Chapter Summaries

Fu Yunlang learned that the Gathered Treasures Studio had taken nearly all the Abundant and Prosperous Pavilion’s customers with more attractive jewelry, better service, and competitive prices. Huang Xing sought his advice on how to revive the shop, but Fu Yunlang rejected his suggestion to invoke Noble Consort Cen’s name and pressed him about other design options.

• Fu Yunkai agreed to try persuading their mother about Fu Yunlang’s marriage, then left the brothers to talk with Huang Xing.
• Huang Xing reported that the Gathered Treasures Studio had drawn customers away from the Abundant and Prosperous Pavilion, leaving its business nearly stagnant.
• Huang Xing explained that the palace craftsman’s costly designs were too risky to produce, while Juren Meng’s designs were slow and uncompetitive.
• Huang Xing suggested that Noble Consort Cen might endorse the jewelry, but Fu Yunlang warned him not to use the imperial family’s name.
• Fu Yunlang asked about Juren Meng’s work, and Huang Xing denied seeking a solution from him while privately fearing Fu Yunlang might take the shop away.

Fu Yunlang approved Huang Xing’s plan to recruit Zhao Ruxi with a generous jewelry-design deal, then investigated buying Wei Qiu’s confiscated properties. He learned the Mu Family was considering a match for Eighth Miss, while Zhao Ruxi prepared to return to Beining Women’s Academy and planned her day in the county.

• Huang Xing proposed offering Zhao Ruxi a hundred taels per design plus five percent of profits to undermine Gathered Treasures Studio, and Fu Yunlang agreed.
• Fu Yunlang asked his steward about buying Wei Qiu’s properties and learned the Court of Judicial Review controlled their sale.
• Yue'er told Fu Yunlang that his paternal aunt had raised a possible marriage match between the Mu Family and Eighth Miss, leaving him alarmed.
• Zhao Ruxi prepared to attend Beining Women’s Academy, and Zhao Yuanxun arranged for Gao Weiqiang, Wu Dong, and Ma Sheng to escort her.
• Zhao Ruxi explained that she would visit the Xu Family and paint with her master, so Zhao Yuanxun arranged for Ma Sheng to remain in the county with Uncle Lu and Qingfeng.

Zhao Ruxi rejected Shopkeeper Huang’s attempt to hire her to design jewelry and went to the academy, where Grand Princess Shangde approved her continued studies. After learning an examination was scheduled for the next day, Zhao Ruxi headed to Class Ding to find Xu Xue.

• Gao Weiqiang told Zhao Ruxi that Shopkeeper Huang wanted to see her, and she agreed to hear him from inside the carriage.
• Huang Xing apologized and offered Zhao Ruxi a gift, then tried to hire her for jewelry designs, but she refused and continued on her way.
• Zhao Ruxi visited Madam Cui and found Grand Princess Shangde there; the grand princess told her she could continue studying at the academy.
• Madam Cui told Zhao Ruxi that an examination would take place the next day, and Zhao Ruxi decided to review so she could advance to the accelerated class.
• Zhao Ruxi went to Class Ding’s classroom, expecting to find Xu Xue there.

Zhao Ruxi reunited with Xu Xue and visited the Xu home to reassure Xu Xue and Madam Xie after the family had worried about her. She learned that the Xu family's chili oil business was growing and suggested buying people to help with the work.

• Xu Xue embraced Zhao Ruxi and told her how worried the Xu family had been after hearing something had happened to her.
• Zhao Ruxi explained that she had reunited with her birth parents and that the earl's household had split up, then promised to visit the Xu family at noon.
• Zhao Ruxi went to the Xu home with an academy attendant, where Madam Xie embraced her and asked what had happened.
• Zhao Ruxi told Madam Xie and Xu Xue the public account of the events at the marquis's household, and they condemned Lady Wei.
• Madam Xie told Zhao Ruxi that the chili oil business was expanding, while Zhao Ruxi pointed out that she and Xu Yongyi could not manage the growing workload alone.
• Zhao Ruxi suggested that the Xu family buy people to help produce the chili oil.

Zhao Ruxi advised Madam Xie on hiring servants for the family’s growing business, then went with Mama Song to the Kang Family residence to open her painting class. Kang Shilin handed her thirty-six thousand taels in tuition and began introducing the students.

• Madam Xie told Zhao Ruxi that the family had earned a little over one hundred and thirty-six taels, and Zhao Ruxi asked for two days to consider the capital business and buying servants.
• Xu Xue told Zhao Ruxi that she had finished writing a storybook and would bring it after class.
• Madam Cui introduced Mama Song, who said Kang Shilin had sent her to escort Zhao Ruxi to the Kang Family residence for the painting academy.
• Wu Zong welcomed Zhao Ruxi at the residence and hurried her to Kang Shilin, who had prepared the class space and supplies.
• Kang Shilin gave Zhao Ruxi a box containing thirty-six thousand taels in silver notes and introduced the students, including Fang Jingye, Chen Zhongqiu, Cen Song, and Lu Junyu.

Zhao Ruxi began her first painting lesson as Kang Shilin's disciple, teaching him and the academy painters a Western method of drawing with charcoal, light, and shadow. Before leaving, she discussed Madam Xiao's absence, her afternoon schedule, and the money Kang Shilin and her senior brothers had given her.

• Kang Shilin gave Zhao Ruxi the sobriquet Zhao Zhiwei, and she greeted her master and senior brothers by her new name.
• Zhao Ruxi set up easels and drawing materials, then demonstrated how to use charcoal, light, and shadow to make simple objects appear three-dimensional.
• Kang Shilin and the other painters practiced the new technique until Zhao Ruxi reminded her master that she had to go home.
• Zhao Ruxi asked Kang Shilin why Madam Xiao had missed class, and he said something seemed to have happened at her home.
• Zhao Ruxi asked to skip afternoon academy classes so she could study painting with Kang Shilin when he was available and pursue other work when he was not.
• Zhao Ruxi refused the money Kang Shilin had given her, but he insisted she accept it and she agreed to offer him and her senior brothers good things in the future.

Zhao Ruxi learned that Xiao Ruotong had fallen ill after trouble at home and hurried to visit her at the Prince of Zhennan's Residence. The chapter ended as Zhao Ruxi was brought before the Princess of Zhennan.

• Zhao Ruxi left the painting academy and redirected her carriage to the Gathered Treasures Studio to ask Shopkeeper Wang what had happened to Xiao Ruotong.
• Shopkeeper Wang said Xiao Ruotong had fallen ill and urged Zhao Ruxi to visit her at the Prince of Zhennan's Residence.
• Zhao Ruxi returned home, told the first madam she would visit Xiao Ruotong, and received gifts for the visit.
• Matron Zhou told Zhao Ruxi that Zhao Yuanxun had sealed the archways to the second and third branches, while the first madam had locked the back and west corner gates.
• Zhao Ruxi arrived at the Prince of Zhennan's Residence and was led to meet the Princess of Zhennan.

Zhao Ruxi visited Xiao Ruotong, who was devastated after learning that her husband had secretly fathered a child with a maid and expected her to raise him. After Xiao Ruotong poured out her grief, Zhao Ruxi urged her to decide the marriage’s future by listening to her own heart.

• The princess consort of Zhennan greeted Zhao Ruxi and sent her to see Xiao Ruotong.
• Zhao Ruxi found Xiao Ruotong haggard and alone with her, and Xiao Ruotong revealed that her husband had hidden his child with a maid and wanted her to raise the boy.
• Xiao Ruotong explained that her family and others urged her to return to her husband and accept the child, but she could not bear his betrayal.
• Zhao Ruxi told Xiao Ruotong to consider whether she still loved her husband and to give the marriage time if she did, while making the choice according to her own heart.

Zhao Ruxi helped Xiao Ruotong consider whether she still wanted to remain with her husband, then discussed the matter with the First Madam. She insisted that a woman’s own wishes should guide her marriage, leaving the First Madam to reflect on Zhao Ruxi’s insistence that she choose her own future.

• Zhao Ruxi urged Xiao Ruotong to decide whether she still had hope for her husband and reminded her to protect her health.
• Xiao Ruotong thanked Zhao Ruxi, who offered to visit again whenever she needed someone to talk to.
• At the Earl of Huanping’s Residence, Zhao Ruxi learned her belongings had been moved to the Slender Bamboo Courtyard and spoke with the First Madam about Xiao Ruotong’s situation.
• The First Madam thought Xiao Ruotong would have to accept her husband’s betrayal because an amicable divorce could leave her with few marriage prospects.
• Zhao Ruxi reminded the First Madam that she and the Old Madam had promised to let her choose her own marriage.
• Zhao Ruxi argued that only Xiao Ruotong could decide what mattered to her and that parents could not know what would make their children happy.

Zhao Ruxi discussed marriage with Lady Zhu, who agreed to consult her before arranging a match. Zhao Ruxi then revealed the silver she had earned, and Lady Zhu refused to take it, though Zhao Ruxi urged her to use some of it to ease the family’s financial strain.

• Lady Zhu argued that status, wealth, and family background mattered more than affection when choosing a husband, and promised to consult Zhao Ruxi about her marriage.
• Zhao Ruxi brought out a box containing thirty-six thousand taels in silver notes and explained that nine thousand came from Master Kang and her senior brothers while the rest was her earnings.
• Lady Zhu refused to accept Zhao Ruxi’s money, saying that her parents should provide for the family and that Zhao Ruxi should keep what she had worked hard to earn.
• Lady Zhu recalled Zhao Yuanxun telling her how Zhao Ruxi had endured poverty and earned money, and the couple’s guilt over their past neglect.
• Zhao Ruxi urged Lady Zhu to use some of the money to buy shops and farmland because the family’s expenses exceeded its income.

Zhao Ruxi and Lady Zhu agreed to keep Zhao Ruxi’s earnings private and discuss inviting the Xu Family to visit. Lady Zhu then offered to arrange a place for Xu Chongwen at the Zhao Family’s clan school.

• Zhao Ruxi felt reassured when Lady Zhu said she and Zhao Yuanxun would not take any of her earnings and would help provide her with a dowry.
• Lady Zhu advised Zhao Ruxi not to tell the old madam or Zhao Jingtai about the money, and agreed that Zhao Ruxi’s future properties could be held in her name alongside her dowry.
• Zhao Ruxi asked her parents to formally invite her adoptive uncle and aunt after learning how worried they had been when she disappeared from the academy.
• Lady Zhu said she and Zhao Yuanxun had already planned to invite the Xu Family and explained that they would help Xu Chongwen by finding him a good school.
• Lady Zhu offered to place Xu Chongwen in the Zhao Family’s clan school, which had teachers from the clan and could accept another student.

Zhao Ruxi arranged for Xu Chongwen to attend a better private school and helped Xu Yongyi’s family find a safe, affordable house in the capital for their cold-dressed-dish business. The next day at the academy, she praised Xu Xue’s nearly completed storybook before the North Court’s advancement examination.

• Zhao Ruxi told Lady Zhu she wanted to help Xu Chongwen find a better school, and learned Lady Zhu and Xu Yongyi had already arranged a place for him.
• Zhao Ruxi explained that she had invested in Xu Yongyi’s cold-dressed-dish business and earned a forty percent share, then asked Lady Zhu to help the family settle safely in the capital.
• Lady Zhu agreed to help and offered a vacant two-courtyard house near the clan’s homes for one tael of silver per month.
• Zhao Ruxi returned to her room, read Xu Xue’s storybook, and went to the academy the next morning for the North Court’s advancement examination.
• Zhao Ruxi praised Xu Xue’s storybook and described what she had enjoyed about it, while Xu Xue excitedly asked if she truly thought it was good.

Zhao Ruxi helped Xu Xue revise her storybook and promised to visit a bookshop after her exam if she finished early. She completed the north courtyard exam before noon, leaving her classmates stunned and He Yuqi despairing over the gap between their progress.

• Xu Xue showed Zhao Ruxi her storybook, and Zhao Ruxi suggested revisions before offering to accompany her to a bookshop after classes.
• Zhao Ruxi returned to the north courtyard and noticed Mu Qingqiang looking haggard and lost in thought.
• Madam Cui and another teacher began the exam, and Zhao Ruxi quickly started answering the preliminary-examination-style questions.
• Zhao Ruxi finished and handed in her paper before noon while the other students had completed only a fraction of theirs.
• He Yuqi felt crushed because she had hoped to take first place and earn her father's respect.

Zhao Ruxi learned that Madam Cui had arranged for her to skip afternoon classes as long as she advanced a class in every ten-day exam, or placed in the top five once she reached Class A. Mu Qingqiang told Zhao Ruxi that her family’s marriage discussions would end her schooling, and Zhao promised to visit her before leaving to meet Xu Xue.

• Madam Cui told Zhao Ruxi she could skip afternoon classes if she advanced a class in each ten-day exam, and set a top-five requirement for Class A.
• Zhao Ruxi met Mu Qingqiang outside the classroom, where Mu said she had turned in her exam early because she could not focus.
• Mu Qingqiang told Zhao Ruxi that her family was arranging a marriage and would no longer let her attend school, then asked Zhao to visit her at home.
• Mu Qingqiang revealed that her father was the Beining County magistrate and criticized the Capital Women's Academy for favoring powerful families and political cliques.
• Zhao Ruxi promised to visit Mu Qingqiang, then left to meet Xu Xue.

Zhao Ruxi took Xu Xue to a bookshop so Xu Xue could sell the story Zhao Ruxi had helped her write, while Zhao Ruxi browsed the books. Shopkeeper Jiang began reading the manuscript, The Bond of Rebirth, but the chapter ended before he gave his judgment or offered a price.

• Zhao Ruxi met Xu Xue after class and took her to a bookshop with Qingfeng and Uncle Lu.
• Zhao Ruxi browsed books while telling Xu Xue to handle selling her storybook herself.
• A shop assistant summoned Shopkeeper Jiang, who greeted Xu Xue and asked to examine her manuscript.
• Xu Xue handed Shopkeeper Jiang The Bond of Rebirth, a story Zhao Ruxi had outlined about a woman whose past-life kindnesses shaped her marriage in the present.

Xu Xue brought her storybook to a shop, where the shopkeeper became engrossed in it and offered to discuss buying it. As he began negotiating with Xu Xue, Zhao Ruxi joined her to help ensure the storybook received a fair price.

• Zhao Ruxi had helped Xu Xue revise a storybook meant to entertain girls and discourage them from sacrificing their lives for love.
• The shopkeeper read Xu Xue’s storybook, became captivated by it, and asked whether she could write more.
• Xu Xue confirmed that she had written the storybook, and the shopkeeper praised her talent and invited her to sit for tea and pastries.
• The shopkeeper asked Xu Xue what price she wanted, while Zhao Ruxi listened and considered how the sale could support Xu Xue’s future writing.
• Zhao Ruxi came over to ask whether the shopkeeper liked the storybook, and Xu Xue eagerly called her sister; the shopkeeper was surprised and glanced at Qingfeng.

Zhao Ruxi negotiated with a bookshop owner to sell Xu Xue’s storybook through a share of the proceeds rather than accept a low fixed price. They agreed on payment of twenty copper coins per copy and added a contract method for tracking sales.

• The shopkeeper offered Xu Xue five taels for her storybook, and Zhao Ruxi argued that its originality could bring customers and future business to his shop.
• The shopkeeper criticized the storybook’s writing and offered six taels if Xu Xue agreed to sell her future books exclusively to him.
• Zhao Ruxi proposed that Xu Xue receive twenty copper coins for every copy sold, and Xu Xue agreed.
• The shopkeeper accepted the revenue-sharing deal, and Zhao Ruxi required the contract to use the printing workshop’s print-run record and the shop’s remaining stock to calculate sales.

Zhao Ruxi negotiated a detailed contract for Xu Xue’s storybook and secured a chance to sell a future book through Shopkeeper Jiang if the first sold well. As they left, Zhao Ruxi explained that the arrangement’s real value lay in building Xu Xue’s readership over time.

• Zhao Ruxi wrote detailed clauses into the contract and explained that the small payment was worth testing Shopkeeper Jiang’s trustworthiness.
• Shopkeeper Jiang asked to secure the rights to Xu Xue’s next book, but Zhao Ruxi made that depend on selling five hundred copies in three months.
• When Shopkeeper Jiang hesitated, Zhao Ruxi proposed trying one book first, and he signed the contract.
• Zhao Ruxi and Xu Xue left the storybook with Shopkeeper Jiang and departed in their carriage.
• Xu Xue questioned whether the arrangement could earn them more, and Zhao Ruxi explained that a successful first book would attract readers to Xu Xue’s future stories.

Xu Xue gained confidence that writing storybooks could give her financial independence, while Zhao Ruxi invited her family to discuss a school and a rental house. Zhao Ruxi then returned to Kang Shilin’s residence and continued teaching the gathered painters, where Kang Shilin asked her to demonstrate another drawing.

• Zhao Ruxi assured Xu Xue that improving her writing could build a readership and bring continuing sales from her earlier books.
• Zhao Ruxi told Xu Xue that Zhao Yuanxun and Lady Zhu had found a school for Xu Chongwen and a house to rent, then invited Xu Xue’s family to dinner.
• Xu Xue agreed to tell her parents about the arrangements and went into the academy as Zhao Ruxi left for Kang Shilin’s residence.
• Zhao Ruxi found Kang Shilin, Zhou Wenbai, and the other students practicing drawings of a cone in the pavilion.
• Zhao Ruxi tactfully corrected Zhou Wenbai’s drawing, then guided the other students around the group.
• Kang Shilin and the students asked Zhao Ruxi to draw another picture as a demonstration.

Zhao Ruxi agreed to help the Court of Judicial Review with an urgent case, and she left with Wu Zong to make portraits in exchange for a chance to buy estates and shops. As they entered the city, she received 100 Wisdom Points and wondered whether the North Academy exam results were out.

• Wu Zong told Kang Shilin that Lord Zhang needed Zhao Ruxi to draw portraits for a case in Yangzhou and proposed teaching the drawing method to officials for a fee.
• Kang Shilin agreed to let Wu Zong take Zhao Ruxi to the Court of Judicial Review, while arranging for officials to learn the method and help pay her tuition.
• Kang Shilin asked Zhao Ruxi whether she wanted to buy estates and shops, and she eagerly agreed to help with the court's request.
• Wu Zong warned Zhao Ruxi that the case might be dangerous, but she trusted him and Kang Shilin and left with him after her master excused her from the drawing lesson.
• As Zhao Ruxi and Wu Zong entered the city, the system awarded her 100 Wisdom Points, prompting her to ask whether the North Academy exam results had come out.