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

Lu Yuan followed suit and sat down with Shen Sui'an.

"What your father said just now was a bit harsh, but it was not without purpose. Lu Yuan, you are the commander of the Pacification Division. Such a big thing happened to the Bai family. Didn't you find out about it beforehand?"

"The Bai family and the Duke's Mansion are relatives after all. If something happens to them, the impact on the Duke's Mansion will be huge."

"Your last name is Lu too. If the Duke's Mansion is implicated, it will not be good for you."

Lu Yuan lowered his eyelids and listened quietly.

He used to be like a transparent person in the Duke's Mansion, but now he has become an important figure in the eyes of the Duke.

"Have you known for a long time that the Bai family was secretly selling salt and iron?" asked Duke Lu.

"I don't know." Lu Yuan said calmly, "The emperor didn't ask me to investigate the Bai family."

"The matter concerning the Bai family was discovered by the Dali Temple."

Isn’t that the Yao family?

Duke Lu frowned. Since it was the Dali Temple, it must have been done by Concubine Yao.

Uncle Lu: "Are you saying that the Bai family was wrongly accused?"

"..." Lu Yuan raised his eyes and looked over seriously. Any word he said about the Bai family was unfair.

"Didn't you discover it? If the Bai family was selling salt and iron privately, wouldn't your Zhenfu Division be the first to discover it?" Uncle Lu said as a matter of course.

Duke Lu glared at him and warned him not to talk nonsense anymore.

"Lu Yuan, then... there is no room for maneuver in this matter?" Duke Lu asked in a low voice.

The Bai family was discovered and their property was searched and confiscated. It happened too quickly.

Even if the Duke's Mansion wanted to mediate, it couldn't find a way.

What surprised him most was that the Bai family was able to escape from Shangjing City in such a short time.

It was obviously well prepared.

"Grandfather, do you mean to mobilize the entire Duke's Mansion to save the Bai family?" Lu Yuan asked.

Master Lu gritted his teeth and said, "You are always by the emperor's side. Don't you know what the emperor means? Is the emperor venting his anger on the Duke's Mansion? He even scolded your grandfather in the court today. If you had warned him in advance, how could he be like this today..."

"Let's not talk about the fact that I have no knowledge of the Bai family's affairs. Even if I did, you should know how to convict me for leaking the secrets of an important court case." Lu Yuan had a blank expression on his face.

"It is an ironclad fact that the Bai family has been confiscated and punished. Grandfather, are you sure you still want to dwell on this matter?"

Lord Lu nodded slightly. Actually, what Lu Yuan said was correct, but he was scolded by the emperor in the court today and completely lost face in front of the court officials. Now he just wanted to regain some dignity.

He looked at Lu Yuan deeply.

Perhaps Lu Yuan knew about it a long time ago, but just didn't reveal a word.

After all, he has no blood relationship with the Bai family. If it were Lu Heng, he would have pleaded with the emperor long ago. Even if he failed, he would have found ways to protect the Bai family.

Never mind, never mind, he is just an ungrateful person who can never be tamed.

"Your stepmother's coffin will be sent back soon. What are your plans?" asked Duke Lu.

"Of course, I would write a letter to Lu Heng and ask him to come back as soon as possible." His biological mother was dead, so shouldn't his biological son come back earlier?

It was not his turn to make decisions about Mrs. Lu's funeral.

"..." Duke Lu's mouth twitched slightly, "Although you are a concubine's son, you are also the eldest son. I can't just ignore you."

Lu Yuan smiled faintly, "How to manage it is still up to the elders in the family to decide. As for other matters, Lu Heng is the only son of the madam."

Shen Sui'an sneered in his heart as he listened to Duke Lu's probing words.

Isn't it because they don't want to welcome back Mrs. Lu's coffin? They are afraid that doing this will cause criticism and be called heartless and ungrateful, so they want Lu Yuan to do it.

He must have thought that Lu Yuan's reputation wasn't very good to begin with, so even if he had a disrespectful stepmother, it shouldn't be a big deal.

"Lu Heng is the prince consort now, and you can't let Princess Guangning mourn for your stepmother. Otherwise, you can take Shen to the outside of the city to welcome her. When you come back with the coffin, Shen can still mourn." Duke Lu said.

Lu Yuan's expression was becoming more and more impatient. "We are all juniors, so we should do whatever the elders ask us to do."

"Then everything will be decided by me and the Duke." Mr. Lu shouted immediately.

"I still have to go to the palace. If there are other things, we can discuss them later." Lu Yuan stood up and was about to leave with Shen Sui'an.

Uncle Lu still has a lot to say.

"Father, look at him, does he still have me as his father in his eyes?" Uncle Lu was so angry that he pointed at Lu Yuan and cursed.

"Ms Bai is dead. When a person dies, it's like a light goes out. Let's bring her back and prepare for her funeral." The Duke sighed.

If you don't answer it, people outside will think that the Duke's Mansion is heartless and ungrateful.

Bai also raised a son and a daughter for the Lu family.

The Emperor has already taken his anger out on us today. For the sake of Princess Guangning, the Emperor should not do anything to the Duke's Mansion.

There was disgust in Mr. Lu's eyes. He once thought that Mrs. Lu was his good wife and many of the difficulties he encountered were solved with her guidance.

But now Mrs. Lu is a hot potato, even if she has fallen to death.

He is so unlucky, how could he have such a wife.

"Then prepare for the funeral, Shen. After all, this is the business of the eldest wife. Although your third aunt is in charge of the household chores, you cannot be lazy." The Duke said lightly.

"..." Shen Suian thought she had nothing to do today.

"My wife was well-known for her virtuous and elegant appearance before she even got married. After marrying me, she took care of my food, clothing, housing and transportation herself. I don't know why others think she is lazy."

"In this Duke's Mansion, she never dared to meddle in matters that were not her business, and she never refused to do what she was supposed to do."

Lu Yuan's face was stern and his voice was harsh. Not to mention that his wife never shirked her responsibilities, so what even if she did?

This Duke's Mansion is not worth her effort at all.

Duke Lu had a gloomy face, and he was angry with just one sentence, but Lu Yuan didn't give him any face.

"If there is nothing else, let's go back first." Lu Yuan took Shen Suian's hand and said everything he needed to say. It would be unpleasant to say anything more.

"Father, look at his attitude. He doesn't even take you or me seriously. He's just an ungrateful person who can never be tamed." Uncle Lu shouted.

Duke Lu glared at him coldly, "How many times have I told you to be nice to him? Did you listen? You don't treat him as a son, but he will treat you as his father."

"I'm his father. There's nothing I can't do even if I beat him to death. He has to do whatever I tell him to do." Uncle Lu said stubbornly.

"Then go ahead." Duke Lu said angrily.

Uncle Lu shut up angrily, "Father, let's take this opportunity to let Lu Heng come back."

"Find someone you can trust and explain the Bai family's affairs to Lu Heng first, so that he won't just have a half-understanding and let excessive grief affect other things." Duke Lu said.

What bad luck!

Bai's death caused the Duke's Mansion to be hated by the Emperor, and Lu Heng finally got a powerful official position, but now he has to observe mourning for his father.