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

After resting for a few days, Shen Siyi and Shen Mingyao recovered and were taken by Old Madam Shen and the servants to kneel in the ancestral hall.

Aunt Cheng cried until her eyes were swollen like walnuts.

Shen Jianglin felt extremely distressed, but he did not dare to go to the upper room to beg for mercy.

He was afraid of being beaten.

The old lady would definitely be able to do it and beat him so hard that he couldn't get out of bed.

Aunt Cheng was still under house arrest. She couldn't go to visit her children and could only hug Shen Jianglin and cry again.

Shen Jianglin coaxed her for a long time and asked someone to secretly go to the ancestral hall to take care of the two children. Only then did Aunt Cheng stop crying.

"By the way, please find some time to sort out the account books of the five shops that I entrusted to you to manage and return them to Suisui." Shen Jianglin suddenly said.

Aunt Cheng's face changed, "Why?"

"That was her biological mother's dowry. Now she is getting married, and these shops are on Suisui's dowry list." Shen Jianglin whispered.

"The revenue from the shop over the past few years is given to you. Just return the shop to her."

Aunt Cheng's charming face almost twisted in pain.

She had long regarded these shops as her own private property. Asking her to hand over the shops would be like cutting off her flesh.

"Master, my family background is not as good as the two ladies. They all have rich dowries, but I only have the master."

"Over the years, I have been able to buy some decent writing instruments for Yao Ge'er thanks to a few shops."

"But...but Sister Yi is about to go to jail, what should we do with her dowry?"

Aunt Cheng spoke in a soft and gentle voice, sounding so pitiful that Shen Jianglin's heart softened.

He held Aunt Cheng's hand and said, "Sister Yi is my daughter. I will definitely prepare a dowry for her."

"Sister Yi also calls Sister Xiao her legal mother. Madam Yuan is Sister Sui's biological mother, so she is also Sister Yi's legal mother. Even if the dowry she left behind is added to Sister Yi, it doesn't matter."

"Let it be her dowry to Sister Yi, sir, what do you think?"

If Xiao were still alive, it would be good for her to be willing to give a dowry to Yi Jie'er.

But she's dead.

If Shen Jianglin used her dowry privately, he was afraid that the Xiao family would not agree.

"I'll tell Sui Sui about this first. As an older sister, it's her responsibility to give a little help to her younger sister." Shen Jianglin decided to start with Shen Sui'an.

As long as Shen Suian agrees, the Xiao family cannot say no.

Aunt Cheng curled the corners of her mouth. Shen Sui'an has always been gentle and obedient, and will definitely listen to her father's arrangements.

These five stores can bring her a huge revenue every year, and she is reluctant to return them to Shen Sui'an.

It would be best to get the title deeds back and take over these five shops completely.

Shen Sui'an was still unaware of what Aunt Cheng was thinking. She had been helping with the accounting in Jiang's room these past few days.

Jiang now has to stay in bed to rest, so all the matters at home are left to Shen Sui'an.

"Why haven't the Lu family come to discuss the wedding date with us yet? We also have to get back the engagement token with Lu Heng." Jiang suddenly remembered this.

Shen Sui'an had forgotten about the engagement token.

"Since the Lu family won't return it, let's take it back first." Shen Sui'an said. She didn't want to keep Lu Heng's things at all.

"Mujin, go get the black box from the cabinet."

"Hey, I'll go right away."

Jiang leaned against the big pillow, carefully protecting her belly, but her eyes looked at Shen Suian with pity.

"I have met Mrs. Lu. She is not someone who knows how to manage her life, so I don't think she would take the initiative to arrange a marriage for Lu Yuan."

"Mrs. Lu looks kind, but she is actually very mean. She also looks down on illegitimate children. Who in the Lu family can sincerely arrange a marriage for Lu Yuan?"

Shen Sui'an lowered his eyes and recalled that in the previous life, it was Mrs. Lu who took charge of the wedding, but there were many mistakes and omissions, and it was only with many setbacks that the wedding was completed.

She actually hoped that this time Mrs. Lu would really not care about Lu Yuan's affairs.

Soon Mu Jin came back with a black box.

Inside was a lustrous emerald green jade pendant, and Shen Sui'an just glanced at it indifferently.

"You go to the Lu family in person and return the jade pendant to Duke Lu, and he will naturally understand." Shen Sui'an said.

Mu Jin agreed and went out with the box in her arms.

I happened to meet Duke Lu outside the Lu family’s gate.

When Lord Lu heard the purpose of Mu Jin's visit, his face darkened. He took the box, said "I understand", and strode into the gate.

Seeing the gloomy look on the Duke's face, the servants in the house became even more cautious and did not dare to go forward to bring trouble.

"Go and call Lu Heng to me." As soon as he sat down in the lobby of the upper room, Duke Lu gave the order in a cold voice.

Lu Heng arrived very quickly.

"Grandfather, are you looking for me?" Lu Heng asked in a low voice. Seeing that his grandfather looked unhappy, could it be that Concubine Yao made excessive demands?

Concubine Yao summoned Duke Lu today to discuss Princess Guangning's marriage.

"The Shen family returned the jade pendant. This one was taken back by Shen Suian. Where is yours?" Duke Lu asked with a serious face.

Lu Heng lowered his eyes and looked at the emerald green jade pendant on the table, his thin lips tightly pursed.

Shen Sui'an actually had the jade pendant returned.

Was she really so anxious to disown him?

"I'll send someone to get it." Lu Heng said.

"No need for that. Send him back to the Shen family immediately." Duke Lu looked at Lu Heng expressionlessly.

"You know Princess Guangning's personality. She is different from Shen Sui'an. If she discovers the existence of the barmaid, you should know the consequences."

Lu Heng frowned, "Grandfather, Miss Song and I..."

"Don't say that you and that woman are innocent. If you are really innocent, can Shen Sui'an break off the engagement with you?"

"Princess Guangning doesn't care whether you two really have no private relationship. As long as there is a rumor that makes her unhappy, she will make sure that woman is killed without a burial place."

Lu Heng pursed his lips. As the only legitimate son of the Duke's Mansion, he was already extremely powerful in the eyes of others. But today he deeply felt that there was also a compulsion that he could not resist.

If Princess Guangning really beat Song Xiuzhi to death, could he avenge Song Xiuzhi?

No.

He couldn't implicate the entire Lu family.

This marriage with Princess Guangning destined him to a life of frustration.

"Grandfather, I will not go to see Miss Song again." Lu Heng said in a low voice.

"You'd better remember what you said. The Lu family cannot withstand the wrath of Princess Guangning." Duke Lu's tone was full of warning.

He waited until the rest of the family had arrived before he continued speaking.

"Today, Imperial Concubine Yao mentioned Princess Guangning's wedding to me. Imperial Concubine Yao meant that Lu Yuan and Lu Heng's weddings should be held at the same time."

Madam Lu frowned unhappily when she heard this: "That won't work. Heng'er is a legitimate son, and he's going to marry a princess. How can a concubine's son compare to him?"

"It is because Lu Heng had previously arranged a marriage with Shen Sui'an that Princess Guangning felt that if the two brothers had their weddings at the same time, people would not misunderstand that the princess had snatched the marriage of the Shen family's legitimate daughter." Duke Lu said.

He continued, "Princess Guangning's wedding will be arranged by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the ceremony will be held at the Princess's residence. As for Lu Yuan..."

He looked around and said, "Second brother's wife, you just need to work harder and get Lu Yuan's marriage done."

Mrs. Lu breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately she was not asked to arrange the marriage for her illegitimate son.

If she doesn't want to, she certainly won't be able to do it.

Mrs. Lu smiled and said, "My daughter-in-law will definitely take good care of it."