Before Madam Zhao could fully grasp the crux of the matter, Song Xizhi had already finished speaking.
All eyes turned to Madam Zhao, who appeared pale and dazed.
Emperor Guangqi frowned slightly, looking at her with a hint of reluctance on his face: "I finally understand what's going on."
"If that's the case, then the testimonies of the little eunuch and Madam Zhao are all false. Madam Zhao, why did you do this?"
Emperor Guangqi asked in a low voice, as if he were sighing.
Madam Zhao did not answer, but the ladies exchanged glances, as if they already knew the answer.
At this moment, Consort Li spoke up: "Madam Zhao gave false testimony. Coincidentally, she also had a grudge against Doctor Song yesterday, so her actions now seem like deliberate revenge."
"She lived in the same courtyard as Doctor Song, so it would be very easy for her to take a bellyband or something from her room."
The motivation is there.
All the suspicions pointed to Madam Zhao, and even the young eunuch might have been instigated by her.
Madam Zhao bit her lip, her whole body trembling, but her eyes remained fixed on Zhao Qingshu's direction, and she still did not answer.
But Song Xizhi's voice rang out at that moment, gentle and calm, like the warm sunshine in winter:
“But I believe that Lady Zhao is not that kind of person. Take her parents, for example. They fought on the battlefield and died on the battlefield. They were loyal to the emperor and loved their country. My husband is the same.”
"So when Madam Zhao rushed over in a rage and said those indignant words to me, it seemed like a genuine expression of her feelings, as if she had truly believed the villain and thought I was a fickle and promiscuous person."
As Song Xizhi spoke, he finally looked down at Madam Zhao and asked, "So, Madam, what exactly happened?"
"Did someone say something to you that instigated you to give false testimony?"
Song Xizhi gave Madam Zhao a chance. Hearing her gentle voice, full of tolerance and understanding, Madam Zhao's tears rolled down her cheeks.
Madam Zhao opened her mouth slightly, as if she wanted to say that everything was instigated by Zhao Qianlan.
But at that moment, Zhao Qingshu suddenly raised his head and looked in the direction of Madam Zhao.
His face was somber. He gently shook his head at Madam Zhao and then subtly mouthed, "No."
Madam Zhao snapped out of her daze, and her sorrowful gaze instantly changed.
Song Xizhi keenly noticed the sudden change in Madam Zhao's gaze. She turned her head sharply and glanced in Zhao Qingshu's direction out of the corner of her eye, where she saw Zhao Qingshu's eyes filled with love.
His gaze seemed to be directed at Madam Zhao, but also at Zhao Qianlan behind Madam Zhao.
Song Xizhi's eyelids twitched, and he heard Madam Zhao's voice again.
She chose to unconditionally trust her husband, the man she had shared a bed with for thousands of days and nights, and she chose to trust her only family.
"I don't know, I don't know anything..."
“No one instructed me, and I did not intend to frame her. I just saw Song Xizhi going out every night, so I assumed she was restless.”
"Then I heard from my servants that a eunuch was having an affair with Song Xizhi, so I assumed that it was Song Xizhi and that person having an affair!"
"So, in order to prove the truth of the matter, I deliberately said that the eunuch came to Song Xizhi's room and said that I saw them having a secret rendezvous!"
Madam Zhao didn't confess anything and took all the blame herself.
Hearing this, Zhao Qianlan finally breathed a sigh of relief. She secretly raised her eyes and looked at Zhao Qingshu in the distance, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart.
Upon hearing her words, Emperor Guangqi sighed, shook his head, and looked at Song Xizhi's expression.
Looking into Emperor Guangqi's eyes, Song Xizhi knew that he felt some reluctance because of the memory of Lady Zhao's parents who had died in battle.
She herself was very clear about who her opponent was. She only felt that Madam Zhao was both hateful and pitiful, but she didn't have much hatred for her.
So Song Xizhi nodded to Emperor Guangqi, which could be considered as doing Emperor Guangqi a favor.
Emperor Guangqi received a look from Song Xizhi, and although he didn't know what he was thinking, he looked quite satisfied, and he curled the corners of his mouth slightly.
Then, he straightened his expression and said to Madam Zhao, "Your intentions are not pure, and you have falsely accused an innocent person. You have truly disgraced your parents. Out of respect for your deceased parents, I will only punish you by confining you to your quarters for half a month. During this half month, you will kneel before the Buddha for five hours every day and copy two hundred volumes of scriptures. You will not need to attend the Fengshan ceremony."
The emperor's methods were swift and decisive, exceeding Song Xizhi's expectations.
She was forced to kneel for five hours every day for half a month, which meant she was kneeling almost all the time while she was awake. After being punished by His Majesty like this, she had no face left to show, which was enough for Lady Zhao to suffer.
Upon hearing the emperor mention her parents, Lady Zhao cried even harder, and she thanked him with a sob in her voice.
However, before Madam Zhao could finish speaking, Consort Li suddenly knelt down beside Emperor Guangqi, wiping away tears. Her once domineering face was now streaked with tears.
"Waaah, I don't know who instigated this little Shengzi, and how he should be punished? It wasn't just Madam He who was wronged, but also I."
"If Your Majesty fails to see the truth clearly, I fear I may be accused of lax governance and punished..."
After Consort Li finished speaking, Consort Liang's expression changed, and she clenched her fists tightly.
But the emperor merely glanced at Xiao Shengzi before looking away: "We can't get the truth out of this guy through torture. It's not appropriate to see bloodshed during the Fengshan ceremony. Let's wait until after the ceremony and have him beaten to death."
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