The story of a bullied daughter's rise to power

"Please speak." Tan Tai Yun Yi said.

Liu Wuchen glanced at the teacup on the table, and finally poured a cup of tea for Tan Tai Yun Yi before saying, "Prince Yun Yi, you came to my Xun Yang City today. After you go out tonight, do you have any ideas?"

"Very beautiful. The peonies in the city are bright. If possible, we should promote them to increase the commercial value of Xunyang City." Tan Tai Yun Yi said sincerely.

Then Liu Wuchen's expression darkened. "That's not necessary. In fact, I invited Your Highness here just to let you know that the peonies in Xunyang City were planted with the Emperor's permission."

"Oh?" This wasn't unexpected to Tantai Yunyi. After all, who else but his father could allow these things to exist without being discovered?

"This person is so good at pretending to be ignorant. I think Your Highness is a smart man. Even if you think you are not, I also think you are. So, the things in this city..."

Liu Wuchen didn't finish his words, but the meaning was clear. He was warning Tantai Yunyi that the emperor was backing everything going on in the city. If he didn't want to suffer any loss, he should just say nothing and act like a fool.

It's really hard to deal with! Tan Tai Yun Yi sighed secretly. But Tan Tai Wu Yue had already decided to take care of this matter. Naturally, he couldn't get himself out of it. So, he put down the teacup, looked at Liu Wu Chen and said, "Brother Liu, I think you have found the wrong person. Although I am a prince, the crown prince must be respected in all matters. When you come to Xun Yang City, the crown prince is the one who makes the final decision. This is the order of the emperor. So, if you have anything to say, it's better to talk to the crown prince. The tea is good, but it's a bit strong. It has become bitter. Farewell."

After Tan Tai Yun Yi finished speaking, he stood up and left. Liu Wu Chen's face darkened. After Tan Tai Yun Yi left, he flicked the teacup to the ground and said, "Hmph!"

As the teacup fell to the ground, a stone door suddenly appeared on the wall of the room that was originally occupied by only one person. Behind the stone door, a man in red walked out. His charming and delicate face was no less beautiful than the woman's.

"What? Failed?" His voice was charming, yet with a hint of amusement.

"Tan Tai Yun Yi is indeed not easy to fool. He has indeed failed." Liu Wu Chen said fiercely.

The man in red smiled nonchalantly upon hearing this. A hint of a smile crossed his pale face. "Everything has its two sides. Few people are unaware of the strangeness of Xunyang City. It's just that no one has come to investigate. Those who have come have only gone through the motions, quite tactfully. However, when you spoke with Tantai Yunyi today, he didn't give you a firm answer. This suggests the Crown Prince has other plans. Be prepared."

"You are quite open-minded. That's the prince!" Liu Wuchen said angrily.

The man in red was indifferent: "What can the prince do? If you want... sooner or later you can do it." The man said, and chuckled. Liu Wuchen's face became even uglier: "Don't think I don't know what you are thinking, don't even think about it!"

"Really?" The man's attitude was very casual, walking around the room casually.

After a while, Liu Wuchen finally lost his temper: "Tell me, what should we do?"

The man in red stood by the window, pinching off azalea flowers from the pot and resting them on his fingertips. A smile crossed his face. He seemed to think it didn't matter at all, but he felt it would be bad to keep silent. So he said, "It's simple. If they want to investigate, let them investigate. If they want to save Xunyang City, let them save it. If someone overestimates their own abilities, why bother with you?"

"That's easy for you to say. If they succeed..."

"So what? With your current identity, the emperor won't be willing to kill you. After all, he has misunderstood your identity." The man in red smiled even more deeply when he said this.

When Liu Wuchen heard this, his face darkened.

"Do you really want to use me as a pawn in your hands?"

"From the moment you came to me to save you, you've been a pawn in my hands. I've given you a noble status, Xunyang City, and the possibility of recovery. What more do you want from me?" The man in red turned, the cuckoo in his hand reduced to ash. Then, as if remembering something, he smiled and said, "I almost forgot, you also want my life. Human greed knows no bounds. After getting everything you have now, you want to kill me and keep those secrets secret, right?"

The man was like a demon who could read other people's thoughts. With every word he said, Liu Wuchen's expression became worse. Finally, he just said, "Don't go too far."

"Excessive? That's hilarious. If that's excessive, then you should be the one doing it." The man in red still maintained his attitude. Liu Wuchen finally gave up on arguing with him.

After all, no matter what, he couldn't argue with this man, let alone defeat him.

"No matter what, everything in Xunyang City is something I've worked so hard to obtain, so I don't want anyone to destroy it. Help me find a solution, and I'll do it for you," Liu Wuchen said. The man in red was truly satisfied after hearing this: "In that case, I want someone."

"Who?"

"Situ Enchanting."

Just four words made Liu Wuchen's face even uglier: "You are clearly being unreasonable. That's the future Crown Princess!"

"Isn't it fine as long as no one knows? Besides... I didn't say now. Just bring the person to me when I need him." said the man.

When Liu Wuchen heard this, his expression was strange: "Are you interested in her?"

"I am heartless. I have no love, no desire, only begging." The man's tone was a bit cold when he said this. He looked so high and mighty, as if there were not many people in this world that he could look up to.

Seeing him like this, Liu Wuchen choked: "If that's the case, why do you still want her?"

“It’s used as medicine.”

Hearing this, Liu Wuchen completely lost the desire to ask further questions. This man's favorite thing was poison. He loved making poisons, and he also loved taking them.

Yet, after so long, he still hadn't died. Perhaps it was true that good men didn't live long, while evil lingered for centuries. Yet… he had to admit that without this evil, he wouldn't have become the Lord of Xunyang City, wielding such immense power. He even earned the Emperor's favor. The Emperor mistakenly believed him to be his illegitimate son, and his kindness to him was simply outrageous. All of this was brought upon him by the man in red before him.

But the most terrifying thing is that he didn't even know this person's name.

Everything about him was controlled by this person.

The man was still standing in front of the window, and no one knew what he was looking at.

The sky outside was gloomy, just like Liu Wuchen's heart. Liu Wuchen had originally thought that once his leg healed, he could leave. He didn't care about Xunyang City or his status as a prince. After all, none of it belonged to him. But he hadn't expected that in this final year, it would be Tantai Wuyue and Tantai Yunyi who would come to inspect.

Moreover, Tan Tai Wu Yue was still determined to investigate all of this, which completely disrupted his plans.

Liu Wuchen was scared.

Maybe... he should give it a try.

Thinking about this, Liu Wuchen took a deep breath and said, "My birthday is coming soon. I will host a banquet for the people of the whole city. When the time comes, you can take the final step. I want to advance the plan."

The man's words surprised the man in red. Then he laughed, "You are so cruel. Did everyone in this city die for you?"

"If a man does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. Aren't you cooperating with me for your own sake?" Liu Wuchen frowned.

The man in red shook his head. "You're just my pawn. I can give you an identity, but I can also destroy you. You and I are not collaborating." After saying this, the man in red added, "However, since the pawn wants to take the initiative, I won't stop you. Don't worry, I will do everything for you. I hope you succeed."

"Of course I will succeed!" Liu Wuchen shouted. It was unclear whether he was comforting himself or not.

The man in red left, so casually and vaguely. It was as if Liu Wuchen was just a chess piece, not the Lord of Xunyang City.

Liu Wuchen felt a little frustrated, but he didn't dare to say anything more.