“Take some of the finest blood bird’s nest, donkey-hide gelatin, and pearl powder to Qingxin—”
Sheng Minmin ordered Qingxiang, but Qingxiang didn’t move, her expression one of utter shock.
“What is it?” Sheng Minmin frowned.
“Madam, this… isn’t it… too much of an honor for her…” Qingxiang couldn’t help but ask.
In Qingxiang’s view, Qingxin should be content with enjoying the treatment of a concubine. Now, she was simply being outrageously bold and presumptuous! It was ruining the atmosphere in the mansion, and all sorts of demons and monsters were emerging…
The Madam should know all this, so why wasn’t she giving Qingxin the cold shoulder? Instead, she was sending her such valuable things? Wouldn’t this only make those other little temptresses even more restless and stir up more trouble in the mansion?
Apart from these seemingly legitimate reasons, Qingxiang also had personal motives for not wanting the Madam to favor Qingxin. Qingxin used to be the Madam’s first-rank maid before being given to the Eldest Young Master. Now, she was living like a mistress. Qingxiang was also the Madam’s first-rank maid, serving by the Madam’s side. Though she lived respectably, she was, after all, not a mistress. And the man she would marry in the future was not a master either—he was a servant under Qingxin’s husband…
At first, Qingxiang had been quite satisfied with Gao Shan, but recently, the more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt—she couldn’t help but feel her own life paled in comparison to Qingxin’s. She even felt that anyone could become the Eldest Young Master’s favored concubine, except for the Madam’s first-rank maids—neither the former ones nor the current ones. This jealousy was something Qingxiang herself was unwilling to admit.
Sheng Minmin’s eyes gleamed darkly, a smile playing on her lips.
“These things are nothing to me. She served the Eldest well, so I should reward her! In the future, when women serve the Third and Fifth well, I will do the same. I won’t favor one over the other. Now go—”
Qingxiang had no choice but to leave reluctantly.
Just as she reached the doorway, she saw Qingdai about to enter. Qingxiang had always thought Qingdai was lazy and only good at boasting, and she had never liked her. Now, with anger in her heart, she deliberately bumped into Qingdai with her shoulder.
Qingdai, however, was not one to swallow insults. She laughed and said, “Sister Qingxiang, have you developed an eye condition? Can’t you see where you’re going? Would you like me to take a look for you? Considering we share the same courtyard, I won’t charge you for the consultation—”
“You—” Qingxiang hadn’t expected Qingdai to refuse to take any slight. Feeling that her status as a first-rank maid was being challenged, she stormed back into the room angrily.
“Madam, just look at Qingdai! She doesn’t do a single proper thing all day, just loafs around the courtyard. If there’s a task to assign her, she either finds a thousand excuses to avoid it or muddles through her duties, acting as if she’s busier than anyone else. But if there’s a gathering of maids or matrons somewhere in the mansion eating snacks and having fun, she runs faster than a rabbit! Just now, when I accidentally bumped into her, I had to listen to a whole heap of her nonsense…”
Qingxiang vented a long tirade, revealing just how much resentment she had built up against Qingdai over the years.
Sheng Minmin frowned at Qingdai. “Is everything Qingxiang said true?”
Qingdai also put on an act, widening her eyes in an exaggerated display of being wronged. “Madam, of course not! You know that ever since I was very young, I’ve been learning my family’s ancestral massage techniques for treating headaches. But I was too young at the time, so I only mastered the first half thoroughly. I don’t remember the second half very clearly… Whenever I have free time, I try hard to recall those latter techniques so I can help cure your headaches as soon as possible… I’m not deliberately slacking off…”
“Is that so? Well, if it’s for my sake, Qingxiang, don’t hold it against her anymore—”
Hearing this, Qingxiang grew even angrier than before. However, since the Madam was shielding Qingdai, she could do nothing but withdraw.
As soon as Qingxiang left, both Sheng Minmin and Qingdai dropped their previous expressions, becoming much more serious.
“Madam, I saw the Feng family. They’re near the main gate now, as if they’re lying in wait for someone…”
Sheng Minmin had been having people monitor the movements of Qingtian’s family because she knew that whatever Huang Yaning did would mostly go through that family. A few days ago, Qingtian’s father went to Zhongtai Restaurant to deliver money to the son of the Peach Blossom Village chief, who worked as a waiter there. Over the years, to express her gratitude to the village chief, Scholar Li, and the He family in Peach Blossom Village, Huang Yaning had secretly been giving money to the chief’s son working at the restaurant every year, asking him to buy gifts to thank them. The chief’s son bringing things home when he visited rarely raised suspicion. After many such dealings, the village chief had become Huang Yaning’s informant in Peach Blossom Village. Huang Yaning was well aware of how the Feng family had been faring these past few years.
The day after the village chief’s son returned home, the entire Feng family left the village and headed for the capital. After traveling for several days, they had finally arrived at the Sheng mansion’s gate.
Thinking of those people outside—the ones she had called grandfather, grandmother, uncle, aunt, elder cousin, second cousin, and father for many years in her past life—Sheng Minmin felt the blood in her veins seem to pulse faster, screaming at her to take revenge.
“Does the Seventh Young Lady know?” she asked, reaching into the nearby ice basin to grab a melting ice chunk, now only the size of a fist, holding its coolness in her hand.
“Qingtian’s family has been keeping an eye on the outside since yesterday. They should know by now.”
“Good. Get ready. There’s a good show to watch.”
Furong Courtyard.
The incident in the main kitchen had, of course, long reached Sheng Mingzhu’s ears.
Ever since returning from White Horse Temple, Sheng Mingzhu felt nothing had gone smoothly for her. As soon as she came back, that wretched girl insulted her by gifting two blades of grass. Later, at Libai Tower, she was deliberately humiliated… At the Third Princess’s birthday banquet, she had wanted to make a name for herself but was instead overshadowed by that wretched girl. At that moment, Sheng Mingzhu nearly broke down. She only managed to calm herself by remembering her senior brother’s promise to utterly ruin the other’s reputation.
Yet, her senior brother’s scheme had also fallen through, failing to harm that wretch in the slightest. Instead, it allowed her to vindicate herself in the main hall, stealing the spotlight once again…
This wasn’t how things were supposed to be!
Sheng Mingzhu felt something had gone wrong somewhere… The one who should have become famous throughout the capital at the Third Princess’s banquet was her. She should have been the talented young woman praised by everyone. And that wretch should have fallen into the abyss, never daring to show her face again, living like a rat in the gutter…
Sheng Mingzhu had a feeling that something that belonged to her had been stolen.
These past few days, the more she thought about it, the more furious she became, her anger almost boiling over!
In the past, when her senior brother and her several elder brothers knew she was in a bad mood, they would always come to see her, comfort her, and bring her gifts. But recently, her senior brother hadn’t visited; she didn’t know what he was busy with. Her three elder brothers also came by very seldom. Especially her eldest brother, who was seduced day after day by that vixen Qingxin…
And there was no news from Prince Qi either…
She had always thought she could rely on Prince Qi, her senior brother, and her elder brothers. But recent events made Sheng Mingzhu realize that, in fact, she could only rely on herself. This realization made her already tormented heart even more agonized and also gave rise to a sense of fear… If in the future no one cared for her or helped her, what would she do?
Today, even Qingxin, that lowly maid who climbed into bed, dared to covet her things. How dare she?
When she heard that her mother had even sent many fine things to Qingxin, Sheng Mingzhu could no longer restrain herself…
She called Xiazhi into her room and closed the door…
During that quarter of an hour inside the room, Sheng Mingzhu felt that what she did to Xiazhi seemed like it was her, yet also as if she had been possessed by some evil spirit… She never knew she could be so… brutal…
Sheng Mingzhu couldn’t help but shudder. Her master had forbidden her from touching Xiazhi and had also instructed her not to mistreat Xiazhi—if her master found out what she had just done, she would surely be severely punished… However, thankfully, her master wasn’t around now, and Xiazhi wouldn’t dare to say anything. Besides, she had given Xiazhi silver notes…
Moreover, it was Xiazhi’s fault today. Who asked Xiazhi to be so useless? She didn’t even have the courage to teach that wretch a lesson on her behalf. How disgraceful!
Sheng Mingzhu comforted herself like this, convincing herself it was justified.
Meanwhile, in Haitang Courtyard, when Huang Yaning learned that the Feng family was staking out the Sheng mansion entrance, she was just thinking of a way to lure Xiazhi out. Unexpectedly, Xiazhi went out on her own.
