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

In Mai Zhenxi's bedroom, the old doctor carefully took his pulse, then prescribed several doses of medicine. He said to Madam Pei with deep concern, "Madam, the Marquis is burning with anger and has not been able to calm down in time, which has caused him to faint. You must be careful in the future and never let the Marquis be so furious again."

Madam Pei nodded gently, her eyes brimming with tears. Just then, Mai Zhenxi slowly woke up, and Madam Pei quickly comforted him, "My lord, money lost can be regained. You are the pillar of our manor, so you must take good care of your health."

Mai Zhenxi pointed a trembling finger at Madam Pei and said weakly, "This disaster is all your doing. The Marquis's family's wealth accumulated over generations has been squandered in your hands."

As soon as he finished speaking, a surge of blood rushed to his chest, and he spat out another mouthful of blood.

"My Lord!" Lady Pei cried out in alarm, and the doctor beside her quickly performed acupuncture to stabilize the Lord's condition.

Madam Pei sat by Mai Zhenxi's bedside, her eyes filled with confusion and helplessness. The Marquis's mansion was now on the verge of poverty, struggling even to afford daily food. The Marquis had fallen ill due to anger, and she was filled with anxiety. Suddenly, a memory flashed through her mind.

"Lady of the Marquis of Jing'an, you caused the death of my nephew Mai Yufeng. How can a mere ten thousand taels of silver compensate for my loss?"

……

In the mansion of the Marquis of Jiaxing, Jiang Huaiyu, Steward Zheng, Instructor Feng, and Manager Chao sat around a luxurious dining table laden with fine wines and delicacies.

Jiang Huaiyu raised his glass and said with a joyful expression, "This great success is entirely due to everyone's hard work and assistance."

Manager Chao smiled broadly and continued, "All of this is thanks to your profound wisdom and flawless planning, Madam, which enabled us to achieve such a brilliant victory."

Steward Zheng smiled and shook his head modestly, saying, "Those human skin masks were just a little trick I used in the army, but the night was too dark for them to notice my disguise."

The four raised their glasses and toasted each other. Jiang Huaiyu then awarded 1,000 taels of the 20,000 taels of compensation he had received to Steward Zheng and the other two. As for the 10,000 taels that Steward Zheng received that night, he had actually used the working capital in the cloth shop's accounts to cleverly purchase the inventory of other cloth shops, so that 10,000 taels flowed back into the cloth shop's accounts.

Some time ago, Jiang Huaiyu had generously given Jiaoyue and Feng Sangli 1,500 taels of silver and also paid Manager Liang a deposit of 1,000 taels. After these expenditures, her treasury was quite empty. However, now, with the unexpected acquisition of a huge sum of 17,000 taels, her wealth has instantly increased.

With only a month left until the grand opening of the esteemed Princess's Xiaoxiang Pavilion, her wealth will expand even further. Thinking of this, Jiang Huaiyu couldn't help but feel satisfied, her face beaming with joy.

That evening, she took out 12,000 taels of silver notes and handed them to Granny Qin, instructing her to redeem the box of twelve egg-sized pearls that she had previously pawned the next day.

The following morning, after carefully dressing up, Jiang Huaiyu enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast. Eight delicious dishes were laid out on the table, each a rare delicacy and quite expensive. Even if sold outside, they would cost more than one tael of silver, and this bowl of bird's nest was worth ten taels.

Jiang Huaiyu was not a stingy person. Originally, bird's nest was a delicacy enjoyed exclusively by her, and anyone else who wanted to taste it had to pay for it themselves. However, now that wealth was flowing in, the meals for everyone in the household naturally had to be upgraded as well.

“Cuiying, from now on, each of the masters in the mansion will receive an extra bowl of bird’s nest every ten days.”

"As you command, ma'am."

At this moment, Hongying entered the room and brought news: "Madam, the Eldest Princess has returned from the south. The Third Young Master sent someone to inform her that she will be home for dinner tonight."

After listening, Jiang Huaiyu thought for a moment and realized that more than half a month had indeed passed. "Very good. Instruct the servants to prepare some delicacies in the kitchen tonight, and we will hold a welcome-home banquet for the Third Young Master in Rongxi Hall."

"I obey." Hongying replied and withdrew.

Rongxi Hall, a venue in the mansion specifically used for receiving distinguished guests and hosting grand banquets, is exquisitely decorated and elegantly furnished. Previously, after the funeral of the Marquis of Jiaxing, it was here that guests from all directions were entertained.

Rongxi Hall also has private rooms, suitable for small family gatherings.

As night fell, Jiang Huaiyu, Wei Fengyun, Wei Ruoyi, Wei Fenghui, and Qi Ziming waited for Wei Fengyao's return in a private room in Rongxi Hall.

As Wei Fengyao stepped through the threshold of the Marquis's residence, he was led to Rongxi Hall, where a group of familiar faces greeted him, all waiting for his return. A warm feeling welled up in Wei Fengyao's heart, as if he were enveloped by a comforting wave.

He had never experienced the warmth of a family since childhood. His mother died early, and his father was often away from home. He grew up alone on the border with the Marquis of Jiaxing. He had never had this warm feeling of someone waiting for him at home. This feeling was wonderful.

"Feng Yao, you're finally back! Everyone's been waiting for you here."

"Yes, third brother, you're finally home."

Although Wei Fengyao has not been part of this family for long, everyone here is kind to him, and their kindness and love make him feel very warm.

Wei Fengyao bowed to Jiang Huaiyu and said, "Greetings, Mother."

Jiang Huaiyu immediately stepped forward and gently helped Wei Fengyao up. "What are you doing? You don't need to be so polite in the future. If you do this again, your mother will get angry."

As soon as she finished speaking, she pulled him to sit next to her.

"It's time to eat!"

Everyone raised their glasses and drank together. During the banquet, Wei Fengyun kept asking Wei Fengyao about the strange and wonderful things he had experienced in the south. Wei Fengyao also shared his various experiences in the south with them with great joy, and everyone listened with great interest.

"Alright, Fengyun, let your third brother have a few bites too. He's been telling you stories and hasn't had a chance to eat."

As she spoke, Jiang Huaiyu picked up a fragrant roasted chicken leg and placed it on Wei Fengyao's plate. "Did you like the food you tasted in the South? The cuisine there is quite different from ours, isn't it?"

Wei Fengyao nodded slightly, "This time I accompanied the Princess to Sichuan, where the residents have a particular fondness for spicy food."

Mentioning Sichuan, Jiang Huaiyu couldn't help but recall the palace intrigues of her past life, the story of the three princes vying for the throne resurfacing in her mind. In that struggle for the throne, besides Prince Rui, born to Consort Li, and Prince Duan, born to Consort Chao, the third prince should have been Wei Fengyao. However, because his identity was only revealed after the emperor's sudden death, he was not granted the title of prince in time. And that third prince was none other than the current emperor's younger brother, the Prince of Shu, whose fiefdom was in Sichuan.

After the emperor's unexpected death in his previous life, the capital city descended into unprecedented chaos. The emperor's passing was so sudden, leaving no will or edict, that the dispute between Prince Rui and Prince Duan intensified. Nevertheless, no large-scale armed conflict broke out between them.

It wasn't until the King of Shu, upon hearing the news, led a large army into the capital that the court officials realized that Shu had long harbored ulterior motives and was secretly amassing troops and manufacturing weapons in Sichuan.