Episode Guide
Episode 1: Gu Yan and Xi Hua met on the street for the first time.
On a stormy night, the elderly official Hua Yi Zheng of the Hua family was writing a letter on a boat when suddenly a strong wind blew and water flooded onto the boat. In this critical moment, they needed to lower the sails immediately, but the hired servants went on strike due to payment issues. Seeing the situation, the young Hua Zhi acted without hesitation. She picked up a dagger from the ground and climbed up the mast, cutting the canvas to save everyone. >>read more
Episode 2: Gu Yan Xi was ordered to lead the team to raid the Hua family.
Qi Ru Hai said that Gu Yan Xi had been managing the Northern Army for many years, and now he had a strong force under his command. He coveted the capital and plotted to seize the position of the heir. He also presented the secret correspondence between Gu Yan Xi and the rebels as evidence. After Gu Cheng Tao read the secret correspondence, he asked about the mastermind behind the private minting case. Qi Ru Hai said it was Gu Yan Xi. With a command from Gu Cheng Tao, Qi Ru Hai was unexpectedly beaten. >>read more
Episode 3: Gu Yan Xi returned home to visit his younger sister, Shao Yao.
Madam Xia Jin E, who was still in her role as the lady, was loudly ordering the servants to clean the house. Hua Zhi, seeing this, immediately arranged for her own four maids to tidy up and also joined in to help. Old Madam Lin Wan instructed Xia Jin E to take inventory of the things brought from the mansion, and Xia Jin E suggested hiring a few more household servants, saying that it's better to have more help. Lin Wan told her that times have changed and they need to work together and not burden their respective families. Finally, Lin Wan stayed alone with Xia Jin E and asked her to find out the emperor's thoughts. If they were truly unlucky, they would have to quickly find a reliable man, even if it meant marrying into another family, to take charge of their affairs and protect the women and children. >>read more
Episode 4: Chen Zhi deceived the Hua family of all their money.
Lin Wan was deeply grateful for the help of Shen Qi and others. Chen Zhi told Lin Wan that the imperial court had made a decision, and now they should quickly purchase good farmland and gather tenant farmers, which was the best plan. Additionally, they needed to rent several houses in the city for accommodation. Xia Jin E was the head of the household, so Chen Zhi began discussing the specifics with her. Shen Qi explained the matter of posting notices, and Hua Zhi calmly said that what happened yesterday was a failure and there was no need to mention it again in the future. >>read more
Episode 5: Shao Yao recognized Gu Yan Xi as her older brother.
Hua Zhi's cousin, Hua Qin, was doing needlework on the side when she heard Xia Jin E say that Shen Qi had a good character. So she took the initiative to bring Shen Qi over, wanting to repay him for his care by offering herself. When she saw that Shen Qi refused, she simply hugged him and said she was willing to be his concubine. Shen Qi desperately tried to break free but slipped and fell to the ground. This scene happened to be witnessed by Hua Zhi, who had returned. Hua Zhi returned the jade pendant to Shen Qi and told him that he didn't need to come again. Shen Qi, with his own power, couldn't save everyone. What the Hua family needed now was self-reliance. >>read more
Episode 6: Hua Zhi sold peach talismans on the street to make money.
Hua Zhi took her last piece of jewelry and asked Bao Xia to get a table, red paper, and writing supplies. It was New Year's Day, and she wanted to write peach talismans and sell them on the street. This quickly attracted a crowd of onlookers. The common people watched the spectacle and mocked her, but Hua Zhi paid no attention to them. Just as she was being ridiculed, Shen Qi arrived. He put a string of silver coins on the table and asked Hua Zhi for an ink treasure. After she finished writing, Shen Qi praised her and took the talisman before leaving. Seeing that Hua Zhi's calligraphy was good, the onlookers started to take out money to buy the talismans. >>read more
Episode 7: Hua Zhi was approached by Gu Yan Xi after being beaten.
Shen Qi tried to see them off, but Shen's father stopped him and directly knocked Shen Qi down with a stick. Lin Wan and the others waited for Shen Qi for a long time, but he was nowhere to be seen. In order not to waste time, Hua Zhi volunteered to drive to Shili Pavilion. Since the clothes in the car were lighter, Bao Xia simply lay on them to guard the car. >>read more
Episode 8: After Hua Zhi took charge of the household, she freed the maidservants.
After Hua Zhi fell asleep, Lin Wan, worried about her well-being, specifically had someone bring the remaining three beauty pills to her. Zhu Ying Zhen, Hua Zhi's mother, tenderly covered her with a cloak, while Qi Hui Lan, the second Madam, who usually maintained a tough demeanor during the day, knew that Hua Zhi was feeling wronged. So she placed her son's three remaining candies by Hua Zhi's pillow. >>read more
Episode 9: Hua Zhi's sale of red fruit brought a turning point for the Hua family.
Xia Jin E moved into Lin Wan's room under the pretext of taking care of her, but she constantly expressed doubts about Hua Zhi's sale of red fruit. Lin Wan found her incessant chatter tiresome and decided to go to sleep. Finally, under Fu Dong's skilled hands, the red fruit achieved its perfect texture, and Hua Zhi felt it was ready to be sold on the streets. >>read more
Episode 10: Gu Yan Xi saved Hua Zhi at a critical moment.
Due to her mother's long illness, Chen Lu resorted to this plan as a last resort. Lin Wan sympathized with Chen Lu's situation and understood Xia Jin E's intentions, so she punished Chen Lu by withholding her monthly allowance for a year and deducted the money for her mother's treatment from her own share. To dispel Xia Jin E's suspicions, Lin Wan showed her the account book, which showed that Hua Zhi received the same amount of money each month as Qin Yi Niang. >>read more
Episode 11: Gu Yan Xi agreed to let Shao Yao stay at the Hua residence.
When Gu Yan Xi left, he deliberately assigned seven guards to patrol around Zihuang Residence. Shao Yao applied medicine to Hua Zhi's neck and seeing that Hua Zhi was fine, everyone returned to their rooms to rest. Zhu Ying Zhen took the cotton swab from Shao Yao's hand and personally applied medicine to her daughter. Looking at Hua Zhi's wound, she felt sorry and repeatedly apologized to Hua Zhi. She blamed herself for being too weak and for never standing up for Hua Zhi whenever she was bullied. >>read more
Episode 12: Hua Zhi skillfully resolves family conflicts.
Li Gui, in a tough stance, demands that Hua Zhi return to her position as the head of the household, and Hua Zhi reluctantly agrees. Qin Yi Niang refuses to live with Xia Jin E and instead wants to move in with the second lady or even live in the firewood room. After Hua Zhi agrees, the second lady becomes dissatisfied with Qin Yi Niang's arrival. >>read more
Episode 13: Hua Zhi hired Mr. Wu and Mr. Wen to arm the Hua family.
A group of scholars made sarcastic remarks about the Hua family's search for Mr. Wu and Mr. Wen. Shen Qi couldn't help but step forward to defend them. Gu Yan Xi learned that the renowned Confucian scholar Mu Chengzhi was one of the two people Hua Zhi had yet to visit, so he asked Chen Qing to send him a letter. When Mu Chengzhi saw the wax seal on the envelope with the Seven Mansions' emblem, he thought it was a sign of a great disaster, but upon opening it, he found that it was a invitation from the Hua family. >>read more
Episode 14: Yan Xi defined Hua Zhi as his confidante.
Yan Xi took advantage of Lin Wan's deep sleep and sneaked into her room. Li Jizong, drunk and out of control, attempted to force himself on Miss Zhang, who was skilled in embroidery. Miss Zhang's cries attracted Hua Zhi and Yan Xi. Li Jizong turned the tables and threatened Hua Zhi. Yan Xi appeared in time and protected Hua Zhi and Miss Zhang, and reprimanded Li Jizong and Li Gui. >>read more
Episode 15: Hua Zhi's shop attracted a constant stream of customers.
Upon learning that Shen Huan intended to bully Sister Hua, Shao Yao became angry and used acupuncture to help him escape. Hua Zhi rented three shops and decided to open her own business. She continued to share the joy of horse riding with Gu Yan Xi. Meanwhile, Bao Xia and Nian Qiu learned calligraphy, and Fu Dong studied new pastries. >>read more
Episode 16: Hua Zhi discovered that Gu Yan Xi belongs to the Qi Su Division.
Xia Jin E asked Xia Ming to secretly manage the Hua family's accounts to prevent unnecessary worries among the other family members. Hua Zhi asked Hua Ling to become a female teacher and offered a valuable repaired painting as a gift. Hua Ling agreed. In order to prevent the children from becoming craftsmen, Hua Zhi moved the classroom to the training ground and invited experts from various industries to give lectures. Gu Yan Xi took the lead and shared knowledge from the northern region. >>read more
Episode 17: Gu Yan Xi uncovers the truth behind the Lan Yuan fire.
Gu Yan Xi returns the secret letter from the Hua family to them, in order to fulfill a favor for Shao Yao and for some other reason, and he obtains Gu Chengtao's consent. At the Hua family, he candidly admits that besides serving his benefactor, he has also come to investigate the old case of the Ling Wang Mansion. Hua Zhi unexpectedly discovers that the young servant he has been searching for is actually her. >>read more
Episode 18: Gu Yan Xi was punished and had to reflect in the Shengge Temple.
Fu Dong firmly refused to go to the Song family and would rather serve as a servant in the Hua family. Hua Zhi comforted her and promised to protect her. When Gu Yan Xi was feeling restless, he learned about Xiao Shi's suicide. He used Xiao Shi's suicide note to interrogate Gu Yan Xuan about the Zhou family's rebellion. Gu Yan Xuan mistakenly thought that Xiao Shi had reported them and became very panicked. Gu Yan Xuan had previously used Xiao Shi to kill the queen in order to sever ties with the Zhou family and silence those who knew the truth. >>read more
Episode 19: Hua Jing's failed scheme infuriated Lin Wan to death.
Qin Yi Niang confessed that it was Hua Jing who instructed her to frame Hua Zhi. After Hua Zhi learned the truth, she had Qin Yi Niang devise a plan to lure out Yang, the shopkeeper, successfully capturing him and reporting him to the authorities, resulting in the closure of the Song family's pharmacy. Hua Jing, enraged, falsely accused Hua Zhi with the help of Lin Wan, causing Lin Wan's condition to worsen. >>read more
Episode 20: Gu Yan Xi revealed her true identity to Hua Zhi.
Empress Dowager bid farewell to her dear friend of forty years with tears in her eyes, filled with sorrow. As she left the mourning hall, Hua Zhi was grateful for Empress Dowager's grace and envied her for being able to weather the storms with the Hua family. Many people came to pay their respects due to Empress Dowager's arrival. >>read more
Episode 21: Hua Zhi and Gu Yan Xi understood each other's intentions.
Hua Zhi, wearing his grandmother's seal and hairpin, vowed to protect the Hua family. The frenzy over the blind-box-style apple sales at the Hua family's shop led to a scramble, and by chance, Chen Qing selected one with the words "turtle" on it, causing laughter. Gu Yan Xi revealed that he might not be able to attend the morning class on time, while Hua Zhi was fixated on an apple with the character "Yan" on it. >>read more
