Chapter Summaries

Gu Wanning accepted the Grand Princess’s pearls and recognized her effort to secure the marriage, while Xu Weibei tried to restrict Gu Wanning’s access to money and valuables. The next day, Xu Weibei joined Gu Wanning and the concubines on an outing, which was set to begin at the opera.

• The Grand Princess gave Gu Wanning a box of pearls, and Gu Wanning accepted them despite understanding the Grand Princess’s intentions.
• Xu Weibei ordered Gao Lan to have gifts from the Princess’s Residence inspected before they reached Gu Wanning, and he planned to take her money and pearls.
• The shopkeeper and assistants rearranged the shop’s stock on the owner’s orders, bringing out unwanted crops from the storeroom.
• First Concubine asked Gu Wanning to let Jiaoniang join the outing, and Gu Wanning agreed.
• Xu Weibei accompanied Gu Wanning, her concubines, and Jiaoniang on their day out, and Gu Wanning said they were going to see an opera.

Gu Wanning watched Jiang Qiubai perform opera while Xu Weibei grew jealous and tried to hide his displeasure. When spilled tea splashed toward Gu Wanning, Xu Weibei blocked it with his arm, and the chapter ended with him insisting he was fine as she worried over his scald.

• Xu Weibei reluctantly agreed to accompany Gu Wanning to see Jiang Qiubai perform, despite his jealousy.
• Gao Lan arranged for Jiang Qiubai to perform “Tears at the Border Pass,” delighting Gu Wanning and irritating Xu Weibei.
• At the opera, Xu Weibei drank tea in frustration as Gu Wanning watched Jiang Qiubai.
• A nervous tea server spilled hot water, and Xu Weibei shielded Gu Wanning with his sleeve, scalding his arm.
• Gu Wanning urged Xu Weibei to cool the burn, but he brushed off her concern and asked Gao Lan to fetch a change of clothes.

Gu Wanning and Xu Weibei visited a shop selling crops from overseas, where she bought a tomato plant, pumpkins, and peanuts at surprisingly low prices. At a restaurant afterward, Gao Lan arrived with troubling news, and Xu Weibei scolded him for startling Gu Wanning.

• Xu Weibei refused the concubines' handkerchiefs, then took Gu Wanning to the shop selling goods from north and south.
• Gu Wanning bought a tomato plant and peanuts and received two pumpkins for free, while sweet potatoes and potatoes were unavailable.
• Gu Wanning paid for her purchases, and Xu Weibei offered to treat the group to dinner.
• Xu Weibei helped Gu Wanning from the carriage and stayed close to her as they climbed the restaurant stairs.
• Gao Lan hurried in and said something was wrong, and Xu Weibei rebuked him for frightening Gu Wanning.

Xu Weibei left with Third Concubine to help Linglong after she fell into the water, while Gu Wanning waited anxiously and hoped she and her child were safe. Third Concubine later reported that both had survived, but the fall seemed suspicious, and talk about Gu Wanning’s abduction raised doubts about whether Xu Weibei would pursue the matter.

• Gao Lan privately told Xu Weibei that someone needed saving, and Xu Weibei left with Third Concubine.
• Gu Wanning waited with the other concubines and hoped Linglong and her unborn child were all right.
• Third Concubine returned and told Gu Wanning that Linglong had fallen into the water but that she and the child were safe.
• Third Concubine said Linglong’s fall seemed suspicious and that Xu Weibei had stayed behind to investigate.
• Third Concubine warned Gu Wanning that people were talking about her abduction and questioned whether the matter would be left unresolved.

Gu Wanning and Xu Weibei learned that the Grand Princess had tried to prevent Linglong from giving birth to Xu Weibei’s eldest son. Two days later, Linglong gave birth to a daughter, whom the Grand Princess had ordered the midwife to spare.

• Third Concubine told Gu Wanning that the Grand Princess likely arranged for Linglong’s child to be lost to avoid offending the Gu family and creating a rival heir.
• Gu Wanning worried about protecting her family and Xu Weibei, while Third Concubine reassured her that the Grand Princess would respect the Gu family’s backing.
• Xu Weibei returned before court and told Gu Wanning that his grandmother had arranged for Linglong not to bear his eldest son.
• Xu Weibei revealed that he had confronted the Grand Princess and injured his hand in anger, and Gu Wanning urged him to ensure Linglong was cared for.
• Two days later, Linglong gave birth to a daughter, and Xu Weibei told Gu Wanning that the Grand Princess had ordered the midwife to kill the baby if it was a boy but spare her if it was a girl.

Gu Wanning noticed Xu Weibei’s gloom over Linglong having a daughter, while he struggled with disaster relief and the empty treasury. She brought the household to the Estate to harvest her ripe corn, whose yield could affect the country’s food supply.

• Gu Wanning saw Xu Weibei return drunk with black marks on him and suspected his drinking was connected to Linglong giving birth to a daughter.
• Xu Weibei worked under mounting pressure as early snow caused a severe disaster in the north and relief efforts and military clothing demanded more money.
• Second Concubine told Gu Wanning that Baoji had withdrawn from their planned horse-selling partnership, and Gu Wanning comforted her that she had not lost money.
• Xu Weibei’s work at the Ministry of Revenue exposed him to the deep flaws in the system and helped him understand Gu Yuanshi’s reasons for pursuing reform.
• Gu Wanning went to the Estate with Xu Weibei, Gu Anqi, the concubines, and Jiaoniang to oversee the corn harvest.
• The party saw the frost-damaged corn fields, where the stalks had turned yellow and withered before the harvest began.

Gu Wanning’s corn harvest exceeded 1,500 jin per mu, and she prepared several dishes that convinced Gu Anqi the crop could serve as food. She discussed next year’s plans for expanding corn cultivation and intercropping peanuts with Xu Weibei, then explained that a beggar at the Estate had taught her much about the outside world.

• Xu Weibei’s workers harvested and weighed corn from five mu, finding an average yield of more than 1,500 jin per mu.
• Gu Wanning ordered the corn gathered for storage and planned to save the best kernels for seed while using the rest to make food.
• Gu Wanning cooked a variety of corn dishes, and Gu Anqi eagerly packed some to take to their father.
• Xu Weibei criticized Gu Wanning for giving her father credit for the corn, but she said she could appreciate the Gu family’s help while relying on herself.
• Gu Wanning proposed intercropping peanuts and corn next year and explained how the crops could complement each other.
• Xu Weibei asked how Gu Wanning knew so much, and she said a beggar her father had sheltered at the Estate had taught her about the world.

Gu Wanning discussed her mistreatment by the Gu family with Xu Weibei, who urged her to stay at the Marquis’s Residence while she questioned him about his plans for Linglong and her daughter. She later went outside and happily reunited with Shitou at the Estate.

• Xu Weibei grew angry after Gu Wanning explained how the Gu family had treated her, and she reminded him to guard against rumors linking him to her older sister.
• Xu Weibei said he would provide for Linglong and her daughter outside the residence, revealing that he sent them a hundred taels of silver each month.
• Xu Weibei stopped himself from confiding in Gu Wanning and claimed he was not full, prompting her to leave for a walk.
• Gu Wanning encountered Shitou by the persimmon tree and learned he had been helping harvest corn and was afraid of the Marquis.
• Gu Wanning noticed Shitou's scratches and told him not to return to the cornfield that afternoon.

Gu Wanning grew fond of Shitou after seeing him climb a tree to pick persimmons and hearing that he stayed at the estate because he hoped his parents would return. Xu Weibei agreed that she could take Shitou home to run errands for her.

• Shitou climbed a tree to pick persimmons for Gu Wanning, and she worried that he might fall.
• Xu Weibei helped check Gu Wanning's forehead after she ran into him, then dismissed her fears for Shitou's safety.
• Gu Wanning learned that Shitou had refused adoption because he hoped his parents would come looking for him, and she gave him candy with Jiaoniang.
• Gu Wanning asked Xu Weibei to let her take Shitou home, and he agreed.

Gu Wanning told Xu Weibei that her family had hidden Zhi Nu’s murder from the women, then invited Shitou to return to the residence with her. As Gu Yuanshi hurried over to meet them, Xu Weibei kept Gu Wanning in the carriage and offered him only restrained courtesy.

• Xu Weibei suggested that Gu Wanning bring Shitou back to the residence, and she agreed to speak to the boy.
• Gu Wanning revealed that Zhi Nu had been murdered and dismembered by his kidnappers, a truth her father and eldest brother had concealed from the women in the family.
• Jiaoniang showed Gu Wanning the butterflies Shitou had caught, and Gu Wanning invited Shitou to return to the residence and run errands for her.
• Shitou tearfully accepted Gu Wanning’s kindness, and she arranged for him to ride with Er Ya in the carriage behind hers.
• Gu Yuanshi hurried to meet them after receiving his son’s report, while Xu Weibei kept Gu Wanning in the carriage and exchanged few pleasantries with him.

After the corn harvest confirmed its promise, Gu Yuanshi reported the discovery to the emperor and credited Gu Wanning, bringing her amicable divorce closer. Gu Wanning remained resolved to leave Xu Weibei and planned to establish her own household, while Xu Weibei hurried off to see his feverish daughter, A Yi.

• Gu Yuanshi verified the corn yield and went to the palace to tell the emperor that Gu Wanning deserved credit for the discovery.
• Gu Anqi brought Gu Wanning news of their father's success and quietly confirmed that she still wanted an amicable divorce.
• Gao Lan reported that A Yi had developed a high fever, so Xu Weibei sent for an imperial physician and went to see her with Gu Wanning.
• Gu Wanning asked whether the emperor might approve their divorce before the new year, and Gu Anqi promised to speak with their father.
• Gu Wanning told Gu Anqi she intended to establish her own household rather than return to the family residence.

Gu Anqi promised to protect Gu Wanning and carefully vet anyone hired to serve her after she moved out. After he left, Gu Wanning experimented with sugar-coated popcorn and planned to ask Baoji to sell it.

• Gu Anqi told Gu Wanning he would take care of everything for her, and she saw him to the courtyard gate.
• Er Ya and Gu Anqi found Shitou crying in a bamboo grove after he had sneaked out to relieve himself, and Er Ya reassured him before guiding him back toward the courtyard.
• Gu Anqi told Er Ya to have him review the backgrounds of anyone hired to serve Gu Wanning after she moved out.
• Gu Wanning experimented with adding sugar to popcorn and decided to approach Baoji about selling it.
• Er Ya suggested that wealthy customers might pay a high price, and Gu Wanning joked that Xu Weibei was an excellent customer.

Gu Wanning partnered with Baoji to sell popcorn and corn cakes, hoping to amass money before her planned divorce, while Xu Weibei agreed to the deal and kept control of the earnings. After A Yi recovered, Xu Weibei arranged for the household to distribute porridge as the snow disaster worsened.

• Xu Weibei told Gu Wanning that A Yi's fever kept returning and left Third Concubine to help care for her.
• Gu Wanning persuaded Baoji to consider selling her popcorn and corn cakes through the shop.
• Xu Weibei agreed to help Baoji sell Gu Wanning's foods but intended not to give her the silver.
• Gu Wanning's popcorn and corn cakes sold well, and she calculated they could earn her several thousand taels.
• Xu Weibei told Gu Wanning that A Yi had recovered and that the household would set up a porridge stall for disaster victims.

Gu Wanning organized the Marquis's Residence's porridge distribution for disaster victims and brought the concubines and Jiaoniang along. The chapter ended with Jiaoniang wanting to help the poor children and First Concubine suggesting they exchange Jiaoniang's costly outgrown clothes for more practical old ones.

• Xu Weibei arranged for court officials' charcoal allowances to fund disaster relief and entrusted Gu Wanning with the porridge stalls.
• Xu Weibei told Gu Wanning to bring First Concubine and Jiaoniang, and promised Qin Lie would help maintain order.
• Gu Wanning asked whether Gu Wanqing's household would also distribute porridge, worrying about her birth family and Gu Wanqing's connection to Xu Weibei.
• Gu Wanning arrived with the concubines at the porridge line, where Qin Lie helped manage the crowd and quietly checked on First Concubine.
• Jiaoniang was moved by the children's poverty and asked to give them her outgrown clothes, so First Concubine suggested exchanging them for more old clothes at Second Concubine's family's pawnshop.

Gu Wanning and the women of the Marquis's Residence continued distributing congee and clothes to disaster victims, while Qin Lie’s brave intervention in a riot deepened First Concubine’s concern for him. As Gu Wanning’s birthday approached, Xu Weibei decided to give her gifts and arranged to keep the silver she was owed from reaching her.

• Gu Wanning, the concubines, and Er Ya handed out congee as Second Concubine chased off a man trying to take a second helping.
• Qin Lie led his men into a crowd at a nearby congee stall, where disaster victims had rioted after someone spat in the congee, and Xu Weibei arrived to help resolve the crisis.
• First Concubine worried over Qin Lie’s supposed injuries, while Xu Weibei suspected Qin Lie was feigning pain to win her sympathy.
• The women of the Marquis's Residence continued distributing congee and clothes for several days, and First Concubine stayed up late altering garments for children.
• Xu Weibei told Baoji’s shopkeeper to withhold the silver owed to Gu Wanning, then discussed birthday gifts for her with Gao Lan.

Xu Weibei planned an elaborate birthday celebration and gifts for Gu Wanning, while Gu Wanning remained unaware of her birthday and prepared to leave the Marquis's Residence after hearing the divorce was progressing. The chapter left her packing for a new life, with Er Ya wondering whether she could find a husband better than Xu Weibei.

• Xu Weibei asked Gao Lan for gift ideas and decided to give Gu Wanning fine treasures as well as a thoughtful surprise.
• Xu Weibei ordered craftsmen to carve ice flowers for a courtyard display and told Gao Lan to keep the plan secret from Gu Wanning.
• Xu Weibei instructed the concubines to prepare for Gu Wanning's birthday and gave them silver they had to spend.
• Gu Wanning received a letter from Gu Anqi saying the divorce by mutual consent was progressing, so she and Er Ya secretly packed her belongings.
• Er Ya said she could not bear to leave Gu Wanning and wondered what kind of husband Gu Wanning would find after the divorce.

On her birthday, Gu Wanning was unexpectedly fetched from Xu Weibei’s residence and brought to the Gu family home, though she could not tell why they had called her back. He Shi welcomed her and planned a family meal, while Gu Anfang went to sleep after his night watch.

• Gu Wanning worried that her twitching right eye signaled trouble and wondered whether something had happened to the Gu family.
• Gu Anfang fetched Gu Wanning and Er Ya, refusing to let her bring Third Concubine or anyone else.
• Er Ya coaxed Gu Anfang into admitting that he did not know why Old Madam had ordered him to fetch Gu Wanning.
• He Shi welcomed Gu Wanning at the Gu Residence and said the family would celebrate her birthday over lunch and dinner.
• Gu Anfang teased He Shi about his eldest brother, then went inside to sleep.

Gu Wanning learned that the emperor had agreed to oversee her divorce from Xu Weibei after witnessing the corn harvest, though he was wary of her abilities. She stayed at her parents’ home and expected Xu Weibei to resist when the emperor summoned him to discuss the divorce.

• He Shi brought Gu Wanning to Wei Shi, who asked whether she truly wanted the divorce.
• Wei Shi explained that Gu Wanning’s father had reported the corn harvest and that the emperor had witnessed it himself before agreeing to oversee the divorce.
• Gu Wanning said she did not regret seeking freedom, while Wei Shi told her the emperor would summon Xu Weibei to discuss the matter and let him appear to initiate it.
• Wei Shi said Gu Wanning would remain at her parents’ home and they would not ask for her dowry, leaving Gu Wanning worried about her money and how Xu Weibei would react.

Gu Wanning chose to live outside the Gu family home and learned that Gu Wanqing had miscarried, while Gu Xiaoxiao had proposed marrying into the same princely household. Gu Wanning opened Gu Wanqing’s birthday gift and discovered it was a treasured jade pendant their elder brother had bought years earlier.

• Gu Wanning decided to stay in the nearby house rather than live under the same roof as Gu Xiaoxiao.
• Wei Shi told Gu Wanning that Gu Wanqing had miscarried shortly before the porridge distribution and had insisted on going out despite her condition.
• Wei Shi revealed that Gu Xiaoxiao had offered to help ease Gu Wanqing’s burden by joining her in the princely household, angering Wei Shi and Gu Wanning.
• Gu Wanning opened Gu Wanqing’s birthday gift and found a purple jade pendant carved with two fish.
• Wei Shi explained that Gu Wanning’s elder brother had bought the pendant for Gu Wanqing years earlier with his savings, and that Gu Wanqing had treasured it.

On Gu Wanning’s birthday, she declined a jade pendant from Gu Wanqing and spent time with her family, while a story about helping a child moved He Shi to tears. Xu Weibei hurried away from court to return to Gu Wanning, convinced that the day could change their relationship.

• Gu Wanning told Wei Shi she wanted Gu Wanqing to keep the jade pendant because it suited her better, then spent her birthday playing chess with Ling Ge and losing repeatedly.
• Gu Wanning told He Shi about helping Shitou, and He Shi wept as she thought of Zhi Nu; Gu Wanning comforted her, and Wei Shi brought in longevity noodles.
• After court, Xu Weibei ignored the chief eunuch’s summons and rushed out, assuming the emperor wanted money and wanting to spend Gu Wanning’s birthday with her.
• Gao Lan met Xu Weibei at the palace gates, but Xu Weibei rode off in a hurry to check on the preparations before Gu Wanning returned.