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

Shen Sui'an was flipping through the account books sent by Shi Qing. He was shocked when he saw it.

"Shi Qing, are these all my husband's private property?" Shen Sui'an looked at Shi Qing who was standing aside and asking for instructions.

"Replying to the young madam, some of these fields, shops, money and jewelry were rewards from the emperor, and some were earned by my husband himself. My husband has not made any major expenditures over the years, so his private property has accumulated more and more." Shi Qing replied.

Shen Sui'an secretly clicked her tongue. She had been in charge of the Lu family's household affairs and knew that the Lu family's annual income was not much and could only barely cover the expenses of the entire family.

Lu Yuan’s personal assets alone are almost as much as the Lu family’s.

However, Lu Yuan died early in the previous life, and the private property he left behind was nowhere to be found. She heard from the eldest wife that there was not much, so it was left to Song Xiuzhi's two children.

It's not that there isn't a lot of money. It's obvious that they deliberately concealed it so that others wouldn't know that they had embezzled Lu Yuan's private property.

Haha, looking down on Lu Yuan while shamelessly taking his things.

Shi Qing watched the changes in Shen Sui'an's expression.

How did his expression change from amazement to joy, and finally to gnashing of teeth?

"Madam, is there any problem?" Shi Qing asked cautiously.

"No." Shen Sui'an shook his head. "The accounts are very clear. Who usually helps my husband to manage the accounts?"

Shi Qing: "It's Yu Bai. He has been good at calculating since he was a child, so you let him take care of the accounts."

Shen Sui'an nodded, "You did a great job. Go and ask Yu Bai to come see me."

"Yes."

"Madam, it's almost the beginning of the month. Do you want to change the original rules?" Shi Qing asked in a low voice.

Shen Sui'an: "Are you talking about the monthly distribution of each village shop?"

Shi Qing replied: "The monthly wages of the servants at home are paid by the government, so they are not included in these accounts. However, those who work for you outside are paid monthly wages by you."

"Then we will follow the original charter first, and I will modify the other ones as I gradually understand them," said Shen Sui'an.

"Yes, Madam." Shi Qing agreed and then left the main courtyard.

"Madam, you have been busy all morning. Take a rest. I see that the plum blossoms outside are growing well today. Would you like to pick two branches and put them in the vase?" Mu Jin advised.

Shen Sui'an rubbed his brows and said, "Okay, let's go out for a walk."

"I'll go out and inspect the shops tomorrow and take you to Yipinlou to eat hotpot."

"Thank you, Madam, for taking us to dinner." Mu Jin said with a smile.

Shen Sui'an was surrounded by maids and walked out of the main courtyard.

There are two plum trees planted in the garden. The plum blossoms on the branches are blooming with a touch of winter beauty and emitting a faint fragrance.

"That branch is well-grown and Fuqiu is very skilled. Can you pick it?" Shen Suian said with a smile.

Fuqiu said, "It's no big deal. I'll break it off and give it to the young lady right away."

"Be careful, don't fall."

The playful laughter spread far and wide, and no one knew where it was reaching.

Ban Jian came to Shen Sui'an's side and said, "Madam, the third lady has gone into the Tanbo Courtyard."

Shen Sui'an curled her lips slightly, "Are you ready?"

"There is only one set of jewelry in the box, and the rest have been put away." Banjian said in a low voice.

"Then just ignore her." Shen Sui'an smiled.

After Lu Yan sneaked away from Danbo Courtyard, Shen Suian called the maid to go back.

The news of Shen Suian picking plum blossoms in the garden reached Mrs. Lu's ears.

Mrs. Lu took care of her Crowning Black Jade with great love and managed to save it, but she didn't know if it could still bloom.

"I really overestimated her before. I thought she was knowledgeable and tactful. I didn't expect her to be so vulgar."

"Madam, your temperament is as beautiful as orchid, and your talent is as fragrant as fairy. How can the young lady compare with you?" Mo Ju said hurriedly.

"How is the third young lady doing lately?" asked Mrs. Lu.

Mo Ju: "The third young lady is smart and clever. The servants in the family respect her. There is nothing she cannot accomplish when she asks her to do so."

Mrs. Lu: "What's so difficult about being a housekeeper? Why do you have to complain about being tired in front of me every day? Even though you are tired, you are reluctant to let go and just pretend."

Hearing that Madam Lu was scolding the second wife, the maids fell silent and dared not respond.

"What's the name of the maid who serves in the master's study? Go and call her over. I want to tell her a few words." Mrs. Lu suddenly said.

Mo Ju and Hong Xing looked at each other in surprise: "I heard that her name is Furong."

Mrs. Lu's expression remained unchanged. "Go and call her over. Since Master loves her so much, you can give her a favor and make her your concubine first."

……

……

"Madam, I heard something." After lunch, Shi Qing brought Yu Bai to see Shen Sui'an and whispered to her about Princess Guangning going to the palace to file a complaint.

"Before I even met the emperor, I was called to Zhaoxi Palace by Concubine Yao. I heard that Concubine Yao was angry."

Shen Sui'an was not surprised. Although Concubine Yao was deeply favored by the emperor, there had never been any rumors that she was arrogant because of her favor. She was a very low-key and intelligent woman.

In her previous life, her life came to an end, and the emperor had not yet passed the throne to the second prince, but she felt that it should not be long before that happened.

Concubine Yao was such a smart woman, but she was spoiled by Princess Guangning. She must have been very disappointed.

"Tell the people in the courtyard to have less contact with people from Zhiyuan Hall recently." Shen Sui'an said.

Shi Qing responded in a low voice and turned to look at Yu Bai.

"Madam, this is Yu Bai."

Yu Bairen is as his name suggests, he is born with a fair and clean complexion, which makes it easy for people to like him.

"My humble servant greets the young madam." Yu Bai bowed respectfully.

"I have seen your account books. They are very clear, but there are a few differences this year."

Shen Sui'an pointed out the doubts, "The Guan family's annual festival gifts are 50% less than last year, and the Jingning Marquis's are 30% more. These expenditures are also unclear..."

Yu Bai secretly marveled in his heart that the young lady was really meticulous and must be a master at accounting, otherwise she would not have been able to see these differences so quickly.

"Replying to Madam, the old man of the Guan family was the commander of the Pacification Division in the past. He retired and returned home after being injured. Young Master has always regarded him as his master for so many years, but... Old Master Guan's children were unfilial and he passed away last year. Young Master didn't have much contact with other people in the Guan family, so he reduced the New Year gifts."

"My dear, you have no friendship with the old Marquis of Jingning, but you are good friends with the Crown Prince. The former Crown Prince inherited the title and became the Marquis of Jingning."

"He Hongkui became the Marquis of Jingning?" Shen Suian asked softly.

Yu Bai: "Yes, Madam."

Unexpectedly, He Hongkui and Lu Yuan are actually friends.

"Aunt Guan, the young mistress is talking about something, you can't force your way in." Fuqiu's voice came from outside the door.

"Fuqiu, you are also an elder in this courtyard. Can you also watch her being bullied like this?" Aunt Guan cried miserably.

Shen Sui'an frowned and said to Mu Jin, "Go and see what's going on."

Fuqiu was skilled in martial arts, and her strength was beyond that of an ordinary woman. Aunt Guan was held in her hand and could not move forward at all.

"Aunt Guan, this is the Young Madam's place. You are not allowed to trespass without permission." Fuqiu said expressionlessly.

"Let you go, or I'll deal with you too when my husband comes back," Aunt Guan shouted.

Shen Sui'an sighed softly. She now hoped that Lu Yuan would treat Aunt Guan as a legitimate concubine, so that she could deal with her in a fair and just manner.

Now that she knew there was another reason for Aunt Guan's existence, she felt a little embarrassed.

"Let Aunt Guan come in. She's making so much noise and it's embarrassing."