Reborn in Each Other’s Bodies: A Mother and Daughter’s Deadly Revenge - Chapter 111

“Cough… cough—!”

Sheng Mingjian was so furious he broke into a violent coughing fit, silently cursing everyone in the mansion for being snobbish social climbers who fawned on the powerful and trampled on the weak.

One day, he would make them all understand just how wonderful Mingzhu truly was!

But since his father had already agreed to give up the Haitang Courtyard, and the household’s attitude was what it was, perhaps agreeing to Mingzhu’s wish and letting her leave the mansion to avoid the turmoil for a while was indeed the best choice…

Just thinking about sending Mingzhu away filled Sheng Mingjian with reluctance and heartache.

If that wild girl hadn’t returned, Mingzhu could have been healthy and safe, without ever needing to leave the mansion…

Sheng Mingjian added another mark of hatred against Huang Yaning in his heart.

Seeing the Young Master cough so severely, Qingxin, who was present, knelt and shuffled forward on her knees, hoping to help soothe his breathing, but he pushed her away roughly.

Qingxin felt hurt. She continued kneeling, her head deeply bowed.

A thought of retreat crept into her heart. Did she really want to become the Young Master’s woman?

A man like the Young Master—if she couldn’t earn even a shred of his tenderness, the moment she lost her usefulness, her fate would be utterly miserable.

But if she didn’t become the Young Master’s woman, whose could she become?

Her parents, brother, and sister-in-law were all foolish and greedy. They had never been of any help to her; on the contrary, they came every month to empty her of her wages and bonuses.

They also constantly offended people over various matters, forcing her to step in and mediate.

If not for her family’s exploitation and deadweight holding her back, over the years she could have saved a generous dowry for herself.

Even if she didn’t aim for a powerful family, she could have later married a respectable minor steward, left the mansion, and lived a carefree life on a farmstead.

But… now she had no dowry, and her family was muddle-headed and irrational. Those promising young stewards would never marry her.

Qingxin was so jealous of Qingtian. Qingtian’s parents and in-laws were capable and didn’t hold her back. They didn’t take Qingtian’s wages or bonuses, and they even helped find good matches for her…

Even when Qingtian had fallen out of favor with the Sixth Miss before, her family had openly and secretly stood up for her everywhere…

And her? When that lecherous 40-year-old Lai Da had set his sights on her, wanting to marry her as a continuation wife and offering a betrothal gift of 100 taels of silver, her parents and in-laws had been tempted.

If she hadn’t made it seem like she was highly favored by the Young Master and might become a concubine someday, her family would definitely have married her off for the money.

Her family was like a bunch of bloodsuckers. They never considered her feelings, never asked for her opinion—they only thought about how to use her for the greatest profit…

Why were some families so different from others?

Every time she thought about this, Qingxin felt her life was so bitter—

It made her cry into her pillow all night long.

Qingxin felt that choosing to climb the social ladder was perhaps just a desperate choice she made after trying to avoid the worst possible path.

“I remember there’s a jar of pearls in my storage. Send it to her, and remind my two younger brothers to send gifts as well—”

After coughing for a long time, Sheng Mingjian finally caught his breath and spoke.

Qingxin didn’t dare say more and went to carry out the task.

When Huang Yaning received the pearls, she knew at a glance they were a gift Sheng Mingjian had prepared for Sheng Mingzhu.

In her past life, Sheng Mingjian had loved collecting rare pearls to give to Sheng Mingzhu.

Pearls, pearls—the pearl in the palm. Wasn’t it meant to make people think of Sheng Mingzhu?

Huang Yaning wasn’t bothered at all. She smiled and told Qingxin to go back and inform Sheng Mingjian that she liked them very much, and that he should feel free to send any good pearls he came across in the future.

Then she asked Qingtian to string a pearl necklace for her to wear around her neck the very next day, making a show of ensuring everyone in the mansion saw that only she, the true daughter of the house, deserved to wear such fine pearl jewelry.

…..

Sheng Minmin soon learned who in the mansion had sent what gifts and when they were delivered.

Sheng Mingjian detested Huang Yaning to the core, yet he had no choice but to send her expensive gifts.

Even after sending one, he couldn’t resist choosing a jar of pearls to provoke her, only to end up angering himself instead.

The mansion was quite lively, but Sheng Minmin felt it wasn’t enough and wanted to add fuel to the fire.

She had Qingchi “accidentally” leak the news that Xia Zhi was Tao Niang’s daughter.

Qingtian’s mother and sister-in-law were the first to get the news. They immediately informed Qingtian, and soon Huang Yaning knew as well!

So, when Xia Zhi was about to leave the mansion one day, several matrons dragged her to the Lihua Courtyard.

“Sanya, long time no see.”

Huang Yaning looked at Xia Zhi with a smiling expression, but her eyes were icy cold.

Huang Yaning was truly surprised. She hadn’t expected Tao Niang to have brought Sanya into the mansion—she really hadn’t noticed Feng Sanya that day in the Haitang Courtyard.

These past few days, Huang Yaning had been tormented every moment by the “foolish things” she had done in her past life.

She desperately wanted to torture her enemies. Only their blood and tears could bring her a sliver of peace.

But Sheng Mingzhu was already crippled and not easy to target for now, and Tao Niang was nowhere to be found.

Huang Yaning had been considering whether to go to Taohua Village and seize the Feng family when she learned that Feng Sanya was right here in the mansion.

“Liuyā… no, Seventh Miss, I didn’t know your true identity back then. I never meant to offend you—”

When Xia Zhi saw her former “younger sister,” tears and mucus streamed down her face at once, as if her worst fears these past few days had become reality. She knelt on the ground, begging pitifully.

“Seventh Miss, please spare me! I really didn’t mean to bully you—”

Xia Zhi kowtowed until her head thumped loudly against the floor, clearly using great force. Soon, her forehead was red and swollen.

Huang Yaning felt not a ripple of emotion.

This Feng Sanya had bullied Minmin countless times since they were children.

What stood out most was a period when Old Lady Li seemed to treat Minmin slightly better.

As a result, Feng Sanya deliberately stole and ate the family’s eggs, then pinned the blame on Minmin, causing Minmin to be beaten severely by Old Lady Li and starved for two full days.

It was the dead of winter, bitterly cold. Going without food for two days nearly killed Minmin…

There were also many instances where she coerced or tricked Minmin into doing chores for her and her two sisters. If Minmin refused, Feng Sanya would take the lead in causing trouble, making Minmin suffer greatly.

Many in the Feng family were openly malicious, but Feng Sanya was sly and underhanded.

In Minmin’s heart, she had always held a deep fear of Feng Sanya.

And last time, when she had fallen into the water, it was Feng Sanya who had incited Feng Dabao and Feng Erbao to do it.

The more Huang Yaning thought about it, the more her hatred for Feng Sanya grew. Finally, she spoke.

“String her up.”

The others immediately stepped forward. Xia Zhi struggled in terror, screaming wildly, her expression almost deranged.

“If you dare resist or make another sound, we’ll strip you naked!”

Huang Yaning said coldly. She knew Feng Sanya had always dreamed of climbing the social ladder and becoming a phoenix, and she valued her reputation highly. So these words alone were enough to make Feng Sanya comply.

The effect was immediate. Feng Sanya looked as if her soul had nearly fled her body. She didn’t dare make another sound or struggle.

The matrons quickly strung Xia Zhi up, adjusting the height perfectly so that she was forced to stand on tiptoe, her feet barely touching the ground. It was extremely painful.

“Confess every wicked thing you’ve ever done to me, from childhood until now! If you miss even one, I’ll have one piece of your clothing removed…”

After saying this, Huang Yaning had Qingtian fetch ink, paper, and a brush to record everything.

When the other party didn’t respond, Huang Yaning smiled mockingly. “What? Do you want to be stripped naked right now?”

Only then did Xia Zhi begin to speak, trembling.

The servants in the Lihua Courtyard finally learned just how miserably the Seventh Miss had lived in Taohua Village.

This Xia Zhi often stole food and blamed it on the Seventh Miss, secretly throwing mud on the clothes the Seventh Miss had washed, causing her to be beaten and punished.

She stole the firewood the Seventh Miss had gathered, making her unable to meet her quotas and suffer more beatings.

When villagers saw the Seventh Miss on the verge of collapse from hunger and secretly gave her food, Xia Zhi would snatch it away…

There were many such incidents.

And in the end, this Xia Zhi had even incited her cousins to push the Seventh Miss into the pond—

The servants’ expressions shifted from wide-eyed anger to ferocious fury, and some even had reddened eyes, tears streaming down their faces.

Others trembled with rage, gritting their teeth, wishing they could step forward and whip Xia Zhi severely.

One matron, her eyes gleaming with a green light, asked Huang Yaning:

“Seventh Miss, this old servant believes there cannot be such a vicious person in this world.

“This Xia Zhi is so malicious she might be some evil spirit. Why not strip her naked and hang her in the garden to bask in the sun? Perhaps her true form will be revealed—”

Huang Yaning thought of all the suffering and hardship Minmin had endured, and her heart swelled with rage and agony.

She wanted nothing more than to have Feng Sanya’s blood drained right then or to stab a few holes in her body.

But ultimately, she herself was also a woman and knew how important reputation was to women.

She could kill Feng Sanya, but she would never truly strip her naked for public “viewing.” However, scaring her was effective.

She smiled. “That’s an excellent idea.”

“No—you can’t—Liuyā, I beg you—” Feng Sanya’s eyes were filled with despair.

Her expression pleased Huang Yaning. The matron who had made the suggestion stepped forward to tear at Feng Sanya’s clothes. Feng Sanya’s demeanor turned almost frantic.

“Seventh Miss, it wasn’t me…

“It was my mother who took you back, not me! The one who harmed you was my mother—”

“But I can’t find your mother—” Huang Yaning said softly.

Xia Zhi seemed to see a lifeline. A gleam of light sparked in her eyes.

“I know where she is! I’ll take you to her, as long as you let me go—”