Madam Sima wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with an embroidered handkerchief, her pale face filled with fear and unease. "Actually, to be honest, my daughter rarely tells me about her affairs. Many times she would ask me to do things according to her wishes without telling me the reason."
"If I didn't comply with her requests, she would get very angry and try to torment me."
"She even torments you, her own mother?" Sheng Lengshuang asked in surprise.
Madam Sima gave a bitter smile. "Yes. Perhaps in my daughter's eyes, I, her own mother, am merely her servant. If I displeased her in the slightest, she would hit and scold me, and always order me to do this and that. Sometimes I wonder why my daughter has become this way."
Sheng Lengshuang showed no sympathy. "You and your husband have spoiled Sima Min too much. You gave her whatever she wanted from a young age and never taught her properly, which is why she developed such a personality."
But Sima Min was not like those spoiled young ladies; she was someone adept at hiding her true nature.
Madam Sima sighed. "Miss Sheng, you also have children, so you understand me. Sima Min is my only child, and I couldn't give the Prince a legitimate son, so I spoiled Sima Min a bit more from a young age."
Sheng Lengshuang scoffed. "Madam Sima, it would be better if you focused on Sima Min's matters."
There was no point in saying more to such a mother.
It had to be said that with such parents, it was not surprising that they would raise a child like Sima Min.
Madam Sima sighed and lamented, "I don't know when Sima Min became like this. By the time I realized it, she was already this way. She is my only child, after all, so I indulged her a bit more."
"However, my indulgence was met with her repeatedly harming others, even killing her own father..."
According to her, Sima Min was the absolute authority at home; no one was allowed to defy her. Anyone who dared to defy her would be punished, ranging from verbal abuse and beatings to death. Many people had died at her hands. Most of them were servants in the mansion or those from concubine mothers, and some were from other residences.
Sima Min never allowed anyone to be more outstanding than her. If anyone was more outstanding than her, she would find ways to ruin or kill them, not even sparing royal princesses.
A while ago, Sima Min, due to her relationship with Mo Lingxi, began to target and scheme against Sheng Lengshuang. She secretly inquired about Sheng Lengshuang's affairs, spread rumors about her, and incited others to target Sheng Lengshuang.
However, none of her schemes ever succeeded.
"Oh, yes, there was this one time when I went to give my daughter new clothes. As I stood at the door, about to knock, I heard her say, 'Did you send Sheng Lengshuang to that village?' At that moment, I had a bad feeling and quickly left quietly."
Sheng Lengshuang and Mo Lingxi exchanged a look. So, Sima Min had a hand in that incident. Or rather, it was highly likely that Sima Min was the one who did it.
After Madam Sima finished her confession, imperial guards escorted her away.
"Sima Min's relationship with the Black Hand is probably not that simple," Sheng Lengshuang said.
Mo Lingxi also had this thought. "From this incident alone, it's clear that Sima Min's relationship with the Black Hand is not simple. This is also why you were captured at Sima Min's engagement banquet; it was a scheme by Sima Min and the Black Hand."
Sheng Lengshuang had a vague feeling that something was being overlooked, but she couldn't pinpoint what. "Don't you think the whole thing is odd? Firstly, why would the Black Hand go to such lengths to help Sima Min? What benefits could Sima Min offer them?"
Mo Lingxi connected the entire incident and came up with two possibilities. "Either Sima Min and the Black Hand had a prior connection, with an exchange of benefits unknown to us, or Sima Min wanted to deal with you and scheme against me, aligning with the Black Hand's interests."
Sheng Lengshuang still felt something was amiss but couldn't figure it out. "We can only think this way for now. The most important thing now is to find Sima Min and investigate along this thread."
Mo Lingxi comforted her. "Don't worry too much, and don't overthink it. No matter what these people want to do, they will eventually reveal themselves. We just need to wait patiently."
As Sheng Lengshuang rubbed her temples, Mo Lingxi began to massage them. She glanced at him. "You don't need to try to please me."
"I'm not trying to please you; this is a heartfelt action."
"...No matter how nicely you say it, it's useless. I won't fall for it."
Mo Lingxi chuckled. "I'm not trying to trick you into falling for it; I want you to genuinely agree to reconcile with me."
Sheng Lengshuang fell silent. She didn't want to continue this pointless conversation. Before losing her memory, she had genuinely considered reconciling with Mo Lingxi. But after regaining her memory, she no longer wanted to reconcile.
Perhaps it was experiencing those events that made her decide against reconciliation. Or perhaps she didn't want to face such danger again.
Mo Lingxi also fell silent. He could understand his wife's concerns and worries. If it were him, after experiencing so many things, he would also have concerns and worries.
Meanwhile.
In a courtyard.
Sima Min, not in the best of spirits, glanced at the cloaked woman and Old Ghost sitting below, looking somewhat impatient. "If you have nothing else, leave. I need to rest."
Old Ghost chuckled heartily. "Sima Min, you are no longer the pampered Miss Sima. You'd better see your current situation clearly, or I have plenty of ways to make you suffer."
Sima Min's expression turned as ugly as if she had swallowed a fly. She forcefully threw the teacup at Old Ghost. "What are you, a lowly wretch, to me! I'm telling you, with just one word from me, your master will take your lives. You'd better be sensible."
Old Ghost dodged, then appeared at Sima Min's neck. Before she could react, he grabbed her by the neck with one hand and lifted her up. "You truly have some nerve, daring to throw a teacup at me. It seems I'll have to refine you into a puppet."
"Scoundrel!" At this moment, the cloaked man appeared, swatting Old Ghost away with a palm. He then helped Sima Min, who had fallen to the ground. "Miss Sima, are you unharmed? I apologize for letting you experience this."
Sima Min coughed a few times, glaring fiercely at Old Ghost, but spoke to the cloaked man. "Teach this old wretch a good lesson and let him understand etiquette and rules. A lowly wretch who cannot appear in public should kneel before me."
The cloaked man advised, "Miss Sima, we are in the same boat. It's not good to fall out. I think it's better if we let today's matter go. What's most important now is to find a way to deal with Sheng Lengshuang, right?"
Mentioning one of the people she hated the most, Sima Min's anger was instantly redirected. "That damned bitch Sheng Lengshuang! If it weren't for Sheng Lengshuang, how would I have ended up in this situation?"
The cloaked man helped her sit down and massaged her shoulders. "You are absolutely right. If Sheng Lengshuang hadn't used despicable and shameless means to snatch your Mingrui Prince away, you wouldn't have lost your title as a county princess, nor would you have ended up in this predicament."