It was already evening when Huang Lian returned to the Huang family home.

The imperial physician stroked his gray beard, and when he saw Huang Lian walk in, his eyes lit up: "Lian'er, how is it?"

Upon hearing Physician Huang's voice, Huang Lian smiled and said, "Grandpa, why aren't you resting so late?"

"Grandpa is waiting for you. Have you eaten?" Doctor Huang asked with a smile.

Huang Lian nodded: "I ate at the county magistrate's house."

"I say, you little brat, how can you be so insensible?" A woman's voice came over, and Huang Lian's smile disappeared. She looked at the woman walking over and called out to her indifferently.

"Auntie."

Quan Cheng'er glanced at Huang Lian, then looked at Physician Huang, feeling wronged: "Father, look at Lian'er, I am now the master's wife and have entered the ancestral hall, but she still calls me aunt. If outsiders hear this, how embarrassing will it be!"

The smile on Physician Huang's face vanished, and he said coldly, "The condition for letting you into the ancestral hall was that you were not allowed to waste Lian'er's time and not to care about Lian'er. What, do you want to go back on your word now?"

Quan Cheng'er chuckled awkwardly, "Father, what are you saying? How could I possibly waste Lian'er's time? I just wanted to say that since we're going to the county princess to learn her skills, it's really inappropriate for us to eat at her place. People who don't know better might think that our Huang family can't afford to support Lian'er and won't even give her a meal!"

"Isn't that right?" Huang Lianmu looked at Quan Cheng'er with a blank face. "If it weren't for Grandpa, I would have starved to death. You wouldn't even give me a single bite to eat, would you?"

Quan Cheng'er's smile faltered: "What are you saying? It's not that you're too fat, I'm just trying to help you lose weight, you..."

"I told you, I didn't gain weight because I eat too much. If you have hearing problems, go see my dad!"

"Bitter melon!" The deep voice was laced with reprimand. "How dare you speak to your mother like that?"

Quan Cheng'er stared at Huang Baicao: "My mother died a long time ago, killed by you and my aunt!"

Anger flashed across Huang Baicao's face: "I've already said it, your mother's death was just bad luck, what does it have to do with us? Are you saying you want to kill me to avenge your mother?"

"Enough!" Doctor Huang shouted, "Why are you cursing Lian'er for no reason? Get out of here!"

Huang Baicao said with a dark face, "Father, you can't spoil her like this. Look at what you've done to her! With her like this, would the county princess even look at her? It would be better to let Zisu go. Zisu's medical skills are already superb. Father, they are all your granddaughters. You can't favor one over the other!"

Quan Cheng'er's eyes lit up and she immediately said, "That's right, Dad, Zisu is also your granddaughter!"

Huang Lian looked at Huang Baicao with a mocking expression: "My mother was truly blind to have married you!"

"Slap!" Huang Baicao slapped Huang Lian across the face. "You unfilial daughter! How dare you speak to your elders like that? Father! Look at you! No, I must teach her a lesson today! Otherwise, she'll spout nonsense in front of the county princess and embarrass the Huang family!"

"Guards! Seize the young lady!"

“Master, let it go, Lian’er is just a child. If anyone is to blame, it’s my bad birth. I was your concubine before, which made Lian’er look down on me. And our Zisu has been implicated because of me…”

As she spoke, Quan Cheng'er shed tears.

A mocking smile appeared on Huang Lian's lips. She knew this would happen. Every time, Quan Cheng'er would deliberately pick a fight, then pretend to be pitiful to gain her father's sympathy and punish her.

Huang Baicao quickly comforted Quan Cheng'er, then looked at Huang Lian: "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and apologize!"

"Apologize? What are you apologizing for! Are you blind?" Doctor Huang was furious and pulled Huang Lian behind him. "Come on, let's go back with Grandpa!"

"Dad! How long are you going to spoil her like this?" Huang Baicao's face was full of disapproval. "No, she's my daughter, I have the right to discipline her!"

"How dare you!" Physician Huang's face trembled with rage. "When I agreed to make her your principal wife, you promised me you wouldn't lay a finger on Lian'er! Look at what you just did! You hit Lian'er!"

"Is Lian'er wrong?" Physician Huang took a deep breath and said, word by word, "Back then, Lian'er's mother and she fell ill at the same time. Lian'er's mother, as the principal wife, didn't have a single doctor in her room, while she, a concubine, had more than a dozen doctors in her room! It's just a headache, does it really need so many doctors?"

"But Lian'er's mother was poisoned! She missed her chance and could only die in Lian'er's arms! Regardless of what her reasons were, regardless of whether Lian'er's mother's poisoning was related to her or not, just because she, a mere concubine, intercepted all the doctors, are you not at fault? Why would a mere concubine dare to do such a thing? Isn't it because you are backing her up?"

"The reason I haven't mentioned this to you all these years doesn't mean I agree with what you say about Lian'er's mother being unlucky. I thought that since Lian'er's mother was already dead, as long as you treated Lian'er well, that was fine. But Huang Baicao! How did you treat my granddaughter! Did you not have enough money to buy food in the mansion? You actually let her faint from hunger!"

Huang Baicao's eyes flickered, and she said timidly, "Father, these are all things from the past, why bring them up?"

Doctor Huang closed his eyes briefly: "I may be old, but I'm not stupid! Do whatever you want, I can't control you, but don't you dare harm my granddaughter!"

"As for those perilla and green perilla, I don't recognize them!"

"Furthermore, this is my home. You dare to order my people to beat Lian'er? Get out of here! Steward! They are not allowed to enter the mansion again!"

Doctor Huang shouted excitedly, then grabbed Huang Lian and left.

The butler glanced at Huang Baicao and Quan Cheng'er with disdain: "Please leave, both of you."

Quan Cheng'er tugged at Huang Baicao's sleeve, but Huang Baicao flicked her long sleeves and said, "Fine, I'll go! I want to see how he'll beg me to take care of him when he can't move anymore!"

"Watch your words!" The butler frowned. "Master, how could you curse the old master!"

Huang Baicao snorted coldly and left with Quan Cheng'er.

At this moment, Physician Huang looked at Huang Lian with pity and sighed, "It's all my fault. I didn't know what had happened in the manor. I bear half the responsibility for your mother's death!"

Huang Lian shook her head: "It's not your grandfather's fault. Back then, you were in the palace and had no idea what was happening in the manor. After you found out, you turned against your father to protect me..."

Physician Huang waved his hand: "Alright, let's not talk about the past. The county princess is a highly skilled physician. If you follow her, you will definitely learn something. Besides, the county princess is now a favorite of the emperor, which is also a good thing for you."

Huang Lian nodded slightly, not taking Huang Taiyi's words to heart.

Physician Huang gave Huanglian a few more instructions before letting her go to rest.

As soon as Huang Lian arrived at the gate of her yard, she smelled an unusual odor. Her heart skipped a beat, and she rushed in. Seeing the mess of herbs and medicine pots all over the ground, she clenched her fists tightly. Huang Zisu!