Reborn in Each Other’s Bodies: A Mother and Daughter’s Deadly Revenge - Chapter 47

The scene at the door replayed in Xiangxiang’s mind.

Earlier, after listening to the kitchen steward’s report, she had returned to the main house.

Unexpectedly, when she arrived, she found not a single servant guarding Madam’s door. Just as she was about to call for someone to stand watch, the Sixth Young Miss arrived, supporting Qingtian by the arm.

Xiangxiang bowed to the Sixth Young Miss and prepared to first announce her to Madam, but the young lady smiled and said, “Sister Xiangxiang, why bother with such formalities? I’ll just go in directly…”

“But—” Xiangxiang instinctively felt something was off and wanted to object, only for Qingtian to glare at her impatiently.

“Enough! I’ve served Madam for years—when has the Young Miss ever needed an announcement to enter her mother’s room? Just because you’ve been promoted doesn’t mean you can throw your weight around like some self-important upstart!”

Qingtian’s words left Xiangxiang’s face burning with shame. She knew that in the past, the Sixth Young Miss had indeed entered Madam’s quarters without announcement—but that was then, and this was now.

Yet the Sixth Young Miss and Qingtian were so forceful that in her moment of hesitation… the young lady had already stepped inside.

All Xiangxiang could do was follow anxiously behind.

Now, hearing Madam’s question, Xiangxiang suddenly realized her mistake.

She hadn’t stopped the Sixth Young Miss. She hadn’t even dared to firmly refuse their unannounced entry.

“Madam…” Xiangxiang’s face was full of guilt.

“Xiangxiang, if it were Qingying or Qingchi at the door, how do you think they would have handled it?”

If it had been Qingying, she would have coldly cited propriety, and the Sixth Young Miss and Qingtian would have stopped in their tracks, obediently waiting for Qingying to announce them before entering.

If it had been Qingchi, that stubborn girl would never have allowed the two to barge in unannounced. If they had tried to force their way in, Qingchi might have physically pushed them out herself…

In short, neither Qingying nor Qingchi would have been so easily cowed by a few words from the Sixth Young Miss and Qingtian.

Because Madam was the true master of Peony Court—

Even if the Sixth Young Miss was Madam’s own daughter, she could not override Madam’s authority.

Realizing this, Xiangxiang felt her mistake had been egregious. A cold sweat broke out on her back, sending a shiver down her spine. Overwhelmed with fear, she quickly kowtowed in apology.

“This servant was wrong! Madam is this servant’s only master. This servant should always prioritize Madam’s dignity. When the Sixth Young Miss tried to enter Madam’s room without permission, this servant should have firmly stopped her…

“Even if it were the young masters—or even the master of the house—attempting to enter without announcement or acting in any way that harmed Madam’s dignity, this servant should have done everything to prevent it.”

Seeing that Xiangxiang had finally understood, Sheng Minmin’s expression softened somewhat.

Xiangxiang was kind, loyal, and compassionate. As long as she recognized her mistakes, Minmin was willing to give her another chance.

She leaned forward and personally helped Xiangxiang up. By now, the maid’s forehead was red and swollen from how hard she had kowtowed.

“As long as you’ve learned your lesson, that’s what matters. The master, the young masters, and the young misses may be my closest family, but they are not me.

“In the future, when dealing with other servants, you must assert your authority when necessary. As long as you’re in the right, even if you beat a troublemaking servant half to death, your Madam will stand behind you.

“You must not be too soft or accommodating. If you appear weak and easy to bully, others will look down on me by extension.

“…I have some excellent ointment in my room. Go and apply it later.”

The words sent a mix of fear and excitement through Xiangxiang.

This meant Madam was truly beginning to treat her as a confidante. Qingying-jie must have understood these principles long ago—that was why she had become Madam’s trusted aide.

In the future, Xiangxiang vowed to serve diligently and live up to Madam’s expectations. She knelt again and kowtowed, declaring solemnly:

“This servant will remember. In this lifetime, Madam is this servant’s only master!”

…

Meanwhile, Sheng Mingzhu rode back to Hibiscus Court in a sedan chair, her anger and frustration refusing to dissipate.

She thought of her wet nurse again.

If only her wet nurse were still here…

Back then, when her wet nurse had been falsely accused of causing her fall, her mother had punished her by making her kneel on broken porcelain. Her mother’s heart was truly too cruel—how could she have tried to ruin her wet nurse’s knees like that?

She had begged her eldest brother to call a physician for her wet nurse, but for the first time, he had refused her, also misunderstanding the situation…

Her third and fifth brothers had likewise refused to help with her wet nurse’s plight. In the end, she had no choice but to send Yun Jin to buy good medicine outside the estate and discreetly deliver silver to her wet nurse.

She had even given the laundry stewardess twenty taels of silver to stop her from tormenting her wet nurse further.

Now, all she could do was pray that her wet nurse’s luck would hold and she would pull through on her own.

Sheng Mingzhu’s irritation was so palpable that in the past, Qingtian would have immediately ordered sweet treats and tea or told amusing stories to distract her. Alternatively, she would have summoned one of the young masters to comfort her.

But last time, when the Sixth Young Miss was injured and the Fifth Young Master had wanted to beat the servants, she hadn’t pleaded for Qingtian.

And today, the Sixth Young Miss had spoken as if Qingtian were nothing more than an exchangeable “object,” offering no consolation afterward.

It was as if today’s events had doused Qingtian in cold water, waking her up.

Before, she hadn’t noticed, but now Qingtian suddenly realized that her new mistress was not as kind-hearted and magnanimous as she had imagined.

For example, the Sixth Young Miss only knew how to take and exploit her family.

Over the past days, the young masters had bought countless novelties just to amuse her.

Last time, they had even knelt in the ancestral hall all night to plead for her.

Yet the Sixth Young Miss had only shed tears for a lowly servant like Taoniang—never once had she shown concern for her own brothers’ well-being…

If this was how she treated her own brothers, how would she treat other servants?

The Sixth Young Miss only cared about herself—and perhaps Taoniang.

The more Qingtian thought about it, the colder and more lost she felt. Would following such a mistress really lead to a good life?

Her thoughts in turmoil, Qingtian couldn’t help but wonder if she would have been better off staying with Madam.

Madam was kind and generous. If she had remained by her side, she could have earned several taels in rewards each month…

Now, serving the Sixth Young Miss, she had gained nothing but a life full of danger.

It was all that wretched Taoniang’s fault for causing so much trouble and forcing Madam to give her to the Sixth Young Miss.

Now, Qingtian was full of resentment toward her mistress. Though she didn’t dare show it openly, she kept her eyes downcast, pretending not to see.

Once they returned to Hibiscus Court, she went to her room, took out the rewards she had previously received from Madam, and found an excuse to leave. She headed straight for the servants’ quarters to find her mother.

Qingtian’s family held respectable positions in the estate, so they had been allotted two decent rooms in the servants’ quarters.

When she arrived, her mother was roasting meat and drinking in the room.

A charcoal stove sat in the center, its iron grill sizzling with juicy meat, while a pot of warmed wine sat nearby.

Her mother, surnamed Zhu and known as Auntie Zhu, was in charge of the estate’s flowers and potted plants.

Now that Madam had cut back on expenses and suspended fresh floral arrangements, her mother had little to do but drink and eat meat in her spare time.