The story of a bullied daughter's rise to power

"You... stop laughing. I'm sorry for you." Situ Yaorao said stubbornly. Hearing this, Cang shook his head: "How could it be? It should be said that it's my fault. If I hadn't left, you wouldn't have changed your mind. I shouldn't have left." Cang's voice was not loud, but it scared Situ Yaorao.

The intuition left by years of martial arts training told her that this man was dangerous.

"Cang, I know this is my fault. But even so, I still have to make it clear, because the relationship between two people cannot be forced."

"So Yaorao, have you ever thought about me?" The man looked at Situ Yaorao and asked softly. I don't know if he has calmed down or what.

"Sorry." Situ Yaorao gritted her teeth and continued to apologize.

Seeing his beloved woman like this, Cang didn't say anything for a long time. After about a quarter of an hour, he finally said, "I understand. If that's the case, I won't force it. I wish you happiness." After saying that, the man turned and left.

"Wait..." Situ Yaorao called out to Cang. Hearing this, the man turned around and looked at Situ Yaorao and asked, "What's going on?"

"How are you doing?"

"Very good. I listened to you and stopped killing. I also listened to you and said I would always think of you. But, looking back, you no longer like me." Cang looked at Situ Yaorao with a face full of grievance.

Situ Yaorao never knew how to deal with such a dilemma. She knew clearly that the person she loved was Tantai Wuyue. But facing Cang's attitude, she couldn't help but feel distressed.

"You should go back. Today is your female exam, right? We will meet again if we are destined to." Cang looked at Situ Yaorao with a gentle voice, which made Situ Yaorao feel dazed.

While she was in a trance, the man had already left.

Situ Yaorao returned to the hall in a daze, feeling completely distraught.

"What's wrong with you? Did Princess Lianqiao say something to you?" Mu Wanwan couldn't help but ask with concern when she saw that Situ Yaorao had changed. Situ Yaorao shook her head and looked at the woman, somewhat bewildered. "I met an old friend. I thought he would never come back. But today, he came back. And I can't fulfill the promise I made to him."

"What...what happened?" Mu Wanwan asked in confusion. Situ Yaorao just shook her head but said nothing.

At the same time, on the other side.

In a forest of blood-red cherry blossoms, a man leaned against a tree. His blood-red eyes held a look of indifference, as if he saw through everything.

In front of him, a woman in black knelt on the ground, not daring to speak. After a while, the man looked at the woman coldly and said, "Back then, I asked you to stay by her side and secretly monitor her. Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Your Highness, please forgive me. Your Highness, please forgive me. I didn't tell you because I was afraid that you would be sad after knowing it." The woman said hurriedly.

"Hmph! What a joke! I kept you by her side, but you let her fall in love with someone else? Hongying, do you think I don't know what you're thinking?" The man looked coldly at the woman kneeling on the ground. The woman didn't dare to speak.

"That's all, it's not a big deal. No matter who she falls in love with or what happens next, as long as she's mine in the end, that's enough. This plan is flawless, and no matter who objects, there's no way to change it." The man finished his words and chuckled. This smile was like the falling cherry blossoms, beautiful yet tinged with a hint of despair.

It seems like the madness after the last hope collapsed.

The woman looked at her own prince and was terrified, but she did not dare to retreat.

Time passed quickly and it was already noon.

Many women had waited in the hall for too long, exhausted both physically and mentally. At this moment, a sharp voice rang out: "The Emperor has arrived. The Empress has arrived. The Empress Dowager has arrived. The Second Prince has arrived!"

As the voice sounded, everyone who had already lost their spirits immediately sat up straight.

You should know that these people are the ones who take the examination for the daughters of officials in the capital. As for ordinary women, they will take the examination in the government offices outside the palace.

"Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor, long live the Empress, a thousand years of life, a thousand years of life, good luck to the Empress Dowager, and good health to the Second Prince." Everyone knelt on the ground and said.

"Alright, everyone, stand up." The emperor's voice was quite gentle. As everyone stood up, these people also sat in the upper seats.

"Yun Yi, I leave this matter to you." The emperor looked at Tan Tai Yun Yi and said calmly. Tan Tai Yun Yi knelt respectfully and said, "Yes, father, I will definitely fulfill my mission."

In the main hall, many women were sitting down. The tables and chairs had been removed and replaced by desks with pens, ink, paper and inkstone on them. There was also a musical instrument stand on the side.

Taking his seat, Tan Tai Yun Yi looked at the crowd and said calmly, "Ladies, I will determine the questions for today's female exam. To ensure fairness, we have placed all the test items in a box and will draw lots to determine the questions. The one you draw will be the first question of the day. The female exam will consist of seven questions. Please prepare yourself." Tan Tai Yun Yi said, his hands folded. After speaking, he turned and knelt respectfully before the emperor: "Father, may I begin?"

The emperor nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this and said, "Alright. You will be in charge of everything today." The emperor said this with great satisfaction. In fact, if it weren't for the princesses in the palace also wanting to take the exam, the emperor wouldn't have had to come here.

After receiving the order, Tantai Yunyi said, "Come here, bring the examination box."

As he finished speaking, two palace maids approached with a tray. Inside the tray was a box. Tantai Yunyi stepped forward and casually pulled out a piece of paper from the box.

After unfolding it, she faced the crowd and said, "Girls, today's first test is embroidery." After she finished speaking, she saw a group of palace servants coming over, and they very considerately brought cloth and embroidery thread to the women.

If it was music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, Situ Yaorao could still struggle. But embroidery? She was dumbfounded because she had never imagined such a test would happen.

"The assessment time is two hours. You girls can decide what to embroider. After you finish embroidering, it will be handed over to the palace's embroiderers to judge whether it is qualified." Tan Tai Yun Yi said, looked at the many women, and lit the incense for timing.

As the incense was lit, many women began to pick up their needles and threads and began to embroider. Situ Yaorao played with the embroidery thread, her brows furrowed tightly. It wasn't that she didn't want to embroider, it was just that she had never done such a thing before!

In the past, Situ Yaorao wasn't a lady from a wealthy family; she only knew how to embroider. The current Situ Yaorao was even more so. In her previous life, her masters only taught her kung fu. They taught her how to make her life better.

Where can I learn this kind of thing?

Moreover, embroidery was no longer popular in that era.

Of course, none of this is the point. The point is, she doesn't know how to embroider!

Here, Situ Yaorao looked distressed. Meanwhile, Tantai Yunyi looked over and, seeing that she hadn't even embroidered anything, couldn't help but shake his head and sigh inwardly.

It seemed like this was putting her in a difficult position. However, it was also a helpless move.

Time often feels like it's passing quickly even when you don't want it to. No matter how much Situ Yaorao prayed that she could take the embroidery up later, it was in vain.

As the incense went out, Tantai Yunyi immediately had the embroidery collected. Situ Yaorao looked at the embroidery of the four-legged beast in her hand and silently handed it over.

After putting away the embroidery, Tan Tai Yun Yi said to the crowd, "Girls, the first round of the test is over. However, if there are any girls who are not good at embroidery, don't worry. As long as you pass five out of seven tests, you will pass the female test. The next test will begin. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Mingyue Kingdom and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Lanlin will be here to watch. Then, I hope all the girls will work hard." After saying this, Tan Tai Yun Yi turned to the emperor and said, "Father, this first embroidery competition is over."

"Yes." The emperor nodded in satisfaction, then stood up and left. Following him was the Empress. The Empress Dowager, however, stayed behind.