Granny Wang examined the scar, then looked towards Mo Jiuye's face.
Mo Jiuye continued, "Also, when I was young, I loved eating the osmanthus cakes made by Granny's own hands. Whenever I returned home from the palace, Granny would bring me a few pieces.
And there was that time Nan Qi and I misbehaved, peeing in the wooden basin that Granny used for washing vegetables..."
To prove his identity, Mo Jiuye even went so far as to reveal such an embarrassing story.
After this, how could Granny Wang still have any doubts?
She took a few excited steps forward, approaching Mo Jiuye and trembling as she grasped his arm.
"Are you really the Ninth Young Master?" Granny Wang's face was already streaked with tears.
Seeing Granny Wang, Mo Jiuye also felt an exceptionally close connection.
When he noticed Granny Wang's unsteady body, he quickly reached out to support her.
But as he did so, Mo Jiuye realized that Granny Wang was emaciated, just skin and bones.
"Why has Granny become so frail?"
Granny Wang did not answer Mo Jiuye's question. Instead, she ignored He Zhiran and pulled him towards the screen.
"Ninth Young Master, quickly come with this old servant. If the Lady could see you, she would surely recover."
Both Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran understood that the reason Granny Wang said this was because she had determined that Mo Jiuye was indeed the biological son of Concubine Yuan.
Now was not the time to explain everything. From what Granny Wang had just said, Concubine Yuan's condition did not seem good.
Their primary concern at the moment was Concubine Yuan's health.
Granny Wang pulled Mo Jiuye to Concubine Yuan's bedside.
Concubine Yuan was currently looking in their direction, simultaneously struggling to raise one arm towards Mo Jiuye.
Perhaps due to her illness sapping her strength, her arm fell back down halfway.
Granny Wang shook off Mo Jiuye's supporting grasp and hurried a few unsteady steps to kneel by the bed.
"My Lady, you're awake. Look, the Ninth Young Master has come to see you."
Concubine Yuan raised her hand again, straining to grab Granny Wang's arm as she said with effort, "Help... help this Lady up."
Before Granny Wang could move, Mo Jiuye stepped forward and stopped her.
"Concubine Yuan should not exert herself in her unwell state."
He then glanced at He Zhiran by his side and explained, "My wife possesses some medical knowledge. Let her examine you first."
Hearing Mo Jiuye's introduction, Granny Wang finally turned her gaze to He Zhiran.
However, she did not scrutinize her further.
"Ninth Lady, please help the Lady. That vicious Empress has not only taken control of the Emperor and Empress Dowager, but also expelled all of the Lady's servants from her palace and sealed it off, forbidding anyone from bringing food - she means to starve the Lady to death..."
As she spoke, Granny Wang could not continue and began weeping in front of Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran.
Looking at the frail Concubine Yuan lying on the bed, devoid of her former graceful beauty, she appeared just like a shriveled old woman.
Her feeble state was no better than the Fourth Princess when they had seen her in the Southern Territory years ago.
He Zhiran stepped forward to take Concubine Yuan's pulse as Granny Wang continued to sob, relating Concubine Yuan's recent circumstances.
"This old servant has watched over the Concubine Yuan since she was young, but she has never suffered such hardship.
The Empress is truly heartless and deranged to attempt to starve her to death.
For a full twenty days, the Lady and I have been confined here. Fortunately, a few loyal servants from the Lady's palace would occasionally toss in a steamed bun from outside. Otherwise, the Lady and I would have perished long ago.
I had thought we would barely survive like this until the Empress's clan falls from power. But who knew that those few loyal servants were being watched, and someone informed the Empress that they had been secretly delivering steamed buns to the Lady. In the end, they met a brutal death, beaten to death with rods.
And that's not all - the Empress deliberately sent people to carry out an execution within the Lady's bedchamber.
The Lady had never witnessed such a scene and was so terrified, coupled with days of starvation, that she fell gravely ill.
With the Lady bedridden, this old servant's pleas fell on deaf ears! No matter how much I pleaded, those heartless guards would not summon a physician for the Lady."
By the time Granny Wang finished speaking, He Zhiran had completed her examination of Concubine Yuan.
Seeing her straighten up, Mo Jiuye inquired, "Zhiran, what is the Lady's condition?"
"Just as Granny described, she first suffered a mental breakdown from extreme shock, and then the prolonged starvation has led to severe dehydration."
He Zhiran did not explain in too much detail, as the medical terminology from her modern knowledge would be incomprehensible to people of this era.
However, Mo Jiuye understood one point: if a person remains dehydrated for an extended period, their organs would gradually fail, eventually leading to death.
Concubine Yuan's current state validated this.
"Zhiran, can she be saved?"
He Zhiran gave him a meaningful look.
Mo Jiuye immediately understood her implication.
To save Concubine Yuan, they would need to utilize the medical resources of the space.
The couple communicated silently through their unspoken understanding, leaving Granny Wang utterly confused.
"Ninth Young Master, Ninth Lady, what of the Lady's condition?"
"Rest assured, Granny. I will do my utmost to treat Concubine Yuan."
With that, He Zhiran pretended to walk towards the screen.
In Concubine Yuan's current state, it was unlikely that she could immediately consume food. However, apart from being frail, Granny Wang did not appear to be in mortal danger.
What she needed most urgently was replenishing her energy.
He Zhiran circled behind the screen, entering the space through her consciousness. From the storage, she retrieved some flour and processed it into egg noodles at the workstation. She then placed the noodles into a cloth bundle she had prepared earlier and brought it out with her.
Earlier, when she and Mo Jiuye had opened the door, Granny Wang had not paid any attention to whether He Zhiran was carrying a bundle.
He Zhiran approached them while holding the bundle and took out the freshly made noodles in front of Granny Wang.
"Granny, this is something my husband and I brought from home but did not finish on the journey. You can take it and boil it in hot water before eating."
At this point, Granny Wang was famished and did not question what He Zhiran had given her.
However, she understood that it was food.
She realized that He Zhiran was providing her with nourishment because Concubine Yuan had starved, and consuming something would help her recover gradually.
Moreover, looking at the small bundle of unknown substance, Granny Wang had already resolved that such precious food should be reserved for the Lady. She would be content with just drinking some broth.
Mo Jiuye did not know Granny Wang's thoughts. He understood that He Zhiran needed to take Concubine Yuan into the space for treatment, so his task now was to send Granny Wang away.
"Granny, my wife will need to treat Concubine Yuan shortly. You should go and eat something, then rest. I will be here with my wife, so you need not worry.
Also, my wife has a habit when treating patients - she dislikes having outsiders present. So unless I instruct you otherwise, you must not enter and disturb us."
