuhu had just said.

Although he witnessed his wife and son being killed, what one sees with their own eyes may not be the truth.

Given Ruan Yuhu's abilities back then, rescuing a few people from the late emperor's clutches wouldn't have been difficult.

This task would be incredibly difficult for others, but for Ruan Yuhu, while it was equally challenging, it wasn't entirely impossible.

It all depends on whether Ruan Yuhu is willing to do it or not. As long as Ruan Yuhu wants to do it, there is nothing she cannot do.

Ultimately, the reason he's still alive is because of Ruan Yuhu, who spoke well of him and found a reason for him to live in front of that person.

He was now a useless person with no value whatsoever, so Ruan Yuhu had no reason to lie to him.

At this moment, Xu Ziwu felt deeply grateful to Ruan Yuhu. He had only helped Ruan Yuhu back then, but who would have thought that after so many years, she would still remember his kindness?

To go to such lengths to help and rescue himself and his family—this kind of magnanimity is something even a grown man couldn't do.

Xu Ziwu stood up and knelt down in front of Ruan Yuhu with a thud. "I, Xu Ziwu, have no way to repay Miss Ruan's great kindness. I am willing to repay your kindness in my next life by serving you like a cow or a horse."

After saying this, Xu Ziwu kowtowed to Ruan Yuhu with a series of loud thuds.

"Okay, get up."

Ruan Yuhu stepped forward and helped Xu Ziwu up. "I'm not a kind person either. I only helped Hu Shi and your son back then because I felt sorry for them."

“After the late emperor passed away, I also thought about letting you go, but the new emperor ascended the throne and had many concerns about me. I was trapped in the inner palace and my movements were restricted and I had no freedom.”

"I am able to come here and say these words to you today, all thanks to Her Majesty the Empress."

"The current emperor is in poor health and plagued by illness, making it impossible for him to govern. In desperation, he has handed over the affairs of state to the empress."

"It is thanks to the Empress's current regency that I was able to escape this predicament and make this trip possible today."

Xu Ziwu nodded and said, "Miss Ruan, don't worry, the daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei is indeed the prophesied ruler who will restore the dynasty."

"Although there will be many obstacles on her path to the throne, she will always have benefactors to help her overcome difficulties."

"She will become the most capable and influential emperor among the six kingdoms of the Nine Provinces. Yunli will flourish under her rule and become the most prosperous dynasty."

"With your words, I can finally feel at ease."

Once Ruan Yuhu knew that the prophesied restorer was Shen Tianjiao, and none other than her, then she had nothing to fear.

No matter how difficult and long Shen Tianjiao's path to the throne may be, she will pave the way for Shen Tianjiao and let her sit on that throne.

Since Heaven has chosen Shen Tianjiao to be the restorer of Yunli, it will naturally arrange for people to help her.

Now, what Ruan Yuhu needs to do is help Shen Tianjiao clear all obstacles, win people's hearts, and become Shen Tianjiao's supporter.

"I will arrange for someone to take you away right now so you can reunite with your family in the Ailao Mountains."

"After this separation, we probably won't have the chance to meet again."

Looking at Xu Ziwu's current state, Ruan Yuhu guessed that he would only live for three to five years at most.

There is absolutely no chance that the two of them will ever meet again in this lifetime.

Xu Ziwu saved her life back then, and now she has saved the lives of Xu Ziwu's wife and children. It's a matter of repaying kindness and retribution, and the two are even now.

"Take good care of yourself in the future. When you go back, spend more time with your children and your wife. They haven't had an easy time these past few years."

"Yes, I will definitely stay with them."

Xu Ziwu knew in his heart that after this separation, he and Ruan Yuhu would never have the chance to meet again.

This was the last time they would see each other. Apart from wishing each other well, there was nothing else they could do.

"Miss Ruan, after I leave, please destroy all these things."

Xu Ziwu looked at those things he had once treasured so much. Although he felt reluctant, he also knew that those things would be useless to him in the future.

As someone who had glimpsed the ways of heaven, he had already paid a heavy price, and he didn't want others to follow in his footsteps and do crazy things.

"Okay, I'll destroy them all."

Ruan Yuhu looked at Xu Ziwu and said, "Wait here for a moment, and someone will come to take you away soon."

"For the rest of your life, I hope you will take good care of yourself."

After saying this, Ruan Yuhu turned and left.

Ruan Yuhu walked outside and said to Chen Ze, who was guarding outside, "Your mission is complete. Now you can leave here with your men."

"Lord."

Chen Ze hesitated for a moment before asking, "Then where should I take them?"

Ruan Yuhu was so focused on dealing with Xu Ziwu's matter that she forgot about where Chen Ze and the others had gone.

She looked up at Chen Ze; the Chen family were all loyal and trustworthy people.

Shen Tianjiao has a plan to wage war against the six kingdoms of Kyushu, and has already begun preparations.

What she needs most right now is someone like the Chen family. It would be perfect for Chen Ze to take these people to the Northern Frontier.

"Chen Ze, take these people to the northern frontier. From now on, you will be under the command of General Yan Yu."

"Once we arrive in the northern frontier, we should follow General Yan into battle, fight alongside him, and achieve great deeds."

"Yes, Your Majesty, Chen Ze obeys."

For Chen Ze and his group, as long as they could leave this place, it didn't really matter where they went.

It doesn't matter whether it's northern Xinjiang or anywhere else.