Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress
Chapter 1351 - 1358: Fight Fire with Fire (2)

Chapter 1351: Chapter 1358: Fight Fire with Fire (2)

Empress Dowager Mo said coldly, "The Emperor’s demands are too harsh. A woman should prioritize virtue. As long as her conduct is upright and her appearance is dignified, that should suffice. Why demand beauty? There’s no point in filling the room with seductive foxes, all gaudily dressed up. How can seducing the ruler be good?"

Everyone could tell the Empress Dowager was taking the opportunity to criticize the Empress for her beguiling beauty, which had enchanted the Emperor. No one dared to make a sound; they just lowered their heads and stared at their noses to avoid inviting trouble upon themselves.

Seeing that Empress Dowager Mo openly mocked her, Cai Wei did not bother with the basic courtesy and certainly was not going to endure it silently. She laughed and said, "What Imperial Mother said is very true. I also believe so. However, the Emperor says that for a woman ’beauty comes first, before her talent and virtue.’ Beauty is at the forefront, which shows how important a woman’s appearance is. Nevertheless, from what I see, the most important thing for a woman is not her appearance, but ’financial power,’ which means her bridal gifts!"

Upon hearing this, everyone, including Old Madam Liu, looked up in astonishment, unable to believe such vulgar words could come from her mouth.

Cai Wei, seeing the contemptuous looks from everyone, smiled nonchalantly at Empress Dowager Mo and asked, "What does Imperial Mother think?"

Empress Dowager Mo gave a cold smile, took her handkerchief to wipe her lips as if to erase the mocking smile, and said, "The Empress is indeed young and speaks without consideration, spouting words that reek of the smell of copper. Think about it. The Monarch of our Great Jin Nation, who controls the world and is wealthy beyond the four seas, would he need to worry about the amount of his consort’s bridal gifts? If this were to spread, wouldn’t it make foreigners laugh their teeth off?"

Cai Wei replied, "Imperial Mother is mistaken. Clothing, food, housing, and travel are the fundamentals of people’s livelihoods. It’s the ones who call money-grubbers vulgar and covered in the smell of copper that are the true pedants and the ones to be laughed at. Remember when the Emperor was on his northern campaign, Jin Guifei schemed against him, and the grains and straws she allocated were either moldy or mixed with chaff. The Emperor was in dire straits, scrambling to procure supplies for the military needs. His purse was empty, and he found himself in a difficult situation, seeing the Military Heart shake, on the verge of revolt. It was I who exhausted all my resources to procure supplies and straws for the military, calming the Military Heart and helping him through the crisis, resulting in today’s reign over the country. Think about those circumstances; if not for my money that had the ’smell of copper,’ could a few sickly lines of poetry or a few pretentiously elegant calligraphic paintings from a dainty lady of a noble family have turned the tide? So, money is indeed very important!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than the Noble Ladies, who had previously looked at her with contempt, began to ponder. What the Empress Dowager said was reasonable indeed. Looking back at the Emperor’s past difficulties, if not for the Empress Dowager’s timely financial aid, where would his reign over the country be today?

"Furthermore, the hundreds of Nursing Homes across Our Great Jin Dynasty, supporting tens of thousands of the elderly, young, sick, and disabled, are all maintained solely through my efforts, not costing the National Treasury a penny. Even the silver money recently disbursed to the Palace maidens as compensation came from my own Personal Savings. If Imperial Mother does not believe me, she can ask the Manager of the Internal Affairs Bureau if I have ever taken even a thread or a needle from inside the palace. These deeds, which aid the state of the country and benefit the People all over the world, were all accomplished with my own silver money."

"If there is a Miss who wishes to Enter the palace and attend the Emperor, but cannot alleviate his worries or benefit the People all over the world, and only wishes to cling to her falsely lofty dignity and pedantic, sour attitude, serving by the Emperor’s side, let alone the Emperor’s agreement, even I would not consent to it."

After finishing, she glanced at Miss Ning and said, "Of course, attending the Emperor in the palace is not just about having silver money or the ability to Earn Money. One must also have a kind and benevolent heart, always considering the welfare of The people of the world and the state of the country, rather than one’s own falsely high-minded image."