Recaps

Zhao Ruxi excelled in the palace examination and was named zhuangyuan, then completed her triumphant parade and banquet. She sought Kang Shilin’s help to secure a provincial posting, fearing that a Hanlin Academy appointment would leave her exposed to palace rivals and the emperor’s interest.

• Zhao Ruxi entered the palace examination as the second-ranked candidate and wrote essays on state reforms, taxation, and criminal law.
• Examiners praised Zhao Ruxi’s essays and calligraphy, and Xiao Ge chose her as zhuangyuan ahead of Duan Chen.
• Zhao Ruxi rode through the imperial street in red official robes as officials and crowds celebrated her achievement.
• At the Qionglin Banquet, Zhao Ruxi declined Duan Chen’s invitation to an outing on Guanlan Lake and left him behind.
• Consort Jin offered Duan Chen a marriage to Xiao Ruoyu, but Duan Chen refused, so Lu Shanchu accepted the match instead.
• Duan Chen told Duan Boheng that he wanted to marry Zhao Zhiwei, while Zhao Ruxi decided to seek a provincial posting rather than enter the Hanlin Academy.
• Kang Shilin explained that Xiao Ge had named Zhao Ruxi zhuangyuan after admiring her work, and wondered whether she feared the emperor might try to make her empress.

Zhao Ruxi secured an outside appointment, helped arrange Zhao Jingli’s marriage to He Yuqi, and prepared to leave the capital. After reaching Nanyang, she began investigating the local officials and reported for duty under Prefect Liu.

• Xiao Ge appointed Zhao Zhiwei deputy magistrate of Nanyang Prefecture in Anzhou Province, while Zhao Ruxi prepared to leave the capital.
• Zhao Ruxi proposed He Yuqi as a wife for Zhao Jingli, and the two families agreed to the match after Zhao Jingli promised not to take a concubine.
• Zhao Ruxi gave farewell gifts and hosted banquets, studied accounting with Gan Lun, and arranged for Shi Chao to manage her properties.
• Xiao Lingyan gave Zhao Ruxi records about Nanyang’s officials and agreed to send expert guards before she departed the capital with her family.
• After arriving in Nanyang, Zhao Ruxi questioned Zhou Chun about Cai Yaozong and Chen Kang, then considered using Chen Kang’s grandsons’ futures to draw him away from Cai.
• Zhao Ruxi explored Nanyang in official robes and reported to the yamen, where Prefect Liu welcomed her and she met Assistant Prefects Cai Yaozong and Li Li.

Zhao Ruxi challenged Cai Yaozong’s control of Nanyang’s records, secured responsibilities, and uncovered embezzlement while exploring a local wine venture. The arc left her investigating water disputes in Wang Family Village, where a couple’s plea for justice and Wang Houde’s payment to Chen Kang raised new suspicions.

• Zhao Ruxi demanded access to Nanyang’s records and forced Liu Hongyu to order Cai Yaozong to provide them.
• Zhao Ruxi built a small team in the yamen, rejected Yu Gang after uncovering his ties to Cai, and secured Liu Hongyu’s support for removing Guan Jian'an and Feng Aimin from service.
• Cai Yaozong and Chen Kang tried to limit Zhao Ruxi’s access, but Gan Lun arrived and Zhao negotiated responsibility for grain and water conservancy while retaining the right to review the accounts.
• Zhao Ruxi read five years of records and, with Gan Lun, uncovered evidence that Cai Yaozong and Chen Kang had embezzled funds and taken bribes, though river-defense funds had built sound dikes.
• Zhao Ruxi identified the Jade Milk Spring and began planning a wine workshop, while Cai Yaozong and Chen Kang worried about her powerful connections and public authority.
• Zhao Ruxi toured nearby villages and learned that disputes over irrigation water had led to serious injuries and deaths.
• Zhao Ruxi visited Wang Family Village, where a couple knelt at the gate pleading for justice and Wang Houde angrily ordered his steward to give Chen Kang two hundred taels of silver.

Zhao Ruxi ousted Wang Houde, began building a distillery, and accepted Xiao Lingyan’s marriage proposal as they resolved to pursue the throne together. Kang Shilin approved their match, Xiao Ge decreed their betrothal, and Princess Xiangyang reacted angrily.

• Zhao Ruxi investigated Wang Houde’s dispute with Wang Dazhu and his wife, dismissed Wang Houde as village head, and ordered him to transfer fifty mu of farmland to the couple.
• Zhao Ruxi purchased land for a distillery, obtained a sealed-jar wine recipe from the system, and learned that Zhao Rurui had taken Zhao Ruyu’s place in a bridal sedan.
• Zhao Ruxi reunited with her third senior brother Wu Zong, who discussed his marriage plans with Xiao Ruotong and the court’s pressure on Zhao Ruxi to marry.
• Xiao Lingyan refused a political match, and after speaking with Zhao Ruxi, agreed to pursue the throne rather than support the Prince of An.
• Xiao Lingyan secretly proposed to Zhao Ruxi, and she accepted, and they agreed to seek power together while remaining outwardly passive as Xiao Ge lived.
• Xiao Lingyan went to Nanyang, asked Zhao Ruxi to marry him, and Zhao Ruxi sought Lady Zhu’s and Kang Shilin’s approval before accepting the match publicly.
• Xiao Ge promised Kang Shilin that Zhao Zhiwei would receive imperial protection, and Kang Shilin approved the marriage on behalf of the Earl of Suiping’s Residence.
• Xiao Ge issued a decree betrothing Xiao Lingyan to Zhao Zhiwei, while Kang Shilin arranged for her to remain in Nanyang under guard and Princess Xiangyang reacted furiously.