Lady Chai found a suitable match for her son, Chai An. The potential bride was pleased with Chai An’s handsome appearance and substantial wealth, but Chai An outright rejected the proposal, stating that he had already set his heart on Kangning, the third daughter of the Li family. He urged his mother to find a matchmaker to propose the marriage to the Li family as soon as possible. Initially, Lady Chai was puzzled, but when she learned that Kangning was the daughter of the Si Fu Zhai across the street, she nearly fainted.
In the middle of the night, Fuhui was still disturbed by the earlier incident with the bandits. She kept hearing noises outside, fearing that the bandits had come for revenge. Half-asleep, Fan Lianghan revealed the truth, but by the time he realized what he had said, Fuhui had already punched him several times. The next morning, two famous matchmakers from Bianjing rushed to the Li family’s courtyard to propose a marriage for Kangning on behalf of Chai An. Overjoyed by such a prestigious match, Lady Li was ecstatic.
When Kangning returned home and heard her mother and sisters discussing Chai An’s proposal, she was unsure of what to do. She went to confront Chai An about his intentions, and he took the opportunity to express his feelings. Learning from her second sister Fuhui’s past experiences, Kangning laid down three conditions for Chai An: if he truly wanted to marry her, he must first abandon any thoughts of taking concubines or keeping mistresses; second, if they had no children, they could only adopt a child from the same clan, with no other options; and finally, if she were to die early, Chai An would have to wait three years before remarrying, and after his death, he must be buried beside her.
Hearing Kangning’s conditions, Chai An was even more convinced that she was an extraordinary woman. Instead of being angered, he readily agreed, stating that the matriarch of the Chai family must be intelligent, decisive, resilient, and capable of moving his heart—qualities that only Kangning possessed. Deeply moved, Kangning agreed to the marriage but asked Chai An to travel to Luoyang to fulfill her father’s dying wish by bringing back a plum branch from her hometown.
Despite Lady Chai’s prejudices against the Li family, Chai An was determined. He had already arranged all the necessary details, even selecting an auspicious date for the wedding. Chai An hurried off to Luoyang, but shortly after he left, Lady Fan came to discuss with Lady Chai how to make the Li family back down.
Soon after, the Chai and Li families formally began marriage negotiations, and Kangning happily embroidered her wedding dress. Shouhua noticed that her mother seemed downcast, guessing that she had been repeatedly slighted by Lady Chai. At this time, the Chai family returned the engagement gifts sent by the Li family, demanding that they replace the live fish with golden fish and the fish-shaped chopsticks with silver ones, which would cost the Li family even more money.
The Chai family’s servants mocked Lady Li, and though she was deeply hurt, she endured it for the sake of her daughter’s happiness. That night, Lady Li sat alone in the courtyard, talking to her late husband’s belongings. If he hadn’t passed away, they wouldn’t be left as a widow and orphans, suffering such humiliation. She only hoped that Kangning’s marriage would proceed smoothly without further complications. Kangning, standing at the door and witnessing this scene, also broke down in tears.
Lady Li and Shouhua took the revised engagement gifts to the Chai family, only to be insulted once again by Lady Chai, who cruelly pointed out that they were a family of misfortune—widowed young, bereaved in their prime, and without sons. Her words cut deep. At this critical moment, Kangning entered and fiercely defended her mother and elder sister, declaring that the Chai and Li families were mismatched and that the marriage was off. She then took her mother and sister and left the Chai household.
Just as Chai An returned with the plum branch from Luoyang, overjoyed, he saw Kangning and her family leaving in silence, filled with confusion. Lady Chai seized the opportunity to stir up trouble, claiming that the Li family had inexplicably changed their minds. Chai An went to the Li family to seek an explanation, but Kangning avoided him, fearing that revealing the truth would cause a rift between Chai An and his mother. Fuhui stepped in to handle the situation, leading Chai An to misunderstand. In his heartbreak, he threw the plum branch to the ground and left.
Qiongnu felt that she had brought bad luck to Kangning’s marriage and blamed herself deeply. Kangning smiled and comforted her, telling her not to overthink it. However, in the middle of the night, Kangning sat alone in her room, reminiscing about the time her father had picked red plum blossoms for her and thinking of Chai An’s promises. She could only place the plum branch and the golden Makara into a box, tears streaming down her face, burying their love forever.
On the day of the winter solstice, Chai An delivered winter vegetables to the Liu family, a long-time family friend, where he encountered the scholar Du Yangxi, who was being harassed by Liu Tang for refusing a marriage proposal. Liu Tang demanded that Du Yangxi complete a mural within the time it took for an incense stick to burn. Du Yangxi succeeded, and Chai An, recalling that they had met once before, pleaded for leniency on his behalf. Liu Tang agreed to let Du Yangxi go.
Fearing that Liu Tang might retaliate, Du Yangxi left behind a poem mocking Liu Tang. Humiliated and enraged, Liu Tang disregarded his reputation and sent men to ambush Du Yangxi and his friend. Fortunately, Chai An sensed something was amiss and arrived in time to rescue them, allowing the two to escape and continue preparing for the imperial exams.
