Chapter Summaries

Zhao Yuanxun brought his colleagues to the lavish residence in Ningxi Lane, astonishing them with its scale and splendor. He revealed that Zhao Ruxi had bought the entire estate, then learned that Zhao Jingtai had stayed at his academy instead of coming home.

• Zhao Yuanxun led Zhang Shun and the other officials into the vast residence in Ningxi Lane, where its gardens and buildings left them speechless.
• Ding Fugui asked whether the residence had been inherited or bought, and Zhao Yuanxun said his daughter’s servants had purchased it within the past year.
• Zhang Shun asked which of Zhao Yuanxun’s daughters owned the estate, and Zhao Yuanxun identified his fourth daughter, Zhao Ruxi, who had placed second in the metropolitan examination.
• Zhao Yuanxun asked whether Zhao Jingtai had returned, and a servant explained that the young master had sent a manservant from his academy instead.
• Zhao Yuanxun instructed the servants to set out the feast.

After Zhao Ruxi placed second in the metropolitan examination, Zhang Shun tried to arrange a match between her and his nephew, but Zhao Yuanxun explained that elders including Kang Shilin were choosing her husband. In the capital, candidates gathered for the palace examination and quietly discussed Zhao Ruxi, whose reputation and connections made her a desirable match.

• Zhang Shun praised Zhao Ruxi and offered to introduce his nephew to Zhao Yuanxun as a possible husband for her.
• Zhao Yuanxun declined to decide the matter, explaining that Kang Shilin, his mother, and his wife were involved and that his mother wanted Zhao Ruxi to marry in the capital.
• Zhang Shun learned that Zhao Ruxi was Kang Shilin's disciple and abandoned his proposal.
• Candidates gathered at the East Glorious Gate before the palace examination and exchanged quiet greetings.
• Two candidates speculated about Zhao Ruxi's arrival and status, while another candidate moved away to avoid being associated with their remarks.
• Unmarried candidates considered Zhao Ruxi a desirable match because of her family, learning, connections, and reputation.

Zhao Ruxi arrived at the palace examination as candidates speculated about her appearance and spread rumors that she was ugly. Her graceful entrance revealed her identity to the waiting scholars, who realized that Zhao Zhiwei was the beauty walking toward them.

• Powerful families and candidates who had seen Zhao Ruxi kept quiet about her appearance, while some presented scholars spread rumors that she was ugly and resented her competition for limited official posts.
• Zhu Hehuai waited at the East Glorious Gate so he could accompany Zhao Ruxi into the palace examination.
• Zhao Ruxi arrived in a pale blue outfit and walked toward the gathered candidates with Zhu Hehuai.
• A tribute scholar spotted Zhao Ruxi and drew everyone's attention to her striking appearance.
• Ministry of Rites registrar Mo greeted Zhao Ruxi as Layperson Zhiwei, confirming to the candidates that she was the woman they had been discussing.

Zhao Ruxi arrived for the palace examination, greeted the other tribute scholars, and took her place beside metropolitan graduate Duan Chen. After receiving the exam questions, she prepared to argue for reforms without a violent purge of the noble clans, hoping Xiao Ge would read her essay.

• Zhao Ruxi arrived with her maternal uncle Zhu Hehuai and was escorted by Lord Mo to stand near the front as the second-ranked candidate.
• Zhao Ruxi greeted Duan Chen, who had placed first in the metropolitan examination, before they entered the Hall of Literary Glory.
• Xiao Ge arrived with ministers, encouraged the candidates, and departed after officials distributed the examination papers.
• Zhao Ruxi read the three questions on state reforms, taxation, and criminal law and began planning her responses.
• Zhao Ruxi hoped her essay would reach Xiao Ge and persuade him to reform without bloodshed against the noble clans.

Zhao Ruxi finished and submitted her three palace examination essays early, impressing the candidates and the officials with her speed and calligraphy. As Shanggong Bai escorted her out of the palace, Zhao Ruxi reflected on the constraints of life as a female official.

• Zhao Ruxi wrote and carefully revised all three essays in an hour and a half.
• During lunch, Zhao Ruxi remained composed under the male candidates' gazes, ate sparingly, and copied her answers onto the examination paper.
• Zhao Ruxi submitted her paper and left the examination hall with three palace maids, leaving the candidates astonished and prompting Duan Chen to copy faster.
• Shanggong Bai praised Zhao Ruxi as she escorted her out, and Zhao Ruxi complimented Shanggong Bai's talent.
• Zhao Ruxi considered how Shanggong Bai's high rank still left her a servant without freedom, and felt grateful she had not begun life in the palace.

Zhao Ruxi met the talented palace official Bai Wei after the palace examination, then learned from Lady Zhu about the limited choices facing female officials. Meanwhile, the palace examination papers were submitted and the officials began grading them, with the final rankings expected to rely largely on the metropolitan examination results.

• Bai Wei asked Zhao Ruxi about her exceptional memory, and the two women bonded over their shared love of books before parting at the East Glorious Gate.
• Zhao Ruxi returned to the Earl of Suiping's Residence, reassured Lady Zhu that she had completed the examination, and told her about meeting Bai Wei.
• Lady Zhu explained that educated palace women often entered service because their families had fallen on hard times and described the choices available to them after leaving the palace.
• Zhao Ruxi reflected that women’s independence remained unrecognized and that improving women’s social standing would be a long struggle.
• Duan Chen submitted his palace examination paper shortly after Zhao Ruxi, and the Ministry of Rites divided the submitted papers between two side halls for grading.
• The chapter explained that examiners had to read every paper and that palace examination rankings usually followed the metropolitan examination rankings, with the top three selected from its top ten.

During the imperial examination’s final grading, Li Hongbin and Wu Huaisi were astonished by Zhao Ruxi’s masterful calligraphy and essays, while Shen Wenyong’s prejudice against women threatened to undermine her result. The examiners continued reviewing the top ten papers, with Zhao Ruxi’s standing yet to be decided.

• Li Hongbin received Zhao Ruxi’s paper and admired her calligraphy before recognizing her name.
• Li Hongbin read Zhao Ruxi’s essays on balancing noble clans and humble families, praised their arguments, and wrote glowing comments.
• Wu Huaisi exchanged papers with Li Hongbin, recognized Zhao Ruxi’s work, and began reading it after Li quietly confirmed her identity.
• Shen Wenyong disapproved of Zhao Ruxi as a female candidate and wanted to give her the lowest score with unfavorable comments.

Shen Wenyong reluctantly gave Zhao Ruxi’s essays a fair A-A after finding no faults, while the emperor later reviewed the top ten examination papers and was astonished by Zhao Zhiwei’s calligraphy. Impressed by her essays and artistic talent, Xiao Ge considered naming her a first-tier jinshi.

• Shen Wenyong scrutinized Zhao Ruxi’s three essays but found no faults and gave them an A-A grade with praise.
• Shen Wenyong found the metropolitan examination winner’s essays only evenly matched with Zhao Ruxi’s, while the other candidates’ work fell short.
• Xiao Ge asked Eunuch Xie about the palace examination review and began examining the top ten papers.
• Xiao Ge praised Zhao Zhiwei’s calligraphy, and Eunuch Xie judged it a grandmaster’s work distinct from Master Mingcang’s style.
• Xiao Ge praised Zhao Zhiwei’s talent in calligraphy, painting, and study, and Eunuch Xie realized the emperor was considering naming Zhao Ruxi a first-tier jinshi.

Xiao Ge weighed Zhao Zhiwei’s palace examination essay and learned that she hoped to serve as an official outside the capital, leaving him to consider how to honor her ambition. After the examination, Zhao Ruxi received invitations and visits from fellow successful candidates, including Duan Chen, who planned to call that afternoon.

• Xiao Ge praised Zhao Zhiwei’s essay and reviewed the examination papers, judging her essay and calligraphy the strongest.
• Xiao Ge worried that naming Zhao Zhiwei top scholar would force her into an official career and complicate her marriage prospects.
• Eunuch Xie relayed Mister Kumu’s message that Zhao Zhiwei wished to serve outside the capital and help the common people.
• Zhao Ruxi spent the morning practicing before receiving more than a dozen invitations and two calling cards from successful metropolitan candidates.
• Zhao Ruxi learned that Duan Chen would visit that afternoon and Lu Shanchu intended to visit after the palace examination results were announced.

Zhao Ruxi refused visits from Duan Chen and Lu Shanchu to avoid rumors, while Duan Chen planned to arrange a chance encounter with her. Meanwhile, Princess Xiangyang’s search for a prince consort among the successful examination candidates reflected the court’s preference for men from modest backgrounds.

• Zhao Ruxi instructed Dianjiang to refuse the calling cards and told the gatekeeper to direct anyone from the Ministry of Rites to the Kang Residence.
• Duan Chen received Zhao Ruxi’s refusal and, after confirming she was not betrothed, ordered Wen Yue to watch her residence and arrange a chance encounter.
• Lu Shanchu’s household also received a refusal from Zhao Ruxi.
• Princess Xiangyang, Xiao Ruoyu, became a candidate for marriage after coming of age, and Consort Jin began considering newly successful examination candidates for her prince consort.
• Consort Jin recalled that the imperial family favored prince consorts from modest backgrounds and limited their ability to wield military power.

Consort Jin considered Duan Chen as a husband for Xiao Ruoyu and learned that he had contacted the Earl of Suiping's Residence, as had Lu Shanchu. Xiao Ruoyu again complained about Lu Shanchu, while Consort Jin warned her to stop provoking her.

• Consort Jin ordered a young eunuch to report what he had learned about Duan Chen, her preferred match for Xiao Ruoyu.
• The young eunuch said Duan Chen was unmarried, proud, and from a middling Jiangnan family, but that he knew little about Duan Chen's character.
• The young eunuch revealed that Duan Chen and Lu Shanchu had both sent cards to the Earl of Suiping's Residence and received replies.
• Xiao Ruoyu demanded that Consort Jin have Lu Shanchu killed, and Consort Jin rebuked her for saying so.
• Consort Jin urged Xiao Ruoyu to stop competing with Lu Shanchu, and Xiao Ruoyu said Lu Shanchu had caused them repeated losses despite her low status.

Consort Jin warned Xiao Ruoyu not to provoke Zhao Ruxi and proposed Duan Chen as a potential imperial son-in-law, prompting Xiao Ruoyu to agree to consider him. Zhao Ruxi returned home still waiting for the Ministry of Rites to explain the chuanlu ceremony, and her grandmother urged her not to worry about the palace examination rankings.

• Consort Jin listed the powerful admirers and protectors of Zhao Ruxi and persuaded Xiao Ruoyu to stop provoking her.
• Consort Jin suggested recruiting Duan Chen as an imperial son-in-law, and Xiao Ruoyu agreed to meet him while insisting Zhao Ruxi would not marry him.
• Zhao Ruxi returned from the Kang Residence and learned that no one from the Ministry of Rites had come to explain the chuanlu ceremony.
• Zhao Ruxi told Lady Zhu and the old madam that she had expected to be chosen as chuanlu, but her grandmother urged her to accept that the final rankings depended partly on luck.

Zhao Ruxi waited anxiously with her family for the Ministry of Rites to deliver her official jinshi robes, fearing she had fallen to the bottom of the rankings. Lord Mo explained that the emperor had ordered a special set of women’s robes made for her, leaving her reassured but still awaiting the final rankings at the next day’s audience.

• Zhao Ruxi dismissed her family’s worries and said she would accept whatever outcome awaited her rather than trouble her master.
• Caidie announced that a Ministry of Rites official had arrived, and Zhao Ruxi warned her grandmother and Lady Zhu that the late delivery might mean she had placed last in the third class.
• Lord Mo apologized and explained that the emperor had rejected the original male-style robes and ordered the ministry to design and make women’s jinshi robes for Zhao Ruxi.
• Zhao Ruxi accepted the robes and thanked Lord Mo, while her family took the special imperial order as a sign that her rank might be high.
• The old madam and Lady Zhu refrained from asking about the rankings because they would not be finalized until Zhao Ruxi’s audience with the emperor the next day.

Zhao Ruxi tried on her official robes for the proclamation ceremony, then was awakened before dawn and taken to the imperial palace. She arrived at the palace gates with Zhu Hehuai and her attendants, ready to enter the Hall of Supreme Harmony as the first woman to attend the ceremony.

• Lord Mo declined to stay, and the old madam and Lady Zhu sent him off with pastries and tea.
• Zhao Ruxi tried on the Ministry of Rites’ blue official robes, and the old madam and Lady Zhu praised how well they suited her.
• The old madam ordered the robes guarded overnight and urged Zhao Ruxi to rest before the proclamation ceremony.
• Matron Yuan, Matron Jin, and Matron Zhou woke Zhao Ruxi before four, and Lady Zhu roused her with a cold handkerchief.
• Zhao Ruxi ate a few pastries and traveled by sedan chair to the imperial palace, accompanied by Zhu Hehuai, Ma Sheng, and Lady Luo.
• Zhao Ruxi arrived near the Gate of Heavenly Peace, where the presented scholars would gather before entering the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Zhao Ruxi reached the palace examination gathering with Zhu Hehuai and was guided to the group of newly qualified jinshi. She was named second in the metropolitan examination and entered the palace with the top ten, where Xiao Ge began receiving them in ranking order.

• Zhu Hehuai, Gong Cheng, and Wu Zong met Zhao Ruxi at the Gate of Heavenly Peace, while Lu Shanchu introduced himself before leaving.
• Gong Cheng arranged for an attendant to guide Zhao Ruxi and Zhu Hehuai to the jinshi gathering in the northwest of the square.
• Zhao Ruxi and Zhu Hehuai waited among the jinshi until Lord Mo called the top ten, naming Duan Chen first and Zhao Ruxi second.
• Lord Mo led the ten jinshi into a great hall, where Xiao Ge arrived and summoned Duan Chen to an audience.

Zhao Ruxi explained her views on restraining aristocratic clans to Xiao Ge, who praised her calligraphy and dismissed her. At the ranking proclamation ceremony, Xiao Ge named her the zhuangyuan, defended his decision before the ministers, and Qi Xugu voiced his support.

• Xiao Ge questioned Zhao Ruxi about her essay, and she said rulers had to balance restrictions on aristocratic clans according to their control of the political situation.
• Xiao Ge asked who had taught Zhao Ruxi calligraphy, and she explained that she had copied Master Mingcang's models and received pointers from the County Princess of Qingyang.
• Xiao Ge praised Zhao Ruxi's talent, asked her to send him a piece of calligraphy, and then questioned the remaining candidates.
• The proclamation officer announced Zhao Ruxi as zhuangyuan, stunning Zhao Ruxi, Duan Chen, the newly selected jinshi, and the officials in the hall.
• Xiao Ge defended naming Zhao Ruxi first and challenged the ministers to accept a woman's achievement; Qi Xugu stepped forward and declared that the emperor was wise.

Zhao Ruxi was named the top scholar and prepared to parade down the imperial street with the other first-tier jinshi. Her family, teachers, and supporters celebrated and gathered to watch, leaving the parade about to begin.

• Xiao Ge selected Zhao Ruxi as top scholar, Duan Chen as second, and Ding Lianjin as tanhua, then ordered the three to parade down the imperial street.
• Lord Mo worried that Zhao Ruxi might not know how to ride, but she assured him that she rode well.
• Kang Shilin learned Zhao Ruxi had taken first place and arranged to watch her parade.
• Grand Princess Shangde and the academy teachers celebrated Zhao Ruxi’s result and invited the dowager and Lady Zhu to watch the parade.
• The Earl of Suiping’s Residence received the news, and the dowager and Lady Zhu joined Grand Princess Shangde, Madam Cui, the Princess of Zhennan, and Xiao Ruotong at a teahouse.

Zhao Ruxi rode through the capital as the newly named zhuangyuan, winning admiration from the crowds and noblewomen. The procession continued with her standing as a source of pride to women who began considering how to become independent.

• Xiao Lingyan arranged guards along the street to protect Zhao Ruxi during her procession.
• Zhao Ruxi chose the white horse with a tuft of black hair and mounted it without help, while Duan Chen needed constables to assist him.
• Zhao Ruxi rode out in red official robes and greeted the cheering crowd with a confident salute.
• Men in the crowd praised Zhao Ruxi and withdrew their earlier criticisms of her.
• Noblewomen admired Zhao Ruxi’s achievement, defended her, and reflected on gaining the ability to stand on their own.

Zhao Ruxi’s success inspired women in the capital, while Xiao Sijie accepted that he and Zhao Zhiwei were not destined to be together. At the Qionglin Banquet, Zhao Ruxi kept her distance from other jinshi as Zhu Hehuai protected her from their advances.

• Women at a teahouse praised Grand Princess Shangde and Madam Cui for supporting Zhao Zhiwei and improving opportunities for women, and regretted that they could not attend Beining Women's Academy.
• Xiao Sijie watched Zhao Ruxi pass and, after Mu Mingyuan reminded him of his tenderheartedness and impending marriage to Yunniang, concluded that he and Layperson Zhiwei were not destined to be together.
• Zhao Ruxi completed her circuit of Imperial Street, returned to the palace, changed into her jinshi robes, and prepared to attend the Qionglin Banquet.
• At the banquet, the jinshi warmly congratulated Zhao Ruxi and some married men tried to approach or invite her out.
• Zhu Hehuai kept the men away from Zhao Ruxi, who declined their invitations, so they turned their attention to Duan Chen and Ding Lianjin.

At the Qionglin Banquet, Zhao Ruxi received praise for her poem and declined an invitation to socialize with the other jinshi. Outside the palace, Duan Chen confessed his interest by inviting her on an outing, but she firmly rejected him and walked away.

• Xiao Ge and senior officials briefly addressed the Qionglin Banquet before leaving their deputies to host it.
• Zhao Ruxi composed an above-average poem that earned applause, while Duan Chen won the prize for the best poem.
• Ding Lianjin invited Zhao Ruxi and Zhu Hehuai to tea and dinner, but Zhu Hehuai declined on their behalf and promised to host a gathering another day.
• Duan Chen caught up with Zhao Ruxi outside the palace and invited her to an outing on Guanlan Lake.
• Zhao Ruxi told Duan Chen she was unwilling to go, then left him standing alone.