Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress
Chapter 1216 - 1222: Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law Face Off (3)

Chapter 1216: Chapter 1222: Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law Face Off (3)

Nanny Xie was unwilling to let Xiang Yun talk to the man. She stood in front of Xiang Yun and said impatiently, "Take the ginseng and leave quickly. Remember, once you’re outside, do not mention anything about today. We don’t want any troublemakers spreading rumors and tarnishing our Madam’s reputation!"

"Yes, yes, yes, the humble one will definitely obey, the humble one takes his leave..." The man, with tears of gratitude, took the two good pieces of ginseng and left!

Nanny Xie then nodded politely to Situ Changge and, without further explanation, pulled Xiang Yun back behind the screen.

"Dear lady, please no more rash actions; spare this old servant some worry," Nanny Xie nagged with a troubled expression.

"Uh, understood..."

After this incident, Xiang Yun too lost interest in spying on their business dealings; she listlessly fiddled with her bracelet, murmuring, "Why hasn’t Cai Wei come yet?"

At this moment, Cai Wei was also anxious, but she couldn’t leave—because shortly after Nangong Yi had gone, her mother-in-law, Empress Dowager Mo, had arrived!

Although Cai Wei did not welcome her and even felt repulsion at the sight of her, she was, after all, Nangong Yi’s birth mother and her mother-in-law. Therefore, as much as she disliked her, she could not turn her away; she had to at least maintain appearances on the surface.

After Empress Dowager Mo arrived, Cai Wei invited her into the royal study’s west side of the main hall, a bright room where Nangong Yi occasionally met with his ministers.

The bright room was spacious and airy, with an elaborate palace lamp hanging from the ceiling and a large crimson Ruyi-patterned brocade carpet with velvet trim spread underneath. Directly opposite the door was a raised platform with a couch on it, and behind the couch was a three-paneled purple sandalwood screen. The couch was covered with a bright yellow cushion, with a yellow pillow on either side.

Upon entering, Empress Dowager Mo seated herself on the couch with the yellow cushions without a word or a smile, exuding an imposing demeanor.

Cai Wei disdained her attitude deeply. This old woman had nearly caused her and her man to be torn apart, making her man pair up with another woman. Just for that fact alone, Cai Wei could not forgive her. Today, she arrived without a hint of remorse, acting as if someone owed her a great debt—truly annoying.

Without waiting to be asked to take a seat, Cai Wei took it upon herself to sit on a chair not far from the couch and lazily ordered Huan Qiu to serve tea.

Seeing Cai Wei seat herself uninvited, Empress Dowager Mo was visibly angry. She gave Cai Wei a cold glance, but she did not voice her displeasure; instead, she maintained her stern composure, waiting for Cai Wei to initiate the conversation.

Cai Wei was not eager to speak to her, even less so to flatter her. When the tea arrived, she simply held her teacup, gently blowing on the leaves inside, and began to sip leisurely...

An hour had passed,

Neither spoke a word, and they remained deadlocked in this way, the room’s air so cold it could freeze a person, silent except for their breathing. Empress Dowager Mo was determined to keep up her mother-in-law’s dignity, resolved not to be the first to speak to Cai Wei; and Cai Wei could not forget the recent incident when Empress Dowager Mo used Gu on Nangong Yi. Both wore stern faces and remained silent.

This stifling and powder-keg atmosphere was torturous. The two main parties involved weren’t affected much, but the servants behind them couldn’t bear it. With one being the Emperor’s birth mother and the other being the wife whom the Emperor cherished like the apple of his eye—if these two were at odds, the Emperor himself could not settle the dispute, and in the end, the servants would surely be the ones to suffer, used as scapegoats to vent the frustrations upon.

After much deliberation, Chen Shangxi, biting the bullet, tried to mediate, "Empress Dowager, didn’t you have something to say to the Empress Dowager? Why have you suddenly started playing a silent game?"