Recaps

Zhao Ruxi’s painting won acclaim, while pressure from the Capital Women’s Academy and Princess Pingyang forced her to seek the emperor’s protection and stay with Kang Shilin. She expanded her plans for women’s work and her family’s estates, then encouraged Zhao Ruyu to pursue the music competition as marriage tensions grew.

• Zhao Ruxi’s painting sold for twenty-five thousand taels, and Kang Shilin’s painting later fetched the same price before the auction’s profits were assigned to a children’s home.
• During the shared examination, Zhao Ruxi found He Yuqi in distress and proposed a women’s newspaper that could provide work and income for women in hardship.
• Grand Princess Shangde offered to invest in the newspaper, while Zhao Ruxi declined and later chose to enter the year-end painting competition rather than the mathematics competition.
• Princess Pingyang informed Zhao Ruxi that she had been admitted to the Capital Women’s Academy, but Zhao Ruxi refused to leave Kang Shilin and her duties in Beining.
• Kang Shilin asked Xiao Ge to protect Zhao Ruxi from Consort Jin’s efforts to bring her to the capital, and Xiao Ge promised to prevent interference.
• After Xiao Ge ordered Grand Princess Shangde to make amends, Zhao Ruxi accepted an adjoining estate and arranged with Qian Duoduo to help manage it.
• Zhao Ruxi and Xiao Lingyan planned to auction jadeite ornaments, develop production in Jiangnan, and secretly stockpile supplies at the border.
• Zhao Ruxi refused Zhao Rurui’s request for banquet and marriage help, encouraged Zhao Ruyu to enter the music competition, and warned Zhao Jingli about Zhao Ruyu’s anxiety over marriage.

Zhao Ruxi won the capital’s painting competition, but Mei Zhongjun’s accusations prompted her and Kang Shilin to withdraw before the results were settled. The emperor later restored her first place and acquired her painting, while Zhao Ruxi turned her attention back to the imperial examinations and Xiao Yuyue faced growing troubles.

• Zhao Jingli and Zhao Jing'an visited the Xu family with Zhao Ruxi, where Zhao Jing'an sought her help with his studies and the family learned of her success at the academy.
• Zhao Ruxi's painting earned full marks in the competition's first rounds, and Xiao Yuyue tried to turn her ties to the judges into accusations of favoritism.
• At the finals, Zhao Ruxi painted a landscape that amazed the spectators, and several judges gave it perfect scores despite Zhang Xiuyan and Mei Zhongjun questioning the judging.
• Mei Zhongjun accused the judges of favoritism, so Kang Shilin resigned and Zhao Ruxi withdrew from the competition, leaving the crowd to blame Mei Zhongjun for the disruption.
• Xiao Ge traced the scheme to Princess Pingyang, and Consort Jin stripped Xiao Yuyue of her authority over the Capital Women's Academy.
• The emperor restored Zhao Ruxi's first place, barred Zhang Xiuyan and Mei Zhongjun from future competitions under different penalties, and offered Zhao Ruxi a judging post that she declined.
• Xiao Ge took Zhao Ruxi's painting and arranged a post for Zhao Yuanxun, while Zhao Ruxi received Wisdom Points and resumed studying for the imperial examinations.
• The Imperial Academy displayed Zhao Ruxi's painting among the winning works, and the emperor praised it as Zhao Ruyu's acquaintances learned she had painted the auctioned masterpiece.

Zhao Ruxi rejected marriage proposals, helped Grand Princess Shangde expand newspaper printing, and topped the county examination’s first session before ending in seventh place. She then proposed a women’s textile workshop and technical academy, and the emperor’s palace received her spinning machine for inspection.

• At the Duke of Wei’s gathering, Zhao Ruyu brought Zhao Ruxi a flower-banquet invitation, but Zhao Ruxi avoided the gathering and sought protection from social distractions through Grand Princess Shangde.
• Zhao Ruxi rejected Xiao Lingyan’s attempt to meet in person and later refused Fu Yunkai’s marriage proposal, telling him they could never be compatible.
• Zhao Ruxi helped Madam Cui find inexpensive printing, and Grand Princess Shangde bought Wang Printing House and expanded its presses until book prices fell across Great Jin.
• Zhao Ruxi took the county examination, ranked first in the opening session, second in the next, and seventh overall, while she and Grand Princess Shangde accepted that challenging the prefect could undermine the examination’s authority.
• Zhao Ruxi told Grand Princess Shangde and Madam Cui that women needed independent income, then demonstrated her animal-powered spinning mule and proposed textile factories and a free technical academy for women.
• Grand Princess Shangde brought Zhao Ruxi’s machine and its carpenters to the palace, where Xiao Ge ordered the machine assembled and the eunuchs trained to operate it.

Zhao Ruxi’s inventions and business ideas brought new opportunities to her family and other women while she advanced through the examinations. With leading scholars now tutoring her, she prepared for the provincial exam and faced plans for her coming-of-age ceremony.

• Grand Princess Shangde showed Xiao Ge Zhao Zhiwei’s spinning machine, then proposed a textile workshop that would share its profits with Xiao Ge and support women and children.
• After Zhao Ruxi’s county examination ranking was challenged, Xiao Ge investigated Zhang Li, who was dismissed and imprisoned, while Zhao Yuanxun received a post at the Court of Judicial Review.
• Zhao Ruxi helped Zhao Jing’an improve his studies, placed second in the prefectural examination, and continued preparing for the next stage.
• After thieves learned to pick Baoning Pavilion’s safes, Zhao Ruxi helped expose their gang and introduced stronger locks that sparked a surge in safe sales.
• Zhao Ruxi proposed changes that expanded the Qiming Ten-Day Gazette, whose advertisements boosted sales for several businesses, and handed Lady Zhu responsibility for a preserves venture.
• Zhao Ruxi placed sixth in the academy examination, saved her system points, and persuaded the system to delay its upgrade until she reached Jiangnan.
• With Xiao Ge’s support, Peng Guoan agreed to guide Zhao Ruxi and arranged lessons with several great scholars, whom Zhao Ruxi impressed with her gifts and skill.
• Zhao Ruxi continued the demanding lessons and refused Lady Zhu’s offer of a coming-of-age banquet, while Lady Zhu insisted the ceremony mattered.