He Jiuniang's words reminded Magistrate Zhang of an incident that occurred last year when he went to the prefectural city to report on his duties.

Over the years, he has governed Daling County very well. There have been no major natural disasters or man-made calamities, and there have been very few difficult civil disputes.

Even the prefect praised him highly, so a promotion should have been a sure thing.

But because his daughter insisted on going to the prefectural city to play, he took his wife and children and the officials who came to assess him on the road.

During a rest stop along the way, a servant neglected their duties and knocked over a plate. Zhang Lanxiang immediately ordered the maid to be beaten, while his wife, Lady Lü, watched without intervening until he and the official in charge of the assessment went to investigate.

At the time, he didn't think much of it, but now that he thinks about it, wasn't it at that time that the officials who were assessing him had a bad impression of his family and told the prefect directly, thus hindering his promotion?

When Magistrate Zhang looked at He Jiu Niang again, his eyes showed a hint of excitement. This woman was truly amazing. Could she be a sorceress?

"I would appreciate any guidance from Dr. He."

His attitude was so respectful and devout that everyone was dumbfounded.

He Jiuniang calmly rambled on, "I wouldn't dare to offer guidance, but if you, sir, spend more time on your wife and daughter, you'll surely discover their problems and rise to prominence from there."

"Yes, yes, you make a lot of sense. I have been too lax in disciplining the children in recent years, otherwise I wouldn't have been stuck in this place for so many years!"

He suddenly understood, and his voice was filled with laughter.

Zhang Lanxiang stared in disbelief as her father was completely fooled by this woman, which only fueled her anger. Just as she was about to step forward and say something, she was stopped by the magistrate's men.

"Father! You actually helped outsiders bully me! What's the point of me living? I might as well be dead! Waaah..."

The little girl cried incessantly, but Magistrate Zhang ignored her and simply smiled as he said to He Jiuniang, "I will certainly discipline this child strictly from now on. Doctor He, please examine her illness first."

Since the county magistrate had given her such face, He Jiuniang didn't put on airs and nodded before stepping forward to check the situation.

"Get out of here! I don't want you to see this! You're a bad person!"

When Zhang Lanxiang throws a tantrum, she's no different from a common woman in the marketplace. She swings her arms and legs swiftly and wildly, beating the maids and servants around her so badly that they can only lower their heads and wipe away their tears.

"If you keep causing trouble, I'll have you tied up!"

Magistrate Zhang was furious. When did his obedient and sensible daughter become so disrespectable?

After being yelled at by her father, Zhang Lanxiang dared not shout anymore, but clenched her teeth to keep herself from crying out.

She couldn't understand how her usually intelligent father could be so easily fooled. Could it really be because that woman was pretty?

Thinking of this, she felt wronged again, thinking that it must be because of these things on her face that her father disliked her.

While her mind was in turmoil, He Jiuniang walked up to her and unceremoniously ripped off her face mask, revealing the pitted pimples on her face.

The little girl felt that everyone had seen her ugliest side, which hurt her self-esteem, and she burst into tears.

He Jiuniang originally wanted to tease this sharp-tongued little girl, but seeing how uncomfortable she was, she gave up and said seriously, "Don't cry, it's not a serious matter, just a few pimples."

Um?

Zhang Lanxiang instantly forgot her tears and looked at her with her big, bright eyes: "Is what you said true?"

Why would I lie to you?

Seeing that she was willing to speak properly, He Jiuniang's attitude softened considerably.

"You're not the only one who experiences this; many people do, it's just that yours is more severe than others."

After examining the girl and taking her pulse, He Jiuniang had already made up her mind.

Do you like spicy food?

He Jiuniang frowned. This shouldn't be the case. She had been here for so long and hadn't seen any chili peppers for sale on the street. Perhaps they weren't widely available at this time.

Or perhaps, no one knows yet that thing is edible.

That's why she's been so bored lately, and she's been thinking about going up the mountain to find a place to get some chili peppers from her spatial storage, but she just hasn't had the chance yet.

Zhang Lanxiang's current condition is clearly caused by excessive consumption of chili peppers, leading to a worsening of her acne.

No wonder Manager Ren said that her acne was hard to cure, and even if it improved at the time, it would start to recur after a few days.

If you don't watch what you eat, you're definitely not going to get better!

Zhang Lanxiang was taken aback, blinked twice, and asked, "How did you know?"

It's no secret that she's always had a strong palate. She used to think food was too bland and had little appetite. Then someone gave her father a few bowls of spicy peppers, saying they came from the Western Regions. She tried them and it opened up a whole new world for her. She can't live without spicy food every day.

Unfortunately, she was the only one in the entire household who liked this dish; her parents, siblings, and even the servants didn't like it, which made her feel somewhat lonely.

Before He Jiuniang could answer, Magistrate Zhang said anxiously, "Did you eat too much of that horn pepper? I told you long ago that you shouldn't eat too much of that stuff, but you wouldn't listen! It comes from the Western Regions, and we don't even know if it's poisonous. Look at you now, you're definitely poisoned!"

This was a very serious statement. Upon hearing that she was poisoned, Zhang Lanxiang was terrified and started crying again: "Waaaaah, I've been poisoned! I don't want to die! Help me, waaaaah..."

Madam Lü, disregarding her own safety, tearfully pleaded with He Jiuniang, "Doctor He, I'm so sorry for what happened earlier. We were rude. I apologize, please save Lan'er!"

He Jiuniang: ...This family really has a vivid imagination!

She cleared her throat and said very seriously, "It's not poisoning, it's just that I ate too much and got a sore throat. As I just said, as long as you drink some medicine according to my prescription, you'll be fine in seven or eight days."

She paused for a moment, then added, "Speaking of those horn peppers, I really like them too, but... we lost the seeds during our family's escape from famine. What a pity!"

As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at Magistrate Zhang.

Magistrate Zhang: ...

So you want it?

That stuff is incredibly spicy, what's so delicious about it?

But since He Jiuniang reminded him of this today, it wouldn't hurt to give her some, so he generously had the servants bring over a few basins.

In the past two years, because my daughter likes them, we've planted several large flowerpots in the yard.

Seeing that Magistrate Zhang was so generous, He Jiuniang readily wrote down the prescription and then instructed, "You must abstain from certain foods during this period, and eat less in the future. I will go back and prepare another box of acne-removing cream. Applying it to the affected area will reduce swelling and fade acne scars. You can send someone to Yuyuantang to pick it up in three days."

Zhang Lanxiang's small body went limp instantly.

Oh no, I can't happily eat rice anymore.

She has no soul...