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

In the previous life, Xie Changyu's father and five brothers were ambushed in Xishanguan Tieling. Except for Xie Changyu, all the male members of the Xie family died in the battlefield.

Later, Xie Changyuye gave up writing and took up arms, fighting his way out of the border with a heart full of hatred.

Shen Sui'an didn't know who framed the Xie family, nor did he know the exact day they were killed.

He could only give a subtle reminder so that Xie Changyu could check with more confidence.

"General Xie's deputy general married a woman from Western Xinjiang. That woman is a spy. She stole the deputy general's secret military information and set up an ambush in Tieling, aiming to annihilate the Xie family army."

"Over the past year, Xie Changyu has been secretly investigating, using several pieces of true and false intelligence to determine that the deputy general had a problem."

"In the battle of Tieling, he used the information leaked to Xijiang by the spy to trap the Xijiang army in Tieling."

"The deputy general and the spy have been arrested and will be escorted back to the capital soon."

In just a few words, Shen Suian could sense a thrilling feeling.

What Xie Changyu did in Xishan Pass must have been very difficult.

"That's good." Shen Sui'an breathed a sigh of relief.

At least she saved the Xie family. They defended their country and guarded the border for generations. They shouldn't have ended up in such a tragic way.

"Then...are there spies in the court?" Shen Suian asked in a low voice.

Lu Yuan: "When Xie Changyu comes back, if there is a spy, he will definitely not remain indifferent."

Shen Sui'an laughed, at least he had won a game.

"Let's eat crabs. They won't taste good if they're cold." Shen Sui'an said, "I also made ginger tea."

"Let me do it." Lu Yuan took the crab from her hand, picked out the crab meat bit by bit and put it on the plate.

Shen Sui'an smiled at him and told him about his visit to the palace today.

"Do you know the eldest prince? Is he..." Shen Suian asked softly.

Lu Yuan said, "Before he went to guard the border, we served in the Imperial Guard together. He has a cheerful personality and is not particular about details. He doesn't seem to be ambitious."

Shen Sui'an believed in Lu Yuan's judgment. Since he said that the eldest prince did not seem ambitious, there must be a basis for his statement.

The eldest prince might not be aware of what the virtuous concubine had done.

Of course, Shen Sui'an would not make such a conclusion as one can only judge a person by his appearance.

"The Bai family is doomed." Lu Yuan said.

Concubine Yao will not let Concubine Xian go, and she certainly won't let the Bai family go either.

"Doesn't the Duke's Mansion have a beautiful cousin from the Bai family? Did you see her today?" Shen Suian glanced at him with watery eyes.

Lu Yuan chuckled, loving her jealous look.

"There is a girl from the Bai family, but I didn't see clearly what she looks like. I will take a closer look next time." Lu Yuan said in a low voice.

"You dare." Shen Suian glared at him.

Lu Yuan fed her a mouthful of crab meat and said, "She won't be in the Duke's Mansion for long, don't worry about it."

Shen Sui'an asked in a low voice, "Any news from the Southern Dynasty?"

"No." Lu Yuan said lightly.

"No news is good news." Shen Sui'an said.

……

……

In fact, it’s not that there was no movement in the Southern Dynasty.

Instead, Ruan Xinglin used all of the Ruan family's connections to block the news.

He Jingyao returned to the Southern Dynasty after a life-threatening incident. He and Qi Zhongbei were both seriously injured. After resting for a long time, they were finally able to get out of bed.

Ruan Xinglin and He Zhiyuan also began a variety of treacherous struggles.

It is an ironclad fact that the emperor and empress's eldest son is stranded in the Yong Dynasty.

Even if there are doubts, we must meet Lu Yuan and let Lu Yuan and the emperor do a blood test to determine the truth.

He Zhiyuan knew Lu Yuan's identity very well, so he asked his nephew to kill him.

He also didn't want Lu Yuan to appear in the Southern Dynasty.

"Prime Minister Ruan, you keep saying that Lu Yuan from the Yong Dynasty is the emperor's son. May I ask, what evidence do you have?" He Zhiyuan asked.

"Whether it is true or false, please invite Lu Yuan to the Southern Dynasty and the emperor will make the judgment." Ruan Xinglin said calmly.

He Zhiyuan snorted, "Just based on his appearance, you say that a person of unknown origin is a prince, Prime Minister Ruan, do you treat the royal bloodline as a joke?"

"Prime Minister He, do you think that I would mistake my own biological son?" A sharp and cold voice came from outside the palace.

Queen Ruan, wearing a black palace dress embroidered with a golden phoenix, slowly walked into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Graceful and noble, Queen Ruan cast her sharp eyes on He Zhiyuan.

He Zhiyuan looked slightly cold, and bowed, "Greetings, Her Majesty the Queen."

Emperor Fu, who was behind the desk, finally spoke: "Queen, why are you here?"

"I heard that our envoys assassinated their ministers in Yong Dynasty. Your Majesty, is this true?" asked Queen Ruan.

Emperor Fu glanced at He Zhiyuan and said, "This is a misunderstanding. I will ask the Ministry of Rites to arrange for another envoy to go to the Yong Dynasty to explain it clearly. Those who should apologize should apologize."

"If it weren't for the great victory of the Xie family army at Xishan Pass, the emperor would not have thought of continuing the alliance with the Yong Dynasty." Queen Ruan asked sarcastically.

Having his thoughts exposed, Emperor Fu's face turned a little ugly.

Queen Ruan looked at He Zhiyuan coldly again, "I heard that your nephew wanted to assassinate Lu Yuan. He Zhiyuan, are you so afraid that my son will return to the Southern Dynasty?"

"Empress, there is no evidence yet to prove whether Lu Yuan is the emperor's son." He Zhiyuan said coldly.

"Then what are you afraid of?" Queen Ruan asked back sternly.

She didn't wait for He Zhiyuan to speak, and turned to Emperor Fu, "Your Majesty, you held the child in your arms when he was born, right? You should know clearly what birthmarks he has."

"Whether Lu Yuan is the son of this palace and the emperor, we should let him come to the Southern Dynasty to find out."

Emperor Fu's face turned pale. He hated Ruan Danyang's condescending attitude.

"As for He Jingyao's assassination of the Yong Dynasty's minister, if this matter cannot be reconciled with the Yong Dynasty, then let He Jingyao pay with his life. Otherwise, how can we quell the Yong Dynasty's anger?"

He Zhiyuan's face darkened. "Is the Queen afraid of the Yong Dynasty?"

"If you are not afraid, why don't you go to the battlefield and fight against the Yong Dynasty?" Queen Ruan said sarcastically with a smile.

"Empress, I will not engage in an argument with you," He Zhiyuan said.

"It's not your blood that's flowing, so of course you're talking nonsense." Queen Ruan sneered.

Emperor Fu said with an unpleasant expression, "Your Majesty, He Jingyao had a misunderstanding with the ministers of the Yong Dynasty. I heard from Qi Zhongbei that he was with Lu Yuan's wife..."

"Your Majesty, have someone invite Lu Yuan back. If he is really your son and mine, I will not forgive He Jingyao for his crime of murdering the prince."

"I despise those who use women to cover up their own incompetence. Lord He, I believe your nephew will not be like you." Queen Ruan said lightly.

"Prime Minister Ruan, I have something to tell you. Please follow me out."

After saying this, Queen Ruan bowed to Emperor Fu, turned around and walked out of the Yangxin Palace.

He Zhiyuan looked at Emperor Fu, "Your Majesty, the Queen is going too far!"

Emperor Fu's face was gloomy. "Don't I know that she is going too far? He Zhiyuan, even if the prince is gone, she still has a son."

"Your Majesty, what is the birthmark on that child?" He Zhiyuan asked hurriedly.

"I... can't remember." Emperor Fu frowned.

He Zhiyuan: "Lu Yuan must not be allowed to appear in the Southern Dynasty. I have heard that Lu Yuan looks very similar to the emperor."

"Don't I know?" Emperor Fu said unhappily.