Chapter Summaries

After transmigrating into Liu Wan's newborn daughter, Xia Wanwan stopped a plot to switch her with Xie Jin'an's infant son by waking Liu Wan and revealing the truth through her thoughts. Liu Wan began to suspect her husband and his family, but the old madam arrived and urged her to raise the boy as her own.

• The matron and a maid tried to switch Liu Wan's newborn daughter for a baby boy, but Liu Wan woke when Xia Wanwan's cries reached her.
• Pan Chun rescued Xia Wanwan, and Liu Wan had the matron and maid restrained after discovering cotton stuffed in the infant's mouth.
• Liu Wan sent the baby boy to the old madam, then heard Xia Wanwan's thoughts that the boy was Xie Jin'an's son with his mistress and that the family planned to raise him under Liu Wan's name.
• Pan Chun told Liu Wan that the old madam had kept the boy and that Xie Jin'an was away, deepening Liu Wan's suspicions about her husband.
• The old madam brought the baby boy to Liu Wan and urged her to raise him as her own.

Liu Wan rejected the old madam’s plan to pass off Jin'an’s newborn son as her own and suggested that concubines raise him instead. Several days later, Zi Xing visited Xia Wanwan, whose thoughts predicted that he would eventually be killed by the male lead.

• Liu Wan challenged the old madam’s plan to adopt the unknown baby boy and take him from his birth parents.
• Xia Wanwan’s thoughts reminded Liu Wan that saving the old madam had left her ill and unable to conceive for five years.
• Liu Wan refused to raise the boy and suggested that Jin'an take concubines who could care for him.
• Several days later, Pan Chun brought Zi Mu and Zi Xing to visit Liu Wan and Xia Wanwan.
• Zi Xing cried when he heard Xia Wanwan’s thoughts, which foretold that the male lead would stab him to death over their cousin.

Zi Mu heard Xia Wanwan’s thoughts about his family’s tragic future and resolved to grow up and protect Liu Wan. Liu Wan named her daughter Wanwan and sent word to Xie Jin'an, who went to the Charity Hall and discussed Xu Rourou and Huai Shan with his grandmother.

• Zi Mu heard Xia Wanwan’s thoughts about his future, including the male lead stealing his honors and sending him to die, and wanted to know how to protect Liu Wan.
• Zi Mu gently touched Wanwan, then left to practice martial arts after telling Liu Wan to wait for him to grow up.
• Liu Wan worried that Xie Jin'an had not visited and named her daughter Wanwan, saying she alone would cherish her.
• Pan Chun arranged to tell Xie Jin'an about Wanwan’s name and Liu Wan’s mention of taking a concubine.
• Xie Jin'an went to the Charity Hall, where his grandmother urged him to care for Liu Wan and discussed Xu Rourou entering the household as a wet nurse.
• Xie Jin'an asked his grandmother what to do about Huai Shan’s parentage, regretting that the baby swap had failed when Liu Wan woke during the birth.

Xie Jin'an and the old madam refused to let Liu Wan adopt his son and arranged for Xu Rourou to enter the household as a concubine, while the old madam named Liu Wan’s daughter Zhaodi and gave Rourou a treasured jade bracelet. Liu Wan broke down over the family’s disregard for her, and little Wanwan resolved to divine when the old madam would die.

• The old madam rejected Xie Jin'an’s request to have Liu Wan adopt Xie Huaishan and told him to try to have another son with Liu Wan.
• The old madam ordered Liu Wan’s daughter to be named Zhaodi and planned to bring Xu Rourou into the household as Xie Jin'an’s concubine after the baby’s one-month banquet.
• The old madam gave Xu Rourou her jade bracelet, the symbol of the Marquis's Residence’s future mistress, and the news reached Liu Wan.
• Liu Wan told Pan Chun that Xu Rourou was Xie Jin'an’s mistress, then tried to comfort herself by focusing on her love for Wanwan.
• Liu Wan received a silver longevity lock engraved with Zhaodi, swept the account books to the floor, and sobbed over how the household had treated her.
• Little Wanwan listened to her mother’s grief and vowed to divine when the old madam would die.

Liu Wan turned Old Madam Xie's banquet for Xu Rourou's child into a welcome for her brother Liu Ye, the future prince consort, and secured support for her daughter Wanwan. At Wanwan's one-month celebration, the Fifth Princess arrived with Liu Ye and showered Liu Wan and her children with gifts, while Old Madam Xie watched resentfully.

• Liu Wan went to Charity Hall with Liu Ye and publicly reframed Old Madam Xie's gathering as a banquet to welcome her newly promoted brother and future prince consort.
• Liu Wan insisted that her daughter was named Wanwan, and Old Madam Xie agreed to invite Grand Tutor Chen to write auspicious characters for the children.
• Liu Ye gave the banquet gifts to Liu Wan, and Old Madam Xie urged Xie Jin'an to cultivate a relationship with him while privately planning to improve Huai Shan's status.
• At Wanwan's one-month celebration, Liu Ye arrived with the Fifth Princess, who gave gifts to Liu Wan, Wanwan, Xie Zi Mu, and Xie Zi Xing.
• Old Madam Xie tried to join the Fifth Princess's warm conversation with Liu Wan but could not, and she resented that the gifts had not gone to Huai Shan.

At Wanwan’s full-month banquet, Liu Wan and the Fifth Princess exposed the old madam’s shabby gift, while Wanwan warned her mother that Xie Jin'an was keeping a mistress and that the Fifth Princess faced danger by the water. Liu Wan suspected Xie Jin'an’s surprise involved a plot against the princess and sent Pan Chun to spread a pointed message before she went to investigate.

• The Fifth Princess held Wanwan and heard her babyish thoughts warn that she would die in a water-related disaster, so Liu Wan became anxious to protect her.
• Liu Wan presented the old madam’s cheap silver longevity lock engraved “Bring a younger brother,” embarrassing the old madam in front of the Fifth Princess and the guests.
• Xie Jin'an arrived smelling of breast milk and claimed he had prepared a surprise in the Lotus Pavilion; Wanwan told Liu Wan that he had been with his mistress and her son.
• Liu Wan realized the Lotus Pavilion was beside the lotus pond and suspected Xie Jin'an and the old madam planned to harm the Fifth Princess.
• Wanwan cried and struggled, giving Liu Wan a reason to delay the women; Liu Wan then instructed Pan Chun to emphasize that the heir had taken a fancy to the Fifth Princess.

Liu Wan thwarted an attempt to push the Fifth Princess into the pond, but Xie Jin'an rescued Xu Rourou instead and exposed her as the household’s wet nurse. The chapter ended with Liu Wan pressing the soaked Xu Rourou about her husband and child while Xie Jin'an watched angrily.

• Xu Rourou overheard the maids discussing Old Madam Xie's plan to make Xie Jin'an rescue a highborn young lady from the pond and hurried out to see what was happening.
• Liu Wan unveiled the Love Evening Pavilion and its gifts for Wanwan, who thought Xie Jin'an was favoring the male lead.
• A snake appeared, and Liu Wan pulled the Fifth Princess out of a maid's path before the maid was bitten.
• Xie Jin'an rescued Xu Rourou from the pond, and Pan Chun revealed that she was the wet nurse caring for the little young master.
• Liu Wan wrapped Xu Rourou in a robe and asked where her husband and child were, while Xu Rourou glanced at an angry Xie Jin'an.

Liu Wan humiliated Xu Rourou by presenting her as a widow and then exposed the household’s favoritism when the Jade Bead Strand was found on Huai Shan. The Fifth Princess left to report the matter to the emperor, and the old madam turned to Liu Wan for help.

• Liu Wan persuaded the old madam to give Xu Rourou a low status as a widow, while Xie Jin'an grew furious at the public humiliation.
• A maid brought Huai Shan into the courtyard, where the ladies compared him with Xie Wanwan and questioned his appearance.
• The Fifth Princess found the Jade Bead Strand bestowed by the Late Emperor inside Huai Shan’s swaddling and demanded an explanation from the old madam.
• The Fifth Princess left to take the matter to the emperor, while Xie Jin'an failed to stop her and the old madam collapsed in fear.
• Liu Wan reassured the old madam that the innocent needed no defense, and Lady Liu warned that the Minister's Residence would protect Liu Wan from mistreatment.

The Crown Prince delivered a precious jade pendant to Liu Wan’s daughter on behalf of an unnamed imperial elder, while the old madam struggled to contain the scandal surrounding Xu Rourou and the Fifth Princess. The chapter ended with Xie Huaishan breaking out in a rash and vomiting, as the old madam prepared to seek Liu Wan’s help.

• Liu Wan comforted little Wanwan after the banquet’s surprise ended badly and Xie Jin'an went to see off the guests.
• Xia Qianlin delivered a rare Dragon-Pattern Jade Pendant to Liu Wan for her daughter and then reported to his Imperial Uncle.
• The old madam confronted Xu Rourou, who admitted she had gone out after hearing that someone would fall into the water.
• The old madam feared the Fifth Princess scandal could ruin the Marquis’s Residence and decided to ask Liu Wan for help.
• Yinliu reported that Xie Huaishan was crying, vomiting milk, and breaking out in a rash.

Liu Wan confronted the Old Madam over the Imperial Gift given to Xie Huaishan and refused to adopt him as a legitimate son. After learning he was supposedly Xie Jinqiu’s child, she arranged to keep him as an adopted son and limit Xu Rourou’s status, leaving the household unable to elevate him openly.

• Xu Rourou nursed Xie Huaishan to calm his rash, and the Old Madam had the Residence Physician examine him.
• The Old Madam offered little Wanwan a gold-and-jade neck ring, but the baby broke it, and Liu Wan offered a replacement from her dowry.
• The Old Madam asked Liu Wan to adopt Xie Huaishan as a legitimate son so he could receive the Imperial Gift without endangering the Marquis’s Residence.
• Liu Wan questioned why the Old Madam was so determined to promote Xie Huaishan, and the Old Madam claimed he was the Fourth Young Master's biological son.
• Liu Wan refused to accept the story and proposed that the Old Madam plead guilty at the palace while Xie Huaishan remained an adopted son and Xu Rourou became a lowborn concubine or bedchamber maid.

Liu Wan dealt with the fallout from Xu Rourou’s fall into the water, then checked on her sons’ lessons and confronted Xie Zi Mu about his behavior. The chapter ended with Zi Mu admitting he had done something wrong, though Liu Wan asked him to explain what.

• Xie Jin'an rebuked Xu Rourou for going out and risking exposure, but softened when she recalled their childhood and tried to make amends.
• Pan Chun returned to Liu Wan and said she had not caused Xu Rourou’s fall or arranged for Yinliu to appear with the baby.
• Liu Wan saw Little Wanwan sit upright and hurried to catch and examine her.
• Xie Zi Xing proudly showed Liu Wan his handwriting and wrote what he thought was Little Wanwan’s name, while she protested internally.
• Liu Wan questioned Xie Zi Mu about his studies, and he realized she was alluding to his wrongdoing, knelt, and admitted he had been wrong.

Liu Wan learned that Xie Jin'an had pursued Xu Rourou before marrying her, shattering her trust in the Marquis's family as she traveled to the palace. There, the emperor confronted Xie Jin'an and the old madam with accusations against the household, and Xie Jin'an went pale as he read them.

• Xie Zi Mu confessed that he had secretly helped Liu Wan and explained how he uncovered Great-Grandmother's plan to frame the Fifth Princess; Liu Wan praised his intentions but warned him not to dirty his hands with inner-household schemes.
• Liu Wan discovered that Xie Zi Xing's writing improved after little Wanwan silently praised it, and she took Wanwan with her to the palace.
• On the way, Wanwan's thoughts revealed that Xie Jin'an had been involved with Xu Rourou before his marriage to Liu Wan, leaving Liu Wan feeling deceived and unwilling to help the family.
• At the palace, the old madam claimed the Jade Bead Strand had been lent to strengthen a baby's health, while the Fifth Princess drew Liu Wan aside to see Wanwan.
• The emperor threw memorials at Xie Jin'an and the old madam; Xie Jin'an read accusations that the Marquis's Residence favored boys over girls and plotted against the Fifth Princess, then collapsed in shock.

The emperor punished the old madam for plotting against the Fifth Princess, confined her to the Charity Hall, and rewarded Liu Wan for saving the princess. After leaving the palace, Liu Wan faced Xie Jin'an, who blamed her for disgracing the Marquis's Residence.

• The emperor spared the old madam because of the Marquis's and Old Marquis's service, but confined her to the Charity Hall and docked Xie Jin'an one year's salary.
• The emperor praised Liu Wan, named her a Third-Rank Imperial Lady, and granted her an Imperially Bestowed Gold-Edged Jade Pendant.
• The Fifth Princess invited Liu Wan to stay at the palace, while Xia Wanwan's thoughts revealed that the princess was two months pregnant with Liu Ye's child.
• Xia Siheng told the emperor he had seen the old madam Xie's servant leading men to kill the two maids who could testify against her.
• At the palace gates, Xie Jin'an accused Liu Wan of deliberately disgracing the Marquis's Residence.

After Xie Jin'an tried to stop Liu Wan from leaving, a guard broke his hand and revealed that she had become a third-rank titled lady. At the Splendid Palace, Wanwan buried herself beneath a coral tree to absorb its energy, only for the Empress Dowager to discover her and order her dug out.

• Liu Wan refused to plead for Xie Jin'an and prepared to leave with Wanwan, but he tried to block her from going.
• A guard broke Xie Jin'an's hand for disrespecting Liu Wan, and he realized she had received an imperial title.
• Liu Wan greeted Xia Siheng, and Wanwan's thoughts revealed that he was the Ninth Prince and that Liu Wan's aunt had left her a jade pendant connected to him.
• Liu Wan took Wanwan to the Splendid Palace, where Wanwan asked to be placed beneath a coral tree and began playing with the earth.
• Wanwan buried herself in the soil, and the Empress Dowager found her and ordered the attendants to dig her out.

Xie Wanwan met the Empress Dowager in the palace and won her affection with her strange habit of burying herself and asking for cuddles. After the Empress Dowager indulged her antics, Liu Wan took Wanwan home with a gold Phoenix Hairpin.

• The Empress Dowager dug Xie Wanwan out of the dirt, and Wanwan asked to cuddle her; the Empress Dowager reluctantly let her press their faces together.
• The Empress Dowager welcomed Liu Wan and Xie Wanwan, then watched as Xia Zhao delighted in Wanwan's apparent prediction that she would have a baby girl.
• After Liu Wan went to help Xia Zhao, the Empress Dowager watched Wanwan crawl back to the hole and helped cover her with dirt.
• The Empress Dowager offered to make Wanwan a princess, but Wanwan's thoughts affirmed her love for her mother and suggested her father could be replaced.
• Liu Wan dug Wanwan out and prepared to leave; the Empress Dowager gave Wanwan her Phoenix Hairpin, which the baby bit without leaving tooth marks.

Xie Jin'an persuaded Liu Wan to accompany him to Golden Mountain Temple to bring Madam Li home, hoping to restore his influence in the household and repair his marriage. After Madam Li blamed Liu Wan for his injury, Xie Jin'an began to suspect that the Ninth Prince had helped Liu Wan for personal reasons.

• The old madam urged Xie Jin'an to bring his mother back from Golden Mountain Temple so she could take charge of the household and help protect his son and mistress.
• Xie Jin'an asked Liu Wan to accompany him to fetch Madam Li, then tried to win her over by suggesting they spend more time together.
• Liu Wan pulled away when Xie Jin'an took her hand and told him to visit Concubine Xu more often.
• At Golden Mountain Temple, Xie Jin'an reunited with Madam Li and claimed Liu Wan had refused to bring him home and that the Ninth Prince's attendant had injured him.
• Madam Li questioned why the Ninth Prince had helped Liu Wan, and Xie Jin'an wondered whether they had a relationship.

Xie Jin'an and Madam Li left Liu Wan behind at Golden Mountain Temple, but a lightning strike sent their carriage crashing down the mountain. Unable to rent a carriage, Liu Wan received help from Jing Wu and discovered his master was the Ninth Prince.

• Madam Li praised Xu Rourou, gave Xie Jin'an a relic for Huai Shan, and asked to bring Xu Xinbo to the Marquis's Residence.
• Xie Jin'an and Madam Li left the temple without Liu Wan, Pan Chun, or Wanwan.
• A lightning strike destroyed Xie Jin'an's carriage, and he, Madam Li, and Xu Xinbo rolled down the mountain.
• Liu Wan sent Pan Chun to find a carriage, but the driver refused to rent one to women.
• Jing Wu confronted the driver and secured the carriage for Liu Wan, who recognized the Ninth Prince as his master.

Liu Wan returned to the Marquis's Residence and learned that Qing Da had mistaken her husband and mother-in-law, blackened by their rolling, for impostors and sent them to the authorities. The authorities brought them back the next day, while Little Wanwan recalled Qing Da's grim future and his family's fate.

• Xia Siheng warned Liu Wan not to reveal his identity, and she returned to the city with Pan Chun and her baby.
• Pan Chun told Liu Wan that three Coal Mine Spirits had rolled through the capital and that people were worshipping them as the rain eased.
• At the Marquis's Residence, Qing Da proudly told Liu Wan that he had beaten and sent the blackened heir and his mother to the authorities as impostors.
• Liu Wan sent a letter to her third younger brother, explaining that she meant to save Qing Da rather than rescue the heir and his mother.
• The authorities brought the heir and his mother back the next day, and Qing Da urged Liu Wan to flee with him.
• Little Wanwan recognized Qing Da as one of Liu Wan's devoted supporters and recalled that he would later lose his position and that Madam Li would sell his family off.

Liu Wan gathered the Marquis's Residence to expose an attempted impersonation and proposed opening a charity porridge stall, but the household refused to contribute. She rewarded Qing Da by making him steward of the Second Courtyard, just as officials arrived with the three captured impostors.

• Liu Wan summoned the masters after Qing Da reported that three people had impersonated members of the residence.
• Qing Da recounted how he had caught the impostors, and Liu Wan proposed opening a porridge stall in the residence's name.
• Xu Rourou, Li Duoduo, Xie Jinzhao, and Xie Jinqiu resisted donating money, so Liu Wan abandoned the porridge stall plan.
• Liu Wan transferred Qing Da to the Second Courtyard as steward and promised him Silver Melon Seeds as a reward.
• Officials entered with the three impostors, whose skin had been blackened.

Xie Jin'an, Madam Li, and Xu Xinbo returned to the Marquis's Residence blackened and injured, but the household and constables failed to recognize them. Liu Wan ordered care for Xie Jin'an while refusing to help Madam Li, who fainted in fury.

• Little Wanwan laughed at the blackened trio, and the people in the hall joined in.
• The constable asked the Marquis's Residence residents to identify the three people, and Xie Jin'an revealed himself by kicking him and speaking.
• Xu Rourou recognized her brother, while Xie Jin'an explained that lightning had wrecked their carriage and that a steward had sent them to the authorities.
• Xie Jin'an blamed Qing Da for striking them and reporting them, but Liu Wan and others defended the servant.
• Liu Wan ordered hot water and a physician for Xie Jin'an, then left with Little Wanwan without arranging help for Madam Li.
• Madam Li raged at Liu Wan and fainted.