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

Sheng Minmin sneered inwardly—some habits never change. Mingzhu has always been obsessed with taking whatever she wants. Outwardly, though, she feigned confusion and glanced at Qingtian.

“I recall you already have plenty of servants attending to you—”

Seeing that the madam wasn’t immediately handing Zhao Xiaoya over to the sixth young miss, Qingtian forced a smile and replied, *”Reporting to Madam, the Haitang Courtyard currently has sixteen servants in total.

“There’s myself and Yunjin as senior maids, two second-tier maids aged twelve or thirteen, and two maids around the sixth young miss’s age. Additionally, there are six cleaning aunties and four kitchen matrons.”

She listed everything in such detail precisely to prevent any more people from being added to Haitang Courtyard.

Right now, she was the head servant there. If Qingchi’s own younger sister were under her charge, she’d feel constantly restrained.

Sheng Minmin’s lips parted slightly, looking genuinely surprised.

“Sixteen? That many? Sixth child, even your three older brothers only have seven or eight servants each. Even as the mistress of the household, my own courtyard has barely over twenty…”

Her words were a clear refusal. Anyone with half a brain would take the hint and laugh it off.

But not Sheng Mingzhu.

Gritting her teeth, she seemed dead set on getting Zhao Xiaoya. Suddenly, she stood up—wobbling unsteadily due to her injured foot, half-leaning on Qingtian—and pleaded with Huang Xianjing.

“Cousin, Zhu’er truly adores Xiaoya. How about I trade you one of my maids for her? You can pick anyone you like—”

At this, Qingtian shuddered, her face paling.

She knew the cousin young lady wouldn’t dare ask for her—but even so, the way Sheng Mingzhu spoke made it sound like she, too, was just some exchangeable object.

Back in the Peony Courtyard, as a first-tier maid, Qingtian had been treated with dignity. Now, for the first time, she felt humiliated.

The others’ expressions also shifted, seemingly taken aback by Sheng Mingzhu’s persistence.

Except for Sheng Minmin, of course.

With her past-life memories, she knew Sheng Mingzhu was inherently obsessive. If she wanted something, she had to have it—the harder it was to obtain, the more fanatical she became.

Now, without Taoniang around to temper her, that obsessive streak was becoming more pronounced.

Sheng Mingzhu was drifting further and further from her carefully crafted image of “innocent, kind-hearted, compassionate little fairy.” The thought filled Sheng Minmin with satisfaction.

But outwardly, she maintained a stern expression.

“Sixth child, stop this nonsense—

“Servants may have signed contracts, but they’re still human. Aside from Qingtian, the others have served you for years, loyal and devoted. How can you treat them like objects to be traded away?

“Or are you suggesting trading Qingtian for Zhao Xiaoya?”

Sheng Mingzhu looked as if she’d been choked into silence.

Sheng Minmin sighed and continued, “Your cousin’s courtyard has barely any servants, not even a companion her own age. That’s why I gave Xiaoya to her.”

Then, with a faint smile, she added, “If you’re so fond of Xiaoya, why not have Xian’er move into your courtyard? You two can live together, share everything—even your servants. How does that sound?”

“M-Mother… you must be joking…” Sheng Mingzhu stammered, forcing a strained smile. “Now that I think about it, my suggestion was inappropriate. Since Mother already gave Xiaoya to Cousin, I shouldn’t impose…”

There was no way Sheng Mingzhu would let Huang Xianjing share her courtyard!

Hers was the finest in the inner residence, second only to the Peony Courtyard!

How could an orphan like Huang Xianjing possibly deserve to live with her?!

If word got out, wouldn’t people start treating that nobody with undue respect?

Her mother was clearly bending over backward to elevate Huang Xianjing’s status—how unfair!

Today, Sheng Mingzhu had come to reconnect with her mother. Instead, she’d been scolded the moment she arrived, and now even her request for a maid had been subtly rejected. She felt like she was about to cough up blood from sheer frustration.

Unable to sit still any longer, she muttered a few excuses and left in a huff.

“Have the servants carry the sedan chair carefully—make sure Sixth Miss returns safely,” Sheng Minmin instructed Qingtian, waving Sheng Mingzhu off dismissively.

The moment her cousin was gone, Huang Xianjing exhaled in relief.

“Don’t worry. Once I’ve given Xiaoya to you, she’s yours,” Sheng Minmin reassured her.

“Thank you for your kindness, Aunt.” Huang Xianjing smiled sheepishly, though a trace of doubt lingered in her heart.

Her aunt had always doted on Sheng Mingzhu as if she were a precious jewel. Why was her attitude toward her cousin so… different lately?

It didn’t make sense. But Mother Du had already warned her—her aunt had been acting decisively lately, sharp and shrewd. Maybe she was just fed up with how spoiled the younger generation had become and was determined to discipline them.

In any case, Mother Du had advised her not to overthink it. Just avoid offending her cousins and continue respecting and cherishing her aunt.

Lost in thought, she suddenly heard her aunt say, “‘Xiaoya’ sounds a bit plain. Since she’ll be serving you now, why don’t you give her a new name?”

Delighted, Huang Xianjing thought for a moment, then giggled as if recalling something amusing.

“She loves red bean cakes—how about ‘Hongdou’?”

Zhao Xiaoya’s eyes sparkled—she clearly adored the name.

“Xiaoya—no, Hongdou—thanks Madam and Young Miss for the new name!”

After some more small talk, Huang Xianjing finally took her leave.

With both Sheng Mingzhu and Huang Xianjing gone, Xiangxiang remained kneeling on the floor.

“Xiangxiang, do you understand your mistake?”

Sheng Minmin poured herself a cup of tea, took a sip, and spoke calmly.

Previously, among her maids, she had only confided in Qingying, who had immediately grasped her intentions and sworn loyalty to her alone.

Recently, Qingying had gone to comfort the village girls harassed by the estate managers and hadn’t yet returned, leaving Xiangxiang temporarily in charge of the Peony Courtyard.

While Xiangxiang hadn’t made any major blunders, minor mistakes had been piling up.

Minor mistakes weren’t the real issue, though.

The problem was that Xiangxiang, as a second-tier maid, had allowed Sheng Mingzhu to barge in without announcing her.

If she couldn’t even distinguish who her true master was—if she remained this soft and easily bullied—Sheng Minmin had no intention of keeping her around.

“This servant knows her fault,” Xiangxiang said, her face flushed with shame.

“And what fault is that?” Sheng Minmin’s tone was indifferent.

“This servant failed to announce the sixth young miss and allowed her to enter with her maid without permission. This servant deserves punishment.”

Sheng Minmin set her cup down heavily, her expression cooling.

Knowing both Xiangxiang and Sheng Mingzhu, she was aware that even if Xiangxiang had tried to stop her, Sheng Mingzhu would’ve forced her way in regardless.

What angered her wasn’t that Xiangxiang had let her in—but that she hadn’t even tried to stop her.

Before Sheng Mingzhu entered, there hadn’t been a single sound of protest outside. And judging by the expressions of the three when they walked in, Xiangxiang hadn’t put up the slightest resistance.

“Did you even attempt to stop the sixth young miss?”