Recaps

Tong Fengye survived an attempt to injure him during a polo match, while the Duke of Anguo’s heir was left with broken legs. At court, the Duke of Anguo demanded revenge, but Tong Aning and the Feng siblings testified for Tong Fengye as the dispute remained unresolved.

• Tong Fengye joined Tong Aning and the Feng siblings in the polo match after the Duke of Anguo’s heir prepared to play dirty.
• The heir’s men charged at Tong Fengye, but Tong Fengye dodged them and rejoined his companions.
• Tong Fengye’s horse suddenly went berserk, and after he regained control, it knocked the Duke of Anguo’s heir down and broke his legs.
• Tong Aning, Tong Siyan, and the Feng siblings reassured Tong Fengye and promised to testify for him.
• The Duke of Anguo accused Tong Fengye before the emperor and demanded that Tong Fengye suffer the same fate as his son.
• Tong Aning testified that the heir had tried to hurt Tong Fengye, but the Duke of Anguo still refused to drop his demand for punishment.

Tong Aning’s thoughts exposed the Duke of An’s affair and the plot involving the powder that drove horses mad. The vice minister of works arrived to accuse Tong Fengye, only to learn that his own son had supplied the powder and seduced the duke’s mistress.

• The emperor confronted the Duke of An about keeping a mistress, and the duke admitted it while claiming his son’s injury was an accident.
• The heir to the Duke of An woke and refused to accept his father’s explanation, accusing Tong Fengye of causing his injuries.
• Tong Aobai asked the emperor to summon the duke’s mistress, while Su Zhouyue requested that the imperial physician examine the heir again.
• The imperial physician found a sachet of horse-madness powder on the heir, and the heir said it belonged to his father.
• The Duke of An accused his mistress of harming his son, but she denied owning the sachet.
• The vice minister of works arrived with his son to accuse Tong Fengye of harming the heir, while Tong Aning revealed that the vice minister’s son had supplied the powder and seduced the duke’s mistress.

The Tong family witnessed the mistress expose her plan to kill Duke Anguo and Rong Lang, then attended a banquet celebrating Azhu's return. When a painter who preyed on vulnerable young women approached Azhu, she slapped him.

• The mistress confessed that she had wanted Duke Anguo and Rong Lang dead because they had both broken their promises to marry her.
• Duke Anguo's Wife arrived, and Duke Anguo collapsed; three days later, Lou Yingyu told Tong Aning that Duke Anguo had suffered a stroke and his wife had chosen an heir from a collateral branch.
• Tong Aning and Lou Yingyu attended a banquet celebrating Azhu's return, where Azhu joined the gathering of noble young ladies.
• A painter approached Azhu and asked to paint her again, and Xixi revealed that he lured vulnerable young women into trusting him before abandoning them.
• Azhu slapped the painter across the face.

Azhu slapped a painter who had targeted her with his manipulative portraits, and Tong Aning’s thoughts exposed his history of abuse and suspected murder. Zhuang Qing ordered the painter beaten and sent to Jingzhao Prefecture, leaving Lord Cen likely to face another headache.

• Azhu slapped the painter, and Lou Yingyu defended her as Zhuang Qing arrived and promised to investigate.
• Tong Aning identified the painter’s pattern of manipulating people and directed Zhuang Qing to find Miss Bai.
• Miss Bai told the household that the painter had preyed on her and her friend, who had disappeared; Tong Aning’s thoughts revealed the painter had dumped the friend’s body in a well.
• Tong Aning’s thoughts exposed the painter’s plan to make Azhu fall for him and then abandon her, so Zhuang Qing slapped him twice and ordered guards to beat him before taking him to Jingzhao Prefecture.

Cen Yu investigated the painter’s murder and discovered Miaoshuang’s body, while Tong Aning and her family returned home after comforting Bai Yan. The Tong household also discussed its political neutrality and the investigation into Vice Minister Wei, and Tong Aobai remained fiercely protective of his daughters.

• Cen Yu returned home after taking the painter into custody, then left when the deputy prefect reported that Miaoshuang’s body had been found.
• Cen Yu confirmed Bai Yan identified Miaoshuang by a gold bracelet and vowed to punish the painter; Zhuang Qing promised the general’s household would arrange the burial.
• Tong Yibin collected Tong Aning, and Cen Yu reluctantly let the woman sent by his aunt accompany him back to Jingzhao Prefecture.
• Su Zhouyue and Tong Siyan made Tong Aning drink calming soup, and Tong Yi'an asked to sleep with her.
• Tong Aobai and Tong Yibin discussed the crown prince’s assurances, the household’s political neutrality, and clues about who was behind Vice Minister Wei.
• Tong Aobai joined his daughters for dinner and privately considered how harshly he would punish anyone who harmed them.

Tong Aning rescued Wen Taofei from a man posing as her husband and learned through Xixi that he was a human trafficker with abducted victims at a Daoist temple outside the city. After telling Cen Yu what she knew, Tong Aning asked to stick the captive with a silver needle, and Xue Ruyun eagerly offered to teach her.

• Xue Ruyun ended Tong Aning’s lesson and offered to pick out a new medicine chest for her.
• Tong Aning heard Wen Taofei calling for help in the street and stepped in when a man claimed she was his wife.
• A Shu pinned the man down, and Xixi told Tong Aning he was a human trafficker who had taken people to a Daoist temple outside the city.
• Cen Yu comforted Wen Taofei, then thanked Tong Aning and took charge of the captive after she shared what she knew.
• Tong Aning asked to stick the captive with a silver needle, and Xue Ruyun offered to teach her.

Tong Aobai and Cen Yu linked the capital’s many missing women to the imperial family, and Xue Lin was put in charge of investigating the cases. The chapter ended when Tong Aning learned that something had happened to Xue Lin.

• Tong Aning realized that many young women had gone missing and decided to tell Tong Aobai.
• Tong Aobai and Cen Yu told the emperor that the disappearances pointed to powerful protection, and Tong Aobai named Prince Jing.
• Xue Lin reported another attempt on his life, and the emperor placed him in charge of the missing persons cases, warning him not to spare even a princely uncle.
• Tong Aning learned that Tong Aobai had stayed at the palace overnight and that Xue Lin was handling the investigation.
• The system told Tong Aning that something had happened to Xue Lin.

Tong Aning helped expose Prince Jing’s trafficking ring, saved the Heir of Prince Yong, and watched Prince Jing face execution. After the scandal, marriage proposals flooded the Tong household, but Tong Aning and Tong Fengye rushed to stop Mei Xiangyu’s forced marriage to the paralyzed Heir of Duke Anguo, who accused them of coming to steal his bride.

• Tong Aning found the badly injured Xue Lin on the road, brought him to Prince Yong's Residence, and later accepted gold and silver for saving his life.
• The emperor sentenced Prince Jing to beheading for trafficking girls, while Xue Lin exposed the Heir of Prince Jing’s involvement with his father’s concubine and helped have him arrested.
• Tong Aning learned that Prince Jing was the empress dowager’s son with another man, and the empress dowager eventually accepted Prince Jing’s punishment after the emperor threatened her beloved.
• After the case ended, officials crowded around Tong Aobai to seek favors and marriage matches, but Tong Yibin and Tong Fengye showed no interest in marrying.
• Tong Aning learned that Mei Xiangyu was being forced to marry the paralyzed Heir of Duke Anguo, so she and Tong Fengye hurried to intervene.
• The Heir of Duke Anguo saw Tong Fengye and Tong Aning arrive and accused Tong Fengye of bringing his younger sister to steal the bride.

Tong Aning’s bride-stealing visit exposed Mei Xiangyu’s father’s affair and helped Mei Xiangyu join forces with Duke Anguo’s Wife. Later, Tong Aning met a ragged Daoist whose three sentences were rumored to earn a thousand taels from Chancellor Lou, prompting Lou Yingyu to confront him.

• Tong Aning and Tong Fengye arrived to steal Mei Xiangyu’s bride, and Tong Aning challenged the Heir of Duke Anguo over his choices.
• Mei Xiangyu lifted her veil and revealed that she had brought her father’s fisherman lover to marry him, exposing the family’s disgraceful conflict.
• Mei Xiangyu asked the Heir of Duke Anguo if he still wanted to marry her, then rode to the Duke of Anguo’s Residence, where Duke Anguo’s Wife welcomed her.
• Lou Yingyu told Tong Aning that Mei Xiangyu and Duke Anguo’s Wife had joined forces against the second branch, and she teased Tong Aning about the bride-stealing incident.
• Tong Aning and Lou Yingyu met Azhu, who worried about attending the Imperial Academy, and Lou Yingyu offered to teach her.
• A ragged Daoist approached the young women, and Tong Aning heard that he would persuade Chancellor Lou to give him a thousand taels with three sentences, so Lou Yingyu set out to confront him.

Tong Aning and Lou Yingyu exposed a Daoist’s obedience-talisman scam, which led to Feng Ying’s monkey and the Daoist being taken into custody. The next day, Tong Aning’s father was impeached over his children’s extravagance, and Tong Aning was summoned to answer the charge before the throne.

• Lou Yingyu paid the Daoist five thousand taels for an obedience talisman, while Tong Aning learned Feng Ying had also bought one to control a monkey.
• Feng Ying chased his runaway monkey, and Lou Yingyu made the Daoist pay her ten thousand taels before pushing him toward Feng Ying.
• Feng Chu recovered the three thousand taels the Daoist had swindled from Feng Ying, and Xue Lin arrested the Daoist and took Feng Ying and the monkey away.
• Lou Yingyu admitted she had bought the talisman knowing it would not work, then split some of the recovered money with Tong Aning and Azhu.
• Tong Aning bought new head ornaments, and the next day Tong Aobai was impeached for indulging his children’s extravagance.
• Eunuch Wang summoned Tong Aning to answer the accusation before the throne, while the man who had impeached Tong Aobai regretted provoking the Tong family.

Tong Aning exposed Censor Ma’s concealed jade mine and Earl Mingxuan’s scheme to control officials, turning their accusations against Tong Aobai back on them. After the emperor ordered investigations and rewarded Tong Aning, Xue Lin invited her to help release Cui'er into the mountains.

• Censor Ma accused Tong Aobai of extravagance, but Tong Aning’s thoughts about his family’s wastefulness unsettled him.
• Earl Mingxuan accused Tong Aobai, the minister of revenue, and the minister of war of forming a faction, and Tong Aning’s thoughts revealed his scheme of using male favorites to control officials.
• Lord Hong attacked Earl Mingxuan, then impeached him after realizing Tong Aning had exposed his wrongdoing.
• Earl Mingxuan revealed that Censor Ma had concealed a jade mine, and the emperor ordered investigations into both men.
• The emperor rewarded Tong Aning and sent Earl Mingxuan for a thorough investigation.
• Xue Lin invited Tong Aning to help release Cui'er into the mountains, and she eagerly agreed.

Tong Aning freed Cui'er and returned home, where she learned that her eldest aunt, Xiong Shuiyao, was asking Su Zhouyue for help with her husband’s plan to take a secondary wife. Tong Aning’s thoughts revealed that the affair had begun more than ten years earlier and that her eldest uncle and the other woman already had a son.

• Tong Aning and Xue Lin released Cui'er in the mountain forest, and she learned the monkey had sabotaged its captors by bringing them dirty laundry.
• Feng Ying arrived to see Cui'er off, but Yang Rong caught him and threatened to starve him for three days.
• Tong Aning returned to the marquis’s residence with Tong Fengye, who overheard Tong Aobai and Tong Yibin discuss Censor Ma’s motives and vowed to protect his sister.
• Su Zhouyue urged Xiong Shuiyao to resist her husband’s request to take a secondary wife, while Tong Aning’s thoughts revealed that he and the woman had been involved for years and had a son together.

Su Zhouyue and Xiong Shuiyao confronted Su Mingxing after he tried to bring Yuanniang and her child into the General Who Guards the Nation's residence. A blood test proved Le'er was not Su Mingxing's son, and Su Huahan ordered Su Mingxing struck from the clan register; later, Tong Aning spotted monks heading toward the General Who Pacifies the Distance's residence and revealed they were lecherous.

• Su Zhouyue and Xiong Shuiyao arrived at the General Who Guards the Nation's residence, where Yu Ya was driving Su Mingxing and Yuanniang out.
• Xiong Shuiyao agreed to have Yuanniang's child brought in for a blood test after Tong Aning suspected Yuanniang was guilty.
• Nanny Feng's test showed Le'er's blood did not mingle with Su Mingxing's, and Su Mingxing learned the child was not his.
• Su Huahan ordered Su Mingye to summon the clan elders so Su Mingxing could be removed from the clan register, then Yu Ya and Su Huahan reassured Xiong Shuiyao that she and Su Haosi could stay.
• After dinner, Tong Aning saw monks heading toward the General Who Pacifies the Distance's residence and thought they were lecherous.

Su Zhouyue and Tong Aning uncovered Yuan Xiu’s plot to take his sister-in-law to Quiet Heart Temple, and Xue Lin arrested him for killing his elder brother. The general’s wife learned the truth, while Xue Lin asked Tong Aning and Su Zhouyue for help investigating the temple.

• Su Zhouyue took Tong Aning to General Dingyuan’s residence, where they learned that Yuan Xiu planned to take Yashi to Quiet Heart Temple under the pretext of summoning her soul.
• Tong Aning revealed that the temple’s monks drugged and abused women, and the general’s wife refused to let them take Yashi there.
• Xue Lin arrived with Jingzhao Prefecture officers and confronted Yuan Xiu after a monk identified him as the man who had killed his elder brother and buried him at the temple.
• The general’s wife questioned Yuan Xiu, and Tong Aning revealed that he had deliberately struck his brother dead with a shovel after demanding that he give up Yashi.
• Tong Aning warned Xue Lin that other women might still be at risk at Quiet Heart Temple, and he agreed to investigate and said he might need her and Su Zhouyue’s help.

Su Zhouyue helped the women rescued from Quiet Heart Temple confront their captors, while Xue Lin recovered the remains of General Dingyuan's eldest son and Yuan Xiu went mad. On the third day of the sixth month, Feng Jingruo married, and the chapter ended with Tong Aning greeting Xue Lin.

• Su Zhouyue and Tong Aning comforted the eleven women and encouraged them to take revenge by beating the monks who had harmed them.
• Xue Lin had Yuan Xiu lead them to his elder brother's remains, and Yuan Xiu went mad when he saw them.
• Su Zhouyue urged the women to rest and eat well after Xue Lin promised their ordeal at Quiet Heart Temple would remain secret.
• Feng Jingruo married, and she warned Feng Chu to take care of himself before leaving in the bridal sedan.
• Tong Fengye argued with Feng Chu about whether Tong Aning would ever marry, then Tong Aning approached Xue Lin and asked why he had come.

Xue Lin told Tong Aning that the Quiet Heart Temple offenders and Yuan Xiu would be punished, while Yan Yashi thanked Su Zhouyue and took one of Tong Aning’s paper cranes. At Tong Siyan’s shop, the sisters confronted Qi Yi over his attempt to reclaim Liang Mudan, and the dispute ended with Qi Yi learning that Master Xuanming was in prison.

• Xue Lin told Tong Aning that the Quiet Heart Temple monks would be executed and Yuan Xiu would be beheaded, while General Dingyuan and his wife had fallen ill.
• Yan Yashi thanked Su Zhouyue for helping her husband receive a proper burial, said she planned to care for her sick in-laws, and asked Tong Aning for a paper crane.
• Tong Yi'an and Tong Aning visited Tong Siyan at the shop, where Qiuli was learning bookkeeping, and soon heard that men from Earl Xingchang's Residence were causing trouble.
• Tong Siyan questioned Qi Yi when he tried to take Liang Mudan away, and Liang Mudan explained that she had fled after the Qi family tried to poison her and sell her.
• Cen Yu arrived and revealed that Master Xuanming was in prison; Tong Aning’s thoughts indicated that Xuanming had also swindled Qi Yi by claiming incense ash could cure every ailment.

Tong Siyan and her sisters exposed Qi Yi’s humiliating condition while helping Liang Mudan, then returned home to find Peng Chunlan acting unusually gracious before she asked Tong Aobai to secure an official post for a relative. When news arrived of a clash at the second branch, Su Zhouyue led the family off to watch.

• Cen Yu told Qi Yi that his testimony would worsen Xuanming’s punishment, and the Earl of Xingchang arrived to confront Tong Siyan’s family.
• Tong Siyan arranged for a doctor to examine Qi Yi, who learned that he would be unable to have children and stormed out in humiliation.
• Cen Yu took Liang Mudan to Jingzhao Prefecture, while Tong Siyan brought her sisters home to find Peng Chunlan waiting with gifts and unexpected kindness.
• Tong Aobai rejected Peng Chunlan’s attempt to claim his attention, and Tong Fengye joked that he was too filial to strike his father.
• Peng Chunlan asked Tong Aobai to help her grandson Rui’er obtain an official post, but a servant summoned her home before she could finish.
• After hearing that Rui’er had brought home the woman he loved and was fighting with his father, Su Zhouyue took the family to watch the commotion.

Tong Aning’s family uncovered Tong Weiran’s secret daughter and the Tong household descended into a family scandal. The next morning, Tong Fengye was reported for shooting birds, and Tong Aning exposed the apparently upright man supporting his grandmother as a flower thief.

• Tong Weiran tried to stop Tong Shengrui from bringing a girl into the residence, while Pan Zhu and Peng Chunlan defended the pair.
• Tong Aobai and Su Zhouyue revealed that the girl resembled Tong Weiran, and the girl’s mother arrived calling him her husband and saying their daughter was missing.
• Pan Zhu learned that Tong Shengrui and the girl were siblings, then confronted Tong Weiran and Peng Chunlan over their infidelity.
• Pan Zhu set fire to more than half of the Tong residence and returned to her maiden home.
• Peng Chunlan reported Tong Fengye to Cen Yu after he went outside to shoot birds, and Tong Aning identified the man defending her grandmother as a flower thief.

Tong Aning helped expose the flower thief, earning royal rewards and an invitation to the Noble Consort's flower-viewing banquet. At the banquet, Consort Lin arrived despite being pregnant, and Tong Aning's warning of a secret rendezvous left the Noble Consort alarmed.

• Sichen revealed that he had dressed as a woman and drugged the flower thief to lure him into confessing, and Cen Yu had the thief taken away.
• Cen Yu arranged for Peng Chunlan to be escorted home, while Su Zhouyue declined Tong Weiran and Tong Shengrui's request to find the woman and young lady who had left.
• Eunuch Wang delivered rewards from the emperor to Su Zhouyue and Tong Aning, along with an invitation to the Noble Consort's flower-viewing banquet.
• Su Zhouyue worried that Tong Aning's growing reputation could put her in danger, and Tong Aobai promised that their household would protect her.
• At the banquet, Wei Mingning and Princess Royal Xue Shang welcomed Tong Aning before the Noble Consort joined them.
• Consort Lin arrived at the banquet despite being pregnant, and Tong Aning warned that a secret rendezvous was about to occur, alarming the Noble Consort.

The emperor uncovered that the Consort Lin in the palace was her elder twin sister, who had secretly taken her place while the real Consort Lin was imprisoned. After rescuing Consort Lin and ordering the impostor arrested, Tong Aning returned home with Su Zhouyue and spotted Feng Ying in the street, apparently declaring his feelings to someone.

• Tong Aning and Xixi revealed that the Consort Lin in the palace was her elder twin sister, who had taken her place and had a scar burned onto the real Consort Lin’s wrist.
• The emperor confronted the impostor, and Eunuch Wang found the real Consort Lin imprisoned in Rosy Clouds Palace.
• The real Consort Lin exposed her elder sister, and Xixi revealed that the child the impostor carried was not the emperor’s; the emperor ordered the impostor taken away.
• The Noble Consort comforted Consort Lin and advised Tong Aning not to pity others too readily, then gave Tong Aning a pot of peonies.
• Tong Aning and Su Zhouyue spotted Feng Ying in the street, where he appeared to be insisting that he wanted to be with someone despite her mother’s objections.

Tong Fengye tried to study harder after Feng Chu outperformed him, then took Tong Aning shopping for her coming-of-age gift. At the jewelry shop, Yu Wan met Tang Hua over matching hairpins, while Tong Aning realized Tang Hua had staged their encounter.

• Feng Bo punished Feng Chu for enjoying Feng Ying’s public scandal, and Tong Fengye later brought Feng Chu ointment after Feng Bo made him kneel.
• Feng Chu vowed to study harder, beat Tong Fengye in the monthly examination, and spurred Tong Fengye to shut himself away and study.
• Tong Fengye failed Tong Yibin’s spot quiz and had to copy a book ten times, then remembered he had not chosen a gift for Tong Aning.
• Tong Fengye took Tong Aning shopping and bought her two hairpins she liked for her coming-of-age ceremony.
• Yu Wan and Tang Hua discovered they had chosen identical gold hairpins and began talking as the shop’s customers called them a destined match.
• Tong Aning recognized through Xixi’s thoughts that Tang Hua had bribed Yu Wan’s servants and arranged the encounter.

Tong Aning and Tong Fengye exposed Tang Hua as a fraud, while Yu Wan uncovered her steward’s role in his scheme and had him punished. At Tong Aning’s sixteenth-birthday coming-of-age ceremony, her family and friends gathered to celebrate her.

• Yu Wan rejected Tang Hua after learning he had schemed to win her favor and planned to take a maid into his residence.
• Xue Lin identified Tang Hua as Cheng Wang, who had married Miss Cui and was taken away to be buried with her after her family learned of his vow to die with her.
• Yu Wan confronted Uncle Zhou with evidence that he had helped Tang Hua, slapped him, and ordered him taken away; Yu Junhuai praised her and encouraged her to befriend Tong Aning.
• Su Zhouyue and Tong Siyan prepared Tong Aning for her sixteenth-birthday coming-of-age ceremony, which Wei Mingning, Xue Shang, Mingyue, Lou Yingyu, Azhu, Shen Tang, and Yu Wan attended.
• Su Zhouyue completed Tong Aning’s ceremony and wished her a happy birthday.

Tong Aning celebrated her coming-of-age ceremony with gifts and a firefly-lit birthday surprise from her family. Days later, at the Imperial Academy, the new classics teacher Yue Hangjin confronted Lou Yingyu over a lost autograph.

• Tong Aning and Tong Fengye examined her gifts, including presents from Xue Lin and Shen Tang, before Tong Fengye gave her a glowing hairpin.
• Tong Aning's family surprised her with fireflies, and she wished for them to stay together and live peacefully.
• Tong Yi'an, Tong Siyan, Tong Yibin, and Tong Fengye shared stories about catching the fireflies as the family celebrated Tong Aning's birthday.
• At the next ten-day examination, Lou Yingyu worried that the new classics teacher would punish her for her childhood pranks.
• Yue Hangjin recognized Lou Yingyu and revealed that she had cost him Mr. Feng's autograph, leaving her stunned.

Lou Yingyu reunited Yue Hangjin with Feng Yinsong, and the two scholars bonded before Yue tested Tong Aning, Lou Yingyu, and Azhu on their studies. Later, Feng Jingruo and Yan Yunze discussed Yan He’s matchmaking prospects, while Tong Aning’s system revealed startling secrets about him.

• Lou Yingyu pushed Yue Hangjin toward Feng Yinsong to get him a replacement autograph, and the two men discovered their mutual admiration for each other’s work.
• Yue Hangjin tested Tong Aning, Lou Yingyu, and Azhu on their recitations, encouraging Tong Aning while criticizing the others’ preparation.
• Tong Aning, Tong Fengye, and Feng Chu met Feng Jingruo, who told them Yan Yunze had gone to buy iced cream curds.
• Feng Jingruo and Yan Yunze discussed Yan He’s unsuccessful matchmaking meetings and decided to leave his marriage prospects to him.
• Tong Aning’s system revealed Yan He’s painful past and intimate secrets, leaving Yan Yunze stunned.

Yan He’s reunion with Juan Feixue ended in rejection, while Tong Aning and her companions visited the Yan residence and learned that Yan Fangling had protected Li Tian from dangerous connections. At the Duke of Anguo’s Residence, Han Zhuo woke and identified Han Rui as the person who pushed him into the water.

• Yan Yunze urged Yan He to tell his mother the truth and stop pursuing Juan Feixue, but Yan He ran after Juan Feixue when she left with her new partner.
• Yan Fangling invited Tong Aning, Feng Chu, and Tong Fengye to the Yan residence, where she revealed that she had known about Yan He’s past and that she had brought Li Tian into the family as her live-in husband.
• Li Tian complained that Yan Fangling restricted his freedom, then learned that she had kept him away from people involved in treason.
• Tong Aning and her companions went to the Duke of Anguo’s Residence after hearing Han Zhuo had nearly drowned again, where Qin Rong confronted the second branch of the family.
• Tong Aning’s thoughts revealed that Han Rui had pushed Han Zhuo into the water, and Han Zhuo confirmed it after waking.