"Lady Wang." Tang Moyu regarded the older woman. She knew that meeting or talking to Wang Ruoxi meant bad news. She never had a good relationship with this woman and had tried to keep her distance from her since she met her.

  "Please, Moyu. You don't have to look at me like that." Wang Ruoxi said before pulling the chair Lu Tianxin vacated and took a seat. "It's been five years hasn't it?"

  The old woman gave the empress a head to toe look and smiled like she was looking down on Tang Moyu.

  "Still prim and proper, I see." She paused then glanced at Lu Tianxin. "And this is?"

  "A relative of mine." Tang Moyu tried to keep her tone neutral, but it was hard to not to get annoyed facing Wang Ruoxi and Feng Tianhua at the same time. "Is there something you need from me, Lady Wang?" She confronted her.

  Wang Ruoxi laughed and looked at the empress, then to her son. Tang Moyu was raised to become Tianhua's wife yet, a single mistake had caused them to separate. It was too bad that Tang Moyu didn't end up being her daughter-in-law.

  It was a no brainer that the empress had a better head than Xing Yiyue, who only knew how to scheme and act innocent in front of her son. If her son married Tang Moyu before that f.u.c.k.e.d up situation happened, they wouldn't have to worry about the future of Feng Conglomerates.

  "Just checking on you. I haven't seen or talked to you for years." Wang Ruoxi gave her a smile. "So you gave birth to a daughter. A very beautiful one on top of that."

  Tang Moyu didn't like the tone of the older woman's voice. No… she wouldn't allow her daughter to end up like her. Little Star shouldn't know the pain and loneliness she suffered when she was younger.

  "Yes, beautiful isn't she? My beloved daughter." Tang Moyu returned the smile filled with sarcasm. "Whoever her father was surely gave me the best genes to produce a beautiful daughter, don't you think?"

  Wang Ruoxi's smile faltered while her son's hands clenched on his side. It left a bad taste in his mouth that Tang Moyu bore children from another. If he knew he was going to lose her, he should have married her when he had the chance.

  "Then I hope she's as smart as you are." Wang Ruoxi responded, clearly hinting something. "She looks exactly like you."

  "Oh, Lady Wang. Don't worry about that. I'm sure my daughter has a better head too. Didn't people say a kid's intelligence comes from their mothers?" Tang Moyu gave her a sly smile, looking at Wang Ruoxi then to Feng Tianhua. "And I think they are right."

  Wang Ruoxi was taken aback from the viciousness she heard in the empress's tone. She now understood why Zhang Wuying said it was hard to get absolute control over Tang Moyu.

  If the empress had a smart mouth like this, how would one be able to force her to do their bidding? Perhaps, Zhang Wuying had made a mistake by torturing the poor girl since she was young. She knew it was a bad idea to put a mental trauma on the young Tang Moyu.

  "So… have you found the father yet?" She questioned Tang Moyu.

  "Hn?" The empress arched a brow on her. "I didn't think Lady Wang was the gossipy type. Must be hard to shed what you're used to."

  The old woman cleared her throat, a little ashamed of what Tang Moyu said. These days not many had known about her origin, but for Tang Moyu to know her background and insult her by mentioning it…


  No wonder Xing Yiyue could never hold a candle against the empress even if she'd fallen from grace. Tang Moyu had retained her imperial reputation and still had the impression that she was looking to her subjects whenever they talk to her, unknowingly or not.

  She hadn't expected that the empress had gained a poisonous tongue that could kill.

  "Well, I haven't seen your mother. Have you seen each other? She told me you haven't kept in touch with her after you left."

  Tang Moyu shrugged and wrapped her arms around her middle section. She wasn't good at playing words or l.i.c.k.i.n.g someone's a.s.s to earn a favor like Xing Yiyue. One can love her or hate her but why should it matter to Tang Moyu?

  "I didn't feel like there's a need to. After all that they have done." She chuckled before tucking the stray locks behind her ear. "I'll be foolish if I keep certain people in my life after what happened."

  Wang Ruoxi had no answer for that. Whatever happened five years ago had surely messed up her and Zhang Wuying's plans. Tang Moyu was supposed to marry to the Feng family and the Zhang family would have the control of the Tang Enterprise through Tang Beixuan, but none of it happened.

  None of this should have happened. This wasn't part of their plan. Was there no hope for them to remedy this?

  "It's been hard for you…" She started, but Tang Moyu's icy glare made her stop. There was something enthralling and frightening in her gaze.

  "Oh, Lady Wang. I assure you, hard is an understatement to describe the humiliation and pain I suffered before." Tang Moyu put emphasis on her words, which made Feng Tianhua flinch out of guilt. He was the first one who cast the first stone to spite her, to humiliate her and he deeply regretted what he'd done to her.

  Wang Ruoxi's face turned sour, while Xing Yiyue refused to meet everyone's gaze and remained silent next to her husband. She couldn't understand the point of talking to the empress. Why did Wang Ruoxi want to talk to Tang Moyu anyway?

  "Oh, I didn't know there's a mini family reunion here? I'm offended I wasn't invited." They heard a voice, indicating another person had joined them.