The story of a bullied daughter's rise to power

"He just said he wanted fruit wine. But... I naturally wouldn't give him fruit wine. Then he talked to me for a long time, gave me the folding fan, and asked me to tell you that he had been here. Who is this person?" Situ Yaorao looked at Yu Sheng and asked.

"King Xiaoyao." Yu Sheng was powerless.

"what?"

"The emperor's younger brother, the crown prince's uncle." Yu Sheng continued.

"You seem to be teasing me." Situ Yaorao's mouth twitched. Thinking of the man's age, she didn't think that man was the King of Freedom.

"King Xiaoyao is now thirty years old. He has not returned to the capital for ten years, so not many people know him. Back then, King Xiaoyao and I became friends regardless of age difference because of an accident. After King Xiaoyao returned this time, he contacted me. Later, he felt that the fruit wine here was good. He said frankly that he wanted to buy the fruit wine. But! Situ, no matter what, you can't sell the fruit wine to him in bulk. No matter what!" Yu Sheng said with a serious face.

"Why?" Situ Yaorao looked at Yu Sheng with a smile.

"That man is full of hatred. If you really sell it to him in bulk, and if he does something with the fruit wine, even the restaurant will be implicated. So, you can't do that no matter what." Yu Sheng became more serious.

Upon hearing this, Situ Yaorao nodded, but she was even more confused. "Is King Xiaoyao's heart filled with hatred? Why? As King Xiaoyao, if he hates someone, wouldn't it be better for him to just kill him?"

"Killed? If he could do it, he would have killed him ten years ago." Yu Sheng mocked.

"Is it His Majesty?" Situ Yaorao made a bold guess. The man was slightly surprised when he heard it.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm not a fool. Who else but the emperor can make King Xiaoyao helpless? But why is it? Brothers can actually turn against each other." Situ Yaorao's curiosity was aroused.

If it was someone else, Yu Sheng would have concealed it, but since this person was Situ Yaorao, he naturally would not hide it, so he said, "Because of a woman."

"Woman?" Situ Yaorao looked strange.

"Although there was a significant age gap between His Majesty and Prince Xiaoyao, they had fallen out over a woman. Born into a declining family, Prince Xiaoyao fell in love with her at first sight and pledged their lifelong love. However, things took a turn for the worse. The family, hoping to turn the tide, sent their daughter to the palace. Fearing to offend Prince Xiaoyao, they kept the matter a secret. Only on the day the woman entered the palace did they learn of the incident. By then, it was too late.

Once she entered the palace, she became the emperor's woman. No matter what, Prince Xiaoyao would never dare to compete with the emperor for a woman. However, he loved that woman. So, for that woman, Prince Xiaoyao entered the palace and knelt in front of the palace gate for three whole days, begging the emperor to give him the woman he had just been crowned as his concubine.

However, Prince Xiaoyao forgot that imperial power was paramount. To protect his rights, the emperor would do anything. If Prince Xiaoyao had simply privately requested the emperor to give him a woman, perhaps it would have been acceptable. But Prince Xiaoyao not only knelt in the palace, but also begged the emperor's newly acquired concubine. The emperor was furious. He couldn't kill his own brother, but he could kill the woman. Then, the emperor executed the woman on the pretext of cholera in the harem. He then burned her at the stake and scattered her ashes in a lotus pond to feed the fish.

This incident upset King Xiaoyao, and he disappeared after leaving the palace. For a full ten years, people would occasionally hear news about him, but he never returned to the capital. Now that he's back, I think he must have come up with some evil idea. So, no matter what, we can't sell him the fruit wine!"

Yu Sheng looked at Situ Yaorao and explained.

After hearing this, Situ Yaorao couldn't help but sigh. An emperor is an emperor. He won't change anything because of family ties. Anyone who tries to jeopardize his power will end up like King Xiaoyao.

Just like now, the emperor has appointed a crown prince, but is also supporting the Sixth Prince. Isn't this also for his own imperial power? He can give the imperial power to someone else, but that will happen a hundred years after his death. If someone wants to be emperor before he dies, then in his mind, that is rebellion.

"Yu Sheng, since this man is so dangerous, you should not get too close to him in the future. If something happens to you, it will be more trouble than it is worth." Situ Yaorao said.

Yu Sheng shook her head helplessly. She looked at Situ Yaorao and said, "He and I are friends. Even though I know he's on a path of no return, I can only persuade him, not stay away from him. As a friend, that's what we should do." Yu Sheng's words silenced Situ Yaorao.

As a friend, shouldn't you stay away from danger?

Situ Yaorao thought of Princess Wuyan. She considered her a friend, but Tantai Wuyue begged her not to get involved. Wait...Princess Wuyan, Prince Xiaoyao?

"Yu Sheng, when did King Xiaoyao come back?" Situ Yaorao looked at the man and asked.

"When you went up the mountain to seek marriage."

"When I went to seek marriage?" I don't know if Princess Wuyan was not right at that time. But it is really possible.

"What's wrong?" Yu Sheng didn't understand why Situ Yaorao suddenly asked about this.

"Yusheng, what is the relationship between King Xiaoyao and Princess Wuyan?"

"The deceased woman was Princess Wuyan's cousin. If you think about it, they had a pretty good relationship," Yu Sheng said. If it had just been a guess, now it was almost certain.

The Queen's reluctance to kill Princess Wuyan was related to Prince Xiaoyao. And now, the Queen's stricter supervision of Princess Wuyan was also related to Prince Xiaoyao's return.

As for whether it involves the deceased concubine in the cold palace or Princess Wuyan's cousin, that is unknown. However, Princess Wuyan ten years ago was indeed full of secrets.

"What's wrong with you?" Yu Sheng looked at Situ Yaorao in confusion. Situ Yaorao shook her head and said, "Nothing, I just think it's a coincidence. By the way, Yu Sheng, what did you do when you went out today?"

"Nothing." Yu Sheng turned her head away, her face a little red.

"Hmm? Are you in love with some girl?" Situ Yaorao asked half-jokingly. Then, Yu Sheng's face turned even redder. Situ Yaorao felt unwell.

"You, you are not serious?"

"I don't know either, but when I faced that woman, my heart was pounding, just like when I faced Lan Yi." Yu Sheng said softly.

Situ Yaorao secretly understood that this was not good.

"How are you going to deal with Zi Su's matter in this situation? You haven't forgotten your promise to Zi Su, have you? You haven't forgotten what happened between Qing He and Lan Yi, have you?" Situ Yaorao asked.

Yu Sheng heard this, pondered for a moment, and nodded: "I remember, and it is impossible for this woman and me to be together. She is weak and will not live more than three years. I just want to know her for three years, and after three years, I will marry Zi Su."

"Should I say that you are fickle?" Situ Yaorao looked at the man and asked helplessly.

Yu Sheng fell silent after hearing this.

"Forget it, this is your own business. It's getting late, and I should go back to the Prince's Mansion. If I don't go back now, who knows what rumors will spread." After saying that, Situ Yaorao stood up and walked out of the room.

Yu Sheng did not try to keep her, but was thinking about Zi Su and that woman, and could not calm down for a long time.

He probably fell in love with that weak woman who could die at any moment. He had never seen anyone stronger than her. She knew she could die at any moment, yet she always smiled and endured her pain without letting anyone know.

But he also felt a responsibility towards Zisu. He had brought her out of Bingxin's pleasure boat and made a promise to marry her. This was considered an engagement, just like Qinghe's.

If it weren't for the Qinghe incident, he probably wouldn't hesitate. But now, he didn't want to see that happen again.

Yu Sheng was torn between feelings. Situ Yaorao, who had just left Lan Qinglou, was speechless.

Yu Sheng is a good partner, but not a good man!

This was Situ Yaorao’s only feeling.

Back at the mansion, Situ Yaorao's face was gloomy. Lian'er hurried over to greet her and massaged her shoulders: "Miss, you haven't seen the face all day. Today, two concubines and five maids came to visit you."