Reborn in Each Other’s Bodies: A Mother and Daughter’s Deadly Revenge - Chapter 79

“Madam, Sister Qingxin made you a sachet to help with sleep…”

Sheng Minmin was practicing calligraphy at her desk when she looked up and saw Qingxiang standing there, looking somewhat weary, holding an exquisitely embroidered sachet.

Ever since Sheng Minmin had sent Qingxin and Qingtian away, Qingtian—who had been assigned to Sheng Mingzhu—seemed to be having a hard time.

But Qingxin, who had been placed with Sheng Mingjian, appeared to be thriving. Rumor had it that she had won Sheng Mingjian’s favor.

Sheng Minmin knew Sheng Mingjian well. Aside from his genuine affection for Sheng Mingzhu, he only cared about personal gain when it came to others.

The reason Sheng Mingjian valued Qingxin was simple: she had once been a trusted first-rank maid under Huang Yaning.

Sheng Mingjian wanted Qingxin to maintain close ties with the people of Peony Court, ensuring a steady flow of information and influence when needed…

And Sheng Minmin wanted Sheng Mingjian to believe that she was fond of Qingxin.

So every time Qingxin made something for her, she would occasionally use it.

She made sure to meet with Qingxin once every few visits, rewarding her with small gifts like pastries or fabric.

Other times, she had Qingying or Qingxiang handle the interactions—never letting Qingxin feel neglected.

All of this was to make everyone in the household think she favored Qingxin.

Only then would Sheng Mingjian grow even more reliant on her, and Qingxin’s ambitions would keep swelling until, one day, she would dare to scheme against Sheng Mingjian himself.

Sheng Minmin glanced at the sachet in Qingxiang’s hand, a faint smile flashing in her eyes.

“It looks quite nice. Find a place to hang it up.”

But Qingxiang remained standing there, hesitating.

“Why that expression? Did Qingxin say something else?”

Qingxiang pressed her lips together. “The same old talk—saying the young masters and Sixth Miss realize they’ve hurt you and feel terribly guilty. They’ve been copying sutras and fasting to pray for your well-being…”

“Lately, when I’ve seen the young masters, they have lost weight…”

Seeing the concern in Qingxiang’s eyes, Sheng Minmin knew the maid was worried about her.

Recently, Sheng Mingzhu had gone to great lengths to salvage her reputation, forcing her servants to endure hardships alongside her…

The servants were growing resentful, and Mingzhu had even spread word that she would refuse meat until her mother forgave her.

As a result, more and more servants were grumbling about her cruelty. If this continued, her reputation would undoubtedly suffer.

Sheng Minmin had long noticed the shifting winds in the household and realized it was time to adjust her “revenge strategy.”

After being reborn in Huang Yaning’s body, she had dealt Sheng Mingzhu many heavy blows and tarnished both Mingzhu and Sheng Yong’s reputations.

But none of her actions had been baseless—each had a plausible motive.

For example, Mingzhu had grown overly affectionate with Taoniang, so it was only natural for a “mother” to feel hurt and distant…

Or when she cut back on Mingzhu’s luxuries and restricted Sheng Yong’s spending, it was under the pretense of saving for her “children’s” future weddings.

When Mingzhu tried to scheme her way into a lavish birthday banquet, Sheng Minmin—as the “mother”—had been so furious at her “daughter’s” underhanded tactics that she “neglected” to warn the stewards, leading to rumors of Mingzhu’s extravagance…

And after the incident with the masked intruders, her immediate report to the authorities and subsequent search for a martial-skilled maid had further damaged Sheng Yong’s reputation.

Everyone assumed she had been driven to erratic behavior by the trauma…

In short, every move she made had a reasonable explanation.

But Sheng Minmin knew that while a tactic might work once, twice, or even three times, pushing it further would make even the most plausible actions seem suspicious.

Besides, cornering a desperate foe invited retaliation. Now that Sheng Yong and Mingzhu’s reputations were already in tatters, continuing down the same path risked provoking them beyond reason.

After careful consideration, Sheng Minmin decided to change tactics.

Since Sheng Mingzhu and her brothers were so eager to play the filial children, she could play the “doting mother” too.

Acting? Who couldn’t do that?

The question was whether Mingzhu and her brothers could handle it—because a “doting mother” could make her children’s lives miserable in ways no one would question.

After all, what mother would truly harm her own children?

For days, Sheng Minmin had held back—partly to let the siblings suffer a little longer, and partly because she needed time to prepare.

Now, everything was ready. She was just waiting for the right moment to step out of Peony Court.

She dipped her brush and wrote four characters:

“兽穷则齧.” (A cornered beast will bite.)

After a moment of scrutiny, she scoffed. “Hmph. Still terrible handwriting.”

She casually held the paper over a candle flame and burned it.

Truthfully, Huang Yaning had never had any interest in the arts. Her calligraphy had always been poor, and she’d often had servants write for her.

That meant Sheng Minmin could practice openly in this room without fear of being exposed.

In her past life, after returning to the Sheng household, Huang Yaning had hired two tutors for her.

The first lasted only a few days before complaining that she was dull-witted, outwardly docile but inwardly rebellious, and impossible to teach. The tutor left within two months…

The second tutor didn’t last much longer, declaring her a hopeless case before resigning…

Huang Yaning had been furious and never hired another tutor for her.

Back then, the constant belittlement had worn her down. The servants mocked her, saying she had a lady’s status but a peasant’s fate, while praising Sheng Mingzhu as the epitome of nobility…

The relentless comparisons made her believe she was inherently stupid, and she grew increasingly timid in the household.

It wasn’t until she married Steward Qi and met her mother-in-law, Madam Wang, that she finally learned to read and write properly—and even mastered household accounting…

Only then did Sheng Minmin realize that when freed from those who underestimated, belittled, and bullied her, she was actually quite clever.

And as long as Sheng Mingzhu wasn’t deliberately making life difficult, she could even find small joys in daily life.

She learned quickly and well—except for her handwriting, which remained embarrassingly bad…

The last time Qingchi saw her practicing, the girl had nearly burst trying to hold back her laughter. Qingzhu kept her head down, and Qingying’s gaze kept darting away…

Sheng Minmin, for once, felt her face heat up and promptly sent Qingying off to teach the other two elsewhere.

Calligraphy calmed her mind, and she genuinely enjoyed it.

Lately, she had also received several letters from Uncle Zhao.

First, Huang Yaning had nearly drowned, then suffered a high fever.

Then, after Taoniang returned to the Feng family, Huang Yaning single-handedly ignited a feud within the household.

Reportedly, aside from Old Man Feng and his two eldest sons, everyone else was injured.

Huang Yaning’s backside had been beaten black and blue, while Taoniang’s barely healed wounds had reopened…

Just imagining the chaos in the Feng household sent a thrill down Sheng Minmin’s spine. Letting Taoniang return to Peach Blossom Village had been absolutely worth it.