Recaps

Zhou Wanwan forced Prefect Fang to hand over a chest of Persian gemstones and discovered that chalcedony greatly strengthened Lingbao and the trees at her stronghold. After Zhou Wanwan returned home, Fang Ting remained furious and her maids pointed to powerful young ladies in Upper Capital City who also hated her.

• Zhou Wanwan threatened Prefect Fang and demanded the rare Persian treasure as compensation for his concubine and daughter trying to seize her.
• Prefect Fang delivered a chest of jade and gemstones, and Zhou Wanwan took it after finding that she especially liked the chalcedony.
• Zhou Wanwan used the chalcedony to channel energy into Lingbao, medicinal plants, and the stronghold's trees, which reported growing stronger.
• Zhou Wanwan returned to the Zhou Family home and fell asleep, while Fang Ting complained that her father had warned her not to provoke Zhou Wanwan.
• Chunhua urged Fang Ting to stay away from Zhou Wanwan, but Qiuyue said Lu Xuening and Shangguan Wan'er also hated her.

After Lu Xuening and Madam Lu faked their deaths, they went to the Jianghu Alliance to change their faces and plan revenge on Zhou Wanwan's family. Their transformation took just over a month, and both women emerged with new appearances.

• Madam Lu learned that Lu Xuening's engagement was over and that her husband intended to divorce her, so she decided to fake their deaths and start over.
• Madam Lu and Lu Xuening staged their deaths on the road to the capital, then went to the Jianghu Alliance for new faces.
• Madam Lu told Lu Xuening they would get close to Zhou Wanwan's family and destroy them after Lu Xuening married into the Zhou Family.
• An old woman bound Lu Xuening and repeatedly treated her face with needles and medicinal paste, causing her intense pain.
• Madam Lu paid the old woman with jade bangles and ruby-inlaid gold hairpins to give her a beautiful new face and make her look sixteen again.
• After a little over a month, the old woman completed the procedures, and both Madam Lu and Lu Xuening had changed appearances.

Madam Lu and Lu Xuening returned to the city after becoming strikingly beautiful, while Zhou Wanwan’s growing popularity in Zhou Family Village intensified Zhou Mei’s resentment. The chapter ended with Zhou Mei asking Old Madam Zhou to punish the village children who sided with Zhou Wanwan.

• Madam Lu urged Lu Xuening to pose as her younger sister so she could seek a powerful marriage, and they returned to the city with their guards.
• Madam Lu and Lu Xuening found the city changed and moved into the small courtyard house they had bought near the Zhou family.
• Old Madam Zhou and Qian Huihui worried about unexplained shortages, rising prices, and worsening heat, while Old Madam Zhou said the famine might last beyond three years.
• Zhou Mei confronted Zhou Wanwan and accused Zhou Nian and the other village children of following Zhou Wanwan, but Zhou Nian denied being engaged to Zhou Mei.
• Zhou Mei went home crying and told Old Madam Zhou that the children had bullied her and Zhou Nian wanted to break off their engagement.
• Old Madam Zhou promised to confront the children’s parents.

Old Madam Zhou threatened to withhold relief grain and water from the families who defended Zhou Wanwan, while Zhou Wanwan traded insults with Zhou Mei. Zhou Wanwan then learned that Zhou Xiaoyan was being forced to marry a butcher who had killed five wives and promised to help Zhou Dazhu, who admitted he loved Xiaoyan.

• Old Madam Zhou threatened Daniu, Erniu, Zhou Mangui, and Zhou Shiwa with losing village relief after they defended Zhou Wanwan, and Daniu and Zhou Mangui rejected her threats.
• Zhou Mangui ended the proposed betrothal between Zhou Nian and Zhou Mei, and Zhou Mei accused Zhou Wanwan of seducing men before Zhou Wanwan and Zhou Nian answered her.
• Daniu told Zhou Wanwan that Old Madam Zhou had arranged for Zhou Xiaoyan to marry a butcher who had beaten five wives to death for twenty taels of silver.
• Zhou Xiaoyan begged Zhao Zhaodi to save her from the marriage, but Zhao Zhaodi refused and demanded that Zhou Dazhu pay the bride price if he wanted to marry her.
• Zhou Wanwan found Zhou Dazhu worrying outside her home, invited him to come with her, and learned that he had loved Zhou Xiaoyan since childhood.

Zhou Xiaoyan refused to marry the butcher her family had chosen and nearly killed herself, but Zhou Wanwan saved her. Zhou Dazhu and Daniu's wife negotiated to buy Zhou Xiaoyan and Zhou Xiaoting, and Zhou Wanwan brought witnesses to ensure the agreement was recorded.

• Old Madam Zhou and Zhao Zhaodi pressured Zhou Xiaoyan to marry the butcher, while Zhou Qingyuan told her to obey.
• Zhou Xiaoyan tried to dash her head against the wall, but the Old Scholar Tree caught her with a net, and Zhou Wanwan helped her up.
• Zhou Dazhu offered to buy Zhou Xiaoyan and Zhou Xiaoting so Zhao Zhaodi could not marry Xiaoting off to the butcher.
• Daniu's wife negotiated the price down to fifty taels for both girls, and Old Madam Zhou agreed.
• Zhou Wanwan insisted on a contract and brought the town chief and several wealthy local households as witnesses.

Zhou Wanwan brought the town chief and several wealthy men to witness Zhou Xiaoyan and Zhou Xiaoting severing ties with their parents and leaving the Zhou Family. After Zhou Dazhu paid fifty taels for the deed, Zhou Wanwan comforted Zhou Xiaoyan and arranged for her wedding to be celebrated properly.

• Zhou Wanwan confronted the town chief and wealthy men in Zhou Family Village and told them to witness the deed.
• Zhou Xiaoyan and Zhou Xiaoting put their fingerprints on the deed after Zhou Xiaoyan challenged Zhao Zhaodi and Zhou Fukang over their mistreatment.
• Zhou Dazhu paid fifty taels to the Zhou Family and took Zhou Xiaoyan home with him.
• Zhou Wanwan reassured Zhou Xiaoyan that the sale was not her fault and said she should come with her before the couple formally married.
• Zhou Wanwan urged Zhou Dazhu and Zhou Xiaoyan to hold a proper wedding celebration and said she had sent someone to fetch supplies.

Zhou Wanwan and Liu Su'e comforted Zhou Xiaoyan and prepared an elaborate dowry for her wedding to Zhou Dazhu. At dawn, villagers gathered to inspect the eight-bearer dowry, and some mocked the match and doubted Zhou Dazhu could afford it.

• Zhou Wanwan gave Zhou Xiaoyan a bridal gown and gold jewelry, recalling how Xiaoyan had once treated her kindly.
• Liu Su'e promised to act as Zhou Xiaoyan's mother and send her off as a bride with an eight-bearer dowry.
• Old Madam Zhou and her family complained that Zhou Xiaoyan had rejected the butcher and planned to demand an apology before attending the wedding feast.
• Firecrackers drew villagers to Zhou Xiaoyan's courtyard, where they saw the eight-bearer dowry and speculated about who had provided it.
• Some villagers uncovered the dowry and mocked Zhou Dazhu's poverty, questioning how he had paid fifty taels for the two sisters.

Zhou Xiaoyan received a lavish dowry from Zhou Fusheng and Liu Su'e and began her wedding ceremony with Zhou Dazhu. Her biological family interrupted the ceremony to claim the dowry, and Zhou Qingyuan urged her to hand it over.

• Villagers admired Zhou Xiaoyan's eight bridal gift loads and her splendid wedding dress as Zhou Dazhu arrived.
• Zhou Xiaoyan bowed farewell to Zhou Fusheng and Liu Su'e, served them tea, and received red envelopes.
• After hearing about the dowry, Old Madam Zhou sent Zhou Fuyu, Zhou Fukang, and Zhao Zhaodi to seize it.
• Zhou Fuyu interrupted the wedding and demanded the dowry, but Zhou Fusheng said the family-severing agreement left Zhou Xiaoyan with no ties to them.
• Zhou Xiaoyan and Zhou Wanwan challenged Zhao Zhaodi's claim, while Zhou Qingyuan asked Zhou Xiaoyan to give up the dowry and void the agreement.

Zhou Wanwan and Cheng Chao punished Zhou Qingyuan and his family after they caused trouble, while Zhou Qingyuan and Zhou Qingzhou plotted to rise above the Zhou Fusheng family. That night, bandits sent to steal Zhou Xiaoyan’s dowry found the chests empty and failed to start a fire, as Zhou Wanwan watched and prepared to follow them back to the mountain.

• Cheng Chao fired Zhou Qingyuan for backing his parents, then hired Zhou Dazhu and Zhou Erzhu as attendants.
• Zhou Qingyuan returned home and joined Zhou Qingzhou in boasting that they would surpass Zhou Fusheng’s family.
• Zhou Wanwan had Zhao Zhaodi and Zhou Fukang thrown into the stinking ditch, where Zheng Xing'an kicked Zhao Zhaodi back in when she climbed out.
• Qian Huihui and Old Madam Zhou planned to steal Zhou Xiaoyan’s dowry, so bandits from Dragon and Tiger Mountain entered Zhou Dazhu’s room that night.
• The bandits found the dowry chests empty and could not keep their fire starter lit, while Zhou Wanwan said they would follow the bandits up the mountain.

Zhou Wanwan and her trees stripped Dragon and Tiger Mountain’s hidden storehouse, while Old Madam Zhou deflected the bandit chief’s accusations by blaming White Tiger Stronghold. The Zhou family continued secretly stockpiling grain and medicine, unaware that trees were following the Qian brothers.

• Dragon and Tiger Mountain’s men returned empty-handed and planned to ask Old Madam Zhou what had gone wrong.
• Zhou Wanwan returned to the mountain with trees, found its hidden cellar with their help, and carried away its food, valuables, and weapons.
• The bandit chief confronted Old Madam Zhou about the stolen treasure, and she suggested his rivals at White Tiger Stronghold were responsible.
• Old Madam Zhou told Qian Huihui to buy more grain, and Qian Huihui sent her three brothers out to purchase grain and medicinal herbs.
• The Qian brothers set off on their errands as trees followed them, and the eldest brother sensed they were being watched.

After Zhou Wanwan’s family left the Zhou household, Old Madam Zhou tried to pawn the jewelry she had kept, only to learn it was fake. Zhou Wanwan continued tending her ginseng, unconcerned by Old Madam Zhou’s curses.

• Zhou Huihui discovered that all three granaries managed by the Qian brothers had been emptied and fainted.
• Old Madam Zhou blamed Zhou Wanwan for the family’s misfortunes and demanded that Zhou Fusheng, Liu Su'e, and Zhou Wanwan leave.
• Old Madam Zhou refused to return Zhou Wanwan’s jewelry, and Zhou Wanwan’s family departed with the goods and people from the mountain stronghold.
• Old Madam Zhou took Zhou Wanwan’s gold lock and another piece of jewelry to a pawnshop, where the head shopkeeper identified both as fakes.
• Zhou Wanwan learned that Old Madam Zhou had cursed her all night and said she was not bothered as she checked on her ginseng harvest.

Zhou Wanwan returned to morning court and ordered sweet potato vines distributed so people could plant them during the famine, though many county magistrates remained skeptical. At the prefectural yamen, Lord Shen confronted her over the silver Shen Wanjun had lost, then ordered her locked up.

• Zhou Wanwan agreed to resume morning court and proposed telling people about the famine and planting sweet potatoes throughout her territory.
• Zhao Muyuan delivered sweet potato vines to county magistrates, and six agreed to try planting them after he explained their potential yield.
• Zhou Wanwan brought more sweet potato vines to the prefectural yamen, where a runner called her a harbinger of doom.
• Lord Shen accused Zhou Wanwan of swindling Shen Wanjun out of 108.4 million taels and refused to repay the debt.
• Zhou Wanwan demanded to confront Shen Wanjun, but Lord Shen ordered guards to lock her in a woodshed for three days, and Prefect Fang objected.

Lord Shen locked Zhou Wanwan and her maids in his woodshed, but Zhou Wanwan enjoyed the Shen Clan’s courtyard and secretly feasted on food from its kitchen. As Lord Shen entertained guests and dismissed Prefect Fang’s warning about her, Shen Wanjun rushed in and pleaded for Zhou Wanwan to be released.

• Lord Shen took Zhou Wanwan to his home and ordered the steward to lock her and her maids in the woodshed.
• The steward boasted about the Shen Clan’s lavish courtyard, and Zhou Wanwan settled into the spacious woodshed with help from Old Scholar Tree.
• Old Scholar Tree brought Zhou Wanwan and Zheng Xing'an food and desserts from the Shen Clan’s kitchen, leaving the cooks baffled by the disappearing dishes.
• Lord Shen told his guests that Zhou Wanwan was behaving and mocked Prefect Fang for fearing a little girl.
• Shen Wanjun heard Zhou Wanwan had been locked up and begged Lord Shen to release her, but Lord Shen said he intended to avenge him.

Zhou Wanwan stayed in the Shen Clan woodshed while Shen Wanjun brought her silver and shared grilled fish with her. As the Old Scholar Tree’s spirits dismantled the Shen residence overnight, Lord Shen and Madam Shen woke on a field ridge, and the household discovered most of its buildings were gone.

• Shen Wanjun argued with Lord Shen about locking Zhou Wanwan in the woodshed, then tried to visit her and was turned away by the guards.
• Zhou Wanwan enjoyed a boat ride and grilled fish made by Zheng Xing'an and the Old Scholar Tree, and Shen Wanjun later brought her ten thousand taels in silver notes.
• The Old Scholar Tree told Zhou Wanwan that more than three thousand tree spirits and vine monsters were dismantling the Shen residence and moving its structures and ornaments.
• The Shen kitchen staff found that food and hot water had disappeared, and Madam Shen failed to discover what had caused it.
• The steward found that nearly all the Shen residence buildings were gone, while Lord Shen and Madam Shen woke among vegetable rows on a field ridge and hurried toward the main courtyard.

Zhou Wanwan’s family found the Shen Clan’s Jiangnan residence mysteriously stripped of nearly every building, and Lord Shen moved her to the clan’s old residence. There, she discovered that treasure was buried beneath the trees and promised to help them walk in exchange for it.

• Lord Shen found his Jiangnan courtyard’s buildings gone, but Prefect Fang could find no clues and urged him to release Zhou Wanwan.
• Lord Shen kept Zhou Wanwan imprisoned and moved her to a small woodshed at the Shen Clan’s old residence.
• Zhou Wanwan ate the food Old Scholar Tree brought and explored the courtyard with him after dark.
• The trees revealed that the Shen Clan had buried treasure beneath them, and Zhou Wanwan offered to make them walk in exchange for it.
• Zhou Wanwan replenished the trees’ energy, and they pulled their roots from the ground and began digging up buried chests.
• The jujube tree opened an iron chest full of fine jade, while the pomegranate tree uncovered a large wooden chest.

Zhou Wanwan slept while Old Scholar Tree and its subordinates emptied the Shen residence of its treasures, and the next morning Shen Congrong blamed her for the theft. He moved his family to a vast mountain estate and posted hundreds of guards, but Madam Shen was awakened by another scream the next day.

• Old Scholar Tree’s subordinates uncovered a treasure chest and a lacquered chest of valuables, including a mysterious token, and carried the contents away.
• Lord Shen and Madam Shen woke in a cowshed, and Shen Congrong accused Zhou Wanwan of having both of his residences stolen.
• Zhou Wanwan denied knowing anything and asked Shen Congrong to take her to Jiangnan, but he refused and ordered her locked in the woodshed again.
• Shen Congrong moved his family to a sprawling mountain estate and stationed hundreds of soldiers and constables there to catch the thieves.
• Madam Shen worried that the estate would be wiped out, but Shen Congrong reassured her before they went to sleep; the next morning, a scream woke her.

Shen Congrong moved his household and Zhou Wanwan to a military camp after discovering that his estate had been mysteriously stripped of its trees and wheat. He believed the camp would keep the thieves out, but Madam Shen learned that Zhou Wanwan had been left without food and water and demanded that Shen Congrong bring her over.

• Madam Shen and Shen Congrong found themselves in a chicken coop, while the steward reported that the estate’s fruit trees and wheat had vanished overnight.
• A guard told Shen Congrong that the men on patrol had likely been drugged, and Shen Congrong refused to return to Jiangnan before catching the thieves.
• Shen Congrong visited Zhou Wanwan, ordered guards to watch her, and moved his household to his second son’s military camp.
• Shen Congrong arranged for Zhou Wanwan to stay in a heavily guarded tent, confident that no thieves could reach her there.
• Madam Shen discovered that Shen Congrong had not fed Zhou Wanwan since bringing her back, slapped him, and ordered him to bring the child to her.
• A little tree repeated Madam Shen’s words to Zhou Wanwan, who laughed at Shen Congrong’s fear of his wife.

Madam Shen took Zhou Wanwan under her protection after Shen Congrong accused the six-year-old of being a mountain bandit and stealing from the Shen family. She spoiled Zhou Wanwan with food and new clothes, while Shen Congrong remained convinced the girl was dangerous.

• Madam Shen scolded Shen Congrong for mistreating Zhou Wanwan and welcomed the girl into her care.
• Zhou Wanwan told Madam Shen about her home and family in Yunxi County while eating dinner.
• Shen Yunshu arrived and invited Zhou Wanwan to visit Madam Shen's estate and catch wild rabbits.
• Madam Shen dismissed Shen Congrong's accusations and comforted Zhou Wanwan when the girl pretended to cry.
• Madam Shen prepared new outfits and an elaborate breakfast for Zhou Wanwan, while Shen Congrong continued to suspect her of stealing.

Madam Shen took Zhou Wanwan to her estate, where Zhou Wanwan out-fished Shen Congrong and Shen Wanjun revealed the truth about their bet. Shen Congrong then wagered a jeweled bracelet that Zhou Wanwan could tame the estate’s dogs, but the chapter ended when the dogs—many of them fierce Tibetan mastiffs—arrived and Madam Shen tried to stop the bet.

• Madam Shen took Zhou Wanwan to her estate, where Shen Congrong threatened to break the child’s legs and Madam Shen scolded him.
• Zhou Wanwan caught more than ten fish while Shen Yunshu caught two, and Shen Congrong fell into the river after a powerful fish pulled him off the boat.
• Shen Congrong accused Zhou Wanwan of being vicious for winning more than a hundred million taels from Shen Wanjun, but Shen Wanjun admitted the bet had been his fault and showed their contract.
• Zhou Wanwan explained that the animals had followed her because she promised to feed them, and Shen Wanjun confirmed that they obeyed her.
• Shen Congrong wagered a jeweled gold bracelet that Zhou Wanwan could tame the estate’s dogs, but Madam Shen tried to call off the bet after dozens of dogs, including Tibetan mastiffs, arrived.

Zhou Wanwan won Shen Congrong’s gold bracelet by calming his vicious dogs and then gave it to Shen Yunshu, who offered her a place in the Shen household. At dinner, Zhou Wanwan discovered the estate’s unwanted crayfish and arranged to take them back to Black Wind Stronghold to raise in the rice paddies.

• Zhou Wanwan approached the vicious dogs, which cowered and obediently shook hands with her.
• When Shen Congrong doubted the dogs were fierce, they charged after him until Zhou Wanwan told them to stop, and he handed her the bracelet.
• Zhou Wanwan gave Shen Yunshu the bracelet and a jeweled yingluo necklace, while Shen Congrong refused to let her move in with the family.
• At dinner, Zhou Wanwan spotted crayfish in the estate’s ponds and asked the estate manager for five buckets and as many more as he could find.
• Zhou Wanwan said she would keep the crayfish in water and take them to Black Wind Stronghold to raise in the rice paddies.

Zhou Wanwan took Shen Yunshu and Shen Wanjun into the mountains, gathered spices and mushrooms, and returned with a haul of live game for Madam Shen. She planned a feast of game and two kinds of crayfish, while also promising to examine Shen Yunshu’s maternal grandfather’s crippled legs.

• Zhou Wanwan found spices in the mountains and learned from Shen Yunshu how her maternal grandfather’s legs had been crushed on the orders of a treacherous consort.
• Zhou Wanwan offered to examine Shen Yunshu’s grandfather and asked what game Shen Yunshu and Shen Wanjun wanted to eat.
• Shen Wanjun stopped Shen Yunshu from following Zhou Wanwan into the forest, and Zhou Wanwan soon returned with numerous live animals, spices, and mushrooms.
• Madam Shen and Shen Congrong saw Zhou Wanwan bring the game home, and Zhou Wanwan offered to have it prepared for dinner.
• Zhou Wanwan told the cook to make spicy, numbing crayfish and minced-garlic crayfish, while Shen Congrong refused to eat them.

At dinner, Zhou Wanwan offered to cure Old Master Xie's leg in exchange for his loyalty, and he agreed after she made him laugh. When Shen Congrong accused her of causing trouble and threatened her, Old Master Xie defended her and demanded evidence.

• Zhou Wanwan challenged Old Master Xie to let her treat his leg, and he promised to serve her if she cured it; they sealed their agreement by linking pinkies and thumbs.
• Old Master Xie laughed at Zhou Wanwan's blunt remarks, then insisted on tasting the lobster despite Shen Congrong's warnings.
• Shen Congrong repeatedly ate the lobster while claiming he was testing it for poison, and the others joined in after finding it delicious.
• Shen Congrong threatened Zhou Wanwan over supposed theft, so she told Old Master Xie that he had locked her in the woodshed without food or water and accused her upon her release.
• Old Master Xie ordered Shen Congrong to kneel and demanded proof of his accusations, but Shen Congrong could provide none.

As Dongshan Prefecture faced drought and grain shortages, Shen Yu'an urged officials to plant Zhou Wanwan's drought-resistant, high-yield sweet potatoes. Zhou Wanwan defended the crop before the officials, then challenged a Jiangnan Surveillance Commissioner who demanded her arrest.

• Shen Yu'an told Prefect Fang and the officials that Zhou Wanwan had given him sweet potato vines and claimed they could yield thousands of jin per mu.
• Shen Congrong dismissed Zhou Wanwan's claims and demanded that she be brought in for questioning.
• A yamen runner summoned Zhou Wanwan to discuss sweet potatoes, and she went to the county yamen.
• Shen Congrong accused Zhou Wanwan of making up the crop's yield, while Jiangnan officials questioned whether it could be grown.
• A Jiangnan Surveillance Commissioner demanded that Prefect Fang arrest Zhou Wanwan and her family, and Zhou challenged him to explain why he had come to Dongshan Prefecture.

Nie Shi'an threatened to imprison Zhou Wanwan over her claim that sweet potatoes could yield thousands of jin per mu, but agreed to wait until she treated Shen Congrong's father-in-law. Zhou returned to Madam Shen's estate, where Madam Shen welcomed her with pastries.

• Nie Shi'an said he had been transferred to Dongshan Prefecture and would punish Zhou Wanwan for deception if her sweet potatoes failed to produce several thousand jin per mu.
• Shen Congrong warned Nie Shi'an that Zhou Wanwan still needed to treat his father-in-law, and Nie Shi'an agreed to let her do so before taking her to his residence.
• Prefect Fang declined to protect Zhou Wanwan, and she refused to give him sweet potato vines after the officials failed to speak up for her.
• Zhou Wanwan returned to Madam Shen's estate, where Madam Shen picked her up and said she had been waiting with pastries.

Zhou Wanwan healed Old Master Xie's legs, but the next morning Nie Shi'an arrived to arrest her over her claims about crop yields. As Nie Shi'an confronted Shen Congrong, Madam Shen secretly arranged for Zhou Wanwan to escape through the back gate and hide in the mountains.

• Zhou Wanwan shared a lavish dinner with the Shen Clan and said Nie Shi'an intended to imprison her for claiming a crop could yield several thousand jin per mu.
• Zhou Wanwan treated Old Master Xie's crushed legs with more than a hundred medicinal herbs, and he regained the ability to stand and walk.
• Old Master Xie thanked Zhou Wanwan and said he wanted to leave the imperial court behind and live peacefully with the Shen Clan.
• Nie Shi'an arrived with his men and accused Zhou Wanwan of misleading the people into planting sweet potatoes, warning that failed crops could endanger Dongshan Prefecture.
• Shen Congrong argued with Nie Shi'an, while Zhou Wanwan eagerly asked when they would leave for prison.
• Madam Shen carried Zhou Wanwan into the military camp and told her to escape through the back gate with soldiers, then hide in the mountains.