Chapter Summaries

Gu Wanning chose Yuhong Temple as a public place for Qin Lie and First Concubine to meet, while Xu Weibei tried to support her plans. At court, Xu Weibei clashed with Gu Yuanshi after Gu Yuanshi criticized his spending in a way Xu believed targeted Gu Wanning.

• Gu Wanning decided to take Qin Lie and First Concubine to Yuhong Temple for Fourth Concubine's birthday and warned Xu Weibei to tell Qin Lie not to make his interest too obvious.
• Xu Weibei told Gu Wanning she could arrange whatever outings she wanted, while she privately resolved to rely on herself and thought of speaking to her father.
• As Minister of Revenue, Xu Weibei grew frustrated with the empty treasury and Gu Yuanshi's plans to implement the Green Sprouts Law.
• Gu Yuanshi accused Xu Weibei at court of extravagant spending and setting a bad example, and Xu believed the criticism was aimed at Gu Wanning.
• Xu Weibei rebuked Gu Yuanshi for mistreating his daughter, and the emperor stopped the argument by ordering them not to discuss family matters at court.

After arguing with Gu Yuanshi in court, Xu Weibei worried that Gu Wanning might misunderstand and hurried home when he heard Gu Yuanshi had gone to see her. Gu Yuanshi accused Xu Weibei of using an extravagant gift to turn Gu Wanning against him, while Gu Wanning dismissed his suspicions.

• Xu Weibei told Qin Lie that Gu Wanning and the four concubines were going to burn incense, and Qin Lie eagerly took leave to prepare for the outing.
• Xu Weibei learned that Gu Yuanshi had gone to the Marquis's Residence and rushed home, fearing that Gu Yuanshi would complain to Gu Wanning first.
• Gu Wanning welcomed Gu Yuanshi and sent the others away so they could speak privately.
• Gu Yuanshi pointed out Little Flower and lamented that Xu Weibei had spent fifty thousand taels on him.
• Gu Wanning defended Xu Weibei's right to spend his honestly earned silver as he pleased.
• Gu Yuanshi claimed Xu Weibei was using the extravagant gift to drive a wedge between father and daughter, but Gu Wanning said he was overthinking it.

Gu Wanning showed Gu Yuanshi corn and hoped to use it to secure a mutual divorce, while Xu Weibei overheard and feared losing her. Gu Yuanshi believed the corn could benefit the people but said they would need to wait before raising the divorce with the emperor again.

• Gu Wanning showed Gu Yuanshi the corn and explained how it could feed people and livestock.
• Gu Wanning told Gu Yuanshi she wanted to use the corn to establish herself and gain a chance at a mutual divorce.
• Xu Weibei overheard them and realized Gu Wanning still intended to leave him, leaving him afraid and helpless.
• Gu Wanning said she had planted more corn outside the Capital and invited Gu Yuanshi to inspect the harvest.
• Gu Yuanshi said the emperor could not appropriately leave the palace and advised Gu Wanning to wait before pursuing the divorce again.

Gu Wanning told Gu Yuanshi that she wanted a life independent of the Marquis, and he urged her to wait until her corn proved its value before seeking a mutual divorce. As the chapter ended, Gu Yuanshi said he believed her claims about corn and would support spreading it, but insisted she should not bear the risk alone.

• Gu Wanning explained that she did not want to remain dependent on the Marquis, though she considered him a reasonable husband who was not at fault for their incompatibility.
• Gu Yuanshi sympathized with Gu Wanning and said he had once admired Xu Weibei, but now understood his shortcomings.
• Xu Weibei realized that Gu Wanning's easygoing acceptance of him was why he felt comfortable around her and had developed feelings for her.
• Gu Yuanshi advised Gu Wanning to wait a year for evidence that corn could produce bumper harvests in multiple places before asking the emperor to approve a mutual divorce.
• Gu Wanning accepted that she needed stronger proof and decided to keep earning money while she waited.
• Gu Yuanshi said he believed Gu Wanning about corn and supported spreading its cultivation if its yield proved high, but he did not want her to shoulder the risk.

Gu Yuanshi offered to take responsibility for Gu Wanning’s risky harvest proposal, while Xu Weibei overheard her reaffirming that she intended to divorce him. Confused by her decision despite his kindness, Xu Weibei sought Gao Lan’s advice and considered how to change her mind.

• Gu Yuanshi offered to present Gu Wanning’s proposal as his own and bear the blame if it failed.
• Gu Wanning thanked her father for his concern but insisted that she remained determined to divorce Xu Weibei.
• Xu Weibei overheard Gu Wanning’s words and withdrew, upset that she wanted to leave despite saying he treated her well.
• Gao Lan suggested that Gu Wanning’s praise was merely polite and that she might be dissatisfied with Xu Weibei.
• Xu Weibei admitted he was afraid to ask Gu Wanning directly what she wanted and considered Gao Lan’s advice to stop arguing and avoid bringing other women into the residence.

Gu Wanning counted her savings and weighed whether she had enough money to escape, while she organized corn-growing information for a booklet. Xu Weibei stayed close to watch her, and the chapter ended with him staring at her money box after she left with the First Concubine.

• Gu Wanning counted her modest savings and decided she could not flee without careful thought unless her bottom line was crossed.
• Xu Weibei returned, mistook Gu Wanning's money-counting for preparations to run away, and teased her about her wealth and Little Flower.
• Gu Wanning said her father had left and claimed the corn buyers were settled, concealing that she had donated the crop for free.
• Xu Weibei brought official documents to stay near Gu Wanning as she worked on a booklet about growing corn.
• The First Concubine visited Gu Wanning, and Xu Weibei grew jealous when Gu Wanning left with her to see Jiaoniang.
• Xu Weibei watched the women leave, thought Qin Lie should take the First Concubine away, and opened Gu Wanning's money box.

Xu Weibei tried to find a way to make Gu Wanning spend her savings by sending Third Concubine to request money for Old Madam Gu’s treatment. He then asked whether Third Concubine would marry Gao Lan, and she refused, pleading either to stay and serve Gu Wanning or to leave the residence.

• Xu Weibei decided not to steal Gu Wanning’s silver and instead devised a plan to make her spend it.
• Xu Weibei summoned Third Concubine and asked whether she had been checking on Old Madam Gu’s leg.
• Third Concubine explained that Gu Wanning had told her to use inexpensive medicine unless costly ingredients were necessary.
• Xu Weibei instructed Third Concubine to ask Gu Wanning for silver to buy better medicine and to keep his involvement secret.
• Xu Weibei asked Third Concubine whether she would marry Gao Lan, and she refused, asking to stay and serve Gu Wanning or leave to support herself.

Xu Weibei agreed to let Third Concubine serve Gu Wanning, while Gu Wanning discussed a monkey that had been visiting First Concubine and Jiaoniang. She spotted the animal in the courtyard and recognized it as a green monkey, an unexpected sight in the Central Plains.

• Third Concubine explained that she would be content serving Gu Wanning, and Xu Weibei agreed as long as she behaved herself and cared for Old Madam Gu.
• Gu Wanning comforted First Concubine, who was anxious about forgetting something, and told her not to worry about the Marquis forcing her.
• First Concubine asked whether Jiaoniang could keep a monkey that had been stealing food, and Gu Wanning said she would ask Er Ya to look into getting a tame one.
• First Concubine went to fetch storybooks, and Gu Wanning noticed a golden-green monkey in the jujube tree.
• First Concubine identified the animal as the monkey that charmed Gu Wanning and Jiaoniang but ignored the servants.

Gu Wanning tried to keep Xu Weibei from taking offense at her closeness with First Concubine and worried he might punish Little Flower, the alpaca she had bought for fifty thousand taels. Xu Weibei instead sent Gao Lan to investigate, while Gao Lan warned the guards to protect the study’s confidential documents as he moved a large chest out.

• Gu Wanning teased First Concubine, then noticed Xu Weibei glaring at them and led him away from Jiaoniang’s room.
• Gu Wanning asked Xu Weibei about the unusual Green Monkey and accidentally called the buyer of such a monkey a fool, then tried to defend the price she had paid for Little Flower.
• Little Flower spat at Xu Weibei, who said he had to give Gao Lan instructions and left Gu Wanning fearing for the alpaca.
• Xu Weibei returned and laughed as Gu Wanning warned Little Flower not to provoke him.
• Xu Weibei told Gu Wanning that Gao Lan was investigating, then returned to his official documents.
• Gao Lan told the guards to watch the study’s confidential papers and carried a large chest of things out.

Gu Wanning took her concubines to Yuhong Temple while discussing Second Concubine’s family joining Baoji’s horse-trading venture. The group entered the temple ahead of the waiting visitors, and Third Concubine reassured Gu Wanning that this was customary when the Grand Princess visited.

• Gu Wanning agreed to let Second Concubine’s family seek a partnership in Baoji’s planned purchase of more than ten thousand horses.
• Fourth Concubine woke Gu Wanning early and gathered the concubines for a trip to Yuhong Temple.
• Gu Wanning recognized Lü Fuyi riding past the carriages on horseback.
• A senior monk welcomed Gu Wanning and her companions and led them into Yuhong Temple ahead of the waiting visitors.
• Gu Wanning asked Third Concubine whether entering early was proper, and Third Concubine said the Marquis arranged the same courtesy for the Grand Princess.

Gu Wanning visited Yuhong Temple with the concubines and waited for Qin Lie, who did not arrive. An edict from the Empress instead summoned her to hear a reprimand for extravagance over the purchase of rare animals, including an alpaca.

• Third Concubine told Gu Wanning that Master Shiqing was the Marquis's teacher and had ties to the Grand Princess's Residence.
• Gu Wanning and the concubines visited the temple hall, where Fourth Concubine scattered fortune sticks and Gu Wanning found the worst fortune among them.
• Gu Wanning took the concubines around the back mountain and waited for Qin Lie, but he did not appear.
• A guard informed Gu Wanning that an edict from the Empress had arrived, and the eunuch delivered it before the gathered crowd.
• The Empress's edict accused Gu Wanning of arrogance, extravagance, and debauchery for spending silver on rare and exotic beasts, including an alpaca.

Gu Wanning was summoned to the palace by an imperial decree, but First Concubine suspected the supposed Imperial Guards were impostors connected to a hostage-taking incident she remembered from a dream. As the concubines sent people to pursue the carriage, First Concubine ran into Qin Lie.

• Gu Wanning accepted the decree summoning her to the palace and left in a carriage escorted by men presented as Imperial Guards.
• Second Concubine sent guards to alert Xu Weibei and check whether he had returned, while Third Concubine arranged to notify the Grand Princess.
• After hearing Fourth Concubine identify the escort as Imperial Guards, First Concubine remembered a past incident in which impostors took worshippers hostage at Baoguang Temple.
• First Concubine urged the others to chase the carriage and protect Gu Wanning, and Second Concubine sent guards after it despite their uncertainty.
• First Concubine ran from the temple, tripped over its threshold, and fell into Qin Lie's arms as he was heading out after meeting a visitor.

First Concubine told Qin Lie that impostors posing as Imperial Guards had abducted the Marchioness, and he rushed to rescue her. Lü Fuyi questioned how First Concubine knew the summons was false as the group set out after them.

• Qin Lie prepared to meet First Concubine by grooming himself and his horse, then persuaded Lü Fuyi to accompany him.
• First Concubine ran into Qin Lie and begged him to save the Marchioness, explaining that fake Imperial Guards had taken her away.
• Qin Lie asked Lü Fuyi to help find the Marchioness, but Lü Fuyi questioned whether the imperial summons had truly been fake.
• First Concubine insisted the edict was false, and Qin Lie believed her despite Lü Fuyi's doubts.
• Qin Lie lifted First Concubine onto his horse and rode off with her to pursue the abductors.

Gu Wanning realized the carriage taking her away had left the proper road, so she dropped beads from her bracelet to mark her path. The carriage stopped in a forest, where Meng He, chancellor of the Qiang State, revealed that he had arranged to meet Xu Weibei and apologized for abducting her.

• Qin Lie and Lü Fuyi pursued the carriage, and Qin Lie identified the road it had taken.
• Gu Wanning suspected she was in danger when the carriage entered a dense forest and decided to leave a trail of bracelet beads.
• Gu Wanning stepped out of the carriage in a forest clearing and saw armed guards aiming bows at her.
• A courteous young man introduced himself as Meng He, chancellor of the Qiang State, and said he had abducted Gu Wanning to meet Xu Weibei.

Gu Wanning was held by Meng He, a former Central Plains man who had become prime minister of the Qiang State, and learned that he wanted to bargain with Xu Weibei. Meng He asked for a large rice payment in exchange for the Qiang State serving as a buffer against Oirat, and Gu Wanning challenged the offer.

• Meng He revealed that he was descended from the Meng family and had gone to the Qiang State after losing his place in the Central Plains.
• Meng He explained that Xu Weibei’s campaign against the Oirats had driven them into Qiang territory, leaving the Qiang State caught between larger powers.
• Meng He assured Gu Wanning that he did not intend to hurt her and wanted to negotiate with Xu Weibei.
• Meng He offered to guard territory lost by Oirat and serve as a buffer for one hundred thousand shi of rice.
• Gu Wanning accused Meng He of making a self-serving offer, and Meng He replied that survival was difficult for a small country between great powers.

Gu Wanning questioned Chancellor Meng after he kidnapped her to use as leverage for a hundred thousand shi of grain, and she refused to betray the Central Plains for her own safety. As she accepted that she might die rather than aid the Qiang State, Xu Weibei arrived.

• Meng He justified demanding a hundred thousand shi of grain by citing Xu Weibei's lavish spending on Gu Wanning.
• Gu Wanning offered Meng He a precious crop in exchange for her release, but he said the Qiang State and its neighbors were nomadic and poor at farming.
• Gu Wanning deduced that Meng He had exploited the imperial eunuch's weakness and asked why he had disguised his men instead of simply kidnapping her.
• Meng He explained that Gu Wanning's thirty-two guards were formidable and that he had kidnapped her to seek peace for the Qiang State.
• Gu Wanning concluded that Xu Weibei would refuse to give grain to a potential enemy and resolved not to harm the Central Plains to save herself.

Gu Wanning questioned Meng He about his loyalties and learned that he had little attachment to his Central Plains relatives and refused to return because the woman he loved lived in the Qiang State. She waited for Xu Weibei to arrive, only to see him come alone.

• Gu Wanning asked Meng He whether he hated the Central Plains, and he said he identified with the Qiang State, where he had grown up.
• Gu Wanning asked whether Meng He would return if the Central Plains offered him a place to live, but he declined because his beloved was in the Qiang State.
• Meng He said he believed Xu Weibei felt the same way about Gu Wanning, and revealed that he had also invited Chief Grand Secretary Gu.
• Xu Weibei arrived alone while Gu Wanning waited with sore feet.

Gu Wanning was held at knifepoint by Meng He while Xu Weibei confronted him, and she feared Xu would risk everything to save her. Xu revealed he had brought reinforcements and challenged Meng He, while Gu Wanning pleaded with Xu to treat her father civilly if she died.

• Meng He held Gu Wanning at knifepoint as Xu Weibei rode into the archers’ range and dismounted at Meng He’s command.
• Xu Weibei demanded that Meng He release Gu Wanning, but Gu Wanning urged Xu not to agree to Meng He’s terms.
• Xu Weibei suggested Meng He was pretending to be jealous and advanced on him, while Meng He retreated with Gu Wanning.
• Hundreds of Xu Weibei’s cavalry arrived, and Xu dared Meng He to kill Gu Wanning before he dealt with him.
• Gu Wanning asked Xu Weibei to be civil to her father after her death and warned that conflict between them could give the foreign tribes an opening.

Gu Wanning prepared for death by entrusting Xu Weibei with the people she cared about, then faced her father and brother as they arrived to confront her captor, Meng He. Xu Weibei refused Meng He's demands and signaled Gu Wanning to act, leaving her pretending to throw herself forward.

• Gu Wanning asked Xu Weibei to arrange for Er Ya to marry and look after the concubines, children, and others she cared about.
• Gao Lan warned Xu Weibei that Gu Yuanshi was approaching, and Gu Yuanshi arrived with Gu Anqi carrying a stick.
• Gu Yuanshi tried to persuade Meng He to release Gu Wanning, but Meng He rejected his offer and repeated his demands.
• Xu Weibei refused to negotiate with Meng He and urged Gu Wanning to end her own life rather than let him be forced into conceding.
• Gu Wanning recognized Xu Weibei's signal and shouted that she was going to act as she made as if to throw herself forward.

Gu Wanning survived Meng He’s attempted abduction after Xu Weibei and Gu Yuanshi’s men subdued the attackers. Xu Weibei severed Meng He’s arm and ordered him sent to the emperor, then took Gu Wanning and the others back to the city.

• Gu Wanning ducked as Xu Weibei kicked Meng He down, and Gu Yuanshi and Gu Anqi shielded her while the guards subdued the attackers.
• Xu Weibei cut off Meng He’s right arm, ordered his wound bandaged, and had him sent to the emperor.
• Gu Wanning agreed to return to the Marquis’s Residence with Xu Weibei, and Qin Lie arrived with the First Concubine and explained that Lü Fuyi had reached the scene earlier.
• Gu Wanning reunited with the First Concubine and the other concubines, then traveled back to the city with them and the Gu family.