Reborn in Each Other’s Bodies: A Mother and Daughter’s Deadly Revenge - Chapter 88

After the Lantern Festival, Sheng Mingjian and Sheng Mingbo returned to the Imperial Academy, while Sheng Mingyi, still in poor health, was granted a long-term leave of absence by Sheng Minmin.

At the same time, she arranged for Sheng Mingli and Sheng Mingshu to attend Yuelu Academy.

With everything settled, Sheng Minmin announced that she would take Xianjie to Chunshan Temple to pray for blessings and stay there for a few days.

She made this decision because, during the Lantern Festival celebrations, Sheng Mingzhu and her siblings had been separated by the crowd. While the others eventually returned on their own, Sheng Mingzhu was escorted back by Zhu Qisheng.

Zhu Qisheng’s father was the younger brother of the current emperor. Having passed away early, he left Zhu Qisheng as his only heir.

Of course, even if Zhu Qisheng’s father had lived longer, there was no guarantee he would have had more sons.

The imperial family had always struggled with a lack of male heirs—the current emperor himself had only one son, now the Crown Prince.

Sheng Minmin knew that in her past life, the emperor would father two more princes in a few years, which had delighted him beyond measure.

Perhaps because of the imperial family’s fertility struggles, the emperor doted on his nephew Zhu Qisheng, even granting him the title of Prince Qi at a young age.

Thus, despite being only ten years old, Zhu Qisheng was respectfully addressed as “Prince Qi” by all.

From the way Zhu Qisheng looked at Sheng Mingzhu, it was clear he held a fondness for her—his smile carried a hint of indulgence.

And Sheng Mingzhu, instead of calling him Prince Qi, kept addressing him as “Brother Sheng”…

Watching the two interact, Sheng Minmin felt as if lightning had struck her!

In her past life, she had only known that Sheng Mingzhu and Zhu Qisheng were childhood sweethearts, but she had never learned when they first met.

So it was this year.

Could it be that in this life, Sheng Mingzhu would still win Zhu Qisheng’s heart and force him to marry her despite all opposition?

No—Sheng Minmin would never allow it!

Anxious to the point of developing a blister in her mouth, she devised the Chunshan Temple plan.

She deliberately mentioned only taking Xianjie to the temple, omitting Sheng Mingzhu.

Because she knew full well that Sheng Mingzhu, having endured Nanny Tong’s harsh training for so long, would inevitably throw a tantrum and insist on coming along.

And just as she predicted, Sheng Mingzhu came running to wheedle and beg.

Minmin pretended to hesitate, citing her studies as the reason for refusal.

The next day, Sheng Yong and Sheng Mingjian also came to plead on Mingzhu’s behalf, and only then did she “reluctantly” agree to bring her along.

As for Xianjie, ever since an outside physician had prescribed her a regimen to improve her health and she began studying under Teacher Lin, her condition had steadily improved.

During the period when the household was forced to eat coarse food, Minmin had secretly instructed Qingchi to send proper meals to Xianjie, ensuring she not only remained unaffected but even gained a little weight.

Now, with her complexion healthier than ever, Minmin had no concerns about her climbing the mountain.

Of course, she could have left Xianjie behind, but Minmin was confident she could protect her from the coming storm.

Moreover, she wanted to give Xianjie a chance to catch the eye of a certain noble figure on the mountain…

If Xianjie had the luck of attracting a patron, her future would be far safer and smoother.

Thus, the travel party was finalized.

Chunshan Temple was about half a day’s carriage ride from the capital. They had set out before dawn and arrived at the foot of the mountain by noon.

After a quick meal, they began their ascent. The stone-paved path was lined with resting pavilions at regular intervals.

Minmin hadn’t brought her senior maids like Qingying—only the youngest, Qingchi, accompanied her.

Xianjie brought Hongdou (Qingchi’s younger sister), while Sheng Mingzhu brought Qingtian. The rest were sturdy older maids.

They took frequent breaks along the way. After roughly two hours of climbing, they still had another two hours to go.

“Mother, do we really have to climb all the way up ourselves…?”

Sheng Mingzhu was panting heavily, her cheeks flushed, as she stared at the seemingly endless steps ahead with a pout.

Today, Sheng Minmin was executing a bold plan, and for it to succeed without raising suspicion, Mingzhu had to climb the mountain herself.

That’s why she had made Mingzhu promise before leaving that she would walk the entire way.

Feigning exasperation, Minmin tapped Mingzhu’s forehead.

“Silly girl, if we’re asking the gods for blessings, we must show sincerity. If you can’t even climb these steps yourself, where’s the sincerity in that?”

“Back home, I warned you three or five times not to come—I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to make it!”

“But you insisted, and when I refused, you dragged your father and eldest brother into it… I only agreed because they pestered me to death!”

Then, adopting a firmer tone:

“But we had a deal—you must walk up yourself!”

“Look at your cousin—has she complained even once?”

“No acting spoiled or throwing a tantrum now! If you go back on your word, your little friends will surely laugh at you!”

“…Yes, Mother.”

Mingzhu replied sullenly.

Had she known the temple had so many steps, she would never have come!

When no one was looking, she shot Huang Xianjing a venomous glare.

If only Xianjing had whined about being tired too, Mother might have agreed to call for sedan chairs…

But it was too late now. She didn’t dare complain further—if word got out, her friends would mock her for lacking sincerity in praying for her family’s blessings.

The group pressed on. At their pace, they wouldn’t reach the summit until sunset.

That was why most visitors to Chunshan Temple stayed overnight—the climb alone took an entire day.

Minmin had already reserved a small courtyard in the temple’s rear quarters.

In her past life, her mother-in-law, Nanny Wang, had mentioned that the Grand Princess secretly stayed at Chunshan Temple for half a month every year after the Lantern Festival.

The Grand Princess and Zhu Qisheng’s mother had been close as sisters-in-law.

And since Nanny Wang had been a trusted servant of the late Princess Consort, she knew of this arrangement.

In her past life, the Princess Consort had passed away suddenly a few years later, following her husband in death and leaving Zhu Qisheng as the sole heir.

The Grand Princess, as Zhu Qisheng’s elder relative, took it upon herself to look after the prince’s household out of respect for her late sister-in-law.

After observing three years of mourning, Zhu Qisheng begged the emperor to let him marry Sheng Mingzhu.

At first, the emperor adamantly refused, believing the Sheng family’s status was too low for his nephew—at most, he would permit Mingzhu to be a secondary consort.

Zhu Qisheng, desperate, visited the Grand Princess’s estate daily, weeping pitifully.

At the time, Sheng Mingzhu had a spotless reputation, and the Grand Princess held a favorable impression of her.

Moved by her nephew’s devotion, she spoke highly of Mingzhu to the emperor, who finally relented.

Without the Grand Princess’s intervention, Sheng Mingzhu would never have become the primary wife—only a concubine.

This time, Sheng Minmin would ensure the Grand Princess never spoke a single good word about Sheng Mingzhu again!

As the last rays of the setting sun faded, the exhausted group finally reached a clearing where the grand gates of Chunshan Temple came into view.

Only about a hundred steps remained.

Though physically drained, Sheng Minmin’s nerves were taut with tension, her heart pounding wildly…

“Qingchi, Hongdou—go ahead and notify the temple to prepare tea.”

The two sisters, having grown up doing farm work, were far more energetic. Giggling, they sprinted up the remaining steps with ease.

“Ah, to be young again…”

Someone sighed, drawing chuckles from the maids. The sight of their destination lifted everyone’s spirits.

Minmin then turned to Xianjing.

“Strike while the iron is hot—don’t lose momentum. You go on ahead too. I’ll wait for your cousin.”

Obediently, Huang Xianjing nodded and continued upward, supported by two maids.