Lady Hou is reborn and, by pampering her illegitimate son, reclaims her life of wealth and privilege

When Jiang Huaiyu opened her eyes, she found herself back to when she was forty years old.

She appeared at the funeral of her husband, Marquis of Jiaxing, Wei Dinglian.

The mourning hall has been set up and covered with a white cloth. Various offerings are placed on both sides of the hall, and wisps of sandalwood incense rise from the incense burner on the altar.

Relatives dressed in mourning clothes, their cries of grief rising and falling.

Jiang Huaiyu knelt blankly before Wei Dinglian's coffin, her eyes vacant, as if her soul had been ripped away.

After a long silence, she slowly awoke from the shock of her rebirth, trembling as she supported her numb legs and struggled to her feet.

Upon seeing this, the maidservant beside her immediately stepped forward and carefully helped her up.

Jiang Huaiyu looked around and saw that everyone in the Hou Mansion was kneeling in the mourning hall, immersed in grief.

Wei Dinglian married one wife and two concubines in his lifetime, and his principal wife was Jiang Huaiyu.

She had only one son, Wei Fengyun, who, although the legitimate son, was not the eldest son.

Because Wei Fengyun had been training in martial arts with a master since childhood and had experienced many hardships, and lacked fatherly love, Jiang Huaiyu doted on him even more after Wei Dinglian's death, and listened to his every word.

In his previous life, after inheriting the title of Marquis, Wei Fengyun indulged in pleasure all day long, without any ambition. He took in a group of beautiful concubines and was addicted to gambling, squandering the entire family fortune of the Marquis's mansion.

The concubines spent their days scheming and fighting, creating chaos and unrest at home.

Even having affairs outside the marriage caused chaos and disorder.

Unable to control his aging son, Jiang Huaiyu finally passed away in resentment and helplessness.

Wei Dinglian's first concubine was named Wei Ruoyi. She had already become Wei Dinglian's concubine before Jiang Huaiyu entered the household, and she was already six months pregnant.

On their wedding night, Wei Dinglian stayed by Wei Ruoyi's side to accompany her during childbirth, where she gave birth to their eldest son, Wei Fenghui.

Jiang Huaiyu, however, remained alone in her empty room, not even lifting her red veil.

Wei Dinglian felt guilty, so after the marriage, he followed Jiang Huaiyu's arrangements for all matters, big and small, in the Marquis's mansion in order to make up for his mistakes.

Jiang Huaiyu is also a strong-willed person. From the day she entered the family, she has been indifferent to Wei Ruoyi and her son, and has never shown them any kindness.

Instead of killing the mother and child, they went to great lengths to cut back on their necessities in terms of food and shelter, being extremely harsh.

In every aspect of life, she never forgets to set obstacles and inflict hardships on them.

When Wei Fenghui was determined to purchase the Four Treasures of the Study through the imperial examination, Jiang Huaiyu not only failed to provide assistance but also further exploited him financially, depriving him of his due monthly allowance.

Left with no other choice, Wei Ruoyi had to take on manual labor, such as sewing and washing, to raise funds to support Wei Fenghui's studies.

Until Wei Dinglian's death, Wei Ruoyi was never given the status she deserved.

Wei Ruoyi not only had to keep busy with her work every day, but also had to go to Jiang Huaiyu's room on time to pay her respects and do some heavy work.

Whenever Jiang Huaiyu was feeling down, she became his punching bag, suffering unwarranted beatings and scoldings.

The servants didn't treat her like a mistress either, which caused Wei Ruoyi and her son to suffer discrimination and ridicule, living in a gloomy atmosphere.

Unexpectedly, Wei Fenghui did not succumb to such adversity. Instead, he studied even harder and finally won first place. He then left the Marquis's mansion with Wei Ruoyi and started anew.

After that, he rose through the ranks of officialdom, eventually reaching the top of the cabinet, and winning Wei Ruoyi the supreme honor of being a first-rank imperial consort.

As for the third woman, she could not be considered Wei Dinglian's wife. Her name was Qi Ziming, and she was about thirty-five years old. Although she was not particularly beautiful, she had a graceful figure and was as light as a willow.

She had just returned from the frontier, accompanying Wei Dinglian's remains.

Accompanying her was a boy, only fourteen years old.

Jiang Huaiyu scrutinized Qi Ziming and the young man with a deep gaze.

No one could have predicted that Qi Ziming would be the late Empress's first-class maidservant, and that this young man would be the Empress's only bloodline, the Emperor's seventh son, who would inherit the throne and rule the world four years later.

In her past life, Jiang Huaiyu heard that Wei Dinglian had kept a mistress on the frontier and even had a son with her. Jiang Huaiyu was heartbroken and made a scene at the Marquis's mansion, resolutely refusing to let Qi Zimo and her son step into the house.

This action aroused great dissatisfaction among the soldiers who brought the Marquis's body back. They complained about Jiang Huaiyu's arrogance and unreasonableness. Under the strong coercion of the soldiers, Jiang Huaiyu finally gave in and agreed to let Qi Zimo and her son enter the mansion.

Jiang Huaiyu skillfully manipulated the fate of the two, placing them in the most remote and dilapidated abandoned courtyard.

There, they were poorly clothed, starving and freezing, which was Jiang Huaiyu's way of venting his resentment.

Unable to endure the torment of hunger, the Seventh Prince, Qi Ziming, risked everything to sneak into the kitchen in search of food. Unfortunately, she was caught red-handed by the steward and subjected to a brutal beating, leaving her bloodied and in excruciating pain.

Because she did not receive timely treatment, her wounds worsened, and Jiang Huaiyu deliberately ignored them, which eventually led to Qi Ziming becoming paralyzed and losing the ability to move freely.

However, no one could have predicted that the seventh prince had already quietly established a secret connection with the emperor. He chose to stay in the Marquis's residence simply to conceal his true identity.

Four years later, the emperor suddenly passed away, and the seventh prince's true identity was finally revealed to the public.

He led an army of 300,000 and killed all the usurpers, eventually succeeding in ascending the throne.

Perhaps out of gratitude for Wei Dinglian's care for him on the frontier, the new emperor did not retaliate against Jiang Huaiyu after ascending the throne, nor did he bestow any rewards upon her.

However, he favored Wei Fenghui greatly, giving him immense trust and power.

Thinking of this, Jiang Huaiyu couldn't help but pound heavily on Wei Dinglian's coffin, her voice filled with resentment: "You heartless bastard, why did you keep me in the dark? Why didn't you let me know even a whisper of such a big thing as secretly raising a prince? You became a chivalrous and loyal minister, while I was burdened with all the blame and became the wicked mistress in everyone's eyes!"

A bitter smile suddenly appeared on Jiang Huaiyu's lips.

Fortunately, her fate has not yet turned to that unfortunate page, and she still has a chance to turn things around.

In this life, she vows to rewrite the fate of the Marquis's mansion, diligently raising her own son and forging a deep bond with her two illegitimate sons. Even after her husband's passing, she will lead the Marquis's mansion back to its former glory.

At this moment, everyone in the Marquis's mansion watched as Jiang Huaiyu pounded on the Marquis's coffin, producing a dull sound, before bursting into loud laughter.

Jiang Huaiyu's behavior was unpredictable, as if she had been provoked. Although everyone was puzzled, they were also worried about being affected by her unpredictable temper. One by one, they lowered their heads to avoid becoming her next target.

Jiang Huaiyu's gaze swept over the two concubines and two illegitimate sons kneeling in front of her. Initially, she planned to make them kneel for a day and a night as a show of force.

However, the opportunity of rebirth made her change her mind. After all, one of the illegitimate sons was the seventh prince, and the other would become the Grand Secretary.

However, Jiang Huaiyu did not immediately switch to a fawning and ingratiating manner, knowing that doing so would only arouse their suspicion and unease.

She coughed twice, her voice carrying an undeniable authority: "You have knelt for so long, the Marquis in heaven will surely feel your sincerity. Rise, all of you. Cuiying, tell the servants to prepare the meal."