Chapter Summaries

Wu Dazhi and Old Madam Wu visited Liu Sufen, hoping to persuade her to return after seeing her comfortable new life, but she rejected them and had them thrown out. That evening, the two climbed into the courtyard, intent on sneaking in and taking its valuables.

• Zhou Fusheng brought Wu Dazhi and Old Madam Wu to Liu Sufen’s courtyard, where they gaped at its grandeur and the maids attending her.
• Wu Dazhi apologized to Liu Sufen and begged her and An'an to return to the Wu family, but An'an refused and Liu Sufen accused him of wanting her newfound comforts.
• Old Madam Wu coveted An'an’s gold collar and Zhou Wanwan’s jewelry, while Liu Su'e ordered the visitors to leave.
• Wu Dazhi claimed he might pass the xiucai exam and promised Liu Sufen a better life, but Liu Sufen refused and had him and Old Madam Wu thrown out.
• Wu Dazhi and Old Madam Wu decided to claim the courtyard as their home and returned that evening by climbing over the wall, hoping to steal valuables.

Wu Dazhi and Old Madam Wu were frightened by a ghostly illusion and nearly missed the prefectural examination, while Zhou Wanwan finished her exam and visited her successful shops in the Jianghu Alliance. The chapter leaves Zhou Wanwan checking on her thriving businesses.

• Wu Dazhi and Old Madam Wu wandered through the woods, encountered a terrifying ghostly figure, and fainted.
• Wu Dazhi woke naked with Old Madam Wu in a street market, feared he had missed the examination, then borrowed clothes and reached the examination hall in time.
• Wu Dazhi blamed Zhou Fusheng and threatened him, while Zhou Fusheng ignored him and began the prefectural examination.
• Zhou Wanwan ate an elaborate breakfast, completed the examination quickly, and slept until Old Scholar Tree woke her before the papers were collected.
• During the ten-day break before the academy examination, Old Scholar Tree took Zhou Wanwan into the Jianghu Alliance, where she found her shops crowded with customers.

Zhao Lili had her followers smash Zhou Wanwan’s restaurant and later sent men to attack Yun Duo, but Old Scholar Tree captured them. Zhou Wanwan then went with Old Scholar Tree to the Earth Ranking Courtyard, where its people were knocked unconscious, and Lingbao reported that the first batch of ginseng was ready to sell.

• Zhao Lili demanded special treatment at Zhou Wanwan’s restaurant, insulted Yun Duo, and ordered her followers to smash the place before threatening Yun Duo with her family’s influence.
• Zhao Lili and her companions ate across the street, where they plotted to take revenge on Yun Duo that night.
• A group of men sneaked into the restaurant, but Old Scholar Tree trapped them with roots and punished them after their leader tried to attack Zhou Wanwan.
• Old Scholar Tree took Zhou Wanwan to the Earth Ranking Courtyard at night, where its people were knocked unconscious.
• Lingbao told Zhou Wanwan that its spiritual rootlets and the ginseng they produced had grown quickly, and that the first batch was ready to sell.

Zhou Wanwan watched as Old Scholar Tree and the other trees dismantled and carried away the entire Earth Ranking Courtyard. The Jianghu Alliance discovered the loss, blamed steward Zhao Lili, and launched an investigation, while Zhou Wanwan learned that a reward of one hundred thousand taels of gold had been offered for the mastermind.

• Old Scholar Tree led the trees in carrying away all forty-five main buildings and thirty warehouses from the Earth Ranking Courtyard, despite Zhou Wanwan’s objections.
• The next morning, Earth Ranking experts found the courtyard gone, and Zhao Lili woke among the ruins and panicked over the missing treasures.
• Chief Steward Zhao and other Jianghu Alliance stewards arrived, mocked Zhao Lili, and removed her from her duties while ordering a thorough investigation.
• Zhou Wanwan heard that the Jianghu Alliance had offered one hundred thousand taels of gold for the mastermind, and Iron Crutch Li warned that they had gone too far.

Zhou Wanwan explored the Earth Ranking Courtyard's treasure-filled warehouse, revived fresh medicinal herbs, and tended to Lingbao before completing the academy examination. As everyone waited for the results, the chief examiner was surprised by how strong the Yunxi County examinees' papers were.

• Zhou Wanwan discovered that the Earth Ranking Courtyard warehouse held vast stores of herbs, weapons, books, money, and other supplies, then revived many freshly dug medicinal herbs.
• Zhou Wanwan trimmed Lingbao's fast-growing rootlets for cultivation and let Lingbao and other herbs bathe in medicinal water.
• Zhou Wanwan, Gu Sinian, Zhou Fusheng, Zhou Qinghe, Zhou Qingchen, and the other examinees completed three days of difficult academy examinations.
• Zhou Wanwan returned home and waited for the results while tending to ginseng in the courtyard.
• The chief examiner reviewed the papers and remarked that the Yunxi County examinees were far more outstanding than those from other counties.

Yunxi County produced an unusually large number of xiucai, including many from Black Wind Stronghold, while Zhou Wanwan’s family waited nervously for the results. When Xie Cheng'en and his companions mocked them, Zhou Wanwan had Old Scholar Tree bombard the alley with firecrackers and taunted Xie Cheng'en through the smoke.

• The examiners finalized a list of forty xiucai from Yunxi County, and the prefect wondered how Black Wind Stronghold had produced so many successful candidates.
• Zhou Wanwan’s family prepared to celebrate the results while neighbors mocked them for expecting anyone in their family to pass.
• Cheng Chao arrived with firecrackers, and Xie Cheng'en and his companions insulted him and the Zhou family.
• Zhou Wanwan called Xie Cheng'en’s companions dogs and signaled Old Scholar Tree to unleash hundreds of powerful firecrackers in the alley.
• Xie Cheng'en and his companions were blasted with soot and smoke, and Zhou Wanwan taunted Xie Cheng'en as he shouted her name.

Zhou Wanwan celebrated as her household’s scholars received their results, while Xie Cheng'en and his followers received no good news. The next day, Zhou Wanwan went to the prefect’s banquet, where Cheng Chao defended Qingxi County against other scholars’ insults.

• Firecrackers blasted Xie Cheng'en’s followers, and Zhou Wanwan mocked them as an early celebration of her brother’s success.
• An official runner announced that twenty-six scholars from Zhou Wanwan’s household had passed, and the names revealed Gu Sinian in first place, Zhou Wanwan in second, Zhou Qingyan in third, and Zhou Fusheng among those who passed.
• Xie Cheng'en and his followers received no notices, while Zhou Wanwan’s family celebrated their results with hot pot.
• Shen Yu'an told Zhou Wanwan that the prefect had invited the scholars to a banquet, and Old Scholar Tree sent trees to scout the prefect’s residence before she went.
• At the prefectural yamen, Cheng Chao challenged scholars who disparaged Qingxi County and explained that he had come to attend his master, Zhou Wanwan.

Zhou Wanwan and the Black Wind Stronghold avoided the prefect’s poisoned banquet, while the prefect, Xie Cheng'en, and other scholars suffered severe diarrhea. After the prefect blamed Zhou Wanwan, he and Cheng Xiao planned to stop the stronghold from reaching the capital and sought Cheng Chao’s help.

• The prefect hosted a lavish banquet and gave each newly qualified scholar ten taels, but the trees warned Zhou Wanwan that the food was poisoned and said they had prepared for it.
• Several banquet tables of scholars, including the prefect and Xie Cheng'en, were struck by stomach cramps, while Zhou Wanwan and the Black Wind Stronghold carried their food aside and finished eating.
• Zhou Wanwan watched the chaos and mocked Xie Cheng'en as he was carried out, while the prefect accused her and ordered her group to leave.
• After suffering diarrhea for half the night, the prefect told Cheng Xiao what had happened and proposed recruiting Cheng Chao to prevent the Black Wind Stronghold from reaching the capital.
• Cheng Xiao visited Cheng Chao, complained about his son’s loyalty to Zhou Wanwan, and asked to speak with him inside his large residence.

Cheng Chao rejected his father’s demand to help with Zhou Wanwan and declared his loyalty to her. Zhou Wanwan attended Lu Lan’s banquet, where the supposed capital noblewomen mocked her, but the trees revealed that their claims of status were false.

• Cheng Chao told Cheng Xiao that Zhou Wanwan was his master and that she would decide his marriage, prompting Cheng Xiao to storm out.
• Zhou Wanwan decided to attend Lu Lan’s invitation despite suspecting a plot, and Feng Yueyao joined her.
• Lu Lan and Wen Zhiyu led Zhou Wanwan into the garden, where a county princess and other young ladies accused her of cheating and mocked her clothes and jewelry.
• Zhou Wanwan and Feng Yueyao defended their clothing and jewelry, while nearby trees revealed that the supposed capital guests were impostors or had fallen from status.

Zhou Wanwan clashed with Lu Lan, Lu Xuening, and Shangguan Wan’er’s capital companions over her expensive hairpin, then traded insults with Xie Cheng'en at a garden gathering. The chapter ended as Xie Cheng'en ordered the young men with him to bring Zhou Wanwan over and teach her a lesson.

• Lu Lan introduced Lu Xuening as County Princess Anning and presented the capital noblewomen, who mocked Zhou Wanwan for taking the xiucai examination.
• A noblewoman demanded Zhou Wanwan’s butterfly hairpin, and Zhou Wanwan refused to give it away despite threats from the woman’s maid.
• Zhou Mei revealed that Zhou Wanwan’s family had a mountain stronghold, while Shangguan Wan’er and Lu Xuening estimated the immense value of Zhou Wanwan’s clothes and accessories.
• Zhou Wanwan and Feng Yueyao sat on swings and complained that banquets encouraged tedious comparisons.
• Xie Cheng'en scolded Zhou Wanwan for sitting among unrelated men, and she mocked him about once pooping his pants.
• Xie Cheng'en ordered the young men accompanying him to bring Zhou Wanwan over and teach her a lesson.

At the Lu family banquet, Xie Cheng'en tried to punish Zhou Wanwan and Feng Yueyao by throwing them into the river, but Zhou Wanwan turned the tables and secretly took him onto a fishing boat. The children returned safely, while Xie Cheng'en came back soaked and terrified.

• Gu Sinian and Zhou Qingyan confronted Xie Cheng'en, but his shadow guards overpowered them and seized Zhou Wanwan and Feng Yueyao.
• Xie Cheng'en ordered the guards to throw the two girls into the river, but the guards and Xie Cheng'en were pulled into the water as well.
• Gu Sinian saw Lingbao and hid it in his pocket, while Zhou Wanwan and Feng Yueyao escaped on a fishing boat with Xie Cheng'en.
• Zhou Wanwan had Old Scholar Tree repeatedly dunk Xie Cheng'en in the river while she fished and grilled fish, until he begged to be released.
• Old Scholar Tree returned Zhou Wanwan and Feng Yueyao to shore, and Xie Cheng'en soon appeared in a sorry state as his mother rushed to him.

At the Lu Family feast, Zhou Wanwan was mocked for eating freely and boasting that her family had better river delicacies. She wagered jewelry with Shangguan Wan'er, revealed three valuable pieces that stunned the guests, and the dispute ended with Shangguan Wan'er calling for an appraiser.

• Xie Cheng'en told his mother he wanted to go home, and she took him home.
• At the Lu Family feast, Lu Lan, Shangguan Wan'er, and others mocked Zhou Wanwan for eating too much and dismissed her claim that her family had plenty of river delicacies.
• Zhou Wanwan challenged Shangguan Wan'er to a jewelry bet, and they had a contract written stating the loser would forfeit her jewelry.
• Zheng Xing'an opened Zhou Wanwan's battered box and showed a crimson-flame phoenix hairpin, a creamy mutton-fat white jade pendant, and a gold-inlaid sapphire armband.
• The guests were stunned by Zhou Wanwan's jewelry, but Lu Lan claimed it was fake, so Shangguan Wan'er called for an appraiser.

Zhou Wanwan proved her jewelry was genuine by revealing that the palace jade carver Su Liangjiang was present, winning Shangguan Wan’er's jewelry and ruining her marriage prospects. The Marchioness of Loyalty and Valor then asked Zhou Wanwan for a favor involving her medical skills.

• Appraisers declared Zhou Wanwan's jewelry fake, but she challenged them to identify the supposed work of Su Liangjiang.
• Zhou Wanwan summoned Su Liangjiang, and a woman who had met him confirmed his identity, proving the jewelry was genuine.
• The Marchioness of Loyalty and Valor withdrew her family's marriage proposal after Shangguan Wan'er insulted her, leaving Shangguan Wan'er distraught.
• Zhou Wanwan won three pieces of Shangguan Wan'er's jewelry and dismissed her threat to take revenge.
• The Marchioness of Loyalty and Valor asked Zhou Wanwan for help because of her medical skills.

Zhou Wanwan examined the Marquis of Loyalty and Valor’s household’s heir and diagnosed his poor health as the cause of his infertility, but he blamed his wife and threatened Zhou. She then learned the household’s hidden family history as Ji Yunzheng brought in his pregnant mistress and revealed that the marchioness was not his birth mother.

• The marchioness asked Zhou Wanwan to examine her eldest son and his wife, and Zhou found the wife healthy but diagnosed the son with depleted kidney qi from excessive indulgence.
• Zhou prescribed the eldest young master a course of medicine, but he blamed his wife, refused to share her bed, and stormed out.
• Ji Yunzheng ordered his men to slap Zhou, but the marchioness stopped them and apologized to her.
• Zhou overheard household plants reveal that Yuan Xue was the marchioness’s birth daughter and that Ji Yunzheng was adopted.
• Ji Yunzheng returned with his pregnant mistress Manniang, argued with the marchioness, and threatened to expose that she had switched her newborn daughter for him to gain favor with his father.

Zhou Wanwan escaped Ji Yunzheng’s attempt to kill her, gave her contest winnings to Feng Yueyao, and faced a new talent competition proposed by Shangguan Wan’er. After Zhou Wanwan refused to compete without a prize, Xie Cheng’en offered one.

• Yuan Xue told Ji Yunzheng she wanted a divorce, and he left with Manniang after threatening Zhou Wanwan.
• The Marchioness of Loyalty and Valor apologized to Zhou Wanwan, who declined protection and suggested she could have a grandchild without relying on Ji Yunzheng.
• Ji Yunzheng sent more than a dozen guards after Zhou Wanwan, but Old Scholar Tree swiftly drove them off.
• Zhou Wanwan gave the jewelry she had won to Feng Yueyao and rejected Zhou Mei’s claim to it.
• Shangguan Wan’er proposed a competition in poetry, music, archery, and horsemanship, while capital guests disparaged Yunxi County’s talents.
• Zhou Wanwan refused to compete without a prize, and Xie Cheng’en offered to provide one.

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.