Ouyang Nuan hurried over and grasped her grandmother’s hand. Grand Madam Ning looked at her, a faint smile appearing at the corners of her lips.

Seeing that the grand madam had woken up, Physician Liu went outside to write a prescription, ordered someone to prepare the medicine, and instructed them to let the grand madam rest more and eat something before he left.

Grand Madam Ning tightly held the hand in her palm, feeling Ouyang Nuan’s warmth as she carefully examined her face. Ouyang Nuan had delicately arched willow-leaf eyebrows, an elegant nose that was both straight and refined, bright and clear eyes, and an extraordinarily serene and peaceful face…… Unable to help herself, Grand Madam Ning softly murmured, “Qing……”

Realizing that her grandmother was calling her late mother’s name, a trace of sorrow surfaced in Ouyang Nuan’s heart. She gently responded, “It’s me, Grandmother.”

Grand Madam Ning was stunned. She forced a smile, but tears had already fallen.

A long while later, Grand Madam Ning sat up, leaning against the bed. Ouyang Nuan helped her drink some water while softly reminding her, “Drink slowly, don’t choke.”

Grand Madam Ning smiled, her expression unusually gentle. “Why have you come?”

Ouyang Nuan’s face carried a warm and tranquil smile. “I came to see you.”

Grand Madam Ning touched the fabric of Ouyang Nuan’s clothing, frowning. “Why are you dressed so lightly? Nanny Du, bring that crimson crane feather cloak with the white fox fur lining……”

Nanny Du obeyed and left. Ouyang Nuan’s heart trembled slightly. Her grandmother never wore bright colors, so she immediately guessed that it must have been something her mother had worn before her marriage. Tears welled up in her eyes as she softly said, “Grandmother, you’re the only one in this world who treats me the best.”

Grand Madam Ning’s expression grew even softer. “Silly child.”

At that moment, a commotion was heard outside.

The maid, Lu’e, entered with a grim expression and reported, “Grand Madam, Second Master, Third Master, Second Madam, Third Madam, and several young masters and misses have all arrived. They say they’ve come to visit you.”

Visit? Ouyang Nuan’s second uncle, Lin Wenyuan, was Lin Wanru’s full elder brother and currently served as the minister of war. Her second aunt, Madam Jiang, was from a prominent family in Shanxi and was a concubine-born daughter of the former grand secretariat. Her third uncle, Lin Wenpei, held no official position and was a man who enjoyed indulgences. Her third aunt was from the Meng family, one of the four great merchant families of Jiangnan, and was exceptionally shrewd. These two uncles were not Grand Madam Ning’s biological sons and had never been particularly filial. Now, upon hearing that her eldest uncle’s youngest son had passed away, they had rushed over eagerly.

Her eldest uncle, Lin Wenlong, was an upright man but had a weak personality. Lin Wenyuan had coveted the title of Marquis Zhengou for years. This household had always relied on Grand Madam Ning to hold things together. If they saw that she was seriously ill, they would certainly take action!

As those thoughts ran through her mind, Ouyang Nuan maintained a smile and said to the frowning Grand Madam Ning, “Grandmother, I haven’t seen my uncles and aunts in a long time. Let me go out and greet them.”

Grand Madam Ning shook her head. “Silly child, they are here for me. They won’t leave until they see me! Furong, help me up!”

Furong hurried forward to support her, but before Furong could help the grand madam up, she began to cough violently.

Ouyang Nuan quickly stopped Grand Madam Ning. “Grandmother, let me go instead.”

Grand Madam Ning gazed into Ouyang Nuan’s eyes and, for the first time, saw a firmness and coldness in her gaze that had never been there before. She was momentarily startled, but Ouyang Nuan had already patted her hand reassuringly and said to Furong, “Take good care of Grandmother.”

With that, Ouyang Nuan, accompanied by Nanny Fang and Hongyu, slowly walked outside.

As soon as she stepped out of the main hall, she saw a group of people approaching hurriedly. Lin Wenyuan was at the forefront, his expression urgent. Lin Wenpei trailed half a step behind, followed by the others.

“Uncles, Aunts, Nuan’er greets you all.” Ouyang Nuan’s voice was warm and gentle as she spoke.

Lin Wenyuan was taken aback but quickly replaced his surprise with an affectionate expression. “Nuan’er, why are you here? No one even informed us!”

Second Madam, Madam Jiang, who was an elegant woman with an air of wealth, stepped forward and said, “Nuan’er must have heard the news and come to visit Mother. The poor old lady must be devastated right now. We should go in quickly and comfort her!”

Comfort?

They knew that the fifth young master of the main branch had passed away and that the grand madam was grieving. They had likely come to rub salt in her wounds and completely crush her!

Ouyang Nuan sneered in her heart, but her smile became even sweeter. “No wonder Mother always says Second Uncle and Second Aunt are the most filial. Knowing that Grandmother is grieving, you’ve especially come to visit. Unfortunately, today is inconvenient. Grandmother just fell asleep. It would be best if you all returned for now.”

Standing at the doorway, Ouyang Nuan blocked the only entrance. Lin Wenyuan, unwilling to lose face, studied her before saying, “We only wish to console Mother. She might already be awake. Yuanrou, go in and check!”

From the crowd, Lin Yuanrou stepped forward. She wore a silver-white long dress with a rose-red embroidered jacket trimmed with snowy white fox fur. Her delicate, palm-sized face was framed perfectly. She was Lin Wenyuan and Madam Jiang’s daughter, a year older than Ouyang Nuan. At this moment, she gracefully approached and said, “Nuan’er, I want to see Grandmother. She will surely be delighted to see me. Please step aside.”

Ouyang Nuan smiled elegantly. “Sister Rou, you are right. But since Grandmother favors you so much, you should know the rules of Rongxi Hall.”

She pointed toward the golden plaque hanging above them, which bore the words ‘Rongxi Hall’, an imperial gift from the former emperor. “This hall was personally bestowed by the late emperor. Without the grand madam’s permission, no one may enter uninvited. You might want to advise Uncle and Aunt. Fifth Brother has just passed away, and Grandmother is not in good spirits. Insisting on entering might only upset her further. Filial piety comes first in all things. You should understand this principle.”

Lin Yuanrou’s smile stiffened. She glanced at her parents, only to see Madam Jiang frantically signaling her. As elders, they could not argue too much with Ouyang Nuan, so Lin Yuanrou continued, “Nuan’er, what are you saying? Grandmother is ill, and as her children, my parents naturally must visit her. We will only stay for a short while to comfort her. We won’t disturb her rest.”

Hearing that, Ouyang Nuan lowered her eyes and sighed. “Sister Rou is absolutely right. But after hearing about Fifth Brother’s passing, Grandmother flew into a rage, blaming the servants for their neglect. She nearly punished them severely. It took a great deal of effort from me and Nanny Du to calm her down. She just fell asleep, and if she is disturbed now, she might erupt in fury again. Not only will the servants suffer, but Uncles and Aunts might be caught in the crossfire. Is that really necessary?”

Grand Madam Ning was clearly gravely ill, yet Ouyang Nuan had portrayed her as merely resting. Nanny Fang, watching her young miss lie so naturally, lowered her head to hide her laughter.

“Nonsense! We are Mother’s closest kin. How could she refuse to see us? Stop blocking the way and let us in!” Lin Wenpei, who never cared much for propriety, shouted impatiently.

Lin Wenyuan gave Ouyang Nuan a meaningful look and nodded. “Regardless, since we’re here, we must go in. Nuan’er, you wouldn’t really leave us standing outside, would you?”

With that, he stepped forward, preparing to push past Ouyang Nuan and force his way inside.