The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 441 Settling the Feud

After seeing Yan Yu off, Shen Tianjiao was only depressed for a short while.

Because she doesn't have time to be depressed now; she has more important things to do.

Su Wenhao has already sent his father, Su Yang, to Bailu Academy to reunite with his family.

Moreover, Su Wenhao had said goodbye to his family and taken care of all the matters at home. He was now heading to Huguo Temple to meet up with Shen Tingzhi and discuss the next steps.

Now that everything is settled, there's no need to delay any longer.

As for Ayinurjing and her two nephews, they had no other choice but to cooperate with Shen Tianjiao and complete the tasks she gave them.

The Su family's affairs and matters have all been dealt with, and there's no need to keep Su Chang, who's half-dead, alive.

Today, Shen Tianjiao will take Ruan Yuhu with her to help her resolve her last remaining emotional knot.

When Ruan Yuhu was summoned to Shen Tianjiao's study, she had no idea what was about to happen.

"Girl, why did you call me over in such a hurry? Is something urgent?"

Looking at Shen Tianjiao, who had become much thinner and more haggard in just two days, Ruan Yuhu felt an indescribable heartache.

"What, can't I call you over for a chat unless it's something urgent?"

When Shen Tianjiao saw Ruan Yuhu arrive, she put down her calligraphy brush, got up, and walked to Ruan Yuhu's side.

She took Ruan Yuhu's arm and said, "The weather has been bad lately, not only is it gloomy, but it has also rained several times."

"It's rare to see the weather clear up today, so I'd like to ask my aunt to come with me for a walk outside."

Ruan Yuhu smiled and lowered her head, knowing in her heart that Shen Tianjiao didn't mean it was something else; she just wanted her to go for a walk with her since the weather had cleared up.

Shen Tianjiao clearly had something to do and wanted to go with her.

"Alright, let's go. Maybe then we won't have time to chat together."

Ruan Yuhu looked at Shen Tianjiao and said, "Your father, your two children, and your second brother should be back soon."

"Yes, once all the officials who went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple have returned and the affairs of the court have been carried out in an orderly manner, I will let them come back."

Although Shen Tianjiao also wanted to have the Marquis of Zhenbei bring Li Muyang and Li Muyan back right now, the situation was not yet stable and she still had many things to deal with.

Once we've finished dealing with everything at hand, we can have the Marquis of Zhenbei bring the two children back; that would be safer.

The court officials who went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple with 'Li Rui' should have returned yesterday.

Unfortunately, a heavy rain yesterday prevented them from returning.

Shen Tianjiao had just received news that 'Li Rui' had set off and would be back by evening at the latest.

This is why Shen Tianjiao was in such a hurry to take Ruan Yuhu to the Su family to settle their score.

Taking advantage of the absence of those court officials, before they could figure out what had happened in the capital while they were at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, they could then make their move against the Su family.

Otherwise, once those people return, it won't be so easy for her to take Ruan Yuhu to the Su family and make a move against Su Chang.

Even if the Su family was involved in Li Zhaohui's rebellion, as the second-ranked aristocratic family, it would still take many procedures to convict Su Chang, the head of the Su family.

It's impossible to let Su Chang die so easily.

Moreover, Su Chang is practically a living dead now. If we follow the normal procedures to convict him, many people who don't understand the situation will likely come forward to plead for him.

In the past six months or so, too many people have died because of Li Hongde's case, because of Qian Wanhe's case, and now because of Li Zhaohui's case.

Shen Tianjiao couldn't afford to confront those people head-on again over Su Chang's matter. She still had to give them some face and leave them some room for maneuver. Otherwise, if she went too far, she wouldn't have any way out in the future.

However, the feud between Ruan Yuhu and Su Chang must be resolved by them in person.

Therefore, Shen Tianjiao could only take Ruan Yuhu to the Su family before the court officials returned, so that she could settle things with Su Chang.

If Su Chang were to die at this time, Shen Tianjiao would naturally have prepared an explanation. She would tell the court officials that Su Chang was killed in the chaos of battle because he conspired with Li Zhaohui to rebel.

Whether those people believe what Shen Tianjiao says or not is completely irrelevant.

All they need to know is that Su Chang was killed in the chaos of battle during his attempt to force Li Zhaohui to abdicate.

Shen Tianjiao and Ruan Yuhu rode together in a carriage out of the palace.

The carriage sped out of the palace gates and arrived at the Su family's residence, but it didn't enter through the main gate; it entered through the back gate.

When the carriage stopped, Shen Tianjiao looked at Ruan Yuhu and said with a smile, "Auntie, I have an injury on my foot and it's inconvenient for me to walk."

"Why don't you go and see an old friend for me?"

Although Ruan Yuhu felt that Shen Tianjiao was acting strangely today, she still nodded in agreement.

"it is good."

Ruan Yuhu got off the carriage and found himself in a courtyard.

The courtyard is very elegant and unique, and you can tell at a glance that its owner is not only rich, but also of high status.

As Ruan Yuhu was admiring the scenery in the courtyard, a person suddenly walked over from a distance. He approached Ruan Yuhu and bowed, saying, "Madam, please come with me."

The man led the way, and Ruan Yuhu followed behind him.

The two of them, one in front of the other, soon arrived at a courtyard.

The man stepped forward, pushed open the door in front of him, turned around, and said to Ruan Yuhu, "Madam, the person you wish to see is inside. Please come in."

Ruan Yuhu frowned slightly and stepped into the room. Once inside, she saw the emblem of the Su family and realized where she was.

"Madam, the person you wish to see is currently lying in bed. I will wait outside. Please feel free to give any instructions you may have."

After saying these words, the man quietly left the room.

Ruan Yuhu suddenly felt dizzy and almost lost her balance, but luckily there was a chair next to her. She held onto the chair and sat on it for a while before she recovered.

At this moment, Ruan Yuhu understood why Shen Tianjiao had brought her here.

Although Shen Tianjiao didn't know what exactly happened back then, she knew that Su Chang was her last enemy.

Shen Tianjiao brought me to the Su family today so that I could personally kill my enemy, settle my grudges, and finally end this nearly thirty-year-long feud.

Having regained her composure, Ruan Yuhu got up and slowly walked to Su Chang's bedside.

At this moment, the once powerful and influential figure, who held the power of life and death and was invincible, was lying on the bed like a dead dog, barely clinging to life.

Looking at Su Chang lying on the bed, Ruan Yuhu's memories immediately returned to those years.

All the misfortunes in her life stemmed from Su Chang, a vengeful ghost even more wicked than the devil.

Although Su Chang was already a dying man, and the Su family was on the verge of collapse and about to disappear completely from Yunli.

However, Ruan Yuhu's hatred did not diminish in the slightest; her desire to kill Su Chang with her own hands remained as firm as it had been back then.

Ruan Yuhu took two more steps forward, looking down at Su Chang. Her only regret at this moment was that Su Chang was unconscious and she could not kill him while he was awake.

Despite the regrets, being able to personally kill her enemy in her lifetime fulfilled her vow to avenge her family, and she won't feel so guilty when she meets her family in the afterlife.

When they left the palace, Shen Tianjiao did not tell Ruan Yuhu that they had come to the Su family today, so Ruan Yuhu did not bring any daggers or short swords that could kill Su Chang.

If Shen Tianjiao told Ruan Yuhu that they had come to the Su family today so that she could personally kill her enemy, Su Chang, then Ruan Yuhu would definitely take the sharpest dagger.

She was going to use that dagger to cut off pieces of flesh from Su Chang's body, one by one, until she had cut off a full 318 pieces. That was the number of her family members who died in that incident.

Ruan Yuhu looked up into Su Chang's room, surveying the room as she searched for a suitable tool to kill someone.

When Ruan Yuhu's gaze fell upon a double-edged short sword that Su Chang had placed next to the Su clan totem that he had been worshipping, she was immediately stunned.

She knew this double-edged dagger all too well; it was her deceased husband's sword, and she had made the tassel herself.

If she were to end Su Chang's life with this double-edged dagger, her husband probably wouldn't blame her.

Without the slightest hesitation, Ruan Yuhu walked over and took the double-edged short sword.

Holding the double-edged dagger, Ruan Yuhu walked up to Su Chang and, without any hesitation, raised the dagger and thrust it fiercely at Su Chang.

Despite being in excruciating pain and having been unconscious for several days, Su Chang suddenly opened her eyes and regained consciousness.

But when he saw who was standing in front of him, he was terrified as if he had seen a demon.

Although Su Chang can no longer speak, Ruan Yuhu can still understand what he is saying from the muffled and indistinct sounds coming from his throat.

“Master Su, don’t worry, I will send you to meet your relatives and those you killed right away.”

"Go ahead and tell them what you have to say. After all, they are the ones who are truly qualified to offend you and ensure that you can never recover."

Ruan Yuhu stared at Su Chang, whose body was convulsing from the pain, and said expressionlessly, "You killed a total of 318 people from the Gu and Su families back then. Now you must repay their blood debt."

"Three hundred and eighteen people, one knife per person, a total of three hundred and eighteen cuts, you got off easy."

Ruan Yuhu spoke these words so casually, as if she were not killing someone, but doing something perfectly ordinary.

Lying on the bed, Su Chang's inner thoughts and facial expressions became even more terrified and distorted because of Ruan Yuhu's words.

He knew very well that others might just say these things, but Ruan Yuhu would not only say them, she would also do them.

He knew all too well how much this woman hated him and how ruthless she was.

Before Su Chang could react, Ruan Yuhu raised her sword and brought it down, the second strike landing on Su Chang.

This time, the pain knocked Su Chang unconscious again. Neither of Ruan Yuhu's two sword strikes landed on vital points, so they wouldn't kill Su Chang immediately.

Seeing that Su Chang had fainted, Ruan Yuhu pulled the sword out of his body. She stared at the hole she had stabbed in Su Chang's body, where blood was flowing, for a long time.

The crimson blood brought Ruan Yuhu back to her senses. Even if she had stabbed Su Chang 318 times, turning him into a sieve, her loved ones would never come back.

Su Chang and the entire Su family have come to this end, which can be considered as retribution.

If she really did stab Su Chang 318 times as she had just thought, then what difference would there be between her and that madman Su Chang?

She was once a lonely and helpless person, but now she has Shen Tianjiao, Li Muyang, and Li Muyan by her side, so she should cherish her blessings.

Thinking of this, Ruan Yuhu raised her sword and stabbed Su Chang in the heart, giving him a quick death.

Because Su Chang was already unconscious, Ruan Yuhu's fatal blow did not cause him much pain. He only struggled and twitched for a while before becoming completely still.

Upon seeing that Su Chang was dead, Ruan Yuhu took the sword out of his body.

After drawing her sword, Ruan Yuhu retreated to the chair behind her and sat down. Her heart was pounding like a drum.

This was Ruan Yuhu's first time killing someone. If she hadn't hated Su Chang so much, she would never have used a sword to kill someone.

Ruan Yuhu didn't know how long she sat in the chair before she regained some strength.

Her face and body were splattered with Su Chang's blood, which she found unbearable.

So Ruan Yuhu got up, walked to the door, and instructed outside, "Fetch some clean water."

"Madam, Her Majesty the Empress has ordered a bathing place to be prepared for you. Please come with me."

The man who had led Ruan Yuhu in from outside the door was now a woman, clearly indicating that Shen Tianjiao had anticipated what was going to happen.

"Well, let's go."

Although this was at the Su family's residence, Ruan Yuhu could not bear the sight of herself covered in blood, especially since the blood came from her enemy.

All she wanted now was to wash herself clean of the blood and grime covering her body and completely forget what had just happened.

The maid quickly led Ruan Yuhu to a quiet courtyard. Once inside the room, Ruan Yuhu saw that bathwater and clean clothes had been prepared.

Moreover, she prepared not just one bucket of bathwater, but two. Only Shen Tianjiao could be so thoughtful.

Ruan Yuhu waved his hand and ordered, "You may all leave now. I need to take a bath and change my clothes."

After hearing Ruan Yuhu's words, everyone in the room silently withdrew.