At a banquet, Su Heng gathers his brothers to sign contracts for a salt workshop, asking each of them to contribute three hundred taels and promising that they will receive a share of the future profits from salt sales according to their investments. Some bring silver raised by their fathers selling their homes, while others worry that investing too little will leave them with hardly any profits. The brothers also disagree over whether they should lend one another money. Meanwhile, Princess Anning discusses poetry and tea with Su Heng. With border disturbances growing and the autumn floods approaching, she invites several friendly vassal states to witness the capabilities of Great Qi's soldiers. How will this salt business venture and the arrangements along the border ultimately unfold?