Ning shook her head, kneeling on the ground and burst into tears, “I was wrong, I made every mistake, it’s all my fault. Please don’t hurt Huan'er.”

"You venomous woman, you actually dared to lay your hands on YaoYao?"

Jiang Hao angrily pointed at the woman on the ground, looking like he really didn't know.

Jiang Yao sneered, "Uncle, I also told you back then that your daughter wouldn't do these things."

Jiang Hao's old face flushed red, "Yaoyao, I really didn't know..."

"I don't know if that's an excuse, I don't know if you can check. Your daughter wouldn't do it. Could my father's daughter be like that?" Jiang Yao retorted in a low voice.

Jiang Hao sighed, "It's my fault, it's all my fault."

Jiang Yao let out a cold smile. "Alright, Aunt, do you want to cry and make a scene or go outside? Don't scare my son here."

Ning shi dared not speak any further, her heart was in her throat, wondering if Jiang Yao had any intention of letting her and her daughter go.

“Today there are many people here, so let me just say this: although we are distant relatives, I can't even remember how far apart we are. From now on, let’s each go our separate ways. All the silver you received under the banner of Prince Jiang's Mansion belongs to you. As for whether you can maintain your current prosperity in the future, that depends entirely on your own abilities.”

Everyone was shocked. Was Jiang Yao severing ties with all of us?

"Yao Yao, you can't just be the head of the household like this! You are a woman, and your grandmother is elderly. How will you manage such a large estate in the future?"

"How can a woman just give up? Even if I'm not capable, I have my husband and my son. They are the closest people to me in this world. I believe in them, it's better than believing some strangers."

Everyone present wanted to speak, yet no one dared.

Jiang Yao no longer helps her family back home, which is equivalent to cutting off their lifeline.

Before coming here, Li Tianjiao had promised well. Now, after making a white trip, he didn't get any benefits at all.

But Li Tianjiao was already dead, and they had nowhere to argue. Jiang Yao certainly wouldn't admit it, so she could only swallow this bitter pill.

"Yaoyao, no matter how far apart we are, we are still family. Think about this again?"

"Aunt, you don't speak so I forgot. When I was little..."

"Yao Yao, your aunt was also bewitched back then." The woman quickly explained.

Jiang Yao smiled, "My grandmother's health isn't good. It looks like she doesn't have many days left. Since you're here, why not stay at the mansion for a few days?"

After a few days, all of them should just get lost.

The crowd was dissatisfied, but they didn't dare speak up. After all, each of them present had, to some extent, mistreated Jiang Yao.

Now they are all afraid of Jiang Yao's revenge.

"Let's go see Grandmother," Jiang Yao said, rising gracefully without even glancing at the panicked people on the floor.

Out of the house, Fu Jiujiu couldn't help but ask, "Third sister-in-law, are you going to let them go?"

Jiang Yao shook her head. "Compared to directly punishing them, there's nothing more satisfying than making them live in constant fear. Jiang Huan has bullied me, but the child in her belly is innocent. After becoming a mother myself, I can't bear to see this happen. Let's wait until after she gives birth and then talk about it."

Fujujio finally saw her rise, feeling both relief and happiness.

“My Lady, how did you come back?” The maidservant beside Madam Jiang saw that Jiang Yao was much more respectful than before.

"My own home, do I still need to tell you when I come back?"

"Grandma shook her head, 'I dare not.'"

"Where's my grandmother?" Jiang Yao had always heard about the old lady's condition from Fu Jiujiu. Now that she was seeing her, her heart skipped a beat.

A mixture of flavors, indescribable.

The old woman was gaunt and haggard, with sunken eyes. She lay on the bed unable to speak, only her cloudy eyes moving, her mouth slightly open, saliva dripping from within. In this slovenly state, there was no trace of her former elegance.

Elder Wang looked at Jiang Yao, who walked gracefully to the bedside and sat down slowly. There was a trace of fear in her eyes, and she whimpered, not knowing what she was expressing.

Regret it?

It's too late.

Jiang Yao took out a handkerchief and wiped the saliva from her mouth. The maidservant beside her, afraid of being blamed for not taking good care of her, quickly explained: "Your Highness, the old servant just wiped it for you, but after a while, it happened again."

Jiang Yao didn't say anything. This grandmother had followed her grandmother for many years, she should still have some affection.

Lady Jiang, the former Queen Mother, did not know how her eyes had become filled with tears. Looking at Jiang Yao, she no longer had the sharpness in her gaze from before.

Elderly Empress Jiang's gaze shifted to the seventh child in the wet nurse's arms.

Jiang Yao smiled, "This is my son, nicknamed Qi Pang, his given name is Fu Tian Guan."

Queen Jiang looked at the child, closed her eyes, and she knew.

She looked at Jiang Yao, sobbing with tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

"On the side, Grandma also wiped away her tears, 'County Princess, many doctors have been consulted, they all said that the poison of the Duchess has entered the five viscera and six bowels, there is no cure for it. She's just barely holding on, she's just waiting for you to come back.'"

Jiang Yao let out a cold smile. “What am I supposed to do when I come back? Are you talking about the deep bond between ancestors and descendants, or are you trying to tell me that you regret it?”

"Your Highness, this can't be blamed on the old Madam. It’s truly because the Second Madam hid it too well."

Jiang Yao glanced at the old woman speaking, she didn't blame her for talking too much. She knew that these words might just be what her grandmother meant.

"Grandma, I'm only here to see you. It's just a visit between generations. I don't want people to talk. But these years, your coldness has allowed them to bully me. Although you haven't personally done anything, you're no different from doing it yourself."

Elder Wang's eyes widened, but she couldn't utter a word.

“You said your wish was to protect the Jiang Mansion, rest assured, I will definitely do it. After all, this is also my home.”

"My Lady, even the Dowager Empress is like this. You can't..."

"No." Jiang Yao said in a low voice. "I didn't feel warmth here, and I couldn't give you warmth either. This is the cause you planted early on, and now you reap what you sow. You can't blame anyone else."

Jiang Yao admired Fu Jiujiu very much. What method did she use to actually prolong the old woman's life to this point?

Elder Wangfei was gasping for air, but it was clear that she was taking in less and exhaling more.

He didn't last long before he breathed his last.

She remained with her eyes open until her death.

When Jiang Yao returned, Old Madam Jiang passed away. No one blamed Jiang Yao for Old Madam Jiang's death. Everyone assumed that the grandmother and granddaughter had a deep bond, and Old Madam Jiang simply waited for Jiang Yao to come back before passing away.

As to what the late Old Mrs. Jiang wanted to say before she died, whether resentment or regret, no one knows.

After the last incident, everything at home was ready and waiting for this day. We didn't even need to rush people from Pu Yang's hometown.

This time, Jiang Yao was in charge of hosting the funeral as the head of the Jiang family.

Others, not even a single fart dared to let out. After the burial, one by one they couldn't bear to stay an extra day and hurried back home.

I'm working overtime today, so I'll write two more chapters! I'll make up for it when I have time.

First published on the Traditional Chinese Novel Network

(Editor in charge：graphic novel)