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All eyes in the room were on her, and suddenly, she had the urge to bang her head against the wall again.

What to do, what to do...

"Is Miss Yang here?" a voice asked.

That's a wonderful call, a truly brilliant one!

Yang Nianqing breathed a sigh of relief as if she had been granted a pardon, almost grateful to the voice. She immediately craned her neck and said, "Yes, yes, who is it? Come in quickly!"

A maid entered and said, "Our mistress would like to invite you over, young lady, to discuss something. Does she have the time?"

Madam Ye? Not only Yang Nianqing was stunned, but He Bi and the others were also taken aback. Madam Ye rarely showed her face, so why was she suddenly being summoned?

The maidservant then asked, "Does Miss Yang have any free time?"

Yang Nianqing realized what was happening and nodded repeatedly: "I'm free, very free!"

As long as she doesn't stay here, that's fine! Although Madam Ye is a suspect, since she came to invite her in front of so many people, she probably won't do anything to her.

In her haste to escape, she completely forgot about the secret of the painting she was about to reveal.

Thank you to everyone who supported us and wrote thoughtful comments, and thank you to ycf18 for the long review.

I'm so late today because I had to make some revisions...

Oops, I meant to thank the friend who pointed out the typo in the article, but I accidentally clicked "delete comment" instead of "reply." It's been corrected now. Thank you to the person who read it carefully.

Volume Three: The Dreamer Asks About Love

The incense burned softly, and the embroidered curtains hung low, keeping out all the chill. The room's soft tones created a warm and comfortable atmosphere. Madam Ye sat quietly in her chair, her demeanor dignified, still so gentle and pure. Could such a woman be a murderer? Could she have had an affair?

Yang Nianqing was stunned for a moment.

Upon seeing her enter, Madam Ye immediately smiled and offered her a seat: "Miss Yang, are you comfortable here?"

Yang Nianqing snapped out of her daze and said, "Very good, thank you, Madam."

After sitting down, Madam Ye nodded to the side, and a maid immediately served tea. Then she looked at Yang Nianqing with a kind smile and said, "I am usually unable to come out, so please forgive me if I have been negligent in any way."

Hearing these slightly apologetic words, Yang Nianqing quickly replied politely, "Not at all, we are already very sorry for disturbing you for so long, Madam."

Mrs. Ye nodded.

Yang Nianqing thought something was wrong, but after waiting for a long time, Madam Ye stopped talking and just stared at her quietly, as if she had fallen into a daze.

Just as she was filled with doubt, she finally heard a soft sigh.

"Does the young lady know that You'er has improved a lot these past two days..."

Tang Keyou? Yang Nianqing was stunned.

Madam Ye smiled slightly at her: "I am very pleased that he could do this. I suppose Miss Yang has also contributed to this."

She was doubting herself and her son...

Yang Nianqing realized what was happening and immediately deflected the question: "Not at all. Actually, I'm not very familiar with Young Master Tang. I only offered him a few words of advice. As the saying goes, a mother and son are of one heart. It's only now that he has finally understood your good intentions."

"That's good," Madam Ye seemed to murmur to herself, then looked at her meaningfully, "Although we're not close, You'er has been mentioning you to me a lot these past few days."

What does this mean?! What is Tang Keyou up to?!

Yang Nianqing could only pretend to be stupid: "Maybe I don't know the rules, and he thinks I'm a laughing stock."

Madam Ye shook her head.

After a while.

She sadly looked away: "Although You'er didn't say anything, how could I, as his mother, not understand what he meant? I'm afraid Miss Yang also knows what he means."

Yang Nianqing was startled and quickly explained, "Madam is overthinking it..."

Madam Ye interrupted, "Whether Miss Yang knows or not, it's just..."

She sighed softly, then looked intently at Yang Nianqing: "But he can't have that blessing."

Yang Nianqing was stunned.

Was this a reminder to herself? Or a warning? Driven by the instinctive pride of a modern woman, a nameless anger flared within her. What your son thinks is none of my business!

Seeing her somewhat annoyed expression, Madam Ye quickly took her hand: "Miss Yang, please don't misunderstand. I meant no harm. You'er is truly grateful to you for turning back, but..."

They paused for a moment.

She gently held Yang Nianqing's hand and whispered, "But every mother in the world hopes that her children will live out their lives peacefully. I... I really don't want him to have anything to do with people like you..."

silence.

Madam Ye raised her head.

His no-longer-young face wore a cautious expression, as if afraid of upsetting her. His elegant eyes stared at her without blinking, filled with longing and sorrow.

Yang Nianqing's anger suddenly vanished, replaced by guilt and sadness.

Standing before him was just an ordinary mother, a mother humbling herself to say these words to him. If it wasn't for her son, what else could it be? Anyway, he and Tang Keyou had no other relationship…

Thinking of this, Yang Nianqing immediately withdrew her hand without showing any emotion, and smiled, "Madam is overthinking things. We have always been just ordinary friends. Perhaps Madam has misunderstood?"

Hearing this, Madam Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded sadly: "You are a good child too. You're fond of you, how could I, as your mother, not know? But... I don't want anything to happen to him, so I have to apologize to him this time..."

Yang Nianqing was about to speak—

"Mother, Mother, come quick!" The embroidered curtain was lifted, and a person walked in.

It was Tang Kesi, who was walking around looking at a painting, her little face full of curiosity: "Mom, who is this beautiful woman in the painting?"

Madam Ye scolded, "A young lady shouting like that, she's getting more and more unruly."

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Yang Nianqing coughed.

Tang Kesi happily put away the painting, snuggled up to Madam Ye and started to act coquettishly. Suddenly, she noticed Yang Nianqing was also there and immediately said happily, "So you invited Sister Yang to talk. Why didn't you call me?"

Yang Nianqing smiled and changed the subject: "What beauty? Where is she?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Kesi remembered and handed the scroll to her: "Here it is. I found it in my mother's room just now, but I don't know who it depicts."

Madam Ye tapped her forehead: "You've been rummaging through your mother's things again!"

"No way!" Tang Kesi pouted. "I was just looking for clothes and found it while I was at it." Then she asked curiously, "Mother, the beauty in the painting is so pretty, who is she? I've never seen her before."

Madam Ye smiled and said, "There are many paintings in the house. How could Mother remember them all? Let's open them and take a look first."

Yang Nianqing nodded in agreement and slowly unfolded the painting, but her expression changed after just one glance.

After a while.

She pointed at the painting and stammered, "This, this is..."

Madam Ye took it and smiled kindly, "This is my mother."

My mother? Mrs. Ye's mother?

Yang Nianqing was dumbfounded.

No wonder I felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing her; now I understand! With her unique background, it's no wonder she couldn't accept her husband's betrayal, and it's entirely possible she killed him in a fit of rage!

Madam Ye and Tang Kesi did not notice the strange expression on her face, as they were engrossed in looking at the painting.

Tang Kesi said happily, "I never knew my maternal grandmother was so beautiful."

Madam Ye lovingly stroked her daughter's hair: "When I was a teenager, she left and never returned. I searched for her for many years but could not find her. I'm afraid she has passed away, which is why you don't recognize her, not even your father knows her."

Her tone carried a hint of sadness, as if she had been abandoned by her mother.

Tang Kesi was slightly taken aback: "Then... who is my maternal grandfather?"

Madam Ye shook her head: "He passed away a long time ago, I never met him."

Seeing her mother's expression, Tang Kesi was stunned for a moment, then immediately smiled and tugged at her mother's sleeve, saying coquettishly, "Mom, don't you still have me and my brother?"

Madam Ye sighed softly, "Yes, as long as you are all alright, I am relieved."

It turned out that things were different from what she had said before! She hadn't been separated from her mother; rather, her mother had disappeared without a trace, and she had never seen her father. The question that had been bothering her was finally answered. Yang Nianqing was overjoyed, but also felt a pang of sympathy—all these years, besides her husband and children, she must have had nothing.

Half a day.

Tang Kesi seemed to have thought of something and took Madam Ye's hand: "Mother, I... want to learn to paint."

Madam Ye smiled and said, "What's so difficult about that?"

"But...uh..." Tang Kesi blushed and quietly touched Yang Nianqing's arm.

Yang Nianqing snapped out of her daze and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Tang Kesi whispered, "But, I want to learn to draw, and I want to find the best artist..."

Madam Ye was puzzled, but Yang Nianqing already understood and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. So that's what she meant. Wasn't it obvious? Who was the best painter? But Madam Ye didn't want her children to be associated with her people at all. Besides, Nangong Xue had been framed in this case and was a victim. How could she possibly agree to that?

Seeing that Yang Nianqing refused to help, Tang Kesi became anxious and her face turned red.

Her intentions were so obvious that Madam Ye, being an experienced woman, could easily see through the young girl's thoughts. She couldn't help but laugh: "This girl is getting more and more cunning these days. Who would you like to hire to teach you?"

Tang Kesi lowered her head and remained silent.

Madam Ye deliberately turned her hand away: "Since you won't tell me, there's nothing I can do to help you."

"Mother!" Tang Kesi finally couldn't hold back anymore, hugging her mother's arm with both hands, her face flushed as she whispered, "I've heard Father say that Brother Nangong is very good at painting..."

As expected, before she could finish speaking, Madam Ye's face darkened: "No!"

Tang Kesi was stunned: "Mother, you..."

"No, from today onwards, you are not allowed to go to them again!"

"mother--"

Madam Ye said sternly, "Go back to your room. You are not allowed to go to the South Courtyard again, and you are not allowed to mention this matter again!"

Tang Kesi and Yang Nianqing were stunned, probably because they had never seen her so angry before.

After a while.

Tang Kesi's eyes reddened, tears welling up: "Mom...why are you being so fierce..."

Seeing her distress, Madam Ye realized that her tone had been too harsh, so she could only sigh and say softly, "Listen to me, Madam Ji's paintings are now famous all over the world. If you want to learn, I will ask her to teach you, okay?"

"I don't want to!" Tang Kesi pouted, feeling wronged, and ran out.