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

"Liang Mo's newly acquired concubine had an affair with Feng Sangli, a student at Tianqi Academy. The two had agreed that once Feng Sangli passed the imperial examination with flying colors, he would marry his concubine. Unexpectedly, Liang Mo intervened and ruined their dream."

Jiang Huaiyu's mind raced with conflicting thoughts. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "In that case, let's proceed..."

After receiving the order, Steward Zheng immediately began to carry it out.

Jiang Huaiyu looked solemn. If she could get the concubine to come forward and accuse Liang Mo, her son Fengyun could be exonerated.

Whether Steward Zheng will succeed remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Steward Zheng summoned Feng Sangli, and the two disguised themselves as purchasing servants and sneaked into the Liang residence to meet Liang Mo's newly acquired concubine.

The concubine's name was Jiaoyue. After Feng Sangli left, the two embraced tightly, overwhelmed with emotion: "Sangli, why are you here? I thought I would never see you again." Seeing this, Steward Zheng interjected at the right moment, his tone serious: "Gentlemen, if this matter succeeds, you can be together day and night from now on. But if it fails, Liang Mo will find out about your affair. At that time, not only will you never see each other again, but Liang Mo will also torture you severely and even silently eliminate your beloved."

Butler Zheng spoke with sharp eyes and a firm tone.

Upon hearing this, Jiaoyue and Feng Sangli quickly released their tightly clasped hands.

Jiaoyue asked anxiously, "What should I do?"

Butler Zheng's voice was deep and powerful: "When that time comes, you will state it as I instruct you..."

"If this matter is successfully completed, the Marquis's mansion will help you escape this place of trouble and provide you with a thousand taels of silver for your travel expenses. At that time, you can spend a wonderful time together."

Feng Sangli then interjected, "Steward Zheng, could you pay a deposit in advance to put my mind at ease? Otherwise, I'm worried that you'll go back on your word after the matter is settled."

Steward Zheng's gaze was sharp as a knife, and his tone was cold and hard: "You have no right to bargain. Remember, if this matter is exposed, the two of you will be doomed. Liang Mo will not let you go, and the Marquis's Mansion will not show any mercy either. Only by cooperating with our Marquis's Mansion can you survive."

Upon hearing this, the two nodded meekly, like scolded quails.

Butler Zheng turned to look at Jiaoyue and continued his instructions: "At noon, you will pretend to go out shopping, and I will be waiting for you at Wenxiang Tower."

Jiaoyue responded softly, "Mm."

……

As the time for the interrogation drew near, Jiang Huaiyu stood outside the Ministry of Justice and watched as Steward Zheng accompanied a veiled woman as they slowly approached. Jiang Huaiyu exchanged a knowing glance with her, and then confidently stepped into the Ministry of Justice.

Inside the main hall of the Ministry of Justice, the high-ranking official, Lord Zhang, sat upright in the hall. Unlike the trial methods of the Court of Judicial Review, the trial process of the Ministry of Justice prohibited the common people from attending.

Standing below were Jiang Huaiyu, Wei Fengyun, and Mai Yufeng. Although Wei Fengyun was accused of stealing 20,000 taels of silver, the charge had not yet been finalized, and as the heir apparent, he was naturally exempt from kneeling. The other two, a Lady of the Marquis and an official of the court, were also exempt from kneeling.

"Wei Fengyun, Mai Yufeng accuses you of stealing 20,000 taels of embezzled funds confiscated by the Fujian Division. Now, the evidence is overwhelming. What is your defense?"

Following his mother's instructions from the previous day, Wei Fengyun calmly replied, "This was absolutely not my doing; it was Mai Yufeng who deliberately framed me. He secretly put 20,000 taels of silver into my belt, and then used the excuse of going out to relieve himself to lock the warehouse door from the inside, making it impossible for me to escape. Afterward, he led the people from the Ministry of Justice to arrest me."

Upon hearing this, Lord Zhang pressed further: "You claim that Mai Yufeng framed you, so do you have any evidence to prove your innocence?"

Jiang Huaiyu stepped forward resolutely and spoke righteously: "Lord Zhang, my son has suffered in prison these past two days, how could he possibly provide any evidence? But I do have a few doubts in my mind, and I would like to ask Lord Mai Yufeng for some advice."

Mai Yufeng remained calm and fearless, replying, "Madam, please feel free to ask any questions you may have."

Lord Zhang nodded slightly, indicating that Jiang Huaiyu could begin asking questions.

Jiang Huaiyu turned his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over Mai Yufeng: "First of all, I heard that the Fujian Division has an Investigation Department, which is in charge of internal personnel misconduct. Why didn't Lord Mai report it to the Investigation Department, but instead filed charges with the Ministry of Justice?"

Mai Yufeng understood that this was because Commander Yao of the Fujian Division had a deep camaraderie with the Marquis of Jiaxing, and if Wei Fengyun were to get into trouble, Commander Yao would definitely be inclined to protect him. However, he couldn't say these things directly, since he would still need to serve in the Fujian Division in the future, and if he offended Commander Yao, his days in the Fujian Division would be difficult to continue.

After a moment's thought, Mai Yufeng made up an excuse and said to Lord Zhang, "I was flustered at the time and didn't think it through. It was probably because the Ministry of Justice had recently successfully handled a major case, so after I discovered that Wei Fengyun had committed theft, I naturally thought of reporting it to the Ministry of Justice."

Lord Zhang nodded slightly, indicating his understanding.

Jiang Huaiyu was disdainful, but she still pressed on relentlessly: "Then the second question, on the night of the incident, my son was locked inside the house and he shouted for help. At that time, there were two captains in the adjacent warehouse who were taking inventory of supplies. Why didn't they go to rescue my son in time?"

Mai Yufeng sneered and replied, "That's naturally because I gave strict orders. When I discovered Feng Yun's theft, I not only locked the door, but also specifically instructed the two captains to keep a close watch on him. How could they possibly let him out without authorization?"

Jiang Huaiyu ignored Mai Yufeng's words and insisted on stating to Lord Zhang: "After my in-depth investigation, I discovered that since my son was imprisoned, the two captains, Liang Mo and Cao Wei, have suddenly become incredibly wealthy. Cao Wei bought a new mansion, while Liang Mo took a beautiful concubine. How could a mere ninth-rank captain receive such a generous salary? Therefore, I reasonably deduce that Mai Yufeng colluded with these two to commit fraud and frame my son."

After speaking, she handed over the irrefutable evidence of the two men's purchase of property and their taking of a concubine to the yamen runners.

Lord Zhang examined the matter for a moment, then raised an eyebrow slightly. "Mai Yufeng, what is your opinion on this?"

Mai Yufeng remained calm and replied with a cupped hand: "My lord, I am not aware of the source of those two captains' wealth. Perhaps you could summon them and ask them the truth."

Lord Zhang nodded in agreement, "Summon Captains Cao Wei and Liang Mo."

Soon, the two were brought to the front of the hall.

Lord Zhang questioned, "Where did the huge sums of silver you two have recently received come from?"

Cao Wei explained, "My lord, the five hundred taels of silver I used to purchase the house were won in a gambling spree at the casino the other day."

Liang Mo chimed in, "That's right, sir. That day, Cao Wei and I went to the gambling den together and placed the same bet, which is why we both made a huge profit."

Mai Yufeng remained expressionless, as if everything was under his control.

Jiang Huaiyu secretly speculated that the gambling den must be in cahoots with Mai Yufeng. The reason they were able to win must be because Mai Yufeng secretly manipulated the situation and cleverly transferred the bribes into their hands.

Lord Zhang immediately dispatched his officers to the gambling den to investigate, and sure enough, the two men had each won five hundred taels that day.

Although their income was seemingly explained, Jiang Huaiyu still decided to use Liang Moxin's new concubine to expose his crimes. She planned meticulously, determined to reveal the truth to the world.