The story of a bullied daughter's rise to power

"Maybe... I like the way she does things." Yu Sheng sighed.

"kindness?"

"Although she's irresponsible and a hands-off boss, she's very talented when it comes to doing what she wants to do. The same goes for business. She designed everything about this restaurant, from the inside out, right down to the splashy opening. I think she's truly suited to business. However, she does have weaknesses: she's soft-hearted and doesn't enjoy management. But perhaps we can complement each other. She trusts me, and I, too, am filled with anticipation for this restaurant."

Yu Sheng became a little excited when she said this.

King Xiaoyao knocked on the table, as if he had figured something out: "That's interesting. I came back this time to attend the prince's wedding. The news of the prince's marriage has spread throughout the entire continent. I'm afraid that many princes from other countries will also come. By then, the capital will be in chaos again." King Xiaoyao sighed.

"Is the prince back to help the emperor?" Yu Sheng was curious.

Then King Xiaoyao shook his head and looked at him as if he was a fool. "Are you kidding me? How could I possibly help him? I came back to watch the fun."

The moment a single word was spoken, his true nature was instantly exposed. Yu Sheng's mouth twitched. She thought, as expected, no matter how many years have passed, the prince remains the same. He only wants the world to be in chaos!

However, there was a reason why Prince Xiaoyao became like this. If there was a reason, it was because of the emperor. Prince Xiaoyao once had a woman he loved very much. The two of them went from being close friends to lovers. However, when Prince Xiaoyao wanted to marry her, she became the emperor's concubine because her family needed her help.

Over the years, Prince Xiaoyao had been unwilling to return to the capital or see the emperor. This showed how deep his prejudice was. If he hadn't been without military power during his lifetime, he would have simply forced the emperor to abdicate.

"Yusheng, tell me, how ridiculous is everyone? They're always fighting for something illusory." The man's tone was light, with a hint of sarcasm. Yusheng just smiled and poured a glass of wine for the man: "Your Highness, it's precisely because nothingness is elusive that people fight for it. Drink up. This wine is the best medicine."

"Haha! You are right, wine is the best medicine. Without wine, life would be boring." King Xiaoyao drank it all in one gulp.

The sun was shining brightly, and the crowds at the Yue Lao Temple in the east of the city had already surpassed a thousand. The temple was large, so it could accommodate a large number of pilgrims. However, even with so many people, it was still difficult for the pilgrims to move around.

When Situ Yaorao and Madam Situ arrived here, they saw the huge crowd of people as soon as they got out of the car. Almost instantly, Situ Yaorao had the urge to go back.

However, Madam Situ would not allow her to go back. Holding Situ Yaorao's hand, Madam Situ smiled kindly and said, "Yaorao, let's go. There are 3,000 steps in the Yue Lao Temple. You have to walk up every one of them yourself to show your sincerity." Madam Situ's words made Situ Yaorao completely stunned.

Looking at the endlessly towering staircase, Situ Yaorao's desire to escape grew even stronger. Haha! Three thousand steps, she had to walk until dark!

In reality, the Yue Lao Temple had many steps, but most people entered from the other side of the mountain, accessible only by horse-drawn carriage. However, to demonstrate their sincerity, coming here was a necessity. Those above were clearly motivated by this as well. Some, however, resorted to trickery, hiring the locals below to carry them up on their backs. So, they could still count as having climbed up.

Obviously, such people are not up to par.

Mrs. Situ's personality naturally wouldn't allow her to do such a thing.

So Situ Yaorao could only follow the person who suffered the disaster. However, the one who was even more unlucky was the person who carried the box.

The stairs were high, so high that it made one lose their temper. However, since she had come up, Situ Yaorao naturally didn't say anything more. Even Madam Situ accompanied her and walked slowly down. What right did she have to complain?

Thinking of this, Situ Yaorao felt relieved.

Everyone walked up step by step.

It took about two hours to get halfway up the stairs. But by then, no one had the strength to go any further. As if they knew all this, there were quite a few people selling snacks here.

The servants who had been carrying the boxes were already tired. Madam Situ couldn't bear to let them continue, so she had to stay and have lunch together before continuing up the mountain.

Madam Situ was always gentle with her servants. So, even though they felt tired, they didn't complain. Furthermore, Madam Situ promised to reward each of them with 100 taels of silver if they managed to carry the weight up. This was no small sum for them. While Lan Lin lived a comfortable life, 100 taels of silver wasn't a huge sum. But for them, it would make life a little better for their family.

It was precisely because Mrs. Situ knew all this that she proposed this method.

This is to prevent these people from harboring resentment and causing displeasure from the gods, who would think that they were not sincere.

However, Situ Yaorao did not agree with Madam Situ's feudal ideas. However, since Madam Situ had done so much for her, it would be unreasonable for her to express dissatisfaction. So she could only grit her teeth and wait.

After lunch and a short rest, Situ Yaorao resumed her climb. The higher she climbed, the fewer people there were on the steps. Apparently, many people were unwilling to continue climbing and were instead descending the mountain.

And only a few people can go up there.

By the time Situ Yaorao and the others reached the top of the mountain, it was already three hours later. It was dusk. However, because of the special nature of this place, the Yue Lao Temple never closed.

After going up, the owner of the place came to receive us personally.

The owner of this place was a middle-aged man. He was dressed in a Taoist robe and looked very honest. He didn't seem like a liar. But Situ Yaorao also felt that he didn't look like the host of the Yue Lao Temple.

"Excuse me. My daughter is getting married soon, so we'd like to ask for a thread of marriage at the Yue Lao Temple." Madam Situ's attitude was unprecedentedly respectful. The temple's abbot, knowing who Madam Situ was, hurriedly said, "You're right. It's already been a struggle for you to climb these three thousand steps. We've already prepared this thread for you, Madam." He then ordered the attendant to bring the thread over.

This marriage string was a red string. It was tied with colorful bells, which looked quite delightful. Madam Situ looked at the marriage string in the box with satisfaction. After accepting it, she gave it to Situ Yaorao: "Yaorao, after you get married, give this marriage string to the Crown Prince and you. This way, you will be protected by Yue Lao in this life, and this marriage will never be separated."

Situ Yaorao didn't know whether to laugh or cry after hearing this. So, he came all this time just for this marriage?

"May I ask for a fortune stick?" Situ Yaorao asked the host of Yue Lao Temple.

Upon hearing this, the host naturally did not dare to neglect and hurriedly invited Situ Yaorao into the main hall. The deity enshrined in the main hall was Yue Lao.

Nearby, there was a tree with three thousand red threads. This was the marriage tree. Beneath the tree, there was a lottery box. The host brought the box over and said, "Just think of what you want to ask, then draw a lottery stick. That's it."

Upon hearing this, Situ Yaorao thought of herself and Tantai Wuyue. She then drew a lot. It read: "The worst lot, separated by Yin and Yang, never to meet in the underworld."

Seeing this, Situ Yaorao felt completely uneasy. "What...what is this?" Situ Yaorao's voice turned cold. The abbot hadn't expected Situ Yaorao to suddenly draw a bad lot. You know, the bad lots in the lottery box are extremely rare, just to prevent some dignitaries from being unhappy after drawing them. But he didn't expect Situ Yaorao to draw even this one percent chance. The abbot didn't know what to do for a moment.

Seeing the host looking frightened, Situ Yaorao took a deep breath. Looking at the host, she said calmly, "Solve it."

"As you can see, it's all written on this fortune stick. The person you're asking about will never be with you forever. But... you don't have to worry, just look for some ways to crack it." The host quickly changed his tone.

Situ Yaorao said, "I understand. Can you give me this lot?"