Reborn in Each Other’s Bodies: A Mother and Daughter’s Deadly Revenge - Chapter 109

At this moment, Taoniang had returned to the courtyard she had bought.

Feng Lao-er, who had been terrified when he saw the authorities show up and take Taoniang away, had long since scrambled to pack his bags and fled back to Taohua Village with Feng Siya and Feng Wuya.

Now, only Taoniang was left in the courtyard.

When Xiazhi arrived, the courtyard gate was slightly ajar. Pushing it open, she saw that the lights hadn’t been lit yet, leaving the yard dim in the fading light.

A figure sat under the persimmon tree in the yard, vaguely resembling her mother.

“Mother…” she called out tentatively.

“Sanya, you’re here—how is the Young Miss?” Hearing her eldest daughter’s voice, Taoniang snapped out of her thoughts. She hurried to the entrance, grabbed her daughter’s hands, and spoke anxiously, “Quick, tell me. How is the Young Miss? How did the Master, the Mistress, and the Young Masters treat her? Did that wretched girl bully the Young Miss after returning to the manor?”

Xiazhi frowned. “Mother, I’ve changed my name now. I’m called Xiazhi—”

Taoniang ignored her, gripping Xiazhi’s hands tightly. “Just tell me—how is the Young Miss really?”

In the past, hearing her mother constantly refer to Sheng Mingzhu as ‘Young Miss’ wouldn’t have bothered Xiazhi. But now, almost certain that Sheng Mingzhu is her own blood sister—her mother’s own daughter—hearing ‘Young Miss’ felt deeply uncomfortable.

“Mother, is Sheng Mingzhu really your—”

Her words were cut off sharply by Taoniang.

“Silence! How dare you address the Young Miss by her full name?”

Ever since Liuya returned to the manor, Xiazhi had been living in fear, unsure if Liuya had spotted her in the crowd at Haitang Courtyard. She knew even if Liuya hadn’t seen her then, she’d eventually be discovered as long as she stayed in Haitang Courtyard.

When that happened, Liuya would surely make trouble for her.

Bearing this fear, plus the strain of caring for the injured Sheng Mingzhu, had left her physically and mentally exhausted. Now, seeing her mother still refusing to face reality, Xiazhi’s temper began to fray.

“Mother, can’t you stop lying to yourself?
“Sheng Mingzhu is my biological sister, your own daughter!
“Right now, the news is everywhere. It doesn’t matter if you refuse to admit it; Sheng Mingzhu can’t keep living in the manor as the legitimate Young Miss like before—”

Smack!

A heavy slap landed on Xiazhi’s face, cutting off her words.

Taoniang immediately regretted it.
She was just so frantic. She only knew that wretched girl had suddenly appeared at the Jingzhao Prefecture and exposed Mingzhu’s identity. She knew nothing of what happened after. Seeing her eldest daughter now, how could she not be desperate? She clutched Xiazhi’s hand.

“It was wrong of me, Sanya—no, Xiazhi. I’m just so worried about you both—”

Xiazhi laughed coldly inside. Her mother said she was worried about ‘both’ of them, but she was only truly worried about Sheng Mingzhu.

Even though, before seeing Taoniang, Xiazhi had only been thinking about her own future predicament and hadn’t given Taoniang a thought—after all, it was Sheng Mingzhu who had gotten Taoniang released—it didn’t stop Xiazhi from feeling that her mother was cold-blooded and biased.

“Right now, we’re all in the same boat, Xiazhi. Quickly, tell me what’s happening…”

Suppressing her anger, Xiazhi finally told Taoniang everything.

When she finished, her mother looked utterly stunned, as if her soul had been snatched away. It gave Xiazhi a fright. She had to call out ‘Mother’ many times before Taoniang snapped back to reality. Once she did, the sheer hatred radiating from her made Xiazhi break out in goosebumps, and she instinctively took a step back.

For Taoniang, hearing about Sheng Mingzhu’s condition felt like half her sky had collapsed.

Her daughter, her precious, carefully raised and nurtured daughter, had actually been crippled!

Feng! Liu! Ya!

Back then, she had spared Feng Liuya’s life only because occasionally tormenting and abusing the girl gave her an indescribable sense of satisfaction. She never imagined Feng Liuya would one day bring such ruin upon her precious pearl.

If she had known, she should have thrown Feng Liuya into the pigsty!

And Huang! Ya! Ning!

If Huang Yaning hadn’t given Feng Liuya all those people, how could Feng Liuya have ever harmed Zhu’er (Mingzhu)?

It was a pity that person had disappeared; otherwise, she would have them kill that wretched mother-daughter pair right now!

Fortunately, the Sheng family’s Young Masters still treated Zhu’er as their sister, and Prince Qi still cherished her, which was why he was willing to save her. The fact that Sheng Yong had let her go also meant her precious daughter could still be a Young Miss of the Sheng family. There was still a chance for a comeback in the future.

When she was pregnant with Mingzhu, Taoniang had had many dreams. A voice in the dreams told her the child she was carrying would have a future of immense nobility. That was why she had been so bold as to switch the babies back then, and why she had always held such confidence in Sheng Mingzhu. In Taoniang’s heart, her precious daughter was the chosen one!

Her mind now raced. Many people were surely discussing Zhu’er, and her reputation would suffer. The best plan was to leave for a while. Find a place to recuperate properly and then find a way to restore her reputation.

But she had no idea where to go. However, she thought of Sheng Mingjian. The Eldest Young Master had always doted on Zhu’er; surely he would have a solution.

Taoniang shared her thoughts with Xiazhi, who immediately returned to the manor to report to Sheng Mingzhu. Sheng Mingzhu, in turn, sent Xiazhi to find Sheng Mingjian.

The chance to present herself before the Eldest Young Master made Xiazhi’s heart bloom with joy. She rushed off without delay.

…..

Lihua Courtyard (Pear Blossom Courtyard).

Huang Yaning had gone to “pay her respects” to Minmin this morning, but Minmin had refused to see her.

She felt a little disappointed, but also a sense of relief.

She wanted to see Minmin to spend more time with her and to tell her she would become Minmin’s ally. But she knew clearly in her heart that this support only extended to dealing with Taoniang, Sheng Mingzhu, and Sheng Yong.

If Minmin wanted to kill those three fools, Huang Yaning didn’t know what she would choose to do.

So, she both longed to see Minmin alone and was afraid of seeing Minmin alone. Perhaps Minmin refusing her was for the best for her current self.

Just as she was thinking this, Dongsheng arrived.

“Seventh Young Miss.” Dongsheng bowed respectfully.

Just hearing his form of address and seeing the “gifts” brought by the servants behind him, Huang Yaning knew Sheng Yong had decided to keep Sheng Mingzhu.

Yesterday, Prince Qi had summoned an imperial physician for Sheng Mingzhu and his attitude towards her remained unchanged. Sheng Yong certainly couldn’t bear to discard her now.

However, even if Sheng Mingzhu kept the nominal title of legitimate daughter for the rest of her life, the common people of the capital were perfectly clear about the actual situation.

A mocking smile appeared on her face.

Dongsheng, standing opposite her, wiped cold sweat from his forehead. He felt seen through before he’d even said anything. This task was truly a thankless one. But since the Master had assigned it to him, he had no choice but to steel himself and proceed.

He swallowed hard, hardened his heart, and spoke.

“Seventh Young Miss, the Master has investigated thoroughly. You are the true legitimate daughter of this household. Back then… due to an… accident, your identities were swapped with the Sixth Young Miss. Fortunately, you have returned now. The Master says he will pick an auspicious day soon to add your name to the family register…”

“Heh. An accident?” Although Huang Yaning preferred tormenting Taoniang herself over having her rot in jail, hearing this news still infuriated her.

“Seventh Young Miss, Prince Qi interceded… the Master really had no choice… However, the Master knows you suffered greatly in the past and pities you deeply. He specially selected these gifts and ordered this servant to bring them to you…”

The servants behind Dongsheng immediately stepped forward and opened the gifts. There were two chests of expensive fabric, and two maids carried a moderately sized jewelry case. When opened, it revealed exquisite jewelry made of gold, silver, jade, pearls, and agate. For a moment, the entire courtyard glittered with jewels.

The mama (senior maid/nanny) of Lihua Courtyard was dumbstruck. Only Huang Yaning and Qingtian (her maid) remained unmoved.

Seeing the Seventh Young Miss’s gaze fall on the last small case, Dongsheng hurriedly fetched it himself and presented it to Huang Yaning.

“This contains ten thousand taels in banknotes and the deed to a rouge shop in the capital. The Master offers them to compensate you for your past suffering, Seventh Young Miss.” He added ingratiatingly, “None of the other Young Masters or Young Misses in the manor have their own private assets yet—”

He expected to see the mocking smile on the Seventh Young Miss’s face lessen a little. Instead, her expression grew even more scornful.

Dongsheng’s heart sank completely. He was left feeling utterly uneasy.