The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 258 The Final Farewell

At this moment, Shen Tianjiao felt extremely fortunate that the child's temperament did not resemble Li Rui's.

Although he is young, he is more responsible and brave than Li Rui.

"Yes, mother knows." Shen Tianjiao touched Li Muyang's head and said, "The queen's son is the most responsible child in the world."

"Just my son, there are some things in this world that only a mother can do."

"You love the Queen Mother and want to protect her. Likewise, the Queen Mother loves you and wants to protect you."

Shen Tianjiao put Li Muyang down from her legs, supported Li Muyang's shoulders with both hands, and said, "You also have important things to do."

"Protect your sister, take good care of your grandfather, and don't let the Queen Mother worry. This is what you have to do now."

"But I..." Li Muyang lowered his head, and the light in his eyes disappeared.

"Alright, Queen Mother knows that my Mu'er is a very capable child. You will definitely be able to protect your sister and take good care of your grandfather, right?"

Shen Tianjiao knew the inner conflict of Li Muyang. Although being indecisive was a taboo for a king, everyone had weaknesses.

Li Muyang is still young now, and he can be taught slowly in the future.

"Yeah." Li Muyang nodded reluctantly. His reluctance was not because he was unwilling to protect his sister and take care of his grandfather, but because he was unwilling to leave his mother.

Seeing that Li Muyang agreed, Shen Tianjiao felt relieved.

Life is actually full of helplessness. There are some things you have to do even if you don’t want to. This is also a lesson of growth. You can’t escape it, you can only move forward.

Shen Tianjiao took a piece of pastry and handed it to Li Muyang. "I promise you, Queen Mother, we won't be apart for too long. At least one month, at most three months. Queen Mother will come to pick you and your sister up in person, okay?"

"Okay." Li Muyang lowered his head reluctantly and nodded in agreement.

"During this time, stay with your grandfather. You must learn more about military tactics and martial arts from him. You must also read more and not slack off for even a single day."

Li Muyang is studying hard enough now, but he started learning late after all. If he doesn't work harder, he will have a hard time ruling the country in the future.

After all, among the civil and military officials in the court, although there are some uneducated ones, there are also some talented ones.

As an emperor, if he is uneducated and cannot convince these talented people, it will be difficult to control them. Once he cannot control and check them, chaos will break out in the court again.

In the past, Shen Tianjiao adopted a laissez-faire approach towards Li Muyang. She always felt that children should behave like children. They should read books, but they should also play well. After all, childhood only comes once, and once lost, it can never be returned.

However, ever since Li Muyang was enthroned as the crown prince, Shen Tianjiao's sense of crisis has been growing day by day.

She was afraid that she would not be able to cultivate a wise and benevolent ruler, and she was even more afraid that Li Muyang would become an emperor like Li Rui, who was incompetent and brought Yunli into chaos.

Under the dual pressure of this sense of crisis and fear, Shen Tianjiao began to urge Li Muyang's studies invisibly.

"My son knows. He will learn well from the foreigners."

Li Muyang was of course very happy to be able to learn military tactics and martial arts from his grandfather. You know, his grandfather, Marquis Zhenbei, was the most outstanding hero in the world.

There are countless people in this world who admire his grandfather and want to learn military tactics and martial arts from his grandfather, Marquis Zhenbei.

It’s a pity that the Marquis of Zhenbei doesn’t accept disciples. His skills are all inherited from his family. They are the experience gained by several generations of the Marquis of Zhenbei through fighting on the battlefield. They are unique and self-contained.

The only thing that made Li Muyang feel uncomfortable was that he had to leave his mother.

Shen Tianjiao is really busy now. Although the mother and son do not live in separate palaces, Li Muyang still lives in Yuxiu Palace, but the time they can meet and sit together for dinner is very rare.

But even so, being able to live with his mother in Yuxiu Palace is already a very happy thing for Li Muyang.

"Okay, stop being unhappy. Come and have dinner with your mother. Dongyang has cooked a lot of dishes that you like today."

Shen Tianjiao pushed Li Muyang onto the stool and began to feed him attentively.

When the mother and son were having a happy meal, Xia He came in. She bowed slightly to Shen Tianjiao. Shen Tianjiao looked up at her and knew what she was going to say.

Shen Tianjiao nodded, and Xia He got up and left.

Li Muyang, who was eating, looked at his mother and Xia He, who were in a daze, and asked curiously, "Mother, what are you doing?"

"Ah!" Shen Tianjiao looked at Li Muyang and smiled, saying, "Nothing, my mother asked Xia He to do something."

Ever since Xia He left, Shen Tianjiao had lost her appetite. Although He Wanying deserved it, Shen Tianjiao felt uncomfortable. After all, she was not cruel enough and could not pretend that nothing had happened.

When Qiong Niang went to see He Wanying, she went in her true appearance.

Although there was no deep hatred between her and Ho Wan-ying, there was a blood feud between their two families.

Although Qiong Niang's father Wang Yan was framed by Li Rui, the trap was set up by He Wanying's father He Ping.

Wang Yan was framed that year. Although he saved his own life and that of his family, his daughter, who was a concubine, was banished to the cold palace, and his family was exiled to the border.

His father died on the way to exile because of his old age.

Qiong Niang has to avenge this debt and this grudge. This can be considered as a tit-for-tat.

Seeing Xia He coming out, Qiong Niang put on the veiled hat she was holding and said, "Let's go. If we're any later, we'll miss the time."

Qiong Niang had received Shen Tianjiao's order a long time ago. The reason why she delayed it until now was because she had just gone to the Ministry of Punishment and brought the unconscious Ling Xifeng with her.

The play must be done in full. Since He Wanying was convicted of having an affair with Ling Xifeng, Ling Xifeng must die in the palace with He Wanying.

This way, we won't let those nosy people talk behind your back, stirring up trouble and making people uneasy.

A group of people arrived at the Green Lotus Palace where He Wanying lived. At this time, the palace gate was wide open and everyone in the palace was kneeling on the ground.

If the master makes a big mistake, the servants will also suffer.

Because they had served He Wanying, if they did not receive special grace, they would have to be sent to the lowest places such as the laundry bureau and the yamen service office.

Although no one in the entire Green Lotus Palace was crying at this time, the air pressure was so low that it made people breathless.

This couldn't help but remind Qiong Niang of the time when she was demoted to Youming Palace, which was not much better than now.

However, she was much luckier than He Wanying. Although those days in Youming Palace were worse than death, she survived.

Until now, she still dared not to think about what she would be like now if Shen Tianjiao had not suddenly appeared.

"Let's go in." Xia He's whispered reminder brought Qiong Niang back to her senses.

Qiong Niang looked up at the strange yet familiar main hall in front of her and said, "Let's go."

When Qiong Niang brought Xia He and several maids in, He Wanying was lying on the ground with her clothes in disarray and her hair disheveled, her hands and feet tied and her mouth gagged.

Next to He Wanying was Ling Xifeng, who was lying there and had not yet woken up.

Seeing He Wanying with her hair disheveled and not as noble and elegant as before, Qiong Niang felt even worse.

After all, He Wanying was also a pitiful person. If it weren't for her family's greed for power, she would not have been sent to this ruthless palace.

Maybe she could get her wish and marry Ling Xifeng, and live the life she wanted, instead of ending up in this situation.

"You guys should go out first. The Queen has given instructions and there are some things that need to be clarified."

Qiong Niang turned around and gave instructions to the maids who came in with her. After hearing the instructions, the maids left.

Hearing the voices, He Wanying, who had fallen to the ground and had lost all her strength, struggled to raise her head and sit up.

But when she saw clearly who was standing in front of her, she was stunned on the spot. She wanted to shout loudly, but her throat seemed to be blocked by something and no sound came out.

"Don't be surprised, and don't be afraid. I'm a human, not a ghost. Have you ever seen a ghost walking around in broad daylight?"

Looking at He Wanying's appearance at this moment, Qiong Niang knew what she was thinking.

After all, except for those few people who knew the truth, in the eyes of others, she, Wang Danyang, had died in the fire in Youming Palace.

Although she knew that what the woman in front of her said was true, it still could not dispel the fear in He Wanying's heart. She moved her body and looked at Ling Xifeng beside her.

It seemed that only this way could she get rid of her fear.

"The Empress asked me to come and send you off." Qiong Niang looked at He Wanying expressionlessly, as if she was talking about something very ordinary.

He Wanying had not yet recovered from her shock and fear, and was not even able to listen to what Qiong Niang was saying.

"Let's dress her up and send her off in a respectable manner. This is the best we can do for her."

Ever since she followed Ruan Yuhu to see off Empress Dowager Liu last time, Qiong Niang has been able to face the same thing calmly.

After hearing what Qiong Niang said, Xia He walked up to He Wanying, removed the cloth that was blocking her mouth, squatted down and began to tidy up her scattered hair.

He Wanying, who had been staring at Qiong Niang, was awakened by Xia He's actions. She turned around and looked at Xia He, and when she saw that it was the person serving Shen Tianjiao, she understood what her fate would be.

He Wanying sneered and looked at Qiong Niang and said, "Wang Danyang, although there are some differences between you and Shen Tianjiao, it's not to the point of life and death, right?"

"Why do you two have to kill me?"

Qiong Niang smiled and said, "That's right, there really isn't a big conflict between us, but I do have a grudge against your He family."

"You won't tell me about the incident where my family was framed. You know nothing about it, right?"

"Li Rui is the mastermind, but He Ping is an accomplice. He set up the scheme and killed the people. Do you think I should avenge this?"

Qiong Niang walked up to He Wanying, squatted down, looked directly into her eyes, and said, "Do you know how I survived those days in Youming Palace?"

"I've driven myself into a madman, like a trapped animal walking dead, watching the sunrise and sunset every day, neither dead nor alive, not knowing what year it is."

"That kind of pain and despair is something you will never be able to experience."

"Granting you death today is a very fortunate thing for you. At least you don't have to experience the pain of torturing yourself into a madman and then dying in madness."

"You lunatic!" He Wanying looked at Qiong Niang with fear in her eyes.

"Yes, I am a madman, but you are a madman too."

Qiong Niang raised a hint of sarcasm at the corner of her mouth, "Do you really think Ling Xifeng can rescue you from this cage and live a life with you in the vastness of the sky and the sea?"

"He Wanying, you're such a smart person, why would you sacrifice yourself just for the lies of an unworthy man?"

"You should know better than anyone how vicious, heartless, and obsessed with fame and fortune this man is, right?"

"Even if his plan succeeds today, he won't take you with him for his own future. You will only become his stepping stone again."

"Let him use you and the power of the He family to achieve his own goals."

"Perhaps you understand it clearly in your heart, but you just don't want to admit it and are deceiving yourself."

"By the way, you probably don't know what happened in Zhenghe Hall today, right?"

"He Ping's conspiracy with Ling Xifeng to assassinate the Marquis of Zhenbei has been exposed, and he has been imprisoned in the Ministry of Punishment by the Queen."

"All the men in the He Mansion are being held captive awaiting punishment, and the women are also being held captive in the mansion, not being allowed to enter or leave."

"I think soon, they will suffer the same fate as the Wang family back then and be exiled."

"But they will not be exiled to the northern border, but to Lingnan."

Being exiled to the northern border, although you will encounter many things along the way, the chances of surviving are very high.

But exile to Lingnan is different. Lingnan is full of miasma and poisonous insects. Anyone who goes there is likely to die. Those who can reach the destination alive are lucky.

He Wanying suddenly collapsed in Xia He's arms. The news that Qiong Niang told her shocked and frightened her even more than when she knew she was going to die.

Although she has hated her father and the He family over the years, no matter how much hatred she has in her heart, they are still her family after all.

To put it nicely, it was exile to Lingnan, but in fact, exile to Lingnan was equivalent to being sentenced to death.

Lingnan is thousands of miles away from the capital, and one does not know how many hardships and difficulties one will have to endure along the way. It is even a question whether one can reach Lingnan alive.