After being reborn, I went on a killing spree in the imperial court.

Everyone was looking at Luo Xuemei with strange eyes.

Luo Xuemei shook her head in alarm at Fan Qingli.

"You, aren't you the bandit's wife from our mountain stronghold? I didn't know your family was so rich!"

The two beggars looked at the mansion of the Minister with greedy expressions.

Luo Xuemei felt as if she had been electrocuted, and she stood there unable to move even her fingers.

The crowd began to whisper among themselves.

"How come the Minister's daughter-in-law is the wife of a mountain stronghold? Could it be that she remarried?"

"What remarriage? The second young lady of the Marquis of Dingguo was captured and taken to the mountain stronghold. Who knows how many men have touched her? How could Lord Fan marry someone like this!"

"This woman clearly has ulterior motives."

Fan Qingli shielded Luo Xuemei behind him, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about? My wife has never been to Liucheng, let alone been a bandit's wife. Take the money and get out of here."

"My lord, you must have been deceived. She really is the bandit's wife, there's no mistake."

“We begged our way from Liucheng. We’ve seen her in the village. Even though she’s wearing fancy clothes, we won’t mistake her.”

"Oh, she also has a birthmark on her back."

Luo Xuemei shook her head violently, hugged herself, and said palely, "Nonsense! I don't know you at all! I don't have any birthmarks, why are you slandering me like this?"

"My husband, I have not lost my virginity at all. They are lying, you must believe me."

Luo Xuemei turned her head cautiously to look around. The crowd surged toward her like a tide, each person's gaze like a sharp thorn piercing her. They whispered and murmured among themselves, their mouths opening and closing as if mercilessly mocking her.

Tears welled up in Luo Xuemei's eyes, and the crystal-clear tears slid down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string. At this moment, she was filled with pain and shame, as if she had been stripped naked and thrown into the street, utterly devoid of dignity.

Minister Fan's face turned ashen. His most cherished reputation had been thrown to the ground and trampled upon. Outsiders might not know, but everyone in the Minister's mansion knew that both of his concubines had gone to Liucheng.

The more flustered Luo Xuemei's explanation, the more Minister Fan believed it.

Minister Fan glared at Luo Xuemei as if he wanted to devour her.

Cao Ji said, "It seems that Minister Fan has some family matters to attend to, so we'll be leaving now."

"Farewell, Lord Fan."

The entire group left the Minister's residence.

The butler closed the main door in the hall.

Luo Xuemei and Fan Qingli knelt on the ground, awaiting Minister Fan's judgment.

Fan Shangshu stared at Luo Xuemei with anger and a gloomy expression, making the atmosphere extremely tense. Luo Xuemei covered her face with a handkerchief and cried.

Fan Qingli was the first to explain, "Father, we can't believe those two people, they must be..."

"Shut up!" Minister Fan yelled at him.

"I'm here to ask you, does she have a birthmark on her back?"

Fan Qingli frowned and shook her head violently.

"You two, give me an answer."

Minister Fan pointed to Luo Xuemei's personal maid.

“Father, Mei’er really doesn’t have a birthmark! We don’t know where those two people came from, how can we believe them so easily!” Fan Qingli tried to explain, but Minister Fan no longer believed her.

"There's no smoke without fire. If she had just stayed in the manor, would this have happened?"

"You have disgraced the entire Minister's residence, and you still dare to try and fool me!"

"Where's Xi Qiong? Bring her out here!"

Luo Xuemei's breathing became rapid, and she felt guilty.

"Reporting to Master, Lady Qiong is not in her room." The steward searched the room but could not find her.

"It seems I haven't seen Miss Qiong at all today."

"Yes! Usually, Miss Qiong would have come out long ago for such a lively occasion, so today is indeed strange."

Several servants whispered among themselves.

"Found it! Found it! In the woodshed."

Xue Xiqiong was brought into the hall. She was still wearing yesterday's clothes, which were covered with black ash from the woodshed. She looked disheveled. She knelt pitifully in front of Minister Fan and cried out, "Oh, Father, you must do justice for me."

"What happened to you? You look so disheveled!" Minister Fan said with disdain.

These two are more troublesome than the other.

"Father, you can't blame me! Last night, two servants threw me into the woodshed and didn't give me any food. If it weren't for a servant who was passing by and let me out just now, I would have starved to death here."

"Tell me what happened."

"It was her! She's the one who locked me in the woodshed."

Xue Xiqiong pointed at Luo Xuemei and said, "Father, Qingli is biased. Last time, she was the one who burned Qingli's painting, but she slapped me instead."

"This time she actually locked me in the woodshed. I wonder what shameful things she did today."

"She's really too..."

Xue Xiqiong met Fan Qingli's warning gaze and immediately fell silent.

Minister Fan pressed, "I'm asking you a question, so tell me honestly: when you went to Liucheng, did you encounter any bandits?"

"Mountain bandits?" Xue Xiqiong looked at Fan Qingli, her head lowered and her expression timid. There was clearly something wrong with her.

"to be frank!"

Minister Fan's imposing presence caused not only Xue Xiqiong but also Fan Qingli to cease pressuring her.

Xue Xiqiong looked at Fan Qingli and said, "Qingli, now that Father has asked me, I can no longer hide it from him."

"Father, we...we've encountered bandits!"

"You two have been arrested?"

Minister Fan narrowed his eyes.

Xue Xiqiong hurriedly explained, "No, no! I wasn't arrested! She was the only one who was arrested! It was the princess who rescued her. Qingli told me not to say anything, I don't know anything about it."

Luo Xuemei resignedly closed her eyes.

"Father, this is just a misunderstanding! It was clearly Xue Xiqiong who deliberately lured the bandits..." Fan Qingli stood up, wanting to accuse Xue Xiqiong.

"Qingli, how can you say that? I went with her. Just because I managed to escape doesn't mean it's my fault!"

"Besides, Xuemei is prettier than me!"

At this point, Xue Xiqiong would simply deny it to the death, since Minister Fan no longer cared whether she was right or wrong.

"You're still trying to deny it. We shouldn't have let you go back in the first place..."

"Shut up, everyone!"

At Minister Fan's command, the hall fell silent.

"Father, I only want Mei'er in this life, and I will never marry or take concubines. Please, Father..."

"Husband, please stop talking." Luo Xuemei wiped away her tears. "They're right, I shouldn't have come back."

"Mei'er, what did you say?"

"It was my blessing to marry into the Fan family and marry you, but this blessing is no longer of any use to me."

After saying that, Luo Xuemei got up and ran outside.

"Mei'er!"