Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress

Cai Wei personally served the tea to the old madam and laughed, "Grandmother never comes to the Hall of Three Treasures without a reason; is there any advice you wish to give Cai Wei?"

The old madam slightly bowed and said, "Your Highness jests. You are now the mother of the nation; how dare I instruct you? It is just that there are a few words I am unsure whether to say or not?"

Cai Wei laughed, "Is grandmother about to discuss matters between Cai Wei and the Empress Dowager?"

The old madam replied, "Your Highness is wise, knowing already what I wish to address, and with that knowledge, there is no need for me to beat around the bush. I believe that although Empress Dowager Mo is at fault, she remains your mother-in-law. Sometimes, the Empress still should leave her some dignity. I know that none of these issues are your fault. Later, I will also go to persuade her, telling her to ease up and stop causing trouble every day for no reason!"

Cai Wei said, "If grandmother really can persuade the Empress Dowager, that would indeed be Wei’er’s fortune. You may not know, grandmother, but ever since Wei’er entered the door, the Empress Dowager has always looked down on me, either picking at my flaws or trying to trip me up, making my life miserable. Sometimes I have had no choice but to fight back, or else, who knows how far she would go!"

The old madam sighed and said, "Grandmother knows you are good-hearted. I ask you to consider grandmother’s feelings and not to quarrel with her. In fact, your mother wasn’t always like this. Before she was gentle and reasonable at home, but later, in order for our family clan to survive, she entered the palace. After over twenty years in the palace’s cutthroat environment, the constant intrigue has profoundly changed her, turning her cold and narrow-minded. You know that a person’s nature cannot be developed overnight, nor can it be changed quickly. Grandmother will try to persuade her to slowly transform. Will you promise grandmother to not let her lose face in public and to make allowances for her?"

At this point, tears welled up in the old woman’s eyes as she choked up saying: "In fact, your Imperial Mother has suffered a lot over these years. Ultimately, she, like you, had a person she loved deeply and could have married to live a happy life. However, to ensure our family clan’s survival and avoid revenge from Consort Jin, she bravely gave up her happiness to enter the palace, enduring hard times and perils alone in this unpredictable Deep Palace. Each day she faced countless schemes, and any carelessness could have led to her destruction."

"She wasn’t denied the emperor’s favor because she brought few bridal gifts or was not beautiful enough, but because she did not wish to fight for his favor. Her beloved was a young general guarding the frontier between Meng slaves and Great Jin. At that time, there were frequent conflicts between Meng slaves and Great Jin. After she entered the palace, one day, that young general went out alone for patrol and encountered a group of Meng slaves. A fight erupted and although the general killed many, he eventually fell due to exhaustion, beheaded tragically."

"As a general, he surely knew the dangers of patrolling alone; evidently, he knew of her situation in the palace and felt life had nothing more to offer, seeking his own death. After learning of this, your Imperial Mother fell gravely ill and nearly died herself. After recovering from this illness, her personality turned increasingly cold and indifferent."