Recaps

Jin Shanyao rescued Zheng Laosi and Chen Maimiao from Boss Zheng, then forced Boss Zheng to work at the docks for her. Months later, Meng Anzhi examined Chen Maimiao’s pregnancy and agreed to deliver her baby.

• Wang Xiaohua and Meng Anzhi watched Zheng Laosi and Chen Maimiao share a flatbread and joked about testing their own husbands.
• Zheng Laosi brought Chen Maimiao home after earning three hundred wen, but Boss Zheng stopped them, took Zheng Laosi’s purse, and struck him.
• Jin Shanyao seized Boss Zheng’s purse, declared him her friend, and ordered him to earn three hundred wen carrying loads at the docks the next day.
• Jin Shanyao returned both purses to Zheng Laosi, who hurried away with Chen Maimiao.
• Months later, Old Woman Zheng brought nine-month-pregnant Chen Maimiao to Anzhi Hall for a checkup and asked Meng Anzhi to deliver the baby.
• Meng Anzhi found the baby healthy, agreed to visit when Chen Maimiao went into labor, and quoted a fee of three hundred wen.

Boss Zheng harassed the heavily pregnant Chen Maimiao outside Anzhi Hall, but Shopkeeper Wang intervened and drove him away. Jin Shanyao learned what happened and resolved to have Ghost One frighten Boss Zheng that night, while she encouraged Zhou Xiaosi to keep studying medicine.

• Old Woman Zheng celebrated Chen Maimiao’s pregnancy and left her waiting outside Anzhi Hall while she went to buy cloth.
• Boss Zheng confronted Chen Maimiao and touched her belly, taunting her about the child’s conception.
• Shopkeeper Wang stepped in to protect Chen Maimiao, and Zhou Xiaosi came out when Boss Zheng threatened to wreck the shop.
• Boss Zheng left after Shopkeeper Wang threatened to report him to the authorities.
• Jin Shanyao heard about the harassment and decided Ghost One should scare Boss Zheng that night.
• Jin Shanyao encouraged Zhou Xiaosi to continue studying medicine and promised to make him Anzhi Hall’s resident physician once he mastered it.

Jin Shanyao sent Ghost One to scare Boss Zheng for bullying people outside Anzhi Hall, but Ghost One found him abusing Zheng Laosi and extorting him over what happened to Chen Maimiao. Ghost One confronted Boss Zheng and forced him to confess that he had assaulted Chen Maimiao and threatened Zheng Laosi to keep exploiting them.

• Jin Shanyao ordered Ghost One to give Boss Zheng nightmares and warn him not to bully anyone outside Anzhi Hall.
• Ghost One searched for Boss Zheng, then discovered him cornering Zheng Laosi and demanding two-thirds of his wages.
• Ghost One followed Boss Zheng home and appeared beside him as a bloody ghost.
• Ghost One threatened Boss Zheng until he confessed that he had assaulted Chen Maimiao and planned to use the incident to control Zheng Laosi and her.

Ghost One failed to complete her task after Jin Shanyao stopped her from killing Boss Zheng, then struggled to understand Jin Shanyao’s warning. The next day, Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi checked Chen Maimiao and her baby in Hexi Village, while Zheng Laosi returned briefly from the docks to ask after his wife.

• Ghost One attacked Boss Zheng, but Jin Shanyao pulled her back to Anzhi Hall and warned her against taking a life.
• Ghost One promised to finish her task the next day, then spent the night with her male ghosts trying to decipher Jin Shanyao’s words.
• Old Woman Zheng brought Chen Maimiao boiled eggs and prepared white-flour noodles while neighbors gossiped about Boss Zheng’s frightening night.
• Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi visited Chen Maimiao, confirmed that she and the baby were healthy, and encouraged her to ease her worries.
• Zheng Laosi returned from the docks with a fish, asked whether Chen Maimiao was well, and went back to work after Jin Shanyao reassured him.

Jin Shanyao refused Madam He’s demand to treat Boss Zheng, then inspected the herb-covered mountains and arranged to send Anzhi Hall’s best herbs to the capital. That night, she treated Zhao Boyong’s severe heart condition while Meng Anzhi watched and learned.

• Madam He demanded that Meng Anzhi treat Boss Zheng, but Jin Shanyao knocked her off the cart and refused to help.
• Madam He poured well water on Boss Zheng to wake him, and he agreed to attack Anzhi Hall the next day despite warning her not to provoke it.
• Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi inspected the overgrown medicinal mountains, and Jin Shanyao decided they would harvest what they could and clear the land later.
• Jin Shanyao read Shopkeeper Qin’s letter and told Meng Anzhi to have Wu Yong and Tao Yunshan send all the top-grade herbs to the capital for retail sale.
• Old Medicine Zhou brought Zhao Boyong to Anzhi Hall during a severe heart attack, and Jin Shanyao diagnosed him with a dangerous chest impediment.
• Jin Shanyao began acupuncture treatment while Meng Anzhi observed, and Old Medicine Zhou tried to record the acupuncture points he could see.

Jin Shanyao treated Zhao Boyong’s heart condition and advised his family to help him avoid overwork and competition. After the Zhao family left, Meng Anzhi documented the acupuncture method while Old Medicine Zhou eagerly studied it.

• Jin Shanyao revived Zhao Boyong with a ginseng and aconite decoction and explained that his congenital illness required rest, regular medicine, and avoiding anger and overwork.
• Madam Zhao revealed that Zhao Boyong had overexerted himself trying to reclaim first place from Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan, then realized Meng Anci had overheard her.
• Jin Shanyao advised Madam Zhao and Zhao Boyong not to measure themselves against others, and Madam Zhao took her son home after paying the consultation fee.
• The servant boy told Madam Zhao that Jin Shanyao had once accurately told his fortune, and Madam Zhao instructed him to bring Zhao Boyong to Anzhi Hall if he had another attack.
• Meng Anzhi arranged the acupuncture notes and demonstrated the needle positions to Old Medicine Zhou, who left clutching his notes with delight.

Meng Anci encouraged Zhao Boyong to seek treatment and prepare for the examination, while Ghost One went to scare Boss Zheng but lost her chance and returned to the mass grave. There, Tang Qiao distracted her with his advances.

• Meng Anci assured Zhao Boyong that treatment at Anzhi Hall could help him recover and succeed in the October examination.
• Shiyan lamented the approaching examination, and Zhao Zhiyuan told him his results reflected his actual ability.
• Ghost One decided to scare Boss Zheng again, while Tang Qiao offered to accompany her and later fended off other male ghosts competing for her favor.
• Ghost One found Boss Zheng being threatened over his gambling debt and followed him back to Hexi Village, but she arrived too late to scare him.
• Ghost One returned to the mass grave, where Tang Qiao embraced her and charmed her into forgetting her failed task.

Chen Maimiao gave birth to a boy with Meng Anzhi and Jin Shanyao assisting, while Boss Zheng disrupted the delivery and later demanded money from Zheng Laosi. Jin Shanyao turned the ox cart around to collect more, but she and Meng Anzhi arrived as Boss Zheng threatened to reveal a secret about the child.

• Meng Anzhi and Jin Shanyao hurried to Zheng Laosi's home to help Chen Maimiao give birth.
• Boss Zheng's arrival frightened Chen Maimiao and interrupted her pushing, but Jin Shanyao drove him away.
• Meng Anzhi delivered a boy, and Old Woman Zheng paid the two women three hundred wen.
• Jin Shanyao decided their delivery fee had been too low and turned the ox cart back toward Zheng Laosi's house.
• Boss Zheng demanded thirty taels from Zheng Laosi and hinted that Third Aunt did not know the truth about the child.

Boss Zheng exposed that Zheng Laosi was not the newborn’s father and demanded the family’s land deed, prompting Zheng Laosi to attack him. Jin Shanyao saved the baby and checked Zheng Laosi, then demanded payment for the delivery and for Meng Anzhi treating Chen Maimiao.

• Boss Zheng threatened Old Woman Zheng for money or the land deed, and Zheng Laosi agreed to hand over the deed to keep a secret from being revealed.
• Boss Zheng took the newborn and claimed he was his own son, revealing that Zheng Laosi had been outside the door on the night Chen Maimiao conceived the child.
• Chen Maimiao demanded an explanation from Zheng Laosi as her bleeding resumed, while Boss Zheng taunted the family.
• Zheng Laosi stabbed Boss Zheng in the lower back, and Boss Zheng tried to throw the baby to the ground.
• Jin Shanyao caught the baby with her whip, while Meng Anzhi helped Chen Maimiao and Jin Shanyao stopped Zheng Laosi from holding the knife.
• Jin Shanyao checked the baby and Zheng Laosi, then told the Zheng family to pay one wen for the delivery and fifty wen for Meng Anzhi’s treatment.

After Boss Zheng fled, Chen Maimiao confronted Zheng Laosi for knowingly letting the assault happen and demanded a divorce, while Zheng Laosi pleaded and then blamed her. Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi left the Zheng Household, and Jin Shanyao warned Meng Anzhi not to take advantage of timid people.

• Old Woman Zheng struck Zheng Laosi and left the room with Old Man Zheng after Boss Zheng escaped.
• Chen Maimiao asked Zheng Laosi why he had not stopped Boss Zheng, and he confessed that he had hidden his infertility and wanted a child to preserve his family line.
• Chen Maimiao described the remedies and humiliation she had endured, then demanded a divorce.
• Zheng Laosi begged Chen Maimiao to stay, then accused her of unfairly blaming him and refused to agree to a divorce.
• Old Woman Zheng gave Jin Shanyao copper coins and pushed her and Meng Anzhi out of the Zheng Household.
• On the way back, Jin Shanyao said Zheng Laosi had likely let Boss Zheng act, then told Meng Anzhi not to bully people because they were timid or weak.

Jin Shanyao arranged Ghost One’s reincarnation after Boss Zheng died, then encountered Silla envoys in town and saw one harassing a girl. Shopkeeper Wang warned her not to provoke the envoy and handed her a rag and a forked pole.

• Meng Anzhi told Jin Shanyao that Boss Zheng had been beaten, had broken legs, and was claiming Chen Maimiao’s child was his.
• Ghost One and Tang Qiao visited Boss Zheng, whose soul left his body before Tang Qiao kicked it back; Boss Zheng later died.
• Jin Shanyao offered Ghost One a chance to be reincarnated into a well-off family, but Ghost One abandoned Tang Qiao when she learned they might be reborn as animals.
• Tang Qiao revealed that Ghost One, whose real name was Tian Yingying, had used Jin Shanyao’s name to pursue handsome male ghosts, and Ghost One dragged him away.
• Jin Shanyao learned that Silla envoys were passing through town and stepped toward a girl being harassed by one of them.
• Shopkeeper Wang warned Jin Shanyao that provoking the envoy could cause an international conflict, then gave her a rag to cover her face and a forked pole.

Jin Shanyao intervened when Silla envoys harassed a young woman, beat the men involved, and escaped before Constable Wang could arrest her. After the witnesses blamed Jin Xiaoji for molesting the woman, Constable Wang warned Jin Shanyao to keep out of trouble while the envoys stayed in Qingzhou Prefecture.

• Jin Shanyao groped Jin Xiaoji and grabbed him when he drew a dagger, then cut his belt and humiliated him.
• Jin Shanyao slapped You Tuo and fought off the Silla men before smashing You Tuo and Jin Xiaoji's heads together.
• Jin Shanyao fled when Constable Wang arrived, and You Tuo demanded that he punish the attacker.
• The bystanders claimed Jin Xiaoji had molested a young woman, and You Tuo left for the embassy after Constable Wang rebuked him.
• Constable Wang told Jin Shanyao to change her clothes and avoid trouble for three days, so she returned to Anzhi Hall before setting out with Zhou Xiaosi.

After the Silla envoy’s street harassment, Su Wenqian invited Jin Shanyao and other locals to the envoy’s welcoming banquet to show that Sheng Dynasty’s people could not be insulted. Jin Shanyao brought Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci to the banquet in riding clothes, prepared for trouble.

• You Tuo rebuked Jin Xiaoji for losing a fight and said they would test Su Wenqian and other prefectures at the welcoming banquet.
• Su Wenqian invited Jin Shanyao to the banquet so she could stand before the Silla envoy and represent the people he had insulted.
• Jin Shanyao accepted the invitation and told Meng Anzhi to wear practical riding clothes in case the Silla guests touched her.
• Meng Anci decided to skip going with the other students so he could attend the banquet with Meng Anzhi and Jin Shanyao.
• Jin Shanyao arrived at the crowded guesthouse with Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci dressed in riding clothes, and Old Medicine Zhou warned her not to cause trouble.

At a banquet welcoming Silla’s young prince You Tuo, Jin Shanyao embarrassed Jin Xiaoji by teasing him in front of the guests. The banquet continued with You Tuo presenting a three-hundred-year-old Jade Snow Ginseng King for the merchants to appraise.

• Jin Shanyao sat with Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci as Shi Chang'an greeted her and tried to discuss renewing their escort agency contract.
• Su Wenqian welcomed You Tuo and announced that Silla intended to establish trade with Qingzhou Prefecture.
• You Tuo recognized Jin Shanyao as the person who had humiliated Jin Xiaoji, but Su Wenqian covered for her by saying she was a woman.
• Jin Shanyao challenged Jin Xiaoji to a staring contest, declared that he had blinked, and startled him by feinting toward his crotch, provoking laughter from the banquet guests.
• You Tuo introduced a three-hundred-year-old Jade Snow Ginseng King, and Jin Shanyao saw the wild ginseng clearly as the shopkeepers prepared to inspect it.

At a banquet, Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi exposed the Silla envoy You Tuo’s supposedly three-hundred-year-old ginseng as roughly a hundred years old, and Su Wenqian used the exchange to promote Anzhi Hall. You Tuo then challenged Qingzhou’s newly qualified scholars to explain a map, but just as he was about to insult them, Zhao Zhiyuan and Meng Anci stood up to answer.

• Jin Shanyao mocked You Tuo’s boast about his ginseng and sent Meng Anzhi to appraise it.
• Meng Anzhi judged the ginseng to be about a hundred years old, and Su Wenqian highlighted her knowledge and Anzhi Hall’s medicinal herbs.
• You Tuo presented a Map of the Nine Border Regions and asked Qingzhou’s students to explain it as a test of the Sheng Dynasty’s future officials.
• You Tuo specifically challenged the newly qualified xiucai, leaving the students under pressure and reluctant to volunteer.
• As You Tuo began to disparage the students, Zhao Zhiyuan and Meng Anci stood up to respond.

At a banquet, You Tuo mocked the Sheng Dynasty scholars, but Meng Anci and Jin Shanyao answered his taunts and embarrassed him. You Tuo then questioned Meng Anci about Silla merchant ships being plundered, leaving Jin Shanyao silent as he awaited an explanation.

• Meng Anci introduced himself as a young examination passer, and You Tuo mocked his age until Jin Shanyao pointed out his fifth-place result.
• You Tuo ordered Jin Xiaoji to cover Jin Shanyao's mouth, but Jin Xiaoji feared she would grab his crotch and revealed that she was a woman.
• You Tuo asked Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan about their ages and examination results, and Meng Anci mocked You Tuo for not understanding the map he carried.
• Jin Shanyao argued with You Tuo over his repeated demands that she be quiet, then joked that her silence might be blamed for a war between Silla and the Sheng Dynasty.
• You Tuo asked Meng Anci whether Silla merchant ships were being plundered because of failed suppression of bandits or another hidden cause, and ordered Jin Shanyao to stay quiet when she tried to speak.

At the welcome banquet, You Tuo tried to question Meng Anci about the Sheng Dynasty’s military response to Silla’s bandits, but Jin Shanyao and Zhang Jiuwei repeatedly forced wine on him. You Tuo collapsed after drinking, leaving Jin Xiaoji to fear that the Sheng Dynasty had killed the young prince.

• Su Wenqian tried to warn Meng Anci when You Tuo asked about military deployments, but You Tuo forced wine down Su Wenqian’s throat.
• Jin Shanyao crowded You Tuo and kept interrupting his questioning by pouring wine into his mouth.
• Meng Anci suggested the bandits robbing Silla’s ships might not come from the Sheng Dynasty, and You Tuo asked what he meant.
• You Tuo challenged Jin Shanyao to a drinking contest, but she refused and mocked his height before Su Wenqian sent Zhang Jiuwei to pour his wine.
• Zhang Jiuwei kept serving You Tuo until he became incoherent and fell to the floor, and Jin Xiaoji dropped beside him in alarm.

Jin Shanyao discovered Zhang Jiuwei had switched You Tuo’s wine and helped the children leave the banquet. On the way back, she misunderstood Zhang Jiuwei’s compliments as courtship, kicked her off the cart, and reassured Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci that she liked them best.

• Jin Shanyao confirmed You Tuo was only drunk, and Su Wenqian arranged for him to rest while Jin Shanyao criticized Su Wenqian for letting himself be bullied.
• Zhang Jiuwei reminded Jin Shanyao that she had once helped her avoid a marriage swindle and revealed that she had switched You Tuo’s wine to get him drunk.
• Jin Shanyao mistook Zhang Jiuwei’s offer of wine and compliment about her looks for courtship, then kicked her off the ox cart.
• Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci questioned Jin Shanyao about kicking Zhang Jiuwei, and Jin Shanyao said she liked neither women nor men but liked mountains.
• Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci playfully competed for Jin Shanyao’s affection until she gathered them both in her arms and said she liked them best.

You Tuo recovered from a drunken spell and continued toward Jing'an Prefecture, while Qing He and Qing Yang prepared Anzhi Hall for the New Year. Jin Shanyao and the children enjoyed the festive street, where a monkey show drew their attention.

• You Tuo woke after sleeping for two and a half days and told Jin Xiaoji to find someone easy to bully for information in Jing'an Prefecture.
• Qing He stopped Shopkeeper Wang from pouring water onto the icy street, then gave him and Xiaohua's mother ointment from Anzhi.
• Shopkeeper Wang gave Qing He six jars of rouge to share with the people at Anzhi Hall.
• Qing Yang told Qing He that Master and the others had not returned for the young master's birthday, and Qing He invited her to play leaf cards after lunch.
• Jin Shanyao bought Dahuang a wooden dog carving while he and the children explored the New Year's market.
• Jin Shanyao and the children heard a monkey-show performance announced and went to watch.

Jin Shanyao and the Meng children watched a monkey act, where Monkey Treasure’s desperate response to Jin Shanyao revealed its fear and misery under its owner. They left without buying the monkey, then celebrated Meng Anci’s birthday at the Top Scholar Tower and urged him to build his knowledge before taking the provincial examination.

• Jin Shanyao watched a performer make Monkey Treasure bow, dress, and tumble for the crowd while spectators and the Meng children tossed it coins.
• Monkey Treasure recognized Jin Shanyao, dropped its tip tray, and repeatedly kowtowed until its forehead bled, while Xiaoli stopped it from reaching Jin Shanyao’s clothes.
• The performer dragged Monkey Treasure back and made it apologize, and Jin Shanyao left with Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci.
• Meng Anci asked the performer how much he would sell Monkey Treasure for, but Meng Anzhi stopped him from naming a price as they left the crowd.
• At the Top Scholar Tower, Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi celebrated Meng Anci’s birthday and advised him to spend two years strengthening his studies before the provincial examination.

Jin Shanyao witnessed Feng Shun pressure Tao Yunshan to join a scheme to steal medicinal herbs, then watched Monkey Treasure escape its abusive owner and reach Anzhi Hall. The owner came to the courtyard the next morning claiming the monkey was missing.

• Feng Shun threatened Tao Yunshan and urged him to let the manor workers steal herbs, while the others backed Feng Shun’s plan.
• Jin Shanyao saw Monkey Treasure’s owner threaten it after killing a chicken, then watched the monkey escape through a window.
• Monkey Treasure followed its chain marks to Anzhi Hall, where it hid beside the kitchen hearth until Nanny Chen found it.
• Xiaoli caught Monkey Treasure and brought it to Jin Shanyao, and the monkey showed Meng Anzhi its chain and injuries to signal that it had escaped.
• Zhou Xiaosi answered a knock from Monkey Treasure’s owner, who asked the residents to help find his missing monkey.

Jin Shanyao bought Monkey Treasure, freed him from his chain, and had Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci treat his injuries. She then sent Qing Yang to First Manor to deliver a plan for dealing with Feng Shun and the other servants who had aided outsiders, leaving the final choice to Tao Yunshan.

• Jin Shanyao bought Monkey Treasure from his owner for twenty taels and had him sign a contract.
• Jin Shanyao bent Monkey Treasure's iron collar open and warned him not to touch anyone at Anzhi Hall, while Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci treated his wounds.
• Meng Anzhi told Monkey Treasure she would take him to the mountains and set him free once he had healed.
• Jin Shanyao told Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci that Feng Shun had helped outsiders at First Manor and had to be sold after a public punishment.
• Jin Shanyao sent Qing Yang to deliver the siblings' proposed responses to Tao Yunshan, secure the servants' indentures, sell off those Tao Yunshan divided, and offer the remaining workers jobs at Anzhi Hall.

Jin Shanyao taught Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci about informants, then mistook Zhang Jiuwei’s business visit for a romantic confession and rejected her. Zhang Jiuwei left determined to secure a partnership with Anzhi Hall and planned to return the next day.

• Jin Shanyao explained to Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci that informants should be discreet and that they needed to learn to identify them for themselves.
• Zhang Jiuwei visited Jin Shanyao with wine and braised trotters, intending to discuss a business partnership with Anzhi Hall.
• Jin Shanyao assumed Zhang Jiuwei was pursuing her romantically and rejected her, while Zhang Jiuwei struggled to understand the misunderstanding.
• After Zhang Jiuwei left, Qing He asked why Jin Shanyao had refused the partnership, and Jin Shanyao still believed Zhang Jiuwei had confessed her feelings.
• Zhang Jiuwei realized Jin Shanyao might have mistaken her gifts of wine and meat for a romantic gesture, but decided to return the next day and pursue a deal through the children.

Jin Shanyao mistook Zhang Jiuwei’s apology and gift for a romantic advance, only to discover Zhang had come to discuss a business partnership. After an embarrassing misunderstanding, Jin agreed to supply Jade Flask Spring with medicinal herbs.

• Jin Shanyao reread her romance novel and concluded she needed to be wary of Zhang Jiuwei’s apparent affection.
• Zhang Jiuwei visited Jin Shanyao to apologize and presented her with a jade Bodhisattva.
• Jin Shanyao mistook the gift and Zhang’s compliments for romantic interest, then confronted her in a ceremonial robe with a copper coin sword.
• Zhang Jiuwei clarified that she wanted to buy medicinal herbs from Anzhi Hall and explained that she liked Jin as a friend.
• Jin Shanyao agreed to work with Jade Flask Spring, while Zhang Jiuwei laughed at the misunderstanding.

Jin Shanyao made Qing Yang’s successful investigation of Feng Shun part of Anzhi Hall’s growing work, then forced Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci to annotate storybooks. Zhang Jiuwei returned with Baili Ce and a child, negotiated a herb purchase with Meng Anzhi, and arranged to collect the goods in three days.

• Jin Shanyao sent Zhang Jiuwei away with her jade Bodhisattva and annotated Flowers Pinned into the Embrace with her observations.
• Qing Yang reported that she and Magistrate Yang had caught Feng Shun’s younger brother selling counterfeit medicine under Anzhi Hall’s name, and Jin Shanyao rewarded her.
• Jin Shanyao made Meng Anci and Meng Anzhi read and annotate storybooks, and Meng Anzhi wrote a warning against letting emotions sway business decisions.
• Zhang Jiuwei visited Anzhi Hall with Baili Ce and a child, then asked Meng Anzhi to sell her medicinal herbs.
• Meng Anzhi agreed to provide a third of Zhang Jiuwei’s requested herbs, and they signed an agreement to collect the goods from the estate three days later.