Sheng Mingzhu barely suppressed the fury in her heart.
“Leave the things here. Go call my fifth brother over. Tell him I have no appetite…”
Yun Jin sighed inwardly. She had been assigned to serve the young miss since her birth and knew her temperament all too well.
To outsiders, the young miss always appeared innocent, kind, and sweet-natured…
But in truth, she was spoiled, possessive, and constantly craved the undivided affection of the entire household. The slightest displeasure would send her into a rage…
If Yun Jin were to be honest, the young miss had been particularly unreasonable lately.
The madam had always doted on her, granting her every wish and treating her as the apple of her eye—something all the servants in the mansion had witnessed.
Yet the young miss insisted on clinging to Tao Niang, driving a knife straight into the madam’s heart.
The young miss had hurt the madam deeply. It was understandable that the madam was now displeased with her. But after all, they were mother and daughter. If the young miss sincerely apologized, the madam would surely forgive her…
Sigh. The young miss neither trusted nor confided in her, so Yun Jin could only keep these thoughts to herself.
She just hoped the young miss wouldn’t start weeping in front of the fifth young master later…
Otherwise, the fifth young master might lose his temper again.
As the year drew to a close, the Imperial Academy only held half-day classes for its youngest students—and Sheng Mingbo happened to be among them. He should already be on his way back to the estate by carriage.
Yun Jin headed straight for the main gate and arrived just in time to see Sheng Mingbo stepping down from the carriage.
“Young Master Fifth.” Yun Jin stepped forward and bowed. “The young miss requests your presence…”
“What’s wrong with Little Sister?” Sheng Mingbo hurried over.
“The young miss has no appetite. She hasn’t eaten anything at lunch today…”
Sheng Mingbo’s face paled with worry, and he immediately dashed into the mansion like a gust of wind.
Yun Jin and Sheng Mingbo’s personal servant quickly followed.
By the time they reached Haitang Courtyard, the servants had grown even more cautious.
Ever since the incident where the sixth young miss had injured her foot and the fifth young master had ordered the servants beaten without question, the Haitang Courtyard staff had come to both fear and resent him.
“Little Sister, what’s wrong?”
As soon as Sheng Mingbo entered the room, he saw Sheng Mingzhu sitting on the bed, her delicate face full of grievance, her eyes red and swollen. His heart ached at the sight.
“Little Sister, who upset you? Fifth Brother will make them pay—”
“Fifth Brother… sniff…”
The moment Sheng Mingzhu saw him, she called out weakly before breaking into sobs, covering her face with a handkerchief as if she had suffered some unbearable injustice.
Qing Tian, who had already received word and dared not slack off, stood by the bed waiting on her. Seeing Sheng Mingzhu’s act, her heart sank. This is bad.
Sure enough, Sheng Mingbo’s expression darkened as he glared at the servants in the room.
“Worthless dogs! Is this how you serve your mistress? What use are you if you can’t even take care of your master properly?”
The servants inside and outside the room had already dropped to their knees, faces drained of color.
“Fifth Brother, it’s not their fault…”
Sheng Mingzhu finally spoke up. After the last incident, she was afraid her fifth brother would fly into another rage—if that happened, the servants in the courtyard would truly resent her.
“I’m just sad. They haven’t neglected their duties… You may all rise…”
She then dabbed at her tears with the handkerchief again.
“Little Sister, why are you sad? Why refuse to eat?”
Why? Of course, it was about the birthday banquet.
In just half a month, it would be her birthday. In previous years, her mother would have long since taken her to order new dresses and jewelry for the occasion.
The entire estate’s potted plants and flowers would have been replaced with fresh ones. They would have booked opera troupes, arranged banquets, and sent out invitations in advance…
But this year, her mother had made no move at all. Her father and brothers also seemed to have forgotten her birthday entirely. Sheng Mingzhu was growing desperate—which was why she had summoned Sheng Mingbo.
She knew her fifth brother was straightforward. If she didn’t spell it out, he might not understand. Besides, she couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Fifth Brother, my birthday is in half a month, but Mother… Does Mother no longer care for me? Is she not planning a celebration this year…?”
At her words, Sheng Mingbo’s face flashed with guilt and regret. He had completely forgotten about his little sister’s birthday.
Too much had happened in the estate over the past month—one incident after another, leaving no room to breathe.
Sheng Mingbo was only a year older than Sheng Mingzhu, still a child himself. With so much going on, her birthday had slipped his mind.
“Little Sister, don’t worry. I’ll go speak to Mother right now—”
He turned to leave, but Sheng Mingzhu grabbed his sleeve.
Wiping her tears, she forced a smile.
“Fifth Brother, Mother has been in low spirits lately. I don’t want to trouble her with such a trivial matter…
“Since you’re already here, why not share a bowl of sweet dessert with me? The kitchen made osmanthus glutinous rice balls…”
Qing Tian brought out an exquisite glass bowl and served them each a portion.
Not wanting to refuse her kindness, Sheng Mingbo resolved to finish the dessert before heading to his mother to discuss the birthday banquet. But the moment the food touched his lips, his brow furrowed.
Osmanthus glutinous rice balls were made of sticky rice dumplings, sweet rice wine, goji berries, and dried osmanthus flowers soaked in honey.
They were supposed to be fragrant and sweet, bursting with the aroma of osmanthus. But what he tasted now was bland—neither sweet nor fragrant.
If not for propriety, he would have spat it out. Watching his little sister eat with apparent relish, he frowned.
“Little Sister… is it good? I don’t taste any sweetness or fragrance…”
A glint of triumph flashed in Sheng Mingzhu’s eyes. She had deliberately replaced the sweet syrup in the dessert with plain water—of course it tasted flat.
A few days ago, she had overheard the servants whispering that her mother intended to cut back on the expenses of her personal kitchen.
She was already miserable without the expensive, delicately prepared dishes. If her mother reduced her budget further, Sheng Mingzhu felt she might as well live like a beggar…
So she had made sure her fifth brother tasted this deliberately ruined dessert.
She wanted him to champion her cause—to demand that her mother not only host her birthday banquet but also spare her kitchen’s funding.
“It’s delicious, Fifth Brother—”
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she feigned panic.
“Fifth Brother, perhaps the kitchen is short-handed… Yun Jin, fetch a string of cash from my money box and have them prepare a fresh batch—with extra honey and osmanthus…”
