Glory Recap, Plot, Synopsis

Glory Synopsis

Lu Jianglai, a brilliant young scholar who achieves the prestigious title of zhuangyuan (top imperial examination graduate) and is appointed as the magistrate of Chun'an County. He quickly gains fame for solving a series of puzzling cases but is soon dragged into an old, unresolved murder involving a wife's death. This scandal causes his swift fall from grace, transforming him from a rising star in the official world into a man pushed to the brink of ruin and left for dead.

At his most desperate moment, he is rescued by Rong Shanbao, the ambitious daughter of the region's "Tea King." Proud and headstrong, Lu Jianglai had previously clashed with the powerful Rong family over authority, earning Shanbao's deliberate resentment. Seizing the opportunity while he is gravely injured, suffering from amnesia, and his identity is a mystery, she takes him back to her estate and demotes him to the lowest of roles—a stable hand—as an act of revenge.

To evade those who still seek his life, Lu Jianglai plays along, pretending submission while hiding in plain sight. When the Rong family suddenly announces they are seeking a live-in son-in-law to marry into their lineage, it stirs the interest of prominent families across Jiangnan, each arriving with their own hidden agendas. Lu Jianglai unexpectedly finds himself entangled in the competition and, through a twist of fate, becomes a key pawn in Shanbao's intricate game against the various suitors.

Thus begins a battle of wits between the two: one, a shrewd and calculating heiress determined to secure her legacy; the other, a cunning and resilient former magistrate disguised as a lowly servant. As they scheme and challenge each other, their constant rivalry gradually deepens into mutual respect and affection. Together, they brave dangers, unravel the truth behind the old murder case, bring the real culprit to justice, reform the Rong family business, and pioneer new paths in the world of tea. Amidst the sprawling tea plantations, their tumultuous journey blossoms into an extraordinary tale of love and partnership.

Glory Recaps

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Legend has it that in the ancient lands of Linji, the Rong family rose to power as the self-proclaimed descendants of the Kingdom of Women. For over four hundred years, they cultivated vast tea plantations and opened maritime trade routes, amassing wealth and influence that rivaled feudal lords. In this matriarchal society, talented men from across the realm sought to marry into the clan, but it was the eldest daughter, Rong Shanbao, who truly embodied the family’s formidable legacy.

Diligent and decisive, she managed the sprawling business with a focus that surpassed most men. One late night, Shanbao’s carriage rushed back to the estate after she received word of a scandal. She discovered her favorite male companion, Mr. Wang, in a tryst with a recently hired tea farmer named A-yi. Caught red-handed, the panicked Mr. Wang knelt before Shanbao, weeping and claiming he had been seduced.

He hoped their past affection would earn him mercy, but Shanbao recognized his low character and deceit. Ignoring his pleas, she ordered him expelled from the Rong residence immediately. Rather than punishing A-yi, Shanbao led her to a rugged, barren mountain. She explained that while the family owned hundreds of thriving plantations, this particular site was cursed; every precious tea plant moved here withered within three months.

Knowing A-yi was a master of her craft from Yunnan, Shanbao revealed she had hired her specifically to conquer this land. Shanbao promised to grant A-yi any treasure or companion she desired, provided she could transform these desolate peaks into a verdant sea of tea within three years. Three years later, the prosperity of the region was threatened by the mysterious disappearances of tea-picking girls and the theft of rare wild tea seeds.

Determined to uncover the truth, Shanbao disguised herself as a humble tea farmer and allowed herself to be abducted. She was eventually taken to a hidden dungeon by masked men. Meanwhile, a young, ambitious official named Lu Jianglai was conducting his own secret investigation. Disguised as an elderly woman and accompanied by a young girl, Lu sought shelter at Zhang’s Tea Shop during a fierce snowstorm. The proprietress, feigning kindness, offered them hot tea laced with drugs.

Once Lu and his companion appeared to fall unconscious, they were dragged into a hidden kitchen where the staff was processing human remains. Just as a butcher raised his blade, Lu Jianglai sprang into action, revealing his martial prowess. He and his companion neutralized the criminals and signaled the local authorities. Upon searching the premises, Lu’s men discovered a horrific corpse pit filled with "corpse mud" and rescued the surviving captives from the dungeon, including Shanbao.

Constable Liu Ben, who had long profited from his connections to Prefect Xu Song, tried to intimidate Lu. He boasted that his sister was the Prefect’s favorite concubine and suggested that Lu should release him to ensure his own future. However, Lu remained steadfast. When the desperate Liu Ben attempted to assassinate him, Lu’s men executed the corrupt constable on the spot. Lu ordered the body to be displayed publicly for three days as a grim warning.

Before leaving, Shanbao gave Lu a look of deep appreciation for his pursuit of justice. Shanbao returned home to a cold welcome. She discovered that her brother, Rong Shanchang, had tampered with her carriage wheels to delay her return, hoping to hide his embezzlement of family funds before a scheduled audit. Shanbao showed no mercy, sentencing him to kneel outside the ancestral hall for seven days without food. Her homecoming was further soured by the petty bickering of her sisters.

During a gathering with the Old Madam, her second sister acted virtuous while making sharp, veiled criticisms of Shanbao for returning "empty-handed" after the bandit attack. Quietly, Shanbao revealed a packet of the finest wild Zisun tea she had hidden against her body, proving she had not failed and successfully silencing her rivals. In the political arena, Lu Jianglai faced a tense meeting with the Governor and a vengeful Prefect Xu Song.

Lu cleverly handled the situation by detailing the "slanders" Liu Ben had supposedly made about the Prefect’s corruption—including bribes of cricket pots, expensive wine, and cash—effectively threatening Xu Song into silence under the guise of protecting his reputation. Impressed by Lu’s cunning, the Governor assigned him the "Wei family case," an infamous and dangerous mystery involving a man named Wei Kejian accused of murdering his wife, Madam Yang.

As Lu delved into the files, he realized the case was a political minefield. The investigation pointed toward the Rong family, as Madam Yang was last seen attending a birthday banquet at their estate before vanishing.

Recognizing that the powerful "Tea King" family would not easily submit to a common summons, Lu prepared a dual strategy: he sent for a legendary veteran coroner to examine the remaining bone fragments and issued a formal invitation to the Old Madam of the Rong family, resolved to use force if the matriarch refused to cooperate.

In the town of Linji, the powerful Rong family, masters of a vast tea empire, is embroiled in a scandalous murder case. A woman named Madam Yang was killed, and while her husband is the suspected murderer, the victim's associate, Wei Kejian, continues to cry out for justice from prison. Amidst the political pressure, Lu Jianglai is appointed as the Magistrate of Chunning to resolve the matter.

He learns that a suspect may have used Lady Rong’s birthday celebration as a cover to hide within the high-walled Rong Residence. Ignoring warnings about the family’s immense influence, Lu Jianglai arrives at the gates just as the Rong family begins a grand search for a live-in son-in-law for their eldest daughter, Rong Shanbao. When Lu Jianglai threatens to summon the elderly Lady Rong to court, the family retaliates by inciting local scholars to boycott the county examinations.

This political deadlock forces regional officials to turn against Lu, but he silences them by revealing his true identity: he is an Imperial Inspector carrying a secret edict to investigate corruption and redress grievances. He remains determined to exhume Madam Yang’s body for an autopsy by the renowned coroner, Chen. However, Lu's pursuit of the truth makes him a target for those whose interests are threatened. During a late-night journey, Lu is poisoned and betrayed by his own carriage drivers.

After a desperate struggle, he is wounded and falls from a steep cliff. At dawn, Rong Shanbao discovers him while inspecting her tea fields for pests. Finding his face vaguely familiar, she brings him back to the mansion. Though she saves his life with costly ginseng and a rare "Living Dead" elixir, the fall leaves Lu with total amnesia.

Finding only a blood-stained archer's ring on him, and seeing no official reports of a missing magistrate, Shanbao decides to keep him as a humble groom in her stables once he recovers. A year passes, and Lu Jianglai—now a nameless servant—quietly endures his new life. Meanwhile, the competition for Shanbao’s hand intensifies. Wealthy young masters like Yang Dingchen, the arrogant He Xingming of Tiger Hill, and Shanbao’s childhood friend, Wen Can, vie for the family's prestige and precious tea seeds.

The tension peaks when Yang Dingchen’s servant, Wang Lu, encounters Lu Jianglai in the garden. Misled by Lu’s stoic silence and assuming he is a half-deaf laborer, Wang Lu brutally attacks him. Shanbao intervenes, lashing Wang Lu’s hand with her whip and declaring that in the Rong household, respect is earned through virtue and talent, not social rank or gender. While Yang Dingchen is captivated by Shanbao’s strength, he continues to plot against his rivals.

During a lavish banquet at Xinfang Pavilion, the suitors are subjected to a "trial by wine and beauty" to test their character. Several competitors are disgraced and expelled for their misconduct. Amidst the chaos and the internal cruelty of the Rong sisters—where the fourth sister torments the younger Wanwan—Lu Jianglai senses a different danger. Noticing that the lock on Shanbao’s private quarters has been hacked away, he quietly slips inside the moonlit residence, drawn toward the secrets hidden within the mansion's walls.

Rong Yunxi had long harbored a deep-seated resentment toward Rong Shanbao, jealous of the favoritism their grandmother showed her. Seeing the residence teeming with suitors, Yunxi looked for any opportunity to humiliate her sister. She turned her bitterness toward their youngest sister, Rong Yunwan, cruelly labeling her a "cursed wretch" whose difficult birth had ruined their mother’s health and led to her early death.

Shanbao intervened immediately, shielding the innocent Yunwan and sternly reminding Yunxi that their mother had willingly given her life for the girl. She vowed she would never allow Yunxi to harm her. Hidden nearby, Lu Jianglai overheard the sisters' argument, but a slip of his shadow caught Shanbao’s eye. She instantly ordered a full search of the courtyard and sealed the exits.

Realizing he was cornered, Lu Jianglai smeared mud over his face and emerged from the bushes, claiming he was a stable boy who had misplaced a wooden bucket. He whimpered that he had returned at night for fear of being beaten by the steward, and even used a stolen jade pendant to frame another suitor, Wang Lu, for a physical altercation. While Shanbao watched him with a calculating gaze, a servant reported a fire at Xinfang Pavilion.

The commotion was actually a smoke screen created by a scholar named Mr. Bai. He explained that he had seen suspicious figures sneaking into the room of Shanbao's cousin, Wen Can, and had set his own robes on fire to create smoke to drive them away without a scandal. It was later revealed that dancers had been sent to compromise Wen Can's virtue, though the cousin staggered out of the room appearing completely oblivious and drunk.

Once the commotion settled, Lu Jianglai sought a private audience with Shanbao. Suspecting he was hiding from enemies, Shanbao listened as he presented a voluntary indenture. He pledged absolute loyalty, declaring that since she had saved his life after his fall from the cliff, he would serve her forever. Shanbao accepted his vow, granting him the new name "Lu Fusheng" to symbolize his second chance at life, and reassigned him to look after Wen Can.

Meanwhile, another suitor, Song Yifang, was caught by the manager Yan Jingyi attempting to steal a gold candlestick. Shamed by his family’s poverty, he agreed to stay at the Rong estate as a servant rather than a suitor. The next day, the competition intensified. Shanbao’s elder brother attempted to profit by selling information about Shanbao’s personal preferences to the suitors for gold.

When Shanbao learned of his greed, she publicly shamed him and ordered him to kneel outside the ancestral hall as punishment. She then announced that any suitor attempting to cheat would be disqualified. Eager to stand out, Wen Can attempted a grand, eccentric gesture by dressing in armor and using smoke to create a "celestial" entrance, promising to conquer the world for Shanbao.

Unimpressed, Shanbao treated the display as a symptom of madness and had him locked in his room until he regained his senses. As the formal gift presentation began, one suitor presented a gold headdress, claiming it was a five-generation heirloom, but Shanbao recognized it as a recent purchase from Ruifuxuan and had him escorted out for his deceit.

Another wealthy suitor unveiled a literal "gold mountain," offering half his business empire, but Shanbao remarked that his gold was less appealing than simple tea buds from Xishan. Finally, Mr. Bai presented a humble, hand-transcribed copy of the Classic of Tea. Shanbao admired his calligraphy and the effort put into the encyclopedia of tea culture. Ultimately, she informed the crowd that while she would accept none of their gifts, she would send each man a return gift of equal value. She concluded by stating she would send a steward to personally invite the chosen guest for dinner that evening, before calling for Lu Fusheng to follow her.

Early the next morning, following the previous night’s absurd display where Wen Can attempted to win her over with an "armored warrior" persona, Rong Shanbao sought out Lu Jianglai. She sternly warned him against teaching her cousin any more deceptive or eccentric tricks to gain her attention. She noted that Wen Can was simple-minded and easily manipulated, and she would not tolerate anyone using him for underhanded schemes.

Lu Jianglai met her gaze directly, questioning why she viewed him with such inherent malice if they were truly strangers. He even suggested that if she distrusted him so much, she should transfer him to her own Qilan Garden so she could keep a constant eye on him. Shanbao was momentarily silenced by his boldness but chose to keep the secret of their encounter before his memory loss to herself.

Meanwhile, a suitor named He Langjun presented Shanbao with a whip, boasting that he had dealt with a tea merchant who intended to harm her. Shanbao remained cold, rejecting the gift and criticizing his brutal methods, stating that the Rong family lived by their own rules. Elsewhere, Wen Can was incensed to find that while other suitors had received return gifts for their offerings, he had received nothing.

When a servant explained that the eldest miss considered he had not sent a proper gift at all, Wen Can grew flustered and ordered Lu Jianglai to stand guard at the entrance of Qilan Garden, insisting that no other man be allowed in to dine with Shanbao. Lu Jianglai acted as a human barricade at the gate. When Shanbao discovered him there, she reprimanded him for failing to understand the boundaries between master and servant.

Realizing he had overstepped by following Wen Can’s petty orders, Lu Jianglai went to the ancestral hall to kneel in penance. Shanbao had originally invited the scholar Bai Yingsheng for dinner, but her fourth sister intercepted him and took him to her own quarters instead. Despite the sister's provocations, Bai Yingsheng remained steadfast, declaring his singular devotion to his goal of marrying Shanbao. Rather than making a scene, Shanbao sent for Lu Jianglai.

She ordered him to leave his punishment and assist her with the meal. Lu Jianglai was deeply moved by the unexpected proximity, serving her with quiet reverence. The following day, a refined young man named Yan Bailou arrived at the Rong Residence. His wealthy background and impeccable manners immediately won the favor of the Old Madam, who had been eagerly anticipating his arrival despite delays caused by a landslide. To narrow down the suitors, the grandmother announced a martial contest.

The prize was an embroidered ball, and the suitors were required to climb a narrow bridge pier to claim it. The competition was fierce, with many men resorting to ruthless strikes. Wen Can, determined to prove himself, struggled up the structure but soon became dizzy and weak. Lu Jianglai noticed something was wrong and rushed to assist him, discovering that Wen Can’s tea had been poisoned. Despite the danger, Wen Can stubbornly refused to withdraw.

To protect him, Lu Jianglai was forced to knock the young master unconscious and carry him away. He then donned a mask and Wen Can’s outfit, taking his place in the arena to ensure the "cousin" remained in the running. The battle on the bridge reached a fever pitch. As Lu Jianglai and two other powerful contenders reached for the prize simultaneously, their struggle resulted in the embroidered ball being torn to shreds.

With the prize destroyed, the match ended without a victor. Lu Jianglai sustained injuries during the fight. While he hoped Shanbao might visit him, she instead sent a physician and her maid to check on his wounds. Concerned that the treacherous Yang Dingchen would continue to target Wen Can, Shanbao sent a set of protective golden silk armor to her cousin’s room.

Lu Jianglai, arriving after his treatment, felt a sharp pang of jealousy as he watched Wen Can carefully lock the precious gift away. While the other suitors were brawling, Yan Bailou had been invited to Chongxi Hall by the Old Madam. There, he demonstrated the sophisticated "18 Dragon Movements" tea ceremony. He prepared Ganlu Tea using special water and shared rare techniques, explaining that he had learned them at Ganlu Temple.

Yan Bailou confessed a hidden truth: he was supposed to take his monastic vows that very day, but his father had cut off the temple’s food supplies to force him down the mountain. He admitted that while he once thought his devotion to Buddha was unshakable, meeting Shanbao made him realize he was merely an ordinary man. His candidness and air of mystery left Shanbao deeply intrigued.

The revelation of Yan Bailou’s identity creates a sense of crisis within the Rong Residence. As a member of a prestigious family with generations of marriage ties to the Rongs, he is immediately recognized as a formidable rival for Rong Shanbao’s hand. This development forces the other opportunistic suitors, particularly He Xingming and Yang Dingchen, to form an uneasy alliance.

While He Xingming covets the family’s precious tea seeds, Yang Dingchen is driven by a desire for the wealth generated by the maritime tea routes and deep-water harbors. Their immediate goal, however, is to eliminate Lu Jianglai (known in the manor as Fusheng), whom they view as a meddlesome obstacle after he substituted for Wen Can in the martial contest.

To initiate their scheme, Yang Dingchen stages a theft, loudly proclaiming in the courtyard that two gold ingots worth over a thousand taels have vanished from his room. Lu Jianglai quickly senses a trap and warns Wen Can to stay behind closed doors and focus on his studies for the upcoming examinations rather than getting involved in the commotion. That night, the plot escalates when a poisonous green bamboo viper is released into Yang’s quarters, biting his page boy, Jifa.

Amidst the confusion, an unknown person knocks on Lu’s window, falsely claiming Wen Can has been attacked. When Lu rushes out in concern, he is ambushed and restrained by servants who accuse him of planting the snake. Lu is dragged to the central hall to face the gathered suitors. Yang and his allies produce the "stolen" gold, claiming it was found hidden under Lu’s bed, and demand he be flogged or executed according to the law.

They even attempt to implicate Wen Can as an accomplice. Despite the aggressive accusations, Lu remains composed, pointing out the logical inconsistencies in their story. The situation is defused when Rong Shanbao arrives with Yan Bailou. Expressing total confidence in her judgment of Lu’s character, she grants him the chance to prove his innocence.

Lu leads the group to his room, where he reveals a layer of medicinal cinnabar scattered on the floor—material he had previously requested to make a calming sachet for Wen Can. The red powder has captured footprints that do not match his own. By inspecting the servants’ footwear, Rong Shanbao identifies a pavilion servant with red-stained soles. Caught red-handed, the servant’s involvement exposes the scheme, forcing Yang to dismiss the entire affair as a "misunderstanding."

Disgusted by the suitors' behavior, Rong Shanbao directs her anger at Steward Cheng for his failure to manage the guests. In private, it is revealed that Cheng had intentionally allowed the chaos to escalate to expose the suitors' true nature to Rong Shanbao. However, the Head Steward warns Cheng to suppress any secret feelings he may harbor for the lady.

Reminding Cheng that he is merely an orphan taken in by the family, the Head Steward emphasizes that the boundary between master and servant is one he can never cross. Seeking to uncover the truth about the man she is protecting, Rong Shanbao tasks Steward Zhang with investigating Lu Jianglai’s past. She learns a tragic history: Lu was born into a lowly position as a companion to the cruel Luo Chuance.

Despite his status, Lu was a brilliant student who eventually became a top-ranking scholar and a high-ranking imperial official. His father had died years earlier due to a malicious "prank" by the Luo family, yet Lu eventually showed mercy to his former tormentor. Most shockingly, official records state that Lu Jianglai died earlier that year in a shipwreck. Realizing he is a "dead man" hiding from powerful enemies, Shanbao decides the Rong Residence is the only safe haven for him.

The next day, Rong Shanbao invites the suitors to the family’s tea plantations to observe the arduous harvesting of the "First Spring Tea." While the suitors complain about the mud and the physical discomfort of the hills, Lu Jianglai takes a keen interest in the work.

He notices the local laborers treating a particular tea-picking girl with extraordinary reverence, leading him to suspect that the girl is actually Rong Shanbao in disguise and that the family’s operations are far more complex than they appear.

Rong Shanbao decided to put the suitors' sincerity to the test by taking them to the tea plantation for a hands-on competition. Under the guidance of Steward Cheng and a local tea-picking girl named A-yi, the men were instructed on the rigorous standards of harvesting and processing tea. A-yi emphasized that they must only pick the freshest bud heads and work with extreme speed to meet the evening deadline.

While Wen Can felt such manual labor was beneath a gentleman, others like Yang Dingcheng and his companions initially treated the excursion as a leisure trip. However, the atmosphere shifted when Shanbao announced that each man must personally pick and fry their own tea leaves for evaluation. This left many of the pampered suitors scrambling, while A-yi bluntly mocked them for being less capable than the local village men.

During the harvest, Lu Jianglai (still acting as Wen Can's servant, Fusheng) quietly assisted Wen Can, even sharing his own harvest to ensure the young man stayed in the competition. Bai Yingsheng, realizing he lacked the physical stamina for the labor under the scorching sun, decided to feign a fainting spell to escape the work. While the group was distracted by Bai’s collapse, a masked figure took advantage of the chaos.

Using the name of Wen Can's family to lure him away to a secluded slope, the saboteur pushed Wen Can down the hillside. Lu Jianglai was the first to notice Wen Can was missing and rushed to find him lying with broken legs. Acting quickly, Lu organized a rescue. As Shanbao arrived and assisted by tightening the ropes, Lu Jianglai hauled the injured Wen Can up the steep incline on his back.

Despite the ropes cutting into his palms and his shoulders bleeding from the strain, Lu remained stoic. Shanbao watched him closely, her respect for his resilience and character deepening. Once back at the residence, Wen Can’s mother arrived. She revealed that she had been intercepting letters to keep Wen Can's father in the dark about his son's pursuit of Shanbao, as the father viewed the marriage as "selling his son" for wealth.

She encouraged Wen Can to use his injury to gain Shanbao’s sympathy, noting that Shanbao, raised by her grandmother, was wary of calculating men and favored those who seemed guileless. Seeing Lu Jianglai’s injuries, Shanbao personally delivered medicine and fine Wu silk to him. She assigned a servant named Jun Dai to care for him and informed Lu that he no longer needed to serve Wen Can. Most significantly, she returned his jade thumb ring.

As Lu Jianglai placed the ring on his finger, his memories flooded back—revealing his past as a high-ranking official who had been framed before arriving in Linji. The following day, a tea-tasting ceremony was held to judge the suitors. It began with a hidden test of character: the suitors were served water they were told was legendary spring water from Huishan.

While many sycophantically praised the water’s divine quality, Bai Yingsheng remained silent, remembering the advice given to him by the blind Fifth Miss, Yunshu, to "drink more tea and speak less." It was soon revealed that the jars contained only ordinary mountain water, exposing the other suitors as hypocritical flatterers. When the tea leaves were finally judged, He Xingming and Yang Dingcheng produced top-grade samples, while Bai Yingsheng’s tea was rated as medium.

Just as the results were being finalized, Lu Jianglai arrived, dressed in the new robes Shanbao had given him. He presented a batch of tea on behalf of the bedridden Wen Can. Shanbao noticed a unique roasted aroma in the leaves. Lu Jianglai explained that he had used a special warming technique to counteract the dampness from recent rains. Though he had performed the work, he humbly credited Wen Can's instructions and the old tea masters.

Impressed, Shanbao included Wen Can in the next round. This growing favor drew the ire of the stern household manager, Ms. Yan, who confronted Lu Jianglai for overstepping his social standing. However, Shanbao intervened immediately, publicly declaring that Lu Jianglai had her personal permission to move freely within the mansion.

Rong Shanbao publicly asserted her authority by defending Lu Jianglai against the head steward, Mrs. Yan, making it clear that his presence was by her invitation and that no servant should treat him with insolence. Following this, she tasked Lu Jianglai with repairing a sentimental swing in her courtyard.

During their encounter, she offered him a tray of silver for a specific favor: to act as a shield for her cousin, Wen Can, and draw away the jealousy and malice of the other suitors. Lu Jianglai’s pride was deeply wounded; he felt treated as a disposable substitute for her noble cousin despite his life-risking loyalty to her.

While he rejected the role of a "human shield," he remained committed to finishing the swing repairs and protecting Wen Can out of his own sense of duty to Shanbao. Meanwhile, the scholar Bai Yingsheng found himself caught in the schemes of the Rong sisters. He encountered the blind fifth sister, Rong Yunshu, who spoke candidly about her need to marry for status to please the matriarch.

Claiming to help him, she intentionally spilled tea on his robes, forcing him to change. This was a trap; the fourth sister, Rong Yunyin, had his clothes stolen to humiliate him as punishment for previously ignoring her. Lu Jianglai, who had been suspiciously following the group, witnessed the harassment and stepped in to return the clothes, shielding Bai from public shame.

Shanbao arrived shortly after, scolding Yunyin for her bandit-like behavior and personalizing the hospitality by escorting the shaken scholar home. Later, Shanbao invited Bai Yingsheng to a game of chess. Though the scholar was on the verge of victory, he deliberately lost to flatter her. Lu Jianglai, observing from the sidelines, found the scholar’s lack of transparency pathetic.

He interrupted the match by fabricating a story about a medical exam ordered by the matriarch to check all suitors for "hidden ailments" and "skin diseases." Panicked by the potential for further embarrassment, Bai hastily fled. With the scholar gone, Lu Jianglai proposed a deal to Shanbao, promising to handle her suitors more effectively than any "substitute." To create a convincing facade of intimacy, he began pushing her on the swing he had repaired.

Their close interaction quickly drew the ire of the household, especially Yang Dingchen. Yang Dingchen, a ruthless suitor, confronted Lu Jianglai and challenged him to a duel to the death. Despite the danger, Lu Jianglai accepted the challenge for the following day. Fearing for Lu's life, Wen Can visited him and gifted him a precious soft armor vest that Shanbao had originally given to him. Lu eventually accepted the protection, preparing for the struggle ahead.

The next day, the two met in a secluded bamboo grove. Although Lu Jianglai’s skill proved superior and he defeated Yang, the encounter turned deadly when Yang used a blade laced with arsenic and monkshood. Lu Jianglai was struck by the poisoned weapon and fell into a life-threatening state. Upon learning of the treachery, a furious Shanbao ordered the steward to bring Yang Dingchen to the residence to answer for his crimes.

Rong Shanbao was incensed upon learning that Lu Jianglai had been poisoned during his duel with Yang Dingchen. She immediately summoned Yang Dingchen to confront him. Arriving at the scene, Yang remained arrogant, dismissing the situation as a trivial matter involving a mere servant and complaining about his own shoulder injury. However, Rong Shanbao silenced him by clarifying that the household held no indenture contract for Lu Jianglai; as a free man, he deserved full legal protection.

Doctor Zhao was brought in to examine the sword used in the fight, confirming that the blade had indeed been poisoned. Facing this physical evidence and the condemnation of those present—including Yan Bailou, who pointed out that attempted murder was punishable by execution under the dynasty's law—Yang Dingchen became frantic, claiming he was being framed. Sensing an opportunity to resolve the crisis strategically, Lu Jianglai acted magnanimously.

Knowing the Yang family’s influence, he offered to drop the charges to preserve the friendship between their houses. Rong Shanbao agreed to let the matter rest only after forcing Yang Dingchen to pay a significant sum for Lu's medical expenses. The scandal left Yang Dingchen in a rage. Back at his quarters, he began brutally punishing the servant responsible for his sword, accusing him of the poisoning.

Yan Bailou intervened, stopping the violence and suggesting that the true culprit remained at large. Meanwhile, Rong Shanbao returned to Lu Jianglai’s room. Though he appeared to be at death's door, she remained skeptical of his condition. She suspected he had deliberately allowed himself to be poisoned as part of a "self-sacrifice" strategy to eliminate his rivals. Lu eventually admitted he had anticipated the plot and prepared by taking a longevity pill to neutralize the toxin.

Rong Shanbao warned him that her grandmother, Lady Rong, despised men who used such underhanded schemes to stir up trouble. The situation moved to Chongxi Hall for a formal inquiry led by Lady Rong. Yang Dingchen brought forward his servant, who confessed that he had been manipulated into poisoning the blade by He Xingming. He Xingming had hoped to kill Lu Jianglai and frame Yang Dingchen simultaneously to clear his own path to becoming the Rong family's son-in-law.

Lady Rong saw through both men: she viewed Yang Dingchen as a reckless fool and He Xingming as a wicked plotter. She promptly ordered both to be expelled from the Rong residence. Consumed by bitterness over the loss of his family's tea business to the Rongs, He Xingming refused to leave quietly. Deep in the night, Rong Shanbao was jolted awake by a terrifying nightmare.

Driven by her "Tea Bone" intuition, she rushed to the tea garden, fearing an attack on the Dragon Eye well. This well was the vital source of water for the century-old Tea King Tree, which produced imperial tea for the Emperor. At the garden, she found that Lu Jianglai had already intercepted He Xingming just as he was about to poison the well.

Caught in the act, He Xingming showed no remorse, shamelessly demanding to share Rong Shanbao's bed in exchange for the antidote to the poison he had already scattered. Repulsed, Rong Shanbao ordered her men to tie him up and gag him, leaving him in the pouring rain. To save the garden, she ordered all estate wells sealed and directed that irrigation water be brought in from outside.

As the crisis was averted, Lu Jianglai comforted her, noting that her intuition was a good omen for the upcoming Tea Ancestor Festival, the most important day for the tea farmers.

Manager Yan, the Head Maid of the Rong Residence, discovered that her lover had been secretly taking bribes from the He family. Not only had he been unfaithful, but he had also actively aided He Xingming in his attempt to poison the family’s well. When confronted, the man grew insolent, threatening to ruin her reputation by exposing their private affair to the entire city. Manager Yan, however, remained unmoved, declaring that the Rong family cared nothing for idle gossip.

She had him dragged out to receive eighty lashes before being permanently expelled from the mansion. As Rong Shanbao returned to the residence from the tea fields, she encountered a commotion at the gate. An elderly woman named Bo Rui was clamoring for entrance, claiming to be the wet nurse who had raised Shanbao. She told a heart-wrenching tale of walking a thousand miles to escape floods, but Shanbao, watching from behind her sedan's veil, was immediately suspicious.

Bo Rui’s home in Yuzhou was far too distant for a lone woman to travel on foot in such a short time, and her public demand for recognition on the eve of a major ceremony felt staged. Despite the woman’s desperate pleas, Shanbao refused to acknowledge her and ordered the "beggar" to be moved along. Sensing a trap, Shanbao summoned Lu Jianglai to her chambers.

She gave him a jade pendant and tasked him with investigating Bo Rui’s recent movements and identifying anyone in the Rong family she might have contacted. She admitted that her own servants were too conspicuous to be seen investigating, and she trusted Lu Jianglai implicitly, noting that if something happened to her, he might never discover the truth of his own identity. Shanbao’s instincts were correct.

No sooner had Bo Rui been turned away than she was spirited off by the eldest young master, Rong Shanchang. Jealous of Shanbao’s authority over the family business, Shanchang paid the old woman a bag of gold to fabricate a story about Shanbao's past. Bo Rui claimed that Shanbao possessed no innate Tea Bone talent and that her abilities were merely a product of years of secret training orchestrated by the late Madam Su to deceive the family.

Eager for leverage, Shanchang had Bo Rui sign a confession letter, oblivious to the fact that he was being manipulated. This entire scheme had been orchestrated by the second sister, Rong Yunxi, who sought to strip Shanbao of her status. During the solemn Tea Ancestor Ceremony, as Shanbao prepared to offer the first fresh leaves to the ancestors, Yunxi interrupted the rites before the gathered local dignitaries.

She boldly accused Shanbao of being a fraud who had falsely claimed the Tea Bone talent. Bo Rui was brought forward to testify, claiming that Shanbao had only learned tea identification from Elder Shenghui on Mount Putuo to hide her mediocre talent and fool the Old Madam. The situation took a sharp turn when Lu Jianglai arrived, dragging a tied-up Rong Shanchang before the crowd. It was revealed that Shanchang had colluded with Bo Rui to forge the confession.

To settle the matter, a witness named Wang Jing, a neighbor of Bo Rui, was produced. He exposed Bo Rui as a degenerate gambler who had suddenly come into wealth on her journey to Linji, bragging that she would soon extract thousands from the Rong family. Exposed as a liar, Bo Rui tried to flee, but Yunxi, desperate and unyielding, played her final card: she claimed the true Tea Bone was the youngest sister, Rong Yunwan.

Yunwan, who had been kept in seclusion due to her mental fragility, was led out into the spotlight. Terrified and confused, her vacant gaze and timid behavior drew scoffs from the guests. Yunxi aggressively pressured the girl to identify the finest teas, hoping to prove her innate gift. The stress triggered a traumatic breakdown in Yunwan, who began to lash out at Yunxi as if she were a childhood tormentor from her past.

Shanbao immediately moved to protect her sister, shielding Yunwan from the prying eyes of the crowd. She declared that while she cared little for her own status, she would show no mercy to anyone who dared to harm her sister. Disgraced and furious, Old Madam Rong called a halt to the public spectacle. In the privacy of the back courtyard, she unleashed her wrath.

She had Shanchang beaten until he was unconscious and ordered him to be sent to a farm for hard labor, effectively exiling him. Yunxi also faced a severe reprimand for her petty jealousy and for humiliating the family name on such a sacred day. Though the household was in turmoil, the Old Madam maintained a façade of calm for the guests, ordering the ceremony to continue as scheduled once the family matters were settled.

Following the chaos of the tea ceremony, Rong Shanbao addresses Lu Jianglai’s questions regarding the legendary "Tea Bone." She explains that while the Rong ancestors brought tea to Linji, the "Tea Bone" is simply a title for those with exceptional talent, which must still be honed through tireless study. Shanbao reveals she was fully aware of Song Yunxi’s scheme to use their brother, Rong Shanchang, as a pawn, but she turned the tables to draw her enemies into the open.

Lu Jianglai, far from being upset at being used as bait, expresses his gratitude that she trusted him with her safety, noting that he is more than willing to be a useful talent for her to rely on. In recognition of his loyalty, Shanbao offers Lu Jianglai a generous reward of gold ingots and property deeds. However, Lu remains indifferent to the wealth. He hints that material things are not what he desires to stay by her side.

Sensing his feelings, a flustered Shanbao orders him to leave. Though Lu initially fears he is being expelled, Shanbao’s command to "await her orders" gives him hope that he will continue to serve her. The formal tea ceremony resumes, and the Old Madam announces it is time to select a husband for Shanbao. Among the suitors are the scholarly Bai Yingsheng, the gentle Cousin Wen, and Lu Jianglai.

Shanbao approaches Lu Jianglai with a jade pendant, her gaze softening with affection. However, Yang Dingchen intervenes, subtly revealing a jade bracelet on his wrist—a clear sign of blackmail. Trembling under his whispered warning, Shanbao hesitates before placing the pendant into Yang Dingchen’s hands, much to the shock of the Old Madam and Lu Jianglai. In the aftermath, other unions are settled. He Xingming offers a secret tea recipe as a betrothal gift to marry the Fifth Lady, Song Yunshu.

Knowing that Yunshu has been blind since childhood and bullied by her sisters, the Old Madam grants the request after seeing the girl’s consent. Meanwhile, the rejected suitors deal with their disappointment. Lu Jianglai advises Bai Yingsheng that a recommendation letter from the Old Madam is worth more than years of study, convincing the scholar to stay. Cousin Wen confronts Shanbao, but she tells him plainly that his soft nature is ill-suited for the harsh realities of the Rong family.

To show his continued devotion, Lu Jianglai leads servants to clear a neglected patch of land in Shanbao’s courtyard, planting tea trees where she had previously failed. He explains his insight into her "scent-borrowing" methods, using surrounding aromas like magnolia, pine, and osmanthus to flavor the leaves. Shanbao is impressed by his perceptiveness. Lu Jianglai respectfully states that he trusts her choice of a husband, though he remains ready to help whenever she faces a challenge.

Later, the Old Madam sends the tea expert Yan Bailou to assist Shanbao with a low-yield plantation. Feeling jealous, Lu Jianglai accompanies them. While working on the mountain, Lu "accidently" fakes a foot injury, claiming he may have broken a bone. This forces Shanbao to stay and tend to him, while Yan Bailou is asked to return to the mansion first.

Yan Bailou’s carriage soon breaks down, and though Song Yunxi passes by and offers him a ride, he coldly refuses to avoid any impropriety. Song Yunxi mocks his unrequited devotion to Shanbao. Back at the residence, the Old Madam summons Shanbao to express her deep disappointment, comparing Yan Bailou to precious jade and Yang Dingchen to a common stone. Shanbao remains firm in her choice, unable to reveal Yang Dingchen’s blackmail. The Old Madam sighs, warning her that a wrong step now could lead to internal strife that will tear the family apart.

Yan Bailou was heading to a moon-viewing gathering at the invitation of the Old Madam when he was intercepted by Rong Yunxi in the corridor. Yunxi had been making frequent appearances on his usual paths, and Yan Bailou immediately saw through her intentions. When she mentioned their shared invitation and questioned if he looked down on her, he claimed to have caught a cold to avoid the gathering.

He told her a story from his time on the mountain, explaining that while she was as radiant as the moon or the dawn, she was not the specific "star" that had brought him enlightenment. Realizing he was a man of unfathomable depth and "Buddhist rhetoric" who could not be easily manipulated, Rong Yunxi lost interest, dismissing him as a "monk with hair" and telling her maid she found such an oddity disagreeable.

Late that night, Lu Jianglai was unable to sleep, tormented by his love for Rong Shanbao. He went to the large tea tree she often visited, reminiscing about their time together. Rong Shanbao arrived shortly after and, seeing him standing there, recognized him as a man of rare character she did not want to lose. Later, she led Yang Dingchen into the Rong's Ancestral Temple.

Pointing to the dragon and phoenix pillars, she explained that unless a man was truly recognized by a Rong woman, he could never enter the hall. She told Yang that despite the secret he held over the family, he would never be more than a recognized partner in name only, lacking any real status. Enraged, Yang Dingchen reminded her that his secret could destroy the Rong family's century of honor.

He demanded they consummate their wedding on the twenty-fifth, an auspicious day, or he would cause a public scandal. Shanbao, feeling cornered, picked up a camellia flower from where Lu Jianglai had stood earlier to comfort herself as she slept. The weight of the impending marriage hung heavy over the household. Meanwhile, Rong Yunshu asked her suitor, He Xingming, if he would accompany her to offer incense at her mother’s grave.

He Xingming, who had only agreed to the engagement as a temporary measure, reacted with disdain. He insulted her status as a maid’s daughter and scoffed at the idea of paying respects to someone his grandmother despised, warning her that she was a "burden." The next morning, Yang Dingchen shamelessly sent his men to the Rong Residence to prepare the bridal chamber in Qilan Garden, a breach of custom that caused the servants to whisper.

Lu Jianglai, worried that Shanbao could not handle the intrusion, arrived with news of an "emergency" at the tea plantation, claiming sudden rains had flooded the drainage ditches. Taking the opportunity to escape, Shanbao left with him, though Yang Dingchen reminded her to return early for their wedding night. Lu Jianglai drove the carriage toward the busy market to distract her before eventually heading to the docks for a night cruise.

Sitting on the boat, Shanbao admitted she had never felt so peaceful, though her mind was occupied with how to rid herself of Yang Dingchen. She half-jokingly asked if Lu would help her bury a body if she committed murder, and he agreed without hesitation. During their talk, Lu revealed he had read thousands of volumes in the Rong library and was well-versed in music.

He confessed his fear that she would belong to someone else before he could reclaim his identity. Shanbao warned him that being a husband to a Rong woman was the most difficult task in the world, but Lu insisted he wanted to marry her regardless of the cost. Upon returning to the Rong Residence, the sight of the red bridal decorations and Yang Dingchen’s shadow in her room was too much for Shanbao to bear.

She turned away and sought out Lu Jianglai in his room. There, she found him looking at a portrait he had secretly painted of her to keep him company during lonely nights. Moved by his sincerity and desperate to escape her fate with Yang, Shanbao proposed that they become husband and wife that very night.

She suggested they let the moon be their witness and the spring breeze their officiant, stating she didn't care about his past as long as he never deceived her. When Lu asked if their union would last for a night, a month, or a lifetime, she chose the man before her over the one forced upon her by a secret.

Late that night, Rong Shanbao arrived at Lu Jianglai’s room, followed by her maid carrying her washbasin and sleepwear. Seeing the portrait Lu had painted of her, she was touched by his deep affection but teased him for preferring a silent painting over the real person. To avoid the forced arrangements with Yang Dingchen, she decided to spend the night there.

Lu was overjoyed but soon grew anxious, worried that his unknown identity would prevent him from giving her a future. Shanbao remained unfazed, telling him that she cared for who he was now, not who he used to be, and that their future was in the hands of fate. Despite the opportunity, Lu’s integrity prevailed; he refused to take advantage of her without a certain future to offer.

He covered her with a blanket and lay beside her respectfully, and the two spent a platonic night together until dawn. The next morning, Wen—who had stayed in Yan Bailou’s room due to feeling unwell—stepped out with Yan and was stunned to see Shanbao emerging from Lu Jianglai’s quarters. Before the scandal could unfold, a panicked servant reported a gruesome discovery: Yang Dingchen had been murdered in Qilan Garden.

The mansion was instantly thrown into chaos, and the news reached the Yang family, who arrived with government officials to investigate. Among the newcomers was Yang Yitang, the deceased’s twin brother. Though identical in appearance, Yitang was far more composed and calculating than his unruly brother. Magistrate Lang, who had been promoted to his position by the Prefect, led the inquiry.

He was excessively polite to the Rong family, fawning over the Old Madam’s reputation and requesting a formal audience with her. Before the official search began, Lu Jianglai secretly inspected the crime scene. The room was in total disarray, reflecting Dingchen’s violent rage from the previous night. In a quiet corner, Lu discovered a partial bloody footprint. The print was thin and flat with a distinct "five-poison" pattern, suggesting the killer was likely a woman. He carefully sketched the design.

As the officials arrived, Lu watched through a window; the sight of Magistrate Lang’s robes triggered a flash of memory. He recalled a man in similar attire pushing him off a cliff, realizing that Lang had likely risen to power following Lu's presumed death. Shanbao later found Lu and warned him to stay hidden until the killer was found. Magistrate Lang gathered the family and guests for questioning, focusing on the suspicious footprint.

Wen stood up and accused Bai Yingsheng of lying about his whereabouts; while Bai claimed to have been sitting under a pine tree, Wen noted his boots were covered in mud and peach blossoms. Just as Bai struggled to explain, Rong Yunshu stepped in to provide a false alibi, claiming they had spent the night together watching the stars.

This cleared Bai but allowed the 4th sister, Rong Yunxi, to shift the suspicion onto Shanbao, demanding to know where she had spent the night. Despite Shanbao’s earlier warnings to stay out of sight, Lu Jianglai stepped into the hall to protect her. He declared that Shanbao had been with him all night, talking and painting. This provided her with an alibi but left Magistrate Lang pale with terror upon recognizing Lu.

Taking Lu aside for a private conversation, the Magistrate addressed him as a superior. It was revealed that Lu Jianglai was actually an Imperial Inspector who had used a "bitter meat trick" to infiltrate the Rong Mansion and investigate a murder case involving the gentry. As Lang spoke, Lu’s memories finally began to resurface, clarifying the dangerous mission he had been on before his injury.

Inside a private room at the Rong Residence, Magistrate Lang Zhusheng met with Lu Jianglai. Once Lang confirmed that Lu was indeed suffering from amnesia, his subordinates' aggressive posturing vanished, replaced by Lang’s own respectful bows. Lang praised Lu’s "brilliant strategy," claiming he had only been following Lu's lead. According to Lang, Lu had intentionally infiltrated the Rong family to investigate the old Wei family case, while Lang himself had secured a promotion by currying favor with Xu Song.

Lang assured Lu that once they closed the case, the Emperor would surely reward them both. Learning that he was actually an Imperial Inspector personally appointed by the Emperor filled Lu with a sense of triumph, believing this status finally made him a worthy match for Rong Shanbao. Although his memories remained fragmented and dark, he chose to trust Lang for now.

When Shanbao hurried to the room, Lu concealed his inner excitement and did not reveal the details of the Magistrate's claims. Shanbao, however, sensed something suspicious in Lu’s demeanor. She ordered her men to keep a close watch on both the Magistrate and Lu. Her caution proved vital. A few days later, while Lu was out alone, he was cornered by thugs claiming he owed a debt to the Jixiang Casino.

Lu was certain he was no gambler, but the men turned violent, knocking his servant to the ground. Before losing consciousness, the servant managed to release a distress signal. Lu fought back, but the attackers trapped him in a large net. One of the men, clearly aware of Lu's identity, addressed him as "Lord" before raising a dagger to kill him.

Just then, an arrow from a Rong family guard disarmed the assassin, and the thugs fled as more guards arrived. Lu was brought back to the mansion with a bleeding wound on his arm. As Shanbao personally bandaged him, she revealed what her own investigation had uncovered. She confirmed he was the Imperial Inspector sent to Jiangnan but warned him that he had been betrayed and pushed off a cliff.

She urged him to be wary of Lang Zhusheng, whom she believed was a treacherous man looking to silence him forever. While Lu found it hard to fully accept, the immediate attempt on his life made it clear that someone was desperate to see him dead. Meanwhile, internal strife within the Rong family took a dark turn. Rong Yunyin realized that the mysterious footprint found at the crime scene belonged to the simple-minded Rong Yunwan.

She rushed to tell Rong Yunshu, but Yunshu silenced her, preventing her from informing the Old Madam. That night, Yunshu met with He Xingchen to plot against Rong Shanbao. Under Yunshu's pressure, a maid lured Yunwan to the back courtyard by promising that her beloved Mrs. Liang was waiting there. Once they were alone, a figure in white drowned the girl in a rainwater vat. Simultaneously, Lu Jianglai noticed He Xingchen hosting a lavish dinner for Bai Yingsheng.

He found the scene bizarre; given that Bai had recently shamed He, the two should have been enemies. Instead, they were drinking like old friends. He Xingchen continuously pressured Bai to drink, claiming they should put their grudges aside since they would soon be brothers-in-law. By the time the news of Rong Yunwan’s death broke, Bai Yingsheng was in a drunken stupor. Lu went to find him but realized the man was in no state to speak.

Shanbao, who had been away at the tea plantation, returned home to the devastating news of her younger sister’s drowning. Amidst the tragedy, the third sister, Rong Yun'e, made cutting remarks, insinuating that Shanbao’s negligence was to blame—or perhaps that she simply wanted to be rid of the "burden" of a simple-minded sister. Overwhelmed by grief and the cruelty surrounding her, Shanbao sought solace in Lu, weeping against his shoulder for the sister she had lost.

Following the tragic drowning of the simple-minded Rong Yunwan in the back garden, Bai Yingsheng was brought before Old Madam at the Rong Residence for interrogation. A garden patrol claimed to have seen a figure resembling him fleeing near the southeast gate. Bai Yingsheng vehemently denied the accusations, explaining that he had been drinking with He Xingming.

While He Xingming confirmed they shared a meal, he subtly shifted the blame, claiming Bai Yingsheng became intoxicated after only two cups of wine. He Xingming testified that he escorted the drunken man back to his room and knew nothing of his later movements, though he pointedly suggested that Bai Yingsheng had mentioned a secret appointment with the fifth sister, Rong Yunshu.

To further the frame-up, the second sister, Rong Yunyin, intimidated the timid Rong Yunshu into giving false testimony about her meeting with Bai Yingsheng. While Bai claimed the meeting was set for 11 p. m. at the southeast gate, Rong Yunshu—fearing the consequences of defying Yunyin—claimed she had asked her maid, Ye Ju, to set it for 9 p. m. in the west garden.

When Bai Yingsheng reached into his pocket to produce the note that would prove his innocence, he discovered it had mysteriously vanished. Lu Jianglai, who had recently discovered his true identity as a high-ranking imperial investigator, stood firmly by Bai Yingsheng, arguing that he had no motive. During the heated discussion, Rong Yunyin admitted she had previously found a bloodstain belonging to Yunwan in the room where Yang Dingchen was murdered.

She confessed to burning the girl's bloodstained shoe to prevent a scandal, accidentally confirming that the innocent Yunwan might have been silenced for witnessing Yang’s killer. A servant named Hua also came forward, claiming he heard Bai Yingsheng cursing Yang Dingchen as a scoundrel. Sensing a deeper conspiracy, Old Madam ordered Bai and the involved servants to be handed over to the government office for a formal inquiry. The death of Rong Yunwan left Rong Shanbao in profound grief.

Defying family traditions that forbade women from handling funerals, she personally bathed and dressed her sister in a favorite yellow outfit. When Rong Yunyin arrived to discuss the arrangements, Rong Shanbao offered no warmth, declaring that Yunyin was unworthy of being called a sister. Despite pressure from the Old Madam to avoid a public scandal, Shanbao was determined to give Yunwan a dignified burial within seven days. Meanwhile, at the government office, the servants remained silent under pressure.

Lu Jianglai, realizing the truth lay within the gossip of the lower ranks, sent his loyal attendant, Jun Dai, into the prison as an undercover spy. Disguised as a wounded prisoner, Jun Dai quickly identified two suspicious individuals: the servant Hua and He Xingming’s attendant, He Si. Jun Dai orchestrated a trap with the jailers, who suggested a bribe of forty taels could secure a release.

Hua, desperate to escape, offered twenty taels he had hidden away—a sum far beyond a servant's typical savings. Fearing Hua was about to break his silence, He Si attempted to murder him in the cell with a shard from a broken water jug. The two were brought before Lu Jianglai for interrogation. Under the threat of execution, Hua confessed that he had witnessed He Si burning bloodstained clothes before dawn on the day Yang Dingchen died.

He admitted that He Xingming had bribed him with fifty taels to frame Bai Yingsheng. He Si finally admitted he was acting on He Xingming’s orders, confirming that even the bloodstained clothing fragments had been buried as insurance. Armed with this evidence, Lu Jianglai hurried back to the Rong Residence. Meanwhile, a desperate He Xingming sought out Rong Shanbao.

Dropping his facade, he mocked her for fearing the "fake Tea Bone" rumors and confessed to killing both Yang Dingchen and Rong Yunwan. He admitted he had finished off the ailing Yang Dingchen to clear his path and murdered the young Yunwan simply because she had accidentally walked into the room and seen his face.

He tried to coerce Shanbao into a marriage alliance to control the tea trade, but when she rejected him, he took her hostage with a dagger. Rong Shanbao remained calm, deceiving He Xingming by claiming there was a secret treasure and an escape passage leading to the south pier hidden in her room. She directed him to turn a lamp base to activate the mechanism.

As He Xingming was distracted by the prospect of escape, Rong Shanbao managed to break free. Enraged, He Xingming threw his dagger at her just as Lu Jianglai and the government officials burst into the room to arrest the killer.

As He Xingchen lunges at Rong Shanbao with a dagger, Lu Jianglai swiftly intervenes, disarming the attacker and throwing the blade back to strike him in a vital spot. Mortally wounded, He Xingchen dies with a look of regret, his calculated schemes ending in failure. Magistrate Lang Zhusheng arrives shortly after, ordering his men to take the body away and officially closing the case of the recent violence.

After the crowd disperses, Shanbao warns Lu to avoid the Magistrate, who is eager to eliminate him. Lu is well aware of his precarious position; without his official seal or witnesses, he cannot prove his identity as the Inspector General and must remain hidden within the Rong residence for his own safety. However, a nagging doubt regarding the death of the sixth sister, Rong Junwan, keeps him awake.

That night, he leads his attendant, Jun Dai, to the tea mountains to exhume the grave and uncover the truth. At the burial site, they hide as Shanbao arrives to offer cakes and incense. Hearing her speak tenderly to her sister’s spirit, Lu is moved by her genuine grief and decides to abandon the exhumation. Following his exoneration, Bai Yingsheng is met by Rong Yunshu.

It is revealed that Bai was aware of the plot against him but chose to act as a scapegoat to buy Shanbao time for her investigation. Yunshu had also spotted the deception early on and alerted Shanbao, who instructed her to keep the secret. By playing along, they helped resolve the crisis without tipping off their enemies. In gratitude, Shanbao provides Bai with a recommendation letter for his future career in the imperial examinations.

Back at the residence, Shanbao enters a hidden room where Rong Junwan and her godmother, Ms. Liang, are safely tucked away. Realizing the danger her family faced, Shanbao had staged Junwan’s death as a ruse to protect them, successfully moving them to safety where they no longer have to fear internal schemes. Despite the setback, the Yang family persists.

They arrive with more dowry, proposing that Yang Yitang—the twin brother of the deceased Yang Dingchen—take his brother's place in the marriage alliance. Old Madam Rong is struck by the resemblance between the brothers and suggests that Yitang stay in the Xinfang Pavilion for the time being. Yang Yitang, though seemingly mild, is deeply ambitious. His father encourages the match, revealing that the Rong ancestors were descendants of the Kingdom of Women who possessed hidden treasures.

Furthermore, he tasks Yitang with locating a unique string of Bodhi prayer beads belonging to his aunt, who was supposedly murdered by Wei Kejian, warning him to be ruthless if necessary. Tensions rise as Wen Can watches Shanbao personally teach Lu the art of tea appraisal, a skill usually reserved for the family. Consumed by jealousy and suspicious of Lu's ties to the government, Wen Can ignores Yan Bailou’s advice to stay calm and begins spying on Lu.

He eventually intercepts a message Lu was attempting to send out through a servant, claiming it was a gift for the tea masters. Wen Can discovers a secret wax-sealed letter hidden inside a cake and brings it before Shanbao, accusing Lu of being a "wolf in sheep's clothing." Despite the incriminating appearance, Shanbao chooses to trust Lu and dismisses the others.

Once they are alone, Lu explains that the letter was intended for his mentor in the capital, Minister Xu, requesting him to come to Linji to verify Lu’s true identity. Touched by her trust and concerned for his safety, Shanbao orders Lu to move into the side room of her own Hualin Courtyard, where she can personally ensure his protection.

Lu Jianglai’s move into the Hualin Courtyard was an arrangement many men would envy, but for Lu, it was a source of deep anxiety. Occupying the same room as Lady Shanbao without any official status made him feel like a target for scandal, especially with rivals like Yan Bailou, Wen Can, and the newcomer Yang Yitang—who bore a striking resemblance to the deceased Yang Dingchen—watching his every move. Lady Shanbao, however, remained unbothered.

She handed him a stack of reply cards for festival gifts, tasking him with the correspondence while telling him they would discuss the sleeping arrangements later that evening. Left alone, Lu Jianglai realized this was a test of his character. Although he was aware that the room contained a secret mechanism, he maintained his boundaries and focused on his writing until nightfall, refusing to let his curiosity compromise his integrity.

Meanwhile, the arrival of the Dragon Boat Festival brought new tensions to the Rong Residence. Yang Yitang, proving to be far more calculating than his predecessor, had already won the Old Madam’s favor with his charm and the gift of a personal chef famous for preparing exquisite goose webs. Sensing an opportunity to sow discord, Yang Yitang visited Wen Can, who was busy hand-wrapping "Five Blessings Zongzi" for Shanbao.

Yang subtly stoked Wen Can’s jealousy by mentioning an old Rong family custom: the thirty-day trial marriage. He suggested that if Lu Jianglai and Shanbao lived harmoniously for a month, their union would be finalized. While Wen Can was nearly blinded by rage, his servant warned him to stay calm, noting that Yang Yitang was dangerous and had already displaced even Yan Bailou in the Old Madam’s hierarchy.

As evening arrived, Lu Jianglai was ushered into a lavish bath by the servants. The water was infused with jasmine, rose petals, and expensive musk—a sharp contrast to the previous suitors, who were described as coarse men who smelled of sweat. During the scrub, the servant Jun Dai noticed a distinct red mole on Lu’s chest, calling it a sign of a glorious future. Afterward, Lu was brought into the main chamber.

Separated from Shanbao by only a thin curtain, he struggled with his conscience. He knew that if he became intimate with her under the false pretenses of his mission to investigate the Linji case, she would never forgive him. When Shanbao invited him closer, Lu resisted, closing his eyes and reciting classical adages about propriety to maintain his resolve.

Shanbao decided to test him one last time, claiming a servant had left a needle in the bedding and asking him to help her find it. As he hovered near the bed, reciting prayers to avoid looking at what was improper, Shanbao finally relented.

She revealed that she had been testing his limits and, with her doubts dispelled, she shared the secret of her room’s mechanism: a turn to the right was lethal, but a turn to the left could save a life. Having finished her trial, she tossed his bedding onto the floor, informing him he would be sleeping there for the night.

The following day, Lu Jianglai realized that being under Shanbao’s constant supervision made his secret investigation into the whereabouts of a woman named Ms. Yang more difficult. In an attempt to navigate the city more freely, he adopted a high-profile persona, riding through the streets on a magnificent horse with a grand entourage. This display did not go unnoticed.

Clerk Qing spotted him and immediately informed the Prefect and Lang Zhusheng—the man currently impersonating the magistrate—that the Imperial Inspector was indeed alive. Lang Zhusheng, desperate to eliminate the threat, plotted with the Prefect to declare Lu a fraud. Since the "real" Lu Jianglai was officially recorded as dead, they planned to seize this Lu and have him executed for impersonating an official. Back at the residence, the sisters gathered for the festival to drink realgar wine and play chess.

Shanbao used the game to deliver a stern warning to Rong Yunxi. She reminded her sisters that internal division had historically led to the downfall of great families and that the Rong legacy would only endure if they stood united. Despite the lecture, Yunxi remained defiant, arguing against the idea of a single person ruling the family. The tension reached a breaking point when a commotion erupted at the front gate.

A woman named Ms. Luo arrived with three children, loudly claiming to be Lu Jianglai’s abandoned wife. She put on a heart-wrenching performance, threatening to kill herself to prove her claim. To the shock of the onlookers, she declared that her husband had a specific red mole on his chest. When Shanbao called upon Jun Dai to testify, the servant nervously confirmed the mark existed.

To protect the Rong family from public disgrace and the certain disapproval of the Old Madam, Shanbao acted decisively. In front of the gathered crowd, she denounced Lu Jianglai and had him unceremoniously expelled from the residence, leaving him at the mercy of the woman and her children.

After being cast out of the Rong Residence to preserve the family’s reputation, Lu Jianglai is followed by a mysterious woman and her child, who publicly claim he is her husband. At the gates, Xiu Qiong heartlessly orders his belongings to be burned to avoid "dirtying" the property. While others condemn him for his alleged abandoned family, Yan Bailou stands up for Lu Jianglai, recalling how he risked his life for Rong Shanbao.

However, he is warned to focus on his studies at Dongquan Academy to remain a worthy match for the fifth sister, Rong Yunshu. Unbeknownst to the onlookers, Lu’s exile was a calculated move; a light tap on his shoulder from Rong Shanbao earlier that day had served as a silent signal to set a trap for those pursuing him. Lu Jianglai follows the woman to a ruined temple, where she offers him a cake.

Sensing her watchful eyes, he takes a few bites and fakes unconsciousness. Once he "collapses," her accomplice, Clerk Qing from the prefectural office, emerges with a blade to murder him and stage a fire. However, Lu Jianglai springs into action, capturing Qing with the help of the Rong family’s hidden guards. During the scuffle, Lu mocks the idea that he would ever settle for a fraudulent marriage when his standards for a partner are exceptionally high.

Under Lu Jianglai’s stern interrogation in the Rong family’s private prison, Clerk Qing confesses that Prefect Xu Song is behind the assassination attempt. Xu Song is deeply implicated in the old Wei family case and feared the reopening of Madam Yang’s coffin. Lu realizes that while he has the confession, the key to the case remains finding the missing Madam Yang.

Meanwhile, Prefect Xu Song resents the Rong family’s defiance of tax officers and views Lu Jianglai’s presence as a perfect opportunity to frame the family for harboring a criminal and uproot them entirely. Relentless storms soon batter Linji, threatening the tea plantation. Fearing for the crop, Rong Shanbao braves the rain for a day and a night to inspect the fields. She returns soaked and shivering with a high fever.

Lu Jianglai, deeply concerned, pulls her into the room and insists she rest. He laments that while she exhausts herself for the family, her sisters are more interested in power than cooperation. He advises her to "let go" and allow her sisters to take charge, predicting their incompetence will soon be revealed. He also asks Shanbao to promise that if he ever makes a mistake in the future, she will remember his current help and forgive him once.

When Rong Shanbao reports the disaster to the Old Madam at Chongxi Hall, her lingering illness becomes impossible to ignore. The Old Madam orders her to rest and appoints the second sister, Rong Yunxi, and the fourth sister, Rong Yunyin, to manage the plantation. This shift in power immediately goes to their heads. Rong Yunyin arrives at the plantation wielding an iron whip and an arrogant attitude.

She ignores the expert advice of the manager, Yi, ordering the tea trees to be fertilized immediately despite the waterlogged soil. Yunyin even accuses Shanbao of embezzling embankment funds, demanding to see the ledgers and threatening workers with lashes if they follow Shanbao's old methods. While the plantation falls into disarray, Rong Yunxi engages in shady business. She meets with Master He, a tea merchant with a pirate past whom Rong Shanbao had previously banned.

Ignoring family standards, Yunxi accepts his "gifts" and promises him the first harvest of autumn tea in exchange for money. Meanwhile, a hidden secret comes to light as it is revealed that Rong Yunxi is secretly involved with a widower tea seller in Lotus Lane who has two children—a match the Rong family would never permit. The temporary peace is broken by Lu Jianglai’s growing unease.

While tuning his zither, he notices the strings are loose and the wood is damp, signs of extreme humidity. Observing a reddish tint in the southern clouds, he realizes a catastrophic storm is approaching. He attempts to warn Rong Shanbao but encounters Rong Yunshu instead. The blind fifth sister dismisses his concerns, coldly suggesting he focus only on keeping Shanbao company. Her chilling demeanor reveals to Lu Jianglai that she is far more ruthless than her sisters, leaving the Rong family vulnerable to the impending disaster.

Following Lu Jianglai’s warnings of extreme weather, the skies suddenly darkened. At the Rong Residence, Rong Yunyin remained defiant, mocking Rong Shanbao for "wasting" family funds on government embankments. She accused her sister of merely trying to exert authority, dismissing the rain as harmless. However, as Lu Jianglai urged her to look up, the temperature plummeted, and heavy hail began to fall.

Realizing the hail would devastate the tea crops and that the breached dikes posed a lethal threat to the lower fields, a panicked Yunyin rushed to the plantation. Despite suffering from a high fever, Rong Shanbao insisted on heading to the fields to manage the disaster. Her cousin Wen Can tried desperately to stop her, arguing that the harvest was not worth her life, but she remained resolute.

Lu Jianglai, deeply concerned, caught up with her on the treacherous mountain path. Ignoring the risk of landslides, he carried her on his back through the storm to ensure she reached the plantation safely. At the tea fields, Yunyin’s lack of leadership led to chaos. She lashed a worker named A Song, who had collapsed after working three days straight. The laborer A Yi intervened, and the other workers, fed up with Yunyin’s cruelty, declared a strike.

Rong Shanbao arrived just in time to restore order. She publicly disciplined Yunyin, ordering her to take a hoe and clear silt alongside the laborers to understand their hardships. Turning to the workers, Shanbao appealed to their shared history, reminding them that tea was their collective livelihood. By promising extra wages and rice, she successfully motivated them to save the harvest. While the crisis was being managed, He Gui, a ruthless non-native merchant, intercepted Rong Yunxi.

Claiming the Rong family owed him a massive debt of tea, he attempted to kidnap her as collateral. However, Shanbao had prepared for such trouble. Her subordinate, Xiangling, intervened and revealed their knowledge of He Gui’s past crimes in Pingjiang. Informed that his associates were already captured outside the city, the merchant was forced to retreat. Meanwhile, Yang Yitang took advantage of the chaos to sneak into Shanbao's room, searching for clues regarding his "aunt."

Back at the residence, Old Madam was furious over the flooding of eight hundred acres. Yunxi tried to shift the blame to Yunyin’s arrogance but eventually had to admit her own negligence. While Yunyin was sentenced to manual labor at the plantation, Shanbao introduced a young girl to the household. She told Old Madam the child was an orphan of a tea worker killed in the flood.

Privately, however, Shanbao confronted Yunxi, revealing she knew the child was actually Yunxi’s secret daughter from her past entanglement in Fuzhou. Shanbao used this to remind Yunxi that the Rong bloodline must be protected, urging her to raise the girl properly within the family. In secret, Lu Jianglai continued his investigation into the Wei family case. He met a subordinate to discuss finding a ledger belonging to a mistress of Xu Song, which allegedly recorded extensive bribes.

His subordinate worried that Lu’s upcoming marriage into the Rong family would compromise his impartiality, but Lu insisted he would remain fair, even if it meant a future legal confrontation with Shanbao. Suspecting Lu Jianglai had secrets, Yang Yitang began tailing the family’s servants and followed Lu to a tea house. Hoping to find evidence of Lu keeping a mistress, Yang Yitang snuck into the premises but was caught by Shanbao and Xiangling.

He tried to frame Lu, claiming he followed him to investigate "romantic secrets." However, the visit was a ruse; Shanbao and Lu were actually visiting Old Man Hu, an injured master tea-maker. When Shanbao returned home to verify the claims, she found Lu Jianglai calmly discussing elegant magnolia embroidery patterns for their wedding shoes, completely debunking the thief's accusations.

Rong Shanbao remained cautious despite her growing feelings for Lu Jianglai. To verify his movements, she questioned the young servant guarding his door, who confirmed that Lu had remained in his room all morning, occupied with a tailor measuring him for wedding robes. Relieved that Yang Yitang’s claims were false, Shanbao dismissed her suspicions, concluding that Yang was merely a silver-tongued troublemaker trying to sabotage her marriage.

She ordered Yang to be confined to a guest room and forbidden from wandering the estate until the Old Madam decided his fate. Seeking guidance, Shanbao visited her grandmother in the ancestral hall. The Old Madam was in a reflective mood, remarking that while Shanbao was accomplished, she lacked the pragmatism of her second sister, who understood the vast social gap between herself and the men she loved and chose to focus on the family business instead.

The Old Madam then shared a painful secret from forty-two years ago. She had once married a brilliant official who appeared devoted, even eloping with her against his family’s wishes. However, it was a calculated deception; while she was fighting for her life during childbirth, he stole the family’s precious tea seedlings and her own manual on tea cultivation to save his failing family fortune. Years later, ruined and disfigured by debt collectors, the man returned to beg for mercy.

The Old Madam kept him as a slave in the ancestral hall as a living warning to any Rong daughter who might forget her duty for romance. Despite this grim tale, Shanbao was resolute. The Old Madam forced her to kneel and swear a heavy oath: she vowed to prioritize the Rong family’s prosperity above all else. She further swore that if Lu Jianglai ever betrayed the family, he would become her enemy and she would cut all ties.

She finalized this with a poison oath, stating that if she broke her word, her family would be destroyed, her life cut short, and she would die without a place to be buried. As the wedding approached, the atmosphere was a mix of celebration and treachery. Shanbao’s sisters arrived with gifts; the gentle fifth sister, Yunshu, presented handmade fortune beads, while the bitter fourth sister, Yunxi, attempted to offer tea she had harvested.

However, Shanbao realized the tea was burnt and sent Yunxi back to the fields to continue her labor. Meanwhile, internal threats emerged: Steward Cheng, harboring a secret love for Shanbao, leaked the truth that the sixth sister, Rong Yunwan, was actually alive. Simultaneously, Cousin Wen intercepted a secret message intended for Lu.

Though it appeared blank, Wen discovered it contained hidden ink revealed by heat and used it to blackmail Lu, forcing him to choose between the wedding and his secrets. The situation turned critical when Lu Jianglai learned that his associate, Lang Zhusheng, had been captured by the rival official Xu Song while attempting to retrieve a vital ledger. If the ledger revealed that Madam Yang was alive, Lu’s mission would fail.

As the wedding ceremony was set to begin, Lu realized he could not stay. He sent a message to Shanbao, pleading with her to wait while he handled a life-or-death case. Shanbao waited in her bridal finery, but Lu never appeared. The Old Madam was furious at the public humiliation, especially after learning Shanbao had faked the sixth sister's funeral to hide Madam Yang.

When Shanbao learned Lu had headed toward South Tower Lane—where Yunwan and Madam Yang were hidden—she followed immediately. There, she discovered that Lu Jianglai was actually a high-ranking Imperial Inspector. He had reclaimed his official robes and seal, which he had hidden inside a double wall behind a kitchen stove, and was now conducting a raid. Shanbao arrived to find her groom acting as a stern official, arresting Madam Yang and Yunwan.

Though Lu relented and released Yunwan because of her child-like mental state, the damage was irreparable. The man she was supposed to marry had chosen his official duty and his secrets over their union, leaving Shanbao in deep disappointment as their wedding dream turned into a cold political reality.

Following the chaotic disruption of her wedding, Rong Shanbao realized the situation involving the "dead" Madam Yang was far more dangerous than she had imagined. To prevent the scandal from escalating, she immediately sought out Yang Yitang. Though he initially attempted to maintain a facade of ignorance, Shanbao cut him off, revealing she knew exactly why he had come to the Rong residence.

She informed him that the woman he was looking for—his aunt, Yang Yun—had already been taken into custody by the government. Shaken by the news, Yang Yitang hurried away to inform his father. Shortly after, Yang Yitang returned with his father, Yang Jisheng, to appeal to Shanbao. He admitted that while the Wei family had indeed been cruel to Yang Yun and caused her to suffer a miscarriage, the legal implications now threatened to ruin both of their families.

Since Yang Yun was in the hands of the authorities, the Yang family feared her testimony might reveal secrets that could destroy their reputations. During this tense meeting, the sensible Rong Yunshu arrived and stepped in to help analyze the risks for the Yang family, offering strategic advice on how to navigate the impending legal storm. Meanwhile, Lu Jianglai’s mentor, the Grand Secretary Xu, visited the prison. He observed that Yang Yun remained stubbornly silent despite interrogation.

He advised Lu Jianglai that Yang Yun was the linchpin of the investigation and that the case would only move forward if he could convince her to speak. He also warned Lu that the Prefect, Xu Song, would likely be under immense pressure to ensure the case was buried, as a retrial could implicate many officials who handled the original investigation years ago. As the court date approached, Lu Jianglai issued a formal summons to the Rong family.

Knowing that refusing to attend could result in imprisonment, Rong Shanbao accepted the post and prepared to face her former fiancé in court. Grand Secretary Xu also attended the hearing with his daughter, Xu Meiying. Having heard of Lu Jianglai’s brilliance from her father, Meiying was eager to witness his performance. Back at the Rong residence, the atmosphere was thick with resentment.

Shanbao’s staff were furious, calling Lu Jianglai an ungrateful man for turning on the woman who had saved his life. However, the Old Madam was more concerned with the family legacy. She expressed her frustration to Rong Yunshu, arguing that while saving one woman’s life was a small kindness, protecting the livelihood of thousands of tea workers and a century of family reputation was the greater good.

She feared that being accused of harboring a criminal would destroy the Rong family name. The trial began with a confrontation between Yang Jisheng and the woman claiming to be his sister, Yang Yun. In a shocking display of betrayal, Yang Jisheng refused to acknowledge her, insistently claiming his sister had died years ago. He suggested that the woman was an imposter found by the Wei family to overturn the original verdict.

Hearing her own brother lie so brazenly after he had once sold her and tried to drown her broke Yang Yun’s silence. Driven by ten years of suppressed agony, she erupted in court, detailing her brother’s history of greed. She recounted how he had been expelled from the Songhe Academy and whipped thirty times by their father, and how he had sent her into the abusive Wei family just to secure tea fields for himself.

She even revealed that when she tried to return home, he had drugged her and attempted to kill her at the well. Lu Jianglai supported Yang Yun’s testimony and ordered Yang Jisheng to be taken into custody for perjury. As the first day concluded, Meiying looked at Lu Jianglai with deep admiration. However, the victory was short-lived. That night, Xu Song visited the jail to see the broken Wei Kejian.

He realized that a simple bribe of food was enough to make the delirious man confess to anything. Xu Song planned to use this "confession" to force a quick end to the case. Lu Jianglai found himself unable to sleep, dreading the next day when he would have to face Rong Shanbao on opposite sides of the law. He was torn between his official duty and his desire to protect her.

When the court reconvened, Xu Song brought in Wei Kejian. Reeking and mentally shattered, Wei Kejian began screaming that he was the murderer, though he couldn't even recognize the woman standing before him. Xu Song immediately pushed for the case to be closed, claiming the murderer had confessed and therefore the woman in court must be an imposter. The situation grew more dire when a woman named Madam Zhang appeared to testify.

She claimed that the woman in court was actually a prostitute named Dongling who had been a concubine in Luzhou before escaping her service. Madam Zhang even pointed to a specific brand on the woman’s arm as proof. Yang Yun wept in despair, claiming the mark was merely a childhood scar, but she realized her identity was being systematically erased. Seeing the misery of the woman they had sheltered, Rong Shanbao’s eyes turned red with tears.

Distressed by the emotional toll on Shanbao and the conflicting testimonies, Lu Jianglai was forced to adjourn the court again. In the aftermath, Shanbao met with Yang Yitang in the flower hall. She reprimanded him for his family's underhanded tactics with the false witness, but Yitang argued it was a matter of survival for the Yang clan.

To prevent her sixth sister, Rong Junwan, from testifying and potentially ruining the Rong family's reputation by confirming Yang Yun's true identity, Shanbao decided to send her away. That night, she arranged for Rong Junwan to be moved to a remote tea plantation, ordering that she remain hidden until the legal battle was finally over.

Believing the situation was firmly under his control, Yang Yitang visited Rong Yunshu to express his gratitude. It was her suggestion to fabricate a shameful identity for Yang Yun, branding her a prostitute to ensure that no one in court would believe her testimony. Rong Yunshu smiled coldly, mocking Yang Yitang for having the stomach to follow through with such a malicious scheme despite her being the one who provided the idea.

As a token of appreciation for her strategic brilliance, she accepted a luminous pearl from him, though she privately found it ironic to gift such an item to a "blind" woman. Meanwhile, the investigation into the decade-old Wei family case reached a critical point. Lu Jianglai, realizing he needed a new approach, disguised himself as a traveling physician and visited the home of the late Wei Laowu. There, he found an elderly woman and her granddaughter living in extreme poverty.

The woman, Wei Laowu’s mother, wept as she recounted her son’s wrongful death and how he had only received a small amount of rice and cash as a "reward" for helping the Wei family find a missing bride. During the visit, Rong Shanbao discovered an old walking cane. Lu Jianglai noted that both the grandmother and the girl suffered from a severe hereditary eye condition known as "cerebral night blindness."

This discovery proved that Wei Laowu, who shared the same affliction, would have been physically incapable of navigating a dark, rainy night to transport or bury a body. The trial resumed the following day. Lu Jianglai brought Wei Laowu’s mother and daughter to the prefectural office to testify.

Although Xu Song attempted to shield the defense by dismissing the witnesses as a blind woman and a child, Lu Jianglai used medical texts to explain their condition, proving that the dark, rainy night of the crime would have rendered Wei Laowu completely sightless. To further expose Yang Jisheng, Lu Jianglai ordered him and Yang Yun to write down the medical history and prescriptions of the late Master Yang.

While Yang Jisheng faltered, Yang Yun provided detailed information that matched the records of the renowned physician Gao Shuwei. Lu Jianglai then exposed Yang Jisheng’s heinous crimes: how he had mistreated his father, sent his illegitimate half-brother to a temple to secure his inheritance, and even broke his dead father’s fingers to snatch a jade pendant.

When the focus shifted to the Rong family’s role, Steward Cheng pulled Rong Shanbao aside, relaying the Old Madam’s warning that the family’s interests must come before all else. Torn, Shanbao initially claimed she did not know Yang Yun’s true identity. However, Lu Jianglai then called upon Rong Yunyin and the simple-minded Rong Yunwan to testify. Yunwan immediately recognized Yang Yun as the "Ms. Liang" who had raised her for ten years and presented childhood drawings as proof.

Fearing the Rong family would be charged with harboring a fugitive, Yang Yun desperately tore the drawings and falsely confessed to being a fraudulent prostitute. Infuriated and looking for an excuse to end the trial, Xu Song ordered her to be beaten with forty strokes. Unable to watch her foster mother suffer, Shanbao finally broke her silence.

She testified that the woman was indeed Yang Yun and presented a blood-stained garment saved from ten years ago as evidence, explaining she had waited for an upright official to arrive before revealing the truth. With the truth revealed, Lu Jianglai sentenced Yang Jisheng and stripped Xu Song of his official robes, ordering his arrest for his years of corruption and obstruction of justice. The people of Linji cheered for the arrival of true justice.

However, the victory came at a high cost for Shanbao. Back at the Rong Residence, the Old Madam was livid that Shanbao had ignored her warnings and invited trouble by involving the family in a scandal that offended powerful hidden forces. Encouraged by Rong Yunshu’s subtle instigations, the Old Madam refused to see her. Shanbao knelt in the pouring rain to beg for forgiveness until she eventually collapsed into the arms of Yan Bailou.

Determined to find the true mastermind, Lu Jianglai visited the imprisoned Xu Song. Terrified, Xu Song hinted that the person behind the scenes was too powerful to challenge without causing national turmoil. Just as he was about to reveal the name, he suddenly died from poison hidden in the food sent by his own family. Following the case's resolution, Wen Can’s father arrived to take him away from Linji.

Before departing, Wen Can found Shanbao and urged her to be cautious, revealing that the tip regarding Yang Yun’s location had been deliberately leaked by someone within the Rong family. Meanwhile, Yang Yun chose to leave the Rong Residence to live in seclusion, finally reclaiming her own name after a decade of hiding.

Before leaving Linji, Wen Can warns Rong Shanbao to remain vigilant, as someone within the Rong Residence is plotting against her. Despite his usual jealousy, he offers a parting word of sincerity, suggesting that the refined Yan Bailou is a suitable match for her. Meanwhile, Yang Yun’s efforts to clear the Wei clan's name result in her being branded a wicked woman by her husband's family.

With the Yang family facing ruin, she decides to renounce the secular world and become a nun at Jijian Nunnery. Lu Jianglai, the newly appointed Prefect of Linji, ignores numerous marriage proposals from wealthy families to wait for Shanbao at the nunnery. When they meet, Shanbao is cold, reminding him of the oath she swore before her ancestors: if her future husband acts against the Rong family, she must sever ties or face a shortened life and a broken family.

Lu argues that since they are not yet wed, the oath is not in effect. He then swears a counter-oath before the Bodhisattva, praying that Shanbao receives all the merit of his deeds while he alone bears any karmic retribution. To test his sincerity, Shanbao challenges Lu to harvest tea from an ancient wild tree growing on a dangerous cliff atop Misty Mountain. Lu accepts and scales the cliff with only a rope.

Shanbao watches him from a distance with a bow and arrow, remembering her grandmother’s command to punish anyone who betrays the family. She fires a shot but purposely misses, unable to release a second arrow. When her cousin Xiangling urges her to be ruthless, Shanbao explains that Lu is a rare, upright official; she believes the Rong family’s business can only thrive if Linji has a clean government.

Lu returns with tea cuttings, and at the Rong Residence, Yan Bailou helps plant them, noting it would be a waste to discard what Lu risked his life to obtain. However, the mood shifts when a mysterious man in a conical hat visits Yang Yun at the nunnery. Shortly after, Yang Yun is found dead by suicide. Lu’s investigation reveals no signs of poison or struggle, but the loss deeply affects Shanbao.

When Shanbao asks to handle the burial, her grandmother refuses and further insults the mentally disabled sixth sister, Rong Junwan, calling her a disgrace who should remain on the mountain. Shanbao finally reaches her breaking point and defies her grandmother, arguing that the true spirit of the Rong family—handed down from their matrilineal ancestors—was based on sheltering the weak, not the heartless pursuit of prestige. Infuriated, the grandmother expels Shanbao, warning her that she will lose everything if she leaves.

Shanbao departs with Junwan and settles at her private tea plantation on Green Mountain. Later, the fifth sister, Rong Yunshu, visits to persuade Shanbao to apologize and return home. During their walk near Yang Yun’s grave, Shanbao notices that Yunshu’s reactions suggest she might not be as blind as she claims.

Meanwhile, Lu Jianglai receives word that the mysterious man from the nunnery, Yang Yitang, has fled to the Provincial Governor’s office, prompting him to pursue the truth despite the political danger.

Lu Jianglai visited the Governor, only to witness the high official publicly punishing Yang Yitang and seizing crates of gold intended as bribes. The Governor boasted of his own frugality and legal integrity, claiming that in thirty years of service, he had remained beyond reproach, living simply among books bestowed by the Emperor. Lu Jianglai, however, remained wary.

He petitioned for the release of officials like Fan Wende and Yu Cheng, who were still imprisoned over the old Wei family case, but the Governor dismissed them as incompetent and threatened harsher penalties. Lu was forced to appeal for leniency, citing the upcoming Longevity Festival as a time for mercy. At the tea plantation, the Rong sisters faced a harsh new reality.

Rong Shanbao refused to indulge the youngest sister, Rong Yunwan, ordering her back to her room after she picked the tea buds incorrectly. When a startled ox nearly caused a disaster, Shanbao skillfully subdued the animal herself. She sternly warned Rong Yunyin that the family's survival depended on their mastery of the trade—from identifying quality tea to surviving desert sandstorms.

Shanbao shared the heavy burden she had carried since her youth, recalling the cold reality of the first time she had to defend a caravan with a blade. Meanwhile, at the Rong Residence, Rong Yunshu officially revealed that her sight had been restored, attributing the miracle to the acupuncture and medicinal regimen of Doctor Sun. While the Old Madam was overjoyed, Rong Yunxi grew suspicious of Yunshu’s calculated, pitiable act, sensing she was a "wolf in sheep's clothing."

To ensure the safety of the upcoming tea shipment, the Old Madam sent her long-time personal steward, Ms. Yan, to lead the caravan to the border. This left the internal management of the residence and shops to the seemingly filial Yunshu and the local managers. Lu Jianglai made a secret night visit to Shanbao at the plantation to discuss the suspicious death of Madam Yang. While the official verdict was suicide, Lu doubted the report.

He revealed that Yang Yitang had been in the city attempting to bribe officials when the death occurred, meaning he could not have been the tall man seen at the nunnery. Before leaving, Lu urged Shanbao to keep hating him if it meant she would never forget him, promising to help her reclaim her lost status.

Despite her exile, Shanbao’s thoughts remained with the household; she sent a pair of fur knee pads and a letter to Ms. Yan to protect the elderly steward’s health against the bitter northern winds. As the tea caravan prepared to depart with extra horses to account for the winter weather, Yunshu exploited the busy household. She sent servants away on errands, allowing her to tamper with the Old Madam’s medicinal soup.

She was caught by Bai Yingsheng but quickly put on a pitiable front, claiming she was secretly adding beneficial herbs like Chuanxiong and Kudzu root to prevent the Old Madam from suffering a stroke. Although his friend, Yan, warned him that Yunshu was manipulative, Bai remained steadfast in his devotion to her. Elsewhere, Yang Yitang was released after receiving forty lashes.

He immediately met with a disgruntled Manager He to plot a strike against the Rong Residence, knowing the estate was vulnerable now that its best defenders had left with the caravan.

Yang Yitang, now a desperate fugitive, seeks out Rong Yunshu to demand funds for his escape. He reminds her of their past collusion, where she used him to orchestrate Rong Shanbao’s expulsion from the family. Now, he blackmails her for a share of the Rong family's private treasury. While Yunshu’s maid suggests reporting him, Yunshu devises a "one stone, two birds" scheme.

She views Yang Yitang as a weapon she can manipulate, waiting to see who this "knife" will ultimately strike. Late that night, while Yunshu is with her grandmother, bandits storm the Chongxi Hall. They enter through a secret tunnel in the Hualin Courtyard, bypassing the outer guards. The intruders demand the key to the family treasury, threatening the Old Madam.

In a calculated display of devotion, Yunshu throws herself in front of her grandmother, taking a sword wound to her shoulder. This act of sacrifice deeply moves the Old Madam, securing Yunshu's position as her most trusted granddaughter. Word of the attack reaches Lu Jianglai, who gathers his men and heads to the mansion. Rong Shanbao also rushes back, but she is met with cold hostility.

Because the tunnel’s existence was common knowledge and the guard rotation schedule had been personally managed by Shanbao, the Old Madam is easily convinced that the robbery was Shanbao’s act of revenge for her earlier expulsion. Yunshu feigns a defense for her sister, pleading with her grandmother not to misunderstand, but her words are carefully chosen to fuel the Old Madam’s rage. Overwhelmed by the betrayal and the shock of the raid, the Old Madam collapses.

In the aftermath, Yunshu reveals her true nature to Shanbao, noting that while it only takes 728 steps to walk from her courtyard to the grandmother’s hall, it took her sixteen years of patient scheming to finally arrive. Meanwhile, the trap continues to close. Governor Jiang Yiqian, who views the Rong family as a thorn in his side, arrives at the tea plantation with soldiers.

During the raid, his men "discover" stolen gold and the Old Madam’s personal prayer beads, which had been planted to frame Shanbao. Lu Jianglai arrives just in time to stop Jiang from arresting her. He argues that because the value of the theft exceeds 5,000 taels, the law dictates it must be handled by him as the imperial envoy. To save Shanbao from Jiang’s certain brutality, Lu takes her into his own custody.

Jiang reluctantly agrees but imposes a harsh condition: if Lu cannot find the real culprits within ten days, he will be flogged and stripped of his office. Lu places Shanbao in a secure cell, frustrated by her calm silence and her failure to defend herself against such an obvious frame-up. With Shanbao in prison and the Old Madam incapacitated, Yunshu seizes control of the household.

She bars Rong Yunxi and Xiangling from the grandmother’s quarters, claiming she is merely following orders for the Old Madam to rest. The sisters quickly realize they had underestimated Yunshu’s cold ambition. Even the opportunistic third sister, Rong Yune, seeing which way the wind is blowing, decides to defect to Yunshu’s side and helps enforce the lockdown. To further solidify the case against Shanbao, Jiang Yiqian tortures the tea slaves from the plantation, forcing them to sign false confessions.

He aims to prove that Shanbao was not only harboring bandits but also training a private army for rebellion. Meanwhile, Bai Yingsheng confronts Yunshu about the robbery. He brings up the tragic history of her parents—how the Old Madam’s cruelty had led to her mother’s death and her father’s ultimate despair.

Realizing that Yunshu orchestrated the framing of her own sister out of a thirst for revenge, he gives her an ultimatum: she must leave with him for the capital in three days, or he will expose her crimes.

Lu Jianglai continued his investigation while Governor Jiang Yiqian resorted to torturing tea plantation workers for false confessions. Lu Jianglai and his aide Jun Dai disguised themselves as merchants and frequented the Kaitai Teahouse near the east gate, a bustling trade hub. Their plan was to lure out the thieves who had robbed the Rong Residence by offering high prices for luxury items. The strategy worked; the greedy bandits, unable to resist the profit, sold the stolen jewels.

Lu Jianglai’s man, Steward Quan, acted as the buyer and successfully recovered a significant portion of the loot, even though the gold had been melted down and the gems removed. Late that night, Lu Jianglai brought Rong Shanbao out of her cell to identify the items. She recognized a unique jade heirloom and shared its history: it had once been embedded in the eye socket of an ancestor who lost an eye in battle.

Although the recovery of the items proved the thieves had been found, the captured bandit, He Cifu, remained stubborn under torture. Lu Jianglai then orchestrated a mock prison break, allowing a guard to "rescue" the thieves. During the staged escape, He Cifu’s accomplice was shot dead. Terrified that he would be executed for escaping and assaulting a guard, He Cifu broke down and confessed everything, revealing that Yang Yitang was the mastermind behind the scheme and disclosing his hiding place.

When Yang Yitang realized the authorities were closing in, he sought refuge with Rong Yunshu. Lu Jianglai, who was monitoring Yang's movements, realized there was an insider within the Rong family. Meanwhile, Bai Yingsheng, aware of Rong Yunshu’s descent into villainy, attempted to save her by forcing her to leave for the capital for the imperial examinations. Yunshu feigned compliance but secretly used Bai Yingsheng’s carriage to smuggle Yang Yitang out of the city.

The situation turned lethal on a small boat in the middle of a deep river. Yunshu served poisoned tea to both Bai Yingsheng and Yang Yitang. When the poison took effect, Yang Yitang realized he had been betrayed and tried to kill Yunshu with a dagger. Bai Yingsheng, driven by his devotion, blocked the attack and was severely wounded.

Yunshu then used a heavy object to knock Yang Yitang unconscious before throwing the injured Bai Yingsheng into the water, where he disappeared. Upon reaching the shore, Yunshu surrendered Yang Yitang to Lu Jianglai, playing the victim and claiming Yang had kidnapped her and caused Bai Yingsheng’s disappearance. Lu Jianglai saw through her act, noting how she had effectively eliminated her accomplice while framing him as the sole culprit.

Governor Jiang Yiqian made a final attempt to salvage his position by appealing to the newly arrived Imperial Inspector, Luo Deze. He accused Lu Jianglai of bias and claimed the Rong family was guilty of rebellion and forging weapons. To prove his point, Jiang Yiqian brought forward a young tea worker named Zhang Zhong, who had been coerced into giving false testimony. The boy led the officials to a mountain cave, claiming it was where Rong Shanbao hid her weapons.

However, the search only uncovered bricks of aged green tea. The boy eventually confessed that Governor Jiang had threatened to beat him to death if he did not lie. Confronting the officials, Rong Shanbao highlighted her family’s decades of loyalty, noting they had transported over a million piculs of grain for the state and even provided relief during droughts.

She presented a magnificent heirloom jade seal and questioned Jiang Yiqian’s motives in framing a family the Empress Dowager herself had praised as a pillar of the state. Seeing the clear evidence of fabricated charges, Imperial Inspector Luo Deze promised a thorough investigation to ensure the true villains faced justice.

Following the conflicting testimonies of Yang Yitang and Rong Shanbao, Governor Luo Deze decided to preside over the investigation personally. Fearing the fire would reach him, Jiang Yiqian manipulated his subordinate, Zhang Zhong, into becoming a scapegoat. In open court, Zhang Zhong took full responsibility, claiming he had accepted bribes from Yang Yitang behind Jiang’s back to exploit the wealthy Rong family. After begging for a shred of dignity, Zhang Zhong committed suicide, effectively severing the link to his master.

With the primary witness dead, Luo Deze was forced to declare Jiang Yiqian innocent. While Lu Jianglai was unsurprised by the official's mastery of bureaucratic survival, he remained focused on the lingering mysteries of the Wei family case, even as he offered himself as a personal guard to Shanbao. Meanwhile, Jiang Yiqian moved to crush the Rong family from another angle. He had rescued Bai Yingsheng, who had been pushed into a lake by Rong Yunshu and left for dead.

Fueled by a cold rage at being discarded by the woman he loved, Bai Yingsheng agreed to help Jiang dismantle the family by exploiting the sisters' internal rivalries. As the Empress Dowager’s birthday approached, the pressure shifted to the imperial tribute. Tradition required the Rong family to present tea from the ancient Tea King Tree.

Rong Yunshu, currently managing the estate but ignorant of the secret tea-making techniques passed down through generations, had no choice but to invite Rong Shanbao back. However, the homecoming was a cold one; Yunshu immediately stationed guards around Shanbao’s courtyard, placing her under house arrest and forbidding her from seeing their bedridden grandmother.

Despite the restrictions, Yan Bailou managed to visit Shanbao with news that the Old Madam was recovering her speech, and Lu Jianglai made a clandestine appearance by scaling the walls to offer his help. Tragedy struck through the family's youngest member. An Cha, the father of Rong Yunxi’s daughter Li, had been lurking near the mansion, desperate to see his child. Although Yunxi had harshly rejected him, his desperation made him an easy target for Bai Yingsheng.

Using An Cha as a pawn, the conspirators kidnapped Li. A chilling note soon reached Rong Yunxi, demanding that she withdraw the guards from the Tea King Tree if she wanted her daughter back. To save Li, Yunxi complied, leaving the sacred tree defenseless. That night, the century-old Tea King Tree was set ablaze and reduced to ashes. In the wake of the disaster, the sisters turned on each other.

When Yunshu tried to deflect blame, Rong Shanbao silenced her with a sharp slap, rebuking her for being so obsessed with their internal rivalry that she ignored the "hungry wolves" circling the family. The loss of the tribute brought Governor Luo Deze to the mansion with orders to arrest the entire family. In a bold gamble, Rong Shanbao produced the family’s Imperial Jade Seal and entrusted it to Luo Deze as a guarantee.

She promised that within five days, she would find a tribute even more valuable than the tea. Lu Jianglai stepped forward to support her, boldly declaring himself as Shanbao's admirer to justify his involvement. While Bai Yingsheng gloated to Jiang Yiqian, he personally confronted Rong Yunshu to reveal he was responsible for the fire. Yunshu, no longer playing the victim, warned him that he was no match for Rong Shanbao.

Meanwhile, Shanbao and Lu Jianglai began their search for a new tribute: the "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku," a rare Song Dynasty book collection once owned by the Wei family. Knowing the Empress Dowager prized rare books over tea, Shanbao planned to offer the collection to appease the royal wrath.

Believing the books might have been stolen by servants before the Wei family library burned years ago, she prepared to offer a massive reward for their return, hoping this gamble would provide the Rong family a path to survival.

Rong Shanbao realized that the Empress Dowager’s true interests lay in history and literature rather than tea. She concluded that a rare book with a century of history would be a more prestigious tribute. Consequently, she issued a high-reward notice for the Song Dynasty edition of "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku", promising to fulfill any condition for whoever could provide it. Governor Jiang Yiqian noticed the notice and consulted Bai Yingsheng.

Driven by a desire to destroy the Rong family, Bai urged Jiang to be patient, promising to ensure Rong Shanbao’s downfall. Meanwhile, the Rong residence was in a state of anxiety; tea production had halted following the burning of the legendary Tea King Tree. Rong Shanbao suspected that Jiang Yiqian was behind the recent attacks as retaliation for his previous humiliations at their tea plantation.

A man named Wei Zhou responded to the reward notice, claiming he had been in hiding since escaping from the Wei family years ago. He requested that his whereabouts remain a secret and asked the Rong family to fulfill one major condition. He led Rong Shanbao to his home, asking her to write an agreement while he retrieved the book. Shortly after, the sound of breaking porcelain echoed from the inner room.

When Rong Shanbao investigated, she found Wei Zhou dead. She immediately sent her maid to report the murder to the authorities. A neighbor of Wei Zhou soon arrived and discovered Rong Shanbao alone with the body. He testified that the doors and windows were shut, making her the only suspect. In court, he further claimed that Wei Zhou had planned to trade the book for half of the Rong fortune, implying Rong Shanbao killed him out of greed.

In the Linji Prefectural Office, Governor Jiang Yiqian personally intervened, pushing for a quick conviction through torture. However, Lu Jianglai defended Rong Shanbao, pointing out the suspicious nature of the missing book. Luo Deze, the higher-ranking official, decided to preside over the case personally to ensure the Empress Dowager’s birthday celebrations were not tainted by a wrongful death, ordering Rong Shanbao to be taken into custody. The murder was actually a trap orchestrated by Bai Yingsheng.

Jiang Yiqian had hired Wei Zhou, who was terminally ill and agreed to die in exchange for a dowry for his daughter. Meanwhile, An—the father of Rong Yunxi’s daughter, Lizi—realized he was being used by Jiang and Bai. He fled with Lizi, sending her to the tea plantation for protection before being caught and beaten by Jiang’s men. He was later found by Rong Yunxi, to whom he expressed his deep regret.

While in jail, Yan Bailou visited Rong Shanbao and finally answered a question she had asked him previously. He declared his unwavering loyalty, promising to stay by her side even if the Rong family lost its prestige. Their meeting was interrupted by Lu Jianglai, who dismissed Yan due to his own obsession with Shanbao. Rong Shanbao shared her counter-plan with Lu, who agreed to help her, despite the immense risks.

Bai Yingsheng visited the Rong residence to pressure Rong Yunshu, offering her a tea mountain if she testified that Rong Shanbao had burned the Tea King Tree. Yunshu firmly refused, stating that while the Rong daughters might fight for power, they would never betray each other to survive. During the public hearing, a young girl named Miao’er struck the drum to introduce a new witness—an old woman from the Wei family.

She presented a copy of "Chin Hsiu Wan Hua Ku", claiming it had been hidden during the family's previous downfall. This weakened the motive for the alleged murder. Lu Jianglai suggested that the neighbor had conspired to deceive the Rong family and killed Wei Zhou in a dispute over the rewards. Luo Deze ordered the book to be verified.

Rong Shanbao and Lu Jianglai were privately uneasy because the book brought by the old woman was a fake they had provided to draw out the enemy. Meanwhile, Jiang Yiqian revealed to Bai Yingsheng that he possessed the authentic version, which he had taken from the Wei family years ago. Bai Yingsheng presented this authentic book in court to prove the other copy was a fake, intending to trap Rong Shanbao for deceiving the sovereign.

In a stunning reversal, Rong Shanbao formally accused Jiang Yiqian of corruption and framing the Wei family years ago. She revealed that Jiang had coveted the Wei family's collection and orchestrated their ruin after being refused three times. Bai Yingsheng, acting as a double agent who had gathered evidence while living in the Governor's office, turned on Jiang and confirmed his crimes.

To everyone's shock, Wei Zhou suddenly stood up in the courtroom; he was actually a performer skilled in faking death, and the entire murder had been a ruse to force Jiang Yiqian to reveal the stolen book. With both witness and physical evidence presented, Luo Deze ordered Jiang Yiqian's arrest.

Rong Shanbao explained that her true gift to the Empress Dowager was not just a rare book, but the removal of a corrupt official to ensure the integrity of the government. Luo Deze admitted he had underestimated the wisdom and justice of the Rong family.

At the Linji Prefectural Office, the alliance between Lu Jianglai and Rong Shanbao was strained by a lack of transparency. Lu Jianglai questioned his subordinate, Jun Dai, eventually punishing him with ten strokes after discovering he had helped Shanbao hide Bai Yingsheng’s whereabouts. Lu Jianglai felt marginalized, realizing that Shanbao had many more secrets than he had anticipated, particularly concerning Bai Yingsheng’s role in gathering evidence against Jiang Yiqian.

The history between Bai Yingsheng and the Rong family was fraught with betrayal. Previously, Shanbao had warned Bai not to trust Rong Yunshu, but he had insisted on defending her, even making a wager that she still possessed some goodness. He was proven wrong when Yunshu pushed him into the river to drown. After being saved by Shanbao, Bai spent his time meticulously gaining Jiang Yiqian’s trust to gather evidence of the official’s crimes.

Before departing for the capital to take the imperial exams, Bai sought out Rong Yunshu one last time. When she tried to abuse him as she had in the past, he caught her hand, no longer blinded by his feelings. While she spat venomous words, accusing him of being a tool and lamenting her status as a "weed" in Shanbao's shadow, Bai told her he would only remember her as the girl he first saw—quietly smelling orchids in a garden.

With that, he severed his ties to the Rong family forever. Tensions reached a breaking point at the Rong Residence when Rong Yunshu’s desperation turned into madness. She revealed that her blindness had been a ruse for years, part of a long game to secure justice for her mother and a place in the family shrine. She attempted to force medicine down the throat of her ailing grandmother, venting years of harbored hatred.

When Shanbao arrived and intervened, Yunshu, realizing her schemes had failed, lunged at her sister with a dagger. Yan Bailou threw himself in front of Shanbao, taking the blade himself. Horrified by the blood, Yunshu dropped the weapon and was promptly locked away in the family shrine on Shanbao’s orders. Witnessing Yan Bailou risk his life moved Grandmother deeply.

She recalled a similar sacrifice from many years ago involving Bailou’s grand-uncle, the Ninth Young Master, who had saved her from quicksand during a tea trade journey. Recognizing the noble nature of the Yan men and seeing the potential to secure a new tea route through the Yan family's influence in Shu, Grandmother decided an alliance was the only way forward. She urged Shanbao to agree to a marriage with Yan Bailou.

Though her heart was heavy, Shanbao felt she could not refuse her grandmother’s dying wish and agreed. Meanwhile, Lu Jianglai’s past resurfaced with the arrival of Xu Meiying, the daughter of his late mentor, Minister Xu. Following her father's sudden death on his journey home, Meiying sought Lu Jianglai’s protection. She also brought along a mysterious beggar whose tongue had been cut and tendons severed.

Lu Jianglai arranged for the Xu family to stay in the rear quarters and summoned a doctor for the crippled man, hoping to uncover the grievances he clearly carried. Rong Shanbao’s heart grew heavy when she saw Lu Jianglai and Xu Meiying together in mourning clothes. Rumors quickly spread that they were fiances destined for marriage.

Xu Meiying also warned Lu Jianglai that marrying into the Rong family as a live-in son-in-law would hinder his political aspirations and his duty to the Emperor. When Yan Bailou regained consciousness, Grandmother personally tended to him and reaffirmed her promise to hold a wedding. Faced with her grandmother's command and the sight of Lu Jianglai with another woman, Shanbao did not object, telling the recovering Bailou to focus on his health so the ceremony could proceed. At the government office, Lu Jianglai encouraged the crippled beggar to practice writing with his mouth, determined to help the man find justice.

For years, Rong Yunxi had kept the father of her child, An Cha, as a "secret concubine" outside the main household to protect the Rong family’s reputation. However, after An Cha risked his life to rescue their daughter, Li’er, from the governor’s office and return her safely, Yunxi decided she could no longer live a lie. She brought him before her grandmother, who looked down upon the penniless man with disdain.

The matriarch threatened to disown Yunxi and strip her of every tea field and asset if she persisted in the union. Standing her ground for the first time, Yunxi declared she would no longer be a mere "whetstone" for her sister, Shanbao. She chose a simple life of family reunion over wealth.

As the couple walked away, the grandmother watched them with a hint of secret pride; Yunxi had proven herself a true daughter of the Rong family—bold in love and courageous in her choices. Meanwhile, Jun Dai, a former servant of the Rong household, discovered that the residence was being decorated for a grand wedding. He reported this to Lu Jianglai, who immediately rode to the tea plantation to confront Rong Shanbao.

Lu demanded the "explanation" she had promised him once their legal cases were settled. Shanbao, however, maintained a cold front, stating that the Rong family required a husband who was gentle and obedient—qualities Lu, with his calculating mind and defiant nature, did not possess. She argued that an ambitious man would be a threat to the family’s legacy, much like a queen who once lost her state to a man’s influence.

Stung by her words, Lu threatened to use his official power to crush her tea business, vowing that her caravans would never leave Linji. Amidst their heated exchange, their suppressed feelings boiled over into a passionate night together. The following morning, Lu Jianglai woke up to find himself locked in the room. Outside, a maid explained that Shanbao had already left for her wedding to Yan Bailou and had taken this precaution to prevent him from interfering.

Meanwhile, at Lu’s residence, the beggar rescued by Lady Xu finally regained consciousness. Though his limbs were crippled and his tongue had been cut out, he managed to write with a brush held in his teeth. Lady Xu was horrified to read his message: the man claimed to be the real Yan Bailou and identified his attacker as a man named Wei Yao.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Jun Dai and Lady Xu rushed to rescue Lu Jianglai, who then headed straight for the Rong ancestral hall with the evidence. At the hall, the wedding ceremony was underway. Despite having been recently stabbed by Rong Junshu, the groom—who everyone believed was Yan Bailou—insisted on proceeding with the rites. The grandmother required the couple to stand before the sacred "Male and Female Pillars" to vow eternal devotion.

She warned that any lack of sincerity would result in a spiritual backfire. A bad omen occurred when the ceremonial incense snapped, but the groom insisted his heart was clear. Just as they were about to conclude the vows, Lu Jianglai stormed into the hall, declaring the groom was actually a heinous criminal named Wei Yao. Lu presented the mutilated beggar as the true Yan Bailou.

He explained how Wei Yao, a scholar from the Wei family, had befriended the real heir on the road from the Shu region. Wei Yao had lured the party into a forest near Guzhou where bandits slaughtered the servants. Wei Yao then brutally maimed the real Yan Bailou and left him for dead to steal his identity.

Shanbao added that she had already grown suspicious because the groom's servant, Shixin, was ignorant of basic tea-planting techniques like "cuttings," which was impossible for a servant from a renowned tea family. The final blow came when the old steward, Yan Xiang, recognized his true master in the beggar’s form. Exposed, Wei Yao dropped his humble facade. He admitted to using Lu Jianglai to eliminate other suitors like Wen Can and He Xingming.

He confessed to poisoning Yang Dingchen’s incense to trigger a fatal asthma attack and driving the innocent Yang Yun to her death. Wei Yao revealed his true motive was revenge for the ruin of the Wei family a decade ago. He had planned to wait until Shanbao bore his child, securing his bloodline within the Rong legacy. Overwhelmed by the truth, the grandmother suffered a sharp pain in her chest and withdrew from the hall, leaving the guards to take the villain away.

The turmoil following the exposure of the fake Yan Bailou, later identified as Wei Yao, left the Rong Residence in a state of transition. With Old Madam physically and emotionally exhausted by the betrayal, the regional managers and estate supervisors gathered to discuss the family's future. Recognizing that the elder matriarch could no longer manage the clan's vast affairs, they unanimously nominated the eldest daughter, Rong Shanbao, as the new head of the household.

Shanbao accepted the responsibility with a solemn focus and promised Xiangling that her return to the clan and change of surname would be formalized the following day in the ancestral hall. Inside the residence, the atmosphere remained fraught with tension. Old Madam, bitter and bedridden, refused her medicine and accused Shanbao of orchestrating the exposure of the fraud simply to seize power. Shanbao remained composed and brought Rong Yunshu before her.

Yunshu knelt and confessed that while she had once harbored the intent to poison the matriarch to avenge her mother’s past suffering, she ultimately lacked the ruthlessness to go through with it. Realizing she was more like her gentle father than the hardened leaders the Rong family demanded, Yunshu announced her decision to leave the residence forever. To support her sister’s fresh start away from the family's shadows, Shanbao granted Yunshu management of the tea shops in the capital.

When Old Madam lamented the destruction of the Tea King Tree, Shanbao revealed a secret: the ancient tree’s legacy was not lost. During the fire, she had preserved saplings which were now thriving under the expert care of the second sister, Rong Yunxi. This revelation finally silenced Old Madam’s doubts; she realized that Shanbao had become the "New Queen" of the family—one who combined strategic coldness with a deep-seated protection for her kin.

Before Yunshu departed for her new life, she was confronted by Bai Yingsheng. He had learned from Shanbao that the incident where Yunshu pushed him into the lake had been a carefully staged performance to protect him; she had ensured he was rescued immediately and personally administered medicine to stabilize him. Touched by the knowledge that she truly cared for him, Bai Yingsheng promised to meet her in the capital. Meanwhile, Lu Jianglai refused to be sidelined.

He arrived at the Rong Residence with his belongings, intent on moving in. When Shanbao attempted to turn him away, he playfully threatened to file a lawsuit at the County Office for breach of promise and for wounding his reputation. His relentless persistence and genuine affection eventually broke through Shanbao’s defenses. He made it clear that he would stand by her regardless of the challenges ahead, and Shanbao finally acknowledged him as her legitimate partner.

A month later, Xiangling was officially entered into the family genealogy. However, the celebration was interrupted when a messenger from the capital delivered a container of tea from Yunshu. Upon inspection, Shanbao realized the product was a fraud—it was aged, inferior tea that had been dyed and oiled to look fresh.

Recognizing that someone was usurping the Rong family brand in the capital and that Yunshu was sending a silent plea for help, Shanbao decided to travel to the capital immediately. In the capital, Shanbao took decisive action. She visited the family’s branch shops and identified several locations where managers were deceiving customers by mixing old leaves with iron powder and artificial fragrances. She ordered the shops closed and the family signboards removed.

This crackdown led to a confrontation at the residence of her father, Rong Heting, who served as the Vice Minister of Personnel. Shanbao’s stepmother, Liu Yishu, and her half-sister, Rong Yunzhen, were initially dismissive, attempting to demand a submissive greeting from Shanbao. However, Shanbao remained unmoved by their status. When Rong Heting returned home, he attempted to scold Shanbao for causing a scene.

Shanbao confronted him with evidence of his household’s corruption, revealing that his shops had sold thousands of pounds of counterfeit tea, threatening the family's 400-year reputation. While Liu Yishu tried to deflect blame onto the shop managers and Heting argued the business was a "necessary evil" to support his status as a capital official, Shanbao invoked the strict laws of the Rong clan. For his negligence and the dishonor he brought to their ancestors, she delivered a final ultimatum: Heting was to voluntarily withdraw from the family clan.

The 400-year legacy of the Rong family tea gardens, built through the grueling efforts of generations, was being dismantled by the very person who should have protected it. In the capital, the family head Rong Shanbao confronted her father, Rong Heting, regarding the inferior tea being sold under their name. Citing strict family regulations, she demanded that he voluntarily withdraw from the clan to atone for the disgrace he brought upon their ancestors.

Rong Heting was incensed by his daughter’s perceived insolence, raging about the proper relationship between father and child and claiming that her defiance was a violation of filial piety that would earn her society's contempt. His wife, Madam Liu, joined the attack, warning Shanbao that such an unfilial reputation would make it impossible for any noble family to accept her as a daughter-in-law.

Shanbao remained unmoved, countering that while a ruler who deceives his people cannot last, the same principle applied to a family. By passing off inferior goods, they hadn't just damaged a name; they had threatened the livelihoods of thousands of fierce tea farmers who would not hesitate to retaliate with violence if their survival was at stake. Shanbao revealed that she had already consulted their Grandmother, the clan head.

Grandmother was so furious at Heting’s greed that she had personally opened the ancestral hall to report his crimes. While she originally wanted him strangled for his betrayal, Shanbao had begged for mercy. Consequently, the sentence was reduced to 100 lashes with the iron whip to be shared among the family: Heting, Madam Liu, and his second son were to receive 20 lashes each, while the young Rong Junzhen was sentenced to 10.

Following the punishment, they were to be officially expelled from the residence. As the sounds of the iron whip and the cries of her siblings echoed through the courtyard, Shanbao turned her focus to damage control. Investigations revealed that fake "Rongzhai" shops had expanded to twelve locations in and around the capital. Realizing Heting lacked the capital for such an expansion, Shanbao suspected that someone powerful was pulling the strings behind Madam Liu.

She ordered her subordinates to procure 5,000 jin of top-grade tea from other major merchant houses to fulfill the outstanding debts and protect the Rong family’s credit, regardless of the financial loss. During this crisis, Wanniang, the wife of the Duke’s heir, arrived at the Rong Residence with a shocking revelation: Lu Jianglai was actually the biological son of the Duke of Yongguo, Xue Maotang.

Following the disability of the Duke's eldest son, the Emperor had issued a secret edict to bring Lu Jianglai back to his roots. However, Lu Jianglai harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Duke and refused to acknowledge him, leading to his detention in the Duke’s Mansion. Wanniang pressured Shanbao to act as a mediator, hinting that the Duke’s influence could easily resolve the Rong family’s current tea debts.

Though she recognized this as a trap to use her as a hostage to control Lu Jianglai, Shanbao decided she had to go. The power struggle began before Shanbao even left her home. The Duke’s servants brought a cramped, two-bearer sedan chair, with a nanny claiming that a bride entering the Duke’s Mansion must show humility. Shanbao saw through the attempt to belittle her.

Refusing to play the role of a submissive daughter-in-law, she ignored the sedan chair and boarded her own lavish Rong family carriage, leaving the Duke’s servants to scramble behind her. Upon arriving at the Duke’s Mansion, Shanbao encountered a household filled with tension and arrogance, including the sharp-tongued Princess Jinxiang, Xue Baochuan. She found Duke Xue Maotang in the garden, brutally whipping servants because his prized tea trees—which had once saved his life during a military campaign—were dying.

Shanbao stepped in, using her expertise as a "Tea Bone" to diagnose the issue. She pointed out that the trees were suffering from black whiteflies carried by the roses the Duchess had planted. More importantly, she criticized the Duke for trapping the trees in narrow pots with heavy soil, ignoring their natural need for the open hills.

She used the tea trees as a metaphor for Lu Jianglai, warning the Duke that by using force and confinement to bend his son to his will, he was breaking the young man's spirit. She told him that if he continued to ignore Lu Jianglai's nature, the son he eventually "won" would be as lifeless as the withered branches at their feet.

The Duke, reminded of the same fierce spirit he once saw in Shanbao’s grandmother—who had once risked everything to deliver 200,000 stones of grain to his army—finally allowed her to see Lu Jianglai. Shanbao found Lu Jianglai in a pitiful state, weakened by a seven-day hunger strike. He was pale and exhausted, but the moment he saw her, he clung to her hand with what little strength he had left.

Though he urged her to leave for her own safety, he could not bring himself to let go, and Shanbao stayed by his side, determined to protect him from the Duke’s suffocating control.

Lu Jianglai lay in bed, gripped by a high fever that left his mind clouded and his speech rambling. In his delirium, he refused to let go of Rong Shanbao's hand, pleading with her not to leave him in the cold and oppressive environment of the Duke's Mansion. Shanbao, noting the lifeless and dark atmosphere of the residence—which her maid Xiuqiong described as feeling more like a hollow temple than a home—comforted him.

She promised that while they would eventually depart, they had to remain for the time being. She urged him to eat some porridge and drink water, insisting that he explain his true connection to the Duke of Yongguo once he regained his strength. Yielding to Shanbao's insistence, Lu Jianglai shared the story of his origins. His mother, Li Xiuniang, had been the dowry maid of the Duke's wife, Madam Han.

After years of failing to conceive, Madam Han was pressured by the gossip of the court and the necessity of providing an heir for the Duke, Xue Maotang, who was often away at war. Out of desperation, she allowed her trusted maid to share the Duke’s bed. Li Xiuniang soon gave birth to a son—the current heir—but this only fueled Madam Han’s intense jealousy.

Seeing how other concubines suffered under Madam Han’s cruelty, Li Xiuniang realized her life was in danger. She seized an opportunity to flee when the Duke was on the battlefield and Madam Han was away visiting relatives. Li Xiuniang traveled south, eventually collapsing at the doorstep of a kind family. The head of that household, a man Lu grew up calling father, took her in.

Though they initially provided her with travel money to return home, she chose to stay after discovering they had secretly hidden twenty strings of copper coins in her bag to ensure her survival. It was there she gave birth to Lu Jianglai, the Duke's second son. Lu grew up believing his adoptive father was his biological parent until his mother revealed the truth on her deathbed, fearing the Duke's Mansion would one day track them down.

Lu remained steadfast in his refusal to acknowledge the Duke as his father, declaring that no title could replace the man who had actually raised him. Shanbao advised him to handle the situation carefully, explaining that she had entered the mansion to show the Duke that the Rong family was not easily intimidated. She suggested that Lu Jianglai should at least meet his elder brother before making any final decisions. The following morning, Lu Jianglai presented himself with renewed resolve.

He requested to see the Duke's heir, Xue Shuyu, and was led to the secluded Fuping Pavilion. The courtyard’s name, meaning "floating duckweed," struck Lu as a sign of his brother's precarious and lonely position. Inside, he found Xue Shuyu to be a frail man, crippled by a horse fall and reliant on numerous charcoal braziers to ward off the winter chill.

During their exchange over Pu'er tea, Lu Jianglai dismissed the Duke's servants and addressed Xue Shuyu as "Big Brother." The sudden acknowledgment sent Shuyu into a violent coughing fit. Shanbao noticed a figure hiding behind a screen, indicating they were being watched, and the couple soon took their leave. After their departure, the atmosphere in Fuping Pavilion turned violent.

Xue Shuyu, goaded by his concubine Ji Ping into believing the newly returned brother was a threat to his position, turned his rage on his wife, Wanniang. He accused her of secretly hating him and wishing for his death. In his fury, he physically assaulted her, injuring her forehead and breaking her arm. Even their young daughter, Xuanyu, was traumatized as she tried to defend her mother.

Despite her injuries, Wanniang, whose family had generations of medical expertise, managed to reset her own arm in silence. To add to the humiliation, Ji Ping insolently asked to borrow Wanniang's ceremonial robes to play the role of a titled lady, a request Wanniang grimly granted to avoid further conflict. Later that day, Rong Shanbao was summoned by the Duchess, Madam Han.

When she met Wanniang again, Shanbao immediately saw through the woman’s heavy makeup, noticing the bloodstains and the dust on her clothes that betrayed the recent struggle. Madam Han soon began her psychological offensive, alternating between hollow praise for Shanbao’s appearance and sharp critiques of her upbringing. She demanded that Shanbao give up her business dealings and tea plantations, insisting that as a future daughter-in-law of the Duke's Mansion, she must remain secluded and obedient.

Rong Shanbao had no intention of surrendering her autonomy. She had her maid bring forth an ancient Jade Seal, a relic bestowed upon her ancestors by the Founding Emperor himself. She reminded those present that the Rong family had once sacrificed their entire fortune to support the Emperor’s rise to power. In gratitude, the Emperor had granted the Rong women a unique privilege: the right to have husbands marry into their family and to maintain their own ancestral rules.

Shanbao declared that according to this imperial decree, anyone who tried to force her to change her customs was committing an act of treason. The revelation silenced Madam Han, who was forced to acknowledge the seal’s authority and prepared to kneel in respect, though Shanbao held her arm to stop the gesture.

When the arrogant Lady Yingchuan, the County Mistress, attempted to insult her further with archaic doctrines, Shanbao ordered Xiuqiong to splash a basin of water on the woman’s face, telling her to cleanse her mouth of her backward ideas. Shanbao made it clear that even within the Duke's Mansion, the Rong family’s rules and history would be respected.

Furious after her encounter with Rong Shanbao, Princess Yingchuan retreated to her father’s quarters to vent her grievances. Still reeling from the humiliation of having water splashed on her, she complained bitterly to Xue Maotang about being bullied by a mere merchant’s daughter. She questioned why her father, the Emperor's most trusted minister, would allow his son to marry such an arrogant woman who dared to brandish the imperial Jade Seal.

However, Xue Maotang was not swayed by his daughter’s tears. He sternly reminded Yingchuan that the decree associated with the Jade Seal was something even the current Emperor could not defy. To him, Shanbao was a necessary piece in his strategy to ensure Lu Jianglai returned to the family fold and accepted his noble lineage. He warned Yingchuan not to let her petty squabbles ruin his plans, though he did offer her a ruby-inlaid saber to pacify her temper.

He remained confident that once Shanbao was married into the household, social pressures and the family's influence would eventually force her to submit to their rules. Shortly after, Xue Maotang turned his cold discipline toward his heir, Xue Shuyu. He ordered Shuyu to kneel facing north in the courtyard until dawn. When the message was delivered, Shuyu, whose chronic leg injury made such a punishment particularly agonizing, felt deeply wronged.

He lamented that he rarely even left his own pavilion, yet he was now being punished for his sister’s provocations and his father’s political ambitions. As guards stood watch, Shuyu was left to endure the physical and mental strain, realizing his standing in the family was increasingly fragile. Meanwhile, news arrived that the Duchess, Madam Han, had fallen ill again.

Seeing an opportunity to further consolidate control, Xue Maotang ordered her immediate relocation from Hanyu Courtyard to the remote and noisy Yunzhen Hall. The Duke’s steward arrived with guards to enforce the move, callously claiming the change was for her health to avoid the negative influence of the nearby military hall. Despite the protests of her staff, the guards prepared to move her by force.

Shanbao witnessed the cruelty of this domestic upheaval and realized that there was no genuine affection in the household, only cold power plays. When Madam Han finally emerged, pale and trembling, she managed to summon enough dignity to scold the servants for their lack of respect before nearly collapsing. Shanbao decided to visit the ailing Duchess, bringing along top-grade, century-old wild ginseng.

When her maid questioned why she would show kindness to a woman who had been hostile, Shanbao explained that her goal was to help Lu Jianglai fulfill his duties to the household before she eventually returned to her life as a merchant. Entering the Duchess's room, Shanbao found her in a state of agitation and suggested using a slice of ginseng to calm her heart.

Madam Han was initially hostile, fearing Shanbao would once again use the Jade Seal to exert power, but the conversation took a surprising turn when she asked about the woman who had raised such an unruly granddaughter. Shanbao shared that her grandmother was a woman of rare independence who had taken three different husbands over her life.

She explained her grandmother’s philosophy: if a couple finds true mutual affection, one partner is enough, but if one meets the wrong person, it is only natural to leave and seek a better match. This radical perspective struck a chord with Madam Han, who finally broke her silence.

She confessed the misery of her own life—how her parents had forced her to be a "proper" and submissive lady, only for Xue Maotang to reject her as being as cold as a stone compared to his late first wife. She revealed that he had not entered her room in twenty years, leaving her to manage the household in total emotional isolation. To Madam Han, her husband had effectively been dead to her for two decades.

Meanwhile, Yingchuan visited the kneeling Shuyu to poison his mind. She mocked his weakness, calling him a disabled son who would lose his inheritance now that the talented Lu Jianglai had arrived. She reminded him of their father’s ruthlessness, recounting how he had driven a former concubine insane over a scandal Shuyu himself had once reported. She warned him that if he did not get rid of Lu Jianglai, his own position would be forfeit.

Terror took root in Shuyu’s heart, pushing him toward a desperate confrontation with his brother. Determined to act, Shuyu invited Lu Jianglai to a feast in his pavilion. Before Lu Jianglai departed, Shanbao personally tied a scented sachet to his belt—a rare gesture of affection—and warned him to stay on his guard despite their blood tie. At the feast, the atmosphere was thick with tension.

Shuyu played a haunting melody left by his late mother, lamenting that he lacked her talent. As he drank heavily, he turned his bitterness toward his own wife, Wanniang. In a display of calculated cruelty, he ordered Wanniang to serve wine like a common dancer, insulting her virtue in front of the guests. Lu Jianglai intervened, rebuking Shuyu for embarrassing his wife and reminding him of Wanniang’s noble background and devotion. Though Shuyu claimed he was merely drunk, his eyes betrayed a growing resentment toward the brother who now seemingly surpassed him in every way.

At the banquet in the Duke's Mansion, Xue Shuyu drank heavily and repeatedly pressured Lu Jianglai to join him. Remembering Rong Shanbao’s warning to remain vigilant, Lu Jianglai remained cautious. During the feast, Shuyu treated his wife, Wan Niang, and his young son, Xun, with shocking cruelty, openly berating them. When Shuyu’s concubine, Huiqing, tried to flirtatiously toast him, Lu Jianglai coldly rejected the gesture and walked out into the courtyard.

In the quiet of the yard, little Xun followed Lu Jianglai and offered him a piece of jujube cake, noting that his uncle hadn't eaten anything. Touched by the child's kindness, Lu Jianglai accepted the gift.

Back in his room, the cake triggered a memory of his late mother, who used to make the same treats and would often stare at them with a look of profound sorrow—a look he now realized was a sign of her secret longing for the elder son she had been forced to leave behind. That night, an assassin infiltrated Lu Jianglai’s room. Lu Jianglai, who had been expecting trouble, quickly captured the intruder.

However, the assassin chose to swallow a silver needle and died instantly. Despite the shock, Lu Jianglai remained composed in front of the household, ordering the body removed and scheduling a formal investigation for the next morning. Once alone with Rong Shanbao in the study, Lu Jianglai finally let his guard down. He confessed his heartbreak, suspecting his own brother was behind the hit.

He revealed that the jujube cake Xun brought had been laced with hallucinogenic drugs and that Shuyu’s earlier display of domestic abuse was likely a calculated act to lower Lu Jianglai’s guard. Feeling abandoned by fate and kin, Lu Jianglai sought comfort in Rong Shanbao. In his vulnerability, he grew intensely possessive, demanding she promise never to leave him for other men like Cheng Guanyu or Wen Can.

She embraced him, offering the strength he needed to face the following day. The next morning, Lu Jianglai’s subordinates and a coroner examined the assassin. They discovered that a silver needle had been driven into the temple with professional precision to cause instant death without leaving a trace, confirming the killer was a high-level mercenary. Meanwhile, Wan Niang took Xun to visit the Duke, Xue Maotang.

During the visit, the child innocently mentioned that his father had instructed him to give the jujube cake to Lu Jianglai. Having already received a report that the cake was drugged, Xue Maotang realized Shuyu was involved in the plot. Furious, Xue Maotang summoned Shuyu and demanded the truth. While Shuyu admitted to sending the drugged cake, he vehemently denied hiring the professional assassin.

Despising his son’s perceived cowardice and lack of accountability, Xue Maotang ordered Shuyu to be beaten with a steel whip and doused with ice water. Lu Jianglai arrived in the middle of the torture. He intercepted a guard and poured the freezing water over the man's head instead of his brother's. He then turned his fury on Xue Maotang, condemning him for his lifelong cruelty.

He pointed out that the Duke had abandoned him and his mother years ago, and now, instead of fostering a family, he was forcing two brothers into a deadly rivalry for a title Lu Jianglai didn't even want. Lu Jianglai bitingly noted that while the Duke obsessed over family glory, he hadn't even bothered to ask when Lu Jianglai’s mother died or where she was buried.

He declared that the humble servant who had raised him possessed more honor than the Duke ever would. Stunned by Lu Jianglai’s defiance, Xue Maotang admitted that Lu Jianglai was the "alpha wolf" the family needed. He urged him to accept the succession, but Lu Jianglai ignored him, choosing instead to help his battered brother back to his quarters.

In Shuyu’s room, Lu Jianglai personally tended to his brother’s wounds and combed his hair, just as their mother once did for him. He shared stories of their mother’s enduring love, explaining that she always made two portions of cakes because she never stopped missing her firstborn. Shuyu was deeply moved, finally seeing Lu Jianglai as his brother rather than a rival.

He confessed that while he had been tempted to kill Lu Jianglai out of jealousy and fear of being replaced, he had ultimately hesitated. He swore a solemn oath that he did not hire the professional assassin, leaving the true identity of the mastermind a chilling mystery.

That evening, Lu Jianglai stayed at the Xue residence to dine with Xue Shuyu. Seeing his older brother’s fragile state following the Duke’s harsh punishment, Lu Jianglai felt a surge of sympathy and agreed to stay. During their meal, Xue Shuyu toasted him repeatedly, offering a sincere apology for his past arrogance. He confessed that his constant boasting about his status as the legitimate heir was merely a desperate attempt to maintain some dignity.

He spoke bitterly of his childhood, revealing that while Madam Chang had provided for his physical needs, she could never truly love him as her own, and his loyal servants never lasted long under her watch. He recalled how his father, Xue Maotang, once viewed him as the family's great hope until a horse-riding accident left him crippled. Since then, the physical pain in his leg and the emotional neglect had hollowed him out.

Lu Jianglai comforted him, urging him to cherish his own wife and children to find the home he felt he lacked. Meanwhile, Rong Shanbao observed these developments with growing concern. She realized the Duke was a master manipulator who had staged Shuyu’s public punishment specifically to exploit Lu Jianglai’s compassion and force him to stay. She likened the Duke to an old hunter setting a trap for a young fox to ensure the mother fox would not flee.

Refusing to be a pawn in these schemes, she ordered her servants to pack for an early departure. At dawn, she struggled to write a farewell note. Recalling the legend of a famous couple where a letter missing the word for "hundred million" signified an absence of intent, she decided to leave her letter blank. Instead, she simply returned the pearl hairpin Lu Jianglai had given her to signal a clean break.

However, her departure was halted when Jun Dai arrived with devastating news: Xue Shuyu was dead. The news shattered the morning’s quiet. Lu Jianglai rushed to his brother’s room to find Shuyu’s body already cold. He met his father’s gaze with undisguised suspicion, but the Duke invoked the proverb that even a tiger does not eat its cubs to deny harming his son. Lu Jianglai demanded an official autopsy.

Xue Maotang initially refused, fearing the family’s honor would be tarnished by publicizing Shuyu’s "inglorious" death. However, Rong Shanbao arrived and brandished the ancestral Jade Seal—a symbol representing the late Emperor’s authority—forcing the Duke to concede. The coroner’s examination found eight whip marks on Shuyu’s back but no other trauma or common poisons, leading to a preliminary conclusion of sudden illness. Taking advantage of the ambiguity, Princess Jinxiang, Xue Yingchuan, launched a sharp-tongued attack against Lu Jianglai.

She accused him of being a "wolf" who murdered his brother to inherit the title. She mockingly challenged him to prove his innocence by signing a document severing all ties with the family and renouncing the dukedom. Lu Jianglai was nearly provoked into signing, but Rong Shanbao pulled him back, warning him that it was a lethal trap: whether he refused or agreed, he would be branded a fratricide. She insisted they find the true culprit instead.

Thinking clearly, Lu Jianglai focused on the events of the previous night. He remembered a concubine, Ji Ping, delivering ginger soup, yet the bowl had vanished. When questioned, Ji Ping claimed she had been driven out by Shuyu before he drank it. Rong Shanbao then noted that Lu Jianglai always seemed unusually emotional whenever he spent time in Shuyu’s room, which led them to investigate the charcoal braziers.

She summoned Rong Yunshu, whose keen sense of smell detected Lily of the Valley mixed with honey in the silver-frost charcoal. Long-term exposure to this scent would cause irritability and, in severe cases, lead to the heart failure Shuyu suffered. A search of Ji Ping’s quarters turned up a packet of Lily of the Valley scented pills. Faced with the evidence, Ji Ping broke down, describing the mansion as a dark prison where she was treated as less than human.

Seeing an opportunity to bury the scandal, Yingchuan suggested they grant Ji Ping a "private" end with a white silk rope. However, Lu Jianglai refused to stop. He recalled Yingchuan sending a sobering tonic to Shuyu and ordered Jun Dai to retrieve the remains from the tea room. Lu Jianglai brought in Dr. Tao to analyze the tonic.

The physician found that while the tonic was composed of beneficial herbs, it also contained aconite and components of the Great Reviving Pill. While not poisonous on its own, it was lethal when combined with the Gastrodia Pill that Shuyu took daily for his leg. The interaction turned the medicine into a potent poison. Yingchuan turned pale, frantically claiming she had merely borrowed the prescription from Madam Chang. Xue Maotang sighed heavily and summoned Madam Chang.

He accused his wife of poisoning Shuyu out of a long-simmering resentment toward him and his children. While the young Mrs. Xue, Wan Niang, pleaded for her mother-in-law’s character, the Duke remained cold. Madam Chang eventually arrived, her legs heavily swollen and her health failing. As the Duke prepared to condemn her, she looked at the gathered crowd and calmly admitted that it was indeed her who had killed Xue Shuyu.

Madam Rong stands defiantly before the household, her voice cold as she confesses to the murder of Xue Shuyu. Enraged by her claim that killing his son was a small price for twenty years of neglect, Xue Maotang draws his sword to strike her down. Madam Rong only sneers, mocking his grief and asking if he truly knows how his beloved first wife, Madam Han, passed away.

When he leans in to hear the secret, she violently bites off part of his ear. As he screams in agony, she laughs, telling him that while he was busy with his many concubines, the virtuous Madam Han was tormented and eventually driven to her grave by the very women he brought into his home.

Lu Jianglai steps between the couple to prevent a lynching, reminding his father that as a second-rank titled lady, Madam Rong must be tried by the proper legal authorities rather than face summary execution. The chaos is interrupted when the young granddaughter, Yu'er, is brought in after falling into a lake. Rong Shanbao, who rescued the child, uses the moment to confront Yingchuan, also known as Princess Jinxiang.

She urges Yingchuan to set a better example for the child and turn back from her dark path. Realizing her secrets are laid bare, Yingchuan finally breaks and confesses that she was the true mastermind behind her brother’s death, admitting she had planned to let her terminally ill mother take the blame.

Yingchuan pours out years of resentment, detailing how her father and brother once forced her away from her lover and snatched her daughter from her arms just seven days after birth to marry her off to another man. She orchestrated the murder so that her father would finally understand the agony of being forcibly separated from his own flesh and blood.

The realization that the women of his own house harbor such deep hatred for him is too much for Xue Maotang, and he suffers a debilitating stroke. In the aftermath, Lu Jianglai takes charge, sentencing Yingchuan to the family temple and ordering five years of hard labor for the accomplice, Ji Ping, to avoid a public scandal. In the quiet of her room, Madam Rong mourns Shuyu in her own way.

Despite her earlier claims of hatred, she looks over a chest filled with intricate knee pads she had meticulously sewn for him over the years, revealing that she truly cared for the stepson who grew up by her side. Meanwhile, a bedridden Xue Maotang attempts to secure the family's future by offering Lu Jianglai the title of the Duke's heir and promising to relocate Lu’s mother’s grave to the capital.

Though his young nephew, Xun, begs him to stay, Lu Jianglai remains hesitant, unwilling to be consumed by the power and corruption of the Duke's Mansion. As Rong Shanbao prepares to return to the Rong Residence, Lu Jianglai desperately tries to make her stay. She explains that she fell in love with his integrity and fears that staying in the capital would eventually transform him into a cold, arbitrary man like his father.

Before leaving, she has a final conversation with the Shizi's widow, Wan Niang. Shanbao reveals she knows Wan Niang swapped her own deceased infant with Yingchuan’s daughter years ago and even orchestrated the assassination attempt on Lu Jianglai to protect her son's inheritance. Understanding the desperate struggle of a woman without a powerful family to rely on, Shanbao chooses to keep these secrets, wishing Wan Niang a peaceful life.

Lu Jianglai ultimately decides that power is meaningless without the woman he loves. Rejecting the title and the cycle of resentment, he takes a fast horse and chases after Rong Shanbao. At the docks, Bai Yingsheng finds the fifth lady, Rong Yunshu, and declares his intention to support her through any storm, vowing to be the foundation that allows her to bloom freely. As the boat prepares to sail, Lu Jianglai arrives just in time.

He declares his unwavering devotion, promising never to become a soulless puppet of power. He carries Rong Shanbao onto the ship, and together they leave the capital behind to start a new life in Linji, finally free from the shadows of their families.