Reborn in Each Other’s Bodies: A Mother and Daughter’s Deadly Revenge - Chapter 156

An intense feeling of nausea rose in Huang Yaning’s heart.

If she hadn’t known Liang Mingcheng’s true nature from her past life, perhaps she might have genuinely thought he was a decent man.

After all, Liang Mingcheng’s appearance was indeed striking, and he had stood up for her when others dared not speak.

Like a brave warrior, and one who appreciated her at that.

If she were simply a naive twelve-year-old girl, she might have even taken a liking to Liang Mingcheng…

But she wasn’t a twelve-year-old girl, and she knew all too well what kind of man Liang Mingcheng was in her past life. So she felt disgusted.

Along with the disgust came a chill down her spine.

Given Liang Mingcheng’s status, how could he attend Princess Royal’s banquet?
Who exactly had brought Liang Mingcheng in?
What did the person behind this intend to do?

“It’s about time.”

Murong Yao suddenly broke the silence with an expressionless face.

He seemed to dislike talking. Apart from composing a poem earlier, he had hardly spoken a word since.

“Eldest Brother is right. The banquet must be ready to start. Perhaps we should head over…”

Everyone naturally agreed.

The group walked for a while before reaching the banquet area. Here, basins and vats filled with ice blocks were placed everywhere, making the temperature much cooler than elsewhere.

An occasional breeze brought with it a hint of coolness.

Male and female guests were separated. In the very center, musicians were playing and dancers were performing, creating a lively and bustling scene…

The Murong family’s feast was also lavish. Since noblewomen wished to drink and socialize, married women sat together, and young ladies sat with other young ladies.

Huang Yaning and Huang Xianjing also spotted Princess Consort Duanmu Rui.

However, Duanmu Rui’s status was exalted, and their seats were somewhat far apart. Duanmu Rui blinked at them, signaling they would meet up after the meal.

Because they were on Murong Yan’s turf, Huang Yaning dared not eat or drink heartily.

During the entire game earlier, she had only sipped tea to moisten her lips. Now, with Liang Mingcheng’s appearance, she had even less appetite, merely moving her chopsticks a few times for appearances.

Huang Xianjing, on the other hand, was distracted, feeling she hadn’t performed well enough earlier.

She secretly resolved in her heart that if such a situation arose again, she must stand up for her cousin…

Suddenly, Huang Xianjing let out a soft “Oh!” A young serving girl had accidentally twisted her foot, spilling a good amount of the soup she was carrying.

Some of the soup splashed onto Huang Xianjing’s skirt. The young lady sitting next to Huang Xianjing also suffered some splatter…

The little maid turned deathly pale, apologizing profusely in a hushed voice.

A stewardess noticed the situation and immediately came over to apologize, offering to take the two young ladies to the nearby Xia’an Pavilion to change clothes.

They had indeed passed that Xia’an Pavilion on their way with Murong Yan’s group earlier; it wasn’t far at all.

“I’ll go with you—” Huang Yaning said after a moment’s thought.

“Cousin, it’s not necessary. I can manage on my own—”

Huang Xianjing adamantly refused.

The events of the day had made Huang Xianjing acutely aware of how much she relied on those around her.

She felt a strong sense of failure, thinking herself too weak and incompetent! If she remained like this in the future, she might end up being a burden to her cousin and aunt.

Therefore, Huang Xianjing stubbornly wanted to act independently.

Huang Yaning hadn’t expected Xianjie to be so obstinate today, but she figured if Murong Yan wanted to target anyone, it would be her.
Seeing that the other young lady whose skirt was stained didn’t seem to be part of Murong Yan’s circle and was already looking somewhat impatient…

“Alright. Have Qingtian stay with you every step of the way. Hongdou, go to the front and fetch the spare clothes.”

Huang Yaning finally nodded.

The Murong household must have prepared plenty of replacement clothes for female guests, but using clothes provided by others was unsafe.

The other day at Libai Tower, Minmin had them each pick two sets of clothes precisely for changing into, and they had brought them along today.

Once their figures disappeared from view, Huang Yaning couldn’t help but glance towards Minmin’s table.

Minmin seemed to be chatting animatedly with several noblewomen. Qingying and Qingdai were nowhere to be seen…

Duanmu Rui, as usual, was like a prized treasure, surrounded by a crowd of young ladies showering her with flattery.

Over the past few years, Duanmu Rui’s temper had mellowed considerably. In the past, she would have long since driven them all away with cold, sharp words…

By now, all the dishes had been served. Huang Yaning estimated that Xianjie should have finished changing. Unexpectedly, Hongdou came running over in a panic.

Seeing Hongdou’s tearful face and the bundle in her hands, Huang Yaning’s heart sank.

“Seventh Miss…”

Hongdou was young, and her voice was already tinged with sobs.

Huang Yaning forced herself to remain calm, grabbing Hongdou’s hand to cut her off.

“Hongdou, were you clumsy again and got scolded by Qingtian?
“Ah, don’t be upset!
“That girl is too arrogant, always berating you. I’ve finished eating anyway. I’ll come with you to give her a piece of my mind and get justice for you—”

So saying, she smilingly bid farewell to those around her and left with Hongdou.

Once they reached a quiet spot, Huang Yaning’s expression immediately darkened as she urgently asked what had happened.

Only then did Hongdou dare to let her tears fall.

“Seventh Miss, I went to Xia’an Pavilion. I didn’t see the young lady, nor did I see Sister Qingtian… There was no one there at all—”

Huang Yaning drew a sharp breath, a throbbing pain at her temples.

Xianjie was missing?
How could two grown women plus two maidservants just vanish into thin air?

She immediately started running towards the direction of Xia’an Pavilion, with Hongdou following behind, wiping her tears as she ran.

Upon arriving at the place, Huang Yaning instantly sensed something was wrong. The area was surrounded by many trees with dense foliage.

Normally, with insects and birds in the trees, one should hear their chirping.
But now, it was too quiet here, permeated with a dangerous atmosphere.

“Hongdou, count from 1 to 100 in your heart. If you reach 100 and I haven’t come out, go back and find Madam, or find the Princess Consort to come save me. Do you understand?”

Hongdou nodded, then shook her head.
“Seventh Miss, perhaps I should go in instead—”
“There’s no time! No more nonsense!”

Huang Yaning touched the object hidden in her sleeve, gritted her teeth, rushed up the steps, and pushed the door open, walking inside.

“Cousin? Qingtian?”

She called out tentatively.

The room was deathly silent.

But there was a large screen on the right side, and there seemed to be some movement behind it.

Without thinking, she walked around the screen. What she saw was a bed, and there seemed to be someone on it.

“Xianjie—”

Huang Yaning rushed over and pulled aside the bed curtains, only to see an unconscious man, bare-chested.

She recognized him.
This was Dong Bing!
The Dong family’s illegitimate son. In her past life, he was uneducated, a lazy good-for-nothing, addicted to gambling and lust.

Moreover, Dong Bing wasn’t just ordinarily lustful; he had no preference for gender…

Huang Yaning’s scalp tingled with alarm, and she wanted to leave immediately. But as soon as she turned, she felt her limbs go weak. She staggered, bracing herself against a small round table nearby…

Only then did she smell a strange fragrance.

Huang Yaning knew all too well that she had been set up…

Someone had used Xianjie to lure her here and had even prepared both incapacitating incense and a man for her!

They had gone to such lengths!

And the unconscious Dong Bing on the bed suddenly stirred awake. Dong Bing felt as if his entire body was about to explode—

His eyes were bloodshot, and he saw the figure of a woman by the table.

The sight was like water to a man dying of thirst—

He lunged towards the woman…