After sharing a body with her husband

Even though it was disgusting, Shang Lingjun had no choice but to endure it.

With everyone present, it was inevitable that they would come to pay their respects to Old Madam Wei and exchange a few pleasantries.

While Old Madam Wei was talking to others, Shang Lingjun spotted Song Yunyi in the corner behind the crowd. She had been beaten, yet she still hadn't left.

She secretly rolled her eyes at Song Yunyi. Annoying!

Song Yunyi caught a glimpse of Shang Lingjun out of the corner of her eye, and her expression immediately turned cold. She also glared fiercely at Shang Lingjun.

The two disliked each other intensely; enemies meeting are bound to be furious.

Song Afu stayed quietly in a corner of the hall. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't notice her at all. When she saw Shang Lingjun arrive, her expression changed slightly, and she stood up and bowed according to etiquette.

Song Yunyi was filled with resentment, but there were many people in the hall, so she could only suppress her anger and pretend that Shang Lingjun did not exist. She followed her mother, Zhang Shi, to pay her respects to Old Madam Wei.

Old Madam Wei looked at Song Yunyi and asked in confusion:

"Yunyi, why is your face all red?"

Song Yunyi's face stiffened, and she quickly covered her face with her handkerchief, uttering the words she had already prepared.

"Reporting to the Dowager, it's nothing. I just drank the soup offered earlier, and it was hot, so my face got a little irritated."

The mutton soup was warm, and with the addition of medicinal herbs, drinking a bowl of it did indeed warm the whole body. Song Yunyi's cheeks flushed, which somewhat concealed the red marks from the beating she had just received.

A faint hint of disdain flashed across Shang Lingjun's eyes, and she said in a low voice:

"It turns out it was from the fumes of hot soup. I thought it was from some gossipy mosquito bite."

She deliberately emphasized the word "talkative".

Qingzhi lowered her head, her expression subtle. Madam's mouth really doesn't hold back at all.

"..."

Song Yunyi was so angry that her face turned green. If her eyes could turn into knives, she would have already torn Shang Lingjun to pieces. But at this moment, she couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal.

Song Afu sensed the veiled meaning in Shang Lingjun's words, and after carefully observing the expressions of the two, her gaze subtly swept around before finally settling on Song Yunyi's flushed left cheek.

Song Afu's brow twitched slightly, as if she had seen something. She couldn't help but look at Shang Lingjun in surprise, seemingly not expecting that she, who looked so gentle and quiet, would act so decisively.

Song Afu lowered her eyes again without saying a word.

Shang Lingjun scoffed inwardly, thinking that Song Yunyi wouldn't dare to tell the truth. If she did, the Earl's Mansion would be in big trouble.

She has no choice but to suffer this injustice in silence!

Shang Lingjun covered her nose with a handkerchief, her brows furrowing slightly. She hadn't even entered the room yet, but she could already smell the fishy, ​​pungent odor that filled the hall—it was truly unpleasant!

Her stomach churned again, and she wanted to go out and catch her breath, but she could only endure it for now.

Offering soup before the spirit tablet is a custom of the Northern Zhao Kingdom. Lamb is warm in nature and can warm the soul's journey, allowing the deceased to pass peacefully without being disturbed by evil spirits.

Therefore, mutton is often used in soups. Poor families who cannot afford mutton may use sheep horns or bones to make soup instead, just enough to give it a slight mutton flavor.

Once the offering of soup is placed, everyone who sees it must share a bowl of the soup. This is a custom of Beizhao. The sheep symbolizes auspiciousness, and this is a way to bring good fortune and peace.

Those who drink this soup will receive the kindness and virtue of the deceased throughout their lives, and will also add to the deceased's good karma, thus helping them to pass on to the afterlife.

However, Shang Lingjun didn't want to drink it. She felt nauseous just smelling it, let alone drinking it. It seemed she had to find an excuse to leave.

Old Madam Wei nodded.

"Since the soup has been served, and mutton soup is very nourishing in autumn, please bring me a bowl as well."

The bowls used to hold the soup offerings are much smaller than the bowls we usually use at home, not even as big as teacups. It's just a formality; basically, everyone only takes two or three sips to taste it.

"Mother-in-law, I'm going to change my clothes..."

But before Shang Lingjun could finish speaking, a servant brought over the mutton soup.

Song Yunyi stepped back slightly, and when she saw that the bowl of soup had indeed been offered to Shang Lingjun, a glint of sinister malice flashed across her eyes.

Song Yunyi subtly nudged Zhang with her elbow, and Zhang stepped forward and spoke gently:

"Lingjun, this bowl is quite small. Please take a couple of sips before you go. Soup is a blessing, and it is especially important for close relatives to drink it. It is an auspicious gift. If you turn back to drink it, it would be disrespectful to your sister-in-law."

Song Yunyi remained silent, her eyes subtly filled with anticipation.

Shang Lingjun looked troubled. She glanced at Zhang Shi with displeasure, but quickly concealed it so that Zhang Shi would not notice.

Whether she drinks the soup or not is none of her business.

But this wasn't the soup served at a regular banquet; it was a special soup offered as a sacrifice. So she couldn't make excuses like not having an appetite or not wanting to drink it. Even if she just went through the motions, she had to take a sip.

At this moment, Old Madam Wei had finished the soup in the small bowl. She placed the bowl back on the tray and slowly began to speak:

"Ati, you only had one small biscuit this morning, you must be hungry, right? This is a good way to fill your stomach."

Shang Lingjun didn't have much of an appetite for breakfast. She only ate one bite of a pancake. She was a little hungry, but she wouldn't drink soup to fill her stomach.

Forget it, if she won't drink, I'll just put the bowl to my lips and pretend to drink it, and that'll get by!

Shang Lingjun's fingertips gripped the rim of the bowl as she picked it up and brought the soup to her lips. During this process, Song Yunyi's eyes gradually brightened.

Song Afu frowned slightly, and stepped forward as if to walk by, but just as she was about to brush against Shang Lingjun's arm,

Shang Lingjun suddenly put the mutton soup away, thinking she could at least pretend to be something she wasn't.

However, when a strong, fishy, ​​muttony smell suddenly hit my face and went straight into my nostrils, mixed with the pungent medicinal smell of angelica, it made my head spin!

Shang Lingjun finally couldn't hold back the churning in her stomach. Her throat tightened suddenly, and she quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief, turned her head away, and dry heaved twice.

Everyone looked puzzled.

Song Afu was taken aback, then quietly walked away a little further.

Song Yunyi had been paying attention to Shang Lingjun and didn't notice Song Afu's little actions. Her face tightened, and she drank it!

Why are you vomiting?

Could it be that the sap of the neem flower came into contact with the mutton soup, causing the strange smell that is so disgusting?

Song Yunyi's fingers curled up, feeling nervous and impatient. She regretted not squeezing so much in; even two or three drops would have been enough to make her uncomfortable.

The mutton soup has gone bad. If Shang Lingjun doesn't drink it, wouldn't all her good plans have been for nothing?

Qingzhi, being very perceptive, quickly came to the rescue, saying:

"Our lady has been suffering from a cold recently and her spleen and stomach are weak. She cannot tolerate the smell of fish and mutton. Please forgive her."

Seeing that Shang Lingjun reacted so strongly to the smell of mutton soup, Old Madam Wei looked at her with concern.

"Quick...take it away! If you can't stand the smell, then don't drink it. What's the big deal? Auntie, have some herbal tea to calm your nerves..."

Qingzhi quickly took the mutton soup from Shang Lingjun's hand, moved it a little further away, and immediately went to pour some herbal tea.

Shang Lingjun tried to force a smile and pretend nothing was wrong, but the room was filled with the strong, pungent smell of mutton soup, and she had been enduring the discomfort ever since she entered.

The approach of that bowl of mutton soup was like the last straw that broke the camel's back; she could no longer bear it and could no longer suppress the malicious taste in her throat.

"Well……"

Shang Lingjun gagged again, covered her mouth, and almost stumbled as she ran towards the door!

She didn't want to lose her composure in front of the guests in the hall.

Shang Lingjun rushed out of the corridor, leaned against a pillar, bent over, and retched violently, tears welling up in her eyes.

Inside the hall, everyone looked up, wondering what was wrong with Shang Lingjun. Most of the people in the hall were women sitting idly, their faces displaying just the right amount of worry, yet their eyes were rapidly exchanging glances.

The nausea and vomiting are because the mutton soup is too gamey and strong; some people simply can't stand the smell.

However, some of the women among them were quite shrewd and prone to retching...

Song Yunyi's scheme failed, and she gritted her teeth in frustration.

"What's wrong, Madam? Why won't you even drink a bowl of soup?"

Beside her, Zhang's shrewd and sharp eyes suddenly narrowed, as if she had been instantly awakened to something.

"No, it can't be happening, can it?"

Song Yunyi looked puzzled. "What does Mother mean? What happened to her?"

Zhang's words drifted lightly into Old Madam Wei's ears, like a thunderbolt striking her head. She jerked to her feet, her heart pounding wildly.

really?

is that true?