Chapter Summaries

Zhou Wanwan proposed digging a canal to bring river water to Black Wind Stronghold and planned to buy farmland for the project, but rival prominent families repeatedly outbid her. She decided to let them buy the western land while secretly purchasing the eastern land, setting up a larger plan to prevent future droughts in Dongshan Prefecture.

• Zhou Wanwan presented her drought-relief policy essay, and the officials praised her thorough plans to address famine, disorder, and epidemics.
• Zhou Wanwan proposed digging a canal from a distant river, but the ministers objected to the cost and labor; she said commoners would farm while others handled the digging.
• Black Wind Stronghold began buying farmland, but the Luo, Cui, Xie, Nie, and Ji families deliberately outbid Zhou Wanwan across Chaoyang County and other counties.
• Zhou Wanwan told Zhao Muyuan to let the rival families buy the western land and secretly acquire farmland in the east after they had spent most of their money.

Zhou Wanwan let the great families and the Cui Family buy up overpriced land in the west, then began acquiring estates and farmland in the east while they struggled to recover their losses. By the end, her agents had secured most of the eastern land, but the owners of twenty-six estates demanded inflated prices and refused to sell cheaply.

• The Xie Family and Madam Nie realized Zhou Wanwan had bought little land in the west, while Madam Nie worried over the estates she had purchased and blamed Zhou Wanwan.
• Nie Shi'an told Madam Nie that Cui Hongyuan was unsuitable for Nie Rou and that his family could not afford the betrothal gifts.
• The Cui Family discovered that no authorities planned to buy the land, leaving them and the other families worried about their investments.
• After half a month, Zhou Wanwan told Luo Xue to leave the western land unsold and begin buying estates and fields in the east.
• Zhou Wanwan offered fair prices and secured agreements for most of the eastern land, while owners of twenty-six estates demanded much higher sums from Black Wind Stronghold's steward.

Zhou Wanwan rejected the estate owners’ demand for a high price and refused Old Madam Zhou’s request to get her cousins into White Deer Academy. When Old Madam Zhou publicly accused Zhou Wanwan’s family of neglecting her, Zhou Wanwan produced proof that their families had severed ties after her grandparents tried to sell her, and the crowd argued over whether she owed them support.

• Zhou Wanwan refused to buy the twenty-six estates for one million taels and said she would not buy any of the owners’ estates in the future.
• Old Madam Zhou visited White Deer Academy and demanded that Zhou Wanwan get her two cousins admitted, but Zhou Wanwan refused and told her to find her own way.
• Old Madam Zhou threatened to expose Zhou Wanwan, then loudly accused her family of mistreating their elders and drew a crowd.
• Zhou Wanwan had Zheng Xing'an distribute copies of the document severing the families’ ties, which stated that her grandparents had wanted to sell her.
• Old Madam Zhou claimed the document was false and complained that her family was hungry while Zhou Wanwan’s family ate well.
• Some bystanders criticized Zhou Wanwan for failing to honor her elders, and Zhou Wanwan challenged them for using morality to pressure her.

Zhou Wanwan rebuffed Old Madam Zhou’s attempt to pressure her into getting two grandsons admitted to White Deer Academy, then learned that Master Zhu had recognized Zhao Muyuan’s influence in her essays. Zhao Muyuan revealed that he and hundreds of former ministers had accepted Zhou Wanwan as their lord, and Master Zhu joined them before Zhou Wanwan arranged a feast.

• Old Madam Zhou tried to pressure Zhou Wanwan into getting her two older brothers admitted, but Dean Zhu refused them because of their character and criticized the family for bullying her.
• Master Zhu praised Zhou Wanwan’s essays, recognized their resemblance to Zhao Muyuan’s work, and summoned Zhao Muyuan to explain why he had sent her to the academy.
• Zhao Muyuan told Master Zhu that he hoped he would help educate Zhou Wanwan, whom he and the former ministers had accepted as their lord.
• Several hundred former court ministers arrived, and Master Zhu embraced his old friends before agreeing to join their side.
• Zhao Muyuan said the ministers were living at Black Wind Stronghold, and Zhou Wanwan arranged a seafood and lamb barbecue for everyone.

After Master Zhu became Zhou Wanwan’s teacher, she returned home and revealed that her family had donated its entire fortune and sold its house. Old Madam Zhou and the rest of the Zhou family erupted in anger, while Zhou Wanwan exposed Zhou Qingzhou’s gambling losses and prepared to move her family next door.

• Master Zhu tasted lobster and wine at the stronghold, then began teaching Zhou Wanwan and gave her two books to memorize.
• Luo Xue told Zhou Wanwan that Old Madam Zhou was causing a scene at home, so Zhou Wanwan returned to visit.
• Old Madam Zhou and the other Zhou relatives found Zhou Fusheng’s home stripped bare, and Zhou Fusheng explained that his family had donated everything to help refugees.
• Zhou Wanwan showed the family donation records listing several million taels and announced that they had sold the house and would move next door.
• When Qian Huihui questioned the donation, Zhou Wanwan revealed that Zhou Qingzhou had lost money gambling at the Fugui Gambling House.

Zhou Wanwan’s family faced Zhou Qingzhou’s gambling debts and Old Madam Zhou’s threat to accuse them of neglecting their elders. At the county yamen, Shen Yu’an heard the dispute and exposed the Zhou Family’s charitable donations, while the crowd turned against Old Madam Zhou’s family.

• Zhou Qingzhou begged Zhou Fusheng to pay his gambling debts, but Zhou Fusheng and Liu Su'e refused to help him.
• Old Madam Zhou threatened to report Zhou Fusheng’s family for failing to support their elders, then took the Zhou Family to the county yamen.
• Zhou Wanwan rallied the public to attend the hearing and gave out copper coins as people gathered.
• Old Madam Zhou accused Zhou Fusheng’s family of driving them out and withholding money, but Shen Yu’an questioned her about the house and heard Zhou Fusheng explain that the families had severed ties.
• Shen Yu’an ordered the clerk to announce the Zhou Family’s donations, prompting the crowd to praise Zhou Wanwan and condemn Old Madam Zhou’s family.

After Zhou Fusheng learned he was adopted, Zhou Wanwan’s family moved into the Cheng Family’s home. When the Zhou Family returned to their village, they discovered their house and hidden valuables had vanished, leaving them unable to pay Zhou Qingzhou’s gambling debt.

• Shen Yu'an ordered the Zhou Family members beaten and Old Madam Zhou revealed that Zhou Fusheng was not her birth son.
• Zhou Wanwan showed Zhou Fusheng a jade pendant bearing the name Xiao Huaijin and said his birth parents would be difficult to trace.
• Zhou Wanwan’s family agreed to move into the Cheng Family’s home, where Cheng Chao and Zheng Xing'an had prepared rooms for them.
• Old Madam Zhou’s family returned to Zhou Family Village and found their house, Qian Huihui’s jewelry, and valuables from more than ten storerooms missing.
• Gambling den enforcers demanded repayment from Zhou Qingzhou and threatened to cut off his hand, while Old Madam Zhou broke down over the family’s losses.

The Zhou family spent its remaining savings to rescue Zhou Qingzhou from debt, then tried to extract more money from Zhou Fusheng by invoking family hardship. Zhou Wanwan exposed their greed in front of the villagers and challenged the doctor who demanded costly ginseng for Old Madam Zhou.

• Old Madam Zhou paid Zhou Qingzhou's debt with her hidden savings, leaving only two gold bars, and collapsed from distress.
• Old Madam Zhou asked Zhou Fusheng for money, and he gave the family his last ten taels while refusing further support.
• Zhou Qingzhou and Zhou Lan urged Zhou Fusheng to give them Zhou Wanwan's wealth, and Qian Huihui demanded tens of thousands of taels.
• Zhou Wanwan and her family confronted the Zhou family outside as villagers witnessed Qian Huihui's demand.
• When the doctor prescribed a hundred-year-old ginseng root, Zhou Wanwan offered to examine Old Madam Zhou and revealed that the doctor himself was gravely ill.
• The doctor challenged Zhou Wanwan to prove her diagnosis, and she wagered a thousand taels that he would die within three days.

Zhou Wanwan exposed Old Madam Zhou’s past and reassured Zhou Fusheng that his birth parents had left money for him. When her uncles returned with Liu Dalang’s new wife, Wen Qiuyu, Zhou Wanwan discovered that Wen Qiuyu and her sister Wen Dongyu were Lu Zhiwei and Lu Xuening in new disguises, and that her eldest uncle had fallen under Lu Zhiwei’s spell.

• Zhou Wanwan ended her bet with the physician, examined Old Madam Zhou, and warned her not to provoke her by revealing what she knew about the Zhou Family’s past.
• Zhou Wanwan told Zhou Fusheng that his parents had left a hundred taels of silver when they brought him to the Zhou Family, and he took comfort in knowing they had loved him.
• Liu Dalang returned with his brothers, gifts for Zhou Wanwan, and Wen Qiuyu, whom he said he intended to marry.
• Old Scholar Tree revealed that Wen Qiuyu was Lu Zhiwei and warned Zhou Wanwan that Lu Zhiwei had bewitched Liu Dalang; Wen Dongyu then arrived, and Zhou Wanwan recognized her as Lu Xuening.
• Wen Qiuyu asked to stay with Wen Dongyu, but Zhou Wanwan objected because Wen Qiuyu and Liu Dalang were not truly married.

Zhou Wanwan discovered that Wen Qiuyu and Wen Dongyu were impostors seeking revenge and told Liu Dalang the truth. She arranged for Liu Dalang to pretend he knew nothing while she prepared a scheme to expose them, leaving his loyalty under test.

• Wen Qiuyu and Wen Dongyu discussed using their false identities to approach Liu Dalang and enter Black Wind Stronghold.
• Zhou Wanwan decided to bring Wen Qiuyu and Wen Dongyu’s relatives from the capital, and Old Ancestor set off to fetch them.
• Liu Dalang told Zhou Wanwan he trusted Wen Qiuyu, but promised to follow Zhou Wanwan’s instructions if her identity was false.
• Zhou Wanwan revealed Wen Qiuyu and Wen Dongyu’s real identities and revenge motive to Liu Dalang, then told him to pretend he knew nothing while she staged a grand show.
• Zhou Qingyan questioned whether Liu Dalang would keep the secret, and Zhou Wanwan said his loyalty would determine whether he remained chief shopkeeper.
• Wen Qiuyu hinted to Liu Dalang that she wanted generous betrothal gifts for her uncle and aunt.

Wen Qiuyu and Wen Dongyu planned to exploit Liu Dalang and Zhou Wanwan, unaware that Zhou Wanwan had prepared to expose their identities at the wedding. When Liu Dalang brought their relatives from the capital to the ceremony, Wen Qiuyu’s impersonation was revealed, and she confessed that she and her sister had taken the real sisters’ travel permits.

• Wen Qiuyu hinted that Liu Dalang should provide betrothal gifts, and Zhou Wanwan supplied eighteen chests of imitation jewelry.
• Wen Qiuyu and Wen Dongyu planned to take Zhou Wanwan’s wealth after the marriage, while Zhou Wanwan prepared an elaborate wedding residence and bridal outfit for Wen Qiuyu.
• At the wedding, Liu Dalang told Wen Qiuyu he had brought her relatives from the capital, and she angrily denied knowing them.
• The village chief and relatives challenged Wen Qiuyu to prove her identity, and she refused to reveal the red mole on her left arm.
• Facing the threat of being taken to the authorities, Wen Qiuyu admitted that she and Wen Dongyu had picked up the real sisters’ travel permits after seeing them robbed by bandits.
• Liu Dalang asked Wen Qiuyu who she really was and why she had come to his home.

Zhou Wanwan exposed Wen Qiuyu and Wen Dongyu, but an imperial decree sent them to the capital for consort selection. As refugees fleeing famine reached Yunxi County, Zhou Wanwan prepared to screen them and use some to farm; outside the city, two rival groups of refugees converged on her carriage to rob her.

• Zhou Wanwan revealed that Wen Qiuyu had been posing under a changed face, and she had Wen Qiuyu and Wen Dongyu sent to the county yamen for using false travel permits.
• An imperial decree ordered Wen Qiuyu and Wen Dongyu to go to the capital for consort selection, and Zhou Wanwan dismissed Shen Yu'an's concerns about their revenge.
• Shen Yu'an told Zhou Wanwan that famine refugees were arriving from neighboring prefectures, and she proposed screening them, reinforcing the city walls, and sending suitable people to farm her land.
• Zhou Wanwan went outside Yunxi County with two maids, where Zhao Lao'er's group surrounded her carriage and demanded gold, silver, and grain.
• Wang Mazi arrived with another group of refugees, and Zhao Lao'er confronted him over claiming Zhou Wanwan as his robbery target.

Zhou Wanwan rescued starving refugees after the Old Scholar Tree killed men who tried to eat children, then learned Cheng Xiao and Prefect Fang had arranged to divert more disaster victims toward her counties. She ended the chapter annoyed at their scheme.

• Wang Mazi's group attacked Zhao Lao'er and his people, but Wang Mazi's men were dragged into the woods; Zhou Wanwan offered Zhao Lao'er work on her fields and told him to bring his family.
• Outside the city, Zhou Wanwan saw starving refugees and rescued children who were about to be eaten as “four-legged sheep”; the Old Scholar Tree roasted and ate the attackers.
• Zhou Wanwan invited the children to come to the stronghold and picked up countless refugees near death.
• After seeing thousands of refugees, Zhou Wanwan ordered the granaries opened and grain distributed.
• Cheng Xiao and Prefect Fang decided to secretly guide refugees into Zhou Wanwan's counties, and Zhou Wanwan later learned of their plan and rolled her eyes.

Zhou Wanwan held the four wealthy counties against waves of displaced people while grain vanished from Prefect Fang and Cheng Xiao’s storehouses. After Zhou redirected the refugees into Cheng Xiao’s territory, he fled Qingshui County and lost his possessions, then went to Cheng Chao’s house with Feng Caigu, where the steward said they had to wait to be announced.

• Zhou Wanwan told Shen Yu'an to keep the displaced people outside the four county seats, then grain was stolen from storehouses across the other counties.
• Prefect Fang ordered Zhou Wanwan’s arrest, but she denied responsibility, and Dean Zhu defended her for lack of evidence.
• Cheng Xiao spread rumors of free supplies in the four counties, so Zhou Wanwan sent the displaced people toward Qingshui County.
• With his storehouses empty and the refugees attacking the city wall, Cheng Xiao fled through a side gate, but the displaced people stripped his carriage of its valuables.
• Cheng Xiao and Feng Caigu went to Cheng Chao’s house, where the steward said the young master required them to be announced.

Cheng Xiao and Feng Caigu arrived at Cheng Chao’s home after losing their food and money, but Cheng Chao warned them to behave and placed them in the side courtyard. Feng Caigu’s complaints led Cheng Xiao and Prefect Fang to seek Zhou Wanwan’s forgiveness, and Zhou Wanwan spared Prefect Fang while warning Cheng Xiao that she knew about his actions.

• Feng Caigu demanded help from Cheng Chao, who blamed Cheng Xiao for the refugees’ arrival and warned his parents not to cause trouble.
• Cheng Chao settled Cheng Xiao and Feng Caigu in the side courtyard and told Cheng Xiao he would not protect them if they misbehaved.
• Feng Caigu insulted the breakfast served to her, and Zheng Xing'an ordered it fed to the pigs.
• Cheng Xiao went to Prefect Fang, who revealed his household had run low on money and food and decided to beg Zhou Wanwan for forgiveness.
• Prefect Fang and Cheng Xiao knelt before Zhou Wanwan; she spared Prefect Fang for Fang Zhiyuan’s sake and warned Cheng Xiao to watch himself.

Prefect Fang warned Cheng Xiao to submit to Zhou Wanwan, and Cheng Xiao learned that his father and Old Madam Zhou had repeatedly lost their resources whenever they tried to profit. Cheng Xiao later confronted Cheng Chao, who warned him not to oppose Zhou Wanwan and defended Zheng Xing'an from Feng Caigu's demands.

• Prefect Fang told Cheng Xiao that Qingshui County's collapse left them no choice but to follow Zhou Wanwan, and urged him to end his dealings with the old eunuch.
• Cheng Xiao questioned Old Madam Zhou about Zhou Wanwan, and she said Zhou Wanwan had been meek in her previous life but seemed possessed now; Cheng Xiao told her not to provoke Zhou Wanwan.
• Cheng Xiao warned Old Madam Zhou that Prefect Fang and powerful officials, including Nie Shi'an, had sided with Zhou Wanwan.
• Cheng Chao refused to explain Zhou Wanwan's background and warned Cheng Xiao that opposing her would lead to death; he also threatened to make Feng Caigu leave if she mistreated Zheng Xing'an.
• Feng Caigu complained about Zheng Xing'an's dinner, but Cheng Xiao rebuked her and told her to stop making trouble for Zheng Xing'an.
• Cheng Chao told Zheng Xing'an to provide only basic meals for Cheng Xiao's concubines and said their upkeep was not their household's responsibility.

Feng Jiao rejected Cheng Xiao’s attempt to arrange Feng Yueyao’s marriage to Shen Zhiyu, reminding him that Yueyao was already betrothed to Zhou Qinghe. When the Countess of Yongning visited with Shen Zhiyu to propose, Yueyao’s beauty caught Shen Zhiyu’s attention.

• Feng Caigu taunted Liu Su'e and Feng Jiao, but Feng Jiao and her maid defended Shen Chaoge as a devoted husband.
• Cheng Xiao arrived with pastries for Feng Yueyao and announced that he had chosen Shen Zhiyu as her husband.
• Feng Jiao slapped Cheng Xiao and reminded him that Yueyao was already betrothed to Zhou Qinghe under a signed marriage contract.
• Feng Jiao told Feng Yueyao about Cheng Xiao’s plan, and Yueyao said she was not afraid of Yongning Earl's Manor because they had Wanwan’s support.
• The next day, the Countess of Yongning came with a matchmaker to propose Shen Zhiyu to Feng Yueyao, but Feng Jiao said Yueyao was already betrothed.
• When Feng Yueyao appeared, Shen Zhiyu froze at her beauty, and the Countess of Yongning recognized his interest.

The Countess of Yongning tried to force Feng Yueyao into a marriage by accusing her of breaking a valuable heirloom bangle, but Zhou Wanwan intervened and exposed Shen Zhiyu’s many women. When the Countess turned her attention to Zhou Wanwan, Zhou brought Shen Zhiyu’s lovers into the gathering and made them perform, leaving Shen Zhiyu to challenge her to marry into his manor.

• The Countess of Yongning dropped her family’s jade bangle and blamed Feng Yueyao, demanding that she pay for it or marry Shen Zhiyu.
• Zhou Wanwan picked up the unbroken bangle, warned the Countess not to frame Feng Yueyao, and insulted Shen Zhiyu for keeping numerous concubines and bedchamber maids.
• The Countess of Yongning declared that Shen Zhiyu should marry Zhou Wanwan instead and ordered her to quit White Deer Academy and prepare a wedding dress.
• Liu Su'e said Shen Zhiyu’s maids had borne him children, and Zhou Wanwan brought dozens of his women into the house to prove it.
• Zhou Wanwan offered the women money to perform, and they entertained the gathering while Shen Zhiyu watched.
• Shen Zhiyu challenged Zhou Wanwan to marry him so she could watch the women perform whenever she wished.

Zhou Wanwan learned that Shen Zhiyu planned to force a marriage through an imperial decree and bring eighty-eight chests of betrothal gifts, while he and his family coveted her wealth and connections. She and Old Scholar Tree intercepted the decree request, took the betrothal gifts and the Shen Clan’s properties in Dongshan Prefecture, and left Shen Zhiyu boasting about a marriage that would not happen.

• Zhou Wanwan mocked Shen Zhiyu and rewarded his concubines with five hundred taels of silver each, angering the Countess of Yongning.
• The Countess of Yongning told Shen Zhiyu that marrying Zhou Wanwan would gain him an alliance with Dean Zhu, and Shen Zhiyu agreed to propose with eighty-eight chests of betrothal gifts.
• At a brothel, Shen Zhiyu bragged to his classmates about Zhou Wanwan’s wealth and Hundred Herbs Hall, while Cui Hongyuan reacted with jealousy.
• Old Scholar Tree and Lingbao overheard Shen Zhiyu’s plans, and Zhou Wanwan decided to collect the betrothal gifts ahead of the proposal.
• Old Scholar Tree revealed that they had intercepted Shen Zhiyu’s request for an imperial decree, and Zhou Wanwan’s group took the eighty-eight chests and the Shen Clan’s properties in Dongshan Prefecture.

Shen Zhiyu woke to find the Yongning Earl's Manor and its treasures gone, including the betrothal gifts meant for Zhou Wanwan. Chen Ankang discovered Zhou Wanwan had arranged the theft, accepted her reward, and was told to keep doing his work.

• Shen Zhiyu boasted to his fellow students, then spent the night with Western Regions dancers and bought all ten of them.
• A servant told Shen Zhiyu that his house and the eighty-eight carriage loads of betrothal gifts had disappeared, so he hurried home with the dancers.
• Shen Zhiyu and the household found their possessions gone, while Chen Ankang searched the manor and found no clues.
• The Countess of Yongning told Chen Ankang that the stolen betrothal gifts had been intended for Zhou Wanwan, and he advised her not to propose.
• Chen Ankang realized Zhou Wanwan was behind the theft and reported that the Yongning Earl's Manor was searching the city for the culprit.
• Zhou Wanwan admitted the theft, gave Chen Ankang a reward, and told him to continue doing his work.