Chapter Summaries

Gu Wanning transmigrated into the body of a vicious matriarch who had tormented Xu Weibei’s four concubines, and learned that he was returning early to confront her. She hurried to meet the concubines first, only to see how badly her predecessor’s rules and labor had worn them down.

• Gu Wanning woke in her new identity and learned that Xu Weibei had called her a venomous woman and planned to settle accounts when he returned.
• Er Ya described Gu Wanning’s strict rules and grueling farm labor for the four concubines, while defending the treatment as reasonable.
• A maid announced that Xu Weibei had returned a day earlier than expected, so Gu Wanning rushed to find the concubines.
• Gu Wanning found the four concubines putting up cucumber trellises and saw that their hard labor had left them darkened and worn down.
• Li Shi asked Gu Wanning what she wanted them to plant.

Gu Wanning confronted Xu Weibei after he accused her of mistreating his concubines and threatened to divorce her. She defended her actions and left Xu Weibei to choose which concubines would attend him.

• Gu Wanning questioned First Concubine Li Jinxiu about whether she had complained to Xu Weibei, and Li Jinxiu denied sending him anything but clothes.
• Xu Weibei arrived and accused Gu Wanning of behaving outrageously, then declared that he would divorce her for jealousy and excessive talk.
• Gu Wanning demanded evidence and argued that she had disciplined the concubines for their own good and to save household expenses.
• Fourth Concubine Zhou Yaya complained about Gu Wanning’s punishments and withheld allowance, while the other concubines stayed silent.
• Gu Wanning thanked Xu Weibei for calling her smooth-tongued, said she was unwell, and told him to choose any or all of his concubines to attend him.

Xu Weibei refused to bring Gu Wanning to the Grand Princess Dowager and argued with her about the marriage, prompting the Grand Princess Dowager to feign a heart attack. As Xu Weibei waited anxiously outside, the Grand Princess Dowager revealed that she was fine and quietly asked third concubine whether he had caused trouble after returning home.

• Gu Wanning left Xu Weibei and the concubines to tend her thriving vegetable garden and considered how she might eventually separate from her husband.
• Xu Weibei went to the Grand Princess Dowager's residence with third concubine instead of Gu Wanning, claiming his wife felt unwell.
• The Grand Princess Dowager ordered an imperial physician to examine Gu Wanning, but Xu Weibei refused and declared that he disliked her.
• The Grand Princess Dowager appeared to suffer a heart attack, and third concubine took charge of treating her while Xu Weibei waited outside.
• The Grand Princess Dowager recovered her composure and quietly asked third concubine whether Xu Weibei had made a fuss after returning to the residence.

Gu Wanning discovered that the residence’s accounts showed more than six hundred taels diverted in her name, leaving her scrambling to cover the shortfall before Xu Weibei learned about it. The steward agreed not to report it yet, while Gu Wanning dismissed Er Ya’s suggestion that she ask her maiden family for help.

• The Grand Princess Royal decided to visit Gu Wanning and stand up for her, despite Xu Weibei’s concern about her health.
• Er Ya complained that Xu Weibei had taken Third Concubine to visit the Grand Princess Royal instead of bringing Gu Wanning.
• Gu Wanning examined the account books after Fourth Concubine accused her of withholding allowances and found widespread, unexplained deductions.
• The steward said Gu Wanning had diverted more than six hundred taels over three years, and she told him not to report it to Xu Weibei.
• Gu Wanning panicked over how to repay the money and rejected Er Ya’s suggestion that she ask her maiden family for help.

Gu Wanning tried to turn the marquis's household poultry into money, just as Xu Weibei brought the grand princess home and found the residence in chaos. The grand princess remained kind to Gu Wanning and gently scolded her for doing the work herself.

• Gu Wanning asked Er Ya how much silver they had and decided to go out to find rare seeds and make money.
• Xu Weibei returned with the grand princess and learned that Gu Wanning was in the back courtyard.
• Xu Weibei and the grand princess found Gu Wanning, the concubines, and the household staff chasing chickens, ducks, and geese.
• A duck dirtied Xu Weibei's boots, and he shouted for everyone to stop.
• Gu Wanning paid her respects to the grand princess, who helped her up, removed duck down from her hair, and gently admonished her for working in the heat.

Gu Wanning tried to avoid being pressured to have children, but the Grand Princess insisted that Xu Weibei’s firstborn must come from his principal wife and ordered his concubines to take contraceptive soup. The chapter ended with Gu Wanning tearfully claiming she would treat any child of Xu Weibei’s as her own.

• The Grand Princess arrived, and Gu Wanning and Xu Weibei escorted her to the main courtyard.
• The Grand Princess told Gu Wanning that it was time for her and Xu Weibei to have a child, while Xu Weibei watched Gu Wanning coldly.
• The Grand Princess declared that the household’s firstborn must be born to Gu Wanning and warned the concubines not to overstep their masters.
• The Grand Princess ordered the four concubines to take contraceptive soup and threatened them if they tampered with it.
• Gu Wanning argued that she was frail and said any child of Xu Weibei’s would be her own, while Xu Weibei silently rejected the idea of having a child with her.

After the Grand Princess set rules for Xu Weibei’s household, Gu Wanning tried to keep the concubines and her own unwanted family obligations at a distance. Xu Weibei avoided the rear courtyard, while Gu Wanning sold the household’s poultry and was reminded to schedule his visits to the concubines.

• The Grand Princess insisted that Gu Wanning bear the firstborn legitimate son, urged her to visit her family with Xu Weibei, and told her to arrange his visits to the concubines’ courtyards.
• Gu Wanning agreed to arrange a rotation for the concubines but told them they no longer needed to work in the garden or attend morning and evening visits.
• Gu Wanning sent Erya and others to sell the chickens, ducks, and geese, earning seventeen taels of silver.
• The Grand Princess urged Xu Weibei to treat Gu Wanning well, but he declined to discuss their affairs and later sent her tonics without visiting her courtyard.
• Gu Wanning examined the practical gifts prepared for her family and wished she could keep them instead of returning home.
• Erya asked Gu Wanning whether she had arranged for someone to serve Xu Weibei at night.

Xu Weibei angrily turned away the concubines who came to see him, then confined Fourth Concubine for sneaking to the outer study. The next morning, he barred all the women from visiting him there, while Gu Wanning guessed that one of them had tried to win his favor.

• Xu Weibei refused to see First Concubine and Second Concubine when they requested an audience late at night.
• Xu Weibei summoned Fourth Concubine, who explained that she had followed the others because she did not want to be left out and had dressed in martial clothes to sneak around.
• Xu Weibei confined Fourth Concubine, and Gao Lan hurried her out before she could argue further.
• The next morning, Xu Weibei ordered that none of the women in the rear courtyard could visit the outer study, threatening to break the legs of anyone who disobeyed.
• Gu Wanning guessed that one of the concubines had tried to pour her heart out to Xu Weibei and recalled that he had a bedroom companion during the past three years.

Gu Wanning went out with Er Ya to pawn the Grand Princess's tonics and raise money, but rejected the pawnshop's low offer. At a large goods shop, she spotted corn and realized its value as a high-yield crop, only to discover the shop wanted one hundred taels for it.

• Gu Wanning packed the tonics the Grand Princess had given her so she could pawn them and cover the shortfall in her accounts.
• Gu Wanning and Er Ya went to a pawnshop, but Gu Wanning refused its offer of eighty taels for the blood bird's nest.
• Gu Wanning took Er Ya to a large goods shop and spotted an ear of corn displayed as a supposed overseas lucky charm.
• Gu Wanning recognized corn's agricultural value, but the shop assistant told her it cost one hundred taels.

Gu Wanning pawned the tonics gifted by the grand princess to buy rare corn, hoping to build a profitable career and gain enough influence to secure an amicable divorce. Xu Weibei learned what she had bought and despised her for wasting money, while Gao Lan hoped the pawned gifts would anger the grand princess.

• Gu Wanning failed to bargain for the corn, pawned the bird's nest and caterpillar fungus, and returned to buy it.
• Gu Wanning refused to pay to watch Young Master Jiang perform and saved money by skipping a bowl of noodles.
• Gu Wanning bought the corn and imagined selling it for a fortune and using her success to obtain an amicable divorce.
• Gao Lan reported to Xu Weibei that Gu Wanning had pawned the grand princess's tonics to buy corn.
• Xu Weibei called Gu Wanning wicked and stupid, while Gao Lan hoped the grand princess would withdraw her support.

Xu Weibei confronted Gu Wanning over the tonics she had pawned, but Second Concubine produced an identical bundle and Gao Lan failed to confirm the pawnshop report. Gu Wanning accused Xu Weibei of framing her, leaving him furious and convinced she had deceived him.

• Xu Weibei waited at the entrance to confront Gu Wanning about the tonics Grandmother had bestowed on her.
• Gu Wanning argued that the tonics belonged to her and compared them to her marriage, while Xu Weibei threatened to enforce household rules.
• Second Concubine arrived with a bundle of tonics and claimed Gu Wanning had asked her to keep them safe.
• Xu Weibei sent Gao Lan to the pawnshop, but Gao Lan returned and admitted he had mistakenly believed a rumor.
• Gu Wanning accused Xu Weibei of framing her, and he concluded she had deliberately made a fool of him.

Gu Wanning learned that Second Concubine owned the pawnshop that had handled her brocade box and accepted her offer of help with the household accounts. Second Concubine asked Gu Wanning to arrange for Xu Weibei to visit her courtyard, leaving Gu Wanning considering how to fulfill the request.

• Second Concubine explained that the pawnshop belonged to her family and that she had instructed its staff to return Gu Wanning’s box because it bore the Grand Princess’s Residence mark.
• Gu Wanning thanked Second Concubine and invited her to sit, while Second Concubine offered her accounting skills to resolve problems in the marquis’s public accounts.
• Second Concubine presented Gu Wanning with an eight-hundred-tael silver note and asked her to persuade Xu Weibei to sit with her in her courtyard.
• Gu Wanning considered whether she could arrange the visit, knowing Xu Weibei did not listen to her.

Gu Wanning realized she could profit by selling places on the roster for Xu Weibei’s visits, while Xu Weibei suspected she had deliberately arranged for Second Concubine to curry favor with her. As Xu Weibei prepared to attend the army’s return and put off visiting the Gu family, Erya told Gu Wanning that he had brought back many things.

• Second Concubine asked Gu Wanning to give her a place near the top of the visit roster, and Gu Wanning agreed to schedule her for five days.
• Gu Wanning considered auctioning off the right to spend a night with Xu Weibei to make money.
• Xu Weibei told Gao Lan he believed Gu Wanning had acted deliberately, but Gao Lan explained that the concubines needed Gu Wanning’s favor to live comfortably.
• Xu Weibei ordered Gao Lan to investigate what had happened and planned to attend the returning army rather than visit the Gu family.
• Erya brought Gu Wanning the change from the steward, enjoyed chilled watermelon, and mentioned that Xu Weibei had returned with many things.

Gu Wanning planted her corn and questioned the first concubine, who confessed that she no longer wanted to serve Xu Weibei. The first concubine began explaining why she had entered the marquis's residence, then bowed her head and said she deserved to die.

• Gu Wanning decided to plant the corn despite the household accounts being repaired, seeing it as her path to wealth and independence.
• The first concubine joined Gu Wanning and Er Ya to plant the corn, then waited on Gu Wanning without explaining why she had come.
• Gu Wanning asked the first concubine what she wanted, and the first concubine said she did not want to serve Xu Weibei.
• The first concubine explained that she had willingly entered the residence to improve life for her mother, who suffered under her strict legal mother.
• The first concubine kowtowed and said she deserved to die, leaving Gu Wanning waiting for the rest of her explanation.

Gu Wanning heard First Concubine explain that she had entered the marquis’s residence hoping her cousin might one day come for her, and she refused the silver First Concubine offered. First Concubine left with the money, while Er Ya questioned why Gu Wanning had accepted Second Concubine’s silver but not hers.

• Gu Wanning questioned First Concubine about refusing to attend to the marquis, and First Concubine said she loved her legal mother’s nephew, who had joined the army after their families opposed their marriage.
• First Concubine explained that she had hoped her cousin might rise in the world and persuade the marquis to release her, though he had made her no promise.
• First Concubine gave Gu Wanning a handkerchief containing a one-hundred-tael banknote, but Gu Wanning returned the money and warned her that she had heard nothing about her situation.
• First Concubine left with the banknote, and Er Ya called her pitiful before asking Gu Wanning why she had accepted Second Concubine’s silver but not First Concubine’s.

Gu Wanning heard Fourth Concubine’s offer to take First Concubine’s place but refused to decide for her, and she planned to ask Third Concubine what she wanted. The next morning, she found all four concubines gathered in the rear courtyard, where Er Ya put them to work.

• Fourth Concubine offered to take First Concubine’s place, but Gu Wanning told her she could not make that decision.
• Gu Wanning decided to ask Third Concubine about her wishes and told Er Ya to fetch her the next day.
• Er Ya counted the household’s silver while Gu Wanning dreamed of growing corn that turned into gold.
• Gu Wanning ignored the early hour when Er Ya said she should rise with Xu Weibei, then got up at five.
• Gu Wanning and Er Ya found all four concubines standing in the rear courtyard, and Er Ya sent them to weed and catch insects.

Gu Wanning asked Third Concubine why she wished to avoid sharing Xu Weib Bei’s bed, and Third Concubine revealed the painful history behind her request. The chapter left Gu Wanning unsure whether Third Concubine’s lingering ailment was the whole reason, but certain she did not want to serve the marquis.

• Gu Wanning sent First Concubine, Second Concubine, and Fourth Concubine away, then asked Third Concubine to stay and help pick eggplants.
• Third Concubine told Gu Wanning she could not serve Xu Weib Bei because she considered herself unclean and had a lingering ailment.
• Third Concubine explained that a man had promised to marry her, but his family rejected her; after she became pregnant, she aborted the child at five months and sent it to him in a box.
• Third Concubine said her grandfather sought help from the Grand Princess, who knew her past and later bestowed her upon Xu Weib Bei.
• Gu Wanning wondered whether Third Concubine’s ailment was an excuse, but did not press her and concluded that she did not want to share the marquis’s bed.

After Xu Weibei struck Gu Anqi at court, Gu Wanning suspected he was deliberately provoking trouble to secure a divorce by mutual consent. She remained at the Marquis’s Residence, leaving the dispute to the two families and turning her attention back to the corn.

• Er Ya told Gu Wanning that Xu Weibei had struck her elder brother, Gu Anqi, at court and that the emperor had reprimanded him.
• Gu Wanning concluded Xu Weibei had exposed a weakness to the emperor and was worsening relations with her family to create grounds for divorce.
• Gu Wanning learned Gu Anqi had sent word from home, but she refused to visit him without permission or an invitation.
• Gu Wanning reassured Er Ya that Xu Weibei would not hit her, though she believed he was hard-hearted and focused on his own goals.
• Gu Wanning left to check on spraying water over the corn.

Xu Weibei tried to provoke Gu Wanning into making a scene so they could end their marriage, but she remained indifferent to his court troubles and spent her time with the concubines. He then ordered her to cut off contact with the Gu family, while Gu Wanning continued enjoying their game together.

• Xu Weibei recounted the court confrontation, where he struck Gu Anqi, opposed reform, and answered Gu Yuanshi's impeachment before the emperor sent him home to reflect for a month.
• Xu Weibei told Gao Lan to inform Gu Wanning about the incident, hoping she would cause a scene, but Gao Lan returned saying she had simply acknowledged it.
• Gao Lan defended Gu Wanning, describing her work in the fields and her friendly gathering with the concubines, but Xu Weibei dismissed her as someone seeking praise.
• Xu Weibei ordered Gu Wanning to have no further dealings with the Gu family, and Gao Lan reluctantly agreed.
• Gu Wanning sat beneath a tree playing Werewolf with the concubines, enjoying their company despite being bad at the game.

Gu Wanning refused to defend Xu Weibei after he demanded she distance herself from the Gu family, and the Grand Princess arrived to punish him for beating Gu Anqi. Xu Weibei insisted on taking the family punishment in his inner garments, leaving Gu Wanning admiring his exposed physique.

• Gao Lan told Gu Wanning that Xu Weibei wanted her to cut ties with the Gu family, but she refused and said Xu Weibei should take the matter up with her father and brothers or divorce her.
• Xu Weibei told Gao Lan that Gu Wanning needed to understand that he and the Gu family could not coexist.
• The Grand Princess arrived and scolded Xu Weibei for beating Gu Anqi, then ordered the punishment board brought in when he showed no remorse.
• Xu Weibei stopped the Grand Princess and removed his official robes, insisting that the punishment be carried out without mercy.
• Gu Wanning ignored Gao Lan's pleas to intervene and admired Xu Weibei's lean, scarred body as he lay down for the punishment.