Recaps

Jin Shanyao explained to Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci why she rewarded Wu Yong and Qin Baitang differently, then the household prepared for the New Year. Meng Anci secretly made lanterns and revealed them as a birthday surprise for Jin Shanyao on New Year's Eve.

• Jin Shanyao explained that Wu Yong should receive steady rewards to build loyalty, while Qin Baitang deserved generous pay for his achievements and example to other staff.
• Meng Anci shut himself in his room during the twelfth month, secretly crafting wooden lanterns while the household prepared for the New Year.
• Jin Shanyao told Meng Anzhi to give her master walnuts as a wedding gift and used Spiritual Power to dry Meng Anzhi's hair.
• Meng Anci hid a cut on his hand and left breakfast early, prompting Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi to wonder what he was making.
• During the hour of the tiger on the twenty-ninth, Meng Anci hung and lit lanterns around the courtyard, and Jin Shanyao watched unseen.
• At dawn, Jin Shanyao admired the lanterns, and Meng Anci emerged to wish her a happy birthday; the siblings had chosen New Year's Eve because they did not know her actual birthday.

Jin Shanyao prepared to travel with the Su brothers to the capital for Lu Chi’s wedding, bringing gifts and setting out with Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci. The journey began at a supernatural speed, and Jin Shanyao was left considering how her youthful appearance might seem suspicious as the children grew older.

• Jin Shanyao and Meng Anci surprised Jin Shanyao with a courtyard full of lanterns, while Meng Anzhi resolved to remain the most important child in her aunt’s heart.
• Madam Su brought Su Jingzhi and Su Shenzhi to meet Jin Shanyao and arranged for them to travel with her to the capital for Lu Chi’s wedding.
• Jin Shanyao and the children prepared gifts for Lu Chi and the Fu family, then left Qingzhou Prefecture with the Su brothers on the sixteenth day of the first month.
• The old ox and Black Grand Marshal raced without drivers, terrifying the Su brothers while Jin Shanyao protected the carriage with Spiritual Power.
• At a midday stop, Su Shenzhi refused to call Jin Shanyao Great-Aunt, prompting her to worry that her youthful appearance would become suspicious as the children grew up.

Jin Shanyao brought the Su brothers to the capital, where they encountered Fifth Master Dong, a scammer who accused Su Shenzhi of breaking an expensive vase. He demanded three hundred taels, while Jin Shanyao and the brothers recognized the vase as cheap pottery.

• Jin Shanyao fed the Su brothers so much hot pot that they could barely move, then took them for a walk where she caught a pheasant and claimed it was hibernating.
• Jin Shanyao and the Su brothers stayed overnight at Ma Dani’s newly opened inn and continued their journey the next day.
• At the capital gates, the group saw guards searching for Xuanjizi, and Su Jingzhi offered Jin Shanyao lodging at the Song residence.
• Su Shenzhi accidentally collided with a man outside an antique shop and shattered his vase.
• Fifth Master Dong demanded three hundred taels for the vase, but Su Jingzhi identified it as cheap coarse porcelain worth only thirty wen.

Jin Shanyao delivered the Su brothers to Song Henian, then went with Lu Chi to his residence, where she offered to investigate his mother’s death. When she asked whether Lu Chi had found Xuanjizi, his smile disappeared.

• Jin Shanyao forced Fifth Master Dong to pay thirty wen for the broken vase and warned him that his jade thumb ring carried dangerous Yin Qi.
• Jin Shanyao escorted Su Jingzhi and Su Shenzhi to the Song residence, where Song Henian eagerly welcomed her and largely ignored his grandsons.
• Lu Chi arrived, greeted Jin Shanyao and Meng Anci, and invited Jin Shanyao to his home for his wedding; she accepted and gave the Su brothers directions to find her if they needed help.
• At the Lu residence, Lu Chi showed Jin Shanyao the separate courtyard he had prepared for her and mentioned that he had found a few leads about his mother’s death.
• Jin Shanyao offered to investigate Lu Chi’s mother’s death for ten thousand taels of gold, then asked whether he had found Xuanjizi, causing his smile to vanish.

Jin Shanyao used her Spiritual Power and Dahuang and Xiaoli to capture Xuanjizi in an ancient tomb on Mount Fengxi. After hearing Lu Chi would be away, she took Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci to visit the Fu Household with gifts.

• Jin Shanyao found Xuanjizi's hiding place by following the plants with her Spiritual Power.
• Xuanjizi tried to escape the ancient tomb, but Dahuang and Xiaoli blocked his way and defeated him.
• Dahuang peed on Xuanjizi's face before he and Xiaoli returned to the Lu Household and told Jin Shanyao what happened.
• Jin Shanyao learned Lord Lu would not return for supper and decided to go out with Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci.
• Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci packed supplies for the visit, and Jin Shanyao clarified they were going to deliver gifts to the Fu Household.

Jin Shanyao visited the Fu Household, gave out precious medicinal gifts, and discovered how warmly Fu Congzhao’s family treated him—or how readily they would hand him over to her. As Fu Congzhao prepared to leave for the frontier, she gave him a safety talisman and offered to sell talismans to the rest of the family.

• Jin Shanyao presented Old General Fu and Fu Congxi with rare lingzhi, sanghuang mushrooms, and deer antlers, then gave Fu Congzhao mushrooms and admired the clothes he wore.
• Fu Congzhao gave Jin Shanyao a banknote and admitted that he had thought about her every day, while his parents realized how close the two were.
• General Fu asked Jin Shanyao to help deliver the souls of soldiers who died on the battlefield, and she agreed to go when she could.
• Jin Shanyao urged the Fu family to care for Fu Congzhao and offered to take him in, but Old General Fu readily agreed to give him to her.
• Fu Congzhao explained that he was going to the frontier to gain military experience, so Jin Shanyao drew him a Talisman of Safety and offered talismans to the other family members for one hundred taels each.

Jin Shanyao discovered that Xuanjizi had only feigned death to escape, and she forced his soul back into his body. Lu Chi arranged to hand Xuanjizi over to the three judicial offices for interrogation while Jin Shanyao took the children for a stroll.

• Jin Shanyao gave the Fu Household talismans and accepted silver for the herbs after Old General Fu warned her that substantial gifts to officials were illegal.
• Lu Chi returned to the Lu residence after interrogating Xuanjizi all night and bought three Truth Talismans from Jin Shanyao.
• Fu Congheng told Lu Chi that Xuanjizi had died in prison, so Lu Chi asked Jin Shanyao to examine him.
• Jin Shanyao saw that Xuanjizi's soul had left his body and explained that he was feigning death to escape.
• When Xuanjizi's spirit attacked Lu Chi, Jin Shanyao caught it and forced it back into Xuanjizi's body.
• Lu Chi ordered Xuanjizi transferred to the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate, while Jin Shanyao took the children for a stroll.

At court, the emperor ordered the Crown prince to investigate Xiao Rong’s crimes and punish the Wei clan and Noble Consort Wei. At Lu Chi’s wedding, a dispute over his birth mother’s memorial tablet and Lady Wei’s place in the wedding hall escalated just as the empress arrived.

• The court officials unanimously demanded justice for the border soldiers, and the emperor assigned the case to the Crown prince, approving the proposed punishments for the Wei clan and Noble Consort Wei.
• Jin Shanyao wondered why Jin Shanyao’s Merit had not appeared after Xuanjizi’s execution, then went with Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci to watch Lu Chi’s wedding.
• Feng Zhi placed Lu Chi’s birth mother’s memorial tablet in Lady Wei’s seat, prompting Marquis Lu to sweep it to the floor and force Lady Wei back into the chair.
• Jin Shanyao explained to Meng Anci that Lady Wei’s tears were meant to make others see her as wronged, while Lady Wei’s performance pleased her and turned the guests against Lu Chi.
• A herald announced that the empress had arrived at the wedding hall.

At Lu Chi’s wedding, he forced Madam Wei to confess to murdering his birth mother, Qin Yan, and repeatedly poisoning him. The empress ordered Wei Tingwan’s arrest, Marquis Lu left in disgrace, and the wedding ceremony continued before Jin Shanyao took the children away.

• The empress arrived at the wedding, and Lu Chi accused Wei Tingwan of murdering Qin Yan and poisoning him.
• When Lu Chi asked Wei Tingwan if she had killed his mother, she confessed and revealed how she had drugged Qin Yan, bribed the midwife, and eliminated witnesses.
• Wei Tingwan admitted she had poisoned Lu Chi to secure the marquis’s estate for her son and had drugged Marquis Lu to prevent him from having more children.
• Wei Tingwan attacked Lu Chi, but he kicked her away, and the empress ordered guards to take her to the imperial prison and hand her over to the Court of Judicial Review.
• Marquis Lu left the wedding in disgrace, and the ceremony continued with Qin Yan’s memorial tablet present.
• Jin Shanyao took Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci and left the Lu Residence.

Jin Shanyao bought a large shop on Vermilion Bird Street and planned to have Qin Baitang manage it. After seeing Fifth Master Dong act strangely, she realized that someone else was wearing his body and bearing his soul.

• Jin Shanyao discussed the Lu Household's troubles with Meng Anci and Meng Anzhi as they went to look for a shop.
• Jin Shanyao inspected a two-story shop with a courtyard on Vermilion Bird Street and agreed to buy it for seven thousand taels.
• Broker Hu took Jin Shanyao to Kaifeng Prefecture, where they completed the deed for the shop.
• Jin Shanyao told Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci that Qin Baitang would manage the shop and that they would decide later whether to move to the capital.
• Jin Shanyao saw Fifth Master Dong ignore a man who tried to negotiate over a bronze mirror and noticed black mist around his thumb ring.
• Jin Shanyao concluded that an impostor had slipped past the living and the dead, wearing Fifth Master Dong's body and bearing his soul.

Jin Shanyao helped Fu Congxi clean a cursed shop on Vermilion Bird Street and prepared to leave for Qingzhou Prefecture the next morning. When Fu Congxi impulsively asked to go with her, Jin Shanyao mistook it for an attempt to flee her marriage and plotted an escape before Fu Congxi clarified she was joking.

• Fu Congxi learned that Jin Shanyao had bought a shop on Vermilion Bird Street and gathered the Lu residence staff to help clean it.
• Jin Shanyao explained that a Curse Technique was making the shop lose money, and Xiaoli uncovered broken bowls hidden in its beams.
• Jin Shanyao gave Fu Congxi the shop key and asked her to watch over the property until a shopkeeper arrived.
• The Su brothers asked when they would return home, and Jin Shanyao agreed to leave for Qingzhou Prefecture the next morning.
• Fu Congxi asked to go with Jin Shanyao, who mistook her words for a plan to flee her marriage and offered to help her escape with Lu Chi's token and horse.
• Fu Congxi said she had only been joking, while the Su brothers stood stunned after overhearing Jin Shanyao's escape plans.

Jin Shanyao returned to Qingzhou Prefecture after telling Lu Chi to investigate Fifth Master Dong and keep Xuanjizi trapped in his body. When classes began at Green Mountain Academy, Meng Anci met Zhao Boyong, a new student who had returned from the capital to take the examinations and recover from an illness.

• Jin Shanyao told Lu Chi that Xuanjizi had driven Fifth Master Dong's soul out and used a Shared Life Incantation, then instructed Lu Chi to investigate Fifth Master Dong's contacts, travels, and possessions.
• Jin Shanyao returned to Anzhi Hall with the Su brothers, reunited with Qing He and the others, and shared food and stories from the capital.
• Jin Shanyao reflected that she would trap Xuanjizi rather than kill him, since she had no second jade thumb ring.
• On the fourth day of the third month, Meng Anci began classes at Green Mountain Academy's Licentiate Institute and met Zhao Boyong, who introduced himself as a student raised in the capital.
• Zhao Zhiyuan, Zhao Yushan, and Shiyan arrived; Zhao Boyong recognized Zhao Zhiyuan, and Master Li began the lesson.

Meng Anzhi visited poor families on West Street to provide medical care, then Fifth Master Dong confronted her with claims that her aunt Jin Shanyao was a monster responsible for her mother’s death. He urged Meng Anzhi to help him kill Jin Shanyao by giving her talisman water to drink.

• Meng Anzhi reassured Shopkeeper Wang after he nearly splashed her with water, then went to West Street to treat families in need.
• Meng Anzhi visited Niu Dadan’s home, examined bedridden Zhuangzhuang, and admitted that his illness was difficult to treat.
• Fifth Master Dong stopped Meng Anzhi and claimed her mother had not died of illness but had been drained of her Yang Qi by Jin Shanyao.
• Meng Anzhi broke down in tears as Fifth Master Dong told her Jin Shanyao was a monster who planned to prey on her and her brother.
• Fifth Master Dong offered to help Meng Anzhi avenge her mother and told her to give Jin Shanyao talisman water.

Meng Anzhi ambushed Fifth Master Dong after he tried to make her kill Jin Shanyao, but Niu Dadan intervened and Fifth Master Dong died. Xuanjizi’s soul emerged from the corpse, only for Jin Shanyao to destroy it, while Fifth Master Dong’s soul was sent to the Underworld; the authorities then investigated the death.

• Fifth Master Dong told Meng Anzhi to kill Jin Shanyao with him, but she cut his neck and poisoned him when he looked away.
• Fifth Master Dong strangled Meng Anzhi until Niu Dadan kicked him away, and Fifth Master Dong died from the poison.
• Meng Anzhi persuaded Niu Dadan to accompany her to report the death to the prefectural yamen.
• Xuanjizi emerged from Fifth Master Dong’s body and tried to escape by taking over his jade thumb ring, but Jin Shanyao bound and crushed his soul.
• Xiaoli released Fifth Master Dong’s soul from the ring, and Black and White Impermanence took him to the Underworld.
• Su Wenqian arrived with the yamen runners, identified Fifth Master Dong as a wanted criminal, and questioned Niu Dadan about what he had seen.

Meng Anzhi survived Fifth Master Dong’s attempt to strangle her after Niu Dadan intervened and killed him, but the attack badly injured her throat. Jin Shanyao brought her home, where the family cared for her and Jin Shanyao secretly healed her as she slept.

• Niu Dadan told Su Wenqian that he had struck the man choking Meng Anzhi, and Su Wenqian reassured him that the wanted man had died of heart failure.
• Jin Shanyao took Meng Anzhi home, where Qing He and the others learned she had been attacked and condemned the dead assailant.
• Jin Shanyao examined Meng Anzhi and found her throat cartilage fractured, while Meng Anzhi reflected that she had acted to protect her aunt from Xuanjizi.
• Meng Anci returned from school, saw Meng Anzhi’s injuries, and learned from Qing He that Fifth Master Dong had been Xuanjizi; Jin Shanyao assured him Xuanjizi’s soul was gone.
• After Meng Anzhi drank porridge and went to sleep beside Jin Shanyao, Meng Anci went to study, and Jin Shanyao used her Spiritual Power to heal Meng Anzhi’s throat.

Meng Anzhi recovered enough to speak without pain, while Jin Shanyao treated Niu Zhuangzhuang and promised to teach Anzhi the needling technique. On their way home, they witnessed Boss Zheng mistreat Lü Pan'er, and Jin Shanyao urged Anzhi to become strong enough to stand up for herself.

• Meng Anzhi woke to find her throat no longer hurt and her neck wound had faded, then joined Jin Shanyao and Meng Anci for breakfast.
• Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi brought food to Niu Dadan's family to thank him for saving Anzhi.
• Jin Shanyao examined Niu Zhuangzhuang and began acupuncture treatment, promising Sister-in-law Niu that repeated treatments could help him recover.
• Jin Shanyao asked whether Fifth Master Dong had said anything, but Meng Anzhi pretended to be mute and gestured about her ordeal.
• Meng Anzhi and Jin Shanyao saw Boss Zheng slap Lü Pan'er, and Jin Shanyao told Anzhi to build her strength so she could make others listen.

At Green Mountain Academy, Meng Anci and his friends worried that Meng Anzhi had not spoken since being held hostage, so Shiyan suggested provoking her into an argument. Meng Anci’s scheme worked, and the chapter ended with Meng Anzhi speaking again and warning him to stay away from Shiyan.

• Meng Anci, Zhao Zhiyuan, Zhao Yushan, and Shiyan discussed Meng Anzhi’s continued silence, and Shiyan proposed provoking her into speaking.
• Shiyan taught Meng Anci to insult Meng Anzhi and gave him a dead twig to use in his plan.
• Meng Anci teased Meng Anzhi in her study, then falsely claimed she had insulted Qing He’s cooking and Jin Shanyao’s congee.
• Meng Anzhi chased Meng Anci and beat him after he sought Jin Shanyao’s protection, while he explained that he had only wanted her to talk again.
• Meng Anzhi finally spoke, ordered Meng Anci to get her water, and told him to stay away from Shiyan.

At Anzhi Hall, Meng Anzhi and Jin Shanyao treated patients and helped a frightened girl face her fear of needles. The chapter ended with Meng Anzhi telling a hesitant farming couple that the woman was four months pregnant, leaving their anxious reaction unexplained.

• At Green Mountain Academy, Meng Anci told Shiyan that Sister Anzhi had started speaking but had beaten him after he followed Shiyan’s awkward advice.
• Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi treated Niu Zhuangzhuang, whose father Niu Dadan helped around Anzhi Hall to repay their kindness.
• A girl accused Meng Anzhi of hurting her with acupuncture, so Meng Anzhi and Jin Shanyao used a trick to remove the needles and teach her not to fear them.
• A farming couple came to Anzhi Hall, and Meng Anzhi diagnosed the woman as four months pregnant despite her insistence that she had not conceived in five years.

Jin Shanyao beat Boss Zheng after he rolled his eyes at her, then defended herself in Su Wenqian’s courtroom and helped expose Boss Zheng’s intimidation of Zheng Laosi and Chen Maimiao. After Su Wenqian dismissed the case, Jin Shanyao asked to see the land register so she could negotiate buying Qingzhou Prefecture’s remaining barren mountains.

• Jin Shanyao overheard Boss Zheng harassing Zheng Laosi and Chen Maimiao after they visited Anzhi Hall, then followed Boss Zheng when he rolled his eyes at her.
• Boss Zheng challenged Jin Shanyao to hit him, and she punched both his eyes and beat him until he fell to the ground and complained.
• In court, Jin Shanyao said Boss Zheng had agreed to be hit, while Boss Zheng denied it and demanded compensation.
• Su Wenqian questioned Zheng Laosi, who confirmed Boss Zheng had asked Jin Shanyao to hit him, and Boss Zheng withdrew his complaint and left.
• After Su Wenqian dismissed the court, Jin Shanyao asked him to sell her the four remaining barren mountains and requested the fish-scale land register.

Jin Shanyao bought several barren mountains after bargaining Su Wenqian down to a one-year tax exemption, then sold Beating-Resistance Talisman Paper to Xiao Huzi and his classmates. When their mothers arrived to retrieve the children, Jin Shanyao challenged them to question the schoolteacher about why the young students had been beaten.

• Jin Shanyao bargained with Su Wenqian over the barren mountains and secured a one-year tax exemption before signing the contract.
• Back at Anzhi Hall, Xiao Huzi brought his classmates to buy Jin Shanyao's Beating-Resistance Talisman Paper, offering her a deal to attract more customers.
• Jin Shanyao inspected the children's ruler marks and drew talismans for them as the young customers crowded around her.
• Wang Jinlian and several mothers arrived, angry that the children had skipped school and spent money at Anzhi Hall.
• Xiao Huzi defended Jin Shanyao, and she showed the mothers the children's beaten palms and questioned whether their teacher knew how to teach.

Jin Shanyao expanded Anzhi Hall’s mountain planting plans and prepared for its growth, while supporting Xie Chao and testing a prospective mountain caretaker. The chapter left Tao Yunshan assigned to Lush Mountain and Qin Baitang ready to establish Anzhi Hall in the capital.

• After Xiao Huzi challenged the parents’ practice of hitting children for poor grades, the families left Anzhi Hall without taking their pooled copper coins, leaving Jin Shanyao to reflect on how hard money was to earn.
• Jin Shanyao spread grass seeds and tended the vegetation on four mountains, then visited Xie Chao and asked him to care for Crescent Moon Mountain and plant more mountain walnuts for gifts to people in the capital.
• Xie Chao gave Jin Shanyao seasoned dried matsutake, and they discussed his hope of returning to West Long to make amends for the drought and her plan to become a mountain god.
• Qin Baitang brought Tao Yunshan to Anzhi Hall, where Jin Shanyao tested his herb knowledge and approved him to look after Lush Mountain.
• Jin Shanyao thanked Qin Baitang for recommending Tao Yunshan and urged him to contact her if he faced trouble in the capital; Qin Baitang resolved to establish Anzhi Hall there.

After Qin Baitang left Lush Mountain in Tao Yunshan’s care, Jin Shanyao continued running Anzhi Hall. When Chen Maimiao came to wait outside the hall, Jin Shanyao protected her from Boss Zheng and gave her a safe place to rest until her husband arrived.

• Qin Baitang checked Lush Mountain’s accounts against Jin Shanyao’s and advised Tao Yunshan to be cautious in business and seek help when uncertain.
• Jin Shanyao noticed Chen Maimiao waiting outside Anzhi Hall and let her remain there.
• Boss Zheng tried to take Chen Maimiao home, but Jin Shanyao startled him into leaving with a passerby.
• Zhou Xiaosi brought Chen Maimiao a chair and sweetened hot water after recognizing that she was pregnant.
• Zheng Laosi came to fetch Chen Maimiao and gave her a bun, which she ate before they went home together.
• Zhou Xiaosi closed Anzhi Hall and told Jin Shanyao that Anci had not returned yet.

Meng Anci brought Dahuang along for the academy’s river excursion and rented him a separate boat. When Shao Lishan criticized him for spending money on a dog while porters struggled, Meng Anci challenged Shao to help an injured worker instead and then boarded the pleasure boat.

• Meng Anci told Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi about the river excursion, and Jin Shanyao insisted Dahuang should come along.
• Meng Anci helped Zheng Laosi lift a sack of rice at the ferry landing, then rented a boat so Dahuang could follow the students’ boat.
• Shao Lishan accused Meng Anci of flaunting his wealth and humiliating poor workers by treating Dahuang to a boat and food.
• Meng Anci defended the expense as business for the boatman and challenged Shao Lishan to buy medicine for Zheng Laosi.
• Shao Lishan said he would give Zheng Laosi medicine later, and Meng Anci boarded the pleasure boat.

Meng Anci reconsidered his plan to retaliate against Shao Lishan after seeing him help an injured man, while Shiyan decided to let the insult go. Later, Jin Shanyao comforted Meng Anci over his disagreement with Shiyan and urged him to accept others as they are without forcing himself to change.

• On the pleasure boat, Master Li rebuked Shao Lishan and Shiyan for fighting with fellow students and reminded them they might need one another in the future.
• After reaching shore, Meng Anci and Shiyan planned to retaliate against Shao Lishan, but saw him give medicinal wine and his money pouch to an older man.
• Shiyan decided to abandon the plan because Shao Lishan seemed kind, while Meng Anci questioned whether kindness shown to someone else should change how he felt about Shao Lishan.
• At Anzhi Hall, Jin Shanyao had Qing He prepare tangyuan after learning Meng Anci had skipped his meal and seemed unhappy.
• Meng Anci told Jin Shanyao that he and Shiyan seemed to think differently, and she advised him to accept friends’ shortcomings or let them go without changing himself.

Niu Dadan brought Niu Zhuangzhuang to Anzhi Hall for a follow-up and was encouraged by Jin Shanyao to start making hemp sacks, while Chen Maimiao continued waiting outside the hall. Wang Xiaohua returned after a year of mourning and asked Meng Anzhi to check her health, explaining that she hoped to become pregnant before her father-in-law remarried and divided the family property.

• Niu Dadan told Zhou Xiaosi that Niu Zhuangzhuang had improved and offered Jin Shanyao fifty copper coins for the medicine.
• Jin Shanyao urged Niu Dadan to save for a weaving frame and promised Anzhi Hall would buy his hemp sacks, and he vowed to supply them.
• Jin Shanyao later reflected that Niu Dadan would become Qingzhou Prefecture's largest hemp sack merchant and provide Anzhi Hall with high-quality sacks.
• Wang Xiaohua returned after her year of mourning and reunited with Meng Anzhi.
• Meng Anzhi checked Wang Xiaohua's pulse and found her healthy, and Wang Xiaohua explained that her husband wanted her to have a child before his father remarried.