After hearing what the Fourth Prince said, Huo Jiwen was at a loss for words.

To be honest, given his mother's current ruthlessness and heartlessness, it's not impossible that this is possible.

From childhood to adulthood, her mother had always been very good to Huo Xi.

It's no exaggeration to say that he raised her like his own son.

Therefore, he disliked his uncle Huo Xi from a young age, and often targeted Huo Xi in order to win favor when they were young.

However, his mother used to be considerate of his feelings, and whenever he made a fuss, he would get more attention.

Huo Xi became increasingly low-key and inconspicuous in the Duke's mansion.

Therefore, he never regarded Huo Xi as a competitor.

But now the fourth prince's words have awakened him.

Their direct descendants also include Huo Xi.

If his mother insists on changing the heir to Huo Xi, his maternal uncle will definitely go along with her wishes.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been stripped of his position as heir because of his mother.

When he got married, not only did his maternal uncle not make any announcement, but not a single member of the royal family attended.

If it weren't for the Emperor's maternal uncle's obstruction, how could those people not have attended his wedding in order to comply with his wishes?

Thinking this, he couldn't help but ask the Fourth Prince for confirmation, "None of you came when I got married. Was it because my uncle, the Emperor, didn't allow it?"

The fourth prince said with a heavy heart, "Father said before that Aunt doesn't like Miss Shi as her daughter-in-law and doesn't acknowledge her status, so we don't need to attend this wedding."

He sighed again, "Since he's already said that, we can't go anymore."

If his father hadn't explicitly instructed him, and if no one else had gone to the Duke's mansion, he definitely would have gone to support his cousin.

But since no one else was going, he couldn't be the only one to do it, especially since his father had been displeased with him lately.

The reason I told Huo Jiwen today was twofold: first, to make him feel threatened and seize the position of heir to the Duke's throne; and second, to directly pull him onto my side.

Although Huo Jiwen was irrational when it came to women, he was still capable.

Huo Jiwen's face darkened further. "I'm just marrying a woman of low status, is it really necessary for them to act like this?"

He simply couldn't understand what his mother and uncle were doing.

It was as if his marriage to Shi Lingqiao was something that had angered everyone.

The fourth prince agreed, saying, "That's not true, I can't understand it either."

If Shi Lingqiao weren't his cousin, he would definitely have advised Huo Jiwen to give up on her or demote her to a concubine.

But now, people hope that Huo Jiwen can persist in fighting against his aunt to the end.

Huo Jiwen wasn't stupid; he naturally understood that the Fourth Prince had come to tell him so much today because he wanted to win him over.

So he didn't stand on ceremony, "Fourth cousin, do you have any skilled fighters available? Could you lend me a few?"

Lingqiao told him that she had met the Fourth Prince and even recognized him as her sworn brother.

After hearing it so many times, he felt that the fourth prince was indeed a good choice.

Although the Crown Prince was also his cousin, their relationship was just so-so, and they even had incompatible personalities.

If the crown prince ascends the throne in the future, he may not be given important responsibilities.

It would be better to help the fourth prince ascend the throne, then he could also have a meritorious service in supporting the emperor.

In the past, he would have naturally remembered the ancestral precept of only being loyal to the emperor and not taking sides, but now that his position as heir is unstable, he has no choice but to cooperate with the fourth prince.

He has people left behind by his own father, and it's definitely not feasible to use these people to deal with Huo Xi.

When the Fourth Prince heard Huo Jiwen ask this question, he knew what Huo Jiwen had chosen.

"Yes, I'll send some experts over to serve you tomorrow."

Getting rid of Huo Xi would benefit both of them.

Huo Jiwen smiled knowingly, "Alright, then I thank you very much, Fourth Cousin."

The two exchanged drinks and chatted about other things. It wasn't until the afternoon that Huo Jiwen returned to the Duke's mansion, slightly drunk.

Shi Ling noticed that he reeked of alcohol and guessed that he hadn't stayed at the wicked mother-in-law's house for a meal.

She was unhappy, but she didn't show it.

She went over to him and helped him up, asking, "Husband, where have you been drinking?"

Huo Jiwen didn't hide anything, "I had to go out at noon and ran into the Fourth Prince, so we had a few drinks together."

Upon hearing that he had been drinking with the Fourth Prince, Shi Lingqiao was no longer angry.

She asked, as if curious, "So you went with your sworn brother. What did you talk about?"

In the past, Huo Jiwen would not have spoken to Shi Lingqiao.

But now, after drinking some alcohol, he feels very depressed and irritable, especially since they are now husband and wife.

So she told Shi Lingqiao what she had talked about with the Fourth Prince.

However, in order not to make Shi Lingqiao think he was ruthless, he concealed the fact that he and the Fourth Prince had borrowed people to kill Huo Xi.

Shi Lingqiao's expression changed slightly; she hadn't expected that the Duke's mansion would have a younger uncle who could inherit the mansion.

She used to think that even if her wicked mother-in-law disliked her, the Duke's mansion still belonged to her husband.

Now that she had witnessed her mother-in-law's attitude, she was no longer certain.

She changed the subject and asked, "Your mother and your uncle have a very good relationship?"

Is there anything we can do about the relationship between the sister-in-law and the brother-in-law?

Huo Jiwen said, "Everyone in the capital knows that he was raised by my mother like a son, so of course they have a good relationship."

He said with a hint of sarcasm, "The eldest sister-in-law is like a mother."

Shi Lingqiao frowned slightly, "It seems that before Mother asked the Emperor to strip you of your title of heir, she may have already planned to let your uncle inherit the Duke's mansion in the future."

As the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother, and Huo Xi was raised by a wicked mother-in-law, it's unlikely that many people would believe it if someone were to spread rumors that the two had a close and complicated relationship.

Her eyes flickered, but what if someone saw the two of them having an affair?

The wicked mother-in-law had always called her a vixen, a shameless woman, and accused her of having an affair with Huo Jiwen before they were even married.

She could also use this method to ruin the reputations of both her wicked mother-in-law and Huo Xi.

From this perspective, what right does Huo Xi have to inherit the Duke's mansion? His wicked mother-in-law is too ashamed to face anyone anymore.

Perhaps they'll be too ashamed to live and will hang themselves.

As for how to make the two of them be intimate and be discovered, she could prepare the medicine.

Thinking about it this way, the tension and anger dissipated, and instead turned into anticipation and excitement.

Hearing her words, Huo Jiwen chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Yes, my mother probably planned this all along. How ruthless!"

How can he be expected to be filial to his own son after being repeatedly betrayed?

Shi Lingqiao held his hand and said, "No matter what happens in the future, I will always be by your side."

She then comforted her, saying, "You should try to please your mother by behaving well in front of her from now on. As long as she sees your filial piety, I believe she will change her mind."

She could only easily take action if Huo Jiwen reconciled with his wicked mother-in-law.

As long as she can get close to the wicked mother-in-law, she can arrange a good show for the wicked mother-in-law and Huo Xi.

So they coaxed and encouraged Huo Jiwen to fulfill his filial duties, telling him to be patient and that he would surely achieve his goal.

Huo Jiwen had similar thoughts; this time, he was determined to win his mother's heart.

And he couldn't let her suspect that if Huo Xi got into trouble, it would be related to him.