Chapter Summaries

Zhao Ruxi agreed to hold a small coming-of-age ceremony, with the Old Madam of Duke of Wei's Residence as principal guest, Zhao Ruyu as attendant, and Xiao Ruotong as assistant. As the ceremony began, Lady Su arrived after the two households had severed ties, and the Earl of Suiping's Residence let her enter before suddenly seizing her attendants.

• Zhao Ruxi persuaded Lady Zhu to hold a small coming-of-age ceremony rather than a grand banquet.
• Lady Zhu arranged the ceremony, and Zhao Ruxi chose the Old Madam of Duke of Wei's Residence as principal guest, Zhao Ruyu as attendant, and Xiao Ruotong as assistant.
• The Old Madam Duchess of Wei began the ceremony by combing Zhao Ruxi's hair and placing her hairpin, which Xiao Ruotong steadied.
• A servant alerted Lady Zhu that Lady Su had arrived, and Matron Ruan went to the main gate to meet her.
• Lady Su said she had come to attend as Zhao Ruxi's aunt, and Matron Ruan allowed her into the residence.
• After Lady Su passed the screen wall, sturdy servant women rushed out and seized the attendants she had brought.

Zhao Ruxi completed her coming-of-age ceremony and received the courtesy name Zhiwei, while her household recorded the costly gifts she received. In a secluded guest courtyard, Lady Su told Lady Zhu that Zhao Yuankun had tried to kill her for her dowry, and explained that Nanny Sun’s warning had saved her.

• Matron Ruan kept Lady Su and her attendants under guard in a secluded guest courtyard until Zhao Ruxi’s ceremony was over.
• The Old Madam of Duke of Wei's Residence performed the second and third capping rites, and Zhao Ruxi changed into the required ceremonial clothes and paid her respects.
• Kang Shilin bestowed the courtesy name Zhiwei on Zhao Ruxi at Zhao Yuanxun’s request.
• After the guests departed, Zhao Ruxi’s household registered her gifts, and Matron Yuan explained that banquet gifts reflected social debts and family standing.
• Lady Su told Lady Zhu that Zhao Yuankun had tried to kill her to take her dowry, and credited Nanny Sun’s vigilance with warning her in time.

Lady Su revealed that Zhao Yuankun had been poisoning her, and Lady Zhu advised her to turn his own methods against him. Lady Su left resolved to act, while Zhao Ruxi learned the truth and agreed to keep it secret.

• Lady Su confessed to Lady Zhu that Zhao Yuankun had bribed her maid to poison her and begged for help.
• Lady Zhu told Lady Su that only she could save herself and hinted that she should turn Zhao Yuankun’s methods against him.
• Lady Su understood the advice, thanked Lady Zhu, and hurried back before anyone grew suspicious.
• Lady Zhu told Zhao Ruxi what had happened, and Zhao Ruxi promised not to tell Grandmother or Father.
• Zhao Ruxi reflected that Zhao Yuankun’s actions threatened Lady Su, her children, and the Earl of Suiping’s Residence, while reporting him could also ruin Zhao Yuanxun and the family.

Lady Su used a poisoned late-night meal to kill Zhao Yuankun and frame Concubine Wu, then arranged the scene to conceal her role. The next morning, she questioned the maids, and Chuntao implicated Xiali by claiming Concubine Wu had sent her to buy medicine.

• Zhao Ruxi warned Lady Zhu to help the third branch discreetly, and Lady Zhu assured her they had planted people there.
• Zhao Ruxi returned to her demanding studies while Lady Su prepared to act against Zhao Yuankun.
• Lady Su poisoned Zhao Yuankun’s late-night noodles and gave Concubine Wu an aphrodisiac, then locked them in together.
• Zhao Yuankun died, and Concubine Wu lost consciousness and later died; Lady Su’s people removed the poisoned bowls and erased traces of the scheme.
• The next morning, Lady Su brought people to the courtyard and questioned the maids who had been on duty.
• Chuntao claimed that Xiali had bought medicine for Concubine Wu and glanced at her after speaking.

Lady Su concealed the circumstances of Zhao Yuankun’s death while the household debated whether to report it to the authorities. After seeing the indecent scene, the clan leader decided the Zhao Family could not risk a public scandal and insisted they keep the matter from the authorities.

• Xiali backed up Chuntao’s account, and Lady Su told Nanny Sun she wanted to report Zhao Yuankun’s death to the authorities.
• The steward arrived, inspected Zhao Yuankun and Concubine Wu’s bodies, and heard Nanny Sun claim that Concubine Wu had used an aphrodisiac.
• Lady Su refused to let anyone touch the scene, arguing that the clan leader and earl might report the suspicious death.
• The clan leader and Zhao Yuanxun arrived, while Lady Zhu comforted Lady Su outside the room.
• After viewing the bodies, the clan leader warned Zhao Yuanxun that a public scandal could harm his official position and declared they could not report the death to the authorities.

After Zhao Yuankun's suspicious death, Zhao Yuanxun accepted the clan chief's explanation and chose not to report it, while Lady Su and Lady Zhu helped keep the truth concealed. Zhao Yuankun was buried, and although a few of his associates doubted the stated cause of death, none pursued the matter.

• Lady Zhu warned Zhao Yuanxun that exposing Zhao Yuankun's death would damage the family's reputation and the children's marriage prospects, and Zhao Yuanxun agreed to proceed with the burial.
• Lady Su grieved for Zhao Yuankun as Lady Zhu and the clan chief promised to support her and her children.
• Zhao Yuanxun summoned Taoist priests to conduct funeral rites, while the clan chief instructed household heads to keep the cause of death quiet.
• After three days of rites, Zhao Yuankun was buried; Lady Su arranged a proper burial for Concubine Wu despite the clan chief's resentment.
• Zhao Yuankun's outside associates learned of his death several days later, and the few who investigated heard the same account that he had died during intercourse but did not pursue an inquiry.

After Zhao Yuankun’s death, Lady Su kept the people who helped her close and turned her attention to raising her children. As the provincial examination neared, Zhao Ruxi rejected the system’s offers to obtain the questions and promote the Fifth Prince, then spent points asking whether Xiao Ke had a system.

• Lady Su rewarded and kept close the people who had helped her kill Zhao Yuankun and Concubine Wu, and they became more loyal to her.
• Zhao Ruxi heard Lady Zhu’s vague account of Lady Su’s actions but chose not to ask for details.
• When the system offered to find the provincial examination questions, Zhao Ruxi refused and scolded it for suggesting cheating.
• The system urged Zhao Ruxi to marry the Fifth Prince, but she rejected the idea and said she was too young to date.
• Zhao Ruxi agreed to spend three hundred points only if the system could answer her question, then asked whether Xiao Ke had a system.
• After hesitating, the system answered that Xiao Ke did not have one.

Zhao Ruxi tested whether Qingfeng could read to determine if another system existed, and the system’s coded responses confirmed her suspicion. She then asked who else was making charcoal pencils, offering the system points for an answer.

• Zhao Ruxi bargained with the system to judge whether Qingfeng could read without risking a direct question about systems.
• Zhao Ruxi wrote numbers for Qingfeng to read, and the system called her stupid for some numbers but stayed silent for others.
• Zhao Ruxi concluded that a second system existed and wondered whether Xiao Lingyan or Zhao Ruyu had it.
• After dismissing Qingfeng, Zhao Ruxi offered the system eleven hundred points to identify who else was making charcoal pencils.
• Zhao Ruxi recalled that Zhou Chun had reported other pencils appearing on the market and explained how she had developed graphite-core pencils with bamboo shafts and thread.

Zhao Ruxi used the system to identify the estate traitor and investigate Guo Jitong, then discovered that Zhao Ruyu had an unrestricted system while hers was restricted. Further questioning revealed Zhao Ruyu had received her system on the day of her coming-of-age ceremony.

• Zhao Ruxi examined a counterfeit charcoal pencil and paid the system to identify an estate servant and Guo Jitong as the people behind the matter.
• Zhao Ruxi sent Qingfeng to deliver a letter to Xiao Lingyan and another to Zhou Chun with the servant’s name.
• Zhao Ruxi tested the system with names and learned that Zhao Ruyu had a system, while Xiao Lingyan did not.
• Zhao Ruxi discovered that Guo Jitong belonged to the Third Prince’s faction, then learned her own system was restricted while Zhao Ruyu’s was unrestricted.
• Zhao Ruxi questioned the system further and learned Zhao Ruyu had obtained her system on the day of her coming-of-age ceremony.

Zhao Ruxi realized why Zhao Ruyu had received a system and reaffirmed that her success came from her own efforts. After ordering Liu Dajiang punished for selling the charcoal-pencil recipe, she received Xiao Lingyan’s reply and a gift of fabric.

• Zhao Ruxi reassured her system that she still valued it and decided not to worry about Zhao Ruyu’s system or the original author’s plot.
• Zhao Ruxi concluded that Zhao Ruyu had been given a system to restore the story’s intended plot, but trusted her own abilities to shape her fate.
• Zhou Chun reported that Liu Dajiang had sold the charcoal-pencil recipe for three hundred taels, and Zhao Ruxi ordered him sent to work as a mine slave.
• Zhao Ruxi read Xiao Lingyan’s letter, which praised her for identifying Guo Jitong’s faction and included newly released fabric from his shop.

Zhao Ruxi began the provincial examination, carefully planning her answers before writing while four examiners watched over her. As the first session continued, Director Jiang started considering a marriage between her and his grandson.

• Zhao Yuanxun escorted Zhao Ruxi to the examination compound and left Ma Sheng and his family to wait nearby.
• Zhao Ruxi met the four examiners, followed the rules, and checked that the examination paper was complete and legible.
• Zhao Ruxi read all the questions, outlined her approach to each, and then began writing her first answer.
• Director Jiang, watching Zhao Ruxi during the examination, began thinking about arranging a marriage between her and his grandson.

Director Jiang admired Zhao Ruxi and imagined her marrying his grandson, while Zhao Jing'an confronted Zhao Ruyu for playing the zither so loudly that it disrupted his studies. Zhao Ruyu persuaded him to let her continue practicing, but Zhao Rurui's accusation made Zhao Jing'an reconsider how close he should be to her.

• Director Jiang grew impressed by Zhao Ruxi and hoped to arrange a marriage between her and his grandson after the provincial examination.
• Zhao Jing'an confronted Zhao Ruyu about playing the zither all day and disturbing his studies.
• Zhao Rurui complained that Zhao Ruyu was wasting the family's money by staying home instead of attending the Capital Women's Academy.
• Zhao Ruyu said she was practicing to win her music teacher's approval, and Zhao Jing'an softened and told her to play more quietly.
• Zhao Rurui accused Zhao Ruyu of bewitching men, and Zhao Jing'an decided he should keep his distance from her to avoid gossip.

Zhao Ruyu reflected on how her prospects had changed in this life and decided to use a system to improve her marriage prospects by buying a Beauty Pill. She resumed practicing the qin to earn points while Fushu went to find the eldest young master.

• Zhao Ruyu recalled that Fu Yunlang had not proposed in this life and feared she would be forced into a poor marriage because her status had fallen.
• A system appeared after Zhao Ruyu's coming-of-age ceremony and showed her a marketplace full of goods she could buy with points.
• Zhao Ruyu saw that the Beauty Pill cost ten thousand points and believed becoming beautiful would help her find a better marriage.
• Zhao Ruyu took leave from the Capital Women's Academy and practiced the qin to earn points, then resumed playing in earnest.
• Fushu left the courtyard to look for the eldest young master.

Fushu worried that Zhao Ruyu was acting as if possessed, and Zhao Jingli and Zhao Jing'an agreed to keep her suspicions secret. Zhao Jing'an took Zhao Ruyu to a temple, and afterward she curtailed her obsessive zither practice and returned to the Capital Women's Academy.

• Fushu told Zhao Jingli and Zhao Jing'an that Zhao Ruyu had been playing the zither incessantly and falling into trances, though she was unsure what was wrong.
• Zhao Jingli warned Fushu that rumors of possession could ruin Zhao Ruyu's reputation, and promised that he and Zhao Jing'an would keep her words secret.
• Zhao Jing'an rejected the idea of inviting religious specialists to the residence and decided to take Zhao Ruyu to a temple to burn incense.
• Fushu returned to Zhao Ruyu without revealing what she had told the brothers, while Zhao Ruyu remained absorbed in practicing the zither for system points.
• Zhao Jing'an took Zhao Ruyu to the temple, and she reassured him by acting lively and talking about their childhood.
• After returning, Zhao Ruyu limited her zither practice and resumed her classes at the Capital Women's Academy.

Zhao Ruyu visited Zhao Ruxi after her provincial examinations and tried to determine whether she had a system. Zhao Ruyu left convinced that Zhao Ruxi did not, though Zhao Ruxi had noticed her test.

• Zhao Ruyu asked Zhao Jingli when Zhao Ruxi had finished her examinations, then waited two days before visiting with Zhao Jingli and Zhao Jing'an.
• The second branch and Lady Su's family paid their respects to the old madam before Zhao Ruyu and her brothers went to see Zhao Ruxi.
• Zhao Ruxi told them she had to wait for the results, while Zhao Jing'an asked about the examination questions and struggled to solve one.
• Zhao Ruyu asked her system whether Zhao Ruxi had one, then said the word "System" aloud while watching Zhao Ruxi's reaction.
• Zhao Ruxi acted confused, and Zhao Ruyu left the Slender Bamboo Courtyard disappointed that Zhao Ruxi had not called her back.

Zhao Ruyu met Mu Qingqiang and Mu Qinglian when they arrived to visit Zhao Ruxi, and learned that they were her classmates. After greeting the household, the sisters joined Zhao Ruxi at the Slender Bamboo Courtyard, where Mu Qingqiang admired its peaceful setting.

• Zhao Ruyu left the Slender Bamboo Courtyard confident that her system would help her surpass Zhao Ruxi.
• Zhao Jingli and Zhao Jing'an encountered the Mu Family carriage outside the Earl of Suiping's Residence and saw Mu Qingqiang and Mu Qinglian step out.
• Mu Qinglian introduced herself and Mu Qingqiang as Zhao Ruxi's classmates, while Zhao Ruyu felt jealous of Zhao Ruxi's connections.
• Matron Ruan welcomed the Mu sisters, who went inside to pay their respects to the old madam and Lady Zhu before meeting Zhao Ruxi.
• At the Slender Bamboo Courtyard, Mu Qingqiang praised the peaceful setting, and Mu Qinglian clarified that she meant it as a compliment.

Zhao Ruxi talked with Mu Qingqiang and Mu Qinglian, learning that the Mu Family had arranged their visit to pursue a marriage alliance with her. After Mu Qinglian invited her to the family horse ranch, Zhao Ruxi declined because she understood the invitation would lead to meeting her proposed match.

• Zhao Ruxi explained her busy schedule to Mu Qingqiang, who said she wished she could study like her.
• Zhao Ruxi encouraged Mu Qingqiang to keep learning, and Mu Qingqiang revealed that she had written an article for Teacher Cui's newspaper.
• Mu Qingqiang said her marriage was undecided, while Mu Qinglian told Zhao Ruxi that her own wedding would take place before the new year.
• Zhao Ruxi realized the Mu Family had sent the two women to cultivate a relationship with her and promote a match with Mu Qingqiang's juren cousin.
• Mu Qinglian invited Zhao Ruxi to ride at the Mu Family horse ranch, but Zhao Ruxi recognized the invitation as a pretext to introduce the prospective groom.

After the Mu sisters visited, Zhao Ruxi received 1,500 Wisdom Points, which she suspected were a reward for her provincial examination result. She refused to spend points to learn her rank early, and her parents sent a servant to wait for the results the next morning.

• Zhao Ruxi declined Mu Qinglian's invitation to ride and agreed to keep in touch with Mu Qingqiang by letter.
• Zhao Ruxi learned that many of her former classmates from Beining Women's Academy were married or betrothed.
• Zhao Ruxi received 1,500 Wisdom Points at dinner and suspected the provincial examination rankings had been decided.
• Zhao Ruxi refused the system's offer to reveal her rank for 200 points and chose to wait for the results.
• Zhao Yuanxun and Lady Zhu rewarded Xiaole and told him to fetch Zhao Ruxi's examination result early the next morning.

Xiaole waited overnight outside the examination compound to check Zhao Ruxi’s provincial examination results, but her name was missing from the list. Back at the Earl of Suiping’s Residence, the gatekeepers heard other candidates’ good news and grew anxious as they waited to learn whether Zhao Ruxi had passed.

• Xiaole went to the examination compound and joined servants waiting overnight for the results to be posted.
• At dawn, Xiaole secured a place near the wall and waited with the other servants for the list.
• When the soldiers posted the results, Xiaole read all seventy-nine names repeatedly but found neither Zhao Ruxi nor Zhao Zhiwei.
• Yamen runners delivered news that a Zhao Family clansman had passed in seventy-fifth place.
• The gatekeepers heard that Lord Wang’s fourth son had placed fifty-third and worried when no news about Zhao Ruxi arrived.

Zhao Yuanxun and Lady Zhu assumed Zhao Ruxi had failed the provincial examination and tried to console themselves. When the red list was posted, Xiaole discovered that Zhao Ruxi had placed first, making her the provincial champion.

• Zhao Yuanxun and Lady Zhu worried that Zhao Ruxi had failed, then reassured themselves that she did not need academic success.
• Xiaole searched the white list, failed to find Zhao Ruxi, and grew dejected.
• Wumo explained that the red list, which named the top three candidates, had not yet been posted.
• The soldiers posted the red list, and Xiaole saw Zhao Ruxi's name at the top.
• Xiaole celebrated Zhao Ruxi's victory and revealed to Wumo that she was also the famed painter Zhao Zhiwei.