Before she could finish speaking, He Jiuniang grabbed Meng Zhang's shoe, which the guard had just brought over to fetch the medicine powder, and slapped it squarely across his mouth.

He Jiuniang used some force this time, and the sole of her shoe hit her mouth hard and painfully, leaving a mark on the skin around her mouth.

The result was obvious: Meng Zhang's mouth quickly swelled up.

Everyone watched this scene in astonishment. How could Dr. He act so swiftly?

Whether they knew beforehand or only found out now, they were all bewildered because that blow with the sole of the shoe was so severe that Meng Zhang couldn't even open his mouth to speak; he could only keep crying.

Everyone immediately had the same thought: they could mess with anyone else in the future, but they must never mess with Madam Lu!

Distracted like this, everyone forgot what nonsense Meng Zhang had just said, and their focus completely shifted.

He Jiuniang was busy detoxifying everyone, and she had to listen to this idiot Kang Xiucai shouting so loudly. Was she afraid of not waking up her son?

This bastard poisoned her son, making him so weak now, and she hasn't even settled the score yet. She still has the nerve to babble here. What, does she think she's easy to bully?

"Lou Chong, take them away. Punish them if they deserve it, and detain them if they deserve it. Stop barking here, you're annoying me!"

He Jiuniang didn't even turn around to look at them, continuing to busy herself with her work, but her tone was one that was not easy to refuse.

Lou Chong didn't even look at Lu Baichuan's expression and said directly, "Yes, sister-in-law!"

Then they directly led their men and arrested Meng Zhang.

Everyone else went to line up to get their needles, but Kang Xiucai remained standing there, seemingly still reeling from the shock.

Lu Baichuan carried his son to stand next to He Jiuniang, covering his son with his cloak to keep him warm from the wind.

He Jiuniang looked up at the stunned Kang Xiucai, but didn't say anything. She just continued to help people detoxify. After everyone else had finished, He Jiuniang said, "Mr. Kang, if you don't come over soon, I'm going to pack my things and go home."

Kang Xiucai snapped out of his daze and walked stiffly toward He Jiuniang. He Jiuniang couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong, Mr. Kang? You can't take it anymore?"

He Jiuniang's tone carried a slight hint of sarcasm, which completely baffled Kang Xiucai.

"ah?"

He looked at He Jiuniang, but felt that her gaze was too sharp, so he dared not look at her and could only look away.

"I said, is it really that Mr. Kang can't accept such a small matter? If that's the case, I advise you to make plans as soon as possible and stop thinking about taking the imperial examinations."

Mr. Kang frowned but remained silent, forced to admit that his mental fortitude was indeed somewhat weak.

He Jiuniang continued, "The officialdom is not like the small school you run in the county town, where you face young children and parents who hope their children will succeed. Naturally, you won't come into contact with so many scheming people. But the officialdom is different. Everyone has their own agenda. When someone says something, you have to deduce more than ten different arguments. Sometimes, you can't even tell whether someone is being righteous or sarcastic. How can a teacher like that stand firm in the court?"

"Since ancient times, the strong prey on the weak. Even if you have a wealth of knowledge, sir, your mental fortitude is not very good, and you do not understand the ways of officialdom. Therefore, I am afraid that your official career will not be easy. You have studied hard for many years and have come to this point. Are you going to give up everything you have worked so hard for because of such a lack of mental fortitude?"

He Jiuniang doesn't like to persuade people with painstaking words; instead, she prefers to present the facts and let the other person make their own choice, which is the only way to achieve the desired effect.

Otherwise, if all you do is say things like, "It's okay, it's alright, it's not worth it for someone like that," then you might as well not say anything at all.

After hearing these words, Kang Xiucai was indeed inspired.

Yes, even though he was plagued by a serious illness, he never thought of giving up his scientific research. Should he give up just because he can't stand having such people around him?

If he can't even accept something like this today, how can he face the turbulent events in the court?

If this mindset isn't changed, it's likely that if one were to actually stand in the imperial court in the future, it would be extremely difficult to move forward.

"Thank you for your guidance, Dr. He. I understand now! This matter has indeed been a blow to me, but I will never let it hold me back!"

As he spoke, Kang Xiucai bowed very seriously to He Jiuniang, then lay down over there and waited for He Jiuniang to give him acupuncture.

What happened today isn't a huge deal, but it's not insignificant either.

If Gou'er hadn't been a small child with a weak constitution, and hadn't developed symptoms so quickly, he wouldn't have been rushed to the hospital so urgently. He Jiu Niang had realized he was poisoned. If it were them, they would have just thought it was an upset stomach and that he would be fine in a few days. If they hadn't taken it seriously, who knows when he might have died.

Fortunately, with He Jiu Niang's help, the big problem was turned into a small one, and no one was seriously injured. After the acupuncture, they only needed to take the medicine according to her prescription for a few days and they would be fine.

That's how things weren't blown out of proportion; otherwise, he might have been arrested and interrogated, and with that stain on his record, he wouldn't even be able to participate in next year's imperial examination.

In other words, he now owes He Jiu's parents an enormous favor.

When He Jiuniang was giving him acupuncture, he didn't feel any pain. His mind was full of thoughts about how to repay the debt of gratitude, and he didn't think about Meng Zhang anymore.

Meng Zhang brought this upon himself. He was the one with malicious intentions, yet he still tried to confuse the public. He will never associate with such a person again.

As for the friendship we shared before, consider it all wasted.

He Jiuniang was very satisfied with Kang Xiucai's ability to realize his mistakes and said, "That's right. His life was ruined the moment he started doing this. He will never be able to take the imperial examinations again. All his years of hard study have gone to waste. This is the greatest punishment for him. Oh, by the way, on the contrary, that Young Master Wu is cheerful and easy-going. You should associate with him more."

He Jiuniang has always been good at judging people. Although Wu Hang is not good at studying, it doesn't mean he is not good at other things. There are 360 ​​professions, and every profession can produce an expert. You don't necessarily have to rely on the imperial examination to stand out.

"I've learned a lot, thank you for your guidance, Dr. He."

"I wouldn't call it guidance, just a suggestion. I haven't had a chance to congratulate you on passing the imperial examination today, so I wish you continued success and that you will be the top scholar in next spring's examination!"

He Jiuniang's voice was cheerful, without any trace of her previous sarcasm. Kang Xiucai also laughed and said, "Then I'll take advantage of Doctor He's auspicious words! Tomorrow evening I will be hosting a banquet at the restaurant to celebrate, and I would like to invite the Lu family to attend!"

The Lu family had treated him to meals several times before, and he had been freeloading off them so many times that it was time for him to host a dinner. This was a perfect opportunity.