In A Class Of Her Own Episode Summary

I have just found out that In A Class Of Her Own (漂亮书生) is actually a remake of a Korean production, Sungkyunkwan Scandal. I have not watched the latter although from what I have gathered, the reviews are generally positive. A woman cross-dressing as a man would always make an interesting story if done right due to the inherent suspense and anticipation of when her identity would be exposed. Well, you can find that out in the episode summary below for this Chinese remake and check out In A Class Of Her Own review for my take on this drama.

Episode 1

In Yunzhou, there is a renowned school named Yun Shang Academy. It is a place for training officials and scholars. An exam is going to be held to select eligible students.

Feng Cheng Jun is the son of Governor Feng Ji Chang who is a noble dignitary. Wen Xi is a smart and scholarly young lady who cross-dresses as a man to earn a living writing novels and manuscripts by using her brother’s name, Wen Bin. She bumps into Cheng Jun and a mix-up occurs with one of their books. Wen Xi sells her stories regularly to Mr. Chao who runs Mu Lai Bookstore. He tries to entice her to help someone to cheat for the Yun Shang Academy exam but it is against her principles.

Helping To Cheat

Cheng Jun reads Wen Xi’s book that he has picked up. It is a romance story which he thinks is unsuitable for a young man to write. But he can see that the writing quality is refined. Later, Wen Xi has to go against her own principles to help Han Zheng Zhi and his friends to cheat for the exam. Zhang Zhi is the President of the Student Council. She needs the money to repay a loan shark as well as to return a betrothal gift that her mother had accepted to marry her off. Her family needs the money as her brother is sickly.

Wen Xi enters Yun Shang Academy illegally to meet Zheng Zhi. Cheng Jun points her out to the guards but she manages to fool them to escape. On the way home, robbers try to rob her of her money. A man saves her. On exam day, Wen Xi is supposed to help Zheng Zhi’s friend but gets his seating position wrong and ends up near Cheng Jun. Cheng Jun complains to the invigilator that candidates are cheating by using their aides. All aides are thus expelled.

The Han family has promised the Tian family to help their son to pass the exam. But Wen Xi fouled up. Zheng Zhi gets scolded by his father fo failing to help. Cheng Jun’s father tells him to have a lower profile. But Cheng Jun believes in fairness and recognizing talent.

Episode 2

Yu Le Xuan is both a merchant and scholar whom Wen Xi has met before at Mu Lai Bookstore. He offers Wen Xi a chance to make money. Cheng Jun asks Mr. Chao about Wen Xi and learns that she is a principled person. However, she seems to be going against her principles recently and Mr. Chao suspects it could be because she is desperate for money.

Le Xuan tells Cheng Jun where he can find Wen Xi but it is a trick to get him into trouble with the authorities. He has got an unsuspecting Wen Xi to deliver a banned book to a secluded place and lured Cheng Jun there. As a result, Cheng Jun and Wen XI are pursued by the authorities. They hide in a small space to evade capture. Wen Xi feels flushed with their physical proximity. After the authorities left, they come out of their hiding space. Wen Nuan thinks Cheng Jun reported her to the authorities. But Cheng Jun only wants Wen Xi to consider taking part in the exam due to her talent. Wen Xi turns him down.

Wen Xi Joins The Academy

Zheng Zhi and his gang threaten Cheng Jun for not following their rules by exposing all the cheating that takes place. But Cheng Jun isn’t intimidated. Wen Xi asks Mr. Chao for jobs as she is desperate for money. Mr Chao recommends her to take the academy’s second exam on someone else’s behalf. So, she turns up on exam day. At the same time, Cheng Jun recommends to the school to allow Wen Xi to take the exam as he feels that her talent shouldn’t be wasted. As Wen Xi has now been identified, she is left with no choice but to do her best. As a result, Master Wang admits her to the school.

Wen Xi is irritated with Cheng Jun for imposing his will on her. But then she finds out from Mr. Chao that her works will be worth much more if she is an academy scholar. Moreover, a scholar also gets paid monthly. So, Wen Xi changes her mind but worries that her identity as a woman might be exposed. Wen Xi writes a romantic story based on the man who had saved her while Cheng Jun is the villain.

The new students report for school. Wen Xi gets assigned to stay with Lei Ao who is good at martial arts but poor in his studies. However, Lei Ao is seldom at the academy. Cheng Jun refuses any special treatment for being the Governor’s son. He ends up being assigned to the same dorm as Wen Xi.

Episode 3

Wen Xi tries to convince Cheng Jun to move to the superior room but he insists on sharing a common room with her. During the admission ceremony, it is a tradition for freshmen to offer gifts to the seniors. Wen Xi can only afford to offer some home made snacks. The seniors label it pig food and throw it onto the floor. She demands an apology and an argument ensues. Someone wants to hit her but Cheng Jun stops him. He picks up the snack from the floor and eats it before offering some to Zheng Zhi to embarrass him. Le Xuan also takes a bite and defuses the situation.

The next event is to complete a mission handed out to each of them. The winner can get a request fulfilled from the Student Council while the punishment for failure is to jump naked into lotus pond. Wen Xi’s mission to invite a famous performer, Mu Xiao Man, to perform at the academy. Cheng Jun offers her money to hire Ms. Mu but Wen Xi declines.

Cheng Jun’s Mission

Cheng Jun’s mission is to retrieve some flowers from Han’s Manor. Zheng Zhi and Le Xuan arrange it so that Cheng Jun will get arrested for trespassing. However, a real assassin turns up first which distracts the attention of the guards. When Cheng Jun arrives, he meets the young mistress, Han Shu Min, who falls for him at first sight.

Shu Min is Zheng Zhi’s younger sister. Hence, she knows what his brother is up to and helps Cheng Jun to fulfill his mission. The flowers described in the mission is actually a painting which is kept in Shu Min’s room. Cheng Jun refuses to take it because if he does, everyone would know that he has entered her room. Thus, he rather be punished for failing in his mission. Shu Min is impressed that Cheng Jun is concerned about her reputation.

Wen Xi helps Ms. Mu to ward off a drunkard. She agrees to perform at the academy to return the favor. They also become friends. On the way back, Wen Xi bumps into the assassin who has been shooting arrows all over the place with the message equality for all. She points the officers in the wrong direction to help the assassin escape.

Wen Xi is declared the winner because she managed to accomplish the most difficult mission. Since she now has the privilege to have a request fulfilled, she uses it to ask for Cheng Jun to be spared the punishment. Le Xuan can guess why Cheng Jun has purposely failed his mission. Cheng Jun thanks Wen Xi for her help and says that he now owes her a debt.

Episode 4

The assassin enters Yun Shang Academy. Lord Gu and his soldiers want to enter to investigate. They are stopped as no army can enter the school based on the Emperor’s order. Wen Xi asks Cheng Jun to stop taking off his clothes when it is time to sleep. Cheng Jun moves close to Wen Xi to share her blanket because his smells bad. Then, a man enters their room. He turns out to be Wen Xi’s savior when bandits were trying to rob her earlier. He is also their room mate, Lei Ao.

Lei Ao wants Cheng Jun to move out. He refuses and Wen Xi tries to mediate. Both end up being locked out of the room because Lei Ao is the assassin and he is hiding his injury. Other students start betting when Wen Xi and Cheng Jun could return to their room. Le Xuan bets within 3 days while others are far more pessimistic. He offers Wen Xi to share his room. Wen Xi drags Cheng Jun along. Le Xuan is actually wondering what qualities Wen Xi has to be able to invite Ms. Mu. He is suspecting that she is a woman. Fellow students advised Cheng Jun not to report on Lei Ao’s unreasonableness. Past experience shows that complainers all ended up with tough lives after snitching on Lei Ao.

Lei Ao And Le Xuan Are Friends

Everyone is washing up and soaking their legs. They find Wen Xi has no leg hair nor facial hair. They assume that she is malnourished. During the first lesson, Wen Xi learns that the academy has a strict scoring system. She is already thinking how to get out of there once she gets paid after a month. Liu Qian Yi is responsible for fitness lessons. He is also Lei Ao’s master and disappointed with his disciple’s behavior. Wen Xi turns pale during the fitness lesson but forces herself to be fine as seeing the doctor could expose her gender.

A banned book turns up at Lord Han’s residence. Lord Han and Governor Feng have been suppressing the book’s existence for many years because it contains evidence of their crime in murdering innocent people. Lord Han needs to find the culprit.

Lei Ze Xun is Lei Ao’s dead brother who had been implicated in a crime. Lei Ao wants to clear his brother’s name. He keeps drinking until Le Xuan arrives to bring him home. Le Xuan warns him that he could get expelled but Lei Ao knows that Principal Feng wouldn’t dare to do so because his father is the Commander of the Imperial Brigade. Years ago, Xue Ding Kun, Lei Ze Xun and his students were all executed just after writing a book which Lei Ao found among his brother’s belongings. He suspects their deaths are related to the book.

The students are attending different lessons as they decide on their electives. Wen Xi is good in numbers but prefers to learn medicine. However, she poor in art. Then, she is wandering around the library.

Episode 5

Wen Xi notices Cheng Jun and stares at him until he snaps her out of it. Fellow students elect Wen Xi to be the Steward of Pufang Dorm. She immediately appoints the current steward as her deputy and passes back all the responsibilities to him. Cheng Jun tries to encourage Wen Xi to change her life by studying hard so that she can be an official. But Wen Xi tells him that she will only have the freedom to choose what she wants to do the day girls are allowed to attend schools. Cheng Jun says that nothing is impossible as 18 years ago, someone had suggested that before and almost succeeded.

Lei Ao tells Wen Xi that she shouldn’t be friends with Cheng Jun because he is a noble. Zheng Zhi warns Wen Xi not to get close to Ms. Mu as he is jealous. He is suspicious how Wen Xi could get Ms. Mu to perform at the academy. Both Cheng Jun and Lei Ao protect Wen Xi from his intimidation.

Lei Ao still wants Cheng Jun out of the room as he finds him pretentious although he is willing to accommodate Wen Xi who had helped him to escape that night. Le Xuan convinces him to accept Cheng Jun as he will then win the bet with the other students. Lei Ao wants Wen Xi to sleep in the middle. The 3 of them share one blanket and squeeze in on Wen Xi. Cheng Jun and Lei Ao keep arguing. Wen Xi gets stuck in the middle and finding it hard to keep the peace.

Making Peace

The next morning, Wen Xi asks Le Xuan how to get Lei Ao to listen to her. Le Xuan recommends Wen Xi to get him wine. However, she has no money. Le Xuan then suggests that they cooperate. She will write her storybooks and then pass to him to transcribe and sell. They will then share the profits. With the money from Le Xuan, Wen Xi buys wine for Lei Ao and brings it back to the dorm. Someone notices it and reports to Zheng Zhi.

Wen Xi offers to drink 3 sips of the wine in exchange for an agreement from Lei Ao not to quarrel with Cheng Jun. She gets drunk. Zheng Zhi and his friends come by to search their room for alcohol which is not allowed in the school. Cheng Jun and Lei Ao quarrel with Zheng Zhi over it. Le Xuan again tries to defuse the situation. Wen Xi then vomits all over Zheng Zhi who vows to report her to the punishment board. Wen Xi manages to get Lei Ao and Cheng Jun to bury the hatchet. Together with Le Xuan, the 4 of them are now friends.

Episode 6

Wen Xi wakes up to find Cheng Jun absent from the room. She starts accusing Lei Ao of not keeping his promise and arguing with him about Cheng Jun’s supposed hypocrisy. Wen Xi realizes she has wrongly accuse Lei Ao when Cheng Jun walks in. Li Hu is in charge of the punishment board and also teaches law. Wen Xi learns that indiscipline will result in demerit points. Each demerit point will then result in a fine. Wen Xi gets 10 demerit points for being drunk and has to pay a big fine.

Lei Ao looks for Xue Ding Kun’s house but is told that the dead man has no more next-of-kin. He visit his grave. Someone shoots him a note that mentions the name Ke Shi Jun and Qin Bei Chuan. Lei Ao could’t see the man’s face but notices his badge.

For the respecting teacher ceremony, the new students have to prepare 6 presents. Wen Xi laments that she will have to spend money again. Ms. Mu meets Wen Xi while she is on the way to shop for the presents with a few others. She Invites Wen Xi for a chat and seems interested in her as she thinks Wen Xi is a man. Ms. Mu also Introduces a medicine that could prevent drunkenness to Wen Xi.

Shu Min Is In Love

Cheng Jun goes to an auction featuring Mr. Ren’s paintings. Shu Min is also there in a private room and notices Cheng Jun. She purposely outbids him for a painting and then creates an opportunity to talk to him about it. Shu Min pretends to like Mr. Ren’s paintings to get Cheng Jun’s interest. She then asks him if he is single. When Cheng Jun says that he is, Shu Min indicates that she would like to meet him again.

Grand Secretary Ding and Master Wang discuss about Wen Xi’s written answer for the admission exam. She had touched on fairness. Master Wang knows that the elites are paying the poor but talented to cheat during admission exams. Hence, there is no integrity and impartiality which would then affect the quality of the graduates and officials later on. Years ago, someone had raised the same issue. Now, Master Wang is excited to get another of such student. He asks Grand Secretary Ding to look into it. The secretary then takes up a teaching position at the school.

Wen Xi is planning to be an underachiever at school in order to get expelled. She follows Lei Ao to his classes and observes his bad behavior which creates problems for the teachers. Lei Ao is actually looking for the person who passes him the note and the teacher mentioned. He couldn’t find him but is told that a new teacher has just joined the academy.

Episode 7

Wen Xi is bad at drawing. Cheng Jun offers to be the model to help her draw his portrait. She keeps staring at his face. In a Math class, Wen Xi sits next to Lei Ao. She follows his bad student behavior but it is still not giving the desired result. Cheng Jun asks Wen Xi why she is ignoring her studies but she brushes him off. Wen Xi also starts to discard her uniform to copy Lei Ao. She keeps following him although he tells her not to do so. Wen Xi even hits another student when Lei Ao dares her. When she feels guilty over it, Lei Ao advises her that she is meant to be a good student instead.

Cheng Jun hopes Lei Ao won’t influence Wen Xi and gets her expelled as it will ruin her future. Lei Ao doesn’t agree. It is not up to them to decide what is best for her. When Lei Ao wants to bring Wen Xi out for a drink, Cheng Jun tells her not to go. But she says that it is not her intention to study there in the first place. Wen Xi and Lei Ao sneak out to the tavern. Shu Min is also there and notices Lei Ao and Wen Xi. A few men are harassing a lady. Lei Ao hits them to protect her. Shu Min is impressed with Lei Ao and thinks he is good-looking.

Voting On Expulsion

Wen Xi breaks a statue in the commotion. The tavern owner demands compensation. Lei Ao says they will pay the next day. A fortune teller tells Shu Min that her love is around the corner. He offers her some writings to sew onto a pouch to give to the man she loves. Wen Xi and Lei Ao sneak back into the academy. Zheng Zhi catches them. Wen Xi admits to all the wrongdoings and hoping to get expelled.

The tavern owner comes to the school to demand compensation. Wen Xi readily admits her guilt until she learns that she could be blacklisted forever from holding any government position and attending school. Now, she is worried that it will affect his brother’s future since she is using his name. Cheng Jun accuses Lei Ao of implicating Wen Xi. Lei Ao doesn’t like to be challenged. Cheng Jun warns Lei Ao back that he will also not let him off if he keeps dragging Wen Xi into trouble.

Principal Feng wants to expel Wen Xi and Lei Ao rather than risking the school’s reputation. Mr. Ding and Mr. Li try to speak up for her. Mr. Ding tells Principal Feng that Wen Xi is recommended by Master Wang. Moreover, her bad behavior is also their responsibility as teachers. Principal Feng then decides to have all the students and teachers to vote on it. Le Xuan has an idea on how to get a favorable result. Zheng Zhi urges his friends to pass a message to all the students to vote for an expulsion. Wen Xi is told everyone is reluctant to help her because her name is linked to Lei Ao and everyone wants Lei Ao to be expelled.

Episode 8

Cheng Jun asks the tavern waiter for witness on the bullying incident. Everyone is scared of Wen Xi because of her link to Lei Ao. Le Xuan advises her to act pitiful and girly to get Lei Ao’s sympathy and soften him. Wen Xi practices it on Le Xuan who suddenly feels mesmerized by her. She follows through with the advice and acts pitiful and soft in front of Lei Ao. She wants him to help her to regain the trust of fellow students. Lei Ao agrees as he can’t stand her girly whining anymore.

Shu Min agrees to help Cheng Jun and be a witness. Shu Min also gives him a pouch as a gift which Cheng Jun refuses to accept. He tells her that he is not interested in a relationship as he just wants to concentrate on his studies. But he reluctantly agrees with her request to be friends. Zheng Zhi has already collected enough votes from the students to expel Wen Xi and Lei Ao and gives them to Mr. Li. But Cheng Jun informs Mr. Li that he has a witness in Shu Min which shocks Zheng Zhi.

Principal Feng summons Wen Xi and Lei Ao. Mr. Ding says their investigation reveals that they were upholding justice that night. They are also told that Cheng Jun found them a witness. The school decides to monitor Wen Xi’s and Lei Ao’s performance and they must obtain satisfactory results to avoid expulsion. Lei Ao still thinks Cheng Jun is a hypocrite but Wen Xi doesn’t like his prejudice towards Cheng Jun. Wen Xi tries her best to get Lei Ao to pay attention during class.

Learning To Play The Flute

Wen Xi finds Cheng Jun is not as talkative to her as before. Zheng Zhi and his friend come to intimidate Wen Xi again when she manages to avoid expulsion. Lei Ao defends her again.

Wen Xi convinces Lei Ao to attend Mr. Ding’s class. Mr. Ding takes Principal Feng’s favorite exquisite jar and asks his students to fill it with sincerity if they want to pass the exams. They start filling it with money. Mr. Ding’s inappropriate but fun teaching method causes Cheng Jun to raise an objection. Mr. Ding throws the jar onto the floor which surprises the students. He announces that only Cheng Jun has passed the exam as he knows how to question compared to the rest of the class. Principal Feng faints when he learns that his expensive jar has broken.

Wen Xi and Lei Ao are learning how to play the flute to pass the music exam. She asks Cheng Jun to teach them but he tells her to get help from the teacher instead. The next day, fellow students ask Cheng Jun for help to stop the horrible flute noise from his room mates which are disturbing their sleep.

Cheng Jun decides to teach Wen Xi who teaches Lei Ao in turn. He tells Wen Xi that he shouldn’t have imposed his will on her. She replies that she does admire his sincerity in return. After getting private lessons from Cheng Jun, fellow scholars are impressed with Wen Xi’s flute skills. She tells them to learn from Cheng Jun but he turns down their request to teach them. When Wen Xi asks Cheng Jun why he could teach her but not them, he replies that she is different from the rest.

Episode 9

Cheng Jun thinks the other students are just interested to learn for the exams. Wen Xi tells him not to simply assume and be so unapproachable. She decides to teach them herself. The music teacher are impressed by Wen Xi’s and Lei Ao’s performances. He reports their progress to Principal Feng and the rest of the teachers. They are happy that the 2 students are showing improvements and end their probation. Zheng Zhi is not happy with the news and that Cheng Jun is helping them.

Wen Xi thanks Cheng Jun for his help. Lei Ao asks her to stop pestering him now that she is safe from expulsion. He and Cheng Jun are still cold towards each other. Le Xuan gets Wen Xi to write her storybooks again. She imagines Cheng Jun and Lei Ao fighting for her to come up with her story. Le Xuan then gets Mr. Chao to make copies and sell at his bookshop with a share of the profits. He asks Wen Xi to attend the book signing ceremony for publicity.

Writing Love Letter

Wen Xi now has a lot of female fans under her pen name Mr. Bai. Shu Min also goes to get her signature and meets Le Xuan. She asks him for ideas on how to attract Cheng Jun. Le Xuan suggests writing him letters. Since she is not good at it, Le Xuan advises her to pay somebody to do it for her. Wen Xi gives her class notes to her brother to study. She hopes to give him back his identity soon and he could succeed.

The ingredients for Wen Bin’s medicine are in short supply which means higher prices. Wen Xi needs more money. Le Xuan recommends her to take up the job of writing love letters for Shu MIn. Shu Min tells Wen Xi that she wants to express her feelings for a man but the letter can only have a hint that it is from her as she doesn’t want it to be too direct. On the way home, she bumps into the assassin again. Wen Xi misleads Lord Gu to chase after the assassin in the wrong direction. She still doesn’t know that the assassin is Lei Ao.

Deceiving Shu Min

Cheng Jun receives an anonymous letter and shows it to Wen Xi. She is a little uncomfortable when she realizes the letter she wrote for Shu Min is actually meant for Cheng Jun. She explains that the letter hints that it is from Shu Min and that she is yearning for him. Cheng Jun says the letter is shallow since he doesn’t know that it was actually written by Wen Xi. He replies Shu Min’s letter by telling her that he only wants to focus on his studies and not to waste any more money on such a lousy writer.

However, Le Xuan keeps the reply letter and deceives Shu Min that she has a chance. Wen Xi is uneasy about the deception but Le Xuan tells her that it would be hurtful for Shu Min to be rejected by a man so fast. Moreover, Wen Xi can continue earning the money she needs. When Cheng Jun receives the second letter, he wants to tell Shu Min personally not to waste her time and money. Wen Xi convinces him to let it be as Shu Min’s interest will wear off after a while.

Wen Xi tells Le Xuan that she is feeling guilty and wants to stop writing any more letter. Le Xuan asks her to do it one last time. The next letter to Cheng Jun is a drawing of a couple. He is a little shock when he receives it. Cheng Jun is worried that Wen Xi seems to be out a lot at night. He then finds her with Shu Min at the book store.

Episode 10

Cheng Jun rejects Shu Min’s affections. She feels hurt and thinks Cheng Jun hates her. Shu Min scolds Le Xuan for wasting her money. Le Xuan turns it around and tells her that the money would have taught her that Cheng Jun likes someone who is principled and smart. Hence, she should better herself and Cheng Jun will look at her differently.

Cheng Jun is angry at Wen Xi for being dishonest and not focusing on her studies. He is disappointed with her and wants to bar her from leaving the academy. This makes Wen Xi angry as he is imposing his will on her again. But after she walks out on him, she begins to regret that she may have been too impulsive. When she sees Le Xuan is trying to make money out of Shu Min again, she steps in and wreck the deal. Le Xuan becomes mad at her but she manages to convince him not to be so petty. She also tells him to be more ethical in doing business.

Lei Ao asks Le Xuan to investigate 2 men for him – Ke Shi Jun and Qin Bei Chuan. Cheng Jun is still angry at Wen Xi and ignores her. Le Xuan finds Wen Xi a transcribing job to earn money. Her popular novel has been banned in school. Wen Xi complains to Le Xuan about Cheng Jun’s pettiness. Wen Xi tries to get Cheng Jun to talk but he puts on a serious demeanor all the time. Lei Ao tells Wen Xi that they should just kick Cheng Jun out of the room as he is getting annoying. But Wen Xi suggests that they should just treat him as invincible. Cheng Jun hears it which makes things even worse.

Looking For Clues

Le Xuan finds out that Ke Shi Jun and Qin Bei Chuan are fugitives. Another man who is on the run with them is Mr. Li. The 3 of them are Xue Ding Kun’s students together with Lei Ao’s brother. Somehow, they have escaped prosecution by running away. Their names are also not on Yun Shang Academy’s list of students as they had been expelled back then. Le Xuan and Lei Ao decide to look for clues by pretending to want to do cleaning in the records building.

Wen Xi bumps into Cheng Jun on the way to the book store. He is also heading there. Cheng Jun’s anger seems to have subsided. When they meet Mr. Chao, Wen Xi finds out that Cheng Jun has been quietly helping her to finish her transcribing work. She is touched but asks Cheng Jun not to lie to her again. He asks the same of her.

While cleaning, Lei Ao finds a novel that is under lock and key. Flipping through it, a dialogue appears to have come from him in one of his conversations with Wen Xi. Cheng Jun has also been reading Wen Xi’s latest novel and quotes from it to ask for an explanation on a character that seems to describe him. Lei Ao now knows the author must be Wen Xi. Both Lei Ao and Cheng Jun then want Wen Xi to write their characters in more flattering terms for her next volume.

Episode 11

Lei Ao and Le Xuan couldn’t find any records of the fugitives in the school. But Lei Ao suspects there might be records on them in the Interrogation Hall if they had broken rules and got expelled. He also asks from Le Xuan the first 2 volumes of Wen Xi’s novels. Just then, Principal Feng comes in and confiscates the novels. He tells them that nobody can read the novels until a decision has been made if they should be banned.

Wen Xi’s brother writes to tell her that their mother has fallen ill because she has been working hard to get money for his medicine. Wen Xi seeks Le Xuan for ideas to get more money. He tells her to write more novels but it is a risk as the school has banned them. Nevertheless, it is honest work and she is willing to do it. She asks for an advance from Le Xuan who gives it to her. But Wen Xi gets even more worried when she hears of a fellow scholar getting caned for merely copying the novel for his grandfather.

Lei Ao and Le Xuan now claim that they want to clean the Interrogation Hall as it is dusty. Mr. Li is getting suspicious. Lei Ao and Le Xuan manage to find some hidden old records. They now know where to locate Qin Bei Chuan and Ke Shi Jun.

Writing Banned Novels

Wen Xi quietly writes her novel after Cheng Jun and Lei Ao have fallen asleep. But Cheng Jun awakens and knows what she is doing. After finishing with her writing, Wen Xi goes to bed. This time, Cheng Jun crawls out of bed to read what she has written. Lei Ao follows suit. Wen Xi has made the female character leave the 2 men as she can’t decide who she should choose. Lei Ao wants Wen Xi to change his character after peeping at her work. Then she finds out that Cheng Jun has also done the same. Both men are eager to see how Wen Xi would develop their characters. She gets fed-up and tells both of them to write their own stories and give them to her to combine them.

Le Xuan sends a gift to Ms. Mu for her birthday. She asks Le Xuan if he could help her to invite Wen Xi over for her embroidered ball show. Ms. Mu is willing to write a promotional letter to promote Wen Xi’s novels in return. Zheng Zhi is also thinking hard about what to buy for Ms. Mu. He hears a fellow student reading Wen Xi’s banned novel and orders for spot checks to be conducted. They find some volumes of the novels in Wen Xi’s room. The 3 room mates arrive to see Principal Feng and the teachers.

Episode 12

Cheng Jun admits to writing part of the novel and so does Lei Ao and Wen Xi. This makes it difficult for Principal Feng to punish them due to Cheng Jun’s status. He even praises Cheng Jun’s work. Hence, the novels are now no longer a banned item. Le Xuan tells Wen Xi that she can earn more money with her novels by having Ms. Mu’s endorsement. But Wen Xi will need to go and see Ms. Mu personally.

Zheng Zhi presents Ms. Mu with a model house as a gift. But she tells him that she has forgotten about what she had wanted. The two of them used to be lovers and Zheng Zhi had once promised Ms. Mu a home. But his father has objected to the relationship. Le Xuan turns up at Ms. Mu’s show and notices Zheng Zhi. They are debating whether anyone would dare to receive the embroidered ball if Ms. Mu chooses to throw one out during the party. The man who catches the ball would be regarded as the thrower’s marriage partner.

Wen Xi arrives late to the show. Ms. Mu perks up when she sees Wen Xi and throws the ball at her. Wen Xi catches it without thinking. When she realizes what she has done, she drops it but this causes embarrassment to Ms. Mu. Wen Xi has no choice but to pick it back up. Zheng Zhi is furious that Wen Xi has got the ball. Wen Xi tells Ms. Mu that she has an uncertain future to discourage her but Ms. Mu is insistent that it doesn’t matter. Ms. Mu has also prepared the endorsement letter for her novels.

Wen Xi Rejects Ms. Mu

Lei Ao hunts for Ke Shi Jun and forces him to relate what happened 18 years ago. But Ke Shi Jun tricks and stabs him to escape. Lei Ao struggles back to the academy. Cheng Jun thinks he is sick. Wen Xi stays at Le Xuan’s room to write her novels for the whole night. Principal Feng hears that Wen Xi has caught Ms. Mu’s embroidered ball. The news has become widespread. All the students want to hear it directly from Wen Xi but Cheng Jun doesn’t seem to show any interest which disappoints her.

Lei Ao finds it strange that Ke Shi Jun is not caught although he is so easy to find. He suspects the records have been tampered with to lure him to Ke Shi Jun. Both Lei Ao and Le Xuan think it might be Mr. Li. Wen Xi is reprimanded by Mr. Li for the embroidered ball incident. Zheng Zhi threatens Wen Xi as he is jealous that she got the ball from Ms. Mu.

Ms. Mu misses Wen Xi. Wen Xi’s novels are all snatched up. Le Xuan asks her to pass her latest novel to Ms. Mu personally. Ms. Mu is happy to see Wen Xi but the latter tells her that she would not be able to give her what she wants. This hurts Ms. Mu which makes Wen Xi feels bad.

Le Xuan brings a signed copy of Wen Xi’s novel to Shu Min. He tells her that he is sorry for her situation and would help her to ask Cheng Jun out. Le Xuan then tries to convince Wen Xi to do so. He tells her that he is just helping Shu Min out of guilt. Wen Xi reluctantly agrees to give it a try.

Episode 13

Cheng Jun is exasperated that Wen Xi has arranged for him to meet Shu Min. She brings him to the market for the meeting. But Wen Xi can see that he is reluctant. Wen Xi then drags Cheng Jun away by offering the excuse that Principal Feng wants to see them. Cheng Jun is uncomfortable with Wen Xi’s ability to tell lies.

As Wen Xi chases after Cheng Jun, they bump into Ms. Mu who requests for Wen Xi’s company. Cheng Jun tries to leave but Wen Xi forces him to come along. They end up at the tavern and meet Shu Min there. Shu Min has been drinking as she is unhappy that Cheng Jun had left her abruptly earlier. The situation becomes awkward among the 4 of them. Shu Min is jealous of Ms. Mu as she thought Cheng Jun has left her to be with other women. She also starts throwing insults as her brother has been rejected by Ms. Mu in favor of Wen Xi.

The 2 women challenges each other to drink. As Shu Min gets drunk, she leans on Cheng Jun which causes Wen Xi to be jealous. Wen Xi starts to get irritated with Shu Min. Ms. Mu is also unhappy as Wen Xi tries to play down their relationship. Finally, Wen Xi and Cheng Jun leave the women to get back to the academy. Cheng Jun is annoyed with Wen Xi for instigating Shu Min when it is clear that she is drunk. Wen Xi asks Cheng Jun if he is starting to have feelings for Shu Min. Cheng Jun retorts that it is none of her concern and brings up her relationship with Ms. Mu in return. Wen Xi clarifies that she only wants to save Ms. Mu from embarrassment.

Falling For Cheng Jun

After Wen Xi and Cheng Jun left, Ms. Mu and Shu Min end up drinking together and lamenting about their love troubles to each other. Wen Xi and Cheng Jun sneak back into the academy. A fellow student follows them and happens to see Mr. Li being a victim of a prank. He laughs and Mr. Li assumes he must be the culprit. But the person who put up the prank is Lei Ao. He is observing if Mr. Li knows martial art and could be the one who gave him the note to look for Ke Shi Jun and Qin Bei Chuan.

Wen Xi finds herself having feelings for Cheng Jun. Zheng Zhi wants Wen Xi to be monitored. Lei Ao tells Le Xuan that Mr. Li is not the person they are looking for as he doesn’t seem to have martial art skills. He will find ways to look for Ke Shi Jun. Wen Xi is trying to avoid Cheng Jun due to her growing feelings for him. Other students are guessing what could be happening between the both of them. She gets tailed when she sneaks off to have a bath. Fortunately, she senses someone is around and avoids getting found out.

Lei Ao quietly distributes messages about equality in Ke Shi Jun’s village. Lord Han orders Commander Xu to investigate. The students suspect Cheng Jun is bullying Wen Xi which is why she is avoiding him. While reading a love poem with Cheng Jun in class as instructed by the teacher, Wen Xi’s expression gives Le Xuan the feeling it is similar to a girl’s. After class, Cheng Jun chases after Wen Xi. Their classmates ask him to stop.

Episode 14

Their fellow scholars accuse Cheng Jun of bullying Wen Xi. Le Xuan observes the whole incident with amusement. Wen Xi explains that Cheng Jun is not bullying her but she is only playing a game to get ideas for her next novel. Cheng Jun is surprised and doesn’t believe her. He wants to question Wen Xi further but she insists that she needs to go. She sneaks out to give money to her mother to buy medicine for Wen Bin.

Zheng Zhi finds out that Wen Xi has snuck out again. He catches her when she returns and has her stand on top of the wall that she had climbed over to get in as punishment. Wen Xi refuses to apologize as demanded even after a few hours under the hot sun. Cheng Jun is informed and rushes over. Wen Xi falls off the wall with a rope tied to her body to keep her from hitting the ground. Cheng Jun demands that Wen Xi be released. When Zheng Zhi refuses, Cheng Jun goes ahead to free her. He ends up quarreling with Zheng Zhi over the harsh punishment. Le Xuan comes over to defuse the situation and asks Cheng Jun to carry Wen Xi back to the room to rest.

Cheng Jun takes care of Wen Xi. He asks her why she had snuck out but she couldn’t tell him. However, Wen Xi promises Cheng Jun that she will reveal everything to him one day. Lei Ao is observing Commander Xu in the village and tails him. Luckily, he stops and turns around at the last minute as he senses an ambush.

A Debate

Some students are not happy with Zheng Zhi as they think he is abusing his power. They know he is picking on Wen Xi because of jealousy over Ms. Mu. Zheng Zhi then summons 2 students and wants them punished for going against his orders to help Wen Xi. Their friends inform Cheng Jun who brings in Principal Feng to intercede. Cheng Jun shows the principal the signatures of some students who are not happy with the Student Council. Principal Feng proposes that a policy debate forum and vote be held for students to decide on what they want. Zheng Zhi orders Le Xuan to stand on his side.

In the debate, Cheng Jun manages to convince many students on why change is needed to the rules and neutralizes Zheng Zhi’s and Le Xuan’s arguments. He also brings up the concept of equality. Wen Xi supports him and the idea of allowing women to study. Such views are controversial but the teachers decide that they should be allowed to be debated.

Lei Ao is tailing Commander Xu but gets surrounded by his soldiers in return. He escapes and hides in a hut. His pursuers are looking for him. Lei Ao then emerges from the hut in different clothing. The soldiers follow him.

Episode 15

The Deputy Commander stops Commander Xu and tells him that Lei Ao is his son. Lei Ao and his father have a strained relationship as Lei Ao hates him for doing nothing about his brother’s death. Wen Xi is impressed with Cheng Jun’s talents and falling for him. Zheng Zhi lost the debate and the Student Council can no longer mete out punishment. Le Xuan advises Zheng Zhi to lay low for the time being.

Commander Xu is also looking for Ke Shi Jun. He wants to expand his search but is stopped by Lord Gu. Both men are adversaries as they want to claim credit for Ke Shi Jun’s capture. Lei Ao observes what is happening as he tails Commander Xu.

Cheng Jun advises Wen Xi to talk it out with Ms. Mu. Wen Xi says that she had done so but Ms. Mu doesn’t seem to understand. Wen Xi then asks Cheng Jun if he has feelings for Shu Min. He tells her no and prefers someone who is able to share life’s ups and downs with him. Shu Min is delighted when she hears that Cheng Jun had performed remarkably well during the policy debate with her brother.

Zheng Zhi reads an intercepted letter from Ms. Mu to Wen Xi. Ms. Mu tells Wen Xi that she is feeling uneasy about her humiliation by Zheng Zhi. She also says that she understands Wen Xi should focus on her studies first and discuss their relationship later. Ms. Mu asks her to be careful of the bad guys which infuriates Zheng Zhi. Lei Ao learns from Le Xuan about Cheng Jun’s views which surprises him. He tells Le Xuan that Ke Shi Jun is in cahoots with the authorities and the clues could be in the Imperial Brigade.

Checking Wen Xi’s Background

Mr. Ding shares with Master Wang about Cheng Jun’s views which are very similar to Xue Ding Kun’s ideas. They also find Wen Xi and Cheng Jun share the same philosophy. Master Wang wants Mr. Ding to check Wen Xi’s background. However, they are not sure how much support Cheng Jun’s ideas would have. Master Wang wants to present these ideas to the Emperor. He thinks the situation is safer now since the authorities seem to have relaxed their vigilance on the fugitives linked to the past.

Mr. Ding writes a note to his brother scholar, Qin Hao Guan, that Master Wang seems to share their ideas. Mr. Ding and Mr. Qin are Xue Ding Kun’s students. This prompts Mr. Qin to go to Yunzhou. Lei Ao is getting jealous that Wen Xi is becoming closer to Cheng Jun. Mr. Ding is trying to find out more about Wen Xi’s background. Principal Feng’s record on Wen Xi only has it listed that her father had died when she was young and she has taken her mother’s surname. Mr. Ding makes his way to Wen Xi’s house and sees her mother. He recognizes her as Xue Ding Kun’s wife.

Lei Ao Is Jealous

Lei Ao changes the sleeping arrangement in their room. He wants Wen Xi to sleep next to him which makes her wonder if Lei Ao has found out about her gender. Mr. Ding is wondering if Wen Bin knows about the past. Xue Ding Kun’s revolutionary ideas were gaining traction and Mr. Ding had proposed Xu Ruo Yang to join their team. Then Governor Feng was told that Xue Ding Kun and his family were executed. Mr. Ding overheard Governor Feng denied giving such an order.

The students are gossiping that Wen Xi is sucking up to Cheng Jun because he is the Governor’s son. This angers Lei Ao who asks Wen Xi to stop looking up to Cheng Jun. To stop the scandalous gossips, Cheng Jun drags Wen Xi to the school’s Confucius altar and makes themselves sworn brothers in front of their fellow students. Le Xuan notices that Wen Xi doesn’t seem happy with the arrangement. Zheng Zhi has wanted to kick Wen Xi out of the academy all along but now that she is Cheng Jun’s sworn brother, it will be difficult to do so. He then blackmails Le Xuan to do it as he knows Le Xuan is a fake nobleman.

Episode 16

Lei Ao is still angry with Cheng Jun for making Wen Xi his sworn brother. Le Xuan is undecided on what to do with Wen Xi as he can only achieve his goal if he helps Zheng Zhi to kick her out. Wen Xi tries to stop Cheng Jun and Lei Ao from fighting and persuades them to go to the market with Le Xuan. Le Xuan tries to drop hints that perhaps school life is not for her. But Wen Xi tells Le Xuan that she used to think that way but her views have changed since then.

Then it begins to rain while they are at the market. They end up back at Le Xuan’s room. He offers them a change of clothes. Cheng Jun tells Le Xuan that Wen Xi doesn’t have a habit of changing in front of others. This raises Le Xuan’s suspicions. When she appears in Le Xuan’s clothes which is much bigger for her size, all the men think she looks like a girl. Zheng Zhi sees Le Xuan with the trio and reminds him of his mission to expel Wen Xi or he will have to face the consequences.

Wen Xi gives Cheng Jun a blue lucky sachet that she has bought from the market earlier. She actually bought a pair but keeps it to herself. Cheng Jun seems a bit disappointed when she tells him that she has also bought for Le Xuan and Lei Ao. Le Xuan tries to convince Wen Xi to opt out of school again. He thinks the best way is to get her to go willingly. But Wen Xi asks Le Xuan not to persuade her anymore as she doesn’t want to give up now. She also gives him the lucky sachet she bought.

Le Xuan Knows The Truth

Wen Xi sneaks off to have a bath late at night. She sees 2 students looking for a lost item around the building and pretends to be a ghost to scare them off. Le Xuan goes to look for Wen Xi but discovers that she is missing from her bed. He peeps inside the deserted store room and sees her taking off her clothes. He finally learns that she is a woman. Then Zheng Zhi comes by with his goons to investigate the ghost sightings. Le Xuan keeps Wen Xi from being found out with his tricks.

The next morning, Wen Xi tries to pry out of Le Xuan if he had seen her the night before. However, Le Xuan doesn’t have the heart to expose her then. Later, a circular is put up that some students from common families are pretending to be noblemen. Le Xuan confronts Zheng Zhi for spreading such information. He promises Zheng Zhi that he will get Wen Xi expelled in 10 days’ time.

Le Xuan is troubled and Lei Ao finds him behaving weirdly. Lei Ao thinks it must be due to his birthday which is approaching. Le Xuan doesn’t like celebrating his own birthday as he has disowned his family. Wen Xi is thinking she should arrange something for Le Xuan.

Episode 17

Wen Xi gets Cheng Jun to help her to prepare a surprise party for Le Xuan. Le Xuan is touched with their sincerity. Wen Xi gives Le Xuan a gift of written coupons. He could use the coupons to redeem a request from her. Le Xuan is about to use one to ask her to quit school but couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth.

Zheng Zhi gatecrashes Le Xuan’s party. He pushes him to make a decision by bringing up the issue of paupers masquerading as high-born. Le Xuan decides to come clean and admits that he is a lowly commoner. He tells Zheng Zhi that he will not do what is asked of him. Zheng Zhi vows to make him pay for not fulfilling his promise before storming off. Everyone pretends nothing happened and continues drinking thereafter.

While Zheng Zhi wants to punish Le Xuan, he still needs his help for the annual Worshipping Ceremony. They need to win during the ceremony to preserve the Student Council’s reputation. Le Xuan informs Wen Xi about what Zheng Zhi had wanted him to do. She tells him that he is a good man for choosing friendship first. Le Xuan wants Wen Xi to address him as brother and she complies. Zheng Zhi wants Le Xuan to do his duty for the coming Worship Ceremony to redeem himself. But Le Xuan is non-committal.

Going To The Meteor Shower

All the students are allowed to go out to watch a meteor shower. Some classmates invite Wen Xi to the nearby hill to catch the phenomena but Cheng Jun decides to go to Quiming Island for a better view. Shu Min begs Le Xuan to help her to get to the island with Cheng Jun but he turns her down.

Shu Min then gets her maid to pay the boatman to wait for a second person to show up before leaving with Cheng Jun. Le Xuan is quietly planting ideas in Wen Xi’s head to watch the meteor shower with Cheng Jun. He can see that the both of them have feelings for each other. Thus, Wen Xi decides to join Cheng Jun instead. The boatman sees 2 people and leaves for the island. Shu Min is disappointed when the boatman left without her. The island is deserted and there is just the 2 of them.

Lei Ao tails Commander Xu and overhears his subordinate mentioning Ke Shi Jun’s location. He gets there before them but there is no sign of the fugitive. He finds some evidence of herbs on the floor and collects it. The teacher at the academy identifies it as tuberculosis medication. Lei Ao has the idea of waiting for Ke Shi Jun at the medicinal hall.

Wen Xi and Cheng Jun discuss whether he will treat her as well if he gets married one day. Cheng Jun reassures her that he will because they are brothers. He also advises her that the outcome of any problems that they face is not important. The most important is to enjoy the process. The weather gets rainy and they both huddle under a branch for the night.

Episode 18

Wen Xi’s wish is to be with Cheng Jun forever while his is for all of Wen Xi’s unfulfilled wishes to come true. When they arrive back at the jetty the next morning, Shu Min accuses Wen Xi of ruining her plan and insults her of being low status. She then faints as she has been waiting there the whole night. Cheng Jun asks Wen Xi to go back first while he carries her to the doctor.

Le Xuan notices Wen Xi is dispirited after the trip. She tells him that certain things cannot be changed and it is better to let go. Le Xuan has guessed right that Wen Xi has feelings for Cheng Jun. But he realizes that they wouldn’t be able to be together. Cheng Jun keeps Shu Min company at the clinic. When she awakes, he makes it clear that he has no interest in her. His preference is for a girl with her own character and independent mind. Shun Min then decides she wants to be an independent woman.

Wen Xi is anxiously waiting for Cheng Jun. When he returns, he asks Wen Xi if she knows about Shu Min’s plan. Wen Xi is unhappy that Cheng Jun suspects her. She is also angry that he seems to apologize on Shu Min’s behalf for her insults. Lei Ao is smiling when he finds out that the both of them have been fighting. Shu Min is depressed and decides to go to Mr. Qin’s story-telling sessions to cheer herself up. She meets Ms. Mu there. After the session, she asks Mr. Qin to accept her as his student. Mr. Qin agrees when he learns that she is from the Han family and has strong views on equality for women.

Cheng Jun Gets Drunk

Fellow scholars invite Cheng Jun to go for a drink but he turns them down. When he sees Wen Xi following them, he changes his mind. Cheng Jun couldn’t stop Wen Xi from drinking and joins her in frustration. He ends up drunk. Wen Xi helps him to get back to the academy. They take a rest midway. Cheng Jun drunkenly tells her not to mention Shu Min as they should be ambitious and become a government official to make changes. He also advises her not to overthink as they will help each other as best friends and brothers. This leads Wen Xi to think that they should just be brothers as long as she can stay by his side.

Lei Ao tails Ke Shi Jun from the medicinal hall and forces him to tell the truth. Ke Shi Jun relates that Commander Mu Jiang tipped him off which let him escape while Lei Qi Ying was the executioner who killed Xue Ding Kun and his family. Lei Ao is angry to hear his confession.

When Wen Xi brings the drunk Cheng Jun back to the academy, Zheng Zhi’s goons delay her from entering until the door closes. Lei Ao turns up and beats them up. Mr. Li then comes out to see what is happening. The next day, Lei Ao and Wen Xi are to be paddled as punishment. Lei Ao, Cheng Jun, and Le Xuan offer to take the punishment on Wen Xi’s behalf.

Episode 19

Wen Xi is touched that Lei Ao, Cheng Jun, and Le Xuan are willing to take the punishment for her. When they ask her to apply medication to their buttocks, Le Xuan immediately offers to do it as only he knows that Wen Xi is a woman. Wen Xi helps Lei Ao, Cheng Jun and Le Xuan with their chores as they slowly recover. But the amount of work that she has to do causes her to fall sick and faints during Mr. Ding’s class. Mr. Ding personally treats her and finds out that she is a woman. Wen Xi has no choice but to tell him how she ended up at the school.

Mr. Ding warns her to be careful and not to let anyone find out about her gender while he creates an opportunity to let her leave. Le Xuan suspects Mr. Ding now knows the truth about Wen Xi and tries to pry for information. But Mr. Ding tells him not to ask too many questions and passes him some cold medicine to be given to Wen Xi. Le Xuan is curious why Mr. Ding is keeping quiet about Wen Xi. He is also fearful that it could be more dangerous for Wen Xi to stay at the school.

Master Wang is expected to come to the school to host the archery competition. Mr. Ding wants Wen Xi to leave the school before then. He is afraid Wen Xi wouldn’t be able to leave if she further impresses Master Wang during his visit. Mr. Ding will tell Master Wang that she is sickly and cannot continue her studies to prevent suspicion.

Archery Competition

For the archery competition, the students will have to form teams to compete against each other. Members of the winning team will win money and nobility points. Cheng Jun wants Wen Xi to join the ceremony as she has no more nobility points for deduction for disciplinary problems. However, Wen Xi appears reluctant since she is going to leave the school anyway. Cheng Jun encourages her to practice but she is too weak for it. Lei Ao argues with Cheng Jun not to force Wen Xi as it is her decision to make. Wen Xi storms off with Cheng Jun chasing after her. Suddenly, someone pushes a rack which hits Cheng Jun’s arm.

With Cheng Jun’s arm injury, Zheng Zhi’s team will have a good chance of winning. The weakest link in his team, Bing Shen, promises to work harder to improve his score to be in the team. Principal Feng tries to persuade Cheng Jun not to join the competition because of his injury but he refuses to listen. He will use his left hand instead and persuades Wen Xi to join him to train up their skills but she declines.

Cheng Jun manages to hit the bullseye with his left hand after much hard work. He shows Wen Xi that it can be done and encourages her not to give up. Otherwise, she is just being a coward. Lei Ao also tells her to prove Cheng Jun wrong and that he will always have her back. This motivates Wen Xi to stay at the academy and she tells Mr. Ding of her decision.

Episode 20

Mr. Ding warns Wen Xi that she could face death if her identity is exposed. Wen Xi is willing to take the risk as she feels that she is no weaker than the men in her performance in school. She wants to prove that women are as capable as men. Her attitude reminds Mr. Ding of her father. Mr. Ding agrees to let her stay on the condition that she wins the archery competition. That will also help to prevent anybody from questioning her identity.

Wen Xi starts practicing for the competition with her team members. She tells Cheng Jun that she wants to join him in creating a miracle. Zheng Zhi drops by to take a look and gloats over her weakness. He makes a bet with them that the loser will have to apologize for their behavior. Wen Xi agrees to the bet. She starts training hard to achieve her goal. Shu Min begins to study under Mr. Qin. She tells him that she wants to be an independent woman.

Lord Lei’s Secret

Lei Ao goes back to his father’s house to look for clues. Mr. Ding turns up for a visit. Lei Ao hides and listens in to their conversation. Mr. Ding asks about Xue Ding Kun’s family. Lord Lei tells him that he had killed all of them as per Governor Feng’s order then. However, Mr. Ding reminds him that Governor Feng had denied giving such an order. Lord Lei says that by the time the order reached him, it would have gone through several people. His guess is the order was given to Lord Han who then instructed Yu Lin Wei to carry it out although Governor Feng denied doing so. Lord Lei tells Mr. Ding that he has no proof which nobleman wanted Xue Ding Kun dead as his ideas were a threat to the aristocrats.

Mr. Ding exposes Lord Lei with the information that Xue Ding Kun’s wife is still alive with her 2 children and hence, he knows that Lord Lei had spared them back then. He admits that Xue Ding Kun was his mentor and thus, he is in fact grateful to Lord Lei for saving their lives. Lord Lei also informs Mr. Ding that the person who had saved Qin Bei Chuan was Mu Jiang who was later executed. Mu Jiang also tipped Lord Lei off which enabled the latter to save his family and let his eldest son to live for a few more years before he was also executed.

Lei Ao Joins The Competition

Lei Ao spreads written messages all over to vindicate Mu Jiang who was Ms. Mu’s father. Ms. Mu is moved that someone is finally fighting for justice for her late parents. Lord Han wants the culprit to be caught. Lord Gu informs him that the last time they pursued the man, he had escaped into the Yun Shang Academy. Wen Xi asks Lei Ao to join their team but he can’t stand Cheng Jun. But after proddings by a few of them, Lei Ao decides to join them after thinking through what they have said. He helps to train the team up in preparation for the competition.

Lord Han is wondering why Master Wang decides to attend the archery competition. He is afraid Cheng Jun could replace Zheng Zhi as the President of the Student Council since he is favored by Master Wang. Shu Min tells her father not to be too concerned as Cheng Jun is only interested in his studies. Her father asks her for her opinion on what to do. Zheng Zhi threatens Bing Shen to buck up for the competition. If they lose, it would be hard for Zheng Zhi to face his father.

Shu Min prepares a feast for the scholars on behalf of her brother since they have been practicing hard for the competition. Lei Ao drags Wen Xi away as he thinks they shouldn’t eat the food since Zheng Zhi has never treated them well. Wen Xi is unhappy to see Cheng Jun receiving a special box of food from Shu Min that is prepared just for him.

Episode 21

Shu Min’s thinking is that her brother should treat others with sincerity to earn their respect. Bing Shen gets drunk as his archery skill is still not up to mark for the competition.

Lei Ao is out sticking his revolutionary messages in the village when he is surrounded by Lord Gu and his men. They try to capture him and is stabbed. Someone appears to help Lei Ao escape. Lei Ao runs back to Yun Shang Academy which the soldiers can’t enter. But Lord Gu insists on checking things out himself. Lord Lei follows him and flings his sword towards a black-clad appearance among the trees. He is relieved to find that it is only a robe. Mr. Liu appears to ask them to leave.

Lei Ao sneaks back into the school and bumps into Principal Feng and Mr. Ding. Lei Ao claims he has been drinking to hide his injury. He then falls unconscious in a deserted room. Mr. Ding quietly treats him. Cheng Jun is worried that Lei Ao is still not back as the archery competition is the next day. Lord Gu reports to Lord Han and Governor Feng what happened. Lei Ao’s father tries to deflect attention by claiming that the 2 men involved shouldn’t have anything to do with the banned book. Lord Han orders for them to take advantage of the archery competition to enter the academy to investigate.

Lei Ao Is Missing

Comes morning, Leo Ao is still missing. Wen Xi and the rest of the team are feeling disappointed. Bing Shen tells Zheng Zhi the good news. But Zheng Zhi gets angry at him instead and wants him to perform well regardless of who their opponent is. Le Xuan is worried and seeks out Mr. Liu to ask Lei Ao’s whereabouts. Principal Feng says Lei Ao was drunk in the backyard and not missing. But Le Xuan still couldn’t find him.

Lord Han tells Lord Gu to kill the injured scholar if found when they are inside the academy. Ms. Mu will be performing after the competition and she has prepared a letter for Master Wang. Mr. Chao is opening bets at his book store for the archery competition. Shu Min is betting for Cheng Jun’s team to win. Wen Xi’s mother is also there for news.

Lord Gu finds out that Lei Ao might be the suspect. He brings his men to search the school compound as ordered by Lord Han. He finds Lei Ao but Mr. Ding and Mr Liu arrive to stop him from checking Lei Ao’s body for wounds. They claim Lei Ao was drunk the night before. If Lord Gu still wants to search Lei Ao’s body, then they should inform Master Wang beforehand. Lord Gu has no choice but to let go of his demand.

Wen Xi is sad when Lei Ao still has not turn up because Mr. Ding will expel her if she can’t win the competition. Mr. Ding stops Lei Ao from going to the competition because his wounds might be visible once he uses strength. But Lei Ao insists on going because he has promised Wen Xi who has also taught him what hope is together with Cheng Jun.

Episode 22

Bing Shen couldn’t get full points for his shots which annoys Zheng Zhi. Lord Gu reports to Lord Han that Mr. Ding and Mr. Liu are keeping an eye on him. He will ask his soldiers to guard the entrances to the academy instead to capture the culprit. Lei Ao finally turns up for the competition.

Cheng Jun manages to get full marks for all his shots. Lei Ao is weak. Lord Gu and Lord Han are observing if he can shoot his arrows to get a clue if he is the injured scholar. Lei Ao scores zero for his first shot and 9 for his second. He purposely breaks his bow to show his strength. His third shot is a bullseye. Lord Gu begins to doubt if Lei Ao is the person they are looking for. Wen Xi manages to hit the bullseye for all her shots.

Ms. Mu arrives at the academy but couldn’t enter because of Master Wang’s attendance. She asks to see Le Xuan who brings her in. Zheng Zhi is jealous as Ms. Mu clearly prefers Wen Xi over him. He wants to win the competition to show off to Ms. Mu but she is not impressed. Wen Xi still seems uncomfortable with Ms. Mu who then mentions about her letter. Ms. Mu thought she has clarified her feelings in her letter to Wen Xi earlier. But Wen Xi did not receive it as Zheng Zhi had intercepted it.

The Final

Lei Ao is running a fever. Everyone thinks that is why his performance is below par. Mr. Ding quietly treats Lei Ao. He claims that he is helping him because he doesn’t want him to drag down Yun Shang Academy. Mr. Ding advises Lei Ao to lay low as Lord Han is suspicious of him. It is better for Lei Ao to focus on long-term goals to contribute to the country.

The results for all the teams are out for the archery competition. The final will be between Zheng Zhi’s and Cheng Jun’s team. Bing Shen tampers with a bow for Cheng Jun’s team. Lord Gu concludes that the person that they are looking for couldn’t be a scholar. Lord Han is relieved in a way because that would avoid conflict with Master Wang. For the final, they will draw lots to determine who will compete against the other in the opposing team. Wen Xi is drawn to compete against Zheng Zhi. Cheng Jun wins for his team. Next is Le Xuan’s turn to compete.

Episode 23

Le Xuan wins to make the two teams tie after 2 rounds. Lei Ao’s shot lacks strength and the arrow falls to the ground. Thus, he loses to his opponent. Cheng Jun’s team wins the next round to make it back to a tie. The last round is Wen Xi against Zheng Zhi. Ms. Mu calls out to Wen Xi to encourage her which distracts Zheng Zhi. He is further distracted when he notices his father shooing Ms. Mu away. Zheng Zhi only manages to get 6 points for his shot.

When it comes to Wen Xi’s turn, she cuts her hand when she grips the bow which has been tampered with. Cheng Jun wants to complain but Mr. Ding stops him because of Master Wang’s presence. Everyone in Zheng Zhi’s team can get expelled if the tampering comes to light. Wen Xi insists on carrying with the competition. Her hand is bandaged up. She wins her round with a bullseye shot and defeats Zheng Zhi and his team. Mr. Ding allows her to stay and advises her not to lose sight of her dream and ambition.

Master Wang is pleased with Wen Xi’s and Cheng Jun’s performance and Lei Ao’s improvement. Shu Min is ecstatic that Cheng Jun has won. Lord Han slaps Zheng Zhi for letting Ms. Mu affect him and failing to win the competition. He tells his son either to get talented people on his side or get them expelled to keep his position. Bing Shen is scolded by his team mates for tampering with Wen Xi’s bow. This is because they could get into trouble if caught.

Wen Xi’s Close Call

Mr. Ding informs Master Wang about Lei Ao. Master Wang wants Lei Ao to focus on his studies and become an official as soon as possible. However, Mr. Ding remains silent on Wen Xi’s identity and background. Bing Shen admits his mistake and begs Zheng Zhi to give him a chance. But Zheng Zhi is feeling miserable himself and tells him to get lost. Le Xuan wants to invite Wen Xi and his team for a drink at the book store to celebrate their victory. She hears that Ms. Mu has been chased away by Lord Han. Wen Xi declines Le Xuan’s invitation but encourages Cheng Jun to go without her.

Ms. Mu is thinking how to pass her letter to Master Wang. Wen Xi drops by to see her after hearing of her humiliation. Ms. Mu tells Wen Xi that she now has other things on her mind rather than love and relationship. Shu Min turns up at the book store to play the zither during Le Xuan’s drinking session with Cheng Jun and his team mates. Wen Xi sees Cheng Jun walking Shu Min home after her meeting with Ms. Mu.

Back at the academy, a drunk Bing Shen harasses Wen Xi and gives himself away as the person who tampered with her bow. His friends stop him from strangling Wen Xi. Wen Xi tells Bing Shen to respect himself first if he wants others to respect him. Then, she goes to the deserted store room to have her bath. Lei Ao is also hiding inside the room to nurse his injury.

Episode 24

Lei Ao sees Wen Xi from his hiding place. Just as Wen Xi is about to undress, Mr. Ding appears at the door. He learns what she is doing. He also knows Lei Ao is in the store room as he is dropping by to treat him. Mr. Ding puts on an act so that Wen Xi’s identity is not exposed.

Lei Ao shows Mr. Ding the note with Ke Shi Jun’s and Qin Bei Chuan’s name on it. Mr. Ding says that the note is not from him. Lei Ao tells Mr. Ding that the note came from a teacher with martial art skills as he was carrying a teacher’s badge. Mr. Ding tells Lei Ao to leave the investigation to him. Mr. Liu assures Lord Lei that his son is fine and doing better in school.

Wen Xi is sulking when she sees Cheng Jun. He admits that he met Shu Min but he is not interested in any relationship until he gets to be a government official. Cheng Jun cheers her up with a rhyme which makes her happy. Mr. Ding tells Wen Xi not to return to school after the up-coming holidays because Master Wang is investigating her background. Wen Xi is sad but at the same time, looks forward to discarding her male role.

Lei Ao recovers and Wen Xi is happy to see him back in their room. Together with Cheng Jun and Le Xuan, they go out for a drink. On the way there, they see a group of commoners being sent to do hard labor due to their inability to repay debts. They are sad over the people’s sufferings.

School Holidays

The students are going home for the school holidays. Lei Ao, Cheng Jun, and Le Xuan are giving her a lot of things to take home while some friends also contribute herbs from the school’s medicinal hall for her sickly sibling.

Zheng Zhi is stil angry with Bing Shen. They also need to apologize to Wen Xi for losing the archery competition as per their bet. Zheng Zhi does so with his team but also gives all the school’s free food that the rich students do not want to Wen Xi to humiliate her. Lei Ao is mad but Wen Xi tells him to let it be. Although it seems they are trampling on her dignity, Wen Xi distributes all the free food and herbs to the poor with Cheng Jun, Lei Ao, and Le Xuan. They are then known as the 4 Gentlemen of Yun Shang.

The 4 of them then split up to go back to their respective homes. Wen Xi goes back to being a woman and happy to see her mother and brother. But then some Ling Zhi powder are stolen from the school’s medicinal hall and Wen Xi’s badge is found at the scene. Mr. Ding brings her back to school. Cheng Jun, Le Xuan, and Lei Ao are also there. Zheng Zhi accuses her of stealing the powder while she denies it. Master Wang gives both sides 2 days to find evidence to support their different claims.

Episode 25

Lei Ao is certain Zheng Zhi must be the culprit who has framed Wen Xi. He is spoiling for a fight but Le Xuan calms him down.

Lei Ao goes to all the medicinal halls but none have Ling Zhi powder for sale. Le Xuan found only one jar on the black market. Bing Shen finds it strange that the thief didn’t sell the powder when it is worth a lot of money. He panics and lets slip that he had stolen one bottle and then left Wen Xi’s badge at the crime scene. Altogether there should be 7 jars of the powder and now all are missing.

Cheng Jun suggests that they get help from government officers to round up those stalls selling stolen goods. The district’s investigation official is close to Zheng Zhi’s father. He listens to Zheng Zhi to trick Cheng Jun and Wen Xi. The official pretends to agree to round up the stolen goods stalls but when they arrive at the market, the soldiers are instructed to destroy every stall on the street with the claims that they are unlicensed.

Cheng Jun regrets being too naive. Master Wang thinks it is a good lesson for them to learn before they graduate. Lei Ao recalls seeing a suspicious man moments before the soldiers came. He draws out his portrait and they start looking for him. They manage to find the thief but he turns out to be Ah Mu who is a poor man who stole to buy medicine for his sick mother. He also has to take care of his brothers and sisters. Wen Xi doesn’t have the heart to turn him in. She decides to take the blame but Cheng Jun is angry at her decision.

Wen Xi Is Vindicated

The next morning, Wen Xi claims that she is the thief when questioned by Master Wang. Cheng Jun brings in Ah Mu who admits to being the thief. Ah Mu is touched by Cheng Jun’s narration of how much Wen Xi is willing to sacrifice for him. Zheng Zhi insists that Wen Xi should be punished for lying. Master Wang decides the punishment would be to get them to find the whereabouts of the Ling Zhi powder. He also deducts Zheng Zhi’s nobility points for wrongly accusing Wen Xi.

Zheng Zhi is furious at Bing Shen who begs him again for forgiveness. Cheng Jun gives Bing Shen some money and asks him to lead his life with dignity. Wen Xi cooks for Cheng Jun with Le Xuan’s and Lei Ao’s help as a way to apologize. They start looking for the stolen Ling Zhi powder. According to Ah Mu, he had sold it to Miao Xiang Dong. Lei Ao and Wen Xi tails Miao to his warehouse.

Miao’s uncle leaves with the Ling Zhi powder through the backdoor with a few men. Lei Ao asks Wen Xi to run when Miao appears with his men. He fights with them while Wen Xi retreats. She bumps into Miao’s uncle who instructs his men to chase her. Lei Ao could hear Wen Xi’s shouts for help. He looks for her. Le Xuan and Cheng Jun arrive with Lord Lei and government officials to arrest Miao but they couldn’t find the Ling Zhi powder. Wen Xi falls into the pond while escaping and is drowning. Lei Ao saves her and starts pumping her chest. He could feel that she is a woman.

Episode 26

Wen Xi wakes up before Lei Ao needs to do mouth to mouth resuscitation. He is unsure of how to treat her but still pretends that she is a man. They return to the warehouse to meet up with Le Xuan and Cheng Jun. Through his actions and their wet clothes, Le Xuan could guess Lei Ao has found out that Wen Xi is a woman.

School is re-starting and the students are back. They are in support of Wen Xi to be the next President of the Student Council and are critical of Zheng Zhi. However, Wen Xi tells them that Zheng Zhi does have his reasons at times. Bing Shen is listening to their conversation and surprised at Wen Xi’s magnanimity. He reports back to Zheng Zhi who rewards him with some money. However, Zheng Zhi thinks Wen Xi is just being pretentious and warns his underlings not to waver in their loyalty.

Wen Xi recognizes Miao’s uncle as Gu Da Chao. Le Xuan will try to fish for more information on him. Mr. Ding informs Lei Ao that Mr. Li is the most likely teacher to have given him the note. Wen Xi asks Cheng Jun what will he do if she dies as she had that fear when she was drowning. Cheng Jun tells Wen Xi that he will take care of her mother and sister for her for the rest of his life. Wen Xi then presses him if he would marry her sister. He says he would if she asks him to which makes Wen Xi smile.

Investigating Gu Da Chao

Wen Xi advises Lei Ao to cherish his relationship with his father as she can see that Lord Lei does care for his son. Lei Ao silently prays for his brother to bless Wen Xi as what she is doing would also fulfill his brother’s ideals. Lei Ao then changes their sleeping position as he orders Wen Xi to sleep at the side while he sleeps in the middle. He also protects her like a bodyguard to prevent other students from getting too close to her.

Le Xuan finds out that Gu Da Chao is also Lord Gu’s uncle. Lord Gu is Zi Ming’s father. Hence, Lord Gu could be protecting Miao and Gu Da Chao. They suspect the Ling Zhi powder could be in Gu Da Chao’s residence. Meanwhile, Gu Da Chao wants Miao to admit to the theft. He is angry that all the goods in the warehouse have now been confiscated.

Le Xuan suggests that they sneak into Gu Da Chao’s house that night as he will be having his birthday banquet. The 3 men will search for the powder while Wen Xi will wait outside the wall. Whoever finds the powder will then toss it over the wall and Wen Xi will bring it over to Master Wang. Le Xuan advises Lei Ao to stop his overprotectiveness towards Wen Xi because that could arouse even more suspicion. Lord Gu suggests to Gu Da Chao that they set up a trap during his birthday party. He has received news that the scholars are investigating his uncle.

Wen Xi Dresses As A Woman

Le Xuan has an invitation for the party but Lei Ao and Cheng Jun will have to sneak in through the backyard. Lord Gu then turns up with his soldiers to search the compound. Wen Xi gets worried. Lei Ao fights off the guards as Cheng Jun tries to escape. The soldiers chase after Cheng Jun. Wen Xi pulls him into a store room. But she has changed into a woman’s dress which leaves Cheng Jun astonished. She hides him in a cupboard. When the soldiers turn up, she sidetracks them by accusing them of disrespecting her privacy. Once the soldiers leave, they search the store room and find the Ling Zhi powder. Wen Xi also find a notebook in the chest and takes it.

Lord Gu returns with his soldiers. Cheng Jun exits the store room with the powder. Lei Ao fights Lord Gu’s soldiers to let Cheng Jun escape. Wen Xi quietly walks out later as they are busy fighting but bumps into Gu Da Chao who recognizes her. Le Xuan notices her and helps her escape. In the end, Lei Ao and Le Xuan are caught. But Le Xuan is cunning enough to let Gu Da Chao know that one of them has escaped with the Ling Zhi powder. Hence, if he locks them up, he will only be charged with an additional crime of detaining scholars. Gu Da Chao releases them.

Cheng Jun meets up again with Wen Xi after his escape. He keeps seeing her as a woman although she has changed back into her usual men’s clothing.

Episode 27

Cheng Jun feels a little awkward after seeing Wen Xi dressing up as a woman. Le Xuan uses Wen Xi’s beauty to tease him. Lord Gu tells Gu Da Chao that they should be safe if they push all the blame to Miao. But Gu Da Chao has also lost something important that could cause them big trouble. The notebook that Wen Xi has taken is a ledger and has Governor Feng’s name on it. Wen Xi is unsure about what to do since he is Cheng Jun’s father.

When it is time for bed, Cheng Jun begins to act rather strangely about where Wen Xi should sleep. Lei Ao wonders if Cheng Jun has found out Wen Xi’s identity. Gu Da Chao reports to Lord Han that the ledger containing all their transactions is missing. However, he has substituted Lord Han’s name with Governor Feng’s in the ledger although all other cronies’ names are still listed. Lord Han is furious. He wants Gu Da Chao to recover the ledger or his life would be on the line.

The 4 of them return the Ling Zhi powder to Master Wang. Wen Xi denies seeing anything else in the secret drawer when retrieving the powder. Lord Han orders Zheng Zhi to try to get back the ledger. Cheng Jun seems to be avoiding Wen Xi as he can’t help but sees her as a woman. Lei Ao relates his worry about Cheng Jun’s odd behavior to Le Xuan. They then advise Wen Xi to talk to Cheng Jun to find out what is happening.

Seeing Wen Xi As A Woman

Wen Xi confronts Cheng Jun who admits that he keeps picturing her as a woman. He thinks she is pretty but he can’t be behaving that way since she is a man to him. Hence, he says he won’t fall in love with her. Instead, he wants Wen Xi to introduce her twin “sister” to him which annoys her. When she meets Lei Ao and Le Xuan, she tells them that Cheng Jun is stricken with hallucination.

Cheng Jun takes a bath at night to get rid of his thoughts about Wen Xi. Mr. Li catches Bing Shen peeping into the bath house. He has to admit that he is keeping an eye on Cheng Jun on Zheng Zhi’s orders and it relates to a ledger. Mr. Qin notices another black-clad man escaping from the authorities in the suburb.

Bing Shen reports back to Zheng Zhi that there is nothing suspicious about Cheng Jun. On the other hand, Wen Xi is checking up the names of state officials in the library. Zheng Zhi and his goons go to the library to demand Wen Xi to hand over a banned book. Mr. Li arrives and orders them to leave. Mr. Ding is suspicious of Mr. Li as his records in school are incomplete. Lei Ao turns up at the library to protect Wen Xi. Mr. Li is also suspicious of Wen Xi.

The Ledger

Lei Ao asks Wen Xi why are so many people after her book. She shows Lei Ao the ledger. Cheng Jun is listening in to their conversation. Lei Ao wants to pass the ledger to Master Wang but Wen Xi wants to verify the information first in case they wrongly accuse an innocent man. Lei Ao believes Governor Feng is not a good man because he heard him telling his father to sever ties with his brother when he was young. His brother was executed over an education policy and his mother died of grief. Wen Xi finally understands why Lei Ao has always dislike Cheng Jun.

Cheng Jun goes back home to ask his father about Gu Da Chao. His father denies receiving bribes from him and encourages his son to investigate freely. Mr. Qin praises Shu Min as an excellent student. He also meets up with Ms. Mu and tells her that she reminds him of his old friend named Mu Jiang. Ms. Mu cautiously keeps quiet about her identity. Mr. Qin asks her to let him know if she has any information on Mu Jiang’s daughter.

Cheng Jun tells Lei Ao and Wen Xi that he knows about the ledger. He claims that his father is innocent while Lei Ao thinks otherwise. Wen Xi says that she will investigate but Cheng Jun is angry that she doesn’t seem to believe him. Zheng Zhi uses trick to lure Lei Ao away from Wen Xi. Wen Xi receives a note that Mr. Ding wants to meet her at a temple but when she turns up, she sees Zheng Zhi there.

Episode 28

Zheng Zhi tries to convince Wen Xi to give him the ledger. He says that he will investigate and pass the ledger to Master Wang. Le Xuan turns up and stops her. Lei Ao also arrives. A masked man appears to snatch the ledger away from Wen Xi. Lei Ao fights him to get it back. The ledger drops to the floor and Le Xuan picks it up. Lei Ao then chases after the masked man. Le Xuan and Wen Xi want to leave but Zheng Zhi’s hired thugs arrive and have them beaten to get the ledger.

Their friends are angry that Zheng Zhi could hire people to beat up fellow students. They want to vote Le Xuan in as the new President of the Student Council. Lei Ao reports to Mr. Ding that the masked man he fought off should have chest injuries and resembles Mr. Li. However, Lei Ao couldn’t detect any signs of injury on Mr. Li’s chest during a bath. In actual fact, Mr. Li has stuck some hair on his chest to hide the marks.

In a session to defend themselves and choose a new President of the Student Council, Zheng Zhi accuses Le Xuan of faking his identity as a nobleman and conducting unethical business to make money. He also accuses him of being an illegitimate child who has no right to attend Yun Shang Academy. Principal Feng adjourns the session. Master Wang tells the teachers to leave it to the youngsters to solve it themselves. Principal Feng is confused whether he should retain or expel Le Xuan as Master Wang has been ambiguous.

Supporting Le Xuan

Le Xuan’s reputation is now in tatters. Lei Ao keeps him company. Wen Xi tries to convince and petition other students to support Le Xuan but to no avail. Cheng Jun gets information about Le Xuan from Mr. Chao. Mr. Ding comforts Wen Xi that the hardship is a test. Wen Xi also informs Mr. Ding that she doesn’t want to leave the school as she doesn’t want to be separated from her 3 friends.

Wen Xi refuses to give up although Zheng Zhi has given orders to everyone not to support Le Xuan. In the end, she manages to convince a few students not to deny people of opportunities just because of their background. Cheng Jun brings wine to share with Le Xuan and Lei Ao. He asks Lei Ao not to be prejudicial towards him because of his father’s supposed guilt. He invites him to find out the truth together and if his father is guilty, he will still be fair.

At the next debate session, most students are standing behind Zheng Zhi. 80% of the students need to forgive Le Xuan in order for him to stay. Le Xuan states his intention to leave. He is also relieved that he no longer needs to live under disguise. Cheng Jun asks him to stay until the debate is over. He then proceeds to say that Le Xuan is an unfilial son but they also need to ask why.

Episode 29

Cheng Jun argues that all of them are to be blamed for Le Xuan’s decision to lie because they all practice discrimination. Although Le Xuan is wrong to disguise himself, no student has suffered in their dealings with him. Wen Xi also asks that Le Xuan be given the same chance that she has been given. In the end, most of the students vote for Le Xuan to remain.

Next, Lei Ao brings up Zheng Zhi’s crime of beating up Wen Xi and Le Xuan. Zheng Zhi denies it. Bing Shen admits to all the previous wrong-doings to cover up for Zheng Zhi. Master Wang asks the 4 of them how they would want to punish Bing Shen. Le Xuan decides to forgive him as how he has been forgiven. Everyone is satisfied that Le Xuan has chosen to be benevolent.

Zheng Zhi gives some money to Bing Shen again for covering up for him. But Bing Shen returns it. He tells Zheng Zhi that he did so to repay him for all the money he had received in the past. But from then on, he wants to leave him to lead his life with dignity. If Le Xuan can do it, so can he. Zheng Zhi is now alienated by his own friends.

Ms. Mu wants to pass a letter to Master Wang. But Lord Lei tells her to forget it. Bing Shen and Zi Ming apologize to Le Xuan and Wen Bin for past misdeeds. Their apology is accepted. Le Xuan agrees with Wen Xi’s suggestion that he should give some money to his parents to make their life easier. Lei Ao volunteers to accompany Le Xuan when he goes home.

Unexplained Attraction

Lei Ao gets the idea of giving a hairpin to a woman if he likes her. So, he goes and buys one. Ms. Mu approaches Mr. Qin since she fails to get to meet Master Wang. Mr. Qin asks her to be careful because it is hard to differentiate friend from foe. During the past incident, Master Wang was outstation but Mr. Qin doesn’t know if it was intentional or coincidental.

Zheng Zhi is staying home to avoid school. Lord Han is pleased that he got the ledger back. Zheng Zhi’s parents are also thinking of arranging a marriage for him. He gets drunk at Ms. Mu’s place and complains of being betrayed by his friends. Ms. Mu tells him that he is a coward if he denies his own mistakes. Zheng Zhi then proclaims that he is not a coward.

Cheng Jun still cannot figure out his attraction to Wen Xi and couldn’t concentrate in class. Wen Xi is unsure if she should stay away from him. Le Xuan advises Cheng Jun to socialize more with girls to know the difference between love and brotherhood. Lord Han and his wife are picking suitable marriage partners for Zheng Zhi. Shu Min tells them that she would want to pick her own marriage partner when the time comes.

Wen Xi tails Cheng Jun after seeing him receiving a letter. He meets Shu Min who wants him to solve some lantern riddles that she has prepared. Cheng Jun remembers Le Xuan’s advice and agrees to Shu Min’s request. Wen Xi is not happy.

Episode 30

The answers to the lantern riddles connect to form the message ‘I miss you’. Cheng Jun notices a change in Shu Min who informs him that she has been reading a lot lately. He is impressed with her improvement and invites her to the school’s open day to look at more books. Mr. Ding asks Wen Xi about Cheng Jun’s lack of concentration. Wen Xi admits that it has something to do with her. Mr. Ding reminds Wen Xi that Cheng Jun is an aristocrat and his marriage would be to someone of equal standing. Wen Xi assures Mr. DIng that she will not expose her identity but she will also try to pursue her happiness in her own way.

Cheng Jun and Wen Xi argue again over their sleeping position. He doesn’t want her to sleep next to him but she insists on sleeping in her usual spot. Cheng Jun tells Le Xuan that he doesn’t know if the problem lies with him or Wen Xi. Mr. Ding learns from Mr. Li that he has no family and grew up with his grandmother.

On the school’s open day, Wen Xi is jealous that Cheng Jun is accompanying Shu Min around. Ms. Mu also drops by to give Wen Xi a surprise. They are eating when Cheng Jun and Shu Min come by to share their table. The situation gets tense as Wen Xi couldn’t control her jealousy. Cheng Jun decides to leave with Shu Min. Ms. Mu advises Wen Xi to think properly about what she wants before leaving.

Wen Xi Is Jealous

Wen Xi gets drunk and Lei Ao carries her back to their room. He is about to put the hairpin that he bought for her on her hair but stops when she utters Cheng Jun’s name. Zheng Zhi sees his sister with Cheng Jun. Shu Min tells him that they just like each other. Zheng Zhi then informs their parents. They want to bring the 2 of them together. Lei Ao tells Cheng Jun that he needs to leave for a few days on personal matters and asks him not to make Wen Xi sad again. Cheng Jun decides he should leave the academy so that both of them can focus on their studies.

Lord Han informs Governor Feng that their children are dating. Governor Feng refuses to commit. He asks Cheng Jun if Shu Min is really suitable to be his wife. Cheng Jun has no objections. Wen Xi hears Cheng Jun telling Mr. Ding that he will leave it to the elders to decide now that his relationship with Shu Min has become public. Wen Xi is unhappy. Le Xuan asks her to try to persuade Cheng Jun to stay at the academy.

Wen Xi is about to tell Cheng Jun her identity when Mr. Ding turns up to stop her. Mr. Ding warns her that if her identity is exposed, her family would also be in trouble. He advises her to think of her dream and not to be impulsive. Lei Ao is out sending messages again. He had quietly copied the ledger Wen Xi was keeping then. Mr. Qin is wondering who he might be. Lei Ao discards his black clothes and walks out from the alley when soldiers show up. Lord Gu stops him.

Episode 31

Lord Gu gives instructions to his soldiers to keep an eye on Lei Ao. Governor Feng wants to take Gu Da Chao to court for slander as messages are being spread that he is corrupt. Lord Han maliciously advises him not to do so. He offers to solve the problem for him since they will be in-laws soon. Lord Gu suspects the person who has a copy of the ledger must be someone close to Wen Xi.

Wen Xi wants Le Xuan to make an appointment for her to see Cheng Jun. She is worried that Cheng Jun is making a rash decision. Cheng Jun himself is not feeling any excitement towards the marriage proposal. Wen Xi waits for Cheng Jun at the designated place but gets kidnapped. A beggar tells Cheng Jun what happened when he asks. He traces the kidnappers to Gu Da Chao’s residence.

Cheng Jun goes round the back and hears Gu Da Chao threatening Wen Xi that he will expose her female identity if she refuses to hand over the ledger. Cheng Jun is shock to hear that Wen Xi is actually a woman. Then a masked man breaks in and kills Gu Da Chao. Cheng Jun rushes in to protect Wen Xi. The masked man retreats. He is Commander Xu. Lord Han has ordered him to kill Gu Da Chao. He can now pin the blame for the murder on the flyers distributor.

Lord Han’s Pressure

Lord Gu also suspects the flyers distributor is his uncle’s murderer. Cheng Jun walks Wen Xi back to the academy. He promises her that their relationship will go back to usual with no secrets between them. However, he will not move back to the academy as yet. Lord Gu is chasing another black-clad intruder. His subordinate reports that Lei Ao is back at the academy. Hence, he rules him out as the flyers distributor.

Wen Xi relates to Lei Ao what happened to her. Governor Feng is not happy that Gu Da Chao is dead as people would think that he killed him. Lord Han assures him that nothing will happen with his help. He pressures Governor Feng on the marriage proposal and subtly warns him that he wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt his daughter. Governor Feng gives the excuse that Cheng Jun is busy with his studies.

Shu Min dresses as a scholar to surprise Cheng Jun. He mistaken her for Wen Xi and is disappointed when she is not. Cheng Jun sees the food his butler served him and knows it is Wen Xi’s cooking. He is happy to see her and decides to move back to the academy. Lord Han is not too happy that there is still no proposal from the Feng family. He is afraid that Cheng Jun may have a change of heart and his family would end up as a laughing stock. Since Shu Min’s marriage is delayed, he wants to rush forward Zheng Zhi’s wedding instead. Zheng Zhi is afraid to tell him that he loves Ms. Mu.

Cheng Jun Changes His Mind

Cheng Jun leaves a note for his father that he will make things clear with Shu Min and return to the academy. But his father tells him to keep quiet about it first until he thinks of a solution as Lord Han is not someone they can mess with. A group of them goes out for a drink to celebrate his return. They meet a drunk Zheng Zhi who is being pathetic. Wen Xi feels sorry for him as his current situation is due to his feelings for Ms. Mu. She asks Le Xuan to put in a good word for Zheng Zhi so that other students will not alienate him anymore. They also help him back to the academy.

With Cheng Jun back in the room, he re-arranges the sleeping spots again now that he knows Wen Xi is a lady. The next morning, Zheng Zhi wakes up to find himself sore and his hand bandaged. Le Xuan tells him that he was drunk the night before and hurt his hand during a fight. Wen Xi has bandaged him up.

Episode 32

Le Xuan advises Zheng Zhi to let go of personal grievances and be a fair leader of the Student Council. They are all ready to help if he asks. Zheng Zhi is digesting all of Le Xuan’s advice. Lei Ao complains to Le Xuan about Cheng Jun in an ambiguous way. Le Xuan can guess that it relates to Wen Xi’s identity and advises him to ignore it.

The school is holding a competition that requires much stamina from participants. They will be divided into groups and have to climb a hill to look for a map. Zheng Zhi promises to leave her a spot if she is keen. After drawing lots, Cheng Jun will partner Lei Ao while Wen Xi’s team member is Zheng Zhi.

Mr. Li’s Revenge

Zheng Zhi is changing to be a more caring person. Lei Ao is not happy that Wen Xi is getting friendlier with him. She persuades Lei Ao not to be so petty. Mr. Ding bumps into Mr. Qin while looking for someone. Mr. Qin has no idea how a memorandum to the palace became a banned book. He had placed the memorandum in a locked safe guarded by himself, Mr. Li, Ke Shi Jun, and 2 others. But he fell ill before departure and was sent to the medicinal hall. Right now, they are both at the village looking for clues on Mr. Li.

Zheng Zhi, Lei Ao, and Cheng Jun are up on the hill during the competition. They are knocked unconscious by Mr. Li. Mr. Qin and Mr. Ding deduce that if Mr. Li is not Xue Ding Kun’s murderer, then he must be thinking of revenge against Governor Feng and Lord Han. Mr. Ding rushes back to the competition site. Wen Xi notices Mr. Ding on the hill and follows him. Mr. Ding finds Mr. Li and asks him to stop with the killing of the 3 students. Xue Ding Kun was Mr. Li’s teacher and he thinks Governor Feng, Lord Han, and Lord Lei killed him and his family.

Mr. Ding tells Mr. Li that it is not true because Lord Lei had spared Xue Ding Kun’s family and Wen Xi is his child. They must investigate further before jumping to conclusion. Wen Xi is shocked to hear about her background because her mother has never told her anything. She comes out from her hiding place to confront her 2 teachers.

Wen Xi’s Background

They first bring Cheng Jun, Lei Ao, and Zheng Zhi down the hill and claim that it is part of the competition to test their vigilance. Then, Mr. Li and Mr. Ding reveal to Wen Xi her background. They want her to keep it a secret for now. Her mother has hidden their identities to keep them safe. Mr. Ding advises Wen Xi to focus on her studies first. He then informs Lei Ao about Mr. Li’s identity. Mr. Li is Lei Ao’s brother’s good friend.

Zheng Zhi informs his father that he wants to hold a gathering to deepen his bond with Cheng Jun and other school mates. But his father is not agreeable to him inviting Ms. Mu. Shu Min helps him to convince their father. During the gathering, Zheng Zhi asks Cheng Jun to go and see his sister. Cheng Jun complies and takes the opportunity to tell Shu Min that he wants to break off their engagement.

Zheng Zhi wishes Wen Xi a happy relationship with Ms. Mu. But Wen Xi encourages him to woo Ms. Mu instead. As Zheng Zhi changes into a better person, Ms. Mu has also turned less cold towards him. When Cheng Jun returns to re-join the gathering, Wen Xi is already drunk. He carries her home and tells her that he has settled his relationship issue with Shu Min.

Commander Xu is ordered by Lord Han to kill a few more people to lure the flyer distributor out. Ms. Mu notices him exiting through the backdoor when she comes out of the changing room.

Episode 33

Ms. Mu tails Commander Xu. Cheng Jun informs Wen Xi that he has decided not to marry Shu Min because he is in love with someone else. Wen Xi is exasperated that he is such a womaniser. Lord Han is furious that Cheng Jun will not be proposing to his daughter. Shu Min tries to calm him down and defend Cheng Jun but to no avail. Lord Han sees it as a slight to the Han family.

Gu Da Chao’s cronies are getting murdered. The authorities want to arrest the leaflets distributor which they say is the murderer. Master Wang has been appointed as the Emperor’s special envoy to investigate the murders. Lord Han suggests getting the imperial guards to go undercover as civilians to capture the man. He also vows to make Governor Feng pays for his son’s rejection of his daughter and the ensuing humiliation.

Tailing Commander Xu

Ms. Mu reports to Mr. Qin about the man she saw at the Han’s residence. She suspects he has to do with the murders. Lord Han wants Commander Xu to kill Lord Gu. If he succeeds, then Lord Gu’s position will be his. Ms. Mu tails a masked Commander Xu but lost the trail midway. Lei Ao notices another black-clad masked intruder from the rooftop but doesn’t know that she is Ms. Mu. Commander Xu stabs Lord Gu and is about to kill him when Lei Ao appears to stop him. Lord Gu notices something about the killer. When Lord Gu’s soldiers appear, both Lei Ao and Commander Xu have to run away.

Lei Ao chases Commander Xu into an alley. Ms. Mu appears at the other end. They fight him together until he is injured and has to escape. They chase after him into another alley. Lord Han shows up with his soldiers and orders them to shoot their arrows. Commander Xu is killed. Ms. Mu is injured. Lei Ao pushes her through a door to let her escape first as he fights off the soldiers. They get split up. Eventually, Lei Ao is being pursued into the woods. A masked Mr. Liu shows up and lures the soldiers away from an injured Lei Ao.

Lord Han Searches The Academy

Lord Lei rushes to the suspect’s location. Ms. Mu is surrounded by soldiers. Lord Lei orders the soldiers to stop to let him kill the suspect himself. But he merely puts on a show to let Ms. Mu escape. Ms. Mu runs into Yun Shang Academy with the soldiers in pursuit. Wen Xi is out sulking because she is unhappy with Cheng Jun. An injured Ms. Mu appears. Wen Xi hides her in the deserted store room.

Lei Ao stumbles back into the academy and falls unconscious onto the ground. Le Xuan and Cheng Jun hide him from the patrolling guards and Mr. Liu also pretends there is no suspicious person around. Le Xuan and Cheng Jun carry Lei Ao back to the room to treat him. Cheng Jun finds out that Lei Ao is the wanted criminal.

Lord Han brings his soldiers to enter the academy. He orders his soldiers to search the whole school. Wen Xi gets worried and informs Zheng Zhi who stops the soldiers from locating Ms. Mu. Zheng Zhi takes care of Ms. Mu while Wen Xi returns to her room to find Lei Ao heavily injured. The soldiers are stripping the scholars to search for injuries. They arrive at Wen Xi’s room. Mr. Liu and Mr. Li hold them back.

In the end, Cheng Jun comes out of the room and claims that he is the wanted criminal to protect Lei Ao and Wen Xi. He surrenders Lei Ao’s banned book as proof that he is the leaflets distributor. Principal Feng tells Lord Han that it must be a mistake. Lord Han orders Cheng Jun to be imprisoned.

Episode 34

Lord Lei is waiting outside the academy and sees that Cheng Jun is the one who gets arrested. Shu Min pleads with her father to spare Cheng Jun and accuses him of being spiteful. Lord Han slaps her and pronounces that the Han and Feng families are now enemies. Wen Xi is worried about Cheng Jun. Le Xuan stops her from visiting him in prison as that will only give Lord Han another excuse to search the academy. Wen Xi suspects Cheng Jun knows she is a woman which was why he pre-empted the strip search.

Lei Ao awakens. He tells Wen Xi and Le Xuan that Lord Han had set a trap to lure him out. The murderer is the bait and he also saw another black-clad person. Ms. Mu is recovering under Zheng Zhi’s care. She tells Zheng Zhi that her family was wrongly accused back then and she wants to redress the injustice. But when she was dating him, it was based on true feelings and not because of her family’s case.

Principal Feng wants the students to unite and report Lord Han’s transgressions. He has proof that Cheng Jun cannot be Lord Gu’s killer. One of the students’ grandfather is the respected Lord Mo who is a founding minister. He will ask his grandfather to help.

Wen Xi Turns Herself In

Lord Han accuses Cheng Jun of spreading propaganda. Thus, he would cancel his daughter’s engagement to a criminal. Governor Feng points out that the flyers accuse him of being corrupt and it makes no sense for his own son to spread such messages. Lord Han counters that it is done to erase suspicion. In that case, Governor Feng accepts the bribery accusation and investigations can then be launched to get to the bottom of the matter.

Lord Mo appears and accuses Lord Han of barging into the academy and beating up scholars. Hence, he is guilty and has no right to investigate the case further. Master Wang is given the mandate to continue with the investigation. Governor Feng tells Master Wang that he is fine with sacrificing his own reputation in order to drag Lord Han down together. He also wants to bear responsibility for a past incident.

Wen Xi is sad to hear from Shu Min that both Cheng Jun and his father are now in jail. She decides to turn herself in and claims that she is the leaflets distributor. But Lord Han tells her that there are 2 criminals involved. So, both her and Cheng Jun are equally guilty. Lei Ao is unwilling to let Wen Xi take the blame for him. He tells Le Xuan he will go and get them out. Before doing so, he meets up with Mr. Liu to thank him for being his savior. Mr. Liu tells Le Xuan that his father has been worried and was waiting outside the academy that night.

Cheng Jun Is Freed

Lei Ao goes back to see his father. He realizes that Lord Lei has never forgotten his brother’s death and has been investigating the case for years. His brother was the one who chose to sever ties with the family to keep them safe. Lord Lei then locks Lei Ao in a room for his own good. He hears from Le Xuan that Lord Gu had noticed a scar on the killer’s hand. Lord Lei visits Lord Gu to inform him that his killer is Commander Xu based on the scar. Lord Gu then deduces that order must come from Lord Han.

Cheng Jun doesn’t believe his father is corrupt. But Governor Feng comforts him that the truth will be revealed one day and he should never lose sight of his convictions. Master Wang reasons with Lord Han that Cheng Jun cannot be the killer because there are no signs of injury on his body. He also wants Wen Xi to be sent to him for interrogation. Lord Lei asks Lei Ao not to be so reckless. Cheng Jun has been released and Wen Xi should be under Master Wang’s protection. Zheng Zhi finds Ms. Mu has quietly left after recovering.

Lord Han orders Wen Xi to be killed on the way to Master Wang’s office. Cheng Jun finds out where Wen Xi is being brought to. Lord Han’s soldiers launch an ambush on the convoy transporting Wen Xi.

Episode 35

Ms. Mu turns up to protect Wen Xi. Lei Ao also shows up and asks her to bring Wen Xi to safety. As they run away, Wen Xi asks Ms. Mu not to risk her life for her. Because Ms. Mu insists on staying, Wen Xi has no choice but to tell her that she is a woman. The soldiers launch an attack against them. Wen Xi shields Ms. Mu and is injured. Cheng Jun and Zheng Zhi arrive to help them. Le Xuan also appears after hearing the prisoner wagon has been attacked. He bumps into Lei Ao and tells him that he saw Ms. Mu and Zheng Zhi. Lei Ao finally realizes the other black-clad person is Ms. Mu.

Cheng Jun carries Wen Xi to safety and strips her to treat her injuries. Lei Ao and Le Xuan shows up Zheng Zhi’s place. Zheng Zhi informs them that Cheng Jun has saved Wen Xi. Ms. Mu tells Lei Ao that she knows who ordered for Lord Gu to be killed. Lord Han is furious that Wen Bin has escaped. He also learns that his son has helped her.

Wen Xi awakes and finds Cheng Jun has stripped her and treated her injuries. He admits that he has already found out about her gender when she was kidnapped by Gu Da Chao. Cheng Jun thinks that it is safer for her to leave the academy. Wen Xi agrees and says that she will just get married off then which Cheng Jun forbids. Lei Ao and Le Xuan arrive to check on Wen Xi. The best thing to do now is to send Wen Xi to Master Wang.

Trapping Lord Han

Mr. Ding informs Master Wang that Wen Xi is Xue Ding Kun’s child. She is brought back to Master Wang’s place. Lei Ao admits to being the leaflets distributor. Master Wang is impressed with his loyalty and honesty. He has no problems with the contents of the banned book. The book ban was initiated by Governor Feng, Lord Han, and a few other noblemen from Yunzhou back then. Cheng Jun doesn’t believe that his father is against the book. Orders given out in the imperial court cannot be easily uplifted and hence, the book ban remains.

Le Xuan suggests that Lord Han can be found guilty of possessing the banned book. He knows there are banned books in the Han’s residence because he had stolen one before. They will use the excuse of visiting Zheng Zhi to enter the Han’s residence to investigate. Cheng Jun apologizes to Shu Min again when he sees her at her residence. She says that she understands and thanks him for being honest. He also admits that he has someone whom he likes.

Lord Gu confirms during a hearing that the killer cannot be Wen Xi because he is much bigger in size. But Lord Han insists that Wen Xi should still be punished for distributing banned materials. Principal Feng and Mr. Ding then appear with the banned books taken from his residence. Master Wang reasons with Lord Han that if Wen Xi is to be punished, he will face the same fate for possessing the same materials. Hence, it would be best for him to get the book unbanned. With the ban uplifted, Wen Xi is also released.

Wen Xi’s Father Was Framed

Master Wang’s impression of Wen Xi’s father is of a righteous man. Back then, his ideas got wide support from the commoners and some aristocrats. But his memorandum to the palace was different from his usual ideas. He was framed and got executed with his followers. Master Wang wants the 4 of them to solve the case as part of their imperial examination.

Cheng Jun wants his father to tell him what happened to Xue Ding Kun. His father relates that Xue Ding Kun’s memorandum was switched on the way to the palace. Lord Han pressured Cheng Jun’s father to take over the investigation from the imperial officers but he refused. Lord Han then forged his signature for the investigation to be handed back to the Governor. He had to comply then due to Lord Han’s military power. Cheng Jun’s father didn’t order for the execution. Lord Han used the treasonous memorandum as an excuse to execute Xue Ding Kun and his followers.

Lei Ao is looking for Ke Shi Jun to solve the case. Lord Gu thanks Lei Ao for saving him and lets him know where Ke Shi Jun is hiding. Ke Shi Jun is brought before Master Wang. He admits to switching the memorandum but blames Lord Han for threatening him and his family to force him to do the switch. Other evidence surface to point to Lord Han’s guilt including Ms. Mu’s eyewitness account.

Xue Ding Kun’s case is cleared. Governor Feng is released from prison. He asks Master Wang to request the Emperor to demote him to a commoner for his failure in handling the case for so long.

Episode 36

Wen Xi returns to the academy to the cheers of fellow scholars. Ms. Mu comforts Zheng Zhi who is feeling miserable. She assures him that he still have her and that she believes in him. Lei Ao is still considering whether to give Wen Xi the hairpin when Le Xuan snatches it from him and teases him. In the end, Wen Xi wrongly assumes the hairpin belongs to Le Xuan and he has someone he likes.

Lei Ao is feeling jealous of Cheng Jun. Le Xuan advises him to go with the flow. Cheng Jun is having difficulty in exercising his self-control towards Wen Xi especially when Lei Ao has left to go back to see his father. With just the 2 of them in the room, they find it hard to go to sleep the whole night being so near to each other.

Wen Xi dresses up as a veiled girl to go on a date with Cheng Jun. They bump into Mr. Chao while looking at some hairpins. However, he couldn’t really recognise Wen Xi with her veil. Wen Xi tells Cheng Jun that she doesn’t need him to give her anything except his heart. At night, Cheng Jun asks for his reward for having been well-behaved. Wen Xi gives him a peck on the cheek. They are chasing each other in the room. Lei Ao witnesses it from outside and feels dejected.

Graduates

Wen Xi, Cheng Jun, Le Xuan, and Lei Ao graduate. Mr. Ding will join the imperial court but Principal Feng turns down Master Wang’s offer to do the same. He wants to remain at the school. Cheng Jun will join the state government office at Master Wang’s request to investigate his father’s bribery case. Wen Xi thanks Lei Ao for protecting her all along. Lei Ao tells her not to be bias and just think of Cheng Jun. She must let him know if Cheng Jun bullies her and she will always be his family.

The 4 of them are out for a drink. Lei Ao lets slip that he knows Wen Xi is a woman. Le Xuan also says that it has taken him great effort to hide it from the 3 of them. But when Wen Xi wants to know how they found out, both Lei Ao and Le Xuan pretend to be drunk.

Wen Bin has got back his identity from his sister and is now a capable government official. Master Wang remarks to Mr. Ding that “Wen Bin” looks very different now. Mr. Ding apologizes for hiding Wen Xi’s identity. But Master Wang just laughs. He knew all along Wen Xi had assumed his brother’s identity.

Girls are now allowed to attend school. Cheng Jun is now the Governor. He drops by Mr. Chao’s classes for girls with Wen Xi and Wen Bin. Mr. Chao is confused about the 2 siblings. They also meet Shu Min who gets the picture. She thanks Wen Xi for making it possible for girls to study. Cheng Jun and Wen Xi have their wedding ceremony.

Other Cross-Dressing C-Dramas

Women cross-dressing as men is quite a common theme for C-dramas set in ancient times. The Heiress is one such drama for 2020 apart from In A Class Of Her Own. In this production, the female lead also assumes her brother’s identity. But she definitely looks a lot like a man here with the more masculine make-up and styling. Dr. Cutie has another cross-dresser who takes on the role of an imperial doctor. This one is a light-hearted rom-com with a lot of cuteness on the part of the female lead.

For a totally different feel, the epic Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms also has a cross-dresser in Bai Qian in the early parts of the drama. I guess this romance saga would need no introduction with its huge popularity. Moving away from costume dramas, Arsenal Military Academy sees a female joining the army by using her brother’s name during the Japanese occupation era. This is an interesting one as it is not often that we get a cross-dressing drama which is set in a more modern time period.

Image Credit: iQIYI