The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 440 An unexpected surprise

Even if I'm reluctant to leave, when it's time to go, I still have to go.

Yan Yu had to leave immediately to return to Northern Xinjiang; if he waited any longer and it snowed, the road back to Northern Xinjiang would become difficult to travel.

Moreover, there are still many things to do in the northern frontier that are waiting for Yan Yu to do.

Zuo Beichen and Qiu Tong have been out of contact for some time. Yan Yu will organize people to search for them once he returns, in case anything happens to them.

The mined iron needs to be properly processed, separated, and its quality assessed before being classified and determined to be of use.

The training of new recruits can no longer be delayed. Once the war begins, these recruits will be directly sent to the battlefield. If their survival skills are not trained properly, they will only be cannon fodder on the battlefield.

If we are to wage war against the six kingdoms of Kyushu, then many things need to be prepared now.

Each and every one of these matters requires Yan Yu to go back and arrange and carry them out.

There was simply no time to let Yan Yu delay any longer; he had to return to the northern frontier immediately.

Otherwise, he would have to break his promise to come back for the New Year.

However, since Yan Yu was leaving, Shen Tianjiao could not personally see him off.

Given the current situation, not to mention that Shen Tianjiao has an injury to her foot and is unable to move around easily, it is also inconvenient for her to personally escort Yan Yu out, given her current status.

The court had just experienced Li Zhaohui's rebellion, the massacre at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the forced replacement of heads of more than half of the aristocratic families.

This is an extremely sensitive period, and we must be careful in everything we do. If any rumors that are detrimental to Shen Tianjiao were to spread now, the political situation would likely descend into chaos again.

Although she couldn't personally see Yan Yu off, Shen Tianjiao made sure to prepare everything that needed to be prepared.

She prepared everything Yan Yu needed for the journey, enough to fill two carriages.

Not only that, there was also a cartload of various medicinal herbs. Although the Northern Frontier was not short of medicinal herbs, the ones Shen Tianjiao prepared for Yan Yu were not ordinary ones.

These are all very precious medicinal herbs, some of which can even save lives in critical moments.

When Yan Yu returned to the Northern Frontier, he was bound to get injured at times. Shen Tianjiao prepared these medicinal herbs for him in case of unforeseen circumstances.

In addition to these, Shen Tianjiao also prepared many clothes for Yan Yu to wear in all four seasons.

These clothes are enough for Yan Yu to wear for several years.

Shen Tianjiao doesn't know how to make clothes, but with Xia He around, making these clothes is nothing.

Even with such thorough preparations, Shen Tianjiao still felt it wasn't enough.

"Alright, you should take a rest now."

Yan Yu pulled Shen Tianjiao to sit down on a stool next to him. "You've prepared enough things already. If you're going to prepare anything else, I'll bring it with me."

"From now on, let's not do anything. Can we just sit quietly and talk?"

When Yan Yu returned from the northern frontier, he only brought his personal guards. But when he was about to go back, he brought not only his personal guards, but also several carriages.

Upon hearing Yan Yu's words, Shen Tianjiao stopped what she was doing, sat down on a stool, and sighed.

Yan Yu was going back to the Northern Frontier, but she couldn't go with him, which was something that made her extremely upset.

The usually strong and fearless Shen Tianjiao only reveals her weakness when it comes to matters related to Yan Yu.

Yan Yu looked at Shen Tianjiao, who was in a bad mood, and was also affected by the impending sorrow of parting.

"Don't be upset. There are less than four months until the Chinese New Year. I'll be back soon."

"How can I leave in peace with you like this?"

At this moment, Yan Yu gained a deeper understanding of the saying, "Heroes are short-lived, but their love for their children is strong."

Seeing Shen Tianjiao in this state, he really wanted to drop everything, ignore everything, and just stay by Shen Tianjiao's side.

But he knew that now was not the time for him to act impulsively.

Yunli's current state is unstable, plagued by treacherous officials within and powerful enemies without.

He had to help Shen Tianjiao eliminate internal troubles and defeat external enemies, so that the foundation of Yunli's kingdom could be stabilized. Only when there were no internal or external troubles would he be qualified to stop and return to Shen Tianjiao's side to protect her.

He wanted to become a stronger person than he was now, so that no one would dare to bully Shen Tianjiao again.

For the sake of the future, he and Shen Tianjiao must be patient now.

Shen Tianjiao sighed silently in her heart. She didn't want Yan Yu to leave, but she didn't have the right to ask him to stay.

Both of them carried the responsibility and mission of serving their country and the world. They could not live according to their own wishes until they had fulfilled their responsibilities and completed their mission.

Heaven gave them both a second chance so that they could uphold their responsibilities and turn the tide.

This is their fate; they cannot escape it.

If you can't escape the arrangements of fate, then you can only obey and do what they are supposed to do.

“I know, I’m just a little worried about you. There’s constant fighting in the northern border region right now. If you go there, you’ll inevitably have to go to the battlefield and fight.”

"With your reckless nature when it comes to fighting, you don't care about anything, not even your own life. How can I trust you?"

Shen Tianjiao suppressed her emotions and began to worry about Yan Yu.

She and Yan Yu grew up together, and she knew Yan Yu's personality very well.

Yan Yu usually seems indifferent to everything, but when it comes to things he cares about, he throws himself into them wholeheartedly, as if his life depends on it.

Although Shen Tianjiao never saw Yan Yu on the battlefield in her previous life, she was able to grow from an ordinary soldier into a great general who struck fear into the hearts of the enemy.

What did they rely on? They relied on not valuing their own lives and risking their lives for it.

Shen Tianjiao had led troops and fought battles in her previous life, so she knew very well what the battlefield was like and how a commander-in-chief should act.

In his past life, Yan Yu would fight desperately for her, and in this life, Yan Yu will fight even more recklessly for her.

This is the last thing Shen Tianjiao wants to see. Having been given a second chance at life, all Shen Tianjiao wants is for Yan Yu to be safe and sound and live a good life.

She did not expect Yan Yu to be particularly powerful, to achieve great things, or to be revered for generations.

All she wanted was for Yan Yu to live.

"I'll be careful. When you go to war, you're bound to get hurt, but I'll try my best not to get hurt and not to worry you."

Yan Yu didn't want to lie to Shen Tianjiao, nor could he lie to her, so he could only try to appease her.

“I know you’re waiting for me in the capital, how could I possibly put myself in danger?”

"My life is precious right now, and I can't bear to waste it on fooling around."

Yan Yu looked at Shen Tianjiao and said, "Just focus on your work. With me here in the Northern Frontier, there won't be any problems."

"I know, but that's what I fear most."

Shen Tianjiao looked up at Yan Yu. The Northern Frontier has always been a place where all sorts of people mingle and various forces gather.

Their Zhenbei Marquis's mansion had been stationed there for over a hundred years, yet they hadn't been able to prevent any mishaps or maintain stability.

If Yan Yu wants to ensure that there are no mishaps in the Northern Frontier, then one can imagine the enormous price he will have to pay.

Just thinking about that scenario made Shen Tianjiao tremble with fear.

"Don't worry, I didn't fight those battles in my past life for nothing. I know how to protect myself and I also know the right way to deal with those people."

Yan Yu could only offer words of comfort to Shen Tianjiao; there was nothing else he could do.

A sudden knock on the door interrupted Yan Yu and Shen Tianjiao's conversation.

Upon hearing the knock on the door, Shen Tianjiao's newly regained energy vanished instantly.

She knew that the knocking was urging Yan Yu to leave.

Yan Yu reached out and patted Shen Tianjiao's shoulder before standing up and saying, "Take care of yourself and wait for me to come back."

After saying this, Yan Yu turned and left. Just as he reached the door and was about to open it, Shen Tianjiao suddenly called out to him.

“Yan Yu, you must remember that you are no longer alone. You have a wife now. You must think twice before you act and never be reckless again.”

Shen Tianjiao's words stunned Yan Yu, who couldn't believe what he had just heard.

Seeing that Yan Yu was standing there motionless, Shen Tianjiao spoke again: "In our past life, when you left home silently to join the army, on the night before I was ordered to enter the palace to get married, we became husband and wife in the presence of my maternal grandfather."

"Although you weren't present at the time, and it was a person who married you with just a piece of clothing, the marriage still counts because your maternal grandfather was there as a witness."

"Whether it's Chu Qingge from her past life or Shen Tianjiao from this life, she was already married to you, Yan Yu, before she married someone else. She was your wife."

"So you'd better come back safely, or I'm not going to be a widow!"

Yan Yu clutched his wildly beating heart; he couldn't even turn his head at that moment.

What Shen Tianjiao just said was something he never expected.

In his past life, Yan Yu was already on the verge of madness when the imperial decree that forced Chu Qingge to enter the palace for marriage was delivered.

He knew he was powerless to change the outcome between him and Chu Qingge.

They also knew that neither they nor Chu Qingge could be so selfish as to abandon everything and disregard everything to pursue their dreams.

So, unable to change anything, he could only choose to leave the capital and protect Chu Qingge in another way.

But to his utter surprise, after he left, Chu Qingge chose to marry one of his clothes on the eve of his entry into the palace, witnessed by his elders.

If he had known that Chu Qingge would do that night, he would never have left Shangjing.

He would make the unwavering choice to marry Chu Qingge, even if they had to part the next day.

He would stay in the capital, no matter what threats or difficulties he faced, he would help Chu Qingge strategize and stand with her through thick and thin, rather than choosing to escape by leaving the capital for the border.

That parting that day became a final farewell they never wanted to see each other again in their previous lives.

If they hadn't impulsively left the capital without looking back that day, perhaps everyone's fate in their past lives would have been different.

The Marquis of Xingyuan's mansion will not be driven to a dead end, nor will Chu Qingge, who went from a noble empress to someone who wields a knife, leads soldiers into battle, and is ultimately forced to her death.

Even the Chu family, whom he looked down upon, wouldn't be schemed against to the point of being destroyed.

Then perhaps Yunli's kingdom wouldn't have fallen in his previous life.

Once Yan Yu calmed down, he was so regretful that he wanted to slap himself a few times.

It's a pity that while everything else is available for sale in this world, there's no medicine for regret.

What's past is past, and there's no use in regretting it.

Yan Yu will never repeat the mistakes he made in his past life. This time, he will stand firmly by Shen Tianjiao's side, protect her, and never let anyone hurt her again.

Under his protection, Yunli will prosper and enjoy peace and prosperity. It will no longer suffer from the invasion of foreign powers, which would lead to the devastation of its people and the loss of countless lives.

"I've kept your words in mind. Wait for me, I will definitely come back safely."

"This time, whether it's you or Yun Li, I will protect you."

After saying this, Yan Yu opened the door and left.

It wasn't that he didn't want to stop, nor that he didn't want to look back at Shen Tianjiao, but that he was afraid that once he stopped and looked back, he really wouldn't be able to move on.

Shen Tianjiao sat there, gazing in the direction Yan Yu had left, unable to calm down for a long time.

She thought she had become ruthless and heartless, but Yan Yu's reappearance made her realize that she still had flesh and blood.

She is still a living, breathing person who can love and hate, has a heart and feelings.

This feeling is truly wonderful and magical.

Yan Yu left the palace, traveled out of the capital, and arrived at the place he had arranged to meet Qin Gang.

Throughout this journey, beneath Yan Yu's seemingly calm exterior lay a complex mix of emotions that he could not conceal.

Yan Yu only snapped out of his daze when Qin Gang called out to him.

"General, what's wrong with you? Why do you look so lost and disoriented?"

Qin Gang had never seen Yan Yu like this before, since he had known him for a long time.

"Oh, it's nothing."

Yan Yu shook his head to calm himself down.

Are our people ready?

"We've been prepared for a long time, and we're just waiting for the General's order to set off immediately."

Although Qin Gang found Yan Yu strange, he didn't think much of it.

"Alright, let's set off immediately and return to the northern frontier."

Yan Yu needs to hurry back to the northern frontier to finish his work and return before the Lunar New Year.