Reborn in Each Other’s Bodies: A Mother and Daughter’s Deadly Revenge - Chapter 31

“Nanny Xu, the laundry staff are not permitted to leave without reason. Were you aware of Nanny Tao’s unauthorized outing?”

Sheng Minmin turned her gaze to the laundry supervisor and asked.

Nanny Xu’s plump frame trembled, her lips quivering as she replied in a shaky voice, “Madam, this old servant was unaware. I have neglected my duties and beg for your punishment.”

Sheng Minmin gave a slight nod. “Since you admit your fault and are willing to correct it, you will forfeit three months’ wages. If this happens again, you will no longer serve as the supervisor.”

“Thank you, Madam! Thank you!” Nanny Xu kowtowed in gratitude, feeling as though she had narrowly escaped the gates of hell.

How could she not rejoice?

That wretched Tao woman had been beaten until her face was ruined, while she only lost three months’ wages. Clearly, the madam recognized Tao’s cunning and did not hold her fully responsible.

Just wait—I’ll make sure Tao suffers for this! Nanny Xu seethed inwardly, directing all her hatred toward Tao.

“Nanny Tao, do you admit your wrongdoing?”

Sheng Minmin then turned to the pitiful Tao, her heart swelling with satisfaction.

From now on, I can drag Tao out whenever I please—beat her with rods, slap her face. The more miserable she is, the happier I’ll be!

“This servant admits her fault. I did not leave the laundry on purpose… I merely missed the Sixth Young Miss dearly and was worried for her… I have learned my lesson and beg for leniency…”

Tao’s speech was slurred from the beating, but everyone understood.

Sheng Minmin smirked. “Oh? So you’re the only one who cares for the Sixth Young Miss? Are her own parents and brothers heartless by comparison? Are all the other servants in Haitang Courtyard useless, while you alone are indispensable?”

Realizing her blunder, Tao frantically kowtowed and pleaded for mercy, silently cursing the madam for becoming so difficult lately. Has she lost her mind?

Sheng Minmin scoffed. “You have committed three offenses:

“First, as a laundry servant, you left without permission, treating the Sheng family’s rules as a joke.

“Second, as a subordinate, you entered without first greeting the master, madam, and the young masters and misses—a breach of etiquette.

“Third, you spoke out of turn without being addressed by your superiors.

“Tell me, was my punishment unjust?”

In her past life, the Sheng family had accused her of lacking manners and hired a disciplinarian to teach her. That nanny, bribed by Tao, had tormented her relentlessly. Yet, the suffering had an unexpected benefit—she had learned proper decorum well.

Now, she would use those very rules to ruthlessly punish her past enemies.

“This servant admits her faults. Thank you, Madam, for your mercy!” Tao swallowed her humiliation and kowtowed deeply.

At that moment, Qingying entered, followed by a young maid carrying a tray with a pair of shoes.

Qingying was meticulous. Earlier, Sheng Minmin had sent her to investigate further—it seemed she had found something.

After bowing to the masters, Qingying announced, “Madam, I have determined the cause of the Sixth Young Miss’s fall.”

“What made my little sister fall?” Sheng Mingjian was the first to ask.

“Young Master, it was because of these shoes.” Qingying motioned for the maid to present the tray.

Sheng Minmin recognized them at once—a pair of blue morning glory-patterned leather boots with thick nails. She nearly laughed aloud.

These were dance shoes Tao had personally made for Sheng Mingzhu.

Tao’s embroidery skills were considered top-tier in Taohua Village, but to the well-traveled elite, they were mediocre at best. Aware of this, Tao had never touched Sheng Mingzhu’s intimate garments, leaving them to the mansion’s finest seamstresses and Yun Jin, the most skilled maid.

Later, perhaps feeling that doing nothing failed to showcase her maternal love, Tao began making shoes for Sheng Mingzhu. Over time, she developed decent shoemaking skills, crafting various dance shoes for her.

These boots had thick nails embedded in the soles, providing slight elevation. While less comfortable than regular shoes, they improved balance and made dance practice more effective.

“Proper leather-nailed shoes require at least sixteen thick nails for traction. However, these dance shoes…”

Qingying lifted a shoe to reveal its sole. No further explanation was needed—the nails were intact, but some were worn smooth. Wearing such shoes for dance practice would inevitably lead to slips.

The Haitang Courtyard servants and Madam Xue exhaled in relief—their innocence was proven, and their gratitude toward the madam grew.

Since Tao personally made and maintained all of Sheng Mingzhu’s shoes, and had visited Haitang Courtyard today, her guilt was undeniable.

Tao herself realized this. Staring at the soles, her pupils shrank in horror.

Mingzhu is my own flesh and blood—how could I ever be careless with her shoes? Someone must have framed me!

“Madam, it wasn’t me—I didn’t—”

She tried to explain but froze under Sheng Minmin’s icy glare, recalling the ten slashes and not daring to speak out of turn again.

“Yun Jin, your needlework is excellent—inspect these. Qingying, summon the seamstresses.”

Yun Jin scrambled up and examined the shoes meticulously. After a long pause, she cast a conflicted glance at Tao. “This is indeed Nanny Tao’s handiwork…”

Soon, the seamstresses arrived. Familiar with Tao’s stitching, they concurred with Yun Jin’s assessment.

Tao’s face turned ashen. As Haitang Courtyard’s former supervisor, deeply trusted by the masters, her work had never been inspected.

Had someone checked her shoes back then, she might have had witnesses to exonerate her now.

But who would have dared?

The culprit must have known this and tampered with the shoes, sealing her fate today…

“Wretched slave! What do you have to say for yourself now?”

Sheng Yong hurled a teacup at Tao.

“Master, I’ve been confined to the laundry all this time! Someone must have sabotaged the shoes to frame me—”

Sheng Minmin cut her off sharply.

“You claim someone framed you? How could they have known you’d visit Haitang Courtyard today? Or that the Sixth Young Miss would choose these shoes? Are you saying they sabotaged them in advance just to implicate you?

“This is pure negligence—yet you blame others!”

Of course, Sheng Minmin knew Tao was innocent. Tao would sooner harm herself than her own daughter, Sheng Mingzhu.

But Tao was unlucky.

With the evidence stacked against her, Sheng Minmin would ensure she paid dearly.

“I would never harm the Young Miss Mingzhu! If I have ever wronged her in the slightest, may lightning strike me dead! May I suffer eternally in the eighteenth hell!”

Even in despair, Tao clung to defiance, swearing a vicious oath.

The intensity of her curse stunned some, and Sheng Mingzhu was visibly moved.

Only Sheng Minmin noticed Tao had said “Young Miss Mingzhu”—not “the Sixth Young Miss.”

Indeed, the Sheng family’s true “Sixth Young Miss” was still in the Feng household, eating scraps and sleeping in a woodshed.