Reborn in Each Other’s Bodies: A Mother and Daughter’s Deadly Revenge - Chapter 63
Meanwhile, over at Haitang Courtyard, Sheng Mingzhu was in high spirits.
Given Fifth Brother’s temperament, he was bound to clash with Mother. So even if Mother hadn’t been as fond of her lately, she wouldn’t dare cut back on Mingzhu’s allowances just to keep Fifth Brother from causing trouble.
She could even take this opportunity to play the sweet, doting daughter in front of Mother, acting like the perfect little angel.
She just had to wait a little longer before rushing to Mudan Courtyard to “save the day.”
What Sheng Mingzhu never expected was that Sheng Mingbo didn’t end up arguing with Sheng Minmin. Not only did Minmin not punish Mingbo, but she even demanded evidence from him.
And the kitchen staff, having been forewarned by Qingtian, had already prepared their proof.
When Sheng Mingbo saw the bowl of osmanthus glutinous rice balls brought over from Haitang Courtyard’s kitchen, his face twisted in disbelief—the sweet, fragrant scent of the dessert was unmistakable even from a distance.
At first, he suspected the kitchen maids were playing tricks, but then someone brought out the ingredients prepared for Mingzhu’s dinner, along with a log of all the dishes she had eaten recently. Only after reviewing everything did Mingbo finally fall silent.
“Madam, you’ve always been considerate of Sixth Miss. She is served six dishes per meal—traditionally, this would include two cold dishes and four hot dishes. However, since Sixth Miss dislikes cold dishes and prefers sweets, we’ve substituted them with a serving of soup and a dessert, in addition to the four hot dishes.”
This had been reported to Huang Yaning before, and Sheng Minmin recalled it from memory, nodding in acknowledgment.
She flipped through the pages of Mingzhu’s meal log. Compared to the extravagant delicacies of the past, the recent dishes did seem rather “modest”—but they were still far better than what Mingbo and the other legitimate sons were served.
“We’ve always prepared meals diligently, never cutting corners or neglecting our duties toward our mistress…”
Minmin found this Mama Liu rather interesting—she had a pleasant face, could cry on command, and while sobbing, still managed to articulate everything clearly.
“Fifth Son, do you have anything else to say?” Sheng Minmin asked, eyeing Sheng Mingbo.
Mingbo didn’t know how to respond. His mind was in chaos—his little sister’s behavior had clearly suggested the servants were mistreating her. Yet the evidence before him proved otherwise.
Had he misunderstood?
Just then, Sheng Mingzhu arrived at Mudan Courtyard. The moment she stepped into the courtyard, she froze.
Aside from Sheng Mingbo, she also saw Sheng Mingli, Sheng Mingshu, and Huang Xianjing.
In the center of the courtyard knelt several of her kitchen staff, surrounded by a crowd of servants watching the spectacle with keen interest…
A terrible sense of foreboding washed over Mingzhu.
“Ah, Sixth Girl is here.”
Sheng Minmin smiled at her, inwardly amused at how unlucky Mingzhu was.
Today, the Sheng household wasn’t the only audience—outsiders were present too, giving them a perfect opportunity to see Sheng Mingzhu for what she really was.
“Mother, what’s going on?” Mingzhu asked after greeting her, her expression strained.
“Your Fifth Brother claims the servants in your courtyard have been mistreating you.”
“Mother, that’s not true at all! Fifth Brother must have misunderstood…”
Mingzhu hurriedly denied it.
She knew perfectly well whether the kitchen staff had been neglecting her or not. She never expected Mother and Fifth Brother to remain so calm—or to summon the kitchen maids for a confrontation.
Now that the truth was out, Mingzhu suddenly regretted setting up this scheme. It had been too rushed, too full of holes.
“Little Sister, but I—”
Mingbo tried to speak, but Mingzhu cut him off. “Fifth Brother, I know you came to Mother because of my birthday…”
Hearing this, Mingbo finally remembered—he hadn’t even brought up the matter of Mingzhu’s birthday banquet yet.
“Mother, Little Sister’s birthday is coming up soon. Why hasn’t the household made any preparations?”
Mingzhu’s birthday?
Sheng Minmin had genuinely forgotten about it. Come to think of it, December 15 wasn’t even Mingzhu’s birthday—it was hers.
Yet in her past life, she had never celebrated it once while living with the Feng family. Even after returning to the Sheng household, she never had a proper celebration.
Because every year, just before her birthday, she would be punished and forced to kneel in the ancestral hall for some fabricated offense…
The memories of her past life stirred a bloodthirsty impulse in Minmin. How she longed to see her enemies bleed…
How she longed to kill…
She pressed her tongue against her molars and said,
“As you know from your father’s and my recent discussions, the household is in dire straits. I’ve decided not to hold a grand celebration this year. We’ll simply celebrate as a family on the day itself. What do you think, Sixth Girl?”
“Mother—”
Mingzhu’s face instantly paled, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
In previous years, Mother had always thrown lavish birthday banquets for her—events more extravagant than New Year’s celebrations.
All her young lady friends looked forward to her birthday parties, always gushing with excitement when they attended.
They praised her as a natural-born lucky star, and Mingzhu reveled in their envy.
Last year, her nanny even suggested that she ask Mother to set up porridge kitchens outside the city in her name, offering free meals for three days during her birthday…
After that, her reputation spread beyond noble circles—even commoners began speaking of Sheng Mingzhu, the Sheng family’s “little fairy,” praising her kindness!
Her nanny had told her: the more the family doted on her, the better her reputation, and the higher her chances of marrying into an influential family in the future…
With her debut into society just a few years away, now was the perfect time to build her name and connections.
Her birthday banquet was crucial to her plans. Mingzhu never imagined Mother would suddenly refuse to hold one for her…
If her friends found out, they’d laugh at her mercilessly.
What if her reputation plummeted because of this?
The thought of such consequences made tears spill from her eyes like broken pearls. This time, her distress didn’t seem feigned—she was genuinely heartbroken and desperate.
“Mother, how can this be allowed?”
Seeing his little sister in such a state, Sheng Mingbo immediately raised his voice.
“Why can’t it be allowed?” Sheng Minmin’s expression darkened.
“Sixth Girl, you’re the only daughter in this family. Your father and I have spoiled you since childhood, raising you in the lap of luxury. Your monthly expenses—clothing, food, lodging, jewelry—amount to over ten thousand taels of silver.
“The combined expenses of myself and your five brothers don’t even come close to yours alone!
“Take last month, for example—your personal kitchen alone cost 1,600 taels. And let’s not forget how your nanny embezzled items worth over ten thousand taels…”
With every word Minmin spoke, Mingzhu’s face grew paler, while the onlookers’ gazes turned increasingly judgmental.
“Right now, the household’s expenditures exceed its income. The family ledger holds barely twenty thousand taels. If we were to host a birthday banquet for you on the same scale as previous years, it would cost at least fifteen thousand taels—leaving us with nothing to give the servants as New Year’s bonuses…”
Every year, the Sheng household distributed year-end bonuses to its servants—at the very least, an extra month’s wages…
This year, after the recent purge of disloyal servants, those who remained had been hoping for double the usual bonus.
Now, hearing the mistress’ words, they realized just how dire the family’s finances were. And yet, Sixth Miss still insisted on throwing herself a lavish birthday banquet? How selfish!
The servants’ eyes filled with condemnation, some even glaring at Mingzhu as if she were a thief stealing their hard-earned money.
The weight of their stares made Mingzhu burn with humiliation and fury. She had no idea how things had spiraled so out of control. Tears welling in her eyes, she shot a pleading look at Sheng Mingbo.
“Mother, Little Sister’s birthday banquet has always been a grand affair. If we cancel it this year, what will people think? They might assume something terrible has happened to our family…”
SLAM!
Sheng Minmin slammed her teacup down with force. Feigning rage, she raised her voice loud enough for even those outside Mudan Courtyard to hear:
“Since when can we control what others say? You think you can dictate the heavens and the earth?
“I’m doing this for your sake! If your sister is too spoiled to understand, shouldn’t you know better?
“If we let your sister continue this extravagant lifestyle, in a few years, how will your three brothers afford to marry? Where will your sister’s dowry come from?”