The next morning, Huo Jiwen went to the backyard to pay his respects to his mother.

Although he was ridiculed again, he still endured it.

In order to prepare a face for Shi Lingqiao, he went to the steward on the third day after her return to her parents' home and asked him to prepare a gift for her.

However, the housekeeper politely declined.

Huo Jiwen felt uneasy when the steward told him that he needed his mother's permission to withdraw public funds.

This Duke's mansion clearly belongs to him, yet his mother won't even let him withdraw any money. It's outrageous!

She was also thinking about how to take over the management of the Duke's mansion, which should have been her daughter-in-law's right.

But Huo Jiwen only dared to curse inwardly, but dared not go to the backyard to find his mother.

He knew his mother would absolutely not agree to using public funds as gifts for the third-day homecoming visit, and would definitely mock him again.

He was also afraid that his mother would tell him to send Lingqiao directly back to the Shi family and not bring her back.

So he could only reluctantly use things from his private stash as gifts.

After learning about this, Shi Lingqiao cursed her wicked mother-in-law in her heart, and then carefully comforted Huo Jiwen in various ways.

The two returned to Shijiazhuang, and many people were paying attention.

Everyone sighed in admiration at how extraordinary this Miss Shi was, having Huo Jiwen completely under her thumb.

Even with all that, they still managed to bring several cartloads of lavish gifts for the third-day homecoming visit. Impressive.

Huo Jiwen is truly beyond saving.

Qingyou naturally received the news that Char Siu Bao had prepared a generous gift and was taking Shi Lingqiao back to the Shi family.

This was within her expectations.

She didn't care about that; she was more concerned about Huo Xi's safety.

After she announced that she was going to completely give up on char siu bao, she arranged for a team to meet and protect Huo Xi.

But yesterday, Char Siu Bao and the Fourth Prince got together to drink; those two are definitely in cahoots.

Qingyou guessed that the Fourth Prince would probably instigate Char Siu Bao to deal with Huo Xi.

The men under Cha Siu Bao's command are all loyal guards of the Huo family. It would be impossible for them to assassinate Huo Xi, and it would also easily expose Cha Siu Bao.

Then Char Siu Bao would definitely have to borrow people from the Fourth Prince.

By borrowing it, they were practically on the Fourth Prince's pirate ship.

The Fourth Prince has secretly trained many experts, and Qingyou is worried that the people she sent before will fail.

So he sent a note to the emperor, asking him to send a team of elite imperial guards to escort Huo Xi back to the capital at top speed.

The reason she previously revealed her intention to change the heir was because she had made preparations to ensure Huo Xi's safe return.

She also anticipated that if Char Siu Bao knew about the information she had leaked, he would definitely try to take action against Huo Xi.

This way, the emperor could see the ruthless side of Char Siu Bao and realize that he didn't even spare his own uncle, and that such a person was beyond redemption.

This would also make Huo Xi wary of Huo Jiwen, and prevent him from being soft-hearted and yielding to his nephew after returning.

Upon receiving the news, the emperor immediately dispatched elite Dragon Guards to meet and protect Huo Xi.

He also wanted to know whether the fourth brother and Huo Jiwen would really take action against Huo Xi.

If the two of them really tried to kill Huo Xi, it would mean that they had already colluded and joined forces.

This was the thing he found most intolerable: his son and nephew had secretly conspired together while he was still alive.

What are they trying to do? Do they want him to quickly step down and give way to the fourth prince?

Although the emperor was furious, one was his own son and the other was his own nephew. In his heart, he hoped that his sister's worries were unnecessary and that the two of them would not lay a hand on Huo Xi.

But the emperor was destined to be disappointed.

Seven days later, both the emperor and Qingyou received the news.

Huo Xi was ambushed several times along the way, but fortunately Qingyou and the people sent by the emperor to meet him arrived in time, otherwise Huo Xi would have been in danger.

Despite such protection, Huo Xi still suffered some injuries, demonstrating the immense determination of those who attempted to assassinate him.

The emperor also learned from the news from the Dragon Guard that the person who intercepted Huo Xi was indeed related to the fourth prince.

Although the Fourth Prince hid well, the Dragon Guards still managed to find some clues.

The emperor was furious and utterly disappointed in his fourth son and nephew, feeling that they were beyond saving.

Especially a nephew, who would kill his own uncle who grew up with him just because of a possibility, is simply an inhuman beast.

No wonder he could do such an unfilial thing to his sister.

With such a scoundrel, how can my sister rely on him when she gets old?

Because of this incident, the emperor no longer hesitated and decided to appoint Huo Xi as the heir apparent of the Duke's mansion after Huo Xi finished the provincial examination.

This will also put an end to my nephew's little scheme.

The Duke's Mansion.

Qingyou breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the news. Although Huo Xi was slightly injured, it was not serious, and his life was not in danger.

After reading it, she placed the paper on the candlestick and burned it.

Just after the fire was lit, Granny Qi came in.

"Madam, the young master and Miss Shi have come to pay their respects to you again."

In the past few days, Huo Jiwen has brought Shi Lingqiao to pay her respects to Qingyou every day.

Even when Qingyou belittled them, the two endured it and would even try to please her.

The two people were nowhere to be seen; they left, but returned the next day.

Qingyou knew what the two were planning; they were trying to coax her into softening her heart.

Moreover, she guessed that Shi Lingqiao probably wanted to get closer to her so that she could poison her.

To confirm her suspicion that the original owner of the body had been poisoned, Qingyou decided to verify it herself.

Let's see if Shi Lingqiao has any other tricks up her sleeve.

And if she doesn't let Shi Lingqiao cause trouble, how can she torment the other party?

So he said, "Let them in."

Granny Qi nodded, "Yes!"

Huo Jiwen and Shi Lingqiao walked in and bowed to Qingyou, saying, "Greetings, Mother."

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