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

The Bai family wanted Bai Yufei to use the Duke's Mansion as a stepping stone, but before they could even stand on it, something bad happened to the Bai family.

First, the Bai family secretly sold banned items from the imperial court.

The sale of salt and iron was restricted to private merchants, but the Bai family made a fortune by selling salt and iron to other countries.

The emperor ordered all the Bai family’s shops to be closed and the matter to be thoroughly investigated.

Overnight, those who had originally wanted to take advantage of the situation to buy out the Bai family's assets immediately panicked.

Those who haven't paid yet are lucky to have escaped.

Those who had already handed over the silver wailed.

When Mrs. Lu learned about this, she immediately had Bai Yufei sent back to the Bai family without saying a word.

"Grandma, please let my cousin stay. If you send her back now, she will die." Lu Yan knelt down and hugged Madam Lu's legs, crying with tears all over her face.

"No, the Bai family is a nuisance now. By hiding her in the Duke's Mansion, do you want to drag everyone in the Duke's Mansion to be buried with her?" Old Madam Lu was extremely clear-headed at this time.

Lu Yan burst into tears and begged, "Grandma, then...then mother is from the Duke's Mansion, right? Let's bring mother back. I can't live without her."

Bai Yufei, who was standing next to her, was originally touched by Lu Yan's sincerity towards her, and was still thinking about saving her.

After hearing the following words, her heart sank again.

It was obvious that Lu Yan was using her as an excuse to save her aunt, and she didn't really want Madam Lu to save her.

"No." Madam Lu refused without thinking.

If she had known that something like this would happen in the Bai family, she would have asked her son to write a divorce letter.

"Grandma, I beg you, if my brother were here, he would definitely save mother." Lu Yan moved Lu Heng out.

"I can't make the decision on this matter. You should ask your grandfather and your father." Mrs. Lu said unhappily.

"Send the cousin back first."

Bai Yufei raised her chin, still maintaining her aloof and arrogant attitude, "No need to trouble Madam Lu, I can walk by myself."

"Sister Yan, take care of yourself."

After saying that, Bai Yufei turned around with a cold expression and left the Duke's Mansion without looking back.

Lu Yan hurried to find Duke Lu again, but the Duke had gone out with Mr. Lu early in the morning.

"Doctor Gao said that the Duke needs to move around more regularly. Today, the Duke and I will go to inspect various farms together. I'm afraid it will take several days for us to come back." said the steward.

"Several days?" Lu Yan's face turned pale.

Then who can save the mother?

"Third Miss, how about... we go and ask the eldest young lady for help?" the maid whispered beside her.

Lu Yan bit her lip. The last time she begged Shen Sui to release Bai Shaohong, she failed and their relationship was completely broken.

If I go to Shen Sui'an for help at this time, I will definitely be ridiculed.

"Let's go to the Bai family first." Lu Yan said.

Lu Yan was so focused on bringing Madam Lu back to the Duke's Mansion that she didn't notice that Bai Yufei, who had left the Duke's Mansion before her, did not return to the Bai family, but went straight out of the city in a carriage.

The Bai family's old house is far outside the capital, and there is only one big house in the city.

"Third Miss, look, there are so many soldiers and officers." The maid's voice was trembling.

Lu Yan's carriage was stopped, and she saw from afar that the Bai family mansion had been surrounded by soldiers.

"Have you seen your mother?" Lu Yan asked in horror.

She was afraid that her mother had been arrested.

"No, they are all servants of the Bai family." said the maid.

"Miss, let's go back first. With so many soldiers, you can't save the eldest lady."

Lu Yan's eyes turned red, and she only then remembered that she had not seen Bai Yufei.

"Where's cousin Fei? Didn't she come back? Why can't I see her?" Lu Yan asked hurriedly.

"Third Miss, could it be that my cousin hasn't come back at all?"

Lu Yan was slightly startled, "Let's go back first."

Over the years, the Bai family has spent a lot of money to expand their network in the court. Although it has not allowed the Bai family to return to its peak, it has been of some use.

They had already received the news before the emperor ordered an investigation into the Bai family.

The head of the Bai family cut off his arm to survive and would rather give up all his property to save the lives of the Bai family members.

He and Bai Shaojie escaped from Shangjing three days ago.

……

……

The government failed to catch the Bai family’s members, and the emperor was furious that he had let the Bai family sneak away right under his nose.

"The imperial court has issued a wanted order and the portraits of the Bai family men have been distributed to all places. If they are arrested, they will be beheaded on the spot." Lu Yuan spoke to Shen Suian in a deep voice about how to deal with the Bai family.

It was not actually clear that the Bai family was selling commodities restricted by the imperial court, but now that they had escaped, everything became a fact.

"Where is the first wife?" Shen Suian asked in a low voice.

"After leaving the city, the Bai family dispersed. Old Madam Bai returned to the old house. Mrs. Lu fell off a cliff on the way to escape and was covered in blood. Her body is being carried back." Lu Yuan's eyes darkened.

Shen Sui'an: "Fake death?"

Lu Yuan lowered his eyes and looked at her. Only by faking his death could the first wife have a chance of survival.

Otherwise, Concubine Yao would never let her go.

"Madam is really... amazing." Shen Suian sighed.

Cutting wrists and arms to seek a way out.

"Take the lady's body back to the Duke's Mansion? Hold a funeral for her?" Based on Shen Sui'an's understanding of the Lu family, the Duke and Mr. Lu definitely don't want to be involved with the Bai family at this time.

"In the morning court today, the emperor angrily reprimanded the Duke." Lu Yuan said.

The Bai family is the in-laws of the Duke's Mansion. How could the Duke's Mansion not know about their treasonous behavior?

It's clearly an intentional concealment.

Duke Lu was speechless and could not explain himself.

"Young Master, Young Madam, the Duke asks you two to go to the upper room." The voice of a maid came from outside the door.

Shen Sui'an and Lu Yuan looked at each other.

"It's probably about my wife." Shen Sui'an said in a low voice.

Lu Yuan took her hand and said, "There may be more than one thing happening today."

"No matter what the Duke says, keep quiet and let me handle it."

Shen Sui'an held his hand tightly, "Are you trying to blame you again? What does the current situation of the Bai family have to do with you?"

Lu Yuan laughed sarcastically, "In the eyes of some people, others are always wrong."

As the couple stepped into the hall, a teacup fell at Lu Yuan's feet.

He held Shen Suian and took two steps back to avoid being hurt by the debris.

"Lu Yuan, you are the commander of the Pacification Division. There is no secret in the capital that you don't know. How many corrupt officials have you arrested over the years? Don't you know that the Bai family is engaged in this kind of traitorous business?"

"When the emperor blamed your grandfather today, why didn't you come out and admit that it was your fault?"

"Did you take any benefits from the Bai family?"

Lu Yuan looked at Mr. Lu with a cold gaze and asked sarcastically, "Aren't you the one who has benefited from the Bai family over the years?"

"What's your attitude?" Uncle Lu was furious again.

"Enough, let's get down to business." Duke Lu scolded Mr. Lu.

Duke Lu looked at Lu Yuan, his eyes full of inquiry, "Lu Yuan, you sit down first."