Chapter Summaries

Fu Yunkai visited the Earl of Suiping's Residence and indicated that he wanted to marry Zhao Ruxi, delighting the elders without securing their agreement. Lady Zhu went to ask Zhao Ruxi what she thought of the match and found her teasing Zhao Jingtai over his painting practice.

• The old madam and Lady Zhu decided that Fu Yunkai was courting Zhao Ruxi because of her talents, income, and status as Mister Kumu's disciple.
• Fu Yunkai visited the residence, respectfully met the elders, and promised that his future wife would manage his household after marriage.
• After Fu Yunkai left, Zhao Yuanxun told the old madam and Lady Zhu that Fu Yunkai wanted to ask for Zhao Ruxi's hand.
• Lady Zhu and the old madam agreed that Zhao Ruxi's approval mattered, and Lady Zhu went to ask her about the match.
• Lady Zhu entered the Slender Bamboo Courtyard and found Zhao Ruxi tickling Zhao Jingtai for neglecting his painting practice.

Zhao Ruxi interrupted Lady Zhu’s plans to discuss her marriage to Fu Yunkai and warned her family that his proposal was meant to exploit her political value. She explained that the emperor viewed the Fu Family’s military power as a threat, leaving the Zhao elders alarmed as she began outlining the danger facing the Marquis of Pingnan’s Residence.

• Lady Zhu tried to tell Zhao Ruxi about the Marquis of Pingnan’s heroic deeds, but Zhao Ruxi said her senior brother had already discussed them and warned that the political situation was dangerous.
• Zhao Ruxi summoned Zhao Yuanxun to Rongxi Hall so she could explain her concerns to him, Lady Zhu, and the Old Madam together.
• Zhao Ruxi guessed that Fu Yunkai had asked for her hand and said he wanted to use marriage to the Zhao Family to resolve the Marquis of Pingnan’s Residence’s predicament.
• Zhao Ruxi explained that the emperor relied on men from humble backgrounds, while the Cen Family had tied the Fu Family to the Second and Fifth Princes through Fu Yunkai’s appointment as the Second Prince’s study companion.
• Zhao Ruxi said the emperor favored the Third Prince and wanted to escape the Cen Family’s influence, so Fu Dayong’s military command could be at risk if another frontier general distinguished himself.

Zhao Ruxi warned her elders that marrying Fu Yunkai could entangle the Earl of Suiping's Residence in a dangerous struggle for the throne, and they agreed to reject the proposal. She used the discussion to strengthen her influence in the family and urged them to avoid political marriage alliances.

• Zhao Ruxi explained how the Cen and Fu families' alliance could become a target as the princes' succession struggle intensified.
• Zhao Yuanxun asked how anyone could move against the Marquis of Pingnan, and Zhao Ruxi described how rival generals could leave him and his son trapped during an invasion.
• Lady Zhu urged Zhao Yuanxun to reject Fu Yunkai's proposal, and he agreed.
• Zhao Ruxi explained that her ties to Mister Kumu and the civil officials could protect the Fu Family and ease its conflict with other factions.
• Zhao Ruxi privately admitted she had exaggerated the danger to discourage the marriage and establish herself as far-sighted.
• Zhao Ruxi asked her elders not to consider marriage matches for her and to keep the Earl of Suiping's Residence out of court affairs.

Zhao Ruxi warned Zhao Yuanxun to avoid political entanglements, and her family agreed to consult her on household matters. The next day, she encouraged Xu Xue’s writing and arranged to attend the Xu Family’s new-home celebration with her parents.

• Zhao Ruxi warned Zhao Yuanxun that associating with Fu Yunkai and others could draw the family into a dangerous succession struggle, and he agreed to seek her advice.
• The old madam told Zhao Yuanxun and Lady Zhu to avoid outside invitations and consult Zhao Ruxi about family affairs; Zhao Ruxi felt assured that she now had a say in the household.
• Zhao Ruxi went to the academy and shared a meal with Xu Xue at her new residence, explaining that Xu Xue’s first storybook was selling well.
• Xu Xue told Zhao Ruxi that her classmates liked her new story and had bought her book, and Zhao Ruxi encouraged her to keep writing.
• Xu Xue invited Zhao Ruxi’s family to celebrate the Xu Family’s move to the capital, and Zhao Ruxi said they were available over the next two days.

Zhao Ruxi learned that the killer in Yangcheng had been caught and agreed to take in Sun Jiawang, a servant connected to the case. After giving him the temporary name Xiaoming, she prepared to take him to her estate for training.

• Xu Xue told Zhao Ruxi that her family’s newly purchased servants were honest and hardworking, and that her father would use a mule cart to collect her after evening classes.
• Wu Zong told Zhao Ruxi that the killer in Yangcheng had been captured and the case solved after the yamen runners used her portrait to identify him.
• Wu Zong asked whether Zhao Ruxi wanted Sun Jiawang, and she paid one tael of silver for him and asked Wu An to bring him over.
• Sun Jiawang asked Zhao Ruxi for a new name, and she first called him Zhao Jiawang before Kang Shilin warned her against it.
• Zhao Ruxi renamed Sun Jiawang Xiaoming and set off to take him to her estate for training.

Zhao Ruxi checked on the estate’s newcomers and arranged for a newly bought servant, Xiaoming, to join their training. Meanwhile, Zhao Yuanxun refused Fu Yunkai’s marriage proposal, but Fu Yunkai asked whether they could become betrothed now and marry later.

• Wu Zong told Zhao Ruxi that people would soon come to learn painting and reminded her to prepare charcoal pencils.
• Zhao Ruxi visited the estate, introduced Xiaoming to Ma Sheng, and reviewed the newcomers’ progress and evaluations.
• Zhao Yuanxun went to dinner with Fu Yunkai, who asked what impression Zhao Yuanxun’s family had formed of him.
• Zhao Yuanxun tactfully refused Fu Yunkai’s proposal, explaining that Zhao Ruxi and her mother were not ready for her to marry and that Fu Yunkai had to marry soon.
• Fu Yunkai asked Zhao Yuanxun whether they could become betrothed that year and hold the wedding two years later.

Zhao Yuanxun rejected Fu Yunkai’s marriage proposal on Zhao Ruxi’s behalf, and she confirmed she did not want the match. Xiao Lingyan celebrated the refusal and later discussed with Xiao Lingpu why the Earl of Suiping’s Residence had turned Fu Yunkai down.

• Zhao Yuanxun told Fu Yunkai that Zhao Ruxi wanted a husband who shared her interests, and Fu Yunkai accepted the rejection and left after paying for their meal.
• Zhao Yuanxun asked Zhao Ruxi if she would reconsider Fu Yunkai’s proposal, but she said that being a good person did not make him a suitable match.
• A gray-clad figure reported the restaurant conversation to Xiao Lingyan, who rewarded him and wrote a letter in German for another messenger to deliver to Zhao Ruxi.
• Xiao Lingpu summoned Xiao Lingyan and asked how he had known the Earl of Suiping’s Residence would reject Fu Yunkai’s proposal.
• Xiao Lingyan attributed the refusal to Zhao Ruxi’s mentor and senior brothers’ political neutrality, while Xiao Lingpu wondered whether someone in the residence had understood the political risks.

Fu Yunkai returned home after the Earl of Suiping's Residence rejected his marriage proposal to Zhao Ruxi. The next day, Zhao Ruxi met Xiao Lingyan, discussed keeping their meetings discreet, and asked whether the realm could produce springs for her plans.

• Fu Yunkai told the steward that Zhao Ruxi's family had refused his marriage proposal, citing her father's wish to keep her home and her desire for a husband who shared her interests.
• The steward's daughter learned of the refusal, and the steward let her pass the news to the madam and second young master for a reward.
• Zhao Ruxi received a letter from Xiao Lingyan and changed her plans to meet him at his rented house.
• Zhao Ruxi told Xiao Lingyan they should meet less often and communicate mainly by letter so her absences from the painting academy would not attract attention.
• Xiao Lingyan served Zhao Ruxi coconut fresh milk tofu and explained that steelmaking had advanced enough to produce usable steel and, with guidance, spring steel.
• Zhao Ruxi said she had several ideas and asked Xiao Lingyan about the state of iron and steel smelting and whether springs could be made.

Zhao Ruxi and Xiao Lingyan discussed practical ventures that could earn money without provoking powerful interests, settling on mechanical clocks, printing presses, and jadeite. They arranged to pursue the projects cautiously while Xiao Lingyan’s people searched for jadeite and Zhao Ruxi prepared to send trained workers to transport it.

• Zhao Ruxi described alloy spring steel and other materials, and Xiao Lingyan said he would have craftsmen develop new steel for vehicles and clocks.
• Zhao Ruxi proposed making a mechanical clock and explained that she had considered building a printing press but feared its effects on established businesses and workers.
• Xiao Lingyan agreed that introducing a printing press immediately could antagonize prominent families, and Zhao Ruxi also worried about displacing people who earned their living in printing.
• They decided to begin with three money-making projects and discussed selling expensive clocks and eventually printing presses to wealthy buyers.
• Xiao Lingyan said his people were searching for jadeite, and Zhao Ruxi said Zhou Chun and Ma Sheng could lead trained workers to buy and transport it.

Zhao Ruxi and Xiao Lingyan discussed finding skilled craftsmen and making sure Fu Yunlang and Zhao Ruyu followed the book’s intended path. After agreeing to make Fu Yunlang Zhao Ruxi’s business rival, she left Xiao Lingyan’s residence and began looking for craftsmen through brokers.

• Xiao Lingyan promised to find addresses for skilled craftsmen and agreed to contact Zhao Ruxi by letter using a hidden flowerpot at his rented residence.
• Zhao Ruxi warned Xiao Lingyan that Fu Yunlang and Zhao Ruyu had to end up together and that Fu Yunlang needed a successful career to keep the book’s plot from collapsing.
• Xiao Lingyan proposed making Fu Yunlang his business agent, but Zhao Ruxi suggested making him her rival to share the great families’ hostility, and he agreed.
• Xiao Lingyan gave Zhao Ruxi the key to his residence and explained where to leave letters for him.
• Zhao Ruxi visited the estate with Gao Weiqiang, then gave him five broker addresses and silver to seek jade carvers, carpenters, and blacksmiths.

Zhao Ruxi welcomed Xiao Ruotong to the painting academy and discussed the timing of the Court of Judicial Review’s sketching class with Wu Zong. She agreed to teach the class for two months, and Wu Zong said it would likely begin in five days.

• Gao Weiqiang took Zhao Ruxi’s money and rode off to make inquiries before returning to the residence.
• Xiao Ruotong visited the painting academy to learn from Zhao Ruxi and said she would take on additional calligraphy classes.
• Zhao Ruxi taught Xiao Ruotong while Gong Cheng practiced painting cones and cylinders.
• Wu Zong asked Zhao Ruxi how long the Court of Judicial Review’s sketching class would need, explaining that they wanted to learn to draw suspects’ likenesses.
• Zhao Ruxi agreed to teach the class for two months, and Wu Zong said it would probably start in five days with the Court of Judicial Review supplying paper.

Zhao Ruxi discussed her painting-class fees and jadeite jewelry venture with Wu Zong, who accepted her offer to invest the tuition he had paid. After the classes ended, she spoke with Xiao Ruotong about the jewelry designs.

• Zhao Ruxi suggested reducing the number of students sent from each province to avoid gossip, but Wu Zong told her to keep the classes and simply make the money appear harder to earn.
• Zhao Ruxi offered to invest Wu Zong's, Master’s, and Second Senior Brother’s tuition in her jadeite jewelry business and promised them dividends; Wu Zong agreed and said he would ask Eldest Senior Brother to invest three thousand taels.
• Wu Zong gave Zhao Ruxi the County Princess of Qingyang’s tuition and told her that the princess understood she was too busy to draw more designs for the shop.
• Zhao Ruxi checked whether Xiao Ruotong was returning to the capital, then asked to speak with her after most people had left the courtyard.
• Xiao Ruotong said she no longer needed Zhao Ruxi to draw jewelry designs because business at the Gathered Treasures Studio was running smoothly.

Zhao Ruxi encouraged Xiao Ruotong to design jewelry and discussed opening a jewelry shop of her own, while reassuring her that the shops could cooperate rather than compete. After returning to the capital, Zhao Ruxi began gathering suppliers and visiting craftsmen for her new business.

• Zhao Ruxi apologized to Xiao Ruotong for neglecting the Gathered Treasures Studio and persuaded her to try drawing jewelry designs herself.
• Zhao Ruxi told Xiao Ruotong she planned to open a jewelry shop in the capital, and Nanny Yun agreed to let their businesses share suppliers.
• Zhao Ruxi returned to the capital before the city gates closed.
• Shopkeeper Wang gave Zhao Ruxi supplier information, a letter, and a token, then explained the prices of jade and gemstones.
• Xiao Lingyan and the brokers sent Zhao Ruxi addresses for craftsmen, and Zhao Ruxi began visiting them with Broker Zheng's help.

Zhao Ruxi found the jade carver Ge Wu in the poor northern part of the city and asked him to take a commission. After learning she had come through his senior fellow apprentice Wang Jingsong, Ge Wu welcomed her inside, where Zhao Ruxi invited his hesitant wife to join them.

• Zhao Ruxi, Qingfeng, Dianjiang, and Broker Zheng left their carriage and followed a child through the alleys to Ge Wu’s home.
• Zhao Ruxi introduced herself and said she wanted to commission Ge Wu to make jade pieces, but Ge Wu asked who had sent her.
• Zhao Ruxi named Wang Jingsong, and Broker Zheng confirmed that Wang had praised Ge Wu and was concerned for him.
• Ge Wu relaxed after hearing about Wang Jingsong, whose support had helped him after his imprisonment and difficulty finding work.
• Ge Wu welcomed the visitors inside, and Zhao Ruxi invited Mrs. Ge to sit with them when she seemed reluctant to leave.

Zhao Ruxi learned that the Earl of Zhongqin's Residence had ruined Ge Wu's livelihood and was now coercing him to return to its jewelry shop. Knowing the household's future role in the coup and its past betrayal of the Earl of Suiping's Residence, she decided to help Ge Wu.

• Zhao Ruxi offered to help Ge Wu despite his claim that he had accepted another jewelry-shop position.
• Broker Zheng explained Zhao Ruxi's noble connections and her standing as Mister Kumu's disciple, prompting Ge Wu's wife to beg for help.
• Ge Wu revealed that the Earl of Zhongqin's shop had falsely accused him of theft, imprisoned him, and later sabotaged his other jobs.
• Ge Wu said the Earl of Zhongqin's heir had threatened his fellow disciples unless he accepted a poorly paid position, so he refused Zhao Ruxi's offer to avoid endangering them.
• Zhao Ruxi said Ge Wu could refuse the Earl of Zhongqin's shop and resolved to intervene after recalling the residence's future role in the coup and its past treatment of the Earl of Suiping's heir.

Zhao Ruxi hired Ge Wu as the master craftsman for her new silver shop and moved his family to safety after he warned her about angering the Earl of Zhongqin's Residence. She recruited more than twenty craftsmen for three projects and divided them among three residences, leaving Qingfeng puzzled by her arrangement.

• Zhao Ruxi offered Ge Wu a generous position at her silver shop, and he accepted despite fearing the Earl of Zhongqin's Residence.
• Zhao Ruxi arranged a mule cart and moved Ge Wu, his wife, and their children to her residence in the south of the city.
• Zhao Ruxi paid Broker Zheng his fee and asked him to meet her later to visit more craftsmen.
• Over the next few days, Zhao Ruxi tested craftsmen and hired more than twenty jade carvers, carpenters, and blacksmiths for her three projects.
• Zhao Ruxi split craftsmen of the same trade among three residences, and Qingfeng questioned her reasoning as Gao Weiqiang rode beside the carriage looking despondent.

Zhao Ruxi arranged for Gao Weiqiang’s eldest son to join her guards, then confronted Jia Junze after he accused her of taking his silver shop’s craftsman. She threatened to report Jia Junze’s boastful claim to the emperor through her master, leaving their dispute unresolved.

• Zhao Ruxi offered Gao Weiqiang’s eldest son, Gao Sheng, a position as her guard, and Gao Weiqiang gladly accepted.
• Fu Yunlang invited Zhao Ruxi to a teahouse, but she refused because she had no wish to speak with him.
• Jia Junze arrived and accused Zhao Ruxi of hiding Ge Wu, whom he claimed as a craftsman from his silver shop.
• Zhao Ruxi challenged Jia Junze’s claim to Ge Wu and mocked his threat to take whatever he wanted.
• Zhao Ruxi said her master would go to the palace the next day and that she would tell the emperor what Jia Junze had said.

Zhao Ruxi drove Jia Junze away by invoking her master’s protection, then decided to take precautions before traveling to the estate. In a bookshop, she challenged the system over the price of information and argued that she needed to save points for pills to protect herself as future political conflicts grew more dangerous.

• Zhao Ruxi sent Gao Weiqiang to report Jia Junze’s threat, and Jia Junze left after she warned that her master would seek justice if her family were harmed.
• Fu Yunlang denied being Jia Junze’s ally and made way for Zhao Ruxi’s carriage, while privately abandoning his plan to persuade her to marry his brother.
• After the system confirmed Jia Junze had not sent anyone to follow them, Zhao Ruxi asked Gao Weiqiang to borrow two guards and waited in a bookshop.
• Zhao Ruxi bought a bestselling storybook for Xu Xue and asked the system how much it would charge to find information about the capital.
• Zhao Ruxi told the system that she needed to save points for Agility Pills and Great Strength Pills because future political conflicts could put her life at risk.

Zhao Ruxi negotiated lower prices with the system for information, then arranged protection and staffing for the three workshops. She left Ma Sheng and Zhou Chun to review her proposed workshop teams and instructed Zhou Chun to hire cooks through brokers.

• Zhao Ruxi bargained the system down to two thousand points for highly confidential information, one thousand for other important information, and five hundred for information about artisans.
• Zhao Ruxi coaxed the system into a good mood by promising more points, and Gao Weiqiang returned with two guards borrowed from the County Princess of Qingyang.
• Zhao Ruxi explained that she intended to let word spread about Jia Junze's threats, trusting her master to defend her.
• Zhao Ruxi told Ma Sheng and Zhou Chun about the three workshops and proposed assigning the best-performing trainees to manage them.
• Zhao Ruxi gave Ma Sheng and Zhou Chun her staffing plan, then instructed Zhou Chun to hire reliable cooks through brokers.

Zhao Ruxi appointed stewards and supervisors, established performance-based allowances and assessments, and assigned staff to future workshops. She offered bookkeeper positions to six people, including women, and Yunjin agreed to take one.

• Zhao Ruxi appointed Zhou Chun to manage the three workshops and made Ma Sheng her steward, giving each a monthly allowance of six taels.
• Zhao Ruxi appointed Shao Zhengping, Han Yi, and Yang Daxing to manage courtyards and announced monthly assessments, rewards, and penalties.
• Zhao Ruxi told the selected purchasing staff and guards to prepare to go to the workshops the next day.
• Zhao Ruxi offered six people bookkeeper positions, and Zhou Chun questioned whether Zhou Kui'er could serve in the role because she was a woman.
• Zhao Ruxi asked Zhou Kui'er and Yunjin to consider the demands of the job, and Yunjin agreed to become a bookkeeper.