Chapter Summaries

Reborn Lin Yunwan faced the choice of an adopted son and recognized Qing as the boy who had betrayed her in her previous life. She chose Lu Chang'gong as well, while agreeing to raise Qing without repeating the sacrifices she had made before.

• Lin Yunwan recalled how Qing, her husband Lu Zhengliu, and Bao'er had betrayed her as she lay dying in her previous life.
• Lin Yunwan rejected her initial choice of Qing and selected Lu Chang'gong, explaining that a child's character mattered most.
• Lin Yunwan had Ping Ye inspect the boys' right middle fingers and exposed Qing's lie that he had never studied.
• Old Madam Lu insisted that Lin Yunwan adopt both boys, and Lin Yunwan readily agreed.
• Qing looked at Lin Yunwan, believing she would help reunite him with Lu Zhengliu and his birth mother, while Lin Yunwan decided not to teach him or interfere with the maid he loved.

After learning that Lu Zhengliu had returned but had not visited her while she was ill, Lin Yunwan stayed calm and rested, determined not to repeat her past grief. At the Hall of Longevity, Lu Zhengliu rejected Old Madam Lu’s pleas to treat his wife kindly and asked to bring Qing’s mother into the residence, which Old Madam Lu refused.

• Lin Yunwan remembered how she had personally helped Qing study and earned his resentment, then chose to rest instead of dwelling on her unhappy marriage.
• Lin Yunwan learned that Lu Zhengliu had returned days earlier without visiting her, and that Ping Ye had gone to confront servants spreading rumors.
• Lin Yunwan took her medicine and went to sleep without grieving over Lu Zhengliu’s cold shoulder.
• Lu Zhengliu told Old Madam Lu that he had no reason to care about Lin Yunwan, whom he blamed for restraining him after their marriage.
• Lu Zhengliu thanked Old Madam Lu for bringing Qing back and asked to bring Qing’s mother into the residence, but Old Madam Lu refused.

Lu Zhengliu persuaded Old Madam Lu to let Ge Bao'er enter the residence and planned to make Qing the legitimate son, while Lin Yunwan confronted the household on adoption day and demanded a divorce. The chapter ended with Lu Zhengliu arriving as Lin Yunwan insisted that Chang Gong be her legitimate eldest son.

• Lu Zhengliu convinced Old Madam Lu to admit Ge Bao'er as her grandniece and promised that she would remain below Lin Yunwan while Lin Yunwan lived.
• Old Madam Lu agreed that Qing would be registered as the legitimate son and Chang Gong as an adopted son on the adoption day.
• Lin Yunwan ordered Ping Ye to bring three servants before Old Madam Lu and made them repeat their rumors about her being cast out.
• Lin Yunwan presented a Divorce Agreement and asked Old Madam Lu to let her return to her family, but Old Madam Lu warned her against seeking a divorce.
• Lin Yunwan demanded that Chang Gong become her legitimate eldest son and asked for both families' clan elders to be summoned if the Lu family refused.
• Lu Zhengliu arrived and was struck by Lin Yunwan's dignified beauty.

Lin Yunwan rejected Lu Zhengliu’s attempts to dictate her life and resolved to stop devoting herself to him. After visiting the Lu household’s ancestral hall, she chose to seek out her teacher, Lady Guo, while reflecting on Lu Chang'gong’s quiet determination and the kindness he had shown her in her previous life.

• Old Madam Lu insisted that Lu Chang'gong was Lin Yunwan’s legitimate son, and Qing was renamed Lu Changzong during the adoption rites at the ancestral hall.
• Old Madam Lu warned Lu Zhengliu that Lu Chang'gong could be removed if he became a threat, while Lu Zhengliu argued that he should bring Bao'er back to the residence before accompanying Lin Yunwan to visit her family.
• Lu Zhengliu told Lin Yunwan he would fetch Bao'er, and she calmly agreed before deciding she would no longer waste her life on him.
• Lin Yunwan learned that Qing had slept in Old Madam Lu’s courtyard and that Lu Chang'gong had been practicing writing, recalling how he had planted winter plums outside her window in her previous life.
• Lin Yunwan persuaded Old Madam Lu to let her visit Lady Guo, then told Ping Ye that Lady Guo was not ill and hinted that she no longer intended to remain faithful to Lu Zhengliu alone.

Lin Yunwan asked Lady Guo how a woman from a distinguished family had managed to divorce her abusive husband, hoping to learn whether a woman in the Lu family could do the same. She left with a calligraphy model for the child adopted in her name, while Lady Guo suspected the woman seeking divorce was Lin Yunwan herself and then received Prince Huan, Qi Lingheng.

• Lin Yunwan visited Lady Guo and asked about her former student's sister, who had divorced her abusive husband.
• Lady Guo explained that the divorce was secured only after her student became empress and the emperor intervened, and that the divorced woman still had to live far from her family.
• Lady Guo advised Lin Yunwan that most women had to find a way to live within marriage unless they truly could not endure it.
• Lin Yunwan asked whether Lady Guo had recently explored Buddhism or Daoism, then requested the Bamboo Branch Calligraphy Model for the child the Lu family had adopted in her name.
• Lady Guo wondered whether Lin Yunwan herself was seeking a divorce, just as Prince Huan, Qi Lingheng, arrived to visit.

Lin Yunwan recognized Lady Guo’s honored guest as Prince Huan, Qi Lingheng, and learned that he had also recognized her as Grand Tutor Lin’s daughter and the wife of the Wuding Marquis’s heir. As his parents continued pressing him to marry, Qi Lingheng declared that he wanted a woman who could tame him.

• In the carriage, Lin Yunwan identified Lady Guo’s guest as Prince Huan, recalling that her father had once taught him.
• Qi Lingheng visited Lady Guo to collect incense for Empress Zhao, who had sent him out of the palace after another dispute over marriage.
• Qi Lingheng asked Lady Guo about the troubled visitor and learned that Lin Yunwan was Grand Tutor Lin’s daughter and the Wuding Marquis’s heir’s wife.
• After seeing Lin Yunwan through the lattice window, Qi Lingheng returned to his residence and sent the incense to the empress.
• Empress Zhao asked Qi Lingheng what kind of woman he liked, and he replied that he favored a woman who could tame a man.

Lin Yunwan prepared a calligraphy model for Lu Chang'gong and met Ge Bao'er, Qing’s birth mother, when she arrived at the Lu household. She exposed a suspicious match between Ge Bao'er’s shoes and Lu Zhengliu’s, leaving Old Madam Lu wary of her and Lin Yunwan newly invited to discuss the children’s studies.

• Lin Yunwan copied the Bamboo Branch Calligraphy Model for three days and decided she would not teach Qing, but would give the model to Lu Chang'gong.
• Lin Yunwan learned that Lu Zhengliu had brought Ge Bao'er to the residence and went to meet her at the Hall of Longevity.
• Ge Bao'er greeted Lin Yunwan, who questioned why she wore a veil; Old Madam Lu explained that Ge Bao'er had a rash on her face.
• Lin Yunwan pointed out that Ge Bao'er's auspicious-cloud shoes matched Lu Zhengliu's, making Wei Shi suspicious and causing Old Madam Lu's warm attitude toward Ge Bao'er to cool.
• Old Madam Lu dismissed the others and asked Lin Yunwan to return the next morning to discuss the children's studies.

Lu Zhengliu persuaded Old Madam Lu to let Ge Bao'er stay in the Hall of Longevity after her careless arrival angered the old woman, while Ge Bao'er hoped to win her favor and reunite with Qing. The next morning, Ge Bao'er discovered that another boy, Lu Changgong, was called the eldest young master, leaving her alarmed about her son's place in the family.

• Old Madam Lu rebuked Lu Zhengliu over Ge Bao'er's lack of caution and ordered her to live in the Hall of Longevity under close watch.
• Old Madam Lu urged Lu Zhengliu to consult Lin Yunwan about Qing's studies, and Nanny Yan reported that he later went to see Ge Bao'er.
• Ge Bao'er worried that Old Madam Lu was angry and protested that she had expected to live near the side gate, but Lu Zhengliu told her to be patient and wait to see Qing.
• Ge Bao'er cried that Lu Zhengliu might leave her behind, and he reassured her before kissing her and leaving.
• Ge Bao'er prepared breakfast for Old Madam Lu, then saw Lu Changgong arrive and heard a maid call him the eldest young master.

Ge Bao'er worried that Lin Yunwan would neglect Qing’s education, but Lin Yunwan arranged a list of qualified teachers for him and Chang Gong. Lu Zhengliu rejected her suggestion to ask the Lin clan for help and rode out to invite a teacher himself.

• Ge Bao'er asked Old Madam Lu how Qing had suddenly gained an elder brother, and Old Madam Lu insisted that it was a Lu family matter.
• Lu Zhengliu suggested sending Qing and Chang Gong to the Lu Clan School, but Lin Yunwan proposed keeping them at the residence for six months first.
• Old Madam Lu warned Lin Yunwan not to hold Qing back, and Lin Yunwan explained that he needed to rebuild his foundations before joining the school.
• Lin Yunwan presented five qualified teachers for Old Madam Lu and Lu Zhengliu to choose from.
• Lin Yunwan said the Lin clan could approach the teachers more successfully, but Old Madam Lu and Lu Zhengliu refused to ask them for help.
• Lu Zhengliu reassured Ge Bao'er about Qing’s schooling, then took the list and rode out to invite a teacher himself.

Lin Yunwan’s recommended teachers rejected Lu Zhengliu’s attempts to recruit them, leaving the Lu family struggling to find tutors for the boys. She refused Old Madam Lu’s request to have the Lin family intervene, and Lu Zhengliu resolved to keep trying despite the humiliation.

• Lin Yunwan told Ping Ye that the renowned teachers would likely refuse the Lu family, and Ping Ye was pleased that Lu Zhengliu might be humiliated.
• Lu Zhengliu returned after visiting three of the five teachers; two refused to see him, two declined, and Zhang Feng'an was leaving the capital.
• Old Madam Lu regretted that the Lu family had rejected Lin Yunwan’s offer and sent Nanny Yan to summon her.
• Lin Yunwan refused to ask the Lin family to approach the teachers, explaining that doing so after their refusals could publicly insult the Lu family.
• Lin Yunwan suggested ordinary tutors as an alternative, but Old Madam Lu and Lu Zhengliu insisted the boys needed a renowned teacher.
• Lu Zhengliu vowed to visit the teachers again, while Lin Yunwan concluded that the scholars would not be swayed while he represented the Wuding Marquis Residence.

Lin Yunwan kept her distance from Qing while quietly ensuring Lu Chang'gong received food, education, and guidance. The chapter ended with Lu Chang'gong taking her calligraphy as a lesson and thanking her, while she reflected on his intelligence.

• Lin Yunwan watched Qing's page trip Lu Chang'gong but chose not to intervene, then summoned both boys after breakfast was prepared.
• Lin Yunwan learned Lu Chang'gong had not eaten enough and invited him to eat, while she rebuked Qing for acting too familiarly and failing to show respect.
• Lin Yunwan told Ping Ye she would fulfill her duties to Lu Chang'gong without becoming emotionally involved, knowing that openly favoring him could provoke Qing to bully him more.
• Lin Yunwan later wrote a calligraphy saying that people with lofty ambitions should not dwell on trivial matters and had it hung where the boys would see it.
• Lu Chang'gong listened carefully to the explanation, thanked Lin Yunwan for her teaching, and left; Lin Yunwan admired his cleverness.

Lin Yunwan’s calligraphy convinced Lu Zhengliu and Old Madam Lu that she could teach the two boys, though she made clear that household duties would limit how much she could do. The chapter ended with Old Madam Lu accepting her terms and Lu Zhengliu smiling as Lin Yunwan wondered at his reaction.

• Ping Ye delivered Lin Yunwan’s calligraphy to the outer court, and Lu Zhengliu hurried after it to Drooping Silk Hall, where he recognized her skill and left relieved.
• Ping Ye worried that Lin Yunwan would be burdened with teaching both boys, but Tao Ye reminded her that Lin Yunwan had already planned to give Chang Gong his first lessons and would not let others take advantage of her.
• Ge Bao’er reluctantly left Old Madam Lu’s dining room before Lin Yunwan, Lu Zhengliu, and Old Madam Lu discussed the boys’ education.
• Old Madam Lu urged Lin Yunwan to teach the boys, praising her calligraphy and learning, while Lu Zhengliu agreed that she was qualified.
• Lin Yunwan accepted teaching as her duty but warned that household affairs would limit her time and that the boys’ progress would depend on their abilities; Old Madam Lu accepted, and Lu Zhengliu smiled.

Ge Bao'er worried that Lin Yunwan would teach Qing and tried to strengthen her influence over him. Lin Yunwan began lessons for Qing and Lu Chang'gong with thoughtful gifts, but Ge Bao'er persuaded Qing to throw his gift away, and Lu Zhengliu went to his son's courtyard after learning of it.

• Lu Zhengliu told Ge Bao'er that Lin Yunwan would teach Qing, and he explained that her scholarship was strong.
• Ge Bao'er reunited with Qing at Old Madam Lu's residence and worried when his expression changed at the mention of Lin Yunwan.
• Ge Bao'er made breakfast for Old Madam Lu and fretted while Qing and Lu Chang'gong attended their first lesson at Drooping Silk Hall.
• Lin Yunwan introduced the boys to the four treasures of the study, ended the lesson early, and gave each a brush zongzi and a jade swan-goose pendant.
• Ge Bao'er convinced Qing to discard the brush zongzi, and a steward brought it to Lu Zhengliu, who went to his son's courtyard.

Lin Yunwan taught Lu Chang'gong and Qing, but their different attitudes toward studying and her gifts became apparent. At Yushou Hall, Qing confirmed that Lin Yunwan had given him a jade pendant, leaving Ge Bao'er to defend herself against suspicion that she had kept him from wearing it.

• Lu Zhengliu questioned Lu Chang'gong and Qing about their lessons, discovered Qing had discarded the brush zongzi, and ordered it disposed of discreetly.
• Qing's attendant put Lin Yunwan's jade pendant on him, but Qing removed it after remembering that his mother disliked her gifts.
• Lin Yunwan made Lu Chang'gong a decorative knot for his pendant and later noticed that Qing's homework appeared to have been written by several people.
• Ge Bao'er raised the difference between the boys' jade pendants with Old Madam Lu, who said she would wait for Lin Yunwan to arrive before judging her fairness.
• Lu Zhengliu brought Qing to Yushou Hall, where Qing confirmed that Lin Yunwan had given him a jade pendant, and Ge Bao'er denied telling him not to wear it.

Qing revealed that Ge Bao'er had made him discard the auspicious brush zongzi Lin Yunwan gave him, and Old Madam Lu scolded Ge Bao'er for it. After dinner, Lin Yunwan told Lu Zhengliu that marrying him had not been her choice either, then left him outside Drooping Silk Hall wondering whether she had loved someone before him.

• Old Madam Lu learned that Ge Bao'er had made Qing throw away the brush zongzi, and she angrily explained its auspicious meaning to Ge Bao'er.
• Lin Yunwan joined the family dinner, where Ge Bao'er claimed to be unwell and returned to her room.
• Old Madam Lu asked Lu Zhengliu to escort Lin Yunwan to Drooping Silk Hall after dinner.
• Lin Yunwan told Lu Zhengliu that she had not wanted to marry him, then shut the gate in his face.
• Lu Zhengliu wondered whether Lin Yunwan had already given her heart to someone before their marriage.

Ge Bao'er’s place in the Lu family remained uncertain after Lu Zhengliu defended her to Old Madam Lu, who agreed to keep her in the residence. Lin Yunwan was then asked to fund Ge Bao'er’s allowance and prepared a cost-cutting plan that targeted the troublesome servant Qiao Da.

• Ge Bao'er told Lu Zhengliu how much she had sacrificed for Qing, and he promised to make her part of the Lu family.
• Lu Zhengliu asked Old Madam Lu to forgive Ge Bao'er, and she agreed to keep her close while warning him not to indulge her ambitions.
• Lin Yunwan approved tally tokens for household expenses despite Ping Ye’s concerns about the servants’ claims.
• Old Madam Lu asked Lin Yunwan to keep Ge Bao'er in her courtyard and provide her with the usual allowance for a young lady of the residence.
• Lin Yunwan prepared a booklet of proposed cuts to cover Ge Bao'er’s expenses, including Qiao Da’s post, and sent Ping Ye to deliver it.

Lin Yunwan accepted Old Madam Lu’s household register and prepared for Qiao Da’s likely anger, while Ge Bao’er settled into her new place in the Lu family and tried to ingratiate herself with its members. When Qiao Da learned his work had been cut to provide for Ge Bao’er, he erupted and demanded to see Lin Yunwan.

• Nanny Yan delivered Old Madam Lu’s register to Lin Yunwan, who saw that Qiao Da’s job trimming bamboo branches had been cut.
• Old Madam Lu assigned Xiliu to Ge Bao’er and instructed her to serve the old madam and follow the household’s rules.
• Ge Bao’er befriended Xiliu, renamed her Wu’er, and asked about the allowances and furnishings young ladies received.
• Ge Bao’er made food for several courtyards, telling Old Madam Lu that she regarded Lin Yunwan as her mistress and wanted to treat her devotedly.
• Qiao Da protested the loss of his job, learned the cuts were meant to provide for Ge Bao’er, and threatened to attack her before the steward ordered him restrained.

Ge Bao'er discovered that Lin Yunwan had Qing practice horizontal strokes every day and grew concerned about his lessons. When Qing fell ill after tiring of the drills, Ge Bao'er showed Old Madam Lu his practice sheets, preparing to accuse Lin Yunwan.

• Ge Bao'er secretly embraced Qing and asked about his lessons, then asked him to bring her his written exercises.
• Qing brought Ge Bao'er sheets covered in horizontal lines and explained that Lin Yunwan had him practice them instead of writing characters.
• Lin Yunwan explained the value of building a calligraphy foundation, and Qing and Lu Chang'gong promised to take her lesson to heart.
• Qing grew tired of practicing and took three days' sick leave, prompting Old Madam Lu to question his attendant about what had happened.
• The attendant said Qing had been worn out, and Ge Bao'er presented the practice sheets to Old Madam Lu.

Old Madam Lu questioned Lin Yunwan’s teaching after seeing Qing’s practice sheets, while Lin Yunwan began teaching Lu Chang'gong complete characters and encouraged him to balance study with rest. Summoned to the Hall of Longevity with Chang'gong’s work, Lin Yunwan left as Chang'gong insisted on coming to support her.

• Ge Bao'er showed Old Madam Lu Qing’s practice sheets, and Old Madam Lu summoned the chief steward to judge Lin Yunwan’s teaching method.
• The chief steward could not identify the method, so Old Madam Lu ordered Nanny Yan to bring Lin Yunwan to her for questioning.
• Lin Yunwan taught Lu Chang'gong to write complete characters and praised his work, then urged him to spend more time resting and playing.
• Nanny Yan arrived to take Chang'gong’s schoolwork to the Hall of Longevity, and Lin Yunwan agreed to go with her.
• Lu Chang'gong told Ping Ye and Tao Ye that he wanted to accompany Lin Yunwan so he could help his mother.

Lin Yunwan defended her calligraphy lessons after Old Madam Lu accused her of overworking Qing, then used the boys’ assignments and a physician’s report to show that Qing had avoided his work by pretending to be ill. Ge Bao’er challenged Lin Yunwan’s teaching, leaving the dispute unresolved.

• Old Madam Lu questioned Lin Yunwan’s unusual calligraphy exercises, and Lin Yunwan explained their basis in Wang Xizhi’s training and the Lin family’s tradition.
• Lin Yunwan presented the boys’ assignments: Lu Chang'gong had practiced on a huge stack of paper, while Qing’s few pages showed that a servant boy had done his work.
• Old Madam Lu continued to blame Lin Yunwan for Qing’s supposed exhaustion, but a servant reported that the physician had found Qing was not ill.
• Qing’s servant boy admitted that Qing himself had claimed to be ill, leaving Old Madam Lu angry that he had feigned sickness and blamed Lin Yunwan.
• Ge Bao’er defended Qing as a playful student and accused Lin Yunwan of not putting her heart into teaching him.