Before a small sedan chair from Prince Qi’s mansion came to take Xia Zhi into the residence, Xia Zhi paid her respects to everyone in the Sheng household and even served Sheng Mingzhu a small bowl of bird’s nest congee.
Xia Zhi watched with her own eyes as Sheng Mingzhu drank the entire bowl of bird’s nest congee. Only then did she feel relieved, and she happily went off to embrace her new journey.
Several more days passed. The gossip about the Sheng family was no longer fresh, so the people in the capital moved on to other juicy stories.
For instance, there was news about the Dong family.
Word had it that the new bride of the Dong family performed her morning and evening duties without missing a single day – she was very filial.
But Dong Bing was a real scoundrel. He had just married his wife and was already eyeing her dowry.
Unexpectedly, whenever money was mentioned, the new bride would burst into loud wails and cries.
She would cry in her own room, then run to the Dong family matriarch’s room and cry there too…
After a few times, the matriarch got annoyed and refused to see her. So the new bride cried and ran to the front courtyard, begging Elder Dong to uphold justice. As luck would have it, there were guests in the front courtyard that day…
So a big, embarrassing scene unfolded, causing Elder Dong to lose a great deal of face.
Elder Dong couldn’t exactly scold his daughter-in-law, so he had to drag Dong Bing out, give him a beating, and then reprimand the mistress of the household.
By then, everyone in the Dong family understood that the new bride they had married was a complete handful – someone who just wouldn’t play by the rules.
She didn’t care about her husband’s affection, the Dong family’s reputation, or her own dignity – all she cared about was money!
The way she saw it, if she wasn’t going to have a good time, then nobody in the family was going to have a good time either.
Dong Bing didn’t get what he wanted and ended up being punished. Things between him and his wife had completely soured.
Even the worst newlyweds in the noble families of the capital could usually manage at least a month of sweetness.
This new couple in the Dong family broke that record. Though it seemed the new bride was already pregnant…
Many people felt that the new bride of the Dong family was completely out of line. How could anyone value money more than the family’s honour and her own husband?
But some women felt that, faced with a man like Dong Bing, it was better to protect your dowry and focus on raising your children well.
If you put all your heart and soul into a man like Dong Bing and didn’t speak up when you were wronged or mistreated, then your whole life would truly be miserable.
In short, everyone had an opinion.
At the same time, Old Lady Li and Feng Lao Er drank too much wine. When they woke up, they were paralyzed.
Old Lady Li’s face was twisted, her mouth crooked, and she had also lost the ability to speak.
The remaining Feng family members became much more subdued after that.
The Sheng household also returned to its surface-level calm. Those who were injured were recovering in their own courtyards, and nobody was stirring up any more trouble.
Huang Yaning also found the right opportunity to return home.
——
Peony Courtyard.
It was quite rare for the mother and daughter to meet alone.
“Do you still remember Zhang Chuyao from Grand Tutor Zhang’s family?” Sheng Minmin asked.
“One of the Two Beauties of the Capital – of course I know her.” Huang Yaning nodded.
The Zhang family had produced two grand tutors. As the legitimate daughter of the Zhang family, and the most beloved granddaughter of Grand Tutor Zhang, Zhang Chuyao had been famous since she was very young.
In her previous life, Zhang Chuyao had taken the capital by storm with her exceptional painting skills, becoming one of the two renowned beauties, and her fame spread far and wide.
Before Sheng Mingzhu married Prince Qi, Zhang Chuyao had already married Duanmu Hui and become a commandery princess.
Thinking of this, Huang Yaning’s heart gave a sudden jolt.
Where was Zhang Chuyao in this life?
If Zhang Chuyao had become famous early on, just like in her previous life, why hadn’t she been seen anywhere?
Sheng Minmin spoke, “When Zhang Chuyao was seven or eight, she went to the White Horse Temple with Grand Tutor Zhang. She was supposed to stay there for three years before returning, but in the end, she came back to the capital after only a year…”
The White Horse Temple.
Sheng Mingzhu had also been at the White Horse Temple.
Could it be connected to Sheng Mingzhu?
And since Zhang Chuyao had returned to the capital, why had she never appeared in public?
Just as Huang Yaning was about to ask, she heard Minmin continue.
“I found out some information. Apparently, Grand Tutor Zhang felt that his granddaughter was too impetuous and flighty, so he kept her confined at home—”
“Impetuous and flighty?” Huang Yaning was very surprised.
In her previous life, she had met Zhang Chuyao a few times. Even at such a young age, she had an air of maturity and steadiness.
She couldn’t imagine Zhang Chuyao being flighty, just as she couldn’t imagine Sheng Mingzhu being kind and innocent.
“Is this connected to Sheng Mingzhu?”
Huang Yaning tensed up immediately.
Sheng Minmin wasn’t sure how to answer.
She had once remembered Zhang Chuyao, who had been as famous as Sheng Mingzhu in her previous life, and had asked the servants to look into it.
Unexpectedly, the information they brought back startled her.
Nowadays, Zhang Chuyao had lost her talent for painting.
She stayed home every day, painting like crazy. Every time she finished a painting, she would immediately tear it up.
Muttering to herself, “Not like this…”
“This isn’t what I wanted…”
This went on for so long that she became somewhat unhinged. The Zhang family no longer let Zhang Chuyao go out casually.
If it were only this, Sheng Minmin wouldn’t have specifically mentioned Zhang Chuyao to Huang Yaning. She mentioned it because the servants had uncovered something else.
Apparently, back at the White Horse Temple, there was a period when Sheng Mingzhu frequently pestered Zhang Chuyao.
And then Zhang Chuyao would have a run of bad luck. For example, she would step outside and get splattered with bird droppings.
Or the bowl she was drinking soup from would suddenly crack and burn her…
One time, the worst incident – a fire suddenly broke out in her courtyard, and Zhang Chuyao almost got burned alive.
Later, the Zhang family sent Zhang Chuyao home early. Although she wasn’t as unlucky at home, it seemed she had lost all her talent for painting.
The artwork she produced had no spirit whatsoever – it was even inferior to the paintings she had made before the age of seven…
Sheng Minmin couldn’t help but think of Sheng Mingjian and Sheng Mingyi in this life. Although she had been scheming against them, there were some things she couldn’t control through her schemes.
For example, their talent for studying. In this life, both of them had become quite mediocre in their academic abilities as well.
Sheng Minmin suspected that Sheng Mingzhu might be able to steal certain people’s fortune or talents.
When this thought first occurred to her, Sheng Minmin had been terrified.
But then she thought about the fact that she and Huang Yaning had both been reborn and swapped bodies – if that could happen, then what couldn’t?
Therefore, she had arranged to meet Huang Yaning alone today.
She told Huang Yaning everything she had learned about Zhang Chuyao.
After hearing it, Huang Yaning’s face turned completely pale. Her lips trembled, but no words came out.
Sheng Minmin knew that Huang Yaning was thinking the same thing as her.
“Does Sheng Mingzhu… know evil magic?”
Sheng Minmin shook her head.
The room was filled with a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.
After a while, Huang Yaning finally exhaled a long, deep breath.
“A fox will eventually show its tail. We’ll find clues sooner or later.”
After saying this, both of them fell silent.
A long moment passed, and then Sheng Minmin said quietly,
“I’m planning to rest for a while. I’ll hand over the household management to you and Sister Xian.”
“Alright.”
Over the years, Huang Yaning had managed her own shops and estates, and she had also taught Sister Xian quite a bit.
Sister Xian had learned some skills for managing a household, but she lacked practical experience.
Having this opportunity wasn’t a bad thing.
Huang Yaning wanted to ask about Minmin’s health, but she saw that Minmin had already closed her eyes, looking like she was ready to see her out.
A bitter taste filled her mouth. Not daring to stay longer and risk annoying Minmin, she left.
Soon, everyone in the Sheng household knew that the matriarch was unwell and needed to rest quietly. The authority to manage the household had been handed over to the Seventh Miss and the cousin Miss.
