The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 100 Dad is Back

Before Yan Mingde returned to the capital, Shen Tianjiao welcomed back her father, Shen Lin, Marquis of Zhenbei.

Counting the time, the father and daughter haven't seen each other for six years.

The last time we parted was six years ago, when Marquis Zhenbei went to Northern Frontier. That parting was a very unpleasant memory.

At that time, the father and daughter were about to part ways, and the original Shen Tianjiao had a big quarrel with Zhenbei Hou in order to protect Li Rui. I really don’t know how much water was in her head at that time.

Knowing that the Marquis of Zhenbei had arrived in Beijing, Shen Tianjiao specially brought people to the palace gate to greet him. In fact, Shen Tianjiao was very nervous while waiting.

This tension was not only due to guilt, but also because she was worried that the Marquis of Zhenbei would discover that she was not the real Shen Tianjiao. In addition, she had a bad relationship with her father in her previous life.

The word "father" is just a literal word to her, not a real feeling.

In other words, she had no idea how to get along with the Marquis of Zhenbei as a daughter.

Chunchao was the first person to notice Shen Tianjiao's nervousness. She walked to Shen Tianjiao's side, quietly held Shen Tianjiao's hand, and whispered, "Master, it's okay. You have always been the Marquis's treasure. The Marquis has never been angry with you."

"Every time the Marquis writes, he always asks how your health is and how you've been doing recently."

"I know." Shen Tianjiao looked into the distance and said, "That's why I feel even more guilty. I'm already such a grown-up, but I can't comfort my elderly father. Instead, I make him worry about me all day long. I'm the most disobedient and unfilial daughter in the world."

Shen Tianjiao is the daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei who comes later in life. The Marquis of Zhenbei got married relatively late in life. When he was young, he was busy fighting wars everywhere and had no time to take care of his own life.

When the war finally stabilized, he was already in his thirties when he got married, and Shen Tianjiao was his precious daughter when he was nearly fifty years old.

Ever since she was born, she has been loved by her whole family. The Marquis of Zhenbei treats her as the apple of his eye and loves her dearly.

But it was this most precious daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei who broke his heart and made him worry about it.

It really proves the old saying, 'Parents' love is the most precious in the world'.

While Shen Tianjiao was still thinking about her own things, she heard the sound of horse hooves in the distance. She looked up and saw her father, Marquis Zhenbei, riding towards her on horseback.

The moment she saw the Marquis of Zhenbei, Shen Tianjiao suddenly burst into tears. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but she felt very uncomfortable. If she didn't cry, she would feel even more uncomfortable.

When the Marquis of Zhenbei was still several feet away from the palace gate, he dismounted and handed the horse to his attendant.

"My Lord, look, our eldest daughter is here to pick you up in person." Shang Heng, the captain of the personal guard of the Marquis of Zhenbei, was so excited that he almost cried when he saw Shen Tianjiao standing at the palace gate.

God knows, what the Marquis has been most worried about in recent years is his eldest daughter. Whenever he thinks of his eldest daughter, he either sighs or looks worried.

Now that the Marquis has returned to the capital, the eldest lady actually comes to greet him in person. Does this mean that the rift between father and daughter has been eliminated and they are about to reconcile?

Marquis Zhenbei turned his head and looked at his precious daughter with his somewhat blurry eyes. His heart ached and his eyes became wet. This iron-blooded god of war as Yun Li mentioned, only had a soft heart when facing his daughter.

According to the rules, as the queen, Shen Tianjiao should not have left the palace to greet her father at the palace gate. Instead, she should have waited for the Marquis of Zhenbei to enter the palace and go to Yuxiu Palace to kneel down and kowtow to Shen Tianjiao.

But since the rules have been changed today, Shen Tianjiao didn't care about that anymore. She ran over before the Marquis of Zhenbei came closer.

"Father." Shen Tianjiao stopped when she was still a few steps away from Zhenbei Hou. She felt even more upset when she looked at Zhenbei Hou.

After not seeing each other for six years, the father standing in front of her looked much older and more haggard than when he left. Although he looked in good spirits, his head full of silver hair was like needles, piercing Shen Tianjiao's heart.

"My dear." Marquis Zhenbei looked at his daughter in front of him, his heart filled with mixed emotions, his nose felt sore and his eyes turned red.

"Greetings to the young lady." The group of guards behind the Marquis of Zhenbei knelt down together to pay their respects to Shen Tianjiao.

Although Shen Tianjiao has been the queen for a long time, in the hearts of the people in Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, she is not the queen, she will always be their eldest daughter.

"Everyone, get up quickly." Shen Tianjiao wiped the tears from her face, looked at the guards, and said, "You all have worked hard."

Shen Tianjiao was grateful to these guards from the bottom of her heart. If it weren't for these guards accompanying her father all these years, she would probably not be able to see her father now.

"My dear, don't cry." Seeing his daughter crying, the Marquis of Zhenbei took out his handkerchief from his arms and handed it to her.

Shen Tianjiao took the handkerchief and wiped the tears from her face, then smiled and said to Zhenbei Hou, "Father, I'm happy."

"Dad knows, he knows everything." Zhenbei Hou looked at Shen Tianjiao and felt very comforted. After not seeing his spoiled and willful little girl for six years, she really grew up.

"Father, let's go into the palace. Jiao'er has prepared a welcoming banquet for you in Yuxiu Palace. You must have been exhausted on the way here. You should take a good rest in Yuxiu Palace." Shen Tianjiao stepped forward to support the Marquis of Zhenbei and was about to leave.

"Jiao'er, wait a minute." The Marquis of Zhenbei gently stroked Shen Tianjiao's hand, "Jiao'er, this is in the palace, and the rules must be followed. My son is now the Empress, and I am a subject. When I see my son, I should kneel and bow to him."

"If we don't follow the rules, we'll inevitably get criticized and be discussed by the imperial censors, which will put my son in a difficult position."

The Marquis of Zhenbei was in charge of one side and was also the Grand Marshal of the Yunli Kingdom's army. Naturally, he would not take those imperial censors seriously, and those imperial censors did not dare to cause trouble for the Marquis of Zhenbei casually.

But Shen Tianjiao is different. She is not only the Empress of the Central Palace, but also exercises the power to govern the country on behalf of the current Emperor. There are countless eyes staring at her, waiting to find her faults and cause trouble for her.

The Marquis of Zhenbei could ignore everything, but he couldn't let his daughter be criticized by others. As a father, he knew best how difficult the child's life was.

"Father, it's okay." Shen Tianjiao once again took hold of the Zhenbei Marquis's arm. "Although I am now the Empress of the Central Palace, I am still your daughter. Father, you have been guarding the border for many years and have devoted yourself to me, Yun Li. As your daughter, it would be unfilial for me not to serve you."

"How can I still ask my father to perform the rituals of king and subject? No matter what others say, you are my father, and your daughter will always be your child in front of you. What I should do is filial piety."

Shen Tianjiao naturally knew that the Marquis of Zhenbei was afraid that she would be criticized and embarrassed, but so what? The Shen Tianjiao of today is not the Shen Tianjiao of the past. What she is most afraid of is being criticized and embarrassed. If she was afraid, she would not have waded into this muddy water.

The filial piety that her original body failed to fulfill is now hers to fulfill. At least now there is a chance to start over again for those regrets that cannot be made up for.

Shen Lin looked at Shen Tianjiao and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. His daughter has really grown up now and is no longer the little girl who always acts coquettishly around him.

When he heard his eldest son Shen Yiyang talk about his daughter's experience and thoughts, he was still worried that the child could not bear such a heavy burden.

Later, he heard that Shen Tianjiao had exercised the power of governing the country on behalf of Li Rui. Not only did she handle government affairs very well, she also personally ordered Yan Mingde to quell the rebellion. He was really shocked at the time.

His daughter is talented, courageous, and capable, but her personality is a little too indifferent, and sometimes she is a little entangled and weak.

That's why he decided to come back from Northern Xinjiang. He wanted to support his daughter, protect her and not let others bully her.

But now it seems that his daughter is really as his eldest son said, she is no longer the same as before.

His Jiao'er now looks like the eldest daughter raised in the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, and is his, Shen Lin's, daughter.

"Okay, Father, listen to me." Aren't they the imperial censors who like to make a big deal out of trivial matters? Aren't they the ones with ulterior motives, trying to take advantage of this opportunity to destroy the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion?

Humph! These people really underestimated their Zhenbei Marquis Mansion and Shen Lin. Since the establishment of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, they have never been afraid of anyone, so naturally, Shen Lin would not be afraid of anyone either.

He can protect his daughter, Shen Lin!

The guards behind Shen Lin were extremely happy to see that their eldest daughter and the marquis had such a close relationship. It was the first time in all these years that they saw them having such a harmonious relationship.

"Father, you've worked hard on this journey." Shen Tianjiao looked at the increasingly old appearance of Zhenbei Hou, feeling distressed and sad. "Father, please stay in the capital this time and don't go back to the Northern Frontier. Although your daughter can't always be by your side to serve you, it's more convenient to be close to you in the capital, and I can see you often."

Shen Lin held Shen Tianjiao's hand tightly and asked without turning back: "Jiao'er, do you want Dad to stay in Beijing?"

Shen Tianjiao's heart sank, knowing that her father was still brooding over the angry words her original body had said to her when she left Beijing.

She sighed silently in her heart, feeling that she had a miserable life. It was clearly not her who offended the person, but in the end she had to coax him.

"Father, I was young and ignorant before, and I said things that hurt you. In fact, I regretted those words so much, but I was too embarrassed to admit my mistakes to you."

"This is all due to my daughter's unfilial behavior, Father. All these years, I have been blaming myself and regretting not listening to you back then. Can you please be magnanimous and not hold a grudge against me?"

Shen Lin's expression was moved. After so many years, it was worth it to hear Shen Tianjiao's words today.

"Jiao'er, how could Daddy be angry with you? Daddy has always loved you and was afraid that your deep love would end up hurting yourself."

"You are Daddy's most precious child. From childhood to adulthood, Daddy and your brothers have treated you like a treasure. Even your cry makes them feel heartbroken. How could they bear to let others bully you?"

Shen Lin's words fully expressed the concern and worry that an old father had for his daughter over the years.

There are only children who don't love their parents, but there are few parents who don't love their children. Here, the birth of a girl is a lifelong debt to her parents, and it's the only debt parents are willing to bear for a lifetime.

"Jiao'er, what father wants to ask is, do you really want me to stay in Beijing?" Shen Lin looked at Shen Tianjiao and waited for her answer.

Shen Tianjiao was stunned, and then she understood what Shen Lin meant.

Shen Lin was not angry with her. He was asking her if she was ready, because once Shen Lin decided to stay in Shangjing, it meant that all the forces of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion and the Shen family would get involved and be ready to fight for the throne at any time.

Shen Tianjiao nodded and said, "Father, I want you to stay in the capital and accompany me."

"Okay, Dad got it. Dad will stay in the capital this time and won't go back to Northern Frontier. From now on, your eldest brother will guard Northern Frontier."

Shen Lin got the exact answer from Shen Tianjiao and felt relieved. He had actually made preparations before returning from Northern Xinjiang. He was just afraid that Shen Tianjiao was acting on impulse, so he wanted to confirm it again.

He knew his daughter's personality very well. Although she would hesitate before making a decision, once she made one, she would not look back and would go on with determination.

"Father, please wait until the situation stabilizes and let my brothers come back. Life in the Northern Frontier is too hard. Besides, my eldest brother is already in his thirties and still hasn't started a family. My second and third brothers are not young either."

"They should all get married and start their own careers. We can't let our Shen family be left without successors just because we're defending our territory and expanding our territory. Our ancestors said that we should get married first and then start our own careers."

Speaking of her three brothers who have not yet started a family and a career, Shen Tianjiao felt moved and sad. It was because of their selfless dedication and righteousness that Yun Li could have the peace and security he has today.

In her previous life, her three brothers remained unmarried until their death. They truly devoted themselves to the country and the people, but their endings were so pitiful.

Now that she is here, she is going to change all this. Her brothers are the best men in Yunli, and they deserve their own happiness.

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Shen Lin obeyed his daughter Shen Tianjiao's words. At this moment, family, country and loyalty to the country were no longer important.

"Then I must carefully select among those noble families and those unmarried young ladies. Not everyone in this world is worthy of my brothers."

Shen Tianjiao's words were not narcissistic, nor were they self-praise. The three brothers of the Shen family were all outstanding people, and not everyone was worthy of them.