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

Before the incident happened in the Bai family, the news of Mrs. Lu's madness had not spread. The only news to the public was that Mrs. Lu was seriously ill and needed rest.

Now the Bai family has become a wanted traitor, and the Duke was also scolded by the Emperor in the court.

Anyone who has anything to do with the Bai family now wants to cut ties with them and doesn't want to have any connection with them at all.

Therefore, Mrs. Lu’s funeral was very cold.

Apart from the Duke's family, almost no one came to pay their respects.

The emperor even issued a special decree, exempting Lu Yuan from mourning during this extraordinary period when the court needed people, and still let him lead the duties of commander, ordering him to thoroughly investigate the whereabouts of the Bai family, including the remaining remnant forces left in Shangjing City.

This was almost a slap in the face to the Duke's Mansion, the only thing missing was a direct statement that no one was allowed to observe mourning for Madam Lu.

Shen Sui'an guessed that it was Concubine Yao who told the emperor about Guangning's matter.

The emperor must hate the Bai family and Mrs. Lu to the core now.

However, Mr. Lu knew nothing about this and thought that the emperor was too harsh. He almost thought that the Duke's Mansion was in collusion with the Bai family.

"Father, what does the emperor mean? He told Lu Yuan that he doesn't have to observe mourning. This is a humiliation to the Duke's Mansion." Uncle Lu was indignant.

"Shut up!" Duke Lu shouted angrily.

If he wasn't in a difficult situation, he would have just buried Bai hastily.

If there is still something he doesn't understand at this point, he has lived all these years in vain.

The Bai family definitely did not just privately sell salt and iron. They must have done something to anger the emperor.

"Let it be what it is. It's not our Duke's Mansion's fault that others don't come to pay their respects." Duke Lu said in a deep voice.

After hearing the news, the second branch of the Lu family also hurried back.

Mrs. Lu burst into tears as soon as she entered the room, "Oh, my sister-in-law, you died so tragically."

The howling scared everyone else in the mourning hall.

After so many days, someone finally came to mourn for Mrs. Lu.

"Okay, okay, stop crying." Mr. Lu noticed that the atmosphere was not right and hurriedly pulled Mrs. Lu.

Mrs. Lu wiped away the non-existent tears from her eyes, only to find that apart from a few servants, there was no one else in the mourning hall.

"What's going on? Where are the people keeping vigil?" asked Mrs. Lu.

"Second Madam, the second young master is far away in Huainan and is on his way back. The eldest young master has entered the palace, and the emperor has granted him a special pardon and he does not have to observe mourning." The housekeeper said in a low voice.

Mrs. Lu was extremely surprised. The emperor pardoned Lu Yuan and he didn't have to observe mourning? This... how could this be possible?

"What about the eldest young lady? Doesn't she have to observe mourning too?" Second Mrs. Lu asked with a frown.

"This is the eldest wife's business, don't meddle in it." Master Lu was in a bad mood. He was finding fault with others as soon as he came back. What was he thinking?

"Let's go to the upper room and pay our respects to our father and mother first."

"Second Master, why do I feel like there's something weird at home? It's so deserted. Isn't there even a relative or friend coming to pay their respects?" Mrs. Lu asked in a low voice.

Master Lu dragged her out of the mourning hall. The Duke's Mansion was not as prosperous as before, but it was impossible for it to be so dilapidated. Something must have happened.

The old lady showed no signs of being in a bad mood these days because of the sudden death of her eldest daughter-in-law.

The food was delicious and the complexion looked better than before.

When she saw her youngest son coming back, she smiled happily and kept asking Mr. Lu questions, for she was afraid that he had suffered outside.

"Mother, I'm fine. I follow others in doing business and make some money," said Mr. Lu.

Madam Lu felt distressed, "If your wife wasn't greedy, you would just live a life of luxury in the Duke's Mansion, why would you bother to do business?"

"..." Mrs. Lu originally wanted to step forward and say a few words to the old lady, but after hearing this, she stepped back.

If the old lady hadn't spoiled Mr. Lu to the point of being a useless person who only needs to eat and have food served to him, she wouldn't have to do so many things.

"Mother, did something happen? How did my sister-in-law die?" asked Mr. Lu.

They only knew the news of the first wife's death, but did not know the details.

Old Madam Lu cursed the Bai family to them in vivid detail.

……

……

"Madam, the Second Master and the Second Mistress are back. The Second Mistress went to the mourning hall and cried for a while, and now she has gone to the upper room again." Ban Jian came in and said to Shen Sui'an who had just washed his face.

Although Lu Yuan doesn't have to keep vigil at home every day, Shen Sui'an still has to put in a good show.

She had been burning paper in the mourning hall for half a day and had just come back to take a break.

"No one will come to pay their respects today. Ask the housekeeper to find someone to watch over the incense burner and make sure the incense is not interrupted." Shen Suian gave the order calmly.

She ate a few bites of lunch and went to discuss the funeral in the next two days with her third aunt.

Looking at this situation, the roadside memorial during the funeral will also be very deserted.

Those relatives and friends may not necessarily come to worship.

How to set up the road foundation in this situation is another matter.

As soon as I walked out of the Chuihua Gate, I saw a figure striding in from outside the gate.

"Madam, it's the second young master." Ban Jian said in a low voice.

Lu Heng rushed into the Duke's Mansion. He was extremely anxious, but when he saw that the Mansion was so deserted inside and outside, he was already very unhappy.

Why was his mother's funeral so simple and sloppy?

Is it because something happened to the Bai family that she has to be treated like this?

Unexpectedly, the first person he met when he came back would be Shen Suian.

Lu Heng slowly stopped and stood not far away, looking at Shen Sui'an with a gloomy look.

She seemed to have not changed at all from what he remembered, still looking dignified and bright, but the way she looked at him was even colder.

"Go get mourning clothes for the second young master." Shen Suian ordered calmly.

Lu Heng was tired and sad, and even had some hallucinations.

He did not become a royal consort, but married Shen Sui'an. She would be his good wife and take care of everything in the mansion for him.

None of the things that bothered him happened.

"Sui Sui..." he said hoarsely and wanted to go forward and hold her hand.

Shen Sui'an didn't even look at him again, and only told the servants beside him, "Go tell the Duke and the old lady that the second young master is back."

Lu Heng came back to his senses from his trance and saw the cold and indifferent Shen Suian, and he returned to reality.

"Why is it so sloppy? My mother is the eldest wife of the Duke's Mansion after all!" Lu Heng's tone was a little more reproachful.

"The funeral ceremony was carried out according to the rules. Why do you think it was sloppy, Second Young Master?" Shen Suian asked back.

Lu Heng frowned, "Where are the others?"

"When you say other people, do you mean relatives and friends who come to pay their respects? As you can see, no one is willing to come. This has nothing to do with whether the funeral is sloppy or not," said Shen Sui'an.

"How is it possible..." Lu Heng couldn't believe it.

When Lu Heng came to the mourning hall and saw the coffin placed at the back, he could no longer suppress his sadness. He hugged the coffin and cried. He wanted to open the coffin and take a look.

"Second Young Master." The steward called him.

"The eldest wife...her face has been destroyed. You should not add to her sorrow."

Lu Heng glanced around and finally opened the coffin. Looking at the person wearing his mother's clothes but completely out of human form, he resisted the urge to retch and was filled with grief again.

Ruan came to Shen Sui'an and gestured to her.

The two of them walked out of the mourning hall quietly.

"Sui Sui, I'm afraid the person in the coffin may not be your mother-in-law." Ruan said in a low voice.