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

The man's voice was hoarse and tender, yet it carried a deeper meaning at this moment, making the brightly lit bedroom seem to gradually dim.

She shuddered and sat up from the man, creating some distance between them.

Song Xizhi frowned at him, but her gaze involuntarily drifted down to the man's body, her tone hesitant:

"What surprises are there that can't be seen during the day, only at night?"

The man smiled and slowly stood up from the soft couch. He walked to a cabinet and took out a rolled-up painting.

"Whether you want to watch it now or at night is up to you, but there is a price to pay for accepting the gift, and you will have to bear the consequences yourself."

Song Xizhi took the scroll from Pei Yunyi's hands, and immediately felt its heavy weight.

The man stood by the soft couch, arms crossed, smiling at her. For some reason, Song Xizhi felt her heart beat slightly faster as she looked at the meticulously tied knot on the scroll.

Just as Song Xizhi was about to start dismantling the scroll, a sudden, urgent knocking sounded at the door.

She paused in her actions, then looked up at Pei Yunyi beside her before speaking, "Who is it? Come in."

The man raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this.

Before the two could speak, Sanqi rushed in from outside the door, breathless, and reported to them.

"Not good! Not good!"

"This servant has heard that someone has sounded the grievance drum of the Jingzhao Prefecture to file a complaint against the young master and his wife. At this moment, the yamen runners of the Jingzhao Prefecture are on their way to the Marquis's residence!"

Upon hearing this, both Pei Yunyi and Song Xizhi showed surprise in their eyes.

The two men exchanged a glance, and Pei Yunyi frowned as he asked, "Who is the one suffering the injustice? And what is the accusation?"

Sanqi recalled the rumors she had overheard outside, licked her lips, and hesitated before speaking:

"There are rumors circulating outside. I only heard the gist of it, but they say that He Jingyan, the eldest son of the Marquis of Anding, is not real."

Song Xizhi's eyes narrowed sharply, and then he heard Sanqi continue, "They also said that the real eldest young master is dead, and that he was killed by you and your wife."

"The two of them are in cahoots, birds of a feather. They infiltrated the Marquis of Anding's residence with ulterior motives, and they even claimed to be connected with spies from the Western Rong... It's all nonsense."

After hearing everything, Song Xizhi and Pei Yunyi's faces turned completely gloomy.

The two changed their clothes and left the courtyard, where they happened to meet the constables from the Jingzhao Prefecture who had come on orders at the entrance of the Marquis's residence.

When Song Xizhi and Pei Yunyi arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture, they found that the courtroom was already full of people.

Song Ruoan knelt before the Prefect of the Capital, sobbing as if she were trying to say something.

On one side of the courtroom sat Prince Xiu, Prince Su, Consort Li, and even relatives from Consort Li's maternal family.

When everyone saw the newcomer, Prince Xiu frowned slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but Consort Li just smiled gently.

"I didn't expect General He and Imperial Physician Song to arrive so quickly. They must have been prepared."

Prince Xiu's face was unreadable: "Your Majesty, if you put it that way, I must begin to feel uneasy. I arrived even earlier than the person involved; wouldn't that make me seem guilty?"

Consort Li chuckled softly a few times, her expression of watching the spectacle completely undisguised:

"I didn't mean that. I didn't intend to make things difficult for General He and Judge Song today. The Prefect of the Capital summoned you here to understand the situation."

"Today was supposed to be the day I left the palace to visit my family, but who knew that on the way there a woman suddenly rushed out and cried out to me that she was innocent and asked me to investigate."

"When my people saw her, they realized that she was the second wife of the Marquis of Anding. Seeing how thin and bony she was, they felt that there must be some hidden story behind this."

"Who would have thought she would reveal such a shocking truth, saying that the eldest son and the eldest daughter-in-law of the Marquis of Anding were in cahoots, usurped the place, and even committed murder, arson, and destroyed the body to cover up the truth."

As Consort Li uttered those idioms, several small shouts were heard in the courtroom, catching almost everyone off guard.

At this moment, Marquis Anding and Madam He also stepped into the courtroom. After listening to what Consort Li said, Madam He staggered and almost fell to the ground, but fortunately Marquis Anding caught her.

Seeing that everyone had finally arrived, the Prefect of the Capital wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, stood up again, and bowed to Pei Yunyi, Song Xizhi, and later to the Marquis of Anding and Madam He.

"I have already heard the whole story from Consort Li. Consort Li was shocked and frightened. This matter involves several lives and two important officials of the court. It concerns the foundation of the country. I have invited you all here to thoroughly investigate this matter."

After saying this, the Prefect of the Capital slowly sat back down in his seat, then slammed his gavel down again and asked the Marquis of Anding and Madam He:

"May I ask, Lord Marquis and Madam He, is the woman kneeling before the hall at this moment the second young mistress of the Marquis of Anding's mansion, Song Ruo'an?"

Marquis An Ding and Madam He were completely blank at this moment. They listened to the words of the Prefect of the Capital and mechanically tried to recognize Song Ruo'an's appearance.

When they recognized the person in front of them as Song Ruoan, both of them trembled and then nodded.

Even though Marquis An Ding was a man of great experience, he was still stiff with shock at the sight of the dead coming back to life.

He helped Old Madam He up, then nodded emphatically: "Yes, this lady is indeed my daughter-in-law."

"However, she was burned to death in the small Buddhist hall of the Marquis's mansion five days ago by a sudden fire. After the autopsy, her death was confirmed. I never imagined... that she was still alive in this world..."

Upon hearing Marquis An Ding's words, Song Ruo'an began to scream and pound her head against the wall in the courtroom, appearing extremely vulnerable.

"My lord! My lord! I am not lying! This fire was started by Song Xizhi! Song Xizhi wanted to destroy the evidence and make me keep this secret forever!"

"I barely escaped with my life to come and report this crime!"