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

Jiang Huaiyu's face immediately blossomed into a bright smile, and she nodded without hesitation, saying, "It is truly an honor for the Jiaxing Marquis's Mansion to cooperate with the esteemed Princess."

This is not only because of the strong backing of the eldest princess, but more importantly, the 30% stake will bring tangible benefits.

Jiang Huaiyu clearly remembered that in her previous life, ever since the opening of the Princess's Xiaoxiang Pavilion, that street had become bustling and exceptionally prosperous. Property prices and rents on the street also soared, and the street was renamed Xiaoxiang Street, becoming a renowned and wealthy place in the capital.

Even more astonishing is that Xiaoxiang Pavilion's monthly profit is as high as 10,000 taels of silver. A 30% stake means that Jiang Huaiyu can steadily earn 3000 taels of silver per month, which adds up to a substantial income of 10,000 taels of silver per year.

This money will not only cover the expenses of the Marquis's mansion, but also accumulate a considerable amount of wealth.

Thinking of this, Jiang Huaiyu's mood was as bright as the spring sunshine, and her joy was overflowing.

At that moment, Wei Fengyao entered the room, and Jiang Huaiyu immediately stood up, took Wei Fengyao's hand, and introduced him to the Princess.

“Your Highness, this is my youngest son. My other two sons are studying at Yueming Academy and working at Fujian Division. Only my youngest son is at home and has come to pay his respects to Your Highness. I hope Your Highness will forgive him.”

Wei Fengyao then bowed respectfully.

The princess's gaze was scrutinizing, fixed on Wei Fengyao. Their first meeting naturally aroused her curiosity.

"The descendants of the Marquis of Jiaxing are indeed worthy of their reputation. The young man before us is so elegant and refined. The Marquis of Jiaxing is fortunate to have such a worthy successor," the Princess praised.

Jiang Huaiyu had no idea whether the Princess knew Wei Fengyao's identity, so he could only humbly reply, "Your Highness is too kind."

"I wonder if your three sons would be willing to serve as companions to my princess at her residence?" the eldest princess extended an invitation.

Although the companions in the princess's residence did not hold official positions or ranks, they were the princess's confidants and candidates for official positions in the princess's residence.

Those who performed exceptionally well and were favored by the princess were often promoted and became officials with salaries from the imperial court. Among the officials in the princess's residence, the highest-ranking official could serve as a chief clerk of the third rank.

The selection, evaluation, and dismissal of officials in the Princess's residence were entirely decided by the Princess herself, without interference from other court institutions.

Although Wei Fengyao is only fifteen years old and has not yet achieved any official rank, his official position and grade can be decided at any time if the Princess wishes.

Unable to fathom the princess's intentions, Jiang Huaiyu said, "Your Highness, it depends on Feng Yao's own wishes."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Wei Fengyao and asked gently, "Fengyao, there is no need to be afraid. If you have no interest in this, just tell your mother and I will politely decline on your behalf. But if you are willing, it is not impossible. However, the rules of the Princess's residence are numerous and not as comfortable as home. The Marquis's residence is not short of money now, so you do not need to struggle for a living. Just follow your heart, and your mother will take care of everything for you."

Jiang Huaiyu knew everything perfectly well. She understood that Wei Fengyao had already seen through everything, but she still chose to deliberately play the role, treating Wei Fengyao as an innocent and naive child, giving him motherly care and spiritual protection, purely to increase Wei Fengyao's affection and closeness to her.

As Wei Fengyao listened to Jiang Huaiyu's whispers, he was deeply moved, a feeling he had never experienced before. This was the first time someone had been so considerate and thoughtful, taking care of him in every little detail and providing him with an unshakeable sense of security.

"Mother, your child is willing to follow your arrangements."

Jiang Huaiyu gazed at Wei Fengyao's unwavering eyes and replied gently, "Alright, Mother will definitely support you. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just tell Mother, and Mother will come to your aid."

Wei Fengyao stepped forward, clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, and solemnly said, "Your Highness, I am willing to accept your command."

The eldest princess nodded slightly, then instructed: "Since it is settled, then come back to the manor with me. Eunuch Dou, you stay here and handle the transfer of the shop with the Lady of the Marquis."

As soon as she finished speaking, the eldest princess stood up to leave, saying, "Then we'll take our leave now."

"Respectfully seeing off Her Highness the Eldest Princess."

After the Princess left, Jiang Huaiyu accompanied Eunuch Dou to the government office to handle the transfer of ownership and shareholding procedures for the shop. Eunuch Dou, dressed in official robes, was extremely efficient and enjoyed priority treatment in the government office; the speed at which he processed the paperwork was astonishing.

Holding the share agreement for Xiaoxiang Pavilion in her hand, Jiang Huaiyu was overjoyed. She knew that this was a money tree that would never run dry. With this asset, the future of the Marquis's mansion would no longer be troubled by money.

However, Jiang Huaiyu still felt something was missing. She knew that after her rebirth, the land prices on Xiaoxiang Street would soar in the future. If she didn't seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a fortune, she would be wasting her chance to be reborn.

She carefully calculated her available funds, which amounted to approximately four thousand taels of silver, enough to cover the monthly operating expenses of the Marquis's residence. A typical shop on that street would cost a thousand taels of silver. She mentally devised a plan to maximize the use of these funds.

With her cash reserves stretched thin, Jiang Huaiyu once again considered selling her dowry.

She gestured to Granny Wu to open her private vault, where all sorts of precious items were displayed, dazzling and overwhelming, such as jade, jewelry and other rare treasures.

Among this collection, the most dazzling item is undoubtedly a whole box of priceless pearls, each the size of a pigeon's egg, estimated to be worth tens of thousands of taels. In addition, there is a pair of brightly colored red coral landscape basins, each worth 5000 taels. The remaining items are some fine pieces worth approximately 1000 taels each.

Jiang Huaiyu planned to pawn all the pearls and coral mountain landscape basins so that he could raise two taels of silver.

After all, these treasures are sitting idle here, unable to realize their due value. It would be better to sell them and let the funds circulate, thus generating greater benefits.

Time waits for no one, and Jiang Huaiyu was unwilling to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There were 28 shops on Xiaoxiang Street, but only one was as grand as Xiaoxiang Pavilion. The rest were either two or three-story buildings or simple one-story shops.

The market price for a shop on the first floor is 1000 taels, for the second floor 2000 taels, and for the third floor 3000 taels. Huaiyu originally intended to use the cash he had to buy two small shops to open a snack bar. However, faced with this mountain of gold before him, he changed his mind. If he couldn't seize this opportunity, he would rather give up his life.

When Xiaoxiang Pavilion opens, the streets will be bustling with people, and every shop will thrive. Even if you don't open a shop yourself, the rent from renting out a shop will be quite substantial.

Jiang Huaiyu, accompanied by Cuiying and Steward Zheng, went from shop to shop to conduct negotiations.

In the end, he successfully purchased two three-story shops, four two-story shops, and six one-story shops for a price of taels. Thanks to his effective negotiation, he even managed to get a discount of 1000 taels compared to the market price, making this deal undoubtedly a bargain.