The story of a bullied daughter's rise to power

The big man's face turned grim, and he said with a gloomy look, "Don't mention it! Those bullies said our village could be useful to them. They also said they would give us some silver and let us leave. When their big plan succeeds in the future, they will definitely reward us handsomely. We have lived here for generations, how can we leave the village?" The big man's eyes were red as he spoke, "They threatened to kill my father if he didn't move with us. My father didn't do it on purpose, so he was beaten. He also said that he only gave us three days."

"Oh? You didn't even report it to the police?" Situ Yaorao was surprised.

"Hey... We have been locked up in this village. Even if we report to the police, they are unwilling to take care. Moreover, these people look like soldiers. Who knows what might happen. They asked us to move away. My father also said that we should stay away for a few days. We will come back after they leave. Now it seems that this is the only way." The big man said, shaking his head helplessly.

When Situ Yaorao heard this, she frowned.

Judging by what the man said, something serious was indeed about to happen. While merchants occasionally bullied the nearby villages, they were still under the emperor's rule, and there had never been any forced buying or selling. Furthermore, all the villagers were being forced to relocate. And the most terrifying thing was that, until now, no one in the capital knew about this. The only people who could have kept this secret, knowing that the villagers wouldn't tell anyone, were probably the people in the capital.

The big man said those people looked like soldiers. Could they be the princes' subordinates? Thinking of this, Situ Yaorao frowned. She wanted to go back and tell Tantai Wuyue about this. But Luo Qiushen was still before her. She could only endure it for the time being.

Looking at Luo Qiushen, Situ Yaorao thought about it and decided to solve this problem first.

Situ Yaorao and Luo Qiushen followed the big man to his home. The big man's father was the village chief. The old village chief was basking in the sun at the door, leaning on a cane. The bruises on his face proved that the big man had not lied.

"Lengzi, who is this?" The old village chief looked at the big man and asked in confusion.

"Dad, this is the daughter of Miss Lian'er whom we rescued before. She came here to help us solve the problem." The big man said excitedly.

"Solve the problem?" The old village chief looked at Situ Yaorao and Luo Qiushen in surprise. "I wonder what the two nobles are doing here?"

"I want to buy the peaches you have harvested within the next ten years. One thousand taels per year. However, I have a requirement: every year when the peaches are ripe, my people must come here to pick them. But I can also guarantee that I will never let them disturb the tranquility of this village." Situ Yaorao originally didn't intend to give so much, but after looking at the people in this village, she changed her mind.

"One thousand taels? This is too much. How can the peaches in our village be worth so much silver?" The old village chief was terrified. Situ Yaorao smiled when she heard this: "In my eyes, the peaches in this village are worth so much. These peaches are also very important to me. So as long as the old village chief agrees, I will give you one year's silver first. After five years, I will give you the remaining nine years." Situ Yaorao looked at everyone and said.

The old village chief thought for a moment after hearing this and nodded, "Okay, but you'll have to wait. We're planning to move out temporarily. If we can come back later, then we'll do the deal. If the peach trees are gone, it will be bad luck for the people in our village."

"Okay, it's a deal." Situ Yaorao said.

Seeing Situ Yaorao so easy to talk to, the old village chief also smiled. His gray hair was a bit dazzling in the sunlight. He said, "Lengzi! Quick, go and inform the villagers that we have a distinguished guest. We are hosting a banquet for the distinguished guest tonight! The banquet is about to begin!"

"Oh! Okay!" The big man ran out excitedly.

After the big man left, the old village chief looked at Situ Yaorao and said, "My dear, I don't think our village can survive. You look like someone of status. That's why I'm telling you this."

"Please speak, old village chief." Situ Yaorao said.

"The reason our nearby villages are here is actually because of the construction of the imperial palace. We are all descendants of those craftsmen back then."

"What?" Situ Yaorao was shocked.

"Since ancient times, the craftsmen who built the imperial palace in Huangling were almost certain to die. This was because the royal family did not want the news to leak out. As time went by, the craftsmen began to find ways to survive, hoping to avoid being buried alive.

There are eight villages near the Imperial City. The earliest of these eight villages were built by craftsmen. It was because of the kindness of the previous emperor that he ordered them to build the tunnel and to guard it forever.

Thousands of years have passed, and although our ancestors are no longer with us, we still remain here. This secret is known only to the village chiefs of each generation. "Before, those people came with such force, all for the address of this tunnel." The old man said this with a tired look on his face. Situ Yaorao was also shocked upon hearing this. She had never imagined that this seemingly peaceful little village could hold so many secrets.

If this tunnel were to be leaked, wouldn't the palace become the most dangerous place? The old man had mentioned soldiers coming here. Didn't that mean one of the princes was planning a rebellion?

Thinking of this, Situ Yaorao could no longer sit still.

"Ah... I'm an old man, and I never thought I'd have to go through all this again. I really hope I can stay here in the future." The old village chief said. Situ Yaorao smiled when she heard this: "Don't worry, you will stay here forever. Your descendants will be able to stay here too. I promise you."

"Thank you very much, sir." said the old village chief.

"The village chief is a wise man. When I return to the capital tomorrow, I will naturally pass these words on to those who need to hear them. As for you, village chief, just take refuge peacefully. When everything is over, come back and do business with me." Situ Yaorao had great respect for the old village chief. After all, no one would care about the lives of the people in the imperial city when they are in danger.

"Hey! Thank you so much, thank you so much!" said the old village chief, and then said: "My dear friends, please go in and have a rest. I, an old man, will also go to see the people in the village." After saying this, the village chief walked out.

"Do you believe what he said?" Luo Qiushen looked at Situ Yaorao and frowned.

Upon hearing this, Situ Yaorao turned and looked at him, "Why don't you believe it? The old village chief didn't mean any harm, and he only cared about the village. Now he just wanted the village to exist a little longer. If I hadn't come, he wouldn't have said anything. My coming here was an accident, and his meeting me was also an accident. If you have to suspect everything, it would be too tiring."

"But one cannot guarantee that his guess is correct. What if he is deceived?" The man frowned.

"That means I don't know people well enough." Situ Yaorao said. The man was stunned when he heard this.

Situ Yaorao looked at him and smiled. "What? Are you surprised? It's actually very simple. You trusted others and relaxed yourself. But at the same time, you took on the risk of being betrayed. However, as long as you don't misjudge people, most of the time, this kind of trust will be rewarded. Luo Qiushen, you are the young master of the Luo family. You were born high and mighty, and the Luo family are all businessmen. I think the first thing they taught you is probably not to be cheated, right? But in my opinion, sometimes being cheated once is not a big deal. You can have everything you want, even if you are cheated of some things, it's not a big deal. At most, some people will think that you don't judge people well and are a little stupid. But it's rare to be confused. Why be too smart and make things difficult for yourself?"

"What you said is true, but who can do it?" Luo Qiushen sighed.

"Even if you can't do it, you should still try, right? At least I tried." Situ Yaorao said, then went inside, sat on a chair, and closed her eyes to rest. Luo Qiushen looked at the woman's leisurely appearance, and suddenly felt a little hope in his heart. If he could do that, could he also act as recklessly as she did? If so, being deceived would not be a bad thing.

Thinking of this, the man closed his eyes and imitated Situ Yaorao's appearance.