Xia Qiwu had no interest in the capital: “Father and Mother go by yourselves. I’ll stay home to watch the shop and manage the accounts. The round trip to the capital takes at least three months – how can we leave the shop unattended?”

The daughter was like her father. Xia Qiwu’s love for cosmetics and money was exactly like Wang Daxia’s, while across the street, Wei Caiwei’s medicine hall often provided free treatment and medicine to poor women, barely maintaining expenses and sometimes even losing money.

Money can’t buy what the old lady enjoys. Wei Caiwei killed people and used poison, but she was a good person. Besides, she wasn’t short of money.

Wei Caiwei had originally wanted to pass on her medical skills to her daughter, but unfortunately Xia Qiwu had no aptitude and lacked talent for medicine. She only loved studying rouge, powder, and makeup techniques with her father, along with how to make money.

Wei Caiwei kept the ten-year pact in mind: “We’re at ease with you staying home alone, but we’re gradually aging. If we have any headaches or fevers, we still hope our daughter will be by our side. Just consider it accompanying us two to the capital.”

Wang Daxia said: “We’re not old at all—”

Wei Caiwei gave him a meaningful look. Wang Daxia understood and changed his tune: “Right, your mother and I never think of ourselves as old, but since turning forty, we can’t deny our age. We can’t stay up late at night anymore. One bad night’s sleep leaves us listless for days, especially your mother. The journey’s hardships might be too much for her body. Good daughter, please come with us.”

Indeed, Xia Qiwu was like Wang Daxia – yielding to gentleness but not force. Wei Caiwei’s slight flattery and soft words, combined with Wang Daxia’s act of helplessness, immediately won her over. Being a filial child, she agreed to accompany her parents.

A month later, the three arrived in the capital, but Ding Wu and Lu Ying’s family of three hadn’t come yet. They had reportedly already departed, but warfare suddenly erupted at the border halfway through their journey, forcing the family to rush back. They asked the family to wait in the capital until the crisis subsided for their reunion.

It turned out that war had ignited on the Mongol grasslands, with two tribes launching an offensive against Xuanhua City on the Great Ming frontier.

The family split into two groups. Lu Ying and her son Ding Weiguo rushed to Xuanhua to resist foreign enemies and protect the frontier.

Ding Wu went to Hohhot to find Third Madam, asking her to clean house.

Third Madam had held power for a long time. She swore to maintain frontier peace and immediately summoned various tribal leaders, personally leading troops to punish the two attacking tribes. Through iron-handed methods, coordinating with Lu Ying and others from inside and outside, they defeated the tribes and quelled this frontier crisis.

The frontier finally returned to calm. Just as Lu Ying was about to bring her husband and son back to the capital for the ten-year appointment, Third Madam’s own son Bu Ta Shi Li rushed over urgently: “Mother, disaster! Che Li Ke took advantage of your absence from Hohhot and led troops to support the Huoluochi tribe’s attack on the Great Ming’s Yaohe!”

Hearing this, Lu Ying’s face turned cold: “Third Madam, Che Li Ke is the Great Ming’s enfeoffed third Prince Shunyi. For Prince Shunyi to collude with the Huoluochi tribe is an act of betraying the Great Ming. From today, all eleven trading posts are closed. After Third Madam handles her domestic affairs, she can discuss reopening with the Great Ming.”

The hard-won peace faced challenges again. Peace is always harder than war.

Lu Ying also wanted peace, but pursuing peace required strong struggle methods. Seeking peace through struggle preserves peace; seeking peace through compromise destroys peace (Note: This is Chairman Mao’s saying). Che Li Ke wasn’t an ordinary tribal leader – he was Prince Shunyi. Though a puppet king, his actions could represent the entire tribal alliance. The Great Ming had to close the trading posts to show retaliation.

Third Madam said: “Lord Lu, rest assured. I’ll immediately stop Che Li Ke from acting foolishly and give you an explanation.”

Having just quelled the warfare here, Third Madam rode swiftly to intercept Che Li Ke midway.

Other tribes, hearing the trading posts were closed and their income cut off – severing someone’s livelihood is like killing their parents – rushed after Third Madam, finally forcing Che Li Ke to stop.

Third Madam wanted to give Che Li Ke a beating: “Prince Shunyi, return with me. There’s still time to withdraw troops now.”

“Otherwise—” Third Madam ordered her men to shoot whistling arrows skyward. The tribal alliance’s army surrounded Che Li Ke’s march, arrows nocked and ready at Third Madam’s command.

Che Li Ke was unwilling to be Third Madam’s puppet for life, hence this action. But Third Madam pursued too quickly, enjoyed popular support, and had strong forces – he couldn’t win a fight.

Che Li Ke put on a fierce but cowardly front: “Would you murder your own husband?”

Looking at her husband who had broken the peace agreement, Third Madam said coldly: “If you don’t want to be Prince Shunyi, your brothers, sons, and grandsons all want to replace you. Think carefully – return with me and I’ll still be your wife. If you insist on attacking the Great Ming, I’ll become a widow again – a wealthy, powerful widow. Would I fear finding a man to be the fourth Prince Shunyi?”

Third Madam’s threat was simple: return or die.

Che Li Ke chose the former – he didn’t want to die yet.

Third Madam quelled two disturbances consecutively and petitioned the Great Ming Emperor to express regret and request reopening of trading posts.

Lu Ying’s family of three returned to the capital with Third Madam’s petition and presented it to Emperor Wanli.

Emperor Wanli was currently plagued by the crown prince succession issue. Preferring to avoid additional troubles, he gave Prince Shunyi a rebuke and reopened the trading posts.

After finishing official business, the family of three returned to the Ding estate. Due to frontier troubles, Wang Daxia and Wei Caiwei’s family had waited a full three months. Unable to sit idle, Xia Qiwu saw a shop for transfer on Drum Tower West Slanted Street, took it over, and opened a branch of the rouge and cosmetics shop in the capital. The grand opening was auspicious with thriving business.

Because she was beautiful and showed her face in public, some people caused her trouble. Wang Daxia quietly found connections with the Embroidered Uniform Guard and dealt with them all.

Xia Qiwu remained oblivious: “They say the capital is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, but I find the local customs quite simple and honest. People are generous with money too – we earn more here than in Nanjing.”

Wang Daxia: What simple local customs? It’s all your father’s old face shielding you from wind and rain.

When the two families met again, Lu Ying drank several cups of wine and pulled Wang Daxia aside to discuss national and world affairs. Wang Daxia had no interest and gave perfunctory responses.

Ding Wu and Wei Caiwei chatted about their childhood in Tieling.

The two children were deliberately pushed together by the adults. In the Ding estate garden, Xia Qiwu said to Ding Weiguo: “I still remember you – you pushed me on the swing when we were little.”

Xia Qiwu was beautiful, dressed in red, speaking in soft Wu dialect, warm and generous, igniting light in the eyes of Ding Weiguo, who had spent years drinking sand and wind on the frontier.

Ding Weiguo pointed at the swing: “Do you still swing now? I’ll push you.”

Xia Qiwu in her red dress stood on the swing, soaring toward the clouds.

The ten-year appointment brought the two families together harmoniously like one family, but in the Forbidden City, one family was fighting bitterly over the crown prince position.

Imperial eldest son Zhu Changlo was born to Consort Wang and received no favor, but being the eldest, he had natural inheritance rights.

Emperor Wanli favored Noble Consort Zheng’s third son Zhu Changxun, wanting to depose the eldest and establish the younger. Ministers refused and frequently petitioned to establish the crown prince early.

Emperor Wanli refused. To pave the way for her son, Noble Consort Zheng found a book about chaste and virtuous women called “Illustrated Guide to Women’s Conduct” in the market, added stories of twelve women including Empress Mingde of the Eastern Han, wrote a preface in her own name, and published it. Starting from wives of high officials and working downward, she wanted all women in the empire to study this “Illustrated Guide to Women’s Conduct” to expand her influence.

Simply put, she plagiarized for fame, taking someone else’s book, removing the beginning and end, and copying it as her own “work.”

Noble Consort Zheng’s action was like Sima Zhao’s heart – obvious to all. Ministers opposed it, calling the book demonic, saying Noble Consort Zheng wanted to depose the eldest and establish the younger, breaking ancestral rules. The “Demonic Book Case” erupted from this.

The matter reached Empress Dowager Li, who had long avoided affairs. Li Jiubao handed the “Illustrated Guide to Women’s Conduct” to Emperor Wanli: “Emperor, ban this book. Though Zheng Shi holds the noble rank of Imperial Noble Consort, she’s ultimately a concubine. What virtue and ability does she have to be a model for all women under heaven?”

Emperor Wanli defended his favored consort: “This book has merit in teaching women the three obediences and four virtues. Why care about the author’s background?”

Li Jiubao threw the “Illustrated Guide to Women’s Conduct” on the ground: “Did she write this? If she truly could write it, I would turn a blind eye and say nothing. But she plagiarized someone else’s book and put her own name on it – taking without asking is thievery! How does a thief have the face to educate all women under heaven? Does she think everyone in the world is blind? She has no shame, but the imperial family still needs face!”