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

Seeing this, Old Madam Chao smiled gently, a deep meaning flashing in her eyes. She picked up the teacup on the table, gently blew on the floating tea leaves, and then slowly said, "The Emperor has not yet established a Crown Prince. I think this is also to test the abilities of the two of them."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaiyu was slightly startled. She raised her head, looked directly at Old Madam Chao, and a complex emotion flashed in her eyes.

"Grandma, what do you mean..." Jiang Huaiyu's voice was weak, as if she were asking a question, or perhaps talking to herself.

Old Madam Chao smiled slightly, put down her teacup, looked at Jiang Huaiyu with gentle eyes, and said slowly, "His Majesty is wise and powerful. He will not easily establish an heir. He needs to see the abilities of each prince clearly in order to make the most appropriate choice. The Fourth Prince and Prince Rui are both his sons. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses."

As Jiang Huaiyu listened to Old Madam Chao's words, she pondered to herself that the Fourth Prince was wise and brave, and talented, but his personality was a bit weak. On the other hand, although Prince Rui was resilient, he was too cold and difficult to approach.

"Grandma, who do you think has a better chance between the two of them?" Jiang Huaiyu asked.

Old Madam Chao smiled slightly, a deep and unfathomable light flashing in her eyes. She looked at Jiang Huaiyu and said slowly, "That depends on the Emperor's wishes. We can only guess."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaiyu's heart sank slightly.

Although Old Madam Chao did not say it explicitly, she had already hinted that she could support the Fourth Prince by influencing the Emperor's decisions.

"Grandma, I will remember your words," Jiang Huaiyu said firmly, bowing her head slightly.

Old Madam Chao looked at Jiang Huaiyu, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her eyes.

After thinking for a moment, she made another suggestion: "Madam Jiang, in my opinion, the Fourth Prince is wise and capable, and is indeed the only choice to inherit the throne. If Lord Jiang can support the Fourth Prince, this would be a meritorious service to the emperor, and the position of the Duke of Wei's mansion will be even more secure."

Jiang Huaiyu smiled slightly, a shrewd glint in her eyes, and said softly, "Old Madam Chao is absolutely right, but I wonder why you think so highly of the Fourth Prince?"

A sly glint flashed in Old Madam Chao's eyes. She coughed and said slowly, "Madam, you may not know this, but the Fourth Prince is surrounded by many talented people, and he himself is deeply favored by the Emperor. I believe that supporting the Fourth Prince is supporting the future Emperor. As for Prince Rui, hmph, he is ambitious. If he gains power, I'm afraid our dynasty will be threatened."

Jiang Huaiyu's heart skipped a beat. She knew there was a deeper meaning in Old Madam Chao's words, so she deliberately asked, "Does Old Madam mean that we should suppress Prince Rui in order to help the Fourth Prince?"

Old Madam Chao nodded, a hint of pride flashing in her eyes: "That's right. Madam, you might want to consider this: if the Duke of Wei's mansion supports the Fourth Prince, then in the future court, we can advance and retreat together and jointly safeguard the stability of our country."

Jiang Huaiyu nodded slightly, but was thinking about another question.

Old Madam Chao's purpose was not only to win over the Duke of Wei's family, but also to consider how to use this opportunity to help her own son, Wei Fengyao. She sighed softly, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes.

“Grandma, you are absolutely right. But as you know, I have never liked to get involved in the struggles between princes. Moreover, Wei Fengyao is too young to shoulder such a heavy responsibility.”

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Chao's eyes flashed with displeasure. She sneered, "Madam Jiang, what are you worried about? Are you worried about the instability of the Duke of Wei's position, or about Wei Fengyao's future? I can tell you, as long as we join forces, these problems will no longer be problems."

Jiang Huaiyu's heart tightened; this opportunity was indeed rare.

She bit her lip slightly, thinking to herself, "Well, since it can't be avoided, I can only go with the flow."

Thinking of this, she smiled gently and said, "Don't worry, Madam, I will consider your suggestion. But this matter needs to be considered carefully, after all, it involves the future of the Wei family, and I cannot make a hasty decision."

A hint of satisfaction flashed in Old Madam Chao's eyes. She patted Jiang Huaiyu's hand and smiled, "Madam Jiang is indeed a wise woman. I believe that as long as we join hands, the future of the Duke of Wei's mansion will be even more glorious."

Suddenly, Old Madam Chao's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly suggested, "Lady of the Duke of Wei, I have a plan. I want to take advantage of the floods in Jiangnan to monitor Prince Rui, find his mistakes, and then submit a memorial to the Emperor. At the same time, I will order the Fourth Prince to go and govern the country, thus demonstrating his ability to govern the country."

Lady Jiang Huaiyu, the wife of the Duke of Wei, was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and then a thoughtful expression appeared on her face. She looked at Old Madam Chao, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes, and said, "Old Madam Chao, your plan is excellent, but I wonder if you wish for my son, Wei Fengyun, to accompany Prince Rui to Jiangnan? He currently holds an important position in the Fujian Division and is quite familiar with matters of surveillance."

Old Madam Chao smiled slightly, a glint of light flashing in her eyes, and said, "That's right. I intend to have Wei Fengyun accompany Prince Rui to Jiangnan. Firstly, he can help me monitor Prince Rui; secondly, it will also allow the Fourth Prince to better understand the strength of the Wei family during the process of managing the floods in Jiangnan."

Upon hearing this, a hint of joy flashed in Jiang Huaiyu's eyes. She knew that Old Madam Chao's actions were intended to elevate the Wei family's status, and she couldn't help but feel extremely grateful to Old Madam Chao. However, she still had some concerns, so she said, "Old Madam Chao, although my son Wei Fengyun holds an important position in the Fujian Division, the floods in Jiangnan are no small matter. Whether he is capable of handling this position still needs to be considered."

Old Madam Chao waved her hand and smiled, "Don't worry, Madam of Wei, I have confidence in Wei Fengyun. Besides, if he performs well in this flood in Jiangnan, it will greatly benefit the Wei family's status. As for the risks, what in the world is without risks? As long as we act cautiously, we will surely succeed."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaiyu felt somewhat relieved. She looked at Old Madam Chao, a resolute glint in her eyes, and said, "In that case, I will trouble Old Madam Chao. I will fully support your plan."

Old Madam Chao smiled slightly and said, "Madam of the Duke of Wei, you are too kind. The Wei family and I are one family. The success of this plan will also benefit my family. Let us work together to create a brilliant future."

Having reached a consensus, the two began discussing specific plans. Old Madam Chao provided a detailed analysis of the flood situation in Jiangnan and the potential oversights Prince Rui might have made in the process of managing the situation.

Based on Wei Fengyun's abilities, Jiang Huaiyu proposed a method to both identify errors and protect Wei Fengyun's safety while monitoring Prince Rui.

Jiang Huaiyu looked at the confident Old Madam Chao and asked with some doubt, "Old Madam, you are so sure that Prince Rui will make a mistake, but what if he doesn't make a mistake as you expect? How should we deal with that?"

Old Madam Chao smiled slightly, her eyes revealing an unfathomable wisdom. She said softly, "Huaiyu, don't you understand? Prince Rui is bound to make a mistake; it's determined by his character. Moreover, I already have evidence. As soon as he makes a mistake, this evidence will easily fall into the hands of the Sword-Binding Division."

Jiang Huaiyu frowned slightly. She knew that what Old Madam Chao said was true, but she was still a little worried: "But if Prince Rui really did not make a mistake, then wouldn't we have wasted all our efforts?"