Chapter Summaries

After transmigrating into the tragic supporting character Xu Xi, Xu Xi rejected the system’s belief that talent alone would give her a happy life. When representatives from the Marquis of Suiping’s Residence arrived to fetch her, she met them calmly, ready to take charge of her own fate.

• Xu Xi learned that A Sheng had warned Madam Xie that wealthy strangers were asking about her, while the system urged her to prepare for the marquis’s people.
• Xu Xi recalled the supporting character’s tragic future and argued that self-respect, resolve, and intelligence—not artistic talent alone—could shape her life.
• Xu Xi threatened to kill herself if the system kept bouncing around, forcing it to fall silent.
• After practicing her writing, Xu Xi received a system notification that her wisdom had increased by one.
• Xu Chongwen announced that representatives from a marquis’s residence had come to claim Xu Xi as their young lady.
• The village head introduced Steward Liu and Matron Ruan to Xu Xi, who impressed the assembled villagers with her bearing.

Xu Xi learned that the Marquis of Suiping's Residence claimed she had been switched at birth and wanted to take her back. She refused to leave without proof, leaving the marquis's party unable to take her.

• Zhang Chenglin told Xu Xi that she was the marquis's daughter, switched with another baby after birth.
• Matron Ruan explained how the switch supposedly happened and said the wet nurse's later arrest exposed Xu Xi's whereabouts.
• Matron Ruan said the marquis's household would not pursue the matter and had sent people to bring Xu Xi home.
• Xu Xi asked for proof of her identity, but Matron Ruan admitted the original swaddling clothes had been switched too.
• Xu Xi refused to go with the marquis's party without evidence and walked out of the main room.

Xu Xi refused to return to the Marquis of Suiping's Residence, arguing with her system that repeating the original owner's path would not change her fate. Madam Xie came to persuade her but instead reassured Xu Xi that she remained part of the Xu family and could keep the city house.

• Matron Ruan angrily defended the marquis's residence after Xu Xi called the claim that she was their child into question.
• Xu Xi told the system that the original owner had been mistreated after returning to the residence and insisted she would choose her own path to happiness.
• The village head tried to smooth things over, while Matron Ruan assured Madam Xie that Fifth Miss would remain a young lady at the residence and receive a proper dowry.
• Madam Xie asked Xu Xi why she refused to go, and Xu Xi said she would move to the city and support herself if the Xu family no longer wanted her.
• Madam Xie told Xu Xi that she was still the Xu family's adopted daughter and could stay as long as she wished, including in the city house.

Xu Xi explained why she feared returning to the Marquis of Suiping's Residence and persuaded Madam Xie not to force her. As the household's steward proposed bringing the Xu family to the residence, Xu Xi sought more time to prepare for the return she believed she could not avoid.

• Xu Xi reminded Madam Xie that the Second Madam's failure to recognize the switched child showed how little she cared, and described the dangers she feared at the marquis's residence.
• Madam Xie agreed not to force Xu Xi, while Xu Xi reasoned that the Old Madam would eventually compel her return to protect the family's reputation.
• Xu Xi told Madam Xie to say she could not persuade her and asked her to quietly summon Xu Xue.
• Madam Xie relayed Xu Xi's refusal in the main room, where Matron Ruan questioned it.
• Steward Liu suggested that Madam Xie and her son accompany the party to the marquis's residence, hoping Xu Xi would feel safe enough to go with them; the village head approved the plan.

Xu Xi avoided being forced to return to the Marquis of Suiping's Residence by threatening to hang herself, and the marquis's party left to report the situation. After the System Shop opened, Xu Xi examined its offerings and angrily called the system a moron.

• Madam Xie agreed to accept the marquis's residence's proposed gift, but Xu Xue shouted that Xu Xi was trying to hang herself.
• Madam Xie and Xu Xue clung to Xu Xi and begged her not to die, while Matron Ruan and Steward Liu realized they could not force her to leave without causing a scandal.
• Steward Liu told the village head and clan chief that the party would leave and let the marquis's madam decide what to do after hearing their report.
• After the party left, the system told Xu Xi that the System Shop had opened and urged her to return to the marquis's residence to earn Wisdom Credit Points.
• Xu Xi sent Xu Xue out, viewed the shop's virtual screen, and angrily called the system a moron.

Xu Xi rejected the system’s Beauty Pill and bargained it down to offer an Agility Pill for twenty thousand Wisdom Points, while refusing to return to the marquis’s residence. The chapter ended with the household women in the Marquis of Suiping’s Residence awaiting Steward Liu and Matron Ruan, as Lady Tang criticized Second Lady Wei for losing her daughter.

• Xu Xi dismissed the Beauty Pill and refused to return to the marquis’s residence, choosing the safety of village life instead.
• The system explained that higher-level calligraphy would earn more Wisdom Points and promised to add another shop item if Xu Xi saved ten thousand points.
• After Xu Xi rejected a Beautiful Voice Pill, the system offered an Agility Pill and reduced its price from thirty thousand to twenty thousand Wisdom Points.
• Xu Xi celebrated her successful bargaining and went to sleep.
• Steward Liu, Matron Ruan, and their party returned toward the capital as the women of the Marquis of Suiping’s Residence waited in the main hall.
• Lady Tang criticized Second Lady Wei, saying she would not have lost her own daughter if she had truly cared about the child.

Zhao Ruyu understood that the Marquis of Suiping's Residence valued her because of her promising marriage prospects, and she concealed her cold feelings behind tears of gratitude. The household restored Xu Xi as the fifth young lady and renamed Zhao Ruyu the sixth just as the first madam and Matron Ruan returned.

• The old madam told Zhao Ruyu that the marquis residence would continue treating her as family after Xu Xi returned.
• Zhao Ruyu reflected on how she had won the old madam and first madam's favor and attracted a marriage proposal from the Marquis of Pingnan's second son.
• Zhao Ruyu recalled that in her previous life she had trusted the household and tried to help it, only to suffer for it later.
• Zhao Ruyu hid her true feelings and tearfully agreed when the old madam called her the sixth young lady and Xu Xi the fifth young lady.
• A maid announced that the first madam, Matron Ruan, and the others had returned.

Xu Xi refused to return to the Marquis of Suiping's Residence without proof of her parentage, leaving Zhao Ruyu convinced that Xu Xi had changed from the person she remembered in her previous life. The old marchioness ordered Lady Wei and Zhao Yuanliang to fetch Xu Xi the next day, then summoned the marquis and the second master.

• Matron Ruan reported that Xu Xi had refused to return because the household had no proof she was the marquis's daughter.
• Steward Liu recounted Xu Xi's refusal and her attempt to hang herself, confirming Zhao Ruyu's suspicion that Xu Xi was different from before.
• The marchioness argued that Xu Xi had to be brought back to protect the household's reputation, and Lady Wei agreed to follow the old marchioness's orders.
• The old marchioness ordered Lady Wei and Zhao Yuanliang to fetch Xu Xi with Zhao Ruyu, and told them to bring a hundred taels, fine silk, and pastries as gifts.
• The old marchioness sent Matron Jin to summon the marquis and Zhao Yuanliang, and the two men soon arrived.

The old marchioness ordered Zhao Yuanliang and his wife to bring Xu Xi back to the marquis’s residence, while Zhao Ruyu feared Xu Xi might threaten the future she remembered from her previous life. In Xu Family Village, Xu Xi confirmed her identity but insisted she wanted to attend the academy rather than return to the residence.

• The old marchioness told Zhao Yuanliang and his wife to coax Xu Xi into returning, and warned Zhao Yuanliang that his branch could split from the family if they failed.
• Zhao Ruyu privately considered whether Xu Xi had been reborn and might take her happy future, then reassured herself that she could still win Fu Yunlang and planned to enter the Women's Academy.
• Madam Xie told Xu Yongyi what had happened, and he asked Xu Xi whether the story was true.
• Xu Xi confirmed it and asked whether Xu Yongyi had made inquiries about the academy.
• Xu Yongyi said admission depended on passing an examination, and Xu Xi firmly declared that she wanted to study there instead of returning to the marquis's residence.

Xu Xi planned to enroll in Beining Women's Academy to gain protection and greater control over her future. She persuaded Xu Yongyi and Madam Xie to let Xu Xue study alongside her, and the family agreed to attend the entrance exam the next day.

• Xu Xi explained that becoming a student of Grand Princess Shangde at Beining Women's Academy would give her powerful backing against the Marquis of Suiping's Residence.
• Xu Yongyi reported that the academy accepted unmarried girls aged ten to eighteen, and that its entrance exam was scheduled for the next day.
• Madam Xie hesitated to send Xu Xue because the family struggled to afford tuition, but Xu Xi offered her savings to pay for both girls.
• Xu Yongyi agreed to treat Xu Xi's money as a loan and said Xu Xue's education was worth more than saving for her dowry.
• Xu Xi assured the family that she would always regard Xu Xue as her sister, whether or not she returned to the marquis's household.

Xu Xi proposed that Xu Yongyi’s family move to town and promised to look into a suitable small business for them. The next day, she accompanied Xu Xue to the crowded Women's Academy entrance exam and coached her on how to behave during the selection process.

• Xu Xi asked Xu Yongyi and Madam Xie to consider moving to town and starting a small business, offering to investigate possible livelihoods.
• Xu Yongyi agreed to wait for Xu Xi’s ideas, relieved that he did not need to make a decision immediately.
• Xu Xue was too excited to sleep before the exam, and Xu Xi gave Madam Xie private instructions before the family set out.
• Xu Yongyi drove the family to the Women's Academy, where a huge crowd of applicants and relatives filled the alley.
• Xu Xi told Xu Xue to stay composed, polite, attentive to the teachers, and focused on her own conduct during the entrance selection.

Xu Xi and Xu Xue entered the Women's Academy examination, while Xu Xi realized that the academy was secretly assessing candidates' behavior outside the gate. As they followed a winding path through the grounds, Xu Xue spotted a pouch on the ground, leaving Xu Xi to suspect it was another test.

• Xu Xi reassured Xu Xue about the examination, while Xu Yongyi grew anxious about whether the girls would get in.
• Madam Cui announced that candidates should enter one at a time, and Xu Xi led Xu Xue through the side gate first.
• The waiting candidates rushed to enter after Xu Xi and Xu Xue, unaware that hidden examiners were recording their conduct and reactions.
• Xu Xi and Xu Xue followed signs along a winding path through the academy grounds, where Xu Xue spotted a red pouch by some bamboo.

Xu Xi and Xu Xue found a purse containing three taels of silver during the academy entrance exam and set out to return it to the examiners. When a woman claimed it but could not say what was inside, Xu Xue grew suspicious, and Xu Xi led them in a quick escape from the woman’s threats.

• Xu Xi and Xu Xue found a purse with three silver ingots and decided to hand it over to the examiners.
• Xu Xue asked an anxious older woman whether she had lost a purse, and Xu Xi questioned her about its contents.
• The woman claimed she had not looked inside the purse and demanded that Xu Xi and Xu Xue return it to her.
• Xu Xue refused to hand it over without confirmation, and the woman threatened to accuse them of theft.
• Xu Xi whispered for Xu Xue to run, and the two girls escaped around a corner before the woman could catch them.

Xu Xi and Xu Xue reached the examination hall after encountering a staged test involving a pouch and an old servant woman. Grand Princess Shangde and the other examiners assessed the candidates as they arrived, leaving some worried that they had failed the test by mishandling the pouch.

• Xu Xi and Xu Xue stopped running when they saw the old servant woman had not followed, and Xu Xue said she would report her to the examiners.
• Xu Xi and Xu Xue reached the examination hall and identified Grand Princess Shangde, Madam Zhang, and Madam Cui before taking their seats.
• Xu Xi handed the recovered pouch to the examiners and explained what had happened, while Xu Xue described the old servant woman's appearance.
• Grand Princess Shangde, Madam Zhang, and Madam Cui recorded their impressions of the girls after they were seated apart in the front row.
• Later candidates arrived at intervals, and several reported what had happened to their pouches while others said nothing.
• Candidates who had kept or returned a pouch grew pale after hearing others discuss the incident and realized it might have been a test.

Xu Xi and Xu Xue took the Women's Academy entrance examination after two applicants were expelled for keeping their purses. Xu Xi finished the character-focused exam, and the system told her she had been admitted before the official results were posted.

• Madam Zhang expelled two girls who had tried to keep the purses, while servants recorded the other applicants' conduct.
• Xu Xi observed the other girls and counted sixty-seven applicants as the examination began.
• Xu Xi decided to answer the character-focused questions honestly and carefully completed her paper.
• Madam Cui ended the examination and told the girls to check the posted results the next day.
• Xu Xi left with Xu Xue, and the system excitedly told Xu Xi she had been admitted.

Xu Xi and Xu Xue finished their Women's Academy exam and returned home, keeping their admission tokens safe as they waited for the results. Meanwhile, Lady Wei and Zhao Yuanliang arrived at the Xu family home to fetch Xu Xi, and Matron Ruan went to announce their visit.

• The academy gatekeeper gave Xu Xi and Xu Xue tokens and told them to return the next day to see whether they had been admitted.
• Xu Xi and Xu Xue left the academy with Xu Yongyi and rode home, where Xu Xi planned to keep her token secure.
• Lady Wei and Zhao Yuanliang arrived in Little Banyan Village with attendants, while Zhao Yuanliang stopped Lady Wei from provoking the villagers.
• Madam Xie prepared for the visitors by opening the courtyard gate and sitting in the main room to stitch a shoe sole.
• Matron Ruan went to announce Zhao Yuanliang and Lady Wei to the Xu family, and Lady Wei forced herself to thank her.

Zhao Yuanliang and Lady Wei arrived at the Xu family home to meet Xu Xi, but learned she had gone to the county town. As Madam Xie agreed to fetch her, Zhao Yuanliang saw the humble household and began to reconsider his feelings toward Zhao Ruyu.

• Matron Ruan told Madam Xie that Zhao Yuanliang, Lady Wei, and Zhao Ruyu had come to see Xu Xi, who was now ranked as the fifth young lady.
• Madam Xie said Xu Xi had gone to the county town with Xu Xi's adoptive father, using the excuse Xu Xi had prepared.
• Matron Ruan proposed sending Madam Xie to fetch Xu Xi in the marquis's carriage, and Zhao Yuanliang and Lady Wei agreed to wait.
• Lady Wei and Zhao Ruyu reacted with disgust and discomfort to the muddy courtyard and its chicken droppings, while Zhao Yuanliang felt sorrow for Xu Xi's upbringing.
• Zhao Yuanliang saw Zhao Ruyu step carefully around the droppings and lost much of his affection for her, thinking of how she had lived in his daughter's place.

Madam Xie met Lady Wei and Zhao Yuanliang, but Lady Wei harshly rejected Xu Xi and demanded that Madam Xie bring her back. Matron Ruan accompanied Madam Xie to the county town, leaving Madam Xie convinced Xu Xi had been right to resist returning to the marquis's household.

• Madam Xie welcomed Zhao Ruyu, Lady Wei, and Zhao Yuanliang, and worried that Xu Xi would be treated as an outsider in the marquis's household.
• Lady Wei insulted Madam Xie and ordered her to tell Xu Xi to return at once or never come back to the marquis's household.
• Zhao Yuanliang and Madam Xie were stunned by Lady Wei's harshness, while Zhao Ruyu recognized it as consistent with Lady Wei's behavior.
• Zhao Yuanliang urged Matron Ruan to accompany Madam Xie to the county town so Xu Xi would not hear Lady Wei's words from Madam Xie alone.
• Matron Ruan took Madam Xie toward the county town, and Madam Xie realized Xu Xi had accurately judged Lady Wei.

Zhao Yuanliang met Xu Chengguan at the Xu family courtyard and asked him about Xu Xi, while Matron Ruan and Madam Xie searched for Xu Xi in the county town. Madam Xie could not bring herself to help force Xu Xi back to the marquis’s residence, and the search remained unresolved.

• Lady Wei and Zhao Ruyu waited in the carriage while Zhao Yuanliang stayed in the courtyard.
• Xu Chengguan arrived, greeted Zhao Yuanliang, and invited him inside to ask about Xu Xi.
• Steward Liu told Xu Chengguan Madam Xie's account of what had happened.
• Matron Ruan and Madam Xie went to Xu Yongzeng's vacant house in town, but found its gate locked.
• Old Woman Lin and her grandson said they had not seen Xu Yongyi or Xu Xi return to the house.
• Matron Ruan urged Madam Xie to help find Xu Xi, but Madam Xie said she did not know where they had gone.

Xu Xi returned to Little Banyan Village with Xu Yongyi and learned that Lady Wei and Zhao Yuanliang had come to bring her back. Matron Li mistook Xu Xue for Xu Xi, and Lady Wei rose from the carriage as the misunderstanding was corrected.

• Matron Ruan waited at the Xu family home and sent a young maid to search the city for Xu Xi.
• A villager told Xu Xi and Xu Yongyi that Lady Wei and Zhao Yuanliang were waiting in Little Banyan Village with Zhao Ruyu.
• Xu Yongyi advised Xu Xi to return to the marquis's residence before the old madam came to fetch her, and Xu Xi agreed while hoping to delay her departure for a day or two.
• Xu Xi, Xu Yongyi, and Xu Xue arrived near the lane, where the Marquis of Suiping's Residence carriages blocked the way.
• Matron Li mistook Xu Xue for Xu Xi, and Xu Xue pointed out Xu Xi while Lady Wei got out of the carriage.
• Zhao Ruyu remembered how Lady Wei had treated her daughter in their previous life and felt fortunate not to be Lady Wei's child.