The words she had Wei Zhong deliver to the old madam could be said to be quite forceful threats in the final sentence.

If Old Madam Wang was clear-minded, she would surely understand… if she couldn’t bear to part with this adopted son, the Wang family’s wealth and honor would come to an end. Bai Qingyan was now the sovereign whose word carried absolute authority. Although she was a junior, she could certainly do what she said.

Actually, originally Bai Qingyan didn’t want to interfere in Wang family matters as long as they didn’t involve A’Jue, but this couple’s ambitions were too great – they actually dared to covet A’Jue’s marriage.

Wei Zhong acknowledged the order and hurriedly left with the imperial edict to go to the Wang mansion.

Wang Mansion

That Old Madam Wang was so angered that she coughed up blood was truly beyond Wang Liu Shi’s expectations.

No matter what, Old Madam Wang was currently their Wang family’s only support. Although the couple didn’t truly honor and love this Old Madam Wang as a mother from the bottom of their hearts, they genuinely hoped from their hearts that Old Madam Wang would live to be a hundred.

Normally, the Wang Liu Shi couple served her with the finest food and drink. Whether it was premium bird’s nest, deer antler, or ginseng that they wouldn’t even bear to give to their birth mother, or nourishing medicinal meals, they sent these things flowing like water to Old Madam Wang’s courtyard.

Today, they had merely complained in front of Old Madam Wang that Wang Shi had been summoned to the Empress Dowager and His Majesty but didn’t know to bring along their niece. They had entreated the old madam to speak with Wang Shi about quickly settling the marriage between their daughter and Prince Zhongguo Bai Qingjue.

Who knew that Wang Liu Shi’s good-for-nothing daughter would actually criticize Wang Shi in front of Old Madam Wang. When Old Madam Wang reprimanded her a few times, saying that with such lack of understanding of propriety, how could she be worthy of Prince Zhongguo, this unfilial daughter became indignant and shouted that a non-birth grandmother wasn’t close family and just couldn’t stand to see her doing well. This immediately angered the old madam so much that she coughed up blood.

The couple was now panicking beyond belief.

When Wang Shi returned, not only was she accompanied by the Empress Dowager’s attendant Nanny Qin, but she was also followed by groups of imperial physicians and imperial guards.

The Wang Liu Shi couple were scared out of their wits, and their daughter was so frightened she hid in her boudoir bed wrapped in quilts, trembling.

“Mother…” Wang Shi lifted her skirts and rushed quickly to Old Madam Wang’s bedside, caring about nothing else.

On the bed, Old Madam Wang with her silver hair had her eyes tightly closed. The flickering candlelight illuminated Old Madam Wang’s sallow complexion, making Wang Shi’s heart feel as if it were being cut by knives.

Wang Shi knelt on the cypress footstool carved with images of many sons and grandsons, gripping her mother’s withered hands tightly with both hands, choking as she called: “Mother… Mother, your daughter has returned! Mother…”

Nanny Qin and Nanny Guan supported Wang Shi on either side, saying: “Fourth Madam, please rise quickly and let the imperial physician treat the old madam!”

Wang Shi nodded repeatedly and was helped to step aside, then saw Imperial Physician Huang come forward to take Old Madam Wang’s pulse.

After taking her pulse, Imperial Physician Huang looked at the old madam’s pupils and pried open her mouth to examine it, then said: “Fourth Madam, don’t worry. The old madam has been over-nourished in daily life, causing internal heat, and combined with extreme anger attacking the heart, that’s why she coughed up blood. This humble physician will immediately prescribe medicine for the old madam and then apply acupuncture… It shouldn’t be anything serious.”

“Thank you, Imperial Physician Huang!” Wang Shi nodded repeatedly.

“Elder sister… You heard it – we, husband and wife, are very filial to our mother in daily life, constantly sending supplements to our mother. But we didn’t know that eating too many supplements is also bad!” Wang Dingkun came forward to bow to Wang Shi. These words were mostly for Nanny Qin to hear. “We, husband and wife, only hope for mother to live to be a hundred!”

Nanny Guan’s eyes looked as if she could devour this couple. Nanny Qin stood to one side without making a sound, but her gaze toward the couple was coldly courteous.

Since the old madam hadn’t awakened yet and Fourth Madam was worried sick, Nanny Qin didn’t want to pull out the Empress Dowager’s authority at this moment and make Fourth Madam’s heart more troubled.

Before coming, Dong Shi had instructed Nanny Qin to wait until Old Madam Wang awakened before doing anything. If Old Madam Wang asked the Empress Dowager to intervene, then Nanny Qin would represent the Empress Dowager and step forward.

After Imperial Physician Huang applied acupuncture to Old Madam Wang, she gradually awakened. Seeing her mother take a long breath of relief, Fourth Madam Wang Shi quickly came forward, tears falling like broken pearls. Watching Imperial Physician Huang withdraw the needles, only then did she step forward…

But before Fourth Madam Wang Shi could speak, Wang Dingkun and Wang Liu Shi, the couple, quickly knelt crying by Old Madam Wang’s bedside.

“Mother, mother, you scared your son to death!” Wang Dingkun crawled forward on his knees. “It’s all your son’s fault for not properly educating that unfilial daughter who dared to contradict her mother. Mother, rest assured… your son will immediately invoke family law!”

“Mother! Mother, please spare Rou’er!” When Wang Liu Shi heard Wang Dingkun mention family law, her face immediately turned deathly pale with fright, and she hurriedly kowtowed to Old Madam Wang. She knew what kind of person her husband was – to put on a show for this nanny from the Empress Dowager’s side, he would invoke family law. “Mother, please say something! The master will beat Rou’er to death! That’s your granddaughter!”

Nanny Guan gritted her teeth and said coldly: “The old madam has just awakened – how can she endure such crying and commotion?”

Nanny Qin also looked at the couple and said slowly: “This old servant is the Empress Dowager’s personal attendant nanny. Presuming to speak a word or two – the old madam has just awakened, and Master Wang and his wife kneeling before the old madam’s bed crying and making a scene is quite improper. However, a daughter in the family is to be punished is the parents’ responsibility and needn’t be specially reported to the old madam, especially when the old madam was just angered to coughing blood and has just awakened after the imperial physician’s acupuncture treatment. This is precisely when she needs quiet rest and probably can’t bear such noise.”

Nanny Qin’s words made both Wang Dingkun and Wang Liu Shi break out in cold sweats.

“Yes, yes, yes! Nanny is right!” Wang Dingkun turned to glare at his wife Wang Liu Shi and angrily shouted: “You still have the face to cry? What are you crying about? Raising a daughter like that who dares to contradict her grandmother, and you still have the face to cry!”

Wang Shi looked at her mother’s sallow complexion, tears falling like broken pearls: “Mother! Mother…”

It was all because she was useless and couldn’t protect her mother.

Today, she hadn’t asked her sister-in-law and A’Bao at the palace banquet to grant A’Jue a marriage, and tonight this couple had angered Mother to cough up blood. If she didn’t comply… if they tormented her mother like this repeatedly, would her mother still have her life?

Old Madam Wang’s eyes were vacant. She remained silent because her heart was thoroughly chilled. She asked herself, toward the adopted heir and daughter-in-law… granddaughter, she had devoted her heart and soul, treating them even better than her daughter, just afraid of being criticized behind her back.

From the moment that granddaughter was born, she had cherished and held her as she grew up. There was genuine affection between grandmother and granddaughter.

But her granddaughter had blurted out that a non-birth grandmother wasn’t a real grandmother, which showed… these words must have been said by Wang Dingkun and Wang Liu Shi to this child before.