The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 466 The Unexpected Answer

"Madam Duan, I have another matter to ask of you."

Thinking of Shen Yiyang, who was still in Southern Chu, Shen Tianjiao felt uneasy again.

"Your Majesty, please don't stand on ceremony. Just give me your orders."

Although Duan Qingning and Shen Tianjiao are now in a cooperative relationship, Duan Qingning is still aware of her own position.

"My elder brother, Shen Yiyang, went to Southern Chu not long ago. I would like to ask Madam Duan to take care of him after she arrives in Southern Chu."

"Make sure he returns to Yunli safely. Also, tell him that I will send someone else to do what he needs to do, and tell him to bring his men back immediately."

Compared to the situation in Southern Chu, Shen Yiyang's safety is more important.

Besides, now that Duan Qingning is going back to Southern Chu, those things can be left to her to do.

Shen Tianjiao couldn't find peace of mind until Shen Yiyang returned.

"I understand. When I return to Southern Chu, I will send someone to inquire about the eldest son's whereabouts."

"I guarantee that the eldest son will return safely, and I will also help him complete the tasks he needs to do."

It was Duan Qingning who told Shen Tianjiao about Wanchunlou. Duan Qingning never expected that the person who went to Nan Chu would be Shen Yiyang.

"In that case, I'll have to trouble Madam Duan to take care of it."

Hearing Duan Qingning say that, Shen Tianjiao felt much more relieved.

"I have two more people to present to Madam Duan: one is Duan Yongping, the Prince of Xuan of Southern Chu, and the other is Duan Furong, the young princess of the Prince of Nanping."

"The assassination attempt on me last time was carried out by Duan Yongping, and the poison that appeared to be a plague in the capital was also spread by him."

"He did all of these things on the orders of the Emperor of Southern Chu."

"As for Duan Furong, she was to be sent to the Western Rong for a political marriage. Because she was unwilling, Duan Yongping instigated her to get rid of the maidservant by my side and take her place."

"I plan to infiltrate my side in the future and wait for an opportunity to kill me."

"However, Duan Furong was not so lucky. I saw through her scheme and ruined her plan."

"If Madam Duan finds these two people useful, she may take them back to Southern Chu. If they are useless and there is no need to take them, then I will have to settle accounts with Duan Zhengming properly."

Although Duan Qingning's return to Southern Chu would change the current situation in Southern Chu, Shen Tianjiao would still need a legitimate reason to completely reclaim Southern Chu.

Otherwise, even if Southern Chu submits to Yunli in the future, there will always be people who will take the opportunity to stir up trouble and make things difficult for Shen Tianjiao.

Duan Qingning lowered her head and thought for a while. Whether or not she brought Duan Yongping back to Southern Chu was irrelevant.

Duan Yongping came to Yunli to cause trouble on Duan Zhengming's orders, but now he has not only messed things up, but also left Shen Tianjiao with leverage over him.

Even if he goes back, he can't escape the fate of dying again.

Since we're all going to die anyway, let's make his death more meaningful.

By leaving Duan Yongping in Yunli, Shen Tianjiao effectively holds the lifeline of Southern Chu in her hands.

When we recover the south in the future, we will have a legitimate reason to launch the campaign, so as not to give those with ulterior motives an opportunity to slander and stir up trouble.

As for Duan Furong, we can take her with us. She's not very useful, but she has the backing of the Prince of Nan's Mansion.

The Southern Prince's Mansion and their Lin Prince's Mansion used to be the four great kings of Southern Chu, and they could do whatever they wanted in Southern Chu.

Even in front of the emperor, they didn't have to be as obsequious as others, nor did they have to show the emperor any deference.

But now they've actually fallen so low as to agree to send their own daughter away for a political marriage.

It seems that the Southern Prince's Mansion has fallen into such a state of decline.

Even so, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, and the Southern Prince's Mansion still had value to her.

Now that Duan Furong is in her hands, she has leverage. Even if Duan Furong is not favored in the Southern Prince's Mansion, it doesn't change anything; she has become a powerful tool for controlling the Southern Prince's Mansion.

Putting everything else aside, Duan Furong's act of defying the imperial decree and running away from her arranged marriage is enough to make the entire Southern Prince's Mansion listen to her and be at her beck and call.

"Let that little rascal Duan Yongping stay in Yunli for now. If chaos breaks out in Southern Chu in the future, Her Majesty the Empress can use his assassination attempt as an excuse to send troops to attack Southern Chu."

"In this way, not only Southern Chu, but also the four surrounding countries will have nothing to say."

"As for that little girl Duan Furong, I'm taking her with me. She comes from the Southern Prince's Mansion, and the Southern Prince's Mansion holds a very special position in Southern Chu."

Even though things aren't what they used to be, they still have value.

"With Duan Furong around, they wouldn't dare to disobey."

Shen Tianjiao nodded and said, "Okay, let's do it that way."

"Southern Chu is not at peace now either, so Madam Duan must be extremely careful on her journey."

"I will send someone to escort Madam Duan back to Southern Chu. Once they arrive in Southern Chu, they will stay and be at Madam Duan's beck and call."

"If there's anything Madam Duan needs her to do, just let her know."

"As for things that are not her business, Madam Duan, rest assured, she will not interfere."

Shen Tianjiao naturally knew that Duan Qingning's willingness to agree to return to Nan Chu so easily meant that he had come prepared.

This woman has too many secrets. No one wants their secrets to be discovered and become a tool for others to use against them.

The two of them are now in a cooperative relationship, and for the cooperation to be successful, the first step is to respect each other.

Shen Tianjiao didn't care how many secrets Duan Qingning had; she didn't want to investigate. All she wanted was to throw Southern Chu into chaos.

Then he could justify his actions and, with minimal cost, bring Southern Chu to submission.

As for other things, Shen Tianjiao had no interest in them at all.

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty. I am currently in dire need of people by my side."

Although Duan Qingning had arranged for her own people in Nan Chu, she herself was not clear about their current situation there.

With Shen Tianjiao's people around, she wouldn't be completely clueless and face the difficulties of starting anything new when she returned to Nan Chu.

As for what Shen Tianjiao just said—that it was something she shouldn't meddle in, and that her people would never interfere—Duan Qingning believed her.

Without any reason, Duan Qingning simply believed what Shen Tianjiao said.

"I will have people prepare everything that needs to be prepared. If you need anything else, please just let me know."

"In addition, I will also have the imperial physician who is currently treating Madam Duan's eyes accompany me."

"The matter needs to be handled, and the eyes also need to be treated. If the eyes are healed as soon as possible, Madam Duan will be able to see what Chaoyun looks like."

"Chaoyun followed in Madam Duan's footsteps; she's a naturally beautiful woman."

After Shen Tianjiao finished speaking, she got up to leave. Duan Qingning agreed, but she still had many things to arrange.

Getting all this done by tomorrow morning won't be an easy task.

"Thank you, Queen."

Duan Qingning's feelings were complicated at this moment, and her voice choked with emotion.

Shen Tianjiao said that Chaoyun followed her and was a naturally beautiful woman.

She wanted to get her eyes cured so that before leaving this world, she could see her daughter's face with her own eyes and remember her daughter's appearance in her heart.

That way, after she dies, she can go down to the underworld to wait for her daughter.

Otherwise, if she can't even remember what her daughter looks like, she will lose her daughter again.

"It's getting late, and we still have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow, so I'll take my leave now. Madam Duan, you should get some rest as well."

Shen Tianjiao was preoccupied with the unresolved issues and was anxious, unwilling to linger for even a moment longer.

"Respectfully seeing off Her Majesty the Empress."

Duan Qingning stood up, watching Shen Tianjiao's retreating figure with blurred vision, remaining motionless for a long time, just watching.

This parting might be the last time she sees Shen Tianjiao in her life.

When her mission is accomplished, that will be the time for her to leave this world.

Her body was already severely depleted, and now she had exhausted too much energy to save her daughter, Chaoyun, and the Gu King was no longer with her.

So she was also someone who didn't have long to live.

Shen Tianjiao's kindness to the mother and daughter was something she could never repay in this life; she could only repay it in the next.

As Shen Tianjiao left the waterside pavilion, she bumped into her father, the Marquis of Zhenbei.

Because he was worried about his daughter, the Marquis of Zhenbei had been waiting outside.

"Father, why are you standing here in this cold weather?"

Seeing the Marquis of Zhenbei standing in the cold wind, Shen Tianjiao couldn't help but complain with heartache.

Faced with his daughter's complaints, the Marquis of Zhenbei simply smiled.

"Girl, how did things go? Did she agree?"

More than his own health, the Marquis of Zhenbei was concerned about whether Duan Qingning had agreed to return to Southern Chu and help with the matter.

"Father, don't worry, Madam Duan has already agreed and will set off for Nan Chu tomorrow."

Shen Tianjiao took the fox fur cloak from the guard beside her and draped it over the Marquis of Zhenbei.

Although her father was a martial artist and his body was better than that of ordinary people, he was still an old man and had old wounds from the battlefield.

If you don't take good care of them, you'll still suffer a lot.

But the Marquis of Zhenbei never took his own health seriously, which made Shen Tianjiao a little angry.

"Set off tomorrow? Isn't that a bit too soon?"

Marquis Zhenbei frowned and asked, "What are her conditions? What conditions did she propose?"

Based on Zhenbei Hou's past understanding of Duan Qingning, if she could agree to cooperate so readily, then the conditions she proposed must be quite frightening.

Seeing the Marquis of Zhenbei's nervous expression, Shen Tianjiao smiled and comforted him, saying, "Father, you don't need to worry."

"Madam Duan did not make any excessive demands on me. She only had one request, which was that I take care of Chaoyun in her place in the future."

"Apart from that, she had no other requests."

The Marquis of Zhenbei stood there, looking at Shen Tianjiao in disbelief, and asked, "Besides this request, she really has no other requests?"

It's no wonder that the Marquis of Zhenbei didn't believe it; it was simply too illogical.

How could someone like Duan Qingning be without desires or wants?

If she were to take advantage of this golden opportunity to make an outrageous demand, the Marquis of Zhenbei would not be worried at all.

However, Duan Qingning is acting out of character now, raising a question that has absolutely no benefit to him, which makes the Marquis of Zhenbei feel extremely uneasy.

It was as if Duan Qingning was plotting something sinister behind the scenes.

“Father, it’s true. She only made this one request.”

Looking at the Marquis of Zhenbei's expression, Shen Tianjiao knew what he was thinking.

Although she didn't know much about Duan Qingning, she could completely understand what her father was thinking at this moment.

An ambitious, capable, and shrewd woman, why not seize this golden opportunity to extort a hefty sum and use Shen Tianjiao to achieve her own goals?

But the result was that this person only made such an insignificant request, which was really illogical and baffling.

However, Shen Tianjiao could understand Duan Qingning's thoughts very well.

For Duan Qingning, she has experienced so many ups and downs, and now she has finally found her daughter who was lost for many years.

Having enjoyed a rare moment of family bliss, Chaoyun is now the most precious person in Duan Qingning's world.

Even if you offered the entire Nine Provinces to Duan Qingning in exchange for Chaoyun, Duan Qingning would still refuse.

Duan Qingning has experienced too much in her life, and she has long since become indifferent to everything, knowing that fame, fortune and power are nothing but fleeting clouds.

Only her daughter, Chaoyun, was the most precious thing to her.

Having seen it all, only the simple and ordinary is true happiness.

Being able to return to Southern Chu to avenge the massacre of her family years ago, and then live a peaceful life with Chaoyun, is enough for Duan Qingning now.

“Father, people change. Madam Duan has experienced everything in her life.”

"For her now, the most important thing is to return to Southern Chu to avenge the massacre of her family, and then live out the rest of her life peacefully and quietly with Chaoyun."

Shen Tianjiao supported the Marquis of Zhenbei as they walked, saying, "As for the matter of setting off tomorrow, it is my idea."

“My elder brother has been in Nan Chu for some time now, and I’m still feeling a bit uneasy.”

“Southern Chu is not as good as the Northern Frontier. The situation there is much more dangerous. It would be too much of a burden for my elder brother to go there and play mind games with those people.”

"I don't want anything right now, I just want my older brother to come back safely as soon as possible."

"As the future heir of the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion, his safety is of utmost importance."

"Only when he is safe can the situation in the northern frontier, the political situation in the capital, and the hearts of the people of Yunli be at peace."

Marquis Zhenbei is undoubtedly the guardian deity in the hearts of the people of Yunli, and as his successor, Shen Yiyang's position in the hearts of the people of Yunli is also irreplaceable.