The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 181 Songhe Tower in Danger

It is impossible to visit the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion in such a short time.

Shen Tingzhi took his two children and only visited the courtyard where Shen Tianjiao stayed in her boudoir and the courtyard where the three brothers lived.

Although he only saw a small part of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, it was already very rare for Li Muyang.

Although the imperial palace is larger than the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, Li Muyang's activities on weekdays are limited to Yuxiu Palace, and even in Yuxiu Palace he has been to very few places.

Now, because of his busy studies, he has even fewer places to go.

After walking around in such a long circle, both the older and younger children were exhausted. Li Muyan was so tired that she collapsed directly into Shen Tingzhi's arms and fell asleep.

Shen Tingzhi brought the two children to his room. After putting Li Muyan on the bed, Shen Tingzhi looked back at Li Muyang and asked, "Do you want to sleep with An An for a while, or do you want to have lunch first?"

"Second uncle, I want to sleep for a while." Li Muyang was very sleepy due to physical fatigue. He had no mood or energy to eat at this moment. He just wanted to have a good sleep.

"Okay, then you can sleep with An An. Second uncle has to go out to do something very important now and will be back soon."

"I'll let Chunchao come in and keep you company first, okay?"

Shen Tingzhi was extremely gentle to his two nephews, and he would consult with them before anything else he said or did.

"Yeah, okay." Li Muyang was so sleepy that he could fall asleep while standing.

Last night, because Shen Tianjiao did not return to the hot spring villa but stayed in the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, Li Muyang did not sleep well the whole night.

He had to worry about his mother and take care of his sister, and he was very busy.

So he must get some sleep now to replenish his energy.

After settling Li Muyang and Li Muyan, Shen Tingzhi removed the makeup on his face and turned back into a handsome man.

After packing up, Shen Tingzhi stood up and walked outside, saying to Chunchao who was waiting, "I'm going out to meet an old friend now. You stay here and take good care of the two children."

"After they wake up, let them eat something. Qiu Tong will come back to pick them up later. I told Mu'er that I will go to the palace to see him in two days."

"Yes, Second Young Master, please bring more people with you." The situation in the capital was unstable, and Chunchao couldn't help but worry that someone would take the opportunity to attack Shen Ting.

After all, the cause of the death of the eldest son of the Yan family has not yet been determined, and it still hangs over the sky of Shangjing City like a dark cloud.

Shen Tingzhi shook his head and said, "No, I'm just going to the Duke of Tang's mansion to meet his eldest son and reminisce about the past."

Hearing that Shen Tingzhi was going to the Duke of Tang's mansion, Chunchao's heart skipped a beat and he began to persuade him, "Second Young Master, you should take some secret guards with you. The Duke of Tang's mansion is a complicated place with a large family of brothers living together. Not only are there too many people and too many gossips, but the brothers are also not on the same page and each of them fights for their own master."

"The water in his house is not only deep but also muddy. I am really worried about him."

Shen Tingzhi was stunned. He was in a hurry to go to the Duke of Tang's Mansion to find Gong Yifan, the eldest son of the Gong family, but he really forgot about the complicated situation of the Gong family.

The Duke of Tang's Mansion is not like the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion. Their family has no branches. It is like a big courtyard where the Duke of Tang and his four brothers live together.

These five brothers have a typical relationship where they appear to be in disharmony with their hearts. In front of others, they are respectful to each other and act harmoniously, but behind the scenes, they can even fight for their own interests.

His current identity is different from the past. He used to be just the second son of the Marquis of Zhenbei, but now he is not only the second son of the Marquis of Zhenbei, he is also a minister in the court and the uncle of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

You should not have the intention to harm others, but you must also be on guard against others.

Besides, when he went to Duke Tang's Mansion this time, he didn't intend to enter through the main gate and make it known to everyone.

After all, the Duke of Tang had just swaggered out of the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion, and in the blink of an eye he went to the Duke of Tang's Mansion. If this matter were to spread, who knows how much suspicion and criticism it would arouse.

However, if he did not enter through the main gate of Duke Tang's Mansion, his safety would be difficult to guarantee.

The five brothers of Duke Tang have different minds. There are too many interests involved in this, and it is very complicated. He really cannot be careless.

"Yu Sheng." Shen Tingzhi called out, and a black shadow immediately appeared in front of him.

"Go to Duke Tang's mansion and deliver a letter to Young Master Gong, telling him that I'm going to meet him at Songhe Tower later today." Shen Tingzhi thought for a moment and said, "Arrange someone to go to Songhe Tower, and do it in a secretive manner."

"As for Young Master Gong, tell him to be more cautious and not tell anyone else."

"Yes, Yu Sheng understands." Yu Sheng left as quietly as he came.

Songhelou is the most famous restaurant in Shangjing City. Most of the people who go there are dignitaries. The reason why Shen Tingzhi chose it is because it is a very secretive place. As long as you don’t want others to know that you have appeared in Songhelou, then others will not know that you have appeared in Songhelou.

Even though Songhelou has a strict confidentiality system, I still need to be cautious.

Shen Tingzhi looked down at the moon-white brocade gown on his body and felt that the outfit was a bit too eye-catching, so he went to get an ivory-white cotton gown and put it on.

After packing up, Shen Tingzhi went out from the side door of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion and took a carriage to Songhe Tower.

When Shen Tingzhi arrived at Songhe Tower, he was directly led into the most secret courtyard inside the building. Shen Tingzhi was the only guest in this courtyard today.

This most secret courtyard is also the place with the best scenery in the entire Songhe Tower.

There are not only rockery and artificial waterfalls, but also all kinds of exotic flowers and plants.

Being in such an environment, Shen Tingzhi completely relaxed. After the days of traveling back to Beijing and the things that happened after he came back, Shen Tingzhi was really tired. Being able to rest here was indeed a good choice for Shen Tingzhi.

It was already late summer, and the weather was not as scorching as in midsummer. There was also a gentle breeze. In such an environment, Shen Tingzhi quickly closed his eyes.

Although his body was extremely tired, the habit he had developed over the years prevented Shen Tingzhi from falling asleep. He remained somewhat awake and alert.

When there were faint footsteps, Shen Tingzhi was not alert at first. He just thought it was Gong Yifan coming, or a servant coming to bring tea and snacks.

After a moment, Shen Tingzhi felt something was wrong. Although the footsteps were light, they were very frequent. It was obvious that there were not just one or two people coming, but many people coming together.

And by listening to the footsteps, you can tell that they are not ordinary people but martial artists.

Shen Tingzhi woke up the moment he opened his eyes. He quickly adjusted his state and prepared to fight at any time.

As the footsteps got closer and closer to him, Shen Tingzhi quickly stood up, overturned the table in front of him, and threw it directly at those people.

This action scared those who were planning to assassinate Shen Tingzhi. Originally, when they saw Shen Tingzhi fell asleep, they wanted to sneak up on him and take him down in one fell swoop, but who would have thought that Shen Tingzhi not only woke up at this time, but also noticed their presence.

However, those people did not stop just because Shen Tingzhi woke up and noticed their presence. They were well-trained killers who had gone through various tests.

Seeing that these people were about to approach, Shen Tingzhi did not hesitate and took out the dagger he carried with him. This was the habit of the three brothers. No matter what clothes they wore, they always carried a dagger for self-defense.

This is also what the Marquis of Zhenbei requested. After all, no one knows when the danger will come, so we must be prepared in advance.

The dagger in Shen Ting's hand is no ordinary object. It is made of black iron and is extremely sharp, capable of killing with one blow.

This was specially made by the Marquis of Zhenbei for his own children. Shen Tingzhi and his four siblings each have one.

Shen Tingzhi attacked the people closest to him with a dagger in his hand. After a few rounds, those who were closest to Shen Tingzhi were all killed by him. Some were dead, and some were lying on the ground unable to move.

Shen Tingzhi's actions made the people watching the battle from a distance dare not slack off anymore. They rushed forward and prepared to encircle Shen Tingzhi.

The order these people received today was that Shen Tingzhi must die today no matter how great the cost.

Shen Tingzhi looked up at the people who were about to surround him and knew that these people were well-trained professional killers.

The fact that these people would appear in Songhe Tower and could assassinate him here was no simple matter.

Staring at these people, Shen Tingzhi's mood calmed down. He had also experienced the cruelty of war and fought his way out of a pile of dead bodies. Although these people were well-trained professional killers, if he tried his best, he might not lose this battle.

Just when the tension between the two sides was at its most tense, Gong Yifan rushed in. He was shocked by the scene in front of him, but he quickly calmed down.

Although the Duke of Tang's Mansion is now in decline and its descendants are not ambitious and are neither talented in literature nor in martial arts, the ancestors of the Duke of Tang's Mansion rose to power because of their outstanding military achievements.

Although Gong Yifan was not very good at studying, he liked practicing martial arts since he was a child, and he was quite good at it.

The scene before him clearly showed that someone was trying to kill his brother, and Gong Yifan couldn't tolerate it.

Without a word, he attacked and knocked the killer closest to him to the ground.

This sudden change stunned Shen Tingzhi and the killers.

"Tingzhi, I'm here. Let's work together as brothers to take out these people!"

Gong Yifan doesn't have the elegance of a young man from a wealthy family, but instead has a lot of gangster spirit.

"Okay, let's join forces, brothers. None of them can escape." Shen Tingzhi didn't take these people seriously in the first place, and now that help has come, he is even less afraid.

As they were talking, the killers missed the best time to assassinate, and the sounds of fighting in the courtyard had already spread outside.

The guards and secret guards rushed in all at once, and soon the killers were subdued.

Shen Tingzhi wiped the blood off his hands with a handkerchief, then looked coldly at the assassins kneeling on the ground and ordered, "Kill them all. Leave no one alive."

The secret guards received orders from their master and acted quickly, and soon all the killers were killed.

"Master, our people have already dealt with those outside." Yu Sheng knelt on the ground, waiting for Shen Tingzhi's punishment.

As the captain of Shen Tingzhi's personal guard, he failed to protect his master, causing his master to be attacked and almost lose his life. This was his dereliction of duty and he should be punished.

"Get up, this is not your fault." Shen Tingzhi looked at Yu Sheng who was kneeling on the ground and said, "Go, call Zheng Chuang over to me and let him see this scene with his own eyes."

"If he doesn't give me an explanation today, I'll never let him go!"

"I really gave him face. How come I've been a civil servant for so long that he thinks I'm weak and can be bullied? Should I let him bully me?"

"He must have forgotten that I have another nickname, the Devil God."

"If he can't give me a reasonable explanation today, I will tear down his Songhe Tower and go to his Huaiwang Mansion to make trouble. I'll ask his old man to give me an explanation."

"Yes." Yu Sheng quickly stood up from the ground, turned around and was about to go out to find the owner of Songhe Tower, Zheng Chuanglai, the grandson of King Huai Zheng Guang.

Before Yu Sheng left the yard, Zheng Chuang came hurriedly.

Just now, when he heard the news that Shen Tingzhi was assassinated here, he was almost scared to death. If anything happened to this ancestor here today, his life would be over here.

"Tingzhi, are you okay?" Zheng Chuang saw the dead bodies on the ground when he came in. The deaths were so horrific that it was unbearable to look at.

"Fortunately, he is not dead. I am sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Zheng." Shen Tingzhi looked at Zheng Chuang with a face so cold that he could kill people.

"Tingzhi, what are you talking about?" Zheng Chuang's gaze suddenly turned from the dead killers back to his eyes wide open, staring at Shen Tingzhi.

"Tingzhi, you don't think I arranged all these people, do you?" Zheng Chuang waved his hands and shook his head anxiously. "Tingzhi, are you Tingzhi?"

"You are definitely not Tingzhi. Tingzhi is such a smart and wise person, how could he believe that these things in front of him were done by him?"

"Tell me quickly, who are you? Get off Tingzhi right now, or I won't let you go!"

Shen Tingzhi looked at the drama queen in front of him coldly and said in a cold tone: "Stop acting in front of me, I won't fall for it."

"Your Songhe Tower has its own rules. If anything happens to any guest who comes to your Songhe Tower, you will be held responsible to the end."

"I'm not here to make friends with you today. I'm here as a guest. If something happens to me at Songhelou, you will be held responsible."