Recaps

Zhou Wanwan helped the Zhao Family after their belongings and garden vanished, then offered Old Master Zhao rare flowers that impressed him. He declared her his granddaughter, but after the Zhao siblings rejected her, Zhou Wanwan proposed becoming his younger sister instead.

• Water Ghost defeated Li Fei and defended his loyalty to Zhou Wanwan against Li Fei and Zhao Lili.
• Old Master Zhao mourned the missing rare flowers, and Zhou Wanwan offered to bring him replacements.
• The Zhao Family arranged a new residence, while Zhou Wanwan teased Zhao Rui about making her sleep in the woodshed.
• Zhou Wanwan brought dozens of rare flowers, and Old Master Zhao delightedly declared her his granddaughter.
• Zhao Lili, Zhao Rui, and the other young masters objected to Zhou Wanwan joining the family, so she suggested becoming Old Master Zhao's younger sister instead.

Zhou Wanwan was made Old Master Zhao’s younger sister, forcing the Zhao family to accept her as their grandaunt. She won over Old Lady Zhao by presenting rare cosmetics and offered the family a discounted price.

• Zhao Lili and Zhao Rui protested when Old Master Zhao declared Zhou Wanwan his younger sister, but he took Zhou Wanwan to the ancestral hall and arranged a banquet to announce it.
• Zhou Wanwan teased Zhao Rui about being her good grandson, while he went to Old Lady Zhao to complain that Grandfather planned to make a six-year-old girl his grandaunt.
• Old Lady Zhao confronted Zhou Wanwan, who greeted her as her sister-in-law and revealed that her family made the rare cosmetic Old Lady Zhao had been seeking.
• Zhou Wanwan showed Old Lady Zhao jars of face cream, and Old Lady Zhao recognized the product and asked to buy more.
• Zhou Wanwan brought out dozens of samples from Hundred Grasses Hall and offered the gathered madams a family discount, pricing luozidai at one tael of gold instead of ten.

Zhou Wanwan won over much of the Zhao Family with gifts while Zhao Rui and several young ladies opposed her. She gave the family members a choice to stand with her or against her.

• Zhou Wanwan gave a box of luozidai to each madam who called her auntie, while Zhao Lili mocked the gift and the price.
• Old Madam Zhao confirmed that the old master’s decision to acknowledge Zhou Wanwan was final, and several young men called her grand-auntie.
• Zhou Wanwan gave fine writing sets to the young masters except Zhao Rui, who refused to call her grand-auntie and argued with his brothers about their studies and family duties.
• Zhou Wanwan asked Zhao Xiang about his education and requested to see his essay, then insulted Zhao Rui when he mocked her.
• Zhao Rui threatened Zhou Wanwan and was struck twice, though she denied moving and those around her backed her up.
• After several young ladies objected to acknowledging her, Zhou Wanwan asked the Zhao Family members to choose whether to stand with her or against her, and Zhao Lili and Zhao Rui spoke against her.

Old Master Zhao let the Zhao Family choose whether to accept Zhou Wanwan as their grandaunt or aunt, while observing her influence and testing the younger generation. Zhou Wanwan rewarded the young ladies and invited Zhao Xiang to attend the new Wutong Academy, but Zhao Rui pointed out that family rules barred Zhao Xiang from leaving the border to take the provincial examination.

• Old Master Zhao said the Zhao Family members could choose how to address Zhou Wanwan and reflected on her remarkable rise and apparent ability to bring the family good fortune.
• Zhao Lili and Zhao Rui led more than a hundred people to reject Zhou Wanwan, while a smaller group stood with her.
• Old Master Zhao and Old Madam Zhao sampled Zhou Wanwan’s milk tea, mango pomelo sago, and pastries, and praised the treats.
• Zhou Wanwan gave the young ladies fine brocade and pearl hair ornaments, then told Zhao Xiang about Wutong Academy and encouraged him to study there.
• Zhao Xiang said he could pass the provincial examination if he worked hard, but Zhao Rui reminded him that Zhao Family rules forbade members from leaving the border.

Zhou Wanwan escaped Zhao Lili’s ambush when Old Scholar Tree and Old Ancestor overpowered the Earth Ranking raiders. She then discovered Zhao Lili had built a prosperous frontier city, which she admired.

• Old Master Zhao praised Zhao Xiang’s progress, increased his allowance, and arranged a courtyard for Zhou Wanwan.
• Zhou Wanwan left for Yanmen Pass, but her carriage was stopped by several thousand frontier raiders secretly sent by Zhao Lili.
• Old Scholar Tree revealed the raiders were Earth Ranking experts, and he and Old Ancestor dragged their leaders into the forest while the trees consumed the attackers.
• Zhao Lili discussed her ambition to gain power and acquire Zhou Wanwan’s treasures, unaware that Zhou Wanwan had survived the ambush.
• Zhou Wanwan discovered Zhao Lili’s well-governed, prosperous city at the eastern edge of the frontier and admired it.

Zhou Wanwan used her trees to move a city overnight and learned that Sunset Town had been transformed, while Zhao Lili discovered Peerless City had been stripped bare. Later, Zhou Wanwan visited the bustling Yanmen Pass and entered its brothel, where a man demanded to challenge her place there.

• Zhou Wanwan directed thousands of trees to move a city overnight, then returned home at dawn after exhausting herself and dealing with Zhao Lili's enormous storeroom.
• Zhao Lili learned that Peerless City had been emptied except for its main gate, and that Shi Hao had not returned after being sent to kill Zhou Wanwan.
• At morning court, Zhou Wanwan told ministers not to publicize Sunset Town's overnight transformation and ordered alertness as crowds gathered at the border for the elixir of immortality.
• Zhou Wanwan toured Yanmen Pass with her companions and discussed expanding the newly lively city, which had become known as a city that never slept.
• Zhou Wanwan entered the local brothel, and a man protested that she was allowed inside despite being a child, then insisted he could pay ten times her amount.

Zhou Wanwan sold her private room to Young Master Jiang for one hundred thousand taels, then learned that he and other wealthy merchants were planning to explore the Northern Frontier's old war god's tomb. The treasure hunt was drawing dangerous groups to the brothel, and the merchants discussed hiring Mr. Ghost Hand to guide them.

• Young Master Jiang paid Zhou Wanwan one hundred thousand taels for her private room, then recognized her and entered the brothel with Zhao Rui and other merchants.
• Zhou Wanwan went to another reserved room while Zhao Rui complained about her sale.
• Old Scholar Tree overheard that the merchants planned to hunt for treasure in the Northern Frontier's old war god's tomb.
• Young Master Jiang said he had confirmed the tomb existed through the Jianghu Alliance and proposed hiring Mr. Ghost Hand, an Earth Ranking expert, for five hundred thousand taels.
• More groups arrived at the brothel seeking private rooms, and they appeared dangerous.

Zhou Wanwan welcomed visitors from several countries to Yanmen Pass as rumors of the Northern Frontier War God's tomb drew crowds and boosted local businesses. After Princess Jianing challenged her, Zhou Wanwan magically pinned her to the floor and demanded a hundred thousand taels to release her.

• Young Master Jiang and Zhou Wanwan observed that visitors from Great Qi, Northern Yan, and Southern Chu had filled Yanmen Pass, making its businesses thrive.
• Princess Jianing and Xie Cheng'en discussed the War God's tomb, its treasures, and the rumored yin soldiers that might be controlled with a Yin Tally.
• Princess Jianing demanded that Zhou Wanwan kneel, but Zhou Wanwan caused her to fall to her knees and leave her unable to stand.
• Xie Cheng'en warned Princess Jianing not to provoke Zhou Wanwan, then left as Princess Jianing refused to ask Zhou Wanwan for help.
• Zhou Wanwan's attendant demanded a hundred thousand taels, and Princess Jianing paid the sum to regain the ability to stand.

Princess Jianing had Zhiyue beaten after suspecting her of serving Zhou Wanwan, but Zhichun revealed that she and the other maids secretly worked for Zhou Wanwan. Zhou Wanwan took Zhiyue to her family, where Zhiyue discovered they had adopted her and were exploiting her wages; the chapter ended with Zhiyue listening in shock as they planned to marry her off and demanded more money.

• Princess Jianing accused Zhiyue of being Zhou Wanwan's spy and ordered Zhichun to beat her until she confessed.
• Zhichun told Zhiyue that she served Zhou Wanwan, as did Zhixia, Zhiqiu, and Zhidong, and led her to Zhou Wanwan.
• Zhou Wanwan told Zhiyue that her family had adopted her and sent her back to the border to learn the truth.
• Zhiyue reached her family's home in a tree man's tree house and heard her parents complain that she had not sent money.
• Zhiyue listened as her family demanded more money from her, planned to marry her off, and discussed using her wages and gifts for her siblings.

Zhiyue learned that her family had abducted her and exploited her for money, then agreed to leave with Zhichun. At Cheng Chao’s gambling house, Zhou Wanwan faced mockery from Xie Cheng'en and the border merchants before losing several thousand taels at the table.

• Zhiyue and Zhichun overheard Zhiyue’s parents admit that her father had stolen her as a child, and Zhiyue realized her family had used her for money.
• Zhiyue told Zhichun she felt betrayed by both her family and Princess Jianing, then agreed to leave with her the next day.
• Zhichun brought Zhiyue to Cheng Chao’s six-floor gambling house, where Zhou Wanwan was visiting.
• Xie Cheng'en arrived with wealthy merchants and challenged Zhou Wanwan to gamble, boasting that he had brought the gambling cheat ranked sixty-ninth on the Earth Ranking.
• Zhou Wanwan dismissed the claims that she was wealthy, sat down to gamble, and lost several thousand taels over more than ten rounds.

Zhou Wanwan faced a group of rivals who challenged her to gamble on the frontier’s popular horse races. She wagered five million taels on the limping number ten, which lagged far behind as the race began.

• Zhao Rui, Xie Cheng'en, and Princess Jianing joined forces to challenge Zhou Wanwan, while Wen Zhiyu and Lu Lan mocked her fortunes and her Dongshan Prefecture estates.
• Zhou Wanwan revealed stacks of banknotes worth hundreds of thousands of taels each, then accepted Xie Cheng'en’s proposal to bet on beast fights.
• At the beast arena, Zhou Wanwan and her rivals learned that the evening’s event was a horse race with eighteen competitors.
• Princess Jianing bet five hundred thousand taels on horse number eight, Zhou Wanwan wagered five million taels on number ten, and Zhao Rui chose number eighteen.
• The race started, but number ten limped along at the back, prompting the crowd and Xie Cheng'en to laugh at Zhou Wanwan’s choice.

After Zhou Wanwan won the horse race, Xie Cheng'en accused her of cheating, but the casino upheld her victory. Princess Jianing discovered her maids were missing, clashed with an official who refused to prioritize her case, and ordered her shadow guards to kill him.

• Zhou Wanwan won the horse race after horse number ten crossed the finish line first, and the casino manager rejected Xie Cheng'en's cheating accusation.
• Princess Jianing smashed expensive furnishings at the inn, then learned that several of her maids had disappeared.
• Princess Jianing went to the authorities to report the missing maids, but an official told her other cases came first and refused to give her special treatment.
• Princess Jianing ordered her shadow guards to chop off the official's head, and two guards charged toward the government office.

Princess Jianing and Shangguan Wan'er explored Yanmen Pass, where they found familiar goods sold cheaply and learned that visitors could rent well-appointed residences. After their suspicions about the border region persisted, they decided to find a place to stay and viewed a three-courtyard house.

• Two shadow guards attacked the government office, but courtyard trees pierced them and absorbed their nutrients, triggering the trees' evolution.
• Princess Jianing and Shangguan Wan'er wondered why the city was so lively and familiar, then found capital-style snacks sold for less than half the price.
• Housing agents explained that they rented rather than sold residences, and Princess Jianing and Shangguan Wan'er decided that lodging in a house would be safer and more convenient than staying at an inn.
• An agent brought them to a three-courtyard residence, where Steward Number Three showed them its furnished rooms, study, garden, and bathing room.
• The agent explained that three-courtyard houses cost twenty taels of silver a month, two-courtyard houses cost ten, and one-courtyard houses cost five, with each residence including a steward.

Princess Jianing and Shangguan Wan'er sampled the expensive services and food at Zhou Wanwan’s residences while discussing the strange business. Xie Cheng'en confronted Zhou Wanwan over the beast arena, but Old Master Xie beat him and forced him to kneel, and Zhou Wanwan stopped his wealthy merchant companions from leaving.

• Princess Jianing ordered fruit and hired the steward to investigate her missing senior maids, then chose a ten-tael meal.
• Shangguan Wan'er suspected the residence’s services were strange, but Princess Jianing decided they had little to lose by enjoying them.
• Xie Cheng'en arrived at Zhou Wanwan’s residence and accused her of cheating at the beast arena.
• Old Master Xie struck Xie Cheng'en, defended Zhou Wanwan, and ordered his grandson to kneel and reflect on what he had done wrong.
• Zhou Wanwan told Xie Cheng'en’s wealthy merchant companions not to leave, and they all turned back and knelt.

Xie Cheng'en discovered that Zhou Wanwan had become emperor at Yanmen Pass and panicked after realizing he had mocked and bullied her before. When he threatened to report her to the capital, Old Master Xie declared that the entire Xie Family had rebelled.

• Old Master Xie forced Xie Cheng'en and the wealthy merchants to kneel as ministers, including Zhao Muyuan and Shen Chaoge, arrived at the border court.
• Xie Cheng'en entered the hall, saw Zhou Wanwan wearing a dragon robe, and learned she was emperor when the ministers hailed her as Your Majesty.
• Zhou Wanwan welcomed representatives from several kingdoms and ordered officials to receive them well and manage their estates before dismissing court.
• Zhou Wanwan granted Old Master Xie's group an audience, and Xie Cheng'en threatened to report her to the capital.
• Old Master Xie told Xie Cheng'en to go ahead and announce that the Xie Family had rebelled against the emperor.

Zhou Wanwan made the Xie Family pledge loyalty and keep her plans secret, while Old Master Xie revealed that Noble Consort Ning had betrayed their family and explained how Zhou Wanwan had gained control of the frontier. The chapter ended with Old Master Xie warning Xie Cheng'en to obey Zhou Wanwan and pretend to placate Princess Jianing while the family secured more supplies.

• Old Master Xie ordered Xie Cheng'en to recognize Zhou Wanwan as his master, and Zhou Wanwan invited the merchants to settle on the frontier while warning them to keep quiet.
• Eunuch Hai told Xie Cheng'en that Noble Consort Ning had used the Xie Family, prompting him to question his grandfather about their family's losses.
• Old Master Xie revealed that Noble Consort Ning had sent military intelligence to Great Qi, causing the deaths of Xie Cheng'en's uncles because they supported the eldest prince over the current crown prince.
• Old Master Xie explained that Zhou Wanwan had gathered former officials and brought the frontier generals under her control, leaving Xie Cheng'en terrified that he had offended her.
• Old Master Xie told Xie Cheng'en to obey Zhou Wanwan, avoid marrying Princess Jianing, and placate her while he tried to obtain more supplies.

Princess Jianing failed to reclaim her maids from Zhou Wanwan, who focused on improving the frontier estates and growing food with spiritual power. The chapter ended with Zhou Wanwan learning that Great Qi had sent 300,000 elite soldiers toward Yanmen Pass, while Zhao Lili warned its emperor that the pass and its young defender were more formidable than he realized.

• Princess Jianing confronted Zhou Wanwan over her maids, but Zhichun and the others refused to return, and Jianing left after threatening them.
• Shangguan Wan'er urged Princess Jianing to retaliate, so Jianing ordered someone to bring the maids' families and prepared to send a message to her imperial mother; Zhou Wanwan intercepted the message.
• Zhou Wanwan nourished the crops at her frontier estates with spiritual power and observed that the soil and harvests were improving.
• Eunuch Hai told Zhou Wanwan that Great Qi had sent General Qin Yuan and 300,000 elite soldiers to the border.
• Zhao Lili told the emperor of Great Qi that Yanmen Pass had been built with bricks from his kingdom's cities and was guarded by a six-year-old with many hidden advantages.

After Zhao Lili learned that Zhou Wanwan was behind her city’s disappearance, she sought refuge with the Great Qi emperor, who sent troops toward Yanmen Pass. Zhou Wanwan and her officials prepared to expand their territory, while Princess Jianing and Shangguan Wan'er tried to flee and were shocked by the cost of the city’s escort service.

• Zhao Lili consulted the Divine Calculator, learned Zhou Wanwan was responsible for her city’s disappearance, and was advised to seek safety in the Great Qi imperial palace.
• Zhao Lili urged the Great Qi emperor to send troops to Yanmen Pass, and Zhou Wanwan gathered officials to discuss the coming war.
• Shen Chaoge and the General Who Proclaims Might questioned why Great Qi had bypassed its border soldiers, while Zhou Wanwan argued that the invasion gave her a chance to expand her territory.
• Zhou Wanwan explained that she wanted to build a country of her own rather than seize the throne, and said her forces had to become strong enough to earn others’ respect.
• Princess Jianing and Shangguan Wan'er decided to flee Yanmen Pass, but the steward’s quoted prices for high-level escorts left them stunned.

Princess Jianing and Shangguan Wan'er traveled toward the Great Qi army camp with two hired guards, but the guards only protected them according to their contract. After the guards rescued their hidden guards for an extra fee, the women decided to head for Sunset Town, while panic spread through Yanmen Pass over rumors of an impending attack.

• Princess Jianing hired a level-eight and a level-nine guard, then insisted on traveling south despite one guard's warning.
• Great Qi soldiers stopped the women's carriage, recognized Princess Jianing as a possible Great Xia princess, and attacked them.
• The guards refused to protect Princess Jianing's hidden guards unless she paid another ten thousand taels, which she did.
• The guards and their hidden trees defeated the Great Qi soldiers, and the women chose to visit Sunset Town instead of returning to Yanmen Pass.
• Residents and soldiers at Yanmen Pass panicked over rumors that the Great Qi army was about to attack.

Zhou Wanwan ordered Yanmen Pass’s main forces to withdraw and train while the city wore down the 300,000 Great Qi troops. When Qin Yuan arrived with 500,000 elite soldiers and demanded surrender, Zhou Wanwan and the others faced the threat from the city wall.

• Zhou Wanwan dismissed a general’s fears about another siege and ordered the main forces to gather north for training, intending to exhaust Great Qi’s troops before surrounding them.
• The General Who Proclaims Might refused General Qin’s offer to surrender, and Qin ordered his army to surround Yanmen Pass.
• Qin Yuan discovered Yanmen Pass had grown too large to encircle easily, but he decided to attack it directly after another 200,000 elite troops arrived.
• Qin Yuan led all 500,000 troops to the city walls and demanded that Yanmen Pass surrender.
• Xie Cheng'en urged the defenders to surrender, but Old Master Xie scolded him and threatened to hang him on the wall.

Zhou Wanwan refused to abandon Yanmen Pass as Qin Yuan led five hundred thousand soldiers against the city. Her power turned the attackers’ arrows back and, with the help of Old Ancestor and Old Scholar Tree, caused soldiers to disappear before they could reach the wall.

• Xie Cheng'en begged Zhou Wanwan for forgiveness, and she reassured him that Old Master Xie had only been teasing him.
• Zhou Wanwan stayed at Yanmen Pass despite Xie Cheng'en’s warning, while the people offered to defend the city with her.
• Qin Yuan ordered archers to shoot Zhou Wanwan, but their arrows turned around and flew back at him.
• Qin Yuan commanded his five hundred thousand soldiers to charge, but far fewer reached the wall than his men expected.
• Old Ancestor and Old Scholar Tree discussed the Profound Fire Nether Serpent and grew stronger by absorbing soldiers, who vanished from the attackers’ ranks.

Qin Yuan’s army retreated from Yanmen Pass after more than 180,000 soldiers mysteriously disappeared, while Zhou Wanwan visited Great Qi’s imperial estate and discovered the crown prince wanted takeout. She promoted her food to the palace eunuchs and asked to meet the crown prince to learn what he liked.

• Qin Yuan ordered his army to retreat from Yanmen Pass after noticing that its soldiers kept disappearing, then discovered 180,000 men were missing.
• Zhou Wanwan and Old Scholar Tree visited Great Qi’s imperial estate, where Zhou sampled sour fruit and admired the estate’s grounds.
• Zhou Wanwan named dishes from the imperial kitchen, and Old Scholar Tree brought them to the treehouse for her to eat.
• A eunuch complained that the crown prince refused the imperial food and demanded takeout, prompting Zhou Wanwan to seek customers at the estate entrance.
• Zhou Wanwan showed two eunuchs her takeout menu and asked to accompany them to meet the crown prince.

Zhou Wanwan sold an expensive takeout order to the crown prince of Great Qi and wagered two hundred-year-old wild ginseng roots against Eunuch Gu’s treasured possessions, betting the food would arrive within half a shichen. The third princess tried to force Zhou Wanwan to sell her another ginseng root, but Zhou Wanwan refused and calmly drank her tea.

• Zhou Wanwan introduced her takeout menu to the crown prince of Great Qi, who ordered one of each listed dish for five hundred taels and agreed to try drinks as well.
• Zhou Wanwan said the order would arrive in half a shichen, and she challenged Eunuch Gu to wager his jade belt buckle and jeweled incense burner against two hundred-year-old wild ginseng roots and a jade disc.
• Zheng Xing'an brought in the ginseng roots and jade disc, impressing the crown prince and drawing the attention of three Great Qi princesses.
• The third princess asked Zhou Wanwan to sell her a wild ginseng root, but Zhou Wanwan quoted twelve hundred taels and refused when the princess offered only two hundred.
• The third princess threatened Zhou Wanwan after her offer was rejected, while Zhou Wanwan sat down and drank her tea.

Zhou Wanwan served the crown prince a meal from Great Xia, collected the old eunuch’s wager, and promoted her goods. The second princess asked Zhou Wanwan to treat the toxin-caused mark on her face, but the third princess refused to let them proceed.

• Zheng Xing'an announced that the food had arrived, and Zhou Wanwan served the crown prince a feast of dishes, milk tea, and fruit.
• The crown prince praised the meal and ordered the old eunuch to honor their wager, so Zhou Wanwan collected what he had promised.
• Zhou Wanwan showed the crown prince a takeout menu and listed the many other goods she could provide, while the third princess doubted her claims.
• The second princess asked whether Zhou Wanwan could remove the mark on her face, and Zhou Wanwan identified it as a toxin and offered treatment for a hundred thousand taels.
• The second princess agreed to Zhou Wanwan's fee and took her to the inner chamber, but the third princess insisted on staying and ultimately prevented the treatment.

Zhou Wanwan treated the second princess’s facial mark despite the third princess’s objections, revealing the second princess’s beauty and earning her gratitude. Zhou then returned to the palace takeout business, where the crown prince ordered another meal and enjoyed the food after it was tested.

• The third princess tried to stop Zhou Wanwan from treating the second princess, but the second princess confirmed that she wanted treatment and paid 100,000 taels.
• Old Scholar Tree slowly drew the stubborn toxins from the second princess’s face while Zhou Wanwan prepared medicinal ingredients.
• The second princess emerged with her beauty restored, stunning the crown prince and angering the jealous third princess.
• Zhou Wanwan revealed that she owned the Drunken Immortal Restaurant and left after reminding the crown prince he could order takeout.
• That evening, the crown prince ordered another meal; Zhichun insisted the food be tested in the palace, and the crown prince enjoyed the dishes and mango pomelo sago.