The story of a bullied daughter's rise to power

After leaving home late at night in men's attire, Situ Yaorao naturally took the side road when returning. While she wasn't afraid of anything, she was afraid that if Situ Honglei and her father saw her, they would probably give her another rip. With the mindset of "less trouble is more trouble," Situ Yaorao calmly climbed the wall back to the courtyard.

However, as soon as she jumped in and before she could get up, she saw Mrs. Situ sitting upright on the stone bench in the yard waiting for her.

Seeing that it was Madam Situ, Situ Yaorao immediately got up, brushed off the dirt on her body, walked up to her, and said sweetly, "Mom, why are you here? Aren't you... in a bad mood?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Situ looked at Situ Yaorao deeply and said, "If mother hadn't come, wouldn't you have been able to get away with going out in the middle of the night?"

"Mom, I."

"Yao Rao, do you remember what you promised me?" Mrs. Situ looked at Situ Yao Rao and asked lightly.

"I……"

"You said that you would have nothing to do with the prince." Mrs. Situ continued.

Upon hearing this, Situ Yaorao knew that hiding it was useless. So she said with a stiff upper lip, "Mother... I don't know why I must stay away from the Crown Prince, but if he wants to see me, I will definitely see him."

"Yao Rao, the affairs of the imperial court are complicated. The same is true for my Situ Mansion. Back then, Emperor Lanlin founded the Lanlin Dynasty and advocated the development of imperial commerce. Similarly, he advocated the rule of the country by force. This also resulted in a very strange distribution of power in the entire Lanlin. My mother's family is surnamed Gu. They are a family of merchants. They are called imperial merchants, but in fact they only work for the royal family. Later, our ancestors had great wisdom and went to the court to get a share of the pie. They created the Gu family of today. The Gu family is financially strong and has military power, which is a great help. However, the Gu family does not have much military power, which makes them a little weak in this regard. In addition, the emperor has tried to take action against the Gu family several times, so my mother married your father. It was only because the marriage between the two families could ensure the stability of my Gu family.

Because of this, my Gu family enjoyed a period of peace and stability. We thrived, even earning the Emperor's respect. However, we ran into problems with our supporters. Your father insisted on supporting the Sixth Prince, who had estranged us from the Gu family. The Gu family, concerned for Mother's sake, agreed. However, there was a constant struggle between the two.

At this time, if you get too close to the Crown Prince, your father will suspect that the Gu family is secretly colluding with the Crown Prince. Then, the Sixth Prince will not let us go. We are not welcome inside or outside, so, no matter what, you can no longer get close to the Crown Prince. Do you understand?"

Madam Situ looked at Situ Yaorao and said seriously.

Situ Yaorao frowned upon hearing this, "Then why can't Dad just side with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? Why did Hong Lei still want to marry the Crown Prince?"

"How could she really marry him? As for why she doesn't stick with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?" Madam Situ sneered but said nothing.

Situ Yaorao was puzzled, but she had the illusion that the Situ family was the Situ family, and she and her mother were not members of the Situ family at all.

"I'm going to take Yaorao. I'm telling you this just to let you know that no matter what, you shouldn't get close to the Crown Prince. Let's not even talk about the rift between the Gu family and your father. Just the thoughts of that powerful man are beyond the reach of a girl like you. Don't end up hurting yourself and your body."

"Mom, I know my limits."

"Child, if you really know your limits, I won't worry anymore. Before... that red-eyed boy named Cang, didn't he just leave? You are still a child after all, and you can't judge people well. I am here for you, so don't act recklessly anymore." Mrs. Situ said with a faint smile.

When Cang was mentioned, Situ Yaorao frowned.

"Okay, mother will go back first. Yaorao, you should go to bed early. Don't get up late for Master Nangong's class tomorrow." After saying that, Mrs. Situ slowly left.

But Situ Yaorao didn't hear anything.

Cang was like a thorn in her heart, making her unable to do anything.

Even breathing was a pain.

Sitting on the stone bench, Situ Yaorao's expression was a little confused. Even now, she was reluctant to believe that the pure Cang at that time would leave her because of the Yuehua poison.

However, there is no other explanation besides this.

"Cang...what are you thinking about?" Situ Yaorao's voice was so soft, so soft that only she could hear it clearly.

Dark clouds cover the moon.

On the border of Mingyue Country, at Jueqing Mountain, a man in red stood atop the mountain. His scarlet eyes, like those of a ferocious beast, stared into the distance, his thoughts unknown. In his hand, he held a precious sword, stained with blood. Drops of blood fell to the ground, forming a pool.

Behind the man, an official in official uniform was kneeling.

At this moment, his hat was cut in half, his hair was disheveled, and he looked extremely disheveled.

"Master Zhang, tell me, why is it that the Mingyue Kingdom has spread the news that I am missing even though I have only been missing for a while?" The man's voice was indescribable.

The man kneeling on the ground trembled upon hearing this. "Replying to His Royal Highness, it was... the Imperial Guards who found a body."

"Oh?" The man's red eyes turned, and he smiled. He wiped his sword casually and said, "Then, what's the meaning of you border guards each holding a copy of my portrait? Who gave it to you? The King of Qi, or the King of Yue?"

The man's tone was still as casual as ever, but the person kneeling on the ground was shaking like a sieve.

"You're still not going to tell me?" The man raised his eyebrows, looked at him, and said with a distressed look: "This is a bit troublesome. Although I promised someone that I would no longer cause killing. But... people like you who are worse than pigs and dogs should not be considered human beings, right? Killing you is not considered killing, don't you think?" As soon as he finished speaking, the long sword was already at Lord Zhang's neck.

The man's actions were frivolous and wanton, but they frightened Lord Zhang so much that his face turned pale and he trembled like a sieve. He hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please spare me! Your Highness, please spare me! I am only following orders. I know nothing about it."

"Acting on orders?" The man's red eyes turned and he smiled. This smile was like the red spider lily on the bank of the Forgetful River, enchanting and confusing. He looked at Mr. Zhang and said, "Whose orders are you following?"

"Yes...it's His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi." Lord Zhang said through gritting his teeth.

"Really? Cuiyue, get rid of him." The man dropped the sword. A woman in black appeared beside him, caught the sword, and with a single blow, she severed the master's head.

"Master, your sword."

"I promised someone that I would never be stained with blood again. Please take this sword away." The man looked at the bloodstains on the sword calmly and said lightly.

Cui Yue was startled when she heard this: "Master... please don't let your imagination run wild. How could someone of your status..."

"I know it's impossible to avoid bloodshed. But... just now, let me be unrestrained. This is the only thing I can do for her. At least, I hope that when I see her again, I can reach out and touch her face." The man's voice was hoarse.

"Your Highness was injured and wandered in Lanlin before. I sent people to ask you to come back several times, but you did not come back until Your Highness took the initiative to come back. What happened during this period?" The woman looked at the man and asked lightly.

"Are you interrogating me?" The man looked at Cuiyue coldly.

Upon hearing this, the woman quickly knelt on the ground. A trace of bitterness appeared on her fair face. "I dare not. I just... don't want anyone to influence Your Highness."

"No one has influenced me. I just want one thing. And this thing cannot be obtained unless I become the emperor of Mingyue Kingdom. For this thing, I can do anything." The man's tone was very light, but those who knew him could hear his determination.

There weren't many people who could understand the Crown Prince of Mingyue Country, and Cuiyue in front of him was one of them. After hearing what he said, Cuiyue's heart completely chilled.

His Highness rarely does anything for anyone. He doesn't even care about himself. Those eyes are a curse from heaven, a disgrace to his subjects.

His Highness looked down upon everything. Even after this injury, he hadn't considered returning home, only intending to leave. It was heartbreaking to see His Highness like that, but... now, suddenly wanting to fight for the throne, it was terrifying. Who could have turned him from a peaceful person into this?