Reborn in Each Other’s Bodies: A Mother and Daughter’s Deadly Revenge - Chapter 38

In a spacious courtyard of a civilian residence in the capital, Sheng Minmin sat in the seat of honor, with Qingchi and Xiangxiang standing beside her.

At the opposite entrance, over twenty sturdy matrons stood guard, each armed with a thick wooden club.

In the center of the courtyard knelt more than a dozen trembling estate managers. A conspicuously empty spot nearby was stained dark red, the pungent scent of blood still hanging in the air.

Anyone could tell at a glance—Sheng Minmin had just dealt with someone who disobeyed.

This matter had begun several days earlier.

The managers had suddenly received orders from the matriarch of the estate, summoning them to the capital for urgent discussions. They were to arrive as quickly as possible—any delay would cost them their positions.

With no time to prepare, they hastily boarded carriages and rushed to the capital.

But the moment they entered the city gates, they were “escorted” by the estate’s servants to an outlying residence. At first, they assumed the madam was being considerate, allowing them to rest before the meeting.

It wasn’t until later that they realized—the doors and windows of their rooms had been sealed shut. They were trapped inside, unable to leave.

Each day, they were given only a bowl of water and a single steamed bun.

These managers had long been guilty of misconduct. Cut off from all news and human contact, their fear festered in the cramped rooms.

After just one day of confinement, some broke down, falling to their knees and begging to confess their crimes in exchange for the madam’s mercy.

Sheng Minmin let them stew for two more days, pushing them to the brink of collapse before forcing them to write their own confessions—signed and thumbprinted.

Those confessions now lay on the tea table to her right.

She had already calculated that the embezzled funds from these estate managers amounted to over 50,000 taels. The sums they confessed to matched perfectly.

What she hadn’t expected was that two of them had been brazen enough to assault the daughters of tenant farmers under their control.

Sheng Minmin could tolerate some degree of corruption—but she would never allow anyone to tyrannize her estates and violate innocent women.

So she had the two offenders publicly flogged fifty strokes in front of the other managers, their flesh split open, blood pooling on the ground. Just before they breathed their last, servants hauled them away to the magistrate’s office.

The sight nearly scared the remaining managers to death.

“All of you, rise.

“You’ve managed my estates for years—that in itself is no small labor. In the past, I neglected to establish a proper system of rewards.”

Her voice was languid, yet carried an undeniable authority.

The managers paled further, their mouths bitter.

After days of confinement that nearly drove them mad, after witnessing two men beaten to death, now the madam was talking about rewarding them—while holding their signed confessions? They could practically feel the noose tightening around their necks.

It also hammered home one truth: This was no longer the kind, easily manipulated madam they once knew.

The courtyard was dead silent. No one dared speak.

“I’ve set targets for each estate based on its average yield over the past decade. From now on, if your farmland or woodlands exceed those targets, you’ll receive thirty percent of the surplus as a reward.”

A glance at Xiangxiang sent the maid forward with prepared documents detailing each estate’s goals.

These managers were no fools. A quick scan told them the targets were far from harsh—modest effort would suffice to meet them.

And if they pushed harder… they really could keep thirty percent of the extra profits?

A glimmer of hope flickered in their eyes.

Was the madam… not planning to punish them after all?

Not just sparing them, but offering a chance to earn more?

One bold manager finally wobbled to his feet. “Madam… is this truly your intention?”

Sheng Minmin narrowed her eyes. “Do I strike you as someone with nothing better to do than jest?”

The man froze, then broke into disbelieving joy. The others followed suit—like condemned prisoners suddenly pardoned and handed a fortune.

But as excitement buzzed through the group, another concern surfaced.

“Madam, will our fixed monthly wages be reduced? And… what if the harvest falls short of the target?”

“Your monthly wages remain unchanged. In cases of natural disasters or unforeseen calamities, targets may be adjusted.”

“But if the shortfall stems from negligence rather than disaster, no rewards will be given that year.

“Fail to meet the target three times within ten years, and I’ll replace you on the spot.”

To keep their positions and earn thirty percent of the surplus, they had to hit their goals every single year—barring acts of nature.

The managers’ smiles dimmed slightly. But with their signed confessions still on the madam’s table, refusal wasn’t an option.

At least the targets weren’t unreasonable.

Sheng Minmin read their expressions easily—they had accepted.

While reviewing the accounts, she’d discovered that Huang Yaning had never sent trusted aides to inspect the estates in ten years.

Market prices for grain, fruits, and vegetables went unrecorded—whatever the managers reported was taken at face value.

Should I call that ‘too wealthy to care’ or just ‘foolishly gullible’?

Right now, she lacked the resources to replace all ten estate managers at once.

So aside from the two rapists, she had no intention of purging the others for embezzlement.

Instead, she would hold their confessions over them while dangling a legitimate opportunity to profit.

Carrot and stick—she trusted these shrewd men to choose wisely.

These tactics were all things Mama Wang had taught her in her past life.

Sure enough, the managers soon knelt again, kowtowing so hard their foreheads thudded against the ground, spewing endless praises.

With the matter settled, Sheng Minmin had them fed, cleaned up, and sent back to their estates.

She then ordered Qingying to prepare generous reparations and personally visit the two affected estates to compensate the assaulted women and their families.

Only after everything was arranged did Sheng Minmin board her carriage back to the Sheng estate.

Her authority within the household had grown unmistakably.

The servants had witnessed it firsthand:

The madam punishing her own treasured children.

The swift selling-off of “troublesome servants” after Taoniang’s embezzlement came to light.

(The fate of those sold off was surely grim—yet the madam showed no mercy.)

Then, after Sixth Miss’s “accidental fall” was traced to Taoniang, the madam forced her to kneel on broken porcelain for an hour—with ten more days of kneeling to follow.

Taoniang fainted from terror. When carried out, her knees left a trail of blood.

The madam didn’t waive the punishment—only allowed a reprieve for healing, after which Taoniang could kneel on normal floors.

Everyone knew: even if Taoniang’s knees weren’t ruined immediately, they would be soon.

The madam’s methods are ruthless now. Her heart is iron. It’s terrifying.