Chapter Summaries

Jian Ruonan learned that Madam Zhou planned to sell her as a concubine, then discovered she was the legitimate daughter of the Jinyang Marquis's Residence and had been switched at birth. She decided to find her biological parents instead of waiting three years for them to reclaim her.

• Jian Ruonan woke in a starving ten-year-old's body and learned from the system that Madam Zhou had brought her porridge after eating roast chicken.
• Jian Ruonan discovered Madam Zhou planned to sell her to sixty-five-year-old Landowner Zhang as a concubine.
• Madam Zhou dressed Jian Ruonan for a visit from a matchmaker and claimed her great-aunt would take her to town for pastries.
• The system revealed that Madam Zhou had switched Jian Ruonan, the Jinyang Marquis's legitimate daughter, with her own child.
• Jian Ruonan sprang out of bed and resolved to find her biological parents at the Jinyang Marquis's Residence.

After learning the story’s plot, Jian Ruonan escaped Madam Zhou’s plan to sell her by stealing money and Madam Zhou’s indenture contract. She sold Madam Zhou to a broker and then threatened the matchmaker with knowledge of her affair with the county constable.

• Jian Ruonan learned that Madam Zhou had switched her with Jian Chuxue as a baby and that she was destined to be sold and later overshadowed by Jian Chuxue.
• Madam Zhou and the matchmaker agreed to take Jian Ruonan to town and sell her to Landowner Zhang.
• Jian Ruonan stole silver and Madam Zhou’s indenture contract from a locked box, then pretended to be ill so Madam Zhou would carry her to the carriage.
• At a restaurant, Jian Ruonan took Madam Zhou’s contract to a broker and sold her for one tael of silver.
• After the broker’s men bound Madam Zhou, Jian Ruonan demanded that the matchmaker pay for the meal and threatened to expose her affair with the county constable.

Jian Ruonan reached Capital City and met her biological mother, Min, whose carriage she stopped to reveal that she and Chuxue had been switched as babies. Min began investigating the claim and a concubine’s planned miscarriage scheme, while Jian Ruonan’s thoughts hinted that her full sister Jian Xilu was also suffering.

• Jian Ruonan used her gossip system to identify Min’s carriage and stopped it outside the Marquis’s Estate.
• Min invited Jian Ruonan into the carriage and learned that Madam Zhou had allegedly switched her with Chuxue during a fire.
• Jian Ruonan’s thoughts revealed that a concubine was carrying Second Uncle’s child and planned to miscarry in Min’s room to frame her.
• Min postponed her visit to the Duke Who Protects the Nation’s Mansion, summoned Jian Zhang from the Ministry of Justice, and ordered someone to investigate Wei’s monthly bleeding.
• Jian Ruonan’s thoughts suggested that her full sister Jian Xilu had it even worse, but she went quiet because she was hungry, so Min ordered food prepared at the Marquis’s Estate.

Jian Ruonan arrived at the Marquis's Estate, where Min brought her into the household and treated her as her daughter while awaiting confirmation of her identity. When Wei visited and confessed that she had fed Min's cat Snowball pastries before it fell ill, Ruonan's thoughts warned Min not to punish her because Wei would miscarry.

• Jian Ruonan traveled to the Marquis's Estate, and the system awarded her five points for completing the plot ahead of schedule.
• Min brought Jian Ruonan to Westglow Garden, ordered a bath and clothes for her, and served her a meal.
• A maid told Min that Wei had missed her monthly bleeding for two months, and Wei arrived to pay her respects.
• Jian Ruonan jumped away from Wei and insisted she had not touched her.
• Wei apologized for feeding Snowball pastries before the cat foamed at the mouth, and Jian Ruonan's thoughts warned Min that punishing Wei would cause her to miscarry.

Jian Ruonan's thoughts revealed that Jian Xilu's fiancé, Gao Yang, kept three pregnant mistresses, while Min tried to investigate the match. After Jian Chuxue's scuffle left Wei clutching her belly, Jian Zhang arrived and heard an unfamiliar voice call him a blind bear.

• Wei accused Min of causing her miscarriage, but Min dismissed her and had her escorted from Westglow Garden.
• Jian Xilu arrived, and Jian Ruonan's inner thoughts praised her while revealing Gao Yang's three pregnant mistresses and the Duke's household's plan to bring them home after the wedding.
• Jian Xilu heard Jian Ruonan's thoughts and grew fond of her, while Min resolved to investigate the engagement.
• Jian Chuxue confronted Wei over Snowball's death, and Wei fell during their scuffle and clutched her belly.
• Jian Zhang entered as Min moved to respond, and he heard Jian Ruonan's thought calling him a blind bear.

Jian Zhang discovered he could hear Jian Ruonan’s thoughts as he investigated the dispute over Snowball and Wei’s apparent injuries. Jian Ruonan exposed Wei’s deception, but her thoughts about Jian Zhang’s coming rise and tragic fate left him anxious for answers.

• Jian Zhang arrived at Westglow Garden and realized he could hear Jian Ruonan’s thoughts about his appearance and poor judgment.
• Wei began moaning about her belly exactly as Jian Ruonan predicted, then acted like a wronged, fragile victim.
• A maid claimed Wei had fed Snowball pastries and had come to beg Min’s forgiveness after the cat died.
• Jian Ruonan revealed that Wei had poisoned Snowball and that Min had treated Wei gently, so Jian Zhang ordered the maid sold for giving an unclear account.
• Jian Zhang learned from Jian Ruonan’s thoughts that he would become Minister of Justice but suffer a terrible fate, though she did not explain what would happen.

Jian Zhang investigated Wei’s fall and learned that Jian Chuxue had pushed her, causing her to lose a pregnancy. He punished Jian Chuxue and Min, while Jian Ruonan’s thoughts revealed that Wei had concealed the pregnancy and that the child was not Jian Zhang’s; Jian Zhang then disappeared from sight.

• Jian Chuxue admitted that she had pushed Wei after an argument over Snowball’s death, and Wei’s maid revealed that Wei was nearly three months pregnant.
• A physician confirmed that Wei’s pregnancy could not be saved, and Jian Zhang ordered Jian Chuxue confined to her quarters for a month.
• Wei claimed she blamed neither Jian Chuxue nor Min, prompting Jian Zhang to order Min to copy the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Fundamental Vows Sutra one hundred times.
• Jian Ruonan’s thoughts revealed that Wei had hidden the pregnancy, that the child was not Jian Zhang’s, and that remnants of abortion medicine were buried beneath a peach tree in Wei’s courtyard.
• Jian Ruonan looked up from her tea and wondered where Jian Zhang had gone.

Jian Zhang, Min, and Jian Xilu discovered that they could all hear Jian Ruonan’s inner voice, then welcomed Ruonan as Min’s daughter and arranged for her return to the household. At dinner, Ruonan’s gossip revealed that Wei was meeting her lover, and Jian Zhang hurried off to catch them together.

• Jian Zhang ordered Chang Fu to collect the medicinal dregs buried beneath Wei’s peach tree and secretly investigate them.
• Min and Jian Xilu went to verify Ruonan’s claims, where they found Jian Zhang digging up the dregs; the three realized they could all hear Ruonan’s inner voice.
• Jian Zhang rejected the plan to copy a sutra for Wei, and Min openly acknowledged Jian Ruonan as her daughter despite the investigation’s results not yet being complete.
• Jian Zhang and Min decided to explain Ruonan’s absence by saying she had been raised in Jiangnan to avert calamity, and Min planned to keep her close while Jian Chuxue was eventually married off.
• At dinner, Jian Ruonan’s inner voice revealed that Wei was meeting her lover near the west gate, and Jian Zhang left to catch them in the act.

Min, Jian Xilu, and Jian Ruonan discovered Jian Lang and Wei having an affair in the Plum Grove, where Jian Zhang caught them and flew into a rage. Jian Lang tried to claim he had gone to admire flowers, while Jian Xilu and Min struggled to suppress their laughter.

• Min left the family meal to check on Jian Zhang, and Jian Xilu persuaded Jian Ruonan to come with her to see the epiphyllums near the west corner gate.
• Jian Xilu and Jian Ruonan heard Jian Lang and Wei talking intimately inside a rockery, and Jian Xilu covered Jian Ruonan’s ears while she listened to the gossip through her system.
• Min and Jian Zhang arrived at the Plum Grove, and Jian Zhang ordered lanterns lit, exposing Jian Lang and Wei’s tryst.
• Jian Lang emerged from the rockery and Jian Zhang kicked him to the ground before ordering his men to drag Wei outside.
• Jian Lang claimed he had come to admire flowers, and Jian Xilu and Min struggled not to laugh at his excuse.

Jian Zhang caught Jian Lang and Concubine Wei together, then followed Jian Ruonan’s advice to beat Jian Lang in the dark and send him to the magistrate. After the Old Madam ordered Ruonan to kneel overnight in the Ancestral Hall, Ruonan prayed for money while her parents listened to her inner voice.

• Jian Lang claimed he had come to admire the flowers and appraise Concubine Wei’s luminous pearl, so Jian Zhang initially hesitated to punish them because of the Wei family’s influence.
• Jian Ruonan’s inner voice pointed out that Inspector Wei would likely punish Concubine Wei for bringing disgrace to his family, and Jian Zhang kicked Wei as she knelt before him.
• Jian Ruonan suggested Jian Zhang beat Jian Lang under cover of darkness, so Jian Zhang had the lamps extinguished, covered Jian Lang’s head, and ordered servants to take him to the magistrate.
• Jian Zhang asked Shi-shi what to do, and she approved sending the alleged thief to the authorities; she also ordered Jian Ruonan to kneel overnight in the Ancestral Hall after Jian Zhang explained her return.
• Jian Ruonan’s parents worried as she knelt in the Ancestral Hall, while her inner voice repeatedly prayed for gold and money to come from every direction.

After Jian Ruonan was confirmed as Min’s biological daughter, Min welcomed her with gold gifts and began bringing her into the Marquis’s household. As they visited Old Madam, Jian Ruonan learned through the system that the old woman had athlete’s foot and recoiled before they could touch.

• Jian Zhang confirmed Jian Ruonan was Min’s biological daughter, and Min gave her gold horses and a heavy gold neck ring.
• Min planned to visit the Duke of Pingguo Residence with Jian Ruonan and Jian Xilu while Jian Zhang secretly investigated whether Gao Yang kept mistresses.
• Jian Ruonan slept late, accepted Min’s offer to stay with her for two months, and prepared to pay her respects to Old Madam.
• The system told Jian Ruonan that Wen Xue had leaked gossip about her, and Jian Ruonan decided to find a way to send the maid away.
• Old Madam reached for Jian Ruonan’s hand, but the system revealed that Old Madam had athlete’s foot and picked at her feet, so Jian Ruonan sprang away before touching her.

Jian Ruonan’s thoughts exposed Shi-shi’s strange foot-related habits, while her system reminded her to win over the Fourth Prince. At Prince Rui’s Residence, Dantai Mo learned that contact with Jian Ruonan could provide the energy his system needed to restore his legs, and he objected to the idea of stealing it.

• Jian Ruonan avoided touching Shi-shi after realizing the Old Madam had a fungal infection, and Min and Jian Xilu quietly counted their blessings.
• Shi-shi gave Jian Ruonan a jade pendant, which Min accepted on her behalf while Jian Ruonan wondered how the infection had spread.
• Jian Ruonan’s thoughts revealed Shi-shi’s fetish for performers’ shoes and feet, leaving Min and Jian Xilu eager to learn the identity of her lover.
• Jian Ruonan’s system urged her to win over the Fourth Prince and stop his future rebellion, but she dismissed the mission to keep listening for gossip.
• At Prince Rui’s Residence, Dantai Mo learned that his system could gain energy by making contact with Jian Ruonan and restore his legs.
• Dantai Mo accused his system of expecting a prince to steal energy from Jian Ruonan.

Dantai Mo waited in vain for Jian Ruonan to pursue him, while Jian Ruonan accidentally attracted his attention and unlocked the Points Mall. Her first spending spree left her with assorted prizes, no toilet paper, and a large debt to the system.

• Dantai Mo learned that Jian Ruonan had a mission to win him over and expected her to approach, but she never came.
• Jian Ruonan went to a banquet at the Duke's Mansion to see Prince Rui, and the system announced that she had attracted his attention before she had even seen him.
• Jian Ruonan opened the Points Mall and discovered its Wheel of Fortune offered goods including modern supplies and medicine.
• Jian Ruonan spent her points and borrowed more to keep drawing, winning potatoes, corn, medicine, salt, and an aphrodisiac but no toilet paper.
• Jian Ruonan learned she owed the system thirty points, with interest accruing at three points per day.

At a gathering in the Flower Hall, Jian Ruonan’s gossip reveals that Madam Song plans to have her husband impeach Jian Zhang over the Marquis’s household and its daughters. Min and Jian Xilu learn that the accusation could ruin the family, but Madam Song interrupts before Jian Ruonan can uncover the more dangerous gossip about Censor Cao.

• Min introduced Jian Ruonan to the officials’ wives and explained that she had grown up in Jiangnan.
• Madam Song provoked the guests by challenging Jian Ruonan to demonstrate the talents of a Jiangnan girl, and Jian Ruonan clarified that her tutors had come from the Capital City.
• Min said Jian Ruonan knew a little medicine, but Madam Song demanded that she examine Madam Wang’s headache.
• Jian Ruonan’s system revealed that Madam Song had once loved Jian Zhang and believed Min had stolen him from her.
• Madam Song suspected that Jian Ruonan and Jian Chuxue had been switched and planned to have Censor Cao impeach Jian Zhang.
• Jian Ruonan’s thoughts warned Min that the impeachment could cost Jian Zhang his position and the heir’s title, but Madam Song interrupted by asking her to examine Madam Wang.

Jian Ruonan claimed to have read legendary medical texts and gave Madam Wang an ibuprofen capsule for her chronic headaches. She met the Fourth Prince, Dantai Mo, but lost most of her interest in winning him over after learning he was paralyzed.

• Madam Wang asked Jian Ruonan about her medical learning, and Jian invented two rare book titles that made Madam Wang believe she had an extraordinary teacher.
• Jian Ruonan gave Madam Wang a red capsule, saying her headache should ease within half an hour, while the women in the Flower Hall debated whether she should take it.
• The commotion drew the Duke and Dantai Mo, and Jian Ruonan was captivated by the Fourth Prince's looks.
• Jian Ruonan asked the system for information about Dantai Mo, but it could find no gossip about him.
• Jian Ruonan heard that Dantai Mo was paralyzed after falling from a horse and abruptly lost most of her desire to pursue him.

Jian Ruonan gave Madam Wang a pill for her headache while Dantai Mo discovered that talking with Jian Ruonan restored his sensation and replenished his system’s lamp oil. The chapter ended with Jian Ruonan earning favorability and curiosity points from Dantai Mo and suspecting that he was the one trying to win her over.

• Dantai Mo questioned Jian Ruonan about her mysterious medicine, and he ordered Madam Song thrown out after she tried to prevent Madam Wang from taking it.
• Madam Wang swallowed a pill, and Jian Ruonan explained how to take more if the headache persisted; the guests waited to see whether it worked.
• Dantai Mo spoke with Jian Ruonan about the medicine, learned it could treat several kinds of pain and fevers, and asked whether it could be bought in bulk.
• Dantai Mo privately told the Black Tortoise System that sensation had returned to his thighs, and the system said its lamp oil had replenished while he spoke with Jian Ruonan.
• Jian Ruonan’s system awarded her points as Dantai Mo’s favorability and curiosity increased, leading her to suspect that he was trying to win her over.

After Jian Ruonan's medicine cured Madam Wang's headache, the ladies praised her and began seeking her help and considering her as a match for their sons. Jian Ruonan dreaded marriage and plotted to choose a wealthy groom who would die young, prompting Min to intervene before Jian Xilu was influenced.

• Madam Wang's headache vanished after she took Jian Ruonan's medicine, and the ladies offered to buy more pills.
• Jian Ruonan said she would ask her master before selling the medicine, while her reputation as a skilled healer spread among the guests.
• Min began discussing potential matches for Jian Ruonan, and Jian Xilu told her that their mother was looking for a husband for her.
• Jian Ruonan privately lamented the burdens of marriage, childbirth, and managing a household, then asked the System to find a wealthy young gentleman with a short lifespan.
• Jian Xilu considered Jian Ruonan's concerns, and Min overheard the plan and hurried to intervene.

Min learned that Gao Yang was waiting at a house in Pagoda Tree Alley while one of his mistresses gave birth, despite the Duke of Pingguo household praising his virtue. She decided to investigate, and the Duke's Madam's uneasy reaction strengthened Min's resolve to end Jian Xilu's engagement.

• Min questioned a young maid, who praised Gao Yang's reputation and conduct in the household.
• Jian Ruonan learned through her inner thoughts that Gao Yang was at a house in Pagoda Tree Alley while his mistress gave birth.
• Jian Ruonan and Jian Xilu arranged excuses to take Min to Pagoda Tree Alley, but Jian Zhang arrived to fetch them first.
• The Duke's Madam praised Jian Xilu and offered to summon Gao Yang, while Jian Ruonan internally accused Gao Yang and his mother of deception.
• Min mentioned that they were going to Pagoda Tree Alley, and the Duke's Madam reacted uneasily, convincing Min that Jian Xilu's engagement had to be broken off.

Min left the reception with her family after making Madam Song jealous by acting affectionate with Jian Zhang, and they headed to Pagoda Tree Alley. The Fourth Prince discovered that Jian Ruonan's medicine and Lamp Oil might help his legs, then followed her carriage and heard her thoughts as they closed in on Gao Yang.

• Min taunted Madam Song for making Jian Ruonan popular, then clung to Jian Zhang at the Hanging Flower Gate to make Madam Song jealous.
• Jian Zhang embraced Min, and Madam Song hurried into her carriage, hit her head on the doorway, and raised a bump.
• Min told Jian Zhang to take the family to Pagoda Tree Alley, where Jian Ruonan wanted to buy pastries.
• Dantai Mo felt his legs during acupuncture but lost the sensation afterward, and the Black Tortoise System told him that Lamp Oil was still necessary.
• Dantai Mo learned he could hear Jian Ruonan's thoughts, then followed her carriage toward Pagoda Tree Alley.
• As Dantai Mo's carriage drew near, Jian Ruonan thought that Gao Yang was nearby and urged her father to catch him.

Jian Ruonan and her family searched Locust Tree Alley for Gao Yang’s mistress and found the house where the woman was giving birth. They devised a risky plan to get inside, leaving Jian Zhang expected to feed a potent aphrodisiac to a horse.

• Jian Ruonan gained points when the Fourth Prince’s curiosity and shock increased, then argued with the system about drawing cards on credit.
• Jian Ruonan shared gossip about the alley’s residents, including a husband who let his mother mistreat his wife, prompting thoughts about Jian Zhang and Min’s family life.
• Jian Ruonan discovered Gao Yang’s house when her gossip system revealed that his mistress was about to give birth there.
• Jian Ruonan proposed using a potent aphrodisiac on the tethered horse to create an excuse to enter, and Min, Jian Xilu, and Jian Ruonan looked to Jian Zhang to carry out the plan.