Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress
Chapter 1222 - 1228: Situ Changge (3)

Chapter 1222: Chapter 1228: Situ Changge (3)

After a while, Cai Wei suddenly spoke up, "Xiang Yun, how have you been lately? I heard that Mo Zili’s concubine has already moved into the household. What are your plans?"

Upon hearing this, a bitter sensation surged in Xiang Yun’s heart. She lowered her head, fiddling with her handkerchief, and said, "You know, being born in a family like ours, divorce is not an option. We can only let them be!"

Seeing Xiang Yun’s dispirited demeanor, Cai Wei could not help but advise, "You’re being too negative. Haven’t you thought about using this opportunity to make a clean break? Either defeat that woman and drive her out of your lives, or end things with Mo Zili and go your separate ways, free from any entanglements."

Hearing this, Xiang Yun gave a bitter smile and said, "What do I have to defeat her with? She is already carrying his child and is the apple of his eye. For her, he has called me ’vicious’ and ’jealous wife.’ Do you think I still stand a chance? But for the sake of my parents’ house, I won’t divorce him. I’ll just keep going. If possible, I truly wish to be like you, engaging in commerce, making a flourishing business, earning lots of silver, and spending it however I want, at least making my life worthwhile!"

Cai Wei nodded and said, "You’re not tying your destiny to a man and have your own thoughts, which is great. I didn’t expect you to come to terms with it so quickly. I was worried you might stubbornly cling to him. Now I can rest assured!"

Xiang Yun replied with a smile, "Rest assured, I still have my pride and self-respect. Even if I hadn’t fallen for him, given that he has children with another woman and insulted me for another’s sake, I would take my heart back. From now on, I will devote all my thoughts to doing business. Maybe one day I’ll even become your competitor. You better watch out!"

Cai Wei responded generously, "Welcome, welcome, competition breeds progress. What kind of business do you want to start? If you need my help, just say the word."

Xiang Yun said, "My dowry includes a manor, a shop, five thousand taels of silver, and jewelry worth seven to eight thousand taels. I plan to sell them all and open a big store, similar to your ginseng shop, aiming to be the premier one in the Capital. I just don’t know what kind of shop would be best."

Xiang Yun’s father, the Marquis of Jian’an, although having several concubines, was an honest official. He lived off a modest salary and a little inherited wealth. The dowry was originally her mother’s bridal gifts, brought out to ensure her daughter wasn’t looked down upon in Duke Li Guo’s Mansion. However, all these assets combined were only worth about thirty to forty thousand taels of silver, which made starting a large scale business quite challenging.

Cai Wei thought for a moment and suggested, "If you’re willing to partner with me, we could open the first hot pot restaurant in the Capital. It’s bound to be a success!"

"Hot pot restaurant? What is that?"

Xiang Yun asked curiously, then chuckled and said, "Whatever it is, I couldn’t ask for a greater privilege than to partner with the Empress Dowager. Just make sure, no backing out!"

Cai Wei laughed, promising, "Good, I absolutely won’t back out!"

In fact, even without Xiang Yun, Cai Wei could have started the hot pot restaurant on her own. Lately, however, with jade utensils from Lingxi River and a large quantity of pearls, each generating an income of ten thousand taels, she felt disinclined to venture into the hot pot business. After all, the catering industry, with its high guest turnover and mixed clientele, was troublesome, unlike her ginseng and Zhenbao Pavilion, where selling just a few items daily could make her extremely wealthy.