In a secluded corner of the garden, Qiuju and Dongkui sat on the grass.
Dongkui spoke with some worry, “Fourth Sister, I wonder how Third Sister’s injuries are doing…”
Qiuju curled her lip.
“Worrying about her is pointless; you should worry about yourself instead! She’s at Haitang Courtyard now, eating well, drinking well, and doesn’t have to work anymore. She probably won’t have to work in the future either…
“A moment of suffering in exchange for lasting comfort—her life is much better than ours now!”
Qiuju’s tone was laced with bitterness. Hearing this, Dongkui also felt that Third Sister’s fate was truly fortunate!
When they were children, Third Sister was the most favored at home. Among all the sisters, she ate the best and did the least work.
A little older, she entered the Sheng residence smoothly, and now, after this commotion, everyone outside knows Third Sister is Sheng Mingzhu’s own elder sister. Third Sister’s future days are sure to be comfortable.
Dongkui let out a long sigh and said softly, “Fourth Sister, do you think we made a mistake from the very beginning? If we had been honest from the start…”
Hearing this, a fleeting, indecipherable emotion flashed in Qiuju’s eyes. She bit her lower lip and said nothing.
When the two sisters first entered the Sheng residence, fearing that the mistress would discover they were Taoniang’s daughters and seek revenge, they desperately concealed their identities, weaving many lies.
Later, Huang Yaning was released from house arrest early and recognized them at a glance.
They had to beg on their knees and even agreed to help Huang Yaning with a deeply unfilial task to be allowed to stay in the Sheng residence.
Afterward, the sisters were occasionally ordered by Huang Yaning to do various things.
As they spent more time in the residence, their horizons gradually broadened, and their cunning deepened…
They finally realized that actually, it wouldn’t be such a big deal if the mistress found out their true identities.
Because the mistress hadn’t tormented Xiazhi back then. If the mistress could forgive Xiazhi, naturally she could forgive them too.
Moreover, if the mistress knew they were Sheng Mingzhu’s own elder sisters, she might even elevate them to spite Sheng Mingzhu.
As for Seventh Miss, she had only frightened Xiazhi back then, not taken her life.
They had treated Seventh Miss much better than Xiazhi did when they were children. As long as they held their ground, the worst they’d face would be a bit of hardship, and then it would be over.
They wouldn’t have had to do that thing for Seventh Miss later on at all…
A while back, Dongkui overheard two young maids chatting, saying the young masters of the Sheng family had always been quite friendly to Xiazhi…
The young masters probably looked upon Xiazhi favorably because of Sheng Mingzhu’s connection—
If the young masters knew they were also Sheng Mingzhu’s elder sisters, wouldn’t they treat them more favorably too?
Wouldn’t their opportunities then increase?
Recently, the little vixens in the residence were pulling out all the stops to climb higher. Qiuju and Dongkui grew more anxious.
If they wanted to become concubines, the next two years were their best chance.
Otherwise, in another two years, the mistress would likely start arranging marriages for the legitimate young masters…
Qiuju took a deep breath, her eyes fixed intently on Dongkui, and said, “Perhaps… we can find a suitable opportunity to reveal our true identities—
“That way, even if we do something… ‘improper,’ we can rely on our blood ties with her to receive leniency—”
“Fourth Sister…”
Dongkui was utterly shocked. She understood the implication.
She’d heard that on the night Qingxin tried to climb into bed, the eldest young master had originally intended to have Qingxin beaten to death. It was only the mistress’s mercy that saved Qingxin…
If they first exposed their blood relation to Sheng Mingzhu, and then schemed against their own master…
Even if the master was furious and wanted them dead, Sheng Mingzhu couldn’t just stand by and watch her own elder sisters die, could she?
Dongkui swallowed nervously. After a long pause, as if steeling her resolve, she said, “Fourth Sister, I’ll follow your lead—”
Qiuju nodded. “We must plan this carefully. We can’t rush.”
“Mm. Fourth Sister, have some pastry—”
Dongkui tended to eat when nervous. She pulled out the pastries from her sleeve pocket.
The pastries were sent over by Hibiscus Courtyard, three full boxes.
The Fifth Young Master wasn’t in the mood for sweets, so he rewarded them all to the servants below.
Seeing a few exceptionally beautiful pastries inside, ones she’d never seen before, she picked them out first and distributed the rest among the other servants.
“You have it. I don’t have an appetite…”
Qiuju knew those were the pastries sent by Sheng Mingzhu. The Third Young Master had received some too, but she hadn’t touched a single piece.
Dongkui didn’t insist and started eating on her own.
The pastry skin was crispy and flaky, and the filling was actually made with salted meat—intensely savory and fragrant. Dongkui thought it tasted wonderful.
She thought she might try making something like it for the Fifth Young Master next time; he might like it…
As Dongkui ate, she pondered, while listening to Fourth Sister talk about their family and their mother. She wondered where their mother was now and how she was living…
If they could contact their mother, perhaps she could get Sheng Mingzhu to look after the two of them more.
As she listened, suddenly, Dongkui felt a sharp, twisting pain in her abdomen. The pain instantly broke her out in a cold sweat.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Qiuju quickly noticed Dongkui could barely sit upright, her face deathly pale, with beads of cold sweat on her forehead. She was greatly alarmed.
Seeing Dongkui open her mouth to speak, only for a mouthful of foul-smelling, bloody liquid to spill out…
The shock in Qiuju’s heart turned to terror. She sprang up in an instant, looking around frantically.
“Dongkui—Fifth Sister—what’s happening to you? Were you bitten by a poisonous snake?”
It was no wonder Qiuju reacted this way. The stewards in the residence had repeatedly warned that this season was when snakes were most active.
With the garden plants now lush and overgrown, the stewards had told everyone not to wander into the secluded parts of the garden unless necessary…
Everyone had been obedient, avoiding the garden, which was why the two of them had often been meeting here at this time recently, encouraging and comforting each other without fear of being discovered.
“Third Sister… help… me… pastry… poison…”
Dongkui uttered these words with the faintest breath before collapsing limply to the ground.
And Qiuju stood frozen in place.
Poison in the pastry?
Sheng Mingzhu wanted to kill Dongkui?
Remembering how Dongkui had just invited her to share the pastry, a chill ran through Qiuju’s heart.
If she had eaten some too, right now both of them would be dying silently here, with no one to save them…
By the time others found their bodies, they might even think they had been bitten by poisonous snakes…
So, Sheng Mingzhu wanted to kill her and Dongkui?
Had Sheng Mingzhu learned of their existence from Xiazhi and, hating them for the disgrace, decided to silence them?
This was the first thought that flashed through Qiuju’s mind.
Then, hatred surged to the top of her head. Qiuju felt Sheng Mingzhu was more venomous than any snake or scorpion!
Qiuju hoisted Dongkui onto her back and started heading toward the residence physician’s quarters. Before lifting Dongkui, Qiuju didn’t forget to pick up the two remaining pieces of unfinished pastry from the ground.
