The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 468 Departure at Night

At this moment, the Marquis of Zhenbei was not here; he had already led his men to arrange tomorrow's itinerary.

Shen Tianjiao looked up at Li Ziyan and said, "Go back and rest first. I will discuss this matter with the Marquis tomorrow and then give you an answer."

Li Ziyan said nothing more, then bid farewell to Shen Tianjiao and went back to rest.

He knew that his current situation was special; without the permission of the Marquis of Zhenbei, he could not go anywhere and could only stay in Ziyun Manor.

I hope the Empress can help me persuade the Marquis of Zhenbei to agree to let me participate in this trip to Southern Chu.

He needs opportunities to grow and gain experience; otherwise, let alone manage the business left by his grandfather, he might not even be able to protect himself.

This is reality, and reality is always cruel.

Without his grandfather's protection, he is now nothing but a useless person.

The situation he faces now is that even if the Empress and the Marquis of Zhenbei are willing to protect him for life, he still needs to have the ability and value to do so.

Being a wealthy and leisurely person isn't so easy; behind every wealthy and leisurely person lies their own ability and strength.

Even if he were to become a wealthy and idle man in the future, Li Ziyan would still strive to be one who is capable and powerful enough to assist His Highness the Crown Prince in ascending the throne and serve as his strong support.

Instead of being a weak and incompetent rich idler who can't do anything and lives like a parasite.

Exhausted, Shen Tianjiao returned to her room and saw her beloved son asleep on the couch.

The maidservants who were accompanying Shen Tianjiao quickly knelt down to pay their respects when they saw her enter, and explained, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince insists on waiting for your return."

"No matter how we tried to persuade him, it was no use. In the end, we could only let His Highness the Crown Prince sleep here."

Hearing the trembling voices of the maids who accompanied her, Shen Tianjiao was dissatisfied, but she did not criticize them too harshly.

As Li Muyang's mother, she knew his temperament well. He was usually a very docile person, but when it came to things he wanted to insist on, he would become very stubborn.

He will always stick to his principles and will not listen to anyone but himself.

Shen Tianjiao waved her hand, signaling the maids who were accompanying her to leave.

She walked over to Li Muyang, removed the blanket covering him, and tried to carry him to bed.

But to everyone's surprise, the moment Shen Tianjiao's hand touched Li Muyang's body, the child suddenly opened his eyes, slapped her with his hand, and muttered, "Don't touch me."

Shen Tianjiao, who had been dissatisfied with the maids who accompanied her, complained that even though Li Muyang insisted on waiting for her, she could have carried him to bed first after he fell asleep.

Now she realized that she had wronged the maids. It wasn't that they didn't want to carry Li Muyang back to bed, but that her precious son disagreed.

Shen Tianjiao gently patted Li Muyang's back and whispered to comfort him, "Sleep well, my dear, your mother is with you."

Hearing Shen Tianjiao's voice, Li Muyang, who was still in a daze, looked up at Shen Tianjiao and stared blankly for a while before throwing himself into her arms.

Shen Tianjiao patted Li Muyang's head and said, "Alright, come on, let your mother take you back to bed."

This time, Li Muyang didn't resist and was very obedient, letting Shen Tianjiao pull him to the bedside.

Shen Tianjiao undressed Li Muyang, made him lie down next to Li Muyan, and then gently patted him to lull him to sleep.

Li Muyang fell asleep quickly, perhaps because he knew his mother was there to watch over him, so he soon drifted off to sleep peacefully.

Looking at her two sleeping children, Shen Tianjiao felt all her fatigue vanish instantly.

Everything I'm doing and all the effort I've put in for my two children is worthwhile.

The busy period at Ziyun Manor came to an end, but soon after, the busyness and panic in the palace officially began.

The message arrived at the palace quickly by carrier pigeon, waking Yu Po who was sleeping.

After reading the contents of the letter, Yu Po immediately took action, first going to Chao Yun's residence.

During her time in the palace, Chaoyun has taken good care of her health. Although she is not very strong yet, she is much better than before when she was so fragile that she seemed like she could die at any moment.

Now, at least Chaoyun looks like a normal person, not like the one who used to make people worry.

When Yu Po arrived at Chao Yun's place, everyone there was asleep except for a young palace maid on night watch.

Upon seeing Yu Po arrive, the young palace maid on night watch immediately came to greet her.

The young palace maid curtsied to Yu Po and whispered, "Lord Yu, is there something you need?"

Although Yu Po wasn't often in the palace, whenever she was, she would follow Shen Tianjiao wherever she went. Therefore, everyone in the palace knew her and knew that she was someone close to the Empress.

"Yes, go and wake up Miss Chaoyun. I have something to say to her."

Yu Po nodded and instructed the little palace maid to go and fetch someone.

"When you go in and call Miss Chaoyun later, don't say anything else. Just say that Her Majesty the Empress has a few words to say to her. Don't frighten her."

In the dead of night, while I was sleeping, I was suddenly woken up and told that the Empress had sent a message. Anyone who wasn't mentally strong would probably be frightened.

"Yes, the servant knows."

The young palace maid agreed to Yu Po's request and hurriedly ran to call Chao Yun.

Since Chaoyun's health improved, she has not been as sleepy as before. She has always been a light sleeper, and she had been sleeping too much recently.

So she was startled awake as soon as the little palace maid entered.

"What happened outside?"

When the young palace maid arrived at Chaoyun's bedside, Chaoyun had already gotten out of bed, put on her clothes, and was waiting.

"Miss." The young palace maid walked up to Chaoyun, bowed, and then said, "It's Lady Yu Po from the Empress's side. She says the Empress has a few words to say to you."

Chao Yun was stunned for a moment, but she wasn't panicked at all. "Go and get my clothes, and then go and invite Lord Yu Po in."

The palace maid went to get clothes for Chaoyun, and then ran to invite Yupo in.

When Yu Po came in, Chao Yun was already dressed and ready, waiting for her.

"Please have a seat, Lord Jade Soul."

Looking at Yu Po, Chao Yun's face remained as calm and composed as ever, showing no sign of panic despite Yu Po's late-night visit.

Chao Yun's composure at this moment surprised Yu Po somewhat; it seemed that Chao Yun was indeed no ordinary person.

“Miss Chaoyun, I am here on the orders of Her Majesty the Empress to tell you that you must come with me to Ziyun Manor now.”

Chao Yun, who had been calm and composed just moments before, suddenly changed her expression after hearing Yu Po's words.

Ruan Yuhu had already told her that Duan Qingning was her biological mother, and she knew that Duan Qingning was currently at Ziyun Manor.

Yu Po came here late at night and told her to go to Ziyun Manor with him. Does that mean that person had an accident at Ziyun Manor?

Chao Yun knew that she was able to survive entirely thanks to Duan Qingning's Gu King, but she also knew that if Duan Qingning had given the Gu King to her, Duan Qingning himself would have suffered a loss, which could have been fatal.

Although Chao Yun is still unable to accept Duan Qingning's existence, she is, after all, her mother.

If something were to happen to Duan Qingning at Ziyun Manor, how could Chaoyun possibly feel good about it?

She has been alone and helpless for so many years, and finally had a mother. She can't lose her again so soon.

Thinking of this, Chaoyun stood up nervously and looked at Yupo, asking, "But has something happened to that person?"

Chao Yun didn't say who the person she was worried about was, but Yu Po knew who she was talking about.

"Don't worry, Miss Chaoyun, Madam Duan is fine."

"The reason why Her Majesty the Empress asked me to take you to Ziyun Manor is not because something happened to Madam Duan, but because Her Majesty the Empress wants Madam Duan to take you back to Southern Chu."

"Take me back to Southern Chu?"

Upon hearing that Duan Qingning was alright, Chao Yun was startled again when Yu Po told her that she should return to Southern Chu with Duan Qingning.

Chao Yun suddenly stood up, looking at Yu Po with some emotion, and asked, "Has something happened in Nan Chu?"

In Chao Yun's mind, the reason for returning to Nan Chu at this time must be because Duan Qingning's days are numbered and he wants to return to Nan Chu to spend the rest of his time.

As for what happened in Southern Chu, Chaoyun wasn't really concerned.

Although she grew up in Southern Chu, she didn't have much affection for Southern Chu.

After all, Chao Yun's memories of her time in Southern Chu were not pleasant.

It was something she never wanted to think about in her life, and Duan Qingning's experience in Nan Chu also made Chao Yun feel unhappy.

Southern Chu was a nightmare for the mother and daughter, and it wouldn't matter to Chao Yun if she never went back.

"Nothing happened in Nan Chu. It's just that Her Majesty the Empress promised Madam Duan that one day when the opportunity arises, she will send Madam Duan back to help her complete her revenge."

"Now that the opportunity has come, Her Majesty the Empress hopes that you can return to Southern Chu with Madam Duan to help her avenge herself."

"After all, Madam Duan has had a miserable life, and now she is old and frail, and blind. If no one takes care of her, she will not be able to take revenge, let alone take care of herself."

As Yu Po spoke, she glanced at Chao Yun, and she could see from Chao Yun's eyes that she was worried about Duan Qingning.

Thinking about it this way, this trip to the south should go smoothly.

Without much thought, Chaoyun nodded in agreement, "Okay, when shall we set off?"

Ruan Yuhu has already told Chaoyun about Duan Qingning's experiences over the years.

Although Chaoyun didn't show it, she still felt very sorry for her mother.

Her own mother was just a weak woman who was coveted by others because of her beauty, which led to the destruction of her family and the death of her loved ones. She was also deceived by her lover, and after giving birth to her, she entrusted her to someone else's care in order to save her life.

Later, she was forced to come to Yunli for a political marriage and married a man she hated. Who would have thought that her husband would use her as a gift to please the emperor and personally send her to the emperor's bed.

Such humiliation is unbearable for anyone, let alone one's own mother, who comes from a prestigious family.

Then some things happened that almost cost her her life. She lived with a mute servant in a dark place, relying on the help of others to survive until now.

After hearing about all these experiences, how could Chaoyun not feel sorry for her mother?

Now that Duan Qingning is going back to Southern Chu to seek revenge, Chao Yun will naturally follow closely and go back to Southern Chu with her.

Regardless, Chaoyun felt she could still contribute to the matter of revenge.

After all, she had learned some skills while following Lady Yu.

If they cannot kill the scoundrel emperor who caused their misfortune openly, then Chaoyun will personally poison him, causing him to die in excruciating despair.

If this grudge is not avenged, not only will Duan Qing die with regrets, but Chao Yun will also be filled with resentment.

"We are about to head to Ziyun Manor to meet Madam Duan. We will set off early tomorrow morning."

The letter that just arrived by carrier pigeon clearly states that Yu Po already knows she will be going along this time as well.

"Shall we head to Ziyun Manor now?"

Although Chao Yun knew that Yu Po waking her up in the middle of the night meant that things were urgent, she never expected that it would be so urgent that she would have to set off in the middle of the night.

"Yes, that's what Her Majesty the Empress instructed."

Yu Po never questioned any of Shen Tianjiao's orders or decisions; all she had to do was obey completely.

"If we leave now, there won't be enough time to pack our things."

When Chaoyun heard that she was about to leave, the first thing she thought about was how to pack her necessities, such as clothes to change into for the journey, as quickly as possible.

"No need to pack anymore. Her Majesty the Empress has already prepared everything at Ziyun Manor."

"All we need to do now is send people over there."

Unlike Chaoyun, Yupo is used to wandering the world because she often has to carry out missions.

As long as she has a place to sleep and food to keep her from going hungry, she can make do with anything else.

Yu Po's words dispelled all of Chao Yun's concerns. She looked at Yu Po and said, "In that case, let's set off now."

"Alright, let's go, the carriage is already waiting outside."

Ziyun Manor is far from the capital. If we don't hurry, we probably won't arrive there by tomorrow morning.