Chapter Summaries

Zhou Wanwan encouraged her workers to accept Xie Cheng'en’s extravagant job offers, turning his attempt to poach her team into a way to sell seafood and raise their wages. That evening, she hosted Khotan’s second prince and foreign guests to a lavish meal, leaving him convinced she planned to poison him.

• Zhou Wanwan told her workers to join Xie Cheng'en and bring everyone they could, since he was offering far more than she paid.
• Xie Cheng'en hired Zhou Wanwan’s staff despite his steward’s warnings about the costs, and gave a former chef control of suppliers and purchasing.
• The chef agreed to manage the team and supply seafood, secretly pleased that the arrangement would help sell the fish and shrimp piled up at home.
• Xie Cheng'en congratulated himself on poaching Zhou Wanwan’s team and assumed she was suffering because of it.
• Zhou Wanwan arrived at the guesthouse and was greeted by Khotan’s second prince, while Amur mocked him for being wary of a six-year-old girl.
• Zhou Wanwan served the prince and guests a lavish feast, and Khotan’s second prince panicked that she was trying to poison him.

Zhou Wanwan treated the foreign princes and envoys to wine, seafood, fruit, and rice, then offered to sell them goods through fast-delivery branches. The Snow Khanate placed a trial order, and Zhou Wanwan prepared a contract for delivery the next day.

• Zhou Wanwan invited Amur and the other foreign guests to share Great Xia Kingdom's food and wine.
• The second prince praised the wine, crayfish, fruit, and rice, and asked how Zhou Wanwan had grown such delicious produce.
• Zhou Wanwan joked that she had been sponging food and drink in the cold palace, and told the second prince that Noble Consort Ning had her confined there.
• Zhou Wanwan offered to deliver goods to the foreign countries within a day or two and said she could establish branches there.
• An envoy from the Snow Khanate ordered 1,000 jin of grain and 1,000 jin of fruits and vegetables, and Zhou Wanwan offered to draw up a contract for next-day delivery.

Zhou Wanwan finalized trade deals with six envoys and continued building up the Cold Palace before Noble Consort Ning and her allies tried to have her beaten. After unseen forces whipped her attackers instead, the emperor summoned her to arrange for her storytellers to perform in the palace.

• Zhou Wanwan signed contracts with six envoys, and the trees arranged to deliver their goods and establish warehouses in the envoys’ countries.
• Zhou Wanwan praised Old Ancestor’s painting and suggested selling his work in their bookstore as the Cold Palace continued to grow and improve.
• Eunuch Hai escorted Zhou Wanwan to the imperial study, where Noble Consort Ning ordered her beaten and Princess Jianing, Shangguan Wan'er, and Xie Cheng'en joined in mocking her.
• Just as the beating was about to begin, unseen forces tied up the group and whipped them while Zhou Wanwan watched.
• The emperor ordered an investigation into the supposed monster, then asked Zhou Wanwan to bring her storytellers to the palace after praising their performance.

Zhou Wanwan negotiated with the emperor over storytellers and food, then attended Lu Lan's flower-adornment banquet to promote her products and see what Lu Lan was planning. The gathering ended with Zhou Mei appearing alongside Old Madam Zhou, leaving Zhou Wanwan wondering why the Lu residence had invited them.

• Zhou Wanwan arranged for two storytellers to entertain the emperor, who gave them gold tokens of immunity from death and invited her to share a takeout meal.
• Zhou Wanwan saw Xie Cheng'en serving takeout with her own trained workers and learned that ten wedding banquets had been booked for the next day.
• Zhou Wanwan accepted Lu Lan's flower-adornment banquet invitation to investigate Lu Lan's plans and promote her products.
• Lu Lan and the other young ladies mocked Zhou Wanwan for living in the Cold Palace, and Shangguan Wan'er argued with her before she went inside.
• Zhou Wanwan found Zhou Mei at the banquet and learned that Old Madam Zhou had received an invitation from the Lu residence.

At a flower-wearing banquet, Liu Su'e impressed the gathered madams with her elegant tea-making and promoted Pottery Delight Pavilion, while Zhou Wanwan faced gossip stirred by Old Madam Zhou. Madam Lu then presented an extravagant seafood takeout feast from Young Master Xie Cheng'en's establishment, as the guests compared it with the Zhou Family's now-closed takeout business.

• Old Madam Zhou claimed Zhou Wanwan had abandoned her family, prompting the other madams to criticize Zhou Wanwan and her parents.
• Liu Su'e greeted Zhou Wanwan and joined the madams at Madam Lu's tea gathering.
• After the guests mocked Liu Su'e's country origins, she used an imperial tea set and tribute tea to impress them with her tea-making.
• Liu Su'e told the madams that she had bought the tea set at Pottery Delight Pavilion, and several expressed interest in visiting the shop.
• Madam Lu announced that the gathering would have takeout from Young Master Xie Cheng'en's establishment, and guests remarked that the Zhou Family could no longer serve takeout.
• The guests saw the two-hundred-tael feast Madam Lu had ordered, a lavish spread of seafood dishes, wine, drinks, and fruit.

At the feast, Xie Cheng'en boasted about poaching Zhou Wanwan’s workers while Zhou welcomed his takeover of her business. The Lu Family’s plot to disgrace Liu Su'e was turned against Madam Lu and Old Madam Zhou, and Master Lu arrived and threatened to divorce Madam Lu.

• Xie Cheng'en bragged that his former workers earned high wages under him, while Zhou Wanwan said she had trained them and wished him well.
• Lu Lan kept Zhou Wanwan on the boat as a man sneaked into Liu Su'e’s changing room and claimed he was her lover.
• Liu Su'e’s household trees tied up the intruder and guided her out, then swept Madam Lu and Old Madam Zhou into the room.
• Lu Lan led the guests to the courtyard, where Zhou Wanwan exposed Madam Lu, Old Madam Zhou, and the man inside.
• Master Lu slapped the man and accused him of dishonoring his younger cousin, then slapped Madam Lu and said he would divorce her.

The Grand Princess and Zhou Wanwan stopped Madam Lu’s scheme against Liu Su'e, and the Grand Princess’s household took Zhou Wanwan in. When the empress dowager summoned Zhou Wanwan, Old Madam Zhou revealed that Zhou Fuyu—not Zhou Fusheng—was the Grand Princess’s child, and the empress dowager ordered the people involved to be summoned.

• The Grand Princess arrived with Liu Su'e, denounced the Lu Family, and left with Zhou Wanwan and Liu Su'e after Lord Lu pleaded for mercy.
• Lu Lan begged Zhou Wanwan and the Grand Princess to save Madam Lu, but the Grand Princess had her dragged out of the residence.
• The Grand Princess offered to ask the emperor for help, but Zhou Wanwan said he was powerless and welcomed the news that the empress dowager would return.
• Zhou Wanwan returned to the Cold Palace, where the consorts and palace maids welcomed her and played leaf cards with her that evening.
• The empress dowager scolded Zhou Wanwan for arriving late and disrupting the palace, then Old Madam Zhou claimed that Zhou Fuyu was the Grand Princess’s child, not Zhou Fusheng.
• The empress dowager ordered Zhou Fuyu, Zhou Fusheng, and E to be summoned.

Old Madam Zhou used her rescue of the empress dowager to gain her favor and accuse Zhou Fusheng of falsely claiming to be the grand princess’s son. The empress dowager sent Zhou Fusheng, Liu Su'e, and the grand princess to the cold palace, where Zhou Wanwan showed them a surprisingly luxurious courtyard.

• Old Madam Zhou recalled saving the empress dowager from an assassination attempt and used her gratitude to gain wealth and influence.
• The empress dowager accused Zhou Fusheng of fraud, but the grand princess insisted he was her son and rejected Zhou Fuyu as hers.
• The empress dowager welcomed Old Madam Zhou as her older sister, praised Zhou Qingzhou, and ordered Zhou Fusheng, Liu Su'e, and the grand princess thrown into the cold palace.
• The grand princess complained about the dilapidated entrance, but Zhou Wanwan led them to a lavish courtyard hidden behind it.

Zhou Wanwan reunited the eldest princess with the others in the Cold Palace, where they enjoyed card games and a feast. After the empress dowager threatened to give the eldest princess's residence to Zhou Fuyu, the eldest princess returned to the Cold Palace furious and said she had never been close to her imperial mother.

• Zhou Wanwan brought the eldest princess into the Cold Palace, where Consort Zhen and Consort Shu welcomed her and taught her to play leaf cards.
• Zhou Wanwan reassured Zhou Qingyan that their family was comfortable in the palace, then returned to the Cold Palace and found Liu Su'e and Zhou Fusheng playing cards.
• Zhou Wanwan arranged a seafood barbecue buffet, and the Cold Palace residents celebrated together.
• After three days, the empress dowager summoned the eldest princess, Zhou Wanwan, Liu Su'e, and Zhou Fusheng, then declared that the eldest princess's residence would go to Zhou Fuyu.
• The eldest princess returned to the Cold Palace and denounced Zhou Fuyu and his family, then told Zhou Wanwan that she had been raised by her nursemaid and was never close to her imperial mother.

Zhou Wanwan learned that the Grand Princess was Consort De’s daughter and had her residence emptied before it was granted to Zhou Fuyu. After the prince consort returned with a new wife and son, the Grand Princess rejected their demands and declared that her assets would go to Zhou Wanwan, but the empress dowager ordered her to hand them to Zhou Fuyu.

• Zhou Wanwan learned from a tree that the Grand Princess was Consort De’s daughter, not the empress dowager’s, and told the Grand Princess the truth.
• The Grand Princess mourned the treasures in her residence, and Zhou Wanwan revealed that she had already arranged for it to be emptied.
• Eunuch Hai announced that the prince consort had returned with a Western Regions woman, and the Grand Princess confronted him at the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.
• Zhou Fuyu reported that the Grand Princess’s residence had vanished, while the prince consort denied recognizing him as his son until the empress dowager confirmed their relationship.
• The Grand Princess refused to share her wealth with the prince consort, Zhou Fuyu, or Zhou Qingzhou, and said she would leave her assets to Zhou Wanwan.
• The empress dowager ordered the Grand Princess to hand her shops and estates over to Zhou Fuyu.

Zhou Wanwan exposed the prince consorts’ affairs, collected payment from Princess Ningyuan and Princess Jing'an for revealing their secrets, and challenged Qingqing’s claim to be a princess. The chapter ended with Qingqing insisting on her identity as Zhou Wanwan threatened to summon the second prince of Khotan.

• Princess Ningyuan and Princess Jing'an called the Grand Princess stingy, and Zhou Wanwan exposed their prince consorts’ alleged affairs.
• Princess Ningyuan and Princess Jing'an summoned the people at the addresses Zhou Wanwan provided, and Prince Consort Ningyuan admitted his relationship with a younger cousin while Prince Consort Jing'an was whipped.
• Zhou Wanwan accepted gold, silver, jewels, and gold bars in exchange for revealing Prince Consort Ningyuan’s children and mistress, then said Prince Consort Jing'an had not touched his male lovers.
• Zhou Fuyu lamented losing the house and the mother he had hoped to win over, while the Grand Princess’s prince consort asked her to accept Qingqing as a concubine.
• Zhou Wanwan said Qingqing was a foot-washing maid rather than a princess and suggested summoning Khotan’s second prince; Qingqing continued to insist she was a princess.

The Western Regions fifth princess exposed Qingqing as an impostor, while Song Qingfeng demanded that Grand Princess Mingzhao support him and his lover. After learning that Song had faked his memory loss to escape blame and seize her property, Mingzhao decided to divorce him, but the empress dowager ordered her assets confiscated; the chapter ends as Song and the maid arrive at the Cold Palace.

• The second prince of Khotan and the fifth princess identified Qingqing as a foot-washing maid impersonating a princess.
• Song Qingfeng defended the maid, demanded a house and Mingzhao's shops, and threatened to seek a mutual divorce.
• Mingzhao demanded a divorce and left for the Cold Palace with Zhou Wanwan.
• Zhou Wanwan learned from the trees that Song Qingfeng had faked his death and memory loss after a disastrous command decision so he could return and seize property.
• The empress dowager ordered Mingzhao's property confiscated, and Eunuch Hai warned her to prepare for the loss.
• Zhou Wanwan and Mingzhao hurried to the front of the Cold Palace as Song Qingfeng and the maid arrived and complained about its condition.

Song Qingfeng and the two princesses mocked the Grand Princess in the cold palace, where Zhou Wanwan reassured her that her properties could be saved. After Princess Jing'an and Princess Ningyuan discovered their storerooms had been emptied, the minister of the Court of Judicial Review was summoned to investigate.

• Song Qingfeng urged the Grand Princess to return to him, but she cited their divorce agreement and ordered him to leave with Qingqing.
• Princess Jing'an and Princess Ningyuan taunted the Grand Princess and claimed her properties, while Zhou Wanwan comforted her.
• Prince Consort Jing'an secretly thanked Zhou Wanwan with fifty thousand taels in silver notes, and Zhou Wanwan told the Grand Princess that her properties could be saved.
• The Empress Dowager celebrated with Princess Jing'an and Princess Ningyuan after taking the Grand Princess's property, and they returned to their residences.
• Princess Jing'an and Princess Ningyuan found their storerooms completely emptied and ordered an investigation.
• A subordinate woke the minister of the Court of Judicial Review and told him the princesses' storerooms had been robbed.

After Princess Jing'an and Princess Ningyuan's residences were robbed, Zhou Wanwan secretly guided Chen Ankang to uncover Song Qingfeng's hidden soldiers and have them arrested and executed. The empress dowager then summoned the Grand Princess and accused her of arranging the events.

• Princess Jing'an ordered the minister of the Court of Judicial Review to investigate the robberies, and he brought Chen Ankang to the residences.
• Chen Ankang followed notes sent by Zhou Wanwan, which led him to several thousand of Song Qingfeng's soldiers and treasure on Mount Qingcheng.
• Song Qingfeng denied knowing the soldiers, but the minister arrested them after finding chests of stolen goods.
• The emperor ordered the execution of all the arrested men, and the Grand Princess celebrated the loss of Song Qingfeng's forces.
• The empress dowager summoned the Grand Princess, Zhou Wanwan, Liu Su'e, and Zhou Fusheng, then accused the Grand Princess of orchestrating the robberies.

The Empress Dowager sent Zhou Wanwan to the Laundry Bureau as punishment, where Old Scholar Tree used magic to make the aunties wash the clothes while Zhou Wanwan relaxed. Afterward, Zhou Wanwan had Old Scholar Tree fetch an elaborate lunch from the Imperial Kitchen.

• Xiao Tao told the Empress Dowager that the Grand Princess had spent the night crying and reading account books, and the Empress Dowager ordered Zhou Wanwan punished for disrespecting Old Madam Zhou.
• Old Madam Zhou suggested that Zhou Wanwan be made to do menial work, so the Empress Dowager sent her to the Laundry Bureau to wash clothes.
• Princess Jianing sent more than a hundred garments for Zhou Wanwan to wash, while the Laundry Bureau aunties threatened to beat her if she refused.
• Old Scholar Tree made the aunties' rulers strike them instead, forcing them to beg for mercy and wash the clothes themselves.
• Zhou Wanwan rested with tea, fruit, and snacks as the aunties worked, then chose dishes for lunch and sent Old Scholar Tree to the Imperial Kitchen to get them.

Zhou Wanwan's food thefts from the Imperial Kitchen continued unnoticed, while Grand Princess Mingzhao confronted Song Qingfeng and went to the Imperial Clan Court to finalize their divorce. The court issued the imperial divorce papers, leaving Mingzhao to face an uncertain future alone.

• The senior palace matron told the Imperial Kitchen staff to ignore the missing dishes, and Zhou Wanwan sent fruit and snacks to thank her.
• Zhou Wanwan had Old Scholar Tree take leftover roast suckling pig to the Cold Palace and wondered how her grandmother and the others were doing.
• Grand Princess Mingzhao discovered that her residence and shops were gone, while Princess Jing'an and Princess Ningyuan mocked her and Song Qingfeng urged her to return to General Dingbei's Residence.
• Song Qingfeng claimed Zhou Fuyu was his son and threatened to keep Mingzhao from seeing him and Zhou Qingzhou if she sought a divorce.
• Grand Princess Mingzhao took her divorce agreement, bearing the late emperor's seal, to the Imperial Clan Court, which issued the imperial divorce papers.
• Song Qingfeng told Grand Princess Mingzhao she deserved to spend her life alone and without anyone to rely on.

Grand Princess Mingzhao rejected Song Qingfeng’s demand for half her property and went with Zhou Fusheng and Liu Su'e. She arrived at their home expecting a modest house but discovered it was a six-courtyard former princely residence, while Zhou Fusheng said Wanwan was building an even better one.

• Zhou Fuyu urged Grand Princess Mingzhao to return to the Marquis Dingbei's Residence, but she denied being his mother.
• Song Qingfeng demanded half of Mingzhao’s shops and estates, and she told him the empress dowager had given them to Princess Jing'an and Princess Ningyuan.
• Mingzhao declined her sisters’ offers to stay with them and agreed to go home with Zhou Fusheng and Liu Su'e.
• Mingzhao discussed the family’s studies and offered her six estates and ten shops to Wanwan, hoping she would give up the imperial examinations.
• Mingzhao arrived at Zhou Fusheng’s six-courtyard residence and was astonished to learn that Wanwan considered it modest and was building a better house.

The Grand Princess settled into Zhou Wanwan’s household and was repeatedly astonished by its rare plants, luxurious conveniences, and extravagant meals. She ended the night engrossed in Zhou Wanwan’s collection of storybooks, eager to keep reading the next day.

• The Grand Princess toured Zhou Wanwan’s orchid-filled courtyard, then discovered that her own courtyard also contained many rare plants.
• Zhou Fusheng and Liu Su'e worried that their arrangements had disappointed the Grand Princess, while the Grand Princess wondered about Zhou Wanwan’s background.
• The Grand Princess explored the house’s lavish furnishings, tried its flush toilet and bathing facilities, and delighted in their convenience.
• At dinner, the Grand Princess was astonished by the extensive seafood feast and learned that Zhou Wanwan considered seafood cheap and plentiful.
• The Grand Princess found shelves of storybooks in her room and stayed up reading until a female official urged her to sleep.

After Song Qingfeng returned to General Dingbei's Residence penniless, Old Madam Song urged him to send Qingqing away and coax Grand Princess Mingzhao back to manage the family’s businesses. Meanwhile, Zhou Fuyu and Zhou Qingzhou plotted to secure their standing through the empress dowager, and the birthday banquet guests prepared to mock Mingzhao.

• Old Madam Song told Song Qingfeng that Mingzhao’s business skills mattered more than her lost property and instructed him to send Qingqing away and bring Mingzhao back.
• Song Qingfeng admitted he had planned to kill Mingzhao and seize her wealth, but her assets and his soldiers were gone, leaving him with only a few assistants at the residence.
• Zhou Fuyu and Zhou Qingzhou complained about their circumstances, then decided to please the empress dowager and rely on their connection to General Dingbei's Residence.
• Princess Jing'an and Princess Ningyuan prepared birthday gifts for the empress dowager and agreed that Mingzhao had fallen out of favor.
• Noble young ladies mocked Mingzhao and Zhou Wanwan as they prepared to enter the palace for the empress dowager’s birthday banquet.

At the Laundry Bureau, Zhou Wanwan won over the maids by secretly having the trees wash their work, sharing snacks, and providing a lavish meal. After learning Princess Jianing planned to humiliate her at the empress dowager’s birthday banquet and seeing how poorly the young maids were treated, Zhou Wanwan began looking into their meager allowance.

• Princess Jianing’s palace maid inspected Zhou Wanwan’s work and ordered her to wash hundreds of Princess Jianing’s clothes before she could eat.
• Zhou Wanwan let the maids share snacks and milk tea while the nearby trees secretly washed and hung all the laundry.
• Zhou Wanwan learned Princess Jianing planned to make her wear patched, wrinkled clothes at the empress dowager’s birthday banquet, and she agreed to wear them.
• Zhou Wanwan provided the Laundry Bureau maids with a feast and asked about their meals and monthly allowance.
• A young palace maid told Zhou Wanwan that the maids received only two qian of silver each month.