The story of a bullied daughter's rise to power

General Situ snorted coldly when he heard this: "Okay?" General Situ's tone was strange, and he glanced at Situ Honglei. Situ Honglei gave him a look of grievance.

"Your sister gave you her seat, and you sat down so brazenly without even a thank you. How dare you call that?" General Situ's voice wasn't loud, but it was still heard by those sitting nearby, and they all looked over. In truth, General Situ's voice could have been even lower, but he didn't. It was obvious he was deliberately trying to embarrass Situ Yaorao and make Situ Honglei appear more polite in front of others.

Upon hearing this, Situ Yaorao couldn't help but feel sorry for her adopted mother. She had good intentions; to please General Situ, she had voluntarily given up the opportunity to come here with him, giving it to a bastard. She had done so in the hope that her daughter would have a more glorious life here. But what was the result?

This scumbag General Situ was actually using his legitimate daughter as a stepping stone for his illegitimate daughter. Thinking of this, Situ Yaorao couldn't help but want to laugh.

But the situation was not right, so he held it back. Looking at General Situ, Situ Yaorao's eyes were cold, but her tone was respectful: "Father, if a thief stole your things and returned them to you when you came back, would you say thank you?"

"Of course not. There is no such fool in this world." General Situ said calmly. Situ Yaorao laughed when she heard this. "Then, by the same token, my sister was sitting in the seat that originally belonged to me. Now she's giving it back to me. Of course, I won't be stupid enough to thank her."

"Rebellious girl! How can they be the same?" General Situ was so angry at Situ Yaorao that he blew his beard and glared.

The commotion here caught the attention of the emperor. The emperor looked over and asked, "General? What's the matter?"

Upon hearing this, General Situ quickly suppressed his anger and said, "Your Majesty, I have nothing to do."

"That's good. If there's anything you're not happy with, you can tell me. You've made great military achievements and are a great contributor to our court. I'll be counting on you in the future."

The emperor spoke kindly. General Situ bowed stiffly, "Yes. I will redouble my efforts."

The emperor smiled when he heard this and said nothing more.

Situ Yaorao couldn't help but applaud General Situ's foolishness. Try hard? Try hard for what? Achieve more merit? Then ask the Emperor to give you half of the throne? You'd rather die than offer to sharpen someone else's sword!

The Emperor is praising you so much in front of so many people; it's obvious he's already displeased with you. Put on your hat first, then strike with your sword. Thinking this over, Situ Yaorao felt even more that the Situ family was unreliable. It would be best to find another way out and take that cheap mother with him. At the very least, she couldn't be buried with General Situ.

It's his business if this person is stupid!

The banquet went smoothly, and soon it was time for everyone to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday.

The first to come forward were the princes. Since most of them were still unmarried, they all prepared their gifts personally. Anything meaningful would suffice.

The prince presented a pair of warm jade ruyi (Ruyi). Holding them in the hand can help clear the meridians and prolong life. For an elderly person, what could be more heartwarming than being able to live a few more days?

After receiving the warm jade ruyi, the empress dowager couldn't stop smiling.

Next came the Second Prince. He presented the Empress Dowager with a zither. When she was young, she loved playing the zither. However, her beloved zither had been destroyed in a fire. Back then, she had been so desperate to save the current Emperor that she had neglected it, and now it was a source of deep sorrow for her.

This zither was deliberately made by the Second Prince, imitating the original. After receiving it, the Queen Mother excitedly embraced it in her arms, stroking it with trembling fingers.

However, although he was very excited, the unconcealable sadness in his eyes was unexpectedly seen by Situ Yaorao, who was looking around out of boredom.

Apparently, that zither held a great deal of significance for the Queen Mother. No matter how good this zither is, it's not the same one from back then. Some things, once lost, never return.

Compared to the Crown Prince and the Second Prince's concerns, the Third Prince was more compassionate. He brought over a thousand copies of Buddhist scriptures he had copied, saying they were gifts for the Queen Mother.

The Queen Mother loved to worship Buddha, so she was naturally moved to see her grandson copying Buddhist scriptures for her.

However, the one who attracted the most attention was the Sixth Prince. The discord between the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince was common knowledge. These two had always been at odds with each other. Now, the Crown Prince presented a warm jade ruyi, a rare find in the world. And the Sixth Prince?

Facts proved that he was worthy of being someone who could oppose the Crown Prince. Not willing to be outdone, the Sixth Prince presented a ginseng: "Grandma, this ginseng was specially dug by my grandson. It is said that its quality and age are both top-notch in the world. This is a gift to you, Grandma."

One is for prolonging life, the other is a life-saving elixir.

Even Situ Yaorao couldn't help but envy such grand gestures.

"Good, good, you children are all so thoughtful." The Queen Mother smiled kindly. Soon, all the princes and nobles presented their gifts. Even the princesses presented their own gifts. However, the Seventh Prince was the only one missing. This made the Queen Mother somewhat dissatisfied: "Where is that child, Little Seven?"

When the Seventh Prince was mentioned, everyone present felt embarrassed.

It was common knowledge that the Seventh Prince was afraid of women. So, at banquets, no one cared whether the Seventh Prince would come or not. But unexpectedly, the Queen Mother was still thinking about it!

For a moment, everyone was embarrassed. The most embarrassed person was the emperor: "Behind the scenes, that kid probably won't come."

"Really? Xiao Qi is the one I love the most. But why doesn't he even look at me, an old woman?"

When the Queen Mother said this, Situ Yaorao almost couldn't help laughing. Why? Because your grandson is afraid of women. How could he possibly go to see you?

Of course, if such words were spoken, it would be tantamount to seeking death, but Situ Yaorao still did not say anything. Soon, it was the ministers' turn to present gifts.

Generally, ministers would send their daughters to present gifts. Firstly, they wanted their daughters to appear in front of their colleagues, and secondly, they thought that the princes might be interested in them.

The first to arrive was the daughter of the Prime Minister. The person who presented the gift was the Prime Minister's youngest daughter, Mu Wanwan. The situation in the Prime Minister's household was as chaotic as that of the Situ family!

However, the Prime Minister's family did not have a hostess as good as the Situ family.

The prime minister's wife was his wife's companion during his years of poverty. Since ancient times, a wife who had shared his hardships with him remained with him, which is why she remained with him. But in reality, she was far from favored, having only a pair of children. Her son had gone to the frontier and never returned home, while her daughter was submissive and never appeared in public. She herself didn't know how to fight for them. Therefore, the wife and daughter of the first wife were of little use in the prime minister's mansion.

The youngest daughter of the Prime Minister's family, the daughter of the old Southern King and Princess Heyue, was spoiled since childhood.

It was she who came to present the gift, so there was nothing wrong with that.

"Wanwan presents a gift to the Empress Dowager." The woman's voice was clear and crisp, and her appearance was also very cute. The Empress Dowager smiled brightly when she saw Mu Wanwan: "You are such a sweet-talker, girl. Come here, give me a reward!"