If I were born again, I would marry a strong but short-lived husband.

Mrs. Lu could no longer hide the fact that she had lent money at high interest rates.

The Duke ordered someone to call the couple over and pointed at the account book on the table.

"Have you used the public funds to lend at high interest rates over the years?" Duke Lu asked Mrs. Lu Er.

Mrs. Lu was kneeling in the middle of the hall. She didn't expect that the matter would be brought to the attention of the Duke so soon.

She has been wanting to get money to go to Jingzhao Prefecture to smooth things over these past two days.

She just wanted to rescue Zi Qianjia first, otherwise the nonsense he said in there would only hurt her more.

She also thought that as long as she saved the person, she would be able to keep it a secret in the Lu family.

"Grandpa, I am innocent..." Mrs. Lu cried out.

I would never admit to lending money at high interest, even if I am beaten to death.

Duke Lu slapped the account book hard, "The Jingzhao Prefecture is going to the Duke's Mansion to arrest someone, and you are still blaming me!"

"Do you know what is the crime of lending money at high interest?"

Mrs. Lu shrank back.

"Second sister-in-law, if you need money, just tell everyone. Why would you lend money at high interest? Is the company short of money?" asked Ruan.

"How could there be a lack of money in the public account? I know exactly how much revenue there is each year." The old lady snorted.

The Duke's Mansion is not as wealthy as before, but it can definitely support such a large family.

Mrs. Lu couldn't help but said, "Old Madam, you haven't had a housekeeper for many years. You don't know the difficulties now. The harvests of the farms and shops everywhere are not as good as before."

"The expenses of the first house account for half of the public funds. A pot of peonies for my sister-in-law costs more than a thousand taels, but my uncle asked someone to withdraw money from the public funds without blinking an eye..."

The old lady's eyes widened. "How much silver?"

"One thousand taels." Mrs. Lu shouted.

How much silver would it cost to have so many peonies and chrysanthemums in Liuyun Garden?

Mr. Lu looked unhappy. "Some of them were bought with my wife's own money. Not all of them were bought with the public account."

"Even if that's the case, that's not a reason to lend money at high interest." Ruan sighed.

Mrs. Lu glared at her fiercely and said, "I want you to keep talking."

"You know exactly how much money you have embezzled from the government over the years." Duke Lu spoke slowly.

"Grandpa, I didn't..." Mrs. Lu was about to deny it immediately.

Duke Lu waved his hand, "It's all clear once we check the account books. It's useless for you to deny it. It's all because the old lady turned a blind eye to you. Do you really think no one knows?"

The old lady dotes on her youngest son and sees that the second branch doesn't have much future, so she doesn't care about the second wife.

"Father, mother, we did lend money at high interest. If the government wants to arrest us, just arrest us. It has nothing to do with you. We admit it." Master Lu stuck his neck out and admitted that their second branch lent money at high interest.

Mrs. Lu's face changed and she patted the Second Master on the shoulder, "Who asked you to admit it? Who asked you to admit it?"

"Stop! Stop!" the old lady said angrily, "Why are you hitting him?"

Duke Lu said angrily, "Look at what you look like. You have accomplished nothing. You are asked to be the housekeeper, but you still lend money at high interest. You want to drag the Duke's Mansion down with you!"

"It must be this bitch who's doing something bad outside. My son wouldn't do such a thing." The old lady snorted, favoring her son.

"Divorce her and let her go to jail on her own."

Mrs. Lu II cried and threw herself in front of the old lady, "Old lady, I was wrong. I can't go to jail. Wei Ge'er still has to take the imperial examination. If he has a mother in jail, his future will be ruined."

"You are a foolish woman who is blinded by greed!" the old lady scolded.

Ruan stood aside and watched coldly.

The old lady's two biological daughters-in-law were either confined to the family temple or violated the law. The huge Duke's Mansion was really rotten.

If the Duke had not been a sober person, this family would have broken up long ago.

"How long have you been lending money at usury? How much have you lent out in total? How much interest have you earned?" Duke Lu asked in a deep voice.

Mrs. Lu pursed her lips and said timidly, "I already... I don't remember anymore. I took interest of 10,000 taels for two or three years. Some of it was used to supplement the expenses of the first wife. She also knew about the interest."

Uncle Lu stood up suddenly and said, "You are talking nonsense."

"Uncle, don't pretend to be ignorant when you know the truth. How much has your sister-in-law spent over the years? She would never be willing to spend her dowry on flowers and plants. No one is smarter than her." Mrs. Lu shouted.

"Enough!" Duke Lu shouted angrily.

The interest he received was two or three thousand taels, and the total high interest he received over the years would be more than one hundred thousand.

For such a large sum of money, the law would certainly require a severe sentence.

"I will take care of this matter. You and your wife cannot stay in Shangjing. Go out and avoid the limelight." Duke Lu said.

The old lady couldn't sit still anymore, "How can that be possible?"

"Otherwise, do you want them to go to jail?" asked Duke Lu.

Mr. Lu burst into tears. For the sake of their son's future, he nodded vigorously, "Father, let's leave Shangjing, we...we will go to Jiangnan."

"Give all the house cards and keys to the third son's wife." Duke Lu said.

Even though Mrs. Lu was reluctant, she had no choice but to agree.

For the sake of his son, Duke Lu had no choice but to sacrifice his reputation and spend a large sum of his family wealth before he finally suppressed the matter.

It wasn't that Jingzhao Prefecture embezzled the Lu family's money, but the palace gave the order, and for the sake of Guangning and the prince consort, they were not convicted.

But the second branch of the Duke’s Mansion cannot stay in Shangjing.

Mr. Lu left with his second wife and youngest son and donated money to get a small official position in Jiangnan. His life was naturally not as good as when he was in the Duke's Mansion, but he felt that at least he did not have to go to jail, which was a blessing.

The second wife did not have such awareness. She complained all day long, blaming everything, and her life became more and more miserable.

At first, Mr. Lu was quite patient in coaxing her, but later he became more and more impatient. On the contrary, the maidservant who served him was very considerate, and he was moved by her and accepted her.

Only after taking two concubines did Mrs. Lu finally calm down.

But life is still a mess.

This is something.

Duke Lu's health, which had almost recovered, collapsed again because of the incident involving Second Madam Lu.

I don't know how long it will take to get better.

The old lady was not much better off. The housekeeper was the illegitimate son's wife whom she hated the most, and she never had a happy day.

"It's time for Wei'er to get married, why don't we arrange a marriage for him first?" The old lady discussed with the Duke.

If Lu Wei gets married, his wife can help with the household management.

"What's wrong with the third son's wife being the housekeeper? The third branch is successful now, and everyone is willing to get to know the third son's wife. Wei Ge'er is going to take the imperial examination, so don't influence him at this time." The Duke said.

The old lady curled her lips and said, "If it doesn't work, let Shen help take care of it."

At least Lu Yuan is still her grandson. Although she can't stand Shen Sui'an, he is still more of a family member to her than Ruan.

"Go and talk to Lu Yuan's wife yourself." Duke Lu closed his eyes.