Reborn in Each Other’s Bodies: A Mother and Daughter’s Deadly Revenge - Chapter 146

Murong Yan was fifteen years old, the same age as Duanmu Rui.

The Third Princess and the Eldest Princess were at odds, and the Murong and Duanmu families had also been locked in conflict for years…

Consequently, Murong Yan had spent all these years finding fault with Duanmu Rui.

Although Murong Yan held a lower rank than Duanmu Rui, she excelled at putting on an act and winning people over. She always appeared with a retinue of followers.

Among them were always a few brainless and reckless individuals willing to act as Murong Yan’s pawns…

Duanmu Rui, on the other hand, was straightforward in character, disliking and being unskilled at petty scheming. Sometimes, Murong Yan’s actions infuriated her to the point of stomping her feet.

If Huang Yaning were present, she would definitely stand up for Duanmu Rui.

Because of this, Huang Yaning had also been frequently targeted and suppressed by Murong Yan’s clique over the years.

Now, with Sheng Mingzhu’s master being praised by people from the Third Princess’s residence as peerless under heaven, Murong Yan was bound to take Sheng Mingzhu’s side and redouble her efforts to put Huang Yaning down!

Huang Yaning inwardly cursed her bad luck as she joined the others in paying respects.

“Greetings, County Princess. May the County Princess be at peace—”

Murong Yan gave a light laugh. “There’s no need for such formality—”

Then she stepped forward and personally helped Sheng Mingzhu to her feet.

“Rise quickly! You must be the Sixth Miss Sheng, disciple of Master Dale…”

“In reply, County Princess, it is I.”

“No wonder!”

“This County Princess thought upon seeing you at the entrance that your bearing was extraordinary, and you seem very amiable! Truly worthy of being Master Dale’s disciple!”

“Master Dale’s mastery of Buddhist teachings is profound. Recently, both my grandmother and mother have benefited greatly from his guidance—”

“And your senior brother’s medical skills are exceptional. A few days ago, he also came to our residence to examine my grandmother. After taking a few doses of medicine, she feels much more spry—”

“You, your master, and your fellow disciples are all honored guests of my family!”

“May this County Princess address you as Sister Mingzhu?”

Murong Yan left everyone else out in the cold, showing amiability solely to Sheng Mingzhu, and heaped praise on Master Dale and Lin Zhijing.

This obviously granted Sheng Mingzhu immense face, making her flush slightly with excitement.

“Thank you for your high regard, County Princess. I would be remiss to decline.”

“Good sister.”

Murong Yan remained smiling throughout, then introduced the people behind her to Sheng Mingzhu.

The followers with Murong Yan were unfamiliar faces to Sheng Mingzhu, but not to the others.

The tallest young woman standing behind Murong Yan was Dong Qianqian, niece of Minister Dong from the Ministry of Revenue.

The other two were Murong Yan’s half-sisters: Murong Zhu and Murong Dan.

These two half-sisters rarely appeared at banquets. Presumably, Murong Yan preferred to bring followers other than her half-sisters to such events.

But when going out shopping, she seemed to prefer bringing her two half-sisters.

Huang Yaning already disliked Murong Yan. Seeing Sheng Mingzhu and Murong Yan’s group being all chummy made her feel utterly disgusted.

If others made her uncomfortable, she would definitely return the favor.

So, Huang Yaning spoke with a fake smile.

“County Princess, you feel like old friends at first sight with my sixth sister, addressing each other as sisters; and you just said that amethyst headpiece set suits my sixth sister perfectly—”

“Does that mean you intend to buy that amethyst headpiece set and give it to my sixth sister?”

Murong Yan: “…”

When had she said she would buy the headpiece set for Sheng Mingzhu?

She had only said the jewelry suited Sheng Mingzhu. The Sheng family hadn’t sent anything to Sheng Mingzhu at White Horse Temple for years, so what was wrong with buying her a slightly more expensive headpiece set?

Just as she was about to speak, the other girl cut in first.

“My, I truly envy my sixth sister—”

“But then, who let my sixth sister have a master and senior brother who’ve done favors for the Third Princess’s residence? That’s why the County Princess holds my sixth sister in such high regard, eagerly rushing to give her gifts—”

Having said that, Huang Yaning looked at the shopkeeper and smiled.

“The County Princess wishes to give a gift. Why haven’t you wrapped up that amethyst headpiece set yet?”

Seeing the shopkeeper stand frozen, face pale and sweating profusely, Huang Yaning feigned surprise.

“Shopkeeper, why are you just standing there? You’re not worried the County Princess can’t afford it, are you?”

“Don’t you fret! The County Princess is the beloved daughter of the Third Princess. Never mind one set, even if she gave all three sets to my sixth sister, it would be a mere wave of the hand for the County Princess.”

The Libai Pavilion staff: “…”

The passersby gathering at the entrance, drawn by the commotion: “…”

It was the first time they’d seen someone forced into giving a gift, with the reasoning spun so seamlessly and logically.

No one dared to look at the County Princess’s expression, afraid of offending her.

Sheng Minmin’s face remained impassive, but she was stifling laughter inside.

The moment Murong Yan appeared, she knew a good show was coming.

Over the past few years, Huang Yaning had repeatedly crossed swords with Murong Yan, and it was always quite a spectacle.

As for her, being the elder, it wasn’t suitable for her to get involved in the juniors’ “squabbles.”

Besides, Murong Yan held a rank, and she didn’t want to get involved anyway, so she was happy to watch the drama unfold.

Meanwhile, Murong Yan was secretly grinding her teeth.

Her earlier praise for Master Dale and Lin Zhijing was originally intended to let the capital know the strength and influence of the Third Princess’s residence.

Even one of the best masters from White Horse Temple, upon coming to the capital, had to visit the Third Princess’s residence first.

At the same time, she wanted to give Sheng Mingzhu some face. With such an impressive master and senior brother, Sheng Mingzhu’s reputation was bound to improve.

She knew Sheng Mingzhu was at odds with that wild girl. It would be wonderful if Sheng Mingzhu could gain the upper hand over her.

She never expected her own words to be turned into a weapon against her.

That headpiece set wasn’t cheap. While she could afford it, she wasn’t the Third Princess’s biological daughter, and the allowance she received was limited.

If she bought such a fine piece, she would keep it for herself.

Being forced to buy it for Sheng Mingzhu felt deeply unpleasant, no matter how she thought about it.

Murong Yan shot a glance at Dong Qianqian behind her.

Dong Qianqian immediately stepped forward and spoke.

“Seventh Miss Sheng, you do jest. Master Dale and Divine Doctor Lin have shown kindness to the Murong family. Our family will naturally prepare generous gifts to thank them. There’s no need for the County Princess to trouble herself with that—”

Murong Dan also lifted her chin, her expression scornful.

“My family has already expressed thanks to the Master and the Divine Doctor. There’s no need for you to speak out of turn—”

Neither mentioned Sheng Mingzhu; in other words, Sheng Mingzhu herself hadn’t done anything for the Murong family.

Huang Yaning blinked, staring at Murong Yan with a seemingly confused expression.

“But just now, County Princess, you said that headpiece set suits my sixth sister…”

Everyone pricked up their ears.

This time, Murong Dan spoke up first.

“My sister was merely stating her opinion! You said that headpiece set didn’t suit her, and my sister thought it did, so she spoke fairly!”

“Besides, I heard she had a very difficult time at White Horse Temple these past few years! Your Sheng family didn’t send anything to her at the temple…”

“She is also a daughter of your family, recorded in the family register.”

“Now that she has finally returned, you all can buy two outfits, while she only has one dress. Later, she took a liking to a slightly more expensive set of jewelry—”

“And you mocked her, saying she wasn’t worthy! My sister just felt sorry for her and spoke up for her, that’s all!”

Sheng Mingzhu half-lowered her head, making it hard to see the expression on her face, but her body language conveyed a sense of suffering injustice that she couldn’t voice.

The watching commoners thought Sixth Miss Sheng seemed quite pitiful.

In comparison, Seventh Miss Sheng was too overbearing.

And that Sheng family matriarch, who hadn’t cared for Sixth Miss Sheng at White Horse Temple for years.

How old was Sixth Miss Sheng back then? The commoners’ glances towards Sheng Minmin grew somewhat sharp…

Huang Yaning sneered inwardly, but on the surface, she let out a loud “Oh my!” and exaggeratedly widened her eyes.

“Fourth Miss, what do you mean by that?”

“Have you heard some rumors? Or do you know some inside information?”

“Could it be that Master Dale and Divine Doctor Lin bullied my sixth sister?”

“Could it be… that those two men did something… to my sixth sister?”

“That’s impossible—”

“My sixth sister was so young back then, how could they…”

Huang Yaning wore a pained and incredulous expression, shaking her head like a rattle-drum.