The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 296 Negotiation

Shen Tianjiao pondered for a moment, then looked up at Ruan Yuhu and said, "Why don't we give it a try?"

"Well, let's give it a try. It doesn't cost any money anyway, so we don't have anything to lose."

"If he still can't let go of his obsession and refuses to repent, then I will be the bad guy and use his two sons as a threat."

"I still don't believe it. For the sake of Li Zhaohui, can he really make the Wang family extinct?"

This is the side of Ruan Yuhu that makes him more decisive and ruthless than Shen Tianjiao. Shen Tianjiao will consider many factors when doing things, but Ruan Yuhu rarely considers those external factors.

"That's not the case. He dared to hand his two sons over to me. I think he knew what was going on at the time."

"I think he may have handed his two sons over to me to find a way out and support for them."

No matter how beautiful the white moonlight is, there are times when it cannot compare to the love between father and son. The white moonlight must be kept in one's heart, but the son is one's own flesh and blood, the foundation for the continuation of the family line.

No matter how much Wang Yunzhi loves Li Chaohui, his white moonlight, he would not be so foolish as to abandon his two sons.

Shen Tianjiao was hesitating about whether to persuade Wang Yunzhi to rebel, not because she felt that Wang Yunzhi would still help Li Chaohui to do evil.

But she knew too well the weaknesses of human nature. Even though Wang Yunzhi was already tired of Li Chaohui at this time, there were still the ties from the past.

As long as those ties are there, it will be difficult for Wang Yunzhi to make up his mind to completely draw a line with Li Chaohui and separate himself from the complicated relationship between the two.

If we want to make Wang Yunzhi and Li Chaohui become enemies completely, we need to take a drastic measure.

The ingredients of this medicine are Wang Yunzhi’s two sons and his wife.

The moment Shen Tianjiao looked up, she had an idea in her mind. She decided to take a gamble, win or lose.

It would be even better if we win, everyone will be happy, let’s not talk about the past, and from now on we will work together.

It doesn’t matter if I lose, although Wang Yunzhi does have considerable influence in the court and is a very capable person.

However, if one cannot be used for his own benefit, cannot distinguish between right and wrong, and cannot put the people of the world first, then there is nothing to regret even if such a person is abandoned.

"Well, it's good that you know what's going on. I'll go check on Duan Qingning."

Seeing that Shen Tianjiao looked determined to win, Ruan Yuhu didn't say anything more.

"Aunt, you have to do me a favor." Now that Shen Tianjiao had an idea in her mind, she decided to put it into action. She has never been a person who procrastinates.

"You say." Ruan Yuhu always responded to Shen Tianjiao's requests.

"I want to set up a trap and deal a heavy blow to Prime Minister Wang, breaking the last line of defense between him and Li Zhaohui."

"If I win the bet, then this time we can use the least casualties to exchange for the greatest victory, and Wang Yunzhi can also have a chance to redeem himself and save his family from being implicated."

"But if I lose the bet, then Yunli's court will lose a useful pillar."

"Well, it's time for Wang Yunzhi to make a final decision. It's not a good idea to keep wavering like this."

Ruan Yuhu lowered his head and thought for a moment, then looked up at Shen Tianjiao and said, "Jiaojiao, it's always better to be prepared for everything and make plans early."

"If Wang Yunzhi still makes the same mistake this time and chooses a dead end, then you should think of the candidate for Prime Minister in advance."

"As the head of all officials, the Prime Minister plays a vital role in the entire court."

"Whether Yunli's court can be brought to a peaceful state depends on this person's ability and methods."

"Wang Yunzhi, although he has been in the court for so many years, has never formed a clique, taken sides, or formed factions, nor has he cultivated his own power."

"But this person has the ability, means, and authority. In many difficult decisions, as long as he appears, he will turn the tide."

"No matter how those court officials slandered him on the surface, deep down, they were still willing to listen to him."

"It's not easy to find someone like this to replace Wang Yunzhi."

Shen Tianjiao understood Ruan Yuhu's concerns, which was actually the reason why she had not touched Wang Yunzhi.

Shen Tianjiao was well aware of Wang Yunzhi's majesty in the court. If Wang Yunzhi had not stepped forward to help her on many occasions, not only would the problem not be resolved, but those court officials would have taken the opportunity to create chaos and escalate the matter so that she would lose face.

It is extremely difficult to find someone who can control the overall situation better than Wang Yunzhi and convince the court officials.

Looking at the entire Yunli, such people almost do not exist.

It’s not that Yunli lacks talented and capable people, but those people do not have what it takes now. Someone like Wang Yunzhi, who is both capable and has the prestige to intimidate court officials.

In recent years, since Li Rui ascended the throne as emperor, the person who has been in control of the overall situation in the court has always been Wang Yunzhi.

Emperor Li Rui was a real failure. Both the former dynasty and the harem were governed in a mess by him.

Because Li Rui trusted Wang Yunzhi very much, he delegated power to him in many matters, which was also the most basic reason why the court officials believed in Wang Yunzhi.

For more than ten years, these court officials have become accustomed to listening to Wang Yunzhi and obeying his orders, and have unconsciously regarded him as the emperor's spokesperson.

I feel that what Wang Yunzhi said represents the emperor's intention.

This is indeed a big trouble. I hope that Prime Minister Wang will not let me down this time and make a choice that he should not make.

"It's not easy to remove Wang Yunzhi. Even if I have the right candidate, I won't be able to convince everyone that Wang Yunzhi must be removed."

"I can't dismiss Wang Yunzhi just because I say so. After all, our Prime Minister Wang is a very powerful figure in the court, and no one can avoid his influence."

"So this time, I'm just testing the waters to give him a chance. Even if he makes the wrong choice, I won't remove him at this time."

"If I dismiss him now, the court officials will surely attack me and make my life miserable."

What Shen Tianjiao fears most now is dealing with those court officials. The military generals are okay, most of them are straightforward people. Even if there are a few who have serious thoughts, with the Marquis of Zhenbei around, they dare not cause any big trouble.

But these civil officials are different. They are full of thoughts and schemes. Shen Tianjiao really cannot defeat them alone.

With Wang Yunzhi around, Shen Tianjiao doesn't have to worry about these civil officials at all.

Since the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, no matter what choice Wang Yunzhi makes, Shen Tianjiao will not touch Wang Yunzhi until Li Chaohui is completely resolved.

As for if Wang Yunzhi insists on going down the same path with Li Chaohui until the end, then it's not her fault.

When the truth comes out and the conspiracy with treason is revealed, it will be a serious crime. Even the famous Wang Yunzhi will not be able to escape death.

Even if those court officials were dissatisfied at that time, no one dared to speak up for Wang Yunzhi. After all, who would be willing to use the heads of their own people to speak up for others?

At that time, it would be Shen Tianjiao's turn to decide who would be appointed as prime minister.

"Then Jiaojiao, how are you going to set this up?"

Since Shen Tianjiao has already agreed in her heart, Ruan Yuhu will not say anything more.

"Aunt, please find a way to get Madam Wang out of the city. She can't go to Anguo Temple, but she can go to Huguo Temple to pray for her two sons."

Shen Tianjiao's meaning was very clear. She wanted to start with Madam Wang first.

"That's no problem. When can we let her leave?" It was just a matter of asking Madam Wang to leave the city. For Ruan Yuhu, this was a piece of cake.

"Five days later. If we send someone to Quzhou now, it will take at least three days."

Ruan Yuhu was stunned for a moment, then he understood that Shen Tianjiao was going to take a two-pronged approach and give Wang Yunzhi a strong dose of medicine.

This is also to thoroughly prove that Li Chaohui can no longer tolerate Madam Wang and Wang Yunzhi's two sons, and will not stop until he gets rid of them as soon as possible.

It doesn’t matter whether Li Chaohui sent someone to do it or not. What matters is that Wang Yunzhi believes it.

Whether Wang Yunzhi and Li Chaohui will become complete enemies depends on this one move.

"Okay, no problem. Madam Wang will appear at the Huguo Temple on time in five days to pray for her two sons."

Shen Tianjiao and Ruan Yuhu smiled at each other knowingly.

"Jiaojiao, your second brother has been back for some time now, and it's time for you to plan for his future."

"When he returned this time, he told the public that an old illness had relapsed and he needed to come back to recuperate, but we can't really use this as an excuse to keep him away from the court and out of the world."

"You need someone who is absolutely trustworthy and capable to help and assist you."

"Although the Zhenbei Marquisate is a prominent family, it is not a good thing if there is no one in charge of the court."

Ruan Yuhu's worries were not unreasonable. If Shen Tingzhi could not enter the court, he would not be able to stay in Shangjing for long relying only on the prominence of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion and the reputation he had accumulated in Ganzhou.

Only by allowing Shen Tingzhi to truly enter the court and become a member of it can he play his role in the court.

Only then could he win over the court officials and help Shen Tianjiao stabilize the government, so that there would be no chaos and a smooth transition during the period when Li Muyang had not ascended the throne but was in power under Shen Tianjiao.

After Li Muyang ascended the throne, he was able to ensure a smooth transfer of power without any new conflicts or crises.

"I've considered this before, but after much thought, I really don't know what position to assign him."

"When he was the governor of Ganzhou, he was already a second-rank official. If he returns to the capital with a lower position, he will feel wronged and will also cause criticism from others."

"If he is promoted one level higher, I'm afraid those court officials will not let it go."

"He is my biological brother. No matter what I do, it will be seen as partiality."

"Although I'm not afraid of those criticisms, after all, people's words can be scary. I'm afraid those people will incite those who don't know the truth to cause trouble."

"By then, it will not only be the reputation of the Zhenbei Marquis that will be damaged, but also my second brother's reputation."

"Once an official's reputation is destroyed, it is equivalent to losing his future and prospects."

"That's why I'm so undecided about this matter. I haven't made a decision yet."

Shen Tingzhi is Shen Tianjiao's biological brother, so Shen Tianjiao naturally has to consider him in everything and take everything into consideration.

She couldn't let Shen Tingzhi, the pearl of wisdom, be covered in dust. She wanted Shen Tingzhi to become the pillar of Yun Li.

"Jiaojiao, you think too much. Sometimes thinking too much and being indecisive is not necessarily a good thing."

Ruan Yuhu looked at Shen Tianjiao and said, "How about the position of Imperial College Priest?"

"Your second brother is going the civil service route anyway. Speaking of the official rank, the Imperial College's chief academic officer is a third-rank official, which is slightly lower than the second-rank official."

"But no one said that being the Imperial College's chief academic officer would mean a demotion."

"If a third-rank official can do it, what can't a second-rank official do?"

"Besides, this is just a temporary transition period, just a springboard to pave the way for him to enter the court and participate in government affairs in the future."

"The Imperial College is a gathering place for students from all over the world. This is also a good opportunity for him to meet more knowledgeable people and make plans for the future. What do you think?"

Shen Tianjiao stared at Ruan Yuhu blankly, not saying anything for a long time.

The Imperial College's chief academic officer? That's a highly sought-after position in the entire court.

Although it is only a third-rank official, the benefits it brings are more than any other position.

The students who enter the Imperial College are the best in Yunli, and they will all become officials in the future.

The Chief Academician of the Imperial College is the formal teacher of these students. As a person with disciples all over the world, he is not only respected, but also has a stable status. This is what many people dream of.

"Aunt, this Imperial College's chief academic officer is Jishi. Ever since I, Yun, left the country, the Ji family has always held the position of Imperial College's chief academic officer, and no one with another surname has ever been appointed."

"Don't even mention whether the Ji family agrees to let the wise man go. Even the court officials won't agree."

"As the largest family in Yunli, the Zhenbei Marquisate is already a source of fear for them. Now, if my second brother takes the position of the Imperial College's chief academic officer, what will happen?"

"I wonder how many people will be unable to sleep at night and will try every possible way to drag him down to the dust."

Ruan Yuhu dared to say something that Shen Tianjiao didn't even dare to think about. She could now see the scene of those court officials arguing endlessly about this matter in the hall.

She is already having a headache now. If this really happens, Yun Li's world will be overturned.

Ruan Yuhu couldn't help laughing when he saw the child in front of him who was already capable of standing on his own but now acted like a little coward.