Recaps

Jin Shanyao treated Gaya’s old trauma and agreed to deliver the souls of his family, killed in a Japanese pirate attack. The next morning, soldiers gathered to ask her to deliver their own dead relatives’ souls.

• Fu Congzhao stopped the soldiers from shooting an eagle that landed in the courtyard.
• Jin Shanyao diagnosed a young soldier’s old fright and told him to follow the military physician’s prescription.
• Fu Congzhao led a night patrol by boat while Fu Zhenkou returned to camp and asked Gaya to assist Jin Shanyao.
• Gaya told Jin Shanyao how Japanese pirates had killed his family, then attacked her during a traumatic episode.
• Jin Shanyao calmed Gaya, charged him two copper coins, and agreed to deliver the souls of his family from Fu'an Village.
• The next morning, soldiers offered Jin Shanyao copper coins and begged her to deliver their dead relatives’ souls.

Jin Shanyao visited a struggling family in Prosperity and Peace Village and left them ten taels of silver after receiving a conch shell. Back at camp, she told Fu Congzhao she would let people see their deceased loved ones one last time before sending their souls on at the end of the month.

• Fu Congzhao discovered that soldiers were paying Jin Shanyao one copper coin each to send souls on and regretted his grandfather’s expensive payment.
• After writing names for three days, Jin Shanyao left camp and visited Prosperity and Peace Village.
• A fisherman’s wife told Jin Shanyao that poor harvests and Japanese pirate raids had left her family hungry, and introduced her daughter Niuniu.
• Jin Shanyao accepted a conch shell from the woman and secretly left ten taels of silver in her basket, but the couple could not catch up with her to return it.
• Jin Shanyao told Fu Congzhao to announce that people could see their loved ones one last time at the end of the month before she sent their souls on.

Jin Shanyao used her Spiritual Power to reveal a massacre and gather the war dead at the crossroads, where the living reunited with their lost family and comrades. She opened a ghost gate and sent the souls to the Underworld, and the survivors thanked her.

• Jin Shanyao witnessed the slaughter of a village in her vision and saw Fu Zhenhai's forces defeat the Japanese raiders.
• Jin Shanyao summoned the dead to the crossroads and broke the barrier between the living and the ghosts.
• The soldiers and villagers reunited with their dead relatives and comrades, while Fu Congzhao spoke with Yang Dabao.
• Jin Shanyao opened a ghost gate, and the war dead said farewell before returning to the Underworld.
• Fu Zhenhai, Fu Zhenkou, soldiers, and commoners bowed to Jin Shanyao and thanked her.

Jin Shanyao gained abundant Merit after sending the wronged souls of the dead to their next lives, drawing attention from Lady Houtu and Taishang Laojun. Taishang Laojun confronted her over the mass reincarnation and chased her around the room with a cane, while Jin Shanyao prepared to escape.

• Jin Shanyao made Fu Congzhao extinguish every spark before they returned to camp, then encouraged him to hold back his tears and fight for his people and soldiers.
• Jin Shanyao absorbed the Merit flowing toward her and broke through with a surge of Spiritual Power that shook Houtu Palace.
• Lady Houtu learned from King Yanluo that Jin Shanyao had sent thousands of wronged battlefield souls to their next lives, and agreed to let it pass because Taishang Laojun had vouched for her.
• Taishang Laojun visited Jin Shanyao, then intervened when Lady Houtu went to investigate the disturbance in the mortal world.
• Taishang Laojun appeared in Jin Shanyao's room, scolded her for sending thousands of souls on at once, and chased her with a cane as she taunted him and looked for a way to flee.

Jin Shanyao helped Fu Zhenhai’s forces ambush Japanese pirates and took gifts from Fu Congzhao before heading back toward the capital. Meanwhile, Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci discussed invitations and Anci’s resolve to protect their family, leaving Jin Shanyao still on the road home.

• Yasheng alerted Jin Shanyao to Japanese pirates hiding east of the coast, and Fu Zhenhai led soldiers to attack them.
• Fu Zhenhai’s men captured a map detailing Dengzhou Prefecture’s city defenses and withdrew from the sea.
• Jin Shanyao refused to sell Yasheng, gave Fu Congzhao a pouch of ginkgo nuts, and left camp with gifts for the children at home.
• Jin Shanyao stopped at an inn in Pingcheng Prefecture and used her necklace to check on the sister and brother, who were reading quietly.
• Meng Anzhi told Meng Anci that Cai Wenyan had invited her to the opera again, while Anci declined her offer to deal with Sun Yan.
• Meng Anci showed Meng Anzhi his Anzhi Hall seal and said his goal was to protect her and their aunt from being bullied.

Meng Anzhi met Cai Wenyan at the theater, where Cai tried to enlist her help in pursuing Zhao Zhiyuan and offered career favors for her younger brother. Cai Wuyi separately proposed a marriage between Cai Wenyan and Zhao, but Zhao refused both approaches and left, declaring that his heart already belonged to someone.

• Meng Anzhi arrived at the theater with Qing He and joined Cai Wenyan in a private room.
• Zhao Zhiyuan and Cai Wuyi took the adjoining room, where Cai Wuyi raised the prospect of Zhao marrying his sister, Cai Wenyan.
• Cai Wenyan told Meng Anzhi that she admired Zhao and asked her to pass him an embroidered handkerchief, offering help for Meng's younger brother in return.
• Meng Anzhi refused to deliver the handkerchief and left the theater room.
• Cai Wuyi explained that the Cai Household wanted to marry Wenyan quickly before the emperor's death could lead to a palace selection.
• Zhao Zhiyuan rejected Cai Wuyi's proposal, saying his heart belonged to someone else, and left.

Meng Anzhi worried that the emperor’s illness could lead to a palace selection, while Meng Anci used a textual error in Sun Yan’s draft to bring about Sun Yan’s downfall. After Sun Yan was imprisoned, Meng Anci warned Zhao Zhiyuan to stay away from his sister, leaving Zhao Zhiyuan alone with a complicated expression.

• Zhao Zhiyuan tried to speak to Meng Anzhi about the coming palace selection, but Meng Anci interrupted them and brought his sister inside.
• Meng Anzhi worried about being selected for the palace and decided to wait for her aunt before discussing an unconventional idea.
• At the Hanlin Academy, Meng Anci pointed out a wrong quotation source in Sun Yan’s draft and drew Zhou Mingyi’s attention to it.
• Zhou Mingyi presented the error to the emperor during Sun Yan’s reading, and the emperor became ill and spat blood before Sun Yan was imprisoned.
• Zhao Zhiyuan accused Meng Anci of arranging Sun Yan’s downfall, but Meng Anci denied it and warned him to stay away from Meng Anzhi.

Jin Shanyao bought goods in Pingcheng Prefecture and met an ink-maker from Jianghe County, who told her about the corrupt, recurring dike repairs. After he left without paying for her cold water, she took the tea bowl and continued north toward the capital.

• Jin Shanyao bought an iron spatula, a copper medicine grinder, and a box of ink sticks for a hundred taels from an ink-maker in Pingcheng Prefecture.
• Jin Shanyao pushed through the crowd of merchants and headed north, stopping at a tea stall in Jianghe County for cold water.
• The ink-maker caught up with Jin Shanyao and explained that the authorities were conscripting laborers to repair the county's failing river dikes.
• Jin Shanyao described how dredging, straightening the river, and building diversion dams could control the floods, but the ink-maker said the authorities profited from recurring repairs.
• The ink-maker left five copper coins on the table instead of paying for Jin Shanyao's water, and Jin Shanyao took the tea bowl before driving away.

Jin Shanyao returned to the capital after hearing that the emperor had died, reunited with Meng Anzhi and gave out gifts. After Xiao Yuan ascended the throne, Meng Anci was appointed supervising censor, a powerful post that made officials wary of him.

• Jin Shanyao reached the capital, learned from Tu Geng that the emperor had passed away, and returned to Anzhi Hall.
• Jin Shanyao reunited with Meng Anzhi and distributed gifts to Qing He, Meng Anzhi, Zhou Xiaosi, Old Qin, and the household.
• Seven days after the emperor's death, Crown Prince Xiao Yuan ascended the throne as the Yongxi Emperor and made his son Xiao Changchuan crown prince.
• The new emperor appointed Meng Anci supervising censor for reporting a colleague's secret land accumulation, while Zhao Zhiyuan was reassigned to the Ministry of Works' Water Bureau.
• Jin Shanyao called Meng Anci's new post a job that offended people, while he proudly explained his authority to investigate and impeach officials.
• At fourteen, Meng Anci's promotion made court officials avoid him, and rumors spread that he had risen by calculating his way past colleagues.

Meng Anzhi discussed her plan to have a child with Jin Shanyao before returning to Qingzhou Prefecture to plant medicinal herbs. Meanwhile, Xiao Yuan sent Zhao Zhiyuan and Meng Anci to investigate repeated dike failures in Pingcheng Prefecture, and Jin Shanyao agreed to accompany Meng Anci.

• Jin Shanyao agreed with Meng Anzhi's plan to seek Zhao Zhiyuan as the father of her future child, and Meng Anzhi postponed planning while she returned to Qingzhou Prefecture for the planting season.
• Chancellor Cai raised the recurring dike breaches in Jianghe County, Pingcheng Prefecture, and Xiao Yuan assigned Zhao Zhiyuan and Meng Anci to investigate whether the cause lay with the river or local officials.
• Zhao Zhiyuan realized Chancellor Cai was trying to send him into danger, while Meng Anci reminded him that he had once intervened when Meng Anci was imprisoned.
• Jin Shanyao agreed to accompany Meng Anci to Pingcheng Prefecture and sent word to Meng Anzhi, who replied with warnings to be careful and reassurance that she would manage things at home.

Zhao Zhiyuan left the capital with Meng Anci and Jin Shanyao to investigate in Jianghe County, where Jin Shanyao exposed a tea-stall owner’s attempt to cheat them. The party reached Pingcheng Prefecture and presented their court document at the prefectural office.

• Zhao Zhiyuan's mother urged him to pursue the Meng Household girl he loved and sent Agui along to accompany him.
• Zhao Zhiyuan met Meng Anci at Anzhi Hall, then joined him and Jin Shanyao on the journey out of the capital.
• Jin Shanyao warned Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan to be cautious of dishonest merchants and fellow townsfolk while traveling.
• At a roadside tea stall, Jin Shanyao confronted the owner over changing the tea price and trying to spit into the teapot, then paid fifteen wen and left with the party.
• The tea-stall owner's bowls shattered after the group departed, and he panicked over the loss.
• At the Pingcheng Prefecture office, Agui presented the court document, and the gate attendant hurried inside to announce their arrival.

Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan arrived in Pingcheng Prefecture to investigate the troubled river works, and Prefect Yuan Shanjian bristled at their presence while handing over the records. The visit left Yuan out inspecting the farms and Judicial Commissioner Feng anxiously trying to placate Jin Shanyao after she heard Yuan call the officials “two little fools.”

• Yuan Shanjian learned that Censor Meng Anci and Ministry of Works director Zhao Zhiyuan had arrived to oversee the Harmful River works.
• Yuan explained the recurring floods and ordered the river-work accounts and records brought out for Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan to examine.
• Yuan arranged for the two officials to work beside his desk, then left to inspect the farming.
• Yuan angrily complained to Judicial Commissioner Feng that the court had sent two little fools to investigate him, and Feng advised him to take them to the river.
• Jin Shanyao heard Yuan’s outburst and insisted that he had insulted Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan, while the two men tried to calm her.
• Judicial Commissioner Feng claimed Yuan had been cursing the former prefect, then withdrew and kept watch outside the hall.

Jin Shanyao taught Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan to invoke the emperor’s authority against Yuan Shanjian, then accompanied them on an inspection trip to Jianghe County. Along the way, she used her booklet to pressure Yuan and watched him at the tea stall, where the nervous shopkeeper kept count of the bowls.

• Jin Shanyao confronted Yuan Shanjian over his insults toward Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan, then coached the two men to act as the emperor’s representatives.
• Zhao Zhiyuan proposed an on-site inspection of Jianghe County, and Yuan Shanjian agreed to travel there with the group.
• Jin Shanyao wrote down Yuan Shanjian’s remarks and actions as alleged evidence of disrespect and dereliction, making him ride in Meng Anci’s ox cart.
• At the tea stall, Yuan Shanjian demanded tea from the frightened shopkeeper, who served the group while keeping a close count of the bowls.

Yuan Shanjian took Meng Anci, Zhao Zhiyuan, and Jin Shanyao to inspect the dangerous river and its embankments. Jin Shanyao identified that the repairs had been made in the wrong places, and the group returned to Jianghe County after surveying the river by boat.

• Yuan Shanjian learned that Xiong Wanli was inspecting the river at Zhao Household Gully and set out with Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan.
• Yuan Shanjian introduced Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan to Xiong Wanli, who was supervising embankment repairs.
• Yuan Shanjian showed the group the river map and warned that the river’s hidden pits and unstable banks made it dangerous.
• Jin Shanyao said the repaired embankment sections lay where silt was thickest and the soil was loosest, so they would still collapse during flood season.
• Zhao Zhiyuan proposed inspecting the river by boat, and Yuan Shanjian agreed.
• Zhao Zhiyuan, Meng Anci, and the others surveyed the turbid river by boat until dark, then returned to Jianghe County.

Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan investigated Jianghe County’s river accounts as Jin Shanyao explained why Yuan Shanjian was blamed for trying to manage the river instead of sending its silt downstream. As the rain intensified and the dike weakened, Yuan Shanjian and Zhao Zhiyuan set out to seek permission to divert the floodwaters into Yuhe County, while Meng Anci warned that evacuation and Zhao Household Gully remained their last resort.

• Xiong Wanli left at night to inspect the river and told Yuan Shanjian the water level had not risen.
• Jin Shanyao explained that Yuan Shanjian’s efforts to manage the river left him blamed by both the people and the court.
• After days of worsening rain, Zhao Zhiyuan reported that the river had risen and Xiong Wanli estimated the main dike could hold for only half a month.
• Yuan Shanjian proposed diverting the floodwaters into Yuhe County, and Zhao Zhiyuan agreed to accompany him to seek permission and arrange evacuations.
• Meng Anci warned Zhao Zhiyuan to return if the Yuhe County officials refused and reminded him that Zhao Household Gully was their last resort.

As the flooding worsened, Jin Shanyao warned Meng Anci about the painful choices and public blame that lay ahead. Zhao Zhiyuan and Yuan Shanjian secured Cui Xiang’s agreement to evacuate Yuhe County and release the floodwaters, with both men signing to accept responsibility.

• Jin Shanyao inspected the riverbank and found that silt had clogged the riverbed as the water rose.
• Jin Shanyao posed a moral dilemma to Meng Anci and warned him that people would condemn whoever made a hard choice.
• Zhao Zhiyuan and Yuan Shanjian rode to Dingchuan Prefecture, where Chang Yi gave them a letter agreeing to release the floodwaters while directing them to Cui Xiang.
• Yuan Shanjian and Zhao Zhiyuan argued with Cui Xiang, who refused to risk opening the gates without protection from blame.
• Yuan Shanjian and Zhao Zhiyuan signed a statement accepting responsibility and promising compensation, and Cui Xiang agreed to evacuate Yuhe County.

Yuan Shanjian and Zhao Zhiyuan tried to divert the flood through Yuhe County, but Cui Xiang reversed his agreement and returned the evacuated people. As the gates in Jianghe County were about to open, Yuhe’s residents blocked the embankment while Xiong Wanli prepared to release the floodwaters.

• Meng Anci suspected the smooth negotiations with Cui Xiang and sent Jin Shanyao to prepare for the possible flooding of Zhao Household Gully.
• Xiong Wanli rejected Meng Anci’s proposals to reinforce the embankment and clear silt, while Meng repeatedly asked downstream officials about evacuation preparations.
• Cui Xiang called Yuhe County’s evacuated residents home and refused Zhao Zhiyuan’s demand to divert the floodwaters there.
• After learning the gates would open at the hai hour, Yuan Shanjian dragged Cui Xiang into the street and ordered Yuhe’s residents to evacuate.
• Cui Xiang rallied the residents against the diversion, and they blocked the embankment as Zhao Zhiyuan failed to persuade them.
• The river in Jianghe County rose to one inch below the embankment’s top, and Xiong Wanli prepared to open the gates.

Five days before the flood, the villagers of Zhao Household Gully all dreamed of a ginkgo tree warning them that a flood was coming, so Village Head Zhao led them to flee to Gao Household Slope. On the day the floodwaters were to be released, Xiong Wanli tried to open the gates despite Meng Anci's objections, and someone grabbed Xiong Wanli's wrist.

• Village Head Zhao, his family, and Old Man Gu discovered that their household members had dreamed of the same ginkgo tree warning of a flood.
• Village Head Zhao rang the gong and urged the villagers to pack and flee to Gao Household Slope.
• The villagers of Zhao Household Gully left with their families and livestock, and people from other villages joined them.
• Xiong Wanli demanded that Meng Anci let him open the gates, but Meng Anci refused until they received word from Lord Zhao.
• Xiong Wanli read a bamboo-tube message, hid it, and ordered the gates opened, claiming the upstream situation was critical.
• Meng Anci demanded to see Lord Zhao's letter, and someone seized Xiong Wanli's wrist as he resisted.

Meng Anci forced Xiong Wanli to order the dam at Zhao Household Gully blown up, diverting the flood and saving Jianghe County while the downstream officials feared disaster. Zhao Zhiyuan and Yuan Shanjian returned to find the dam destroyed, then joined Meng Anci in writing memorials accepting responsibility.

• Meng Anci threatened Xiong Wanli with a dagger and forced him to order the dam at Zhao Household Gully blown up.
• The water rushed into Zhao Household Gully, flooding its fields as the river level fell.
• Zhao Zhiyuan noticed the water level had not risen in Yujiang County and realized Meng Anci must have acted without authorization.
• Zhao Zhiyuan and Yuan Shanjian returned to Jianghe County and found Zhao Household Gully flooded and its people evacuated.
• Meng Anci admitted to threatening Xiong Wanli and destroying the dam, then told Yuan Shanjian to keep the villagers evacuated until flood season ended.
• Yuan Shanjian and Zhao Zhiyuan began writing memorials to share responsibility with Meng Anci, while Xiong Wanli left to treat his neck.

Xiao Yuan defended Meng Anci’s decision to breach the dike and issued rewards for those who helped save the downstream people, while punishing the officials who obstructed or mishandled the flood response. In Zhao Household Gully, the villagers built a temple for the ginkgo tree they believed had warned them of the flood, leaving Jin Shanyao listening to their embellished stories about Lady Tree God.

• Xiao Yuan rejected Chancellor Cai’s call to punish Meng Anci and argued that his actions had saved people from a far greater disaster.
• The imperial edict rewarded Meng Anci, Zhao Zhiyuan, and Yuan Shanjian, while stripping Xiong Wanli and Cui Xiang of their posts and ordering them imprisoned pending trial.
• Yuan Shanjian realized he had spent the prefectural treasury on emergency relief and worried about paying the taxes.
• In Zhao Household Gully, Meng Anci learned that the villagers were building a temple and planting a ginkgo tree in gratitude to the deity they believed had warned them about the flood.
• Jin Shanyao listened as the villagers described their dream of Lady Tree God, while a boy apologized to the newly planted tree for criticizing her.

Meng Anci returned from Jianghe County promoted to supervising censor, while Jin Shanyao and he left Zhao Household Gully under the villagers’ protection of the Divine Tree Goddess. Back in the capital, Meng Anzhi and Jin Shanyao searched for a husband for her, though Meng Anzhi remained concerned about Zhao Zhiyuan in Jianghe County.

• The village head agreed to repair Zhao Household Gully’s embankment despite the villagers’ faith in the Divine Tree Goddess, and Jin Shanyao told Meng Anci she had used divination to help them.
• Meng Anci learned that the imperial edict had promoted him to supervising censor, while Zhao Zhiyuan and Yuan Shanjian stayed in Jianghe County to manage the flood recovery.
• Before leaving for the capital, Meng Anci warned Zhao Zhiyuan that trouble in Dingchuan Prefecture was likely connected to Cui Xiang’s reversal and urged him to investigate.
• Jin Shanyao saw the villagers worshipping her clay likeness at the temple, and the incense brought her a halo of Merit.
• At Anzhi Hall, Jin Shanyao, Meng Anzhi, and Meng Anci examined portraits of potential husbands for Meng Anzhi, who asked whether Zhao Zhiyuan was doing well in Jianghe County.

After receiving Meng Anci’s letter, Zhao Zhiyuan arranged for portraits of himself to be painted and sent five of them, along with his birth details, to Meng Anzhi. Months later, he returned to the capital and found Meng Anzhi waiting for someone; their reunion ended with him being pulled into her study.

• Meng Anci wrote to Zhao Zhiyuan, and he asked Yuan Shanjian to summon the city’s skilled painters to make color portraits of him.
• Zhao Zhiyuan selected five portraits, sent them with a letter containing his birth date and hour to Meng Anzhi, and asked his granduncle to investigate officials in Dingchuan Prefecture.
• Meng Anzhi laughed at Zhao Zhiyuan’s portraits, then sent a reply through Agui while continuing to consider other candidates.
• Months later, Zhao Zhiyuan returned to the capital and found Meng Anzhi outside a brothel; she said she was waiting for someone.
• After reporting to the palace, Zhao Zhiyuan went to Anzhi Hall, where Meng Anzhi teased him about whether he had come to see her or Meng Anci.
• As Zhao Zhiyuan and Meng Anzhi stood outside her study, a powerful force suddenly pulled him inside.

Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan helped the emperor launch an investigation into corruption in Dingchuan Prefecture, provoking Chancellor Cai. Meanwhile, Jin Shanyao planted a pear tree, teased Tu Geng about marriage, and updated booklets about Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci before learning Meng Anzhi had gone to see the autumn leaves.

• Meng Anci impeached Chang Yi for embezzling disaster relief and dike-repair funds, and Xiao Yuan ordered Fang Shu to investigate the officials involved in Dingzhou Prefecture.
• Zhao Zhiyuan told Meng Anci that they were being used as knives, while Chancellor Cai resolved to deal with them after learning Zhao Zhiyuan had gathered the evidence.
• Jin Shanyao carried a pear tree into the city, teased Tu Geng about his rejected marriage proposal, and turned down his hint that he might suit her.
• Jin Shanyao planted the pear tree at Anzhi Hall and wrote new observations about Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci in their booklets.
• Qing He told Jin Shanyao that Meng Anzhi had gone to see the red maple leaves, and Meng Anci realized Zhao Zhiyuan had planned the outing in advance.

Zhao Zhiyuan and Meng Anzhi grew closer while Jin Shanyao prepared a gift and faced pressure from Taishang Laojun to ascend. The chapter left Jin Shanyao set to ascend after Meng Anci’s fifteenth birthday, while Meng Anci realized Zhao Zhiyuan had fallen into his sister’s trap.

• Zhao Zhiyuan met Meng Anzhi in the maple grove, and she admitted she had missed him and wanted to spend more time together before marriage.
• Jin Shanyao ruined several pieces of cloth while learning to sew and continued making a man’s garment after Qing He went to bed.
• Taishang Laojun confronted Jin Shanyao and demanded she return to Heaven, warning that her accumulated merit and growing worship could expose her.
• Jin Shanyao agreed to ascend after Meng Anci’s fifteenth birthday, and Taishang Laojun promised to come for her then.
• Zhao Zhiyuan hurried off to have dinner with Meng Anzhi, and Meng Anci realized his sister had been drawing him into a trap.

Meng Anzhi and Zhao Zhiyuan shared a meal at her private residence, where she got him drunk and tried to undress him. After they kissed and slept together, Zhao Zhiyuan asked to have a proper status, but Meng Anzhi refused; he still asked to see her again the next evening.

• Meng Anzhi welcomed Zhao Zhiyuan to her private residence, and he spoke of staying with her during the court recess and preparing the residence for their marriage.
• Meng Anzhi poured Zhao Zhiyuan several cups of strong wine and helped him into the inner room, where he caught her hand as she reached for his belt.
• Zhao Zhiyuan told Meng Anzhi he wanted a proper status, and she refused before kissing him.
• Meng Anzhi and Zhao Zhiyuan slept together, and he asked whether they could eat together again the next evening.
• Meng Anzhi agreed to arrange their next meal, while Zhao Zhiyuan worried she might later deny what had happened.