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

At this time, Wei Fenghui and Wei Fengyao in the Jiaxing Marquis's mansion had already distinguished themselves and become prestigious officials in the court. Qi Zimo, as the late empress's personal maid, controlled the late empress's Phoenix Guard. Even without Jiang Huaiyu, the Marquis's mansion remained as stable as Mount Tai.

Cuiying hurriedly followed, saying with concern, "Madam, I'll go with you."

Jiang Huaiyu gently shook her head and said earnestly, "This trip may be dangerous. You stay in the manor to assist Aunt Wei in managing the situation."

Cuiying nodded worriedly, her voice trembling as she reminded her, "Please be careful."

As the illustrious Lady of the Marquis of Jiaxing, Jiang Huaiyu was not only elegant and graceful but also a superb horseman. On this day, she, along with Steward Zheng and Instructor Feng, mounted their steeds and galloped towards the Fujian Division.

Upon arriving at the gate of the Fujian Division, Jiang Huaiyu quickly dismounted and eagerly tried to enter the garrison, but was stopped by the guards at the gate.

Jiang Huaiyu presented the Marquis's token and said firmly, "I request to see Yao Dingtian, the commander of the Fujian Division."

However, the guards did not let them pass, replying in a flat tone: "Commander Yao has already entered the palace to pay homage to His Majesty and is not at the guard post at the moment."

Jiang Huaiyu was anxious and asked urgently, "Do you know that Commander Xie was ambushed at Luanshi Slope?" The two guards exchanged glances, and one of them replied, "Commander Xie went out on a mission and has not returned yet. We have not received any news that he was ambushed."

Jiang Huaiyu's heart tightened, and she immediately understood the truth behind the scenes. It must have been Mai Yuxi who was secretly manipulating things and luring Wei Fengyun to Luanshipo. She wondered how her son was doing, and her heart was in her throat.

Jiang Huaiyu's anxiety was palpable as he pressed, "Who is the highest-ranking official in the garrison right now? I must see him immediately."

The guards still refused to let them in, their tone firm: "Madam, the Sword Subduing Division is no ordinary institution, with numerous internal secrets. If we were to let you in so easily, we might have to take off our bullfighting attire."

Jiang Huaiyu knew that she couldn't do anything to Mai Yuxi by going to Luanshipo alone, but if she could use the ambush of Xie Baihu as a pretext to lead the officials of Fujiansi to Luanshipo, and if they found that the news was false, she could take the opportunity to punish Mai Yuxi and accuse him of spreading false information.

Just as Jiang Huaiyu was about to seek help from the Princess by finding Wei Fengyao, a lavishly decorated carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the gate of the Fujian Division. The coachman stepped forward, gently lifted the curtain, and a middle-aged man dressed in a purple python robe stepped out.

A hint of joy flashed in Jiang Huaiyu's eyes. She knew the hierarchy of the Fujian Division's attire: python robes, flying fish robes, and bullfighting robes, each with three colors—purple, red, and black—corresponding to the ninth-rank officials within the Fujian Division. The purple python robe was the exclusive attire of the Fujian Division's commander. Jiang Huaiyu didn't need to see his face to determine that this person was Yao Dingtian.

"Lord Yao."

Yao Dingtian raised his head and his gaze met that of Jiang Huaiyu, the wife of the Marquis of Jiaxing. He immediately bowed respectfully and said, "May the Marquis's wife be well."

Jiang Huaiyu hurried forward, looking worried. "Someone sent me a message saying that Commander Xie was ambushed by criminals at Luanshi Slope. My son has rushed to his aid, but it seems that the others in the Fujian Division have not received this news."

Yao Dingtian calmly got out of the car, steadied himself, his brows furrowed, and pondered the mystery in his heart. However, he then thought of the mission Xie Baihu was carrying out. Regardless of whether he had really been ambushed, he had to go and investigate personally. It was better to believe it was true than not to believe it was not.

He turned to his guards and gave them orders: "Quickly mobilize two elite squads and set off with me immediately for Luanshipo."

"As ordered."

The Fujian Division's troops assembled with lightning speed, and twenty elite knights mounted their horses, whipped their horses, and galloped towards the rocky slope.

Dust filled the streets, and the surrounding people and pedestrians scrambled to avoid it, whispering among themselves, "I wonder which wealthy family is about to suffer misfortune again."

At the same time, Wei Fengyun and Lao Mo, a bodyguard from the Jiaxing Marquis's residence, arrived at Luanshipo. Lao Mo, a veteran who had fought alongside the Jiaxing Marquis for many years, possessed excellent reconnaissance skills.

"Your Highness, there are traces of blood here."

Old Mo gently picked up a leaf from the edge of the grass. There was a scarlet liquid left on the leaf. He brought it close to his nose and sniffed it.

"follow me."

Following the trail of blood, the two turned into the deep woods.

Meanwhile, in another location, Mai Yuxi and his men, who had already set a trap to ambush Wei Fengyun, were silently lurking in the roadside bushes.

The sound of horses' hooves came from ahead, and dust obscured the sun.

Mai Yuxi whispered, "Prepare to move in; the target is approaching."

The men gripped the rope tightly and pulled hard. A thick hemp rope stretched taut across the path, instantly tripping the galloping horse. The figure on the horse fell into the deep pit ahead.

The group jumped up excitedly, ready to go forward and check, when another cloud of dust rose up, obscuring the sky.

A deep sense of doubt welled up in Mai Yuxi's heart, puzzled as to why such a large crowd had gathered before him. He turned around, his gaze sharp as a sword as it fell upon Wei Lin. "I clearly only instructed you to notify Wei Fengyun, how did it turn out like this?"

Wei Lin was completely bewildered and nodded blankly, "Indeed, I only notified Wei Fengyun."

Mai Yuxi was furious, her anger seemingly capable of setting the entire world ablaze. "Useless trash, find a place to hide and don't let them find you."

The group quickly hid again in the bushes.

At that moment, the sound of horses' hooves came from ahead, and Yao Dingtian, Jiang Huaiyu, and others rode up. In their eagerness to complete their mission, they had sent out a scout to explore the way, but unexpectedly, the scout had fallen into an enemy trap.

Yao Dingtian shouted, "There's an ambush!"

The members of the Fujian Division dismounted, drew their embroidered spring knives, and stood ready for battle with solemn expressions.

When Mai Yuxi and the others, who were hiding in the bushes, saw Yao Dingtian dressed in a purple python robe, they were all filled with fear and prayed that they would not be discovered by him.

Mai Yuxi cursed under his breath, "How did you end up bringing Lord Yao here?"

Wei Lin replied tremblingly, "I don't understand either. I only notified Wei Fengyun and watched him leave in a hurry all by himself."

Mai Yuxi cursed inwardly, and could only silently pray that he could escape this calamity.

Yao Dingtian and his men had already assumed a defensive posture, but when they found that the enemy had not continued to attack, they couldn't help but become suspicious.

"Huh, what's going on? Did the enemy retreat as soon as they saw that we outnumbered them?"

Yao Dingtian ordered his men to pull the scouts out of the trap, and then sent men deep into the bushes to conduct reconnaissance.

To prevent the enemy from hiding in the bushes, the members of the Fujian Division drew their bows and fired arrows.

Hidden in the bushes, Mai Yuxi and the others trembled with tension. As arrows rained down upon them, they finally couldn't help but shout, "Don't shoot! They're our own people! They're our own people!"

Mai Yuxi cursed inwardly, pressed her body tightly to the ground, and quietly crawled backward.