Chapter Summaries

The Liu Family reacted angrily to Madam Jiang’s message while Jiang Chen gained support among Military Selection candidates through tea gatherings with Zhou Yunshen. Lan Ruoyue worried that Jiang Chen might threaten Liu Defa’s chances, then went to the Star-Picking Tower, where General Zhao demonstrated weapons and Zhou Shiye was challenged to spar.

• The Liu Family spent the night cursing after receiving Madam Jiang’s message, then Jiang Chen and Zhou Yunshen hosted gatherings that boosted Jiang Chen’s reputation among candidates.
• Lan Ruoyue heard of Jiang Chen’s success and, urged by her system to help Liu Defa win the Military Selection, learned that he was at the Star-Picking Tower.
• Jiang Shuyue watched General Zhao demonstrate weapons and privately joked with Huahua about his battle scars and nunchucks.
• When candidates eagerly volunteered to spar with General Zhao, Jiang Shuyue’s comments made Zhou Shiye seem dismissive of him.
• An indignant candidate challenged Zhou Shiye, but Zhou declined, and Zhao Qing struck the candidate with a stick and warned him not to underestimate Zhou’s battle experience.

At General Zhao's weapons gathering, Jiang Shuyue and Huahua noticed Cao Ying'er, a young woman disguised as a man to enter the Military Selection, and learned the danger she faced. After the gathering, Zhou Shiye recalled the candidates whose names had been recorded and warned them to keep a secret of the Great Zhou court.

• A candidate apologized to Zhou Shiye, who introduced the visit as a chance to enjoy the gathering and see General Zhao's armory.
• Huahua pointed out Cao Ying'er in disguise and explained her background, ambition, and tragic fate in the original novel; Jiang Shuyue worried about her shared lodging and possible period during the selection.
• Zhou Shiye redirected Jiang Shuyue's attention as Zhao Qing demonstrated his nunchaku and sparred with three candidates.
• Jiang Shuyue and Huahua discussed unfamiliar weapons, leaving Zhao Qing amazed by how much he had yet to learn.
• After the gathering ran twice as long as planned, Zhou Shiye sent Jiang Shuyue outside and summoned the recorded candidates to the hall.
• Zhou Shiye told the candidates that what they had heard was a court secret and ordered them not to speak of it.

Zhou Shiye warned the prospective candidates to keep the secret of Jiang Shuyue’s abilities and reassured Cao Ying'er after his mother’s remarks. Lan Ruoyue arrived at the Star-Picking Tower after the crowd had dispersed, hoping to promote her image through the people she had met.

• Zhou Shiye secured the candidates’ promise to keep silent about Jiang Shuyue and praised their loyalty to Great Zhou.
• Zhou Shiye learned Liu Defa’s name and promised to hold a banquet for the candidates when they returned with honors.
• Zhou Shiye apologized to Cao Ying'er, who promised not to enter the Military Selection, and he arranged for attendants to watch over her.
• Lan Ruoyue reached the Star-Picking Tower and wondered why few people remained; the system pointed out that she had stopped to talk with several people on the way.
• Lan Ruoyue said she had dressed up and spoken with people to spread her image, while the system doubted this would match Jiang Shuyue’s widespread reputation.

Lan Ruoyue approached Liu Defa and mistakenly assumed his companions were bullying him, while Liu Defa and his friends struggled to understand her claims. She warned him that his supposed friends were actually competitors, and he continued to defend them.

• Lan Ruoyue asked for Liu Defa, who introduced himself and politely asked who she was.
• Lan Ruoyue complained inwardly that Liu Defa did not recognize her, and her system suggested her fame had not reached the countryside.
• Lan Ruoyue called herself the Goddess and predicted Liu Defa would become this year's Literary Star, confusing him and his companions.
• Lan Ruoyue accused Liu Defa's companions of bullying him and threatened to make an enemy of them if they harmed him.
• Liu Defa said the men were his friends and asked Lan Ruoyue not to slander them.
• Lan Ruoyue warned Liu Defa that his friends were his competitors and might stab him in the back.

Liu Defa and his friends rejected Lan Ruoyue’s warnings, while her attempt to gain their luck points failed. She then asked the Fourth Prince for a huge sum to aid examination candidates, but his letter told her to settle down.

• Liu Defa took offense at Lan Ruoyue insulting his friends and left with them despite her trying to stop him.
• Lan Ruoyue tripped and fell while chasing Liu Defa, and he and his friends hurried away.
• Liu Defa and his friends laughed about Lan Ruoyue at a tavern and agreed they would never betray one another.
• Lan Ruoyue complained that she had failed to gain their luck points and told Sangshen to ask the Fourth Prince for an advance of one hundred thousand taels.
• Sangshen gave Lan Ruoyue the Fourth Prince’s letter, which told her to settle down.

Jiang Shuyue went shopping with Zhou Luming and Zhou Shiye for clothes for the Empress Dowager’s birthday, while Lan Ruoyue also arrived at the Cloudsilk Pavilion to buy a gift with five thousand taels. The chapter left Jiang Shuyue recognizing Lan Ruoyue’s voice as a dispute erupted over the pavilion’s private room.

• Lan Ruoyue learned she had five thousand taels to spend on a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager and prepared to shop.
• Jiang Shuyue woke from a nap and learned that she had left her date with Shen early, agreeing to consider his proposal if he placed well in the Spring Imperial Examination.
• Zhou Luming and Zhou Shiye took Jiang Shuyue to the Cloudsilk Pavilion to shop for new clothes and jewelry.
• Jiang Shuyue warned her children against purchase bundling, and Zhou Shiye considered the idea as a possible way to make money.
• Manager Qiu went to investigate when she learned that someone had taken the Marquisate of Southern Pacification’s private room.
• Jiang Shuyue recognized Lan Ruoyue’s voice as Lan argued that she had arrived first and should be allowed to use the room.

Jiang Shuyue and her family caught Lan Ruoyue using the Marquisate’s name to enter their private room at Cloudsilk Pavilion, then watched her receive far less lavish treatment than they did. While the family browsed custom outfits, Huahua revealed Manager Xiao Qiu’s dramatic revenge on the childhood sweetheart who betrayed her.

• Huahua explained that Lan Ruoyue had insisted on using the Marquisate’s private room and planned to spend five thousand taels on herself.
• Zhou Shiye told Jiang Shuyue that Cloudsilk Pavilion allowed approved customers to order first and pay later.
• Zhou Luming greeted Lan Ruoyue and reminded her that she had made a wager with her father; Lan Ruoyue refused to leave the room.
• Zhou Shiye had chairs, tea, and fresh Hami melon brought in, while Lan Ruoyue noticed the difference in how the guests were treated.
• Zhou Luming asked Manager Qiu to show them rare custom outfits, and models displayed several pieces for the family.
• Huahua told Jiang Shuyue that Manager Xiao Qiu had punished her unfaithful childhood sweetheart by having him attacked and sent to a brothel.

Jiang Shuyue shopped for expensive clothes and jewelry with money her children had given her, while Lan Ruoyue criticized her spending and grew increasingly jealous. The chapter ended with Jiang Shuyue cheerfully admitting she had gotten carried away buying everything Lan Ruoyue admired.

• Manager Qiu showed Jiang Shuyue two rare bolts of Shu Brocade, and Zhou Luming and Zhou Shiye revealed that their family had given them a hundred thousand taels to spend on her.
• Huahua explained that Xiao Sheng had made a fortune through investments, including a grain shop, a waterway route, and a port.
• Lan Ruoyue condemned the fabrics' cost, but Jiang Shuyue bought them and ordered outfits for her daughter and the men in her household.
• Zhou Luming paid for the selected garments, and Jiang Shuyue admired the jade jewelry while Lan Ruoyue mocked her.
• Jiang Shuyue bought several more pieces, including items Lan Ruoyue admired, and joked that she had gotten carried away shopping.

Jiang Shuyue and the Zhou siblings teased Lan Ruoyue while shopping, then met Madam Yu, whose beauty and marital skill impressed Jiang Shuyue. The chapter left Jiang Shuyue wondering whether the Great Villain could see her true heart beneath her modest bust.

• Lan Ruoyue admitted she could not buy anything because she had no money, while Zhou Luming and Zhou Shiye reminded her that their father had already prepared the Empress Dowager’s gift.
• Jiang Shuyue and Huahua discussed Lan Ruoyue’s remaining fortune value, and Zhou Shiye hoped Lan Ruoyue could make life at the Marquis’s Residence less dull for his mother.
• Zhou Luming and Zhou Shiye sarcastically challenged Lan Ruoyue’s claim that she was a Goddess, then Jiang Shuyue arranged for her purchases and gifts to be sent home.
• Jiang Shuyue met Madam Yu, admired her beauty, and heard from Huahua that Madam Yu knew how to keep Marquis Yu devoted.
• Madam Yu invited Jiang Shuyue and Zhou Luming to exchange advice, and Jiang Shuyue wondered whether the Great Villain could see her true heart.

Jiang Shuyue met Madam Yu and her son Yu Qing, whose feminine clothes and striking beauty fascinated her. As they went to visit the Marquis of Zhennan, Jiang Shuyue and Huahua speculated about Yu Qing’s romantic preferences, leaving him exasperated by their conclusion that he might be attracted to both men and women.

• Madam Yu invited Jiang Shuyue to call her elder sister, and Jiang Shuyue eagerly agreed after Huahua described Madam Yu’s bold reputation.
• Jiang Shuyue learned that the beautiful, feminine-looking Yu Qing was Madam Yu’s son, and she openly admired his appearance.
• Huahua revealed that Madam Yu had taken Yu Qing to brothels so he could learn to recognize women’s tricks, and Madam Yu defended the practice.
• Lan Ruoyue came downstairs, judged Madam Yu and Yu Qing by their clothes and jewelry, and left without approaching them.
• Zhou Luming escorted Madam Yu and Yu Qing to visit the Marquis of Zhennan, while Jiang Shuyue admired Yu Qing’s waist.
• Jiang Shuyue and Huahua speculated that Yu Qing might be attracted to both men and women, leaving Yu Qing inwardly insisting that he liked gentle, quiet girls.

Zhou Yunshen told Yu Xuanyu that his wife had repeatedly taken Qing'er to a brothel, leaving the Marquis horrified by the scandal and the expense. Jiang Shuyue returned from shopping and sweet-talked Zhou Yunshen, while her praise of his looks left Yu Xuanyu feeling mocked.

• Zhou Yunshen showed Yu Xuanyu a message revealing that Yu Xuanyu's wife had taken Qing'er, disguised as a girl, to a brothel several times.
• Yu Xuanyu read the message, realized the cost of the visits, and wailed over the damage to his family's honor.
• Jiang Shuyue returned with new clothes and jade pendants, apologized for spending Zhou Yunshen's money, and praised his taste and appearance.
• Jiang Shuyue and Huahua joked about Yu Xuanyu's looks and name, leaving him to suffer another blow to his pride.

Jiang Shuyue and Zhou Yunshen shared an affectionate moment while Marquis Yu and Yu Qing reacted to her private thoughts about them. After Zhou Yunshen carried Jiang Shuyue toward the pond pavilion, Marquis Yu asked his wife to help him with something.

• Jiang Shuyue kissed Zhou Yunshen, while Marquis Yu wondered at the contrast between Zhou Yunshen's loving manner and his violent reputation.
• Madam Yu arrived and checked Marquis Yu's cup, and Jiang Shuyue and Huahua discussed Marquis Yu's drinking habits and the clothes he bought for his daughter.
• Yu Qing objected inwardly to the speculation about his clothing, while Marquis Yu urged Jiang Shuyue to get down from Zhou Yunshen.
• Zhou Yunshen carried Jiang Shuyue to the pond pavilion for dinner, and Marquis Yu invited Yu Qing to stay at his residence.
• After Zhou Yunshen left, Marquis Yu asked his wife to jump onto his sturdy waist so he could catch her.

Jiang Shuyue drank too much at dinner and warned Yu Qing against Bai Wu’s suitor, whom she identified as Xu Xian. Huahua hinted that Jiang Shuyue’s repeated thigh-slapping had likely landed on Zhou Yunshen, leaving her to wonder why she felt no pain.

• Jiang Shuyue mistook the marks on Yu Xuanyu’s cheeks for contouring, and Huahua covered for her violence.
• Jiang Shuyue toasted Yu Xuanyu and secretly drank several more cups while Zhou Yunshen claimed he had grown too old for strong liquor.
• Jiang Shuyue warned Yu Qing not to go with Bai Wu if she came looking for him, and Madam Yu explained that Bai Wu planned to marry a penniless scholar.
• Jiang Shuyue recognized the scholar as Xu Xian and called him a famous man who lived off women while acting entitled.
• Jiang Shuyue wondered why her hand hurt after slapping a thigh but the thigh felt nothing, and Huahua suggested she look at Zhou Yunshen’s face.

At a dinner with the Yu family, Jiang Shuyue learned Yu Qing was gravely ill and promised to provide medicine, then got drunk and caused chaos by the bridge. As Jiang Shuyue and Yu Xuanyu wandered off to pluck a tiger’s fur, Zhou Yunshen turned to Madam Yu to discuss serious business.

• Huahua revealed that Yu Qing’s kidney and lung disease was worsening and that he would become bedridden within six months.
• Jiang Shuyue promised the Yu family a medicinal pill and said she would earn points for the Life-Reversing Pill by finding more targets to expose.
• Jiang Shuyue drank too much, mistook herself for a fish and then a parrot, and climbed onto Yu Xuanyu’s shoulders.
• Jiang Shuyue and Yu Xuanyu set off to pluck Big Flower’s fur while Little Peach, Three Flowers, and the Shadow Guards tried to keep them safe.
• Zhou Yunshen turned to Madam Yu and said it was time to discuss serious business.

Zhou Yunshen persuaded Madam Yu to help stage an explosion at Sulfur Mountain to derail the wonder-weapon project without endangering the Yu Family Army’s supplies. After waking, Jiang Shuyue watched a replay of her drunken antics and learned that Lan Ruoyue had also suffered another mishap.

• Zhou Yunshen explained that the flawed weapon formula would inevitably cause an explosion and proposed testing it at Sulfur Mountain.
• Madam Yu agreed to help arrange the explosion after Zhou Yunshen promised the Yu Family Army’s supplies could be rerouted and protected.
• Jiang Shuyue watched Huahua’s replay and learned that she had plucked fur from Big Flower’s backside while drunk.
• Huahua told Jiang Shuyue that Lan Ruoyue had shredded her clothes, started a fire beneath a hornets’ nest, and badly damaged her newly healed face.

Jiang Shuyue and Huahua gossiped about Lan Ruoyue’s hornet stings and Zhao Qing’s family before turning to Jiang Shuyue’s weight and eating habits. Jiang Shuyue declared she would diet, but breakfast arrived and she happily ate, leaving her resolve in doubt.

• Jiang Shuyue asked Huahua whether Lan Ruoyue’s skin booster injections made her less sensitive to hornet stings, and Huahua shared gossip about Lan Ruoyue and Zhao Qing’s drunken antics.
• Jiang Shuyue and Huahua complained about men, while Zhou Sesong worried that their mother was comparing the Zhou family’s boys to Jiang An; Yu Qing reassured them that they were peacocks and phoenixes.
• Huahua warned Jiang Shuyue that her recent habits could lead to major weight gain, so Jiang Shuyue announced a diet and promised to seek out gossip every day.
• Huahua banned Jiang Shuyue from sugary treats and fried rice cakes, but Jiang Shuyue objected to giving up pastries and reasoned that gaining a little weight might be fine.
• Little Peach brought breakfast, and Jiang Shuyue eagerly ate the fried rice cakes, noodles, shumai, and soup dumplings while Huahua praised the food.

Jiang Shuyue and the Zhou family arranged a book-giveaway stall outside the Jiang Family home to attract scheming women and earn Green Tea Points. The stall was ready when Jiang Shuyue arrived, and she teased her mother about her judgment and eyesight.

• Jiang Shuyue decided to open a stall that would lure scheming women into earning her Green Tea Points.
• Zhou Sesong suggested setting up outside the Jiang Family home and giving away books in exchange for stories, and Zhou Shiye and Zhou Luming agreed.
• Jiang Shuyue sent word to the Jiang Family, and Madam Jiang prepared books, refreshments, cushions, and guards for the stall.
• Madam Jiang arranged the stall with banners reading “Books given away in exchange for payment” and “No bitches or dumbasses allowed.”
• Jiang Shuyue arrived, greeted Madam Jiang and the Zhou children, and teased her mother about being blind.

Jiang Shuyue opened her stories-for-books stall while Huahua exposed the truth behind a woman’s tale about her second sister-in-law. The woman’s family had schemed to make her Fan Ruomei’s concubine and siphon money from his household, and Huahua ended by teasing whose child she had borne.

• Jiang Shuyue and Huahua mocked Jiang Mother’s poor eyesight, while Yu Qing struggled not to laugh.
• Jiang Mother offered Jiang Shuyue fruit and tea, and Jiang Shuyue began her stories-for-books event as crowds gathered.
• A middle-aged woman came forward with a tale about her supposedly suffering second sister-in-law.
• Huahua revealed that the woman’s sister-in-law was Fan Ruomei’s concubine, who had tricked him, borne a child, and secretly supported her former family with money from the Fan household.
• Huahua disclosed that the concubine had already been pregnant by her former husband when she entered Fan Ruomei’s household, then asked whose child it really was.

Jiang Shuyue encountered Bai Yulan, a competitive young woman who had fallen for Jiang Shuyue’s husband, and traded barbed remarks with her. Jiang Shuyue earned green tea points by appearing apologetic before insulting Bai Yulan’s father’s rank.

• Huahua revealed that a woman’s child had been fathered by her eldest brother-in-law, and Jiang Shuyue accidentally let her thoughts about the scandal slip aloud.
• Bai Yulan appeared and mocked Jiang Shuyue with a sweet, sharp remark; Huahua explained that Bai Yulan was the daughter of Rongcheng’s city lord and Jiang Shuyue’s romantic rival.
• Zhou Luming called Bai Yulan a concubine, provoking Bai Yulan’s maid to reveal her identity and status.
• Jiang Shuyue apologized for her daughter, asked Bai Yulan what rank her father held, and earned 10 green tea points.
• After Bai Yulan said her father held the upper third rank, Jiang Shuyue remarked that it hardly seemed worth boasting about.

Jiang Shuyue publicly outmaneuvered Bai Yulan with feigned sweetness, until Bai Yulan’s brother Bai Rou arrived and insulted Jiang Shuyue’s children. The confrontation ended with Jiang Shuyue questioning why Bai Yulan, who supposedly liked Zhou Yunshen, would mistreat his children from his first marriage.

• Jiang Shuyue taunted Bai Yulan outside the Jiang Family gates, and Jiang Mother watched with delight.
• Jiang Shuyue persuaded a middle-aged woman to deny being insulted, frustrating Bai Yulan and her maid.
• Bai Rou arrived to defend Bai Yulan, while Huahua revealed his sister-fixation and Jiang Shuyue mocked his crooked hairpiece.
• Bai Rou criticized the Jiang Family and called Jiang Shuyue’s children feral, prompting Jiang Shuyue to question why Bai Yulan treated Zhou Yunshen’s children badly.