Reborn in Each Other’s Bodies: A Mother and Daughter’s Deadly Revenge - Chapter 128

Hong Wenjun noticed the Madam’s facial muscles were tense, her brows slightly furrowed, and her lips pressed together…

She looked as if she was thinking of someone or something utterly disgusting.

For some reason, Sheng Yong’s face surfaced in Hong Wenjun’s mind.
Could the Madam be disgusted by Sheng Yong?

Now that she thought about it, the Madam’s current attitude towards Sheng Yong showed no trace of affection, and it had been a long time since they had shared a room…

Having escaped the brothel to become Sheng Yong’s concubine, Hong Wenjun was, at her core, a decisive and intelligent woman.

She took a breath and said, “If it’s inconvenient for you, Madam, to… attend to the Master, I could also find ways to ensure he no longer disturbs you—”

As she finished speaking, she saw the Madam’s gaze shift to her, and her expression seemed to improve slightly.
It seemed her guess was correct. Heartened, Hong Wenjun pressed on.

“Madam, as long as you aren’t asking me to kill or set fires, you can assign me any other task! I’m willing to do anything!”

“And if I asked you to kill someone?” Sheng Minmin asked.

K-kill someone?

Hong Wenjun was struck dumb. Had she heard correctly?

The Madam’s expression was half-smiling, as if joking.
But her eyes were clear and cold, seeming to hold a glint of icy murderous intent…

Hong Wenjun felt her limbs instantly stiffen.
The Madam probably, possibly, was not joking—

But who would the Madam want to kill?
It couldn’t be Sheng Yong, could it…?

This thought was too shocking for Hong Wenjun!

A fundamental reason Hong Wenjun wanted to align with the Madam was because she valued the Madam’s kindness and her fair treatment of subordinates – a reason she hadn’t voiced earlier.
The fact that she and Bai Yiren had lived quite freely in the inner courtyard for years confirmed this.
If they had been under a vicious primary wife, neither of them would have lasted long.

It was just that the former Madam, while kind-hearted, had also been somewhat foolish, which Hong Wenjun had looked down upon.
Only recently had the Madam begun handling affairs decisively and efficiently, inspiring admiration.

But no matter how much the Madam changed, Hong Wenjun still believed she was inherently kind.
She never imagined the Madam could harbor thoughts of murder…

Getting involved in killing was no trivial matter. Hong Wenjun was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

From her seat, Sheng Minmin observed Auntie Hong’s expression carefully.
She had suspected Auntie Hong’s visit might have an ulterior motive and had seized upon the oddity in her words.
She had intentionally feigned anger to create this opportunity to be alone.

She never expected Auntie Hong to offer such a pleasant surprise.

Since transmigrating, her identity was that of Sheng Yong’s “wife” and the “mother” of Sheng Mingjian and the others.
Her actions had to seem reasonable and consistent with these roles, avoiding suspicion.
This prevented her from acting like Huang Yaning, who, playing the “victim,” could ruthlessly and blatantly seek revenge.
She could only employ a “slow simmer” approach, gradually weakening her enemies, trapping and immobilizing them step by step, before finally delivering the fatal blow.

That’s why she could only ruin Sheng Mingzhu’s reputation, expose her secrets, and injure her leg “accidentally.”
Weakening Sheng Mingyi’s health and preventing Sheng Mingbo from learning martial arts were all done “in the name of love”…
She had even used the siblings’ names to reclaim her dowry from Sheng Yong and build her own power base.

Her path of revenge was destined to be long, arduous, and dangerous.

It had proceeded relatively smoothly until recently, but now Sheng Yong and Sheng Mingjian were adapting. Their changed behavior gave Sheng Minmin a sense of crisis.

Therefore, Sheng Minmin needed to adjust her revenge strategy.
She already had a vague idea, and Qingdai’s arrival had increased her confidence somewhat.
She had also instructed Xiong San to recruit necessary personnel.

If she could win Auntie Hong over to her side, dealing with Sheng Yong would become much easier.

Sheng Minmin had an intuition that Auntie Hong would come around.

She smiled. “I was just joking with you.
“Since you reside in the inner quarters and fall under my management, you are naturally one of my people. You needn’t worry about the future.
“It’s getting late, you should return now. Feel free to visit me here often in the future.”

That night, everyone in the household learned that Auntie Hong had bothered the Madam over a trivial matter, ended up provoking her wrath, and was forced to kneel in punishment inside the Madam’s room.
Perhaps Auntie Hong had even talked back, making the Madam so angry she smashed a beloved teacup.

When Auntie Hong left the Peony Courtyard, her face was pale, and she seemed somewhat dazed…

The servants of the Sheng household assumed Auntie Hong was shocked and angered by this first-ever punishment.

Only the two people involved knew the truth: Auntie Hong was genuinely “frightened.”

——-

Peach Blossom Village.

The Feng family stared at their “home,” now burned to a charred, blackened ruin, with only broken walls and fragments remaining.
Some sat on the ground, weeping and wailing. Others lay rolling on the ground, hysterical.
Some stood with dazed, horrified, and despairing expressions…

The most terrifying expression was on Old Man Feng. His body was rigid, his eyes filled with venomous hatred and murderous intent.

Old Man Feng knew they had been targeted tonight.
He had woken to find himself surrounded by flames; a moment later, and he would have been burned alive.
The same went for the rest of the family.
How could the entire family have slept like the dead? The arsonist must have used some kind of drug—

Fortunately, he was fated to live, the Feng family wasn’t meant to be wiped out, they had woken at the critical moment!

But Old Man Feng’s heart still bled.
He and his wife had only managed to salvage the most important box from the cabinet.
Inside were their last remaining private savings, along with the deeds for the house and the fields…

But his house was gone.
The beds, cabinets, several bags of rations, tables, chairs, clothes, fabrics, cotton-padded quilts…
And all the other furniture, everything was gone.

Old Man Feng felt as if someone was slicing flesh from his bones. The pain was excruciating.

Liuya!
It had to be Liuya!
Maybe others from the Sheng family had helped!

Old Man Feng hated them to the core!

They had known nothing about Peach Sister’s scheme to swap the babies! They hadn’t done anything wrong!
All these years, they might not have treated Liuya well, but they had at least kept her alive!
How could Liuya be so vicious and ungrateful!

First, she tried to hold them accountable. If not for Prince Qi’s help, they would have been thrown in jail.
Later, she gave food and brown sugar to everyone in the village except the Feng family – they didn’t get a single thread!
Not only that, they had to endure the mockery and scorn of the entire village.
Life for the Feng family had been unbearably difficult!

That Sheng Mingzhu was just as selfish. She only took Peach Sister and Sanya with her, completely ignoring the plight of her own blood relatives—

Old Man Feng had been cursing those ungrateful wenches in his heart all along!

Now, with their house burned down, some truly desperate thoughts began to form in his mind.

Old Man Feng thought that if they were truly driven to the brink, he would split the family into two groups.
One group would go weep at the entrance of the Sheng residence, the other would go wail at the White Horse Temple.
He refused to believe Liuya would have the audacity to keep persecuting the Feng family like this!
And surely Sheng Mingzhu would have to give him something? He was her biological grandfather!

But for now, things hadn’t reached that point yet, and he also feared further retaliation.

Right now, what should he do?

Staring at the ruins, Old Man Feng devised a plan.
He decided to take the whole family to the capital!
Since both his “granddaughters” could live the high life, why shouldn’t he, their grandfather?
He refused to keep living like a lowly peasant stuck in the mud!
For the rest of his life, Old Man Feng never wanted to experience hardship again.