The story of a bullied daughter's rise to power

"This is really surprising." Situ Yaorao couldn't help laughing.

"The Queen was very smart. She knew to ask Lian Qiao to catch the fish and give it to the Empress Dowager. At least this way, the incident wouldn't have a huge impact and there would be less suspicion. But the Queen forgot that not everyone can see the fish. With so many people here, the fish won't appear. Only when there are fewer people around will it swim out, and then it will keep swimming until it finds the person it wants to see."

Tantai Yunyi said lightly.

"Your Highness seems to think it has a spirit?" Don't tease me, it's just a fish! No, it's a beautiful fish.

"Who knows? I won't tell anyone about what happened tonight, and you shouldn't tell anyone either." Tan Tai Yun Yi said, chuckling softly. This smile was like a lotus in a lake, clear and moving. Situ Yao Rao felt that she had been impulsive and could not help but agree. After agreeing, she realized that she and Tan Tai Yun Yi already had too many secrets.

However, Tantai Yunyi didn't give her the chance to sigh, because when she came to her senses, he was gone. Situ Yaorao smiled bitterly and ran to the lakeside in boredom.

Then she saw the golden carp swimming towards her and unexpectedly touched her hand. This frightened Situ Yaorao, and she quickly withdrew her hand. She looked at the carp in the lake in great surprise. Situ Yaorao had no doubt that if she tried to catch it now, she would definitely catch it.

But she didn't want to get herself killed, so she turned around and left as if nothing had happened.

After Situ Yaorao left, Tan Tai Yun Yi, who should have walked away but did not leave, walked out, looked at the fish that was still in the lake, and chuckled: "You really... also think she is suitable to be the queen? It's like... you mistakenly think that I should be the emperor. It's a pity that you shouldn't have shown up. If you hadn't shown up, no one would know this secret. Lan Lin wouldn't be in chaos. So, I'm sorry." After Tan Tai Yun Yi finished speaking, he reached out and grabbed the fish, then left.

Situ Yaorao was frightened, but she also wanted to go back and see the fish. So, she turned back, but didn't see it again, so she gave up and returned to Situ's house.

When she returned home, Mrs. Situ was sitting in Situ Yaorao's Yaorao Pavilion waiting for her.

"Mom?" Situ Yaorao looked at Madam Situ and called softly.

"Where did you go?" Madam Situ looked at Situ Yaorao and asked calmly. Situ Yaorao heard it and said, "By the lake."

"Why did you let your cousin Yunjing come back alone? Don't you understand what your mother is thinking?" Mrs. Situ sighed.

"Mom, you can't force this. Even if you're anxious for me to get married, you don't have to decide so quickly. I promise you that I'll find a man I love in the future! And this man must be someone you're also happy with, isn't that enough?" Situ Yaorao said bitterly. That's right. She knew what was going on the moment Gu Yunjing arrived.

Mrs. Situ must have been eager to marry off her daughter, so she told her uncle about it.

Gu Yunjing was young but not frivolous, and he had become a general at a young age. Most importantly, he was not a true member of the Gu family. If he wanted to be completely devoted to the Gu family, a marriage alliance would be necessary.

As a result, the two sides hit it off, which led to Gu Yunjing's arrival today.

Thinking of this, Situ Yaorao felt like her heart was broken.

"Yao Rao, mother knows that you are smart, and I also know that this is putting you in a difficult position. But, can't we just try to get along well with each other? Yun Jing is a really good kid." Madam Situ looked at Situ Yao Rao and said softly.

After hearing this, Situ Yaorao thought about it and nodded, "Yes, I understand. I will get along well with you."

"That's good. Did you see anything when you went to the lake today?" Madam Situ asked. Situ Yaorao wanted to tell her, but when she thought about Madam Situ's worry, she said, "No, with so many people around, even if there really was a golden carp, it would have run away long ago."

Hearing Situ Yaorao's words, Mrs. Situ nodded with satisfaction: "Yes, that's it. Okay, you can take a rest." After that, Mrs. Situ left.

The time until the Gaokao (National College Entrance Examination) was rapidly approaching. In the blink of an eye, only a week remained. This, in itself, wasn't a terrible thing, at least for those who had prepared well and planned to pass it in one go. But for Situ Yaorao, who hadn't studied well, felt completely unsure of her score, and had to endure grueling training every day, it was simply devastating news.

Ten days had already passed since the carp incident. Countless people had tried to catch the fish, but there was no sign of it. This made Situ Yaorao wonder if the carp had truly become someone's meal. However, she could only think about it because she didn't have the time to care about others right now.

For the past ten days, Situ Yaorao has been under Nangong Ling's devilish training. The beautiful excuse was: the women's exam is coming up soon, and you can't embarrass me.

In short, Situ Yaorao was living a life worse than death. And now, seeing that there were only seven days left, Situ Yaorao thought about it and shuddered, wishing she could just close her eyes and fall asleep.

It's so cruel.

"Miss, Young Master Nangong is here, you should get up." Just when Situ Yaorao wanted to fall asleep, Lian'er came over diligently to wake her up, and then washed her face and put on makeup for her.

After packing up, I went to see Nangong Ling.

Nangong Ling was still as calm and composed as ever. Seeing Situ Yaorao coming over, he took out a ten-centimeter-thick notebook and handed it to her: "Hold it, this is what you have to memorize today."

"This? Am I holding the wrong one?" Situ Yaorao's hands were shaking as she held the heavy book.

"These are the rules and content of the women's exams over the years. It's too late for you to cram now, so why don't you just memorize them? I have seven days. I hope you won't let me down." Nangong Ling said expressionlessly. Situ Ayorao's mouth twitched when he heard this. He just wanted to laugh.

Can I disappoint you?

I really can’t stand this kind of torture!

"This... can I memorize less?" Situ Yaorao asked in a cowardly manner, her heart frantic. Nangong Ling frowned and shook his head when he heard this: "You haven't mastered the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. It makes sense. It's impossible to learn them all in such a short time. So, it's better to let you read these books. The women's exam is coming soon. If you don't pass it then..." Before Nangong Ling finished speaking, Situ Yaorao knew what the consequences would be for those who failed the women's exam.

So I gritted my teeth, sat down and started to memorize.

Seeing her like this, a hint of satisfaction appeared in Nangong Ling's eyes. As expected, she was a very patient woman. And just as Nangong Ling was watching Situ Yaorao reciting, his expression suddenly changed. He looked at Situ Yaorao and said, "Your face?"

"Huh? What's wrong with my face?" Situ Yaorao looked at Nangong Ling in confusion.

However, Nangong Ling had no time to deal with her. He walked up to Lian'er and said, "Lian'er, come here and see what's wrong with your young lady."

Lian'er was confused at first, but when she came in front of Situ Yaorao, she couldn't help but scream: "Ahhh, Miss, your face!"

"So what's wrong with my face?" Situ Yaorao frowned.

Upon hearing this, Lian'er hurriedly took Situ Yaorao's small mirror. Within the bronze mirror, her delicate features were dotted with red spots, glittering and translucent, as if they would break at any moment. Situ Yaorao stared at them for three seconds, stunned, and then immediately threw the mirror away.

Covering my face, I got goose bumps all over my body: "What's going on?"