Recaps

At the Lu Family residence’s poetry contest, Zhou Wanwan won the first round with three exceptional spring poems and claimed the jeweled ivory brush. Her victory drew accusations of cheating, while the contest continued with more rounds ahead.

• Xie Cheng'en, the head of the Lu Family, the Marchioness of Zhongyong, and the prefect offered prizes for the literary contest.
• The prefect announced that the first round required three poems on spring within half an incense stick’s time.
• Zhou Wanwan, her older brother, and Gu Sinian completed the poems, while the capital’s judges praised their own entrants and disparaged Yunxi County’s scholars.
• The judges read Zhou Wanwan’s three poems aloud, praised them, and awarded her Xie Cheng'en’s jeweled ivory brush.
• Xie Cheng'en, Lu Lan, Wen Zhiyu, and several capital noblewomen accused Zhou Wanwan of copying her poems, but she challenged them to prove their own talent.

The second contest tested the participants’ guqin skills, and Shangguan Wan’er and Lu Xuening won praise for their performances while Zhou Wanwan faced insults from their attendants. Zhou called for Xing’an to bring her qin, leaving her own performance yet to come.

• Gu Sinian’s poems drew admiration, and he modestly said he could not compare with Zhou Wanwan.
• The host began the guqin contest, and Lu Lan and Wen Zhiyu performed before Zhou Wanwan mocked Wen Zhiyu’s poor playing and argued with Madam Wen.
• Shangguan Wan’er played “Spring at the Dawn Window” on her own prestigious qin and received praise.
• Lu Xuening played “Moon over the Capital,” earning applause and praise for her training under Madam Shuhui.
• After Shangguan Wan’er’s maids mocked Zhou Wanwan, Zhou told Xing’an to bring her qin, and Lu Lan challenged her to use one of the household’s instruments instead.

Zhou Wanwan stunned the gathering by producing the legendary qin Clear Jue and playing “Guangling San,” then entered the archery contest. At the range, Shangguan Wan’er insulted the Marchioness of Loyalty and Valor and challenged Zhou Wanwan to raise the stakes.

• Zheng Xing'an brought out Zhou Wanwan’s qin, and the crowd recognized it as the long-lost famous qin Clear Jue.
• Zhou Wanwan tuned Clear Jue and played “Guangling San,” silencing her mockers and earning the second-round antique inkstone, which she gave to Gu Sinian.
• Zhou Wanwan and Shangguan Wan’er both entered the archery contest, and Zhou Wanwan taunted Shangguan Wan’er after she mocked the Marchioness of Loyalty and Valor.
• Shangguan Wan’er claimed the Marchioness had been pushed out by the marquis’s household and revealed that her own family had received a marriage proposal from the marquis’s household.
• Zhou Wanwan defended the Marchioness, who insisted the proposed marriage was uncertain and told Shangguan Wan’er to behave with propriety.
• At the archery range, Shangguan Wan’er challenged Zhou Wanwan to raise the stakes over the Marchioness’s jewelry prize.

Zhou Wanwan wagered four fine horses against Shangguan Wan'er's Thousand-Li Snow, then stunned the crowd when her mounts proved even more valuable. As the archery contest approached, the prefect grew worried about Zhou Wanwan's identity and the Old Scholar Tree wondered how she would win.

• Shangguan Wan'er offered Thousand-Li Snow as her wager, and Zhou Wanwan agreed to put up her mounts.
• Four impressive horses were brought out, leaving the crowd and judges astonished by their quality.
• The judges praised Zhou Wanwan and the prefect, but the prefect privately recognized Zhou Wanwan as the chief of Black Wind Stronghold and considered getting rid of her.
• Zhou Wanwan and Shangguan Wan'er signed the agreement, while Shangguan Wan'er seethed and expected to win the horses at archery.
• As the competition began, the Old Scholar Tree wondered whether Zhou Wanwan could win, and the little trees worried she could not draw the bow.

Zhou Wanwan used Old Scholar Tree’s roots to help her hit every archery target and won the Marchioness of Zhongyong’s jewelry, then stayed for the final competition. As Cheng Chao asked to marry Zheng Xing'an, Zhou Wanwan agreed only if he treated her well and took no concubines, but doubted his household could provide for her maid.

• Zhou Wanwan struggled to draw the heavy bow while Shangguan Wan'er mocked her, and Gu Sinian and Zhou Qingyan each scored well in their turns.
• Shangguan Wan'er scored twenty-nine points and challenged Gu Sinian for the prize, while he encouraged Zhou Wanwan to do her best.
• Old Scholar Tree guided Zhou Wanwan's arrows into the bull's-eye, helping her hit all three targets and win the jewelry.
• Zhou Wanwan refused to reveal her archery skill and insisted on staying for the final competition despite the prefect's objections.
• Cheng Chao served Zhou Wanwan pastries and smoked plum drink, then asked her to betroth Zheng Xing'an to him.
• Zhou Wanwan said she would not interfere if Zheng Xing'an agreed, but Cheng Chao must take no concubines; she then questioned whether his household was good enough for her maid.

Zhou Wanwan prepared to compete in the horseback riding event and wagered an imperial saddle against Shangguan Wan'er’s imperial whip. Lingbao rallied the horses to help Zhou Wanwan win, while Lu Lan and Lu Xuening planned to challenge her right to take the imperial examinations.

• Zhou Wanwan encouraged Zheng Xing'an to consider whether she liked Cheng Chao and agreed to let her take her time deciding.
• Zhou Wanwan chose Thousand-Li Snow for the riding event and teased Shangguan Wan'er before agreeing to wager her imperial saddle against Shangguan Wan'er's whip.
• Shangguan Wan'er recognized Zhou Wanwan's saddle as the imperial gift once bestowed on General Qin Shan.
• Lu Lan and Lu Xuening called Zhou Wanwan a bandit and planned to question her right to take the imperial examinations after the competition.
• Lingbao threatened Thousand-Li Snow with being eaten, then persuaded the horses to perform well so Zhou Wanwan could win the riding event.

Zhou Wanwan won the horse race after Thousand-Li Snow made every horse move at a crawl, and she claimed the prefect’s jade pendant. Lu Lan then accused her of being the chief of Black Wind Stronghold, but the prefect denied it and tried to silence Lu Lan; Zhou Wanwan ended by threatening anyone who targeted her.

• Thousand-Li Snow ignored Shangguan Wan'er’s order to throw Zhou Wanwan and instead made Shangguan Wan'er's horse bolt backward, bucking her off before it fled.
• Thousand-Li Snow led the other horses at a leisurely pace to the finish line, making Zhou Wanwan the winner of the race.
• The prefect reluctantly handed over the jade pendant, which Zhou Wanwan snatched from him.
• Lu Lan accused Zhou Wanwan of being the chief of Black Wind Stronghold and revealed that her father planned to move against the stronghold that night.
• The prefect denied Lu Lan’s accusation and ordered her taken away, while Zhou Wanwan threatened to slaughter the family of anyone who targeted her.

Zhou Wanwan stayed at the Lu residence despite Feng Yueyao’s warning that the Lu family might target her, while the Lu family head struggled to manage the many guests he had invited to keep her there. Su Zhixia visited Zhou Wanwan because she had taken a fancy to Zhou Qingyan, and Lu Lan later insulted Zhou Wanwan by serving her leftovers.

• After Zhou Wanwan threatened the prefect, the Lu family head invited her and the other guests to stay, leaving Madam Lu overwhelmed by more than two hundred visitors.
• Zhou Wanwan chose to stay at the Lu residence rather than return home, and Feng Yueyao asked to accompany her when she later went to Zhou Family Village.
• Su Zhixia visited Zhou Wanwan and said she wanted to be friends, while Old Scholar Tree revealed that Su Zhixia had taken a fancy to Zhou Qingyan.
• Lu Lan mocked Zhou Wanwan for being the master of Black Wind Stronghold and served her a table of leftovers.

Zhou Wanwan punished Lu Lan, Shangguan Wan'er, and the other young ladies after they mocked her, then shared a lavish meal with Su Zhixia. After Su Zhixia left, Zhou Wanwan asked the Old Scholar Tree to find out whether her family might approve of a match with Zhou Qingyan, while the tree suspected danger that night.

• Lu Lan, Wen Zhiyu, Shangguan Wan'er, and Lu Xuening taunted Zhou Wanwan and offered her leftovers, so Zhou Wanwan overturned the table.
• Zhou Wanwan had the Old Scholar Tree bind the young ladies to pillars and ordered them to eat the leftovers while she and Su Zhixia enjoyed a feast.
• Zhou Wanwan invited Su Zhixia to breakfast the next morning, and Zhou Qingyan praised Su Zhixia after she left.
• Zhou Wanwan asked the Old Scholar Tree to investigate whether Su Zhixia's family would accept a match, and the tree sent two others to ask while staying to protect her.

Su Zhixia insisted she wanted to marry Zhou Qingyan, but her father doubted the Zhou Family could offer her a good life and accused her of making up the lavish meal she had eaten. Her mother defended her choice, and the chapter ended with Su Zhixia encountering Lu Xuening and her betrothed, Shen Zhiyu.

• Madam Su and Lord Su debated whether Zhou Qingyan was a suitable match for Su Zhixia, and Su Zhixia declared that she wanted to marry him.
• Dalang supported Zhou Qingyan’s character, while Lord Su worried that Su Zhixia would suffer if she married into the Zhou Family.
• Su Zhixia described the delicacies she had eaten at Zhou Wanwan’s home, but Lord Su accused her of lying and Concubine Zhao questioned whether she had become involved with Zhou Qingyan.
• Su Zhixia explained that Zhou Wanwan had fed the noble ladies leftovers after they brought them for her, and Madam Su defended the Zhou Family and her daughter’s choice.
• Su Zhixia left the discussion and met Lu Xuening and her betrothed, Shen Zhiyu, who greeted her warmly.

Su Zhixia rejected Shen Zhiyu’s proposal to make her his concubine, but the Shen family staged a public scandal to pressure her into marrying him. After hearing what happened, Zhou Wanwan urged Zhou Qingyan to decide whether he wanted to marry Su Zhixia and prepared to send a proposal.

• Shen Zhiyu offered to marry Su Zhixia as his concubine, and she refused, saying she already liked Zhou Qingyan.
• Lu Xuening insulted Su Zhixia and mocked her for wanting to marry Zhou Qingyan, while Shen Zhiyu said Su Zhixia would be useful managing his family’s businesses.
• Madam Shen claimed Su Zhixia had given Shen Zhiyu an embroidered pouch as a token, and the gathered guests began gossiping that Su Zhixia had compromised her reputation.
• Su Zhixia denied embroidering the pouch, while Lu Xuening accused her of seducing Shen Zhiyu and revealed the Shen family’s plan to pressure her into marriage.
• Old Scholar Tree told Zhou Wanwan what had happened, and Zhou Wanwan asked Zhou Qingyan whether he wanted to marry Su Zhixia.
• Zhou Qingyan admitted that he liked Su Zhixia but feared he was not worthy of her, and Zhou Wanwan said the family was already preparing betrothal gifts, a matchmaker, and wild geese.

Zhou Wanwan arranged for Zhou Qingyan to propose to Su Zhixia, while the Su family feared the Zhou family would not accept her after the scandal. As Madam Shen and other women pressured Su Zhixia to become Shen Zhiyu’s concubine, the Zhou family arrived with a matchmaker.

• Zhou Qingyan agreed to marry Su Zhixia, and Zhou Wanwan gave him a jade pendant as a love token.
• Zhou Wanwan took Liu Su'e to the Su residence to propose the match, while Lingbao joked with her about her family’s wealth and betrothal gifts.
• At the Su residence, Su Zhixia cried over Lu Xuening and Shen Zhiyu’s attempt to ruin her reputation, and Lord Su doubted the Zhou family would marry her.
• Madam Shen arrived to press the Su family to accept Su Zhixia as Shen Zhiyu’s noble concubine, but Madam Su and Su Zhixia rejected her.
• The other madams insulted Su Zhixia, and the Su family ordered them out.
• The steward announced that the Zhou family had arrived with a matchmaker to propose, and Madam Su eagerly welcomed them.

At the Su residence, Zhou Wanwan and Liu Su'e faced ridicule over the Zhou Family's supposed lack of betrothal gifts, until eighty-eight lavish gift stands arrived. Zhou Wanwan then challenged Lu Xuening's claims about her feelings and exposed the hairpin she wore as a possible token from her cousin.

• The Countess of Yongning and other madams mocked Liu Su'e and Zhou Wanwan, but Liu Su'e defended her family.
• A procession of strongmen brought eighty-eight ornate betrothal gift stands, stunning the women who had mocked the Zhou Family.
• The Countess of Yongning claimed the gift stands were empty, while Lu Xuening accused Miss Su of heartlessness and Lu Lan blamed Song Zhixia.
• A peach blossom in Lu Xuening's hair denounced her for pursuing marriage into the Estate of the Count of Yongning despite her affection for her cousin.
• Zhou Wanwan pointed out that Lu Xuening's peach blossom and hairpin came from her sweetheart and asked to inspect the hairpin for his name.
• Lu Xuening admitted that her cousin had given her the hairpin as a coming-of-age gift, calling it a token of affection between relatives.

Zhou Wanwan wagered against Madam Lu, the Countess of Yongning, and the other madams that her eighty-eight betrothal chests were worth at least five thousand taels of silver. She revealed a vast collection of treasure, leaving the women shocked and accusing her family of stealing it.

• Zhou Wanwan challenged Madam Lu and the other madams to wager on the value of her eighty-eight betrothal chests, and they staked a hundred thousand taels of gold.
• Madam Su and Cheng Chao contributed gold, while Zhou Wanwan's subordinates brought in another eighty-eight thousand taels.
• Zhou Wanwan opened the betrothal chests and revealed gold, silver, jewels, antiques, fine fabrics, furs, and deeds to fields and shops.
• Madam Lu and the Countess of Yongning accused Zhou Wanwan's family of obtaining the treasures through raids and shady dealings.
• Zhou Wanwan denied the accusations and said the wealth had legitimate, traceable origins.

Zhou Wanwan defeated Shangguan Wan'er in a dispute over the family’s fortune, then secured Madam Su’s agreement to the marriage between their families. Lord Su changed his mind about Su Zhixia’s fiancé after seeing the lavish betrothal gifts, while Concubine Zhao eyed them for her own daughter.

• Madam Su challenged the Countess of Yongning to bring witnesses, and the Countess left as Shangguan Wan'er mourned her losses and threatened Zhou Wanwan.
• Zhou Wanwan returned forty thousand taels of gold to Madam Su and paid Cheng Chao his four thousand taels.
• Madam Su agreed to the marriage and welcomed Liu Su'e, assuring her that Su Zhixia could take the betrothal gifts back with her.
• Lord Su objected to Su Zhixia marrying a poor man, but she defended her choice and Madam Su urged him to inspect the gifts.
• Lord Su saw the courtyard filled with betrothal gifts and praised the Zhou Family and Su Zhixia’s fiancé, while Concubine Zhao asked for some gifts for Zhixue.

Madam Su and Lord Su accepted Zhixia’s betrothal gifts and planned a generous dowry, while Zhou Wanwan returned to the Lu Family after meeting with her tutors. She learned that the Lu Family planned to deal with her the next day, and the chapter ended with the household plants recognizing her in the courtyard.

• Madam Su refused Concubine Zhao’s request for some of Zhixia’s eighty-eight loads of betrothal gifts, and she and Lord Su decided to store them and prepare a generous dowry.
• Zhou Wanwan brought Liu Su'e home, then met Grand Tutor Zhao and other officials, who tested her studies and praised her results.
• Zhou Wanwan told Grand Tutor Zhao that she planned to confront the Lu Family and later return to Zhou Family Village with her father.
• After the officials left for the mountain stronghold on tree people, Zhou Wanwan went to the Lu Family residence.
• The plants told Zhou Wanwan that Lu Lan’s matchmaking banquet had been ruined and that the Lu Family planned to deal with her the next day.

Zhou Wanwan coaxed the Lu Family’s plants into revealing hidden stores of treasure, then learned that the most valuable item was buried beneath a parasol tree by the ancestral graves. Meanwhile, Lu Xuening met Shen Zhiyu in secret, where they plotted over Su Zhixia and grew intimate.

• Zhou Wanwan introduced herself to the courtyard plants and gave them energy in exchange for information about the Lu Family’s treasure.
• The peony led Zhou Wanwan and the walking trees to a hidden cellar beneath a dilapidated house, where they carried away gold, silver, and jewels.
• The old banyan tree revealed that the Lu Family’s most valuable possession was hidden beneath a parasol tree beside the ancestral graves.
• Lu Xuening and Shen Zhiyu met secretly by a rockery, discussed Su Zhixia’s refusal to become a concubine, and embraced.

Zhou Wanwan exposed Lu Xuening and Shen Zhiyu together in the Lu Family courtyard and used the crowd to turn the scandal against them. The Countess of Yongning tried to silence the witnesses, but Zhou Wanwan made her slap herself as the couple fled in humiliation.

• Zhou Wanwan and Old Uncle Scholar Tree brought officials, madams, and young ladies to watch Lu Xuening and Shen Zhiyu together in the rear courtyard.
• The crowd mistook Lu Xuening for Su Zhixia and condemned her, so Zhou Wanwan arrived with martial maids and ordered them to beat her.
• Zhou Wanwan revealed that the woman was Lu Xuening, shamed Madam Lu, and argued with the Countess of Yongning when she tried to drive everyone away.
• The Countess of Yongning tried to slap Zhou Wanwan but instead struck herself repeatedly under Zhou Wanwan's influence.
• Shen Zhiyu and Lu Xuening tried to escape wrapped in a blanket, but the blanket vanished and the onlookers laughed at them.

After the Lu Family’s storerooms were robbed, Zhou Wanwan exposed Lu Xuening’s affair with Shen Zhiyu and taunted Madam Lu. Madam Lu ordered her shadow guards to kill Zhou Wanwan, but the Old Scholar Tree captured them, while Madam Lu plotted to blame Su Zhixia for the scandal.

• The Lu Family head discovered that both storerooms had been emptied and accused Zhou Wanwan, who denied being the Black Wind Stronghold master.
• After the Lu Family head drove their guests out, Zhou Wanwan told the crowd that Lu Xuening had been caught with Shen Zhiyu, enraging Madam Lu.
• Madam Lu ordered her shadow guards to kill Zhou Wanwan, but the Old Scholar Tree bound them and called them snacks for himself and the old ancestor.
• Madam Lu took Lu Xuening away and vowed to kill Zhou Wanwan, then planned to blame Su Zhixia for the affair scandal.

Zhou Wanwan visited Madam Lu and Lu Xuening after their encounter with beggars, pretending concern while denying she knew what had happened to the Lu Family’s shadow guards. The Countess of Yongning arrived and insisted on ending Lu Xuening’s engagement, leaving Madam Lu furious and desperate to defend her daughter.

• Zheng Xing'an told Zhou Wanwan that the Lu Family's carriages, clothes, and jewelry had vanished, and Madam Lu and Lu Xuening had been found by the roadside after beggars dragged them to a ruined temple.
• Zhou Wanwan decided to visit Madam Lu and Lu Xuening with congee, and Madam Su agreed to go with her.
• At the relay station, Zhou Wanwan teased Lu Xuening about her injuries and offered her wound medicine, then brought congee to Madam Lu.
• Madam Lu demanded to know what had happened to her shadow guards, but Zhou Wanwan denied killing them and accused Madam Lu of sending them to assassinate her.
• The Countess of Yongning arrived and demanded the return of the betrothal documents, declaring that her family would end Lu Xuening’s engagement.

Zhou Wanwan rejected the Countess of Yongning’s renewed marriage proposal for Su Zhixia and returned home after antagonizing several noblewomen. She then learned that Earth Ranking experts had wrecked all her shops in the Jianghu Alliance’s outer courtyard and faced the threat of a notorious tomb robber ranked ninety-third.

• The Countess of Yongning offered eighty-eight chests of betrothal gifts to marry Shen Zhiyu to Su Zhixia, but Madam Su refused and reaffirmed Zhixia’s existing betrothal.
• Zhou Wanwan traded insults with Lu Lan and Shangguan Wan'er before leaving with Su Zhixia, then reassured Madam Su that she had capable guards.
• Zhou Wanwan told Madam Su that her brother would marry Su Zhixia after passing the examinations, and Zhou Qingyan was waiting for her when she returned home.
• Several trees reported that Earth Ranking experts had smashed all of Zhou Wanwan’s shops in the Jianghu Alliance, so Zhou Wanwan set out with Old Uncle Scholar Tree and the old ancestor.
• Yun Duo told Zhou Wanwan that the suspected culprit across the street was ranked ninety-third on the Earth Ranking, a ruthless former tomb robber feared throughout the Jianghu Alliance.

Zhou Wanwan learned about a wealthy man and ordered Yun Duo to renovate her restaurant before setting out to settle a score with the person ranked ninety-third on the Earth Ranking. Guided by Old Scholar Tree and a legion of trees, she found a hidden mountain estate that she decided was perfect for her needs.

• Zhou Wanwan gave Yun Duo ten thousand taels of gold and told her to make the restaurant even more luxurious.
• Zhou Wanwan and Old Scholar Tree captured the men who had followed her from the rival restaurant, and the old trees devoured them.
• Old Scholar Tree and the other trees recruited thousands of underlings and guided Zhou Wanwan to the remote estate of the person ranked ninety-third on the Earth Ranking.
• Zhou Wanwan admired the estate's hidden location and expansive grounds, calling it the estate of her dreams.
• Zhou Wanwan entered the estate's courtyard and discovered a peaceful Jiangnan-style garden, where the plants and trees greeted her and praised Old Scholar Tree.

Zhou Wanwan and Old Scholar Tree entered Long Aotian’s estate, where they discovered his abuse of kidnapped women and explored its inner courtyard. After Long Aotian spotted Zhou Wanwan and was captured by Old Scholar Tree, she claimed the estate for herself.

• The trees told Zhou Wanwan that Long Aotian kept thousands of abducted women and that his inner courtyard might hold his treasures.
• Zhou Wanwan gave the trees energy, and they led her toward the inner courtyard while eating the estate’s patrol guards.
• The trees exposed the outer courtyard steward’s cruelty, and Old Scholar Tree collected valuable medicinal herbs in the inner courtyard.
• Zhou Wanwan saw Long Aotian ordering salt water poured over the wounds of shackled women and learned that he tortured escapees.
• Long Aotian spotted Zhou Wanwan and charged at her, but Old Scholar Tree bound him in a ball.
• Zhou Wanwan sat in Long Aotian’s chair and told him she intended to take his estate.

Zhou Wanwan made Long Aotian submit to her and learned that his medicinal herbs were valuable, while discovering a rumored divine beast guarded the imperial palace. After questioning his treatment of the women at his estate, she learned that Long Aotian had rescued many of them, and asked the others to explain how he saved them.

• Zhou Wanwan planted a mother-and-child gu in Long Aotian and set rules for him, including that he must not bully the weak and must earn money legitimately.
• Long Aotian showed Zhou Wanwan his unusually potent medicinal herbs, but she impressed him with herbs she had grown in a year that appeared hundreds of years old.
• Long Aotian admitted he was poor at managing restaurants and warned that the imperial palace held powerful Earth Ranking experts and possibly a divine beast.
• Long Aotian transferred his mountain estates and other assets to Zhou Wanwan, who questioned him about the women at his largest estate.
• A lucky bamboo told Zhou Wanwan that the women Long Aotian punished had stolen from the residence or spread rumors and engaged in affairs.
• The women begged Zhou Wanwan not to punish Long Aotian, and one explained that he had saved her from an attack arranged by her husband.

Zhou Wanwan learned why Long Aotian had gathered so many women and children at his mountain estate, then discovered that its eleven restaurants were mostly losing money because of the managers’ shoddy accounts. She took charge of the businesses and summoned the managers, telling them she had sent people to investigate.

• Several women told Zhou Wanwan that Long Aotian had rescued them after their families or husbands abandoned or sold them, and they insisted he was a good man.
• Long Aotian explained that his mother and he had once been sold and mistreated, and that he had taken in women and their children; more than twelve thousand people now lived at the estate.
• Zhou Wanwan learned that Long Aotian had eleven restaurants and that most of his income came from selling medicinal herbs when the estate ran short of money.
• Zhou Wanwan examined the ledgers, found that ten restaurants were losing money and their accounts were muddled, and accepted Long Aotian’s authority to manage them.
• Old Scholar Tree brought the managers to the estate, where two of them dismissed Zhou Wanwan’s concerns and Long Aotian reminded them that their deeds of servitude were now in her hands.
• Zhou Wanwan told the managers she would not punish anyone unjustly but would not spare the guilty, and said she had already sent people to investigate.