Reborn in Each Other’s Bodies: A Mother and Daughter’s Deadly Revenge - Chapter 127

Dinner was being set in the Peony Courtyard when Auntie Hong suddenly arrived for a visit.

“It seems the food from the main kitchen lately hasn’t been to her liking, and she wishes for you, Madam, to ensure fairness…”

Qingxiang reported carefully.

Sheng Minmin was already feeling irritable and didn’t want to see Auntie Hong at all.
Just as she was about to have Auntie Hong sent away, she changed her mind at the last moment.

These past two days, the household had been in utter chaos, and no one dared bother her with trivial matters.
Why would Auntie Hong come now? She wasn’t the type to be so oblivious.
This was very strange!

Moreover, even though Sheng Yong’s visits to the inner courtyard had decreased recently, he still doted on his two precious favorites.
He provided extra monthly allowances for food to both Auntie Hong and Auntie Bai.
How could the meals in Auntie Hong’s courtyard be subpar?

“Let her in,” Sheng Minmin said after a moment’s pause. She was curious to see what game Auntie Hong was playing.

Soon, Auntie Hong entered, dressed in flamboyant, luxurious robes.
Her entrance seemed to brighten the room, and Sheng Minmin stared for a moment, slightly dazed.

Truth be told, Sheng Yong had gotten quite lucky. Except for the most senior, Auntie Fu, all the women in the household were great beauties.
Auntie Shui was elegant and pretty, Auntie Ruan was fresh and lovely, Auntie Hong was bold and alluring, Auntie Bai was delicate and frail like a little white lotus…
Even the body Huang Yaning now inhabited was quite excellent – bright and captivating.

So many beauties, all confined to the small rear courtyards of the Sheng residence, waiting for the favor of one man…
The fate of women in the inner quarters was both pitiful and tragic.

“Madam, the dishes here in the Peony Courtyard are truly a feast for the eyes and palate,” Auntie Hong began immediately after a perfunctory greeting, her tone full of complaint, seeming as if she had come to pick a fight. “They are countless levels better than the poor fare in this humble one’s courtyard—”

For a concubine to speak to the primary wife like this was truly disrespectful.
But this was Auntie Hong. When she threw a tantrum, she sometimes didn’t even regard the Master himself.
Having done so many outrageous things, a word or two of disrespect actually seemed normal for her.

However, Sheng Minmin immediately seized upon the oddity in Auntie Hong’s words.

Since entering the household, Auntie Hong had always maintained a persona of being domineering, willful, jealous, and eager to compete for favor.
She had always referred to herself as “I”.
Sheng Yong adored Auntie Hong’s unconventional nature and never took issue with it, nor did he allow the former Huang Yaning to do so.
Thus, for years, Auntie Hong had referred to herself as “I,” and later, Auntie Bai followed suit.
The former Huang Yaning had been infuriated by this but could do nothing, not daring to antagonize Sheng Yong’s two most cherished women.

But today, for the first time ever, Sheng Minmin heard Auntie Hong refer to herself as “this humble one.” How peculiar.

Sheng Minmin’s intuition told her there was something more to this.

Her thoughts shifting, her face darkened in anger. “How dare you! Kneel—”

Qingying shot a look to the other servants, and they all withdrew, none daring to stay and witness Auntie Hong’s humiliation.
Ligu, the maid who had come with Auntie Hong, trembled with fear.
Auntie Hong signaled with her eyes for Ligu to leave. After a moment’s hesitation, Ligu complied.

Soon, only Sheng Minmin and Auntie Hong remained in the room.

Suddenly, a brilliant smile bloomed on Auntie Hong’s face. “Madam is truly sharp and perceptive,” she said sincerely. “Wenjun admires you!”

Auntie Hong’s original name was Hong Wenjun.
This was also the first time Sheng Minmin had heard Auntie Hong refer to herself as Wenjun. The gesture was clearly one of offering goodwill.

“Speak,” Sheng Minmin commanded.

“Then Wenjun will get straight to the point. I came today to pledge myself to you, Madam.
“Wenjun wishes to become your person, to be of service to you.”

Sheng Minmin’s hand, holding her teacup, paused momentarily.

She had previously considered collaborating with either Auntie Hong or Auntie Bai from the inner courtyard.
Primarily, it was to make things difficult for Sheng Mingzhu.
Additionally, after Sheng Yong had previously vented his anger by mistreating a young maid, Sheng Minmin thought that if he ever flew into a rage again, having a concubine who could calm him down might prevent other innocent girls from suffering.

But she had never found the right opportunity to implement this plan.
Furthermore, Sheng Yong hadn’t mistreated any more young maids after that incident, and Sheng Mingzhu had left the Sheng household… so the plan had been shelved.

She never expected Auntie Hong to take the initiative and seek her out.

The idea of Sheng Yong’s woman smilingly telling her that she wanted to be her person and serve her felt rather novel…

“Why?” Sheng Minmin asked.

“Wenjun believes she has a brighter future following you, Madam!”

Generally, women in the inner quarters viewed the master of the house as their sole support, tying their honor and disgrace to him, and relying on their children in old age.
Sheng Minmin hadn’t expected Auntie Hong to think that aligning with her, the primary wife, offered better prospects. Her interest was piqued.

“Explain in detail.”

“You, Madam, have money, and you hold my deed of sale.
“If I perform my duties well, you certainly wouldn’t shortchange me financially! You might even return my deed to me in the end—”

Sheng Minmin smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying.

“The Master also has money. If you work hard, he might even take your deed from me and give it to you.”

A hint of a bitter, almost mocking smile appeared on Auntie Hong’s lips.

“It’s not the same.
“If you, Madam, were to give me my deed, I would be free.
“But he… even if he gave me the deed, he would never truly set me free.”

Auntie Hong lowered her head slightly, her fair, slender fingers stroking her own face.

“Right now, he still finds me novel and amuses himself with me when he remembers.
“But if the day comes when he grows tired of me, he might sell me off, or give me away as a gift…
“The best outcome I can hope for by following him is to grow old and faded, clinging to life in some forgotten corner, dying alone…”

“If you could bear a son or daughter… he wouldn’t sell or give you away. You’d have a child to rely on in your later years—”

“Madam.”

Auntie Hong slowly raised her head. Her alluring eyes now glistened with unshed tears. “I fell into water once in the past,” she said, her voice choked. “Later, I was forced to take a medicine of extreme cold nature. I can never bear children in this lifetime.
“You can summon a physician to examine me. You will see it is the truth.”

So that was it. No wonder Auntie Hong, despite being favored for so many years, had never conceived.

Viewed this way, following Sheng Minmin indeed offered a brighter future than pinning hopes on Sheng Yong.

Although she felt some pity for the woman before her, Sheng Minmin still had to ask, “What can you do for me? I don’t keep idle people.”

“He holds some affection for me. I can help you, Madam, discern some of his thoughts and intentions.”
“Oh?”
“Madam, some time ago, he suddenly asked me if I thought you seemed different from before…
“It seems he believes you are quite changed from the past. He might be looking for an opportunity to test you—”

Alarm bells rang loudly in Sheng Minmin’s mind!

Given Sheng Yong’s nature, once a seed of doubt was planted, he would definitely test it from multiple angles.
It was possible he had already tried to test her recently. And as long as his suspicions remained, he would keep testing…

On the surface, she was now Sheng Yong’s “wife.” Sheng Minmin truly feared the day Sheng Yong might go mad and decide to spend the night with her…
This was precisely why she had stopped showing any “admiration” for Sheng Yong and didn’t dare act jealous anymore…
She was terrified he might use the same tactics on her that he used on Huang Yaning – sweet talk, or coming to “console” her at night…

Just the thought of that scene made Sheng Minmin nauseous enough to vomit up last night’s dinner.