Just then, Aunt Zhule from the side room came out with a smile on her face.
Earlier, someone had died in Huang Yaning’s room, so the servants moved Huang Yaning to the side room. Huang Xianjing had also gone there.
“Auntie, how is Xiao Qi doing?”
Duanmu Rui hurried over to her and asked.
“Your Highness, I’m happy to report that I didn’t fail the mission—Miss Sheng Qi is already awake.”
“Really?”
Duanmu Rui was overjoyed. She lifted her skirt and trotted toward the room.
After two steps, she turned back, bowed to Aunt Zhule, and said,
“Thank you, Auntie, for saving my dear friend. And thank you, Empress. I will always remember Her Majesty’s kindness.”
“You flatter me, Your Highness. I was just following orders.” Aunt Zhule returned the bow.
Only then did Duanmu Rui trot off to the side room.
Sheng Yong and Sheng Minmin also thanked Aunt Zhule profusely before going to see Huang Yaning.
By now, Huang Yaning had already learned from Xian Jie’er what had happened at Haitang Court that day.
She also found out that on the day she had left home, Qingtian had found her unconscious and brought her back to the mansion.
Someone had saved her from Sheng Mingjian, Liang Mingcheng, and Xiong San’s men.
Moreover, that person had injured Sheng Mingjian—probably quite “severely,” otherwise Sheng Mingjian wouldn’t have made such a foolish move today.
Huang Yaning’s intuition told her that the person who helped her escape and hurt Sheng Mingjian was probably Minmin.
During the two days she was unconscious, Huang Yaning dreamed about her past life again.
Thinking about the content of those dreams, the killing intent in Huang Yaning’s heart blazed like a wildfire, burning her soul to ashes.
It had trapped her in the nightmares, keeping her from waking up these past few days.
If that time Sheng Mingjian tried to send her to Bailin Nunnery had already made Huang Yaning treat him like a stranger,
then this time, with Sheng Mingjian trying to ruin her—trying to destroy the innocence of Minmin’s body—Huang Yaning now fully regarded Sheng Mingjian as her enemy.
And the malice Sheng Mingjian had shown toward Minmin in her past life only made Huang Yaning’s desire to kill him skyrocket even further.
Everyone entered the room and saw that the young woman on the bed had lost weight. Her complexion was sallow, her lips were chapped, and she looked very weak.
But there was one thing: her eyes were incredibly bright, as if tears had just glistened in them, or as if two flames were burning inside.
Huang Yaning first thanked the princess and the others, then said a few words to send them off.
At first, Duanmu Rui was still worried, afraid something might happen to Huang Yaning again.
It wasn’t until Duanmu Hui noticed that the Shengs didn’t want them to stay and saw that Huang Yaning seemed quite resourceful and not the type to be taken advantage of, that he finally pulled Duanmu Rui away.
After they left, the room suddenly fell quiet.
“I’m hungry.”
Huang Yaning only said three words.
Everyone was stunned.
Miss Seven had gone out and nearly didn’t come back. Then she finally did come back but fell into a coma and almost didn’t wake up…
And today, she was nearly killed…
Now that she’s awake, she’s not crying or throwing a tantrum—she’s just anxious to eat?
Could it be that after being in a coma for so long, her mind is… not quite right?
But Sheng Minmin understood instantly!
When you’re hungry, you have no strength. How can you get revenge?
Of course, you need to eat first!
She was really looking forward to Huang Yaning’s next move. Unable to help herself, she curled her lips into a smile and said,
“Qingtian, go prepare some food.”
Only then did everyone snap out of it. Qingtian quickly had the cook prepare something easy to digest.
“Xiao Qi—” Sheng Yong seemed like he wanted to ask something.
“Father, I’m very weak right now and terribly dizzy. If you have questions, would you mind waiting until I’ve eaten and rested properly before asking?”
Huang Yaning interrupted him directly.
Sheng Yong thought about the troublesome eldest son still waiting outside to be “interrogated,” nodded, and left.
After expressing their concern, the others also filed out one by one.
——-
Two hours later, Sheng Yong learned from Gao Shan and Jing Xing—who were barely hanging on by a thread—about his eldest son’s “glorious achievements” over the past two days.
Sheng Yong’s eyes were about to burst from rage. He slammed his palm on the table, shattering it!
His eldest son wanted to ruin his youngest daughter’s innocence, but instead, the eldest son got… violated.
Then the eldest son came back to the mansion and sent people to kill his youngest daughter!
Wonderful!
What a wonderful son he had!
What wonderful daughters he had!
And on top of that, the reason his eldest son did all this was just to get revenge for the person he loved.
And that beloved person was another one of his wonderful daughters!
Sheng Yong was so furious that a mouthful of old blood got stuck in his chest—he couldn’t cough it out or swallow it down!
Monsters!
They were all monsters!
How could he have often thought his children were outstanding, each one so calculating?
He never imagined they would turn their schemes against their own family!
At that moment, Sheng Yong wished he had given birth to two idiots instead.
Two mentally disabled fools would still be a hundred times better than these wretched creatures who only knew how to tear each other apart, stir up trouble, and bring shame to the family!
His chest heaved violently, and a thought flashed through his mind.
If all else failed, he could send those three—two to a nunnery and one to a monastery—
Burning with extreme rage, Sheng Yong arrived at Peony Court.
He was also furious to the core with “Huang Shi.”
It was all “Huang Shi’s” fault for being jealous and throwing a tantrum back then, going to the countryside estate to give birth and bringing back a fake daughter.
It was also “Huang Shi’s” fault for being so dense and stupid, for not noticing Sheng Mingjian’s feelings toward Sheng Mingzhu! For not stopping him in time.
And it was even more “Huang Shi’s” fault for not knowing how to raise daughters properly. One daughter seemed obedient but was actually ungrateful and selfish.
The other was perverse, ruthless, and would go crazy from time to time, completely disregarding the family, her father, and her brothers.
They were all fools who didn’t understand that one’s glory is the family’s glory, and one’s loss is the family’s loss!
If only he hadn’t been so greedy back then… for wealth, and had married a daughter from an official family, surely his children would have been accomplished and obedient!
The more Sheng Yong thought about it, the angrier he got. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it.
He kicked the little maid who was about to announce his arrival, sending her flying, and stormed straight into the room.
Sheng Minmin was leaning “wearily” on a wicker chair. When she saw Sheng Yong’s bloodshot eyes and the fury seemingly about to burst out of him,
she understood that Sheng Yong must have found out what Sheng Mingjian had done. She was mocking him in her heart, but on the surface, she frowned and said,
“Husband, what’s wrong with you?”
“What’s wrong with me? Huang Shi, what a wonderful mother you are—”
Sheng Yong roared.
Qingtian and Qingdai both moved to shield Sheng Minmin. Sheng Minmin stiffened her neck and retorted with grievance,
“Husband, are you blaming me for not disciplining the children properly?
“You’re really good at shifting the blame—
“If Lao Er and Lao Si had caused trouble, I’d have no complaints about you coming after me—
“But if it’s about Lao Da, Husband, you’re blaming the wrong person…”
With that, Sheng Minmin covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed, then continued between coughs,
“Husband, you’ve never let me interfere with Lao Da’s affairs. From childhood to now, he’s only shown me respect on the surface—he’s never truly treated me like a mother.
“And you’ve never defended my dignity in front of him either…
“Now that he’s gone mad, Husband, you come running to blame me…”
Sheng Minmin had long noticed that whether in this life or in Huang Yaning’s original life, she could never get involved in most of Sheng Mingjian’s matters.
The person who could truly influence and shape Sheng Mingjian’s character was actually Sheng Yong.
So these words from Sheng Minmin struck a nerve, making Sheng Yong fly into a humiliated rage. He lashed out and smashed the vase on the table.
