The old Madam of Marquis Yining’s fingers were as thin and dry as withered branches, her nails appearing somewhat thick and an unhealthy grayish-white color.

What caught Jiang Si’s attention, however, were the three faint red lines on the old Madam’s middle fingernail.

These three red lines struck Jiang Si as particularly alarming when she saw them.

She stared at that spot for a moment, lost in thought.

Noticing Jiang Si’s distraction, Jiang Yi instinctively looked down and was equally stunned to see the three red lines on the old Madam’s nail.

The old Madam moved her hand and asked Jiang Yi, “Yi’er, are you all doing well at the Earl’s manor?”

Jiang Yi quickly averted her gaze and smiled at the old Madam, “Please don’t worry. I’m doing very well since returning home, and Yan’yan has also adapted well…”

“Grandmother, where are you feeling unwell?” Jiang Si asked.

The old Madam rested for a moment, then smiled at Jiang Si, “At my age, nothing feels right anymore. You don’t need to worry about me…”

Uncle Su said, “Let the old Madam rest.”

Seeing how truly exhausted and weak the old Madam was, Jiang Yi stood up, pulling Jiang Si with her. “Grandmother, please rest well. We’ll come back to see you later.”

The three siblings followed Uncle Su and the others to the flower hall, their mood quite heavy.

The old Madam’s condition inevitably brought to mind the phrase “like a candle in the wind.”

It seemed that the flame of life could be extinguished by even the slightest breeze.

“Uncle, what illness is Grandmother suffering from?” Jiang Zhan, being impatient, asked as soon as they entered the flower hall.

“The physician we invited said the old Madam is suffering from heart failure,” Uncle Su’s expression was grave. “Her heart has suddenly begun to fail. The medicines can only nourish her slightly, but cannot prevent her condition from deteriorating further…”

“Uncle, do you mean Grandmother’s condition is very bad?” Jiang Zhan asked.

Uncle Su glanced at the doorway and slowly nodded, “The physician said that people with this condition might suddenly stop breathing. Now we can only pray for heaven’s blessing…”

Jiang Yi’s eyes suddenly reddened, and she dabbed at them with her handkerchief.

Jiang Zhan gave Jiang Si a look, wanting her to comfort Jiang Yi, but saw that Jiang Si seemed distracted.

He had to speak up himself, “Elder Sister, don’t cry. Grandmother will surely be blessed by heaven—”

The rest of his consoling words were cut off by Jiang Yi’s unexpected statement.

“Mother was like this too.”

“Elder Sister, what did you say?” Jiang Si suddenly snapped back to attention, staring directly at Jiang Yi.

Jiang Yi didn’t look at Jiang Si but at Uncle Su instead. “Uncle, do you remember? Back then, Mother also passed away due to heart failure…”

Uncle Su nodded slightly.

Jiang Si grasped Jiang Yi’s hand, “Elder Sister, do you still remember the circumstances of Mother’s death?”

“I was old enough to remember things then, so I recall some of it.”

For a young child, the two most important people in life are their parents.

Although Jiang Yi was young when Madam Su passed away, it left an indelible impression on her.

“Could it be that heart failure is passed from mother to daughter—” Jiang Yi murmured.

Uncle Su frowned, “Yi’er, don’t let your imagination run wild. You’ll frighten your brother and sister.”

Jiang Zhan exclaimed, “Uncle, we should still clarify this! Why would it only be passed from mother to daughter? Elder Sister and Fourth Sister have delicate constitutions, unlike me who can bear it…”

He looked as if he deeply regretted it wasn’t passed from mother to son, causing Uncle Su and Second Uncle Su to twitch their lips simultaneously.

This nephew indeed had no subtlety; wishing it was passed from mother to son was tantamount to cursing them for also suffering from heart failure.

While inwardly criticizing, they were also moved by Jiang Zhan’s love for his sisters.

Jiang Yi raised her hand and lightly hit Jiang Zhan, chiding, “Second Brother, don’t talk nonsense.”

If Grandmother’s illness was indeed hereditary, she would rather bear it herself than have her brother suffer.

“I’m feeling unwell and want to rest for a while,” Jiang Si suddenly said, holding her forehead.

In the past, if Jiang Si felt unwell, she would at most mention it privately, and would never say it in front of elders like Uncle Su.

As a junior, saying this would be disrespectful, but as the Princess Consort of Prince Yan, no one could criticize her.

The benefits that came with her elevated status were evident.

Lady You, the eldest sister-in-law, immediately arranged for a maid to lead Jiang Si to a guest room to rest.

Jiang Yi, concerned, followed along.

“Fourth Sister, how are you feeling?” Seeing Jiang Si’s pale face, Jiang Yi asked anxiously.

Her younger sister was braver than her and shouldn’t have been frightened by what she had said earlier.

Jiang Si didn’t immediately answer Jiang Yi, but instead instructed Aman, “Go guard the door and alert us if anyone approaches.”

Jiang Yi looked at Aman, then at Jiang Si, sensing something was amiss.

“Fourth Sister, what’s wrong?”

Jiang Si bit her lip, her clenched hands showing white knuckles.

“Elder Sister, were Mother’s symptoms the same as Grandmother’s?”

So Fourth Sister wanted to know about Mother’s condition.

Jiang Yi nodded slightly, “Yes, back then Mother grew weaker day by day. I was terrified and stayed by her side constantly. Once, I overheard the physician telling Father that Mother was suffering from heart failure. The medicines could only prolong her life for a short while, but couldn’t save her…”

As she spoke, Jiang Yi’s mind conjured up the image of Madam Su on her deathbed.

The stunningly beautiful woman, like a withered flower, smiled quietly at her, her eyes filled with an inextinguishable sorrow and overwhelming concern for her young children.

It was the most heartbreaking gaze she had ever seen, recurring in her dreams for many years after, causing her to wake up crying and calling for her mother.

Her mother had left them so young, abandoning her, her brother and sister, and their father.

“Mother looked just like Grandmother does now.”

Jiang Si extended her hand to Jiang Yi, asking word by word, “What about the nail on the middle finger of the left hand? Were the three bloodlines the same?”

As she asked, her voice trembled with suppressed emotion.

Jiang Yi hesitated, looking at Jiang Si, “Fourth Sister, why are you asking this—”

“Elder Sister, think carefully. Did Mother also have three bloodlines on the third finger of her left hand before she died, just like Grandmother?”

Jiang Yi became inexplicably nervous, and amidst her sister’s urgent questioning, her myriad thoughts condensed into a single word: “Yes!”

Jiang Si supported herself on the bed, her face pale.

“Fourth Sister, what’s going on?” Jiang Yi grasped Jiang Si’s hand, which felt like a block of ice.

Jiang Si’s face was expressionless, but her eyes were like a cold pond, bottomless.

“Mother didn’t die from illness!” she said, enunciating each word.

The color drained from Jiang Yi’s face as she stared intently at Jiang Si, her voice trembling as she asked, “Then, how did Mother pass away?”

Jiang Si closed her eyes, then opened them again, lowering her gaze to stare motionlessly at her own fingers.

The young woman’s fingers were as fair and delicate as spring onions, each nail rounded and neatly trimmed a healthy light pink color.

“It was poison,” she said softly.

To be precise, it wasn’t poison, but a Gu.

There was a type of Gu that could attach itself to the walls of the heart, surviving by feeding on heart blood. Over time, it would cause severe weakness in its host, manifesting symptoms of heart failure.

The most obvious sign of this Gu was the appearance of three faint red lines on the nail of the third finger of the left hand.