Reborn in Each Other’s Bodies: A Mother and Daughter’s Deadly Revenge - Chapter 154

Before long, Prince Qi arrived with over a dozen young noblemen and joined the game.

Since this was a public gathering, strict separation of the sexes wasn’t as necessary.

Huang Yaning saw the three ungrateful wolves standing behind Prince Qi, along with Lin Zhijing.

And also, the Junwang of the Murong household—Murong Yao.

Murong Yao was around fifteen, with delicate features. However, his skin had a sickly pallor, his cheeks bore an unnatural flush, and his overall demeanor leaned towards a frail, almost effeminate gentleness.

Murong Yao rarely appeared in crowded places; it was said he might not even leave his courtyard for family banquets. It was surprising to see him willing to step out today.

For the young ladies of the capital, among the eligible young men, aside from the Crown Prince, Prince Qi held the most esteemed status.

Next were Duanmu Rui, son of the Eldest Princess, and Murong Yao, son of the Third Princess.

Duanmu Rui was dignified and refined, gentle and scholarly—his status, looks, and learning were all impeccable.

In the past, Duanmu Rui had been the most favored prospective husband in the hearts of many young ladies, who would have scrambled over each other to marry him.

Last year, the Eldest Princess carefully selected a match for Duanmu Rui. Unfortunately, the young lady fell ill soon after the engagement and passed away within a year…

Thus, rumors spread that Duanmu Rui was ‘jinxed’ or ‘fated to bring misfortune to his wife’…

As for Murong Yao, everyone also considered him quite excellent, but he had been frail since childhood. The imperial physicians had once said he likely wouldn’t live past thirty…

These two Junwangs each had their strengths and their flaws.

Despite the drawbacks, countless young ladies still wished to marry them.

Additionally, Lin Zhijing was secretly glanced at many times by quite a few young ladies…

These young ladies all wore shy expressions, but the corners of their eyes were secretly assessing the arriving young noblemen…

Soon, the game restarted. The flower made a round among the players and first landed in Prince Qi’s hands.

Prince Qi promptly composed a poem on the spot, earning unanimous praise from the crowd.

Next were Murong Yao and Murong Yan.

One composed a lyric poem, the other played the zither…

After the three highest-ranking individuals displayed their talents, many of the remaining participants grew excited, their faces flushing with anticipation.

After all, with such a good opportunity, most still wanted to showcase their own strengths and leave a favorable impression on the distinguished guests present…

So, they fixed their eyes intently on the flower, hoping it would land in their hands.

This time, however, the flower ended up with Sheng Mingzhu.

Huang Yaning noticed the three ungrateful wolves wore expressions of concern, while Lin Zhijing looked not worried at all, but rather proud.

“My talents are modest; I only know how to write a few characters. Today, I shall embarrass myself—”

Everyone present knew the Murong household had a close relationship with Master Dale. The County Princess, in particular, showed exceptional care for Sheng Mingzhu as a disciple of Master Dale.

Therefore, although some young ladies were resentful that Sheng Mingzhu had stolen their chance to shine, they dared not show it, putting on a very supportive facade.

Sheng Mingzhu quickly wrote a single character: ‘Buddha’.

“Excellent! Sister Mingzhu’s calligraphy is truly superb—”

“Marvelous! Worthy of my junior sister!”

Sheng Mingbo and Lin Zhijing were the first to applaud.

Others soon joined in with praises.

Huang Yaning stared at the character. Honestly, she was somewhat surprised.

Because the character was indeed well-executed. The brushstrokes and strength showed considerable skill; Sheng Mingzhu must have practiced diligently.

But after looking at it for a while, a strange feeling emerged.

She felt this character shouldn’t look like this. This character should evoke a sense of tranquility and boundless compassion.

Yet, Sheng Mingzhu’s character gave her a feeling of… obsession.

As if Sheng Mingzhu was desperately trying to grasp something, yet didn’t dare express her own desires.

Skulking, sneaking about…

Much like Sheng Mingzhu herself.

A perfectly good character, utterly ruined.

Returning to her seat, Sheng Mingzhu appeared shy on the surface, but inwardly, she was overjoyed.

It felt like she had recaptured some of the adulation she once received.

Back at White Horse Temple, Sheng Mingzhu had imagined her return to the capital.

These young ladies from official families loved comparing not just clothing and accessories, but also talents.

She used to excel at dancing, but hadn’t danced since her leg was broken.

She didn’t care for other pursuits like poetry or playing the zither…

Later, hearing from her eldest brother that the low-born wretch at home enjoyed practicing calligraphy—though her writing was mediocre—Sheng Mingzhu decided to focus on this area.

When her senior brother heard her idea, he specifically asked his grandfather to request a few characters from another eminent monk for her to study.

Grandfather Lin said that disregarding the basic skill for now, if she could emulate even thirty percent of the artistic conception in the monk’s characters, she could still earn a reputation as a talented lady upon returning to the capital.

Sheng Mingzhu painstakingly copied those characters for three months, convinced she had grasped that thirty percent essence.

Today, her first public display was a resounding success. Sheng Mingzhu felt immensely proud!

She couldn’t help but glance at Brother Sheng. Seeing he wasn’t looking at her, her good mood instantly evaporated.

But she quickly remembered this was a public setting. Brother Sheng had said that to protect her from being targeted by other young ladies, he wouldn’t openly “pay attention” to her in front of others…

Although Brother Sheng was doing this for her sake, Sheng Mingzhu still felt a pang of disappointment. To avoid anyone noticing anything amiss, she pretended to be shy and half-lowered her head…

Just then, the drumbeats started again. When the flower reached Huang Yaning’s hands, the drumbeats stopped very abruptly.

Huang Yaning looked up at Murong Yan. Murong Yan met her gaze and offered a sweet smile.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out this was deliberately arranged by Murong Yan.

Murong Yan wanted to see her make a fool of herself. Huang Yaning smiled back at her.

Her potential for making a fool of herself wasn’t so straightforward. She wondered if Murong Yan would still be smiling later.

“Well, well, the flower actually landed with you, you wild—” Murong Dan began with a sneer, but before she could finish, Murong Zhu beside her tugged her sleeve. Murong Dan then realized many young noblemen were watching and forced a smile.

“Seventh Young Lady Sheng, you grew up in the countryside. I heard you often didn’t even have enough to eat as a child. You surely never attended school—”

“Although you were later brought back to the Sheng residence, it hasn’t been many years. Asking you to display a talent is truly putting you on the spot. How about you just punish yourself with three cups of wine instead—”

“It might be a bit dull, but we would all understand—”

Drink wine?

How could Huang Yaning possibly drink wine in Murong Yan’s territory? Who knew if anything had been added to it…

She smiled slightly. “There’s no need for Fourth Young Lady Murong to concern herself. I also know how to write a few characters.”

Upon hearing this, Murong Dan first stared blankly, then burst into laughter, her eyes filled with utter mockery.

“Seventh Young Lady Sheng, you don’t actually think being able to write counts as a talent, do you?”

“Sixth Young Lady Sheng studied reading and writing since childhood, dabbling in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Later, she even became a disciple of Master Dale, with a senior brother who is a divine physician…”

“Sixth Young Lady Sheng worked hard and had famous masters guiding her. That’s why she can write characters with such Zen-like artistic conception. But you…”

Other young ladies began covering their mouths with light giggles. Some of the young noblemen looked at Huang Yaning with disdain.

“Fourth Young Lady Murong is right. Your handwriting should just be forgotten! Otherwise, when compared to Sister Mingzhu’s character later, you’ll be utterly overshadowed—”

Sheng Mingbo also spoke up. After finishing, he received a cold stare from Huang Yaning, along with puzzled, questioning, or amused looks from others.

Even Sheng Mingbo, slow as he was, sensed that his tone and meaning had been rather harsh.

Sheng Mingyi stepped in to smooth things over.

“Xiao Qi, your fifth brother speaks bluntly and directly. Don’t mind him.”

“We’ve all seen your calligraphy. It’s indeed quite good. But you’ve only practiced for a few years; there’s still much room for improvement in the future. How about you showcase it for everyone another time? Let’s just skip it for today…”

“That’s right, Xiao Qi. If you don’t want to drink as punishment, I, your eldest brother, can drink on your behalf…”

Sheng Mingjian wore the expression of a warm, caring elder brother.