After being reborn with my scumbag ex-husband, I became his sister-in-law.

On one hand, she was guilty of contracting a contagious disease during the Fengshan ceremony; on the other hand, she was forced to display her appearance in front of everyone.

Madam Zhao remained kneeling on the ground, maintaining a bowing posture. She was extremely itchy, anxious, and even broke out in a cold sweat.

Seeing that she remained silent, Consort Liang's patience was almost gone: "I'm asking you a question!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Zhao looked up at the crowd before her, gritted her teeth, and suddenly ripped off the veil covering her face.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me! I was perfectly fine before, but last night I suddenly felt unwell. I had unbearable itching on my body and face, felt nauseous and wanted to vomit, and experienced palpitations and shortness of breath, which is why I was unable to go out to greet Your Majesty!"

As soon as Madam Zhao lifted her veil, everyone could clearly see what she looked like.

Her entire face was swollen, twice its usual size, with mottled redness and swelling, some of which had become ulcerated. It was even more terrifying than the small patch of skin that Madam Xin had just seen.

Not only her face, but even her exposed wrists were covered in red rashes.

Quiet gasps and whispers arose from the crowd, and everyone took a step back in unison. Even Consort Liang covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief at this moment.

Madam Xin frowned, and said with some disdain, "They've all turned into this state, isn't it an infectious disease?"

Sensing the way everyone avoided her, Madam Zhao's already pale face turned deathly white, and she became increasingly unsteady on her feet.

She shook her head and hurriedly explained, "No, it's not an infectious disease! The female physician came to see me last night and said that I am not sick, but she couldn't find the cause."

As the night deepened and the dew grew heavy, and since they were in the ladies' courtyard, Madam Zhao wanted to keep the matter a secret, so she quietly summoned the female physician.

Consort Zhen, who was usually silent, lowered her eyes at this moment, her words full of profound meaning: "At the foot of Heyan Mountain, in the forbidden Buddhist area, how could Madam Zhao have inexplicably developed a rash, yet the cause of the illness cannot be found?"

"Could it be that Madam Zhao did something wrong and offended the gods?"

Consort Zhen's words made everyone present ponder for a moment, and their gazes toward Madam Zhao became more tinged with rejection and skepticism.

The group took a few steps back, creating a vacuum around Madam Zhao.

"With the Fengshan ceremony imminent, what evil deeds did Madam Zhao commit to warrant such a celestial phenomenon?"

"That person is simply an ominous sign!"

"I'd heard before that she was extremely jealous and had killed too many people; perhaps this is her retribution!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Zhao suddenly came to her senses and glared angrily at Song Xizhi: "It was you! You're the one who ruined me!"

"You know medicine! You must have poisoned me to frame me!"

Song Xizhi calmly met her gaze: "Why would I poison you for no reason?"

Madam Zhao was filled with hatred, wishing she could tear Song Xizhi to pieces right then and there.

In order to prove that Song Xizhi was the murderer, she blurted out what had happened before: "I deliberately took your house! I even called you a vixen and allowed my servants to bully your servants!"

"I targeted you yesterday and forbade you from seeing Consort Zhen. Don't you feel any resentment? I fell ill last night. What a coincidence!"

As Madam Zhao confessed everything she had done to Song Xizhi, a small murmur arose from the crowd.

"Without any grudge or enmity, how dare Madam Zhao be so arrogant! Lord He's official rank is no lower than Lord Zhao's, how dare she?"

"In that case, it's quite possible that Song Xizhi was the one who did it!"

Madam Xin snorted coldly: "You know you're wrong. No wonder your face is red, swollen, and festering. You've done too many bad things, and Heaven has found out, so it's sending down strange phenomena to punish you!"

Madam Zhao, her eyes red, looked at Consort Liang and knelt down before her with a thud:

"I beg Your Highness to uphold justice! There was no strange phenomenon from the heavens at all; it was all Song Xizhi's doing! I beg Your Highness to severely punish Song Xizhi! He has ruined me like this!"

Upon hearing this, Consort Liang suddenly changed her attitude and looked in Song Xizhi's direction: "Did you do this?"

Song Xizhi shook her head and bowed slightly, saying, "Your Majesty, I have no right to do this."

Consort Liang stared intently at Song Xizhi, her gaze sharpening.

"But in Heyan Mountain, only you and she had a dispute, and you lived in the same courtyard. If you say you didn't do it, can you provide any evidence?"

If Madam Zhao accuses Song Xi of poisoning someone, then she must provide evidence to prove that Song Xi was the one who did it.

But at this moment, Consort Liang asked Song Xizhi to produce evidence to prove that she did not do it. How could such a thing happen in the world?

Consort Liang's words were clearly biased and meant to support Lady Zhao.

Song Xizhi simply met Consort Liang's gaze calmly.

"Your Majesty is impartial in your actions. Everyone heard what Madam Zhao just said. His Majesty instructed us to bathe, fumigate, and fast for seven days in the courtyard. This was not to send people to spread rumors or sow discord."

"I tolerated it before, but now... if I prove that I did not do it, will Your Majesty punish Lady Zhao for speaking disrespectfully, being insubordinate and insulting others at the Fengshan Ceremony?"

Consort Liang slightly raised her chin, remained silent for a moment, and nodded under the watchful eyes of everyone: "Of course."

Song Xizhi then said, "Alright."

"Since Madam Zhao has accused me of poisoning her, I will have the imperial physician come to examine Madam Zhao's body and room to see if there is any poison in her body."

At Consort Liang's command, several imperial physicians rushed over upon hearing the news.

After she gave a general explanation of what had happened, the imperial physicians went into the room as instructed.

Madam Zhao turned her head to look at the busy figures of the imperial physicians, then looked at Song Xizhi, a hint of determination flashing in her resentful eyes.

This whole thing must have been orchestrated by Song Xizhi!

Upon entering the room, the imperial physicians smelled a strong incense aroma mixed with a faint, unpleasant odor.

The old doctor sniffed and carefully followed the stench in the room before finally finding a cabinet.

Upon opening the cabinet, the faint, fishy odor became even stronger.

The old doctor's gaze was immediately drawn to the ants on the clothes. He carefully pinched a corner of the clothes, then held it to his nose and smelled it carefully. Suddenly, he felt dizzy.

He let out a loud vomiting sound.

"Open the doors and windows! Ventilate! Ventilate!"

When the people outside heard the order, they hurriedly opened Madam Zhao's doors and windows, and the faint, fishy smell spread everywhere.

Some of the more perceptive ladies had already noticed something was amiss.