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

"Very well, then I will now order you to go and clean all the latrines thoroughly."

"Yes, sir." Wei Fengyun accepted the order, though displeased, he had no choice but to obey.

Mai Yuxi watched Wei Fengyun's figure recede into the distance with piercing eyes, feeling smug and a sly smile playing on her lips. "He's just a slightly dim-witted young man. Teasing him is a piece of cake."

By the time Wei Fengyun had cleaned the toilet spotlessly, night had fallen. When Xie Yukun returned home, he didn't see Wei Fengyun and mistakenly assumed he had already left, so he hurriedly said goodbye as well.

However, Wei Fengyun, having spent the entire day cleaning the toilets, inevitably became tainted with the odor. Seeing that the Fujian Division was empty, he began his journey home.

As Wei Fengyun walked down the street, he encountered passersby who avoided him, covering their noses and looking at him with disgust. Faced with this disdain, Wei Fengyun couldn't help but shrink back, his eyes darting around, unable to meet their gazes.

Just then, he accidentally bumped into two women. They turned around to say something, but were instantly choked by the pungent smell emanating from Wei Fengyun. They could only pinch their noses and scold him, "Where are your eyes?"

Wei Fengyun hurriedly bowed and apologized, his voice humble: "I'm so sorry, so sorry." His eyes darted around, afraid of attracting more disapproving looks.

Seeing Wei Fengyun's timid appearance, the woman in red looked at him with even more disdain and coldly scolded, "You fool, be careful next time, don't get all smelly." Before she finished speaking, she waved her hand dismissively.

The woman in purple gently tugged at the sleeve of the woman in red and softly advised, "Mengqin, let it go."

Mengqin pouted slightly and said coquettishly, "Miss, you're too magnanimous. How can you let him off so easily?"

The woman in purple shook her head helplessly and whispered, "Don't forget, this is the capital city. We must not act rashly."

She turned to Wei Fengyun and gave him a slight bow, saying gently, "Young master, I am truly sorry. My maid has a quick temper and was impolite just now. Please forgive her."

Wei Fengyun waved his hands repeatedly and quickly replied, "It's alright, it's alright."

The woman in purple nodded slightly, then pulled Mengqin away.

"Miss, why did you let him go so easily?" Mengqin was still somewhat indignant.

The woman in purple glanced at her and patiently explained, "Didn't you see? That man is wearing the uniform of the Sword Subduing Division. The Sword Subduing Division is the emperor's personal army, with immense power. They can execute first and report later, enjoying special privileges granted by the emperor. It's best if we don't provoke them easily."

After hearing this, Mengqin was somewhat unwilling, but she could only mutter, "Oh."

Qin laughed out loud.

The woman in purple glanced back and said disdainfully, "That person just now seems to be mentally unstable, like a complete idiot."

"Miss, why bother caring about a stranger who has nothing to do with you?"

The woman in purple rolled her eyes. "Our mission at Jishetang is to save lives and heal the wounded. Judging from his expression and behavior, he must have been poisoned."

"Wow, Miss, you have such keen eyes! You can diagnose a patient's condition with just one glance. You truly deserve to be the heir of Jishetang."

"Now that Master is in the palace, we have some free time. Why don't we follow that young master? Maybe we can help him regain his senses."

Mengqin pouted and said with dissatisfaction, "Miss, why are you always so nosy?"

The woman in purple glanced at her sideways. "Mengqin, I've been very polite to you lately."

Mengqin quickly begged for forgiveness, "I was wrong, Miss, I was really wrong."

Then he muttered under his breath, "What I said was the truth."

Wei Fengyun staggered back to the Marquis's residence. Upon seeing him, the gatekeeper, covered in dust, rushed to inform Jiang Huaiyu's Moyou Hall.

Upon hearing the news, Cuiying stepped into the inner room to report it.

Inside the room, Jiang Huaiyu, Wei Ruoyi, and two maids were busy preparing invitations for Wei Fenghui's banquet for the top scholar.

"lady."

Cuiying looked troubled, her brows furrowed, and she called softly from behind the beaded curtain.

Jiang Huaiyu looked up at the sound, "What happened? You look so serious."

Wei Fenghui had just achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination, and the entire Hou family was immersed in joy and laughter. Jiang Huaiyu never expected that something unexpected would happen at this time.

Cuiying hesitated for a moment, then approached Jiang Huaiyu and whispered in his ear.

"What!" Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaiyu immediately put down what she was doing and rushed to Wei Fengyun's Jinghong Garden.

Seeing Jiang Huaiyu's flustered expression, Wei Ruoyi quickly asked Cuiying, "What exactly happened?"

After explaining to Wei Ruoyi, Cuiying hurriedly followed.

Wei Ruoyi put down the invitation in her hand and hurriedly caught up.

Jiang Huaiyu thought to herself, "When Cuiying said that Wei Fengyun smelled of excrement, my first reaction was that someone was bullying him."

Wei Fengyun displayed extraordinary talent in martial arts from a young age, but he was lacking in other areas. Back then, his family specially invited the imperial physician to diagnose him, but they found nothing unusual. They only vaguely stated that he had not developed well in the womb and his intelligence was slightly inferior to that of ordinary people, but the impact was not significant.

Jiang Huaiyu always felt guilty for neglecting Wei Fengyun in raising him, and therefore doted on him excessively. For a long time, Wei Fengyun was well protected in the Marquis's mansion, with his biological mother, Jiang Huaiyu, always protecting him and ensuring he never suffered any injustice. However, since joining the Fujian Division only a few months ago, Wei Fengyun has been repeatedly bullied by his colleagues, which pained Jiang Huaiyu greatly.

Her son was already unfortunate enough; why did he have to suffer such torment? Thinking this, Jiang Huaiyu's eyes welled up with tears. She quickened her pace, hurrying towards Wei Fengyun's residence—Jinghong Garden.

"My son!"

She pushed open the door and saw that Wei Fengyun had just taken off his gorgeous bullfighting outfit, leaving him in only a plain white undergarment.

Wei Fengyun looked at Jiang Huaiyu's flustered and tearful face with a bewildered expression, and asked in confusion, "Mother, why did you come so suddenly?"

Jiang Huaiyu hurriedly stepped forward, picked up Wei Fengyun's clothes, and indeed smelled an unpleasant odor. Looking at her son with tender eyes, she softly asked, "My son, tell your mother, where did this strange smell come from?"

Wei Fengyun's eyes darted around, and he stammered, "Yes, Commander Mai told me to clean the latrines." Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaiyu was furious. "Which Commander Mai? Why did he send you to clean the latrines?"

Seeing that Jiang Huaiyu was angry, Wei Fengyun hurriedly comforted her, "Mother, don't be angry. He is a captain, and I am a lieutenant. I must obey his orders."

Looking at her son's slightly dazed yet capable manner of handling daily life, Jiang Huaiyu felt a growing pang of sorrow, and tears involuntarily streamed down her face. She tightly embraced Wei Fengyun's tall frame. Her son was handsome and dashing, possessed exceptional martial arts skills, and came from a marquis's family. He should have been the admired heir of a marquis's household, but his fate was fraught with hardship, and his intelligence differed slightly from that of ordinary people.

"Mother..." Wei Fengyun wanted to gently push Jiang Huaiyu away, worried that his body odor would affect her. However, Jiang Huaiyu's embrace became even firmer, unwilling to let her son suffer this pain alone.