“Enough!”
Sheng Yong could no longer stand watching Sheng Minmin repeatedly strike his son and stepped forward to pull her away.
“Pearl (Zhu’er) came out with you and suffered such severe injuries. I only asked you a few questions—why are you acting so hysterical?”
Sheng Minmin had already prepared her response. Without hesitation, she fired back, her tone even fiercer than Sheng Yong’s.
“And you have the nerve to ask me?
“I’ve had a bad feeling for days and didn’t even want to bring Sixth Daughter along!
“But all of you came to persuade me, pester me, insisting I take her! I had no choice but to give in!
“And now that something’s happened, you’re all blaming me, accusing me!”
Sheng Yong was momentarily speechless. His face darkened as he flicked his sleeve dismissively.
“If you felt something was wrong, why didn’t you say so earlier? Had you spoken up, we wouldn’t have pushed you!”
“So now it’s my fault again? If I hadn’t brought Sixth Daughter, you’d all assume I was mistreating my own flesh and blood!
“Even if I had said something, wouldn’t you have thought I was making excuses? Who knows what other accusations would’ve followed!
“In the end, it’s because I’m a useless matriarch—my husband disregards me, my children don’t respect me!
“Heavens, why is my life so bitter—”
With that, Sheng Minmin covered her face and burst into loud sobs. The servants kneeling on the floor trembled in fearful silence.
Qingtian clenched her teeth so hard they nearly cracked, her entire body shaking with terror.
Yesterday, she had been utterly exhausted. The Sixth Young Miss disliked being assisted by clumsy maids, so Qingtian had been the one supporting her the entire way. By the time they neared the mountaintop, Qingtian felt like she was on the verge of collapse. The Madam must have noticed her struggle, because she took the Sixth Young Miss from her.
After that, the Madam continued upward with the young miss while Qingtian, her legs trembling, lagged behind to rest for a moment.
But in the blink of an eye, disaster struck—the Sixth Young Miss tumbled down the steps.
No one saw whether she had collapsed from exhaustion or if someone had accidentally bumped her, causing her to lose her balance… but she had indeed rolled down the stairs.
And later, the injury to her foot—that had been caused by the Madam accidentally crushing it…
Regardless, as the personal maid serving the Sixth Young Miss, Qingtian knew that escaping unscathed was nearly impossible.
How could she save herself?
Ever since the incident, Qingtian had been racking her brain for a solution.
After much deliberation, she realized only one person could save her life—the Madam.
The Madam had originally been her mistress and had always favored her. If the Madam protected her, she might survive.
But how could she convince the Madam to do so?
Now, seeing the Master and the two young masters interrogating the Madam, Qingtian sensed her only chance at survival was right before her.
If she missed it, she was as good as dead.
Taking a deep breath, Qingtian mustered her courage and crawled forward on her knees.
“Master, Eldest Young Master, Third Young Master… the Young Miss’s injury truly was an accident. No one is more heartbroken over this than the Madam—”
Before she could finish, Sheng Mingbo kicked her squarely in the chest, sending her sprawling backward.
“You insolent wretch!
“You’re the personal maid responsible for our sister, yet when she suffers such a grave injury, you remain unharmed? You deserve death!”
Qingtian knew this kick was unavoidable—better to endure a strike from the Fifth Young Master than one from the Master himself.
Gritting her teeth against the pain, she forced herself back onto her knees.
“This servant deserves death. Whatever punishment is decided afterward, I will accept it without complaint…
“But I beg the Master and the Young Masters not to misunderstand the Madam—
“Last night, the Madam stayed by the Young Miss’s side without even changing her clothes. We all witnessed it. Even when the Young Miss, overwhelmed with grief, accidentally… struck the Madam…
“The Madam didn’t blame her at all. Instead, she comforted her with the utmost tenderness…”
Since the messenger who had gone down the mountain yesterday had left early, Sheng Minmin being slapped by Sheng Mingzhu was unknown to the family.
Earlier, the men had only been briefed on how Sheng Mingzhu was injured, so they were completely unaware of this additional incident.
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Sheng Mingjian demanded, his expression one of shock.
“How would this servant dare lie? Yesterday… everyone saw it…”
The other servants murmured in confirmation. None of them would dare fabricate such a thing—especially since the truth could easily be verified by asking Sheng Mingzhu herself.
Qingtian concluded, “The Madam has treasured the Young Miss like a precious jewel, giving her everything. As a mother, she has done nothing wrong…”
Seeing that the moment was ripe, Sheng Minmin wiped her tears with a handkerchief and personally helped Qingtian up.
“Sixth Daughter’s injury is entirely my fault! These maids and servants bear no blame. If you must punish someone, punish me—”
She broke down into loud sobs once more.
“Madam—” Qingtian also wept, moved by the display.
Sheng Yong’s face alternated between red and black with fury. While “Huangshi” bore significant responsibility for their youngest daughter’s injury—especially since it was she who had crushed the girl’s foot—he himself had been the one to insist she come to Chunshan Temple.
And now, to learn that his daughter had been so enraged as to strike her own mother… if this got out, Pearl’s painstakingly restored reputation would be ruined once more.
No matter how furious he was, Sheng Yong could no longer direct his anger at “Huangshi.”
His head throbbed. With a final, terse “This matter ends here,” he turned and left.
He still had to speak with the temple staff to ensure no damaging rumors about his daughter spread…
Sheng Mingjian and Sheng Mingbo were equally stunned to hear of their sister’s disrespect toward their mother. At a loss for words, they stood awkwardly before Sheng Minmin ignored them and left with Qingtian.
After soothing Qingtian with a few words, Sheng Minmin returned to her room alone. Only then did she realize how weak her limbs felt—her back was drenched in a cold sweat she hadn’t even noticed.
She knew she couldn’t target Sheng Mingzhu again anytime soon. If she did, Sheng Yong would grow suspicious.
…..
“Ungrateful wretch!
“With the evidence right before you, you still dare deny it? How could I have given birth to such a disgraceful daughter?”
Huang Yaning dreamed again of her past life—this time, she was in Minmin’s body.
Staring up at her own furious, disgusted face from that lifetime, her heart felt as though it were being sliced apart.
She couldn’t tell whether the searing pain came from herself, from Minmin, or from both…
In that moment, Huang Yaning seemed to hear Minmin’s silent cries.
Minmin’s heart asked:
[Why…]
[Why am I your biological daughter, yet you never believe me…]
[Why am I always the one scolded, punished, humiliated…]
[If bringing me back was only to let me be bullied, trampled, and schemed against again and again… then why did you even take me back…]
[I thought I had found my real parents. I thought I could finally know a parent’s love, that I could live like a human being…]
[But why…? Why give me hope, only to make me despair all over again?]
[If I could choose… I’d wish I were never a daughter of the Sheng family…]
Minmin had so much to say, yet not a single word left her lips.
Huang Yaning felt as though Minmin’s heart was steeped in acid, the bitterness seeping outward, flooding her eyes and nose until the tears could no longer be held back…
Minmin lowered her head, hiding her tears, and mechanically repeated the same words as before:
“Mother, it wasn’t me… I didn’t steal…”
