Chapter Summaries

Nanny Liu brought a street crook into Su Luoqian’s bedroom to frame her, but the plot was exposed when the man found Lu Jingsi waiting in the bed. Lu Jingsi condemned Nanny Liu, while Su Luoqian ordered her punishment carried out elsewhere.

• Nanny Liu told the mustached man that Su Luoqian was a maid and led him into the principal residence while the courtyard was empty.
• The mustached man pulled back the canopy curtains and found Lu Jingsi instead of Su Luoqian; Lu Jingsi kicked him to the floor.
• Fulin, Yinzhu, and Zelan appeared to guard the room as Su Luoqian emerged and demanded that Nanny Liu explain herself.
• Nanny Liu accused Su Luoqian of being promiscuous and claimed she had brought the man in to reveal her true nature.
• Lu Jingsi called Nanny Liu utterly foolish and condemned her for conspiring to frame the princess consort.
• Su Luoqian told Lu Jingsi to have Nanny Liu beaten in another courtyard so her courtyard would not be dirtied.

Su Luoqian punished Nanny Liu and the mustached man after taking charge of their cases, while Lu Jingsi let her make the decisions. Once they were alone, Lu Jingsi asked Su Luoqian to help him undress and then invited her to take a nap with him.

• Lu Jingsi gave Su Luoqian full authority, and she sentenced Nanny Liu to fifty strokes and expulsion from the prince's residence.
• Nanny Liu lunged at Su Luoqian, but Yinzhu pushed her into a screen, and Su Luoqian ordered the kitchen's vegetable supplier replaced.
• Lu Jingsi warned Nanny Liu not to trouble the grand princess and left the mustached man's punishment to Su Luoqian, who ordered him sent to the palace to be castrated.
• After the servants removed Nanny Liu and the man and cleaned the room, Su Luoqian asked Lu Jingsi whether he would question her cousin.
• Lu Jingsi had Su Luoqian help undo his waist sash, removed her hair ornaments, and asked her to take a short nap with him.

Su Luoqian and Lu Jingsi settled into a quieter routine as she visited her embroidery shop and he investigated a provincial examination cheating case. After Lu Jingsi questioned Su Youqing at the Su residence overnight, Su Luoqian learned that her parents were safe and told Lu Jingsi that other people were not important to her.

• Lu Jingsi teased Su Luoqian before holding her as they went to sleep through a thunderstorm.
• Nanny Liu was expelled from the prince's residence, and Su Luoqian chose a replacement screen and visited her embroidery shop.
• Zelan told Su Luoqian that Lu Jingsi had arrived at the Su residence with men and questioned Su Youqing overnight.
• Su Luoqian asked Lu Jingsi whether his visit had involved her parents or the Su Family, and he said it had not.
• Su Luoqian assured Lu Jingsi that other people were not important to her.

Su Luoqian and Lu Jingsi shared an intimate morning, and Lu Jingsi later carried her into the bathing pool despite her fear of water. After he startled her by pulling her hand beneath the water, Su Luoqian hurriedly dressed and left the bathing room.

• Lu Jingsi kissed Su Luoqian and led her to bed, where they continued their intimacy.
• Su Luoqian felt scars on Lu Jingsi’s back and asked about them, but he gave no answer.
• Lu Jingsi carried Su Luoqian to the bathing room and reassured her despite her fear of the pool.
• Su Luoqian moved closer to Lu Jingsi in the water, and he pulled her hand beneath the surface to make her back away.
• Su Luoqian climbed out, wrapped herself in clean clothes, and left the bathing room.

Su Luoqian learned that Su Youqing had become entangled in an examiner’s suspicious death and wrote to Su Liangzhuo and Cui Anlan about him. At the Qixi Festival banquet, the emperor allowed Zhou Jingmi to join the royal family on an outing, and the group set off for the crowded eastern market.

• Su Luoqian heard that Su Youqing had been the last person to see the deceased examiner and criticized his failure to report what he knew.
• Su Luoqian wrote a letter to Su Liangzhuo and Cui Anlan and sent it back with their household servant.
• At the palace banquet, Zhou Jingmi recited poetry she had studied with Pei Mu under Grand Tutor Yan Bai.
• The emperor overruled Consort Shu and allowed Zhou Jingmi to leave the palace for the Qixi Festival festivities.
• Zhou Jingmi joined Qin Shuning and Su Luoqian in their carriage, and the group traveled to Anning Ward in the eastern market.

Su Luoqian and Lu Jingsi went on a night outing at Bright Moon Lake with Zhou Xuheng, Qin Shuning, and Zhou Jingmi. After Zhou Jingmi left with Pei Mu, Lu Jingsi took Su Luoqian on a separate boat, where their shared memory of a tipsy encounter stirred his desire; he recalled that he had investigated her before asking the Emperor to arrange their marriage.

• Su Luoqian, Qin Shuning, and Zhou Jingmi admired the lively streets as their group traveled to Bright Moon Lake.
• Lu Jingsi watched Su Luoqian dote on Zhou Jingmi, then joined the others at the lake, where he and Zhou Xuheng hired separate pleasure boats.
• Zhou Jingmi met Pei Mu and asked Zhou Xuheng for permission to go out with him, and Zhou Xuheng agreed.
• Lu Jingsi led Su Luoqian onto his boat instead of letting her join Qin Shuning and Zhou Xuheng.
• Su Luoqian offered Lu Jingsi her green plum wine, and their awkward recollection of sharing wine stirred his thoughts as he drank.
• Lu Jingsi remembered that he had investigated Su Luoqian before asking the Emperor to grant their marriage.

Lu Jingsi and Su Luoqian spoke about her family and Su Youqing, and his growing desire for her soon overcame their conversation. Their intimate moment on the boat was interrupted when Chengying arrived with an important report.

• Su Luoqian told Lu Jingsi she wanted to visit her parents at the Su residence for the festival, and he offered to accompany her.
• Lu Jingsi asked Su Luoqian what she thought of Su Youqing, and she called him too timid and unfit for official life.
• Lu Jingsi teased Su Luoqian about their intimacy, making her blush and scold him for shamelessness.
• Lu Jingsi pulled Su Luoqian onto his lap and kissed her earlobe as they sat alone in the boat cabin.
• Chengying called for Lu Jingsi, who stopped and went outside to hear the important report.

Lu Jingsi left the Qiqiao Festival to handle Xu Bin’s death, while Su Luoqian stayed on the lake with Zelan and later welcomed Zhou Jingmi back from the festivities. The chapter ended with Lu Jingsi returning to find Su Luoqian and Zhou Jingmi asleep together on the daybed.

• Chengying told Lu Jingsi that Xu Bin had been killed by Qi Wenxuan at the Pavilion of Fragrant Flowers, and Lu Jingsi ordered the case sent to the Capital Prefecture.
• Lu Jingsi arranged for Zelan to attend Su Luoqian and left to deal with the case.
• Su Luoqian and Zelan shared wine and reminisced about their childhood at the Su residence.
• Pei Mu brought Zhou Jingmi back with a flower lantern and a painted clay figurine, then reminded her not to be late to Grand Tutor Yan’s class.
• Zhou Jingmi asked Su Luoqian for wine and lamented that Pei Mu would soon return to the border; Su Luoqian comforted her.
• Lu Jingsi returned and found Su Luoqian and Zhou Jingmi asleep together on the daybed.

Lu Jingsi returned to the pleasure boat after taking Zhou Jingmi to the crown prince and kissed the sleeping Su Luoqian, but she woke and accused him of visiting courtesans. He explained that he had gone to investigate a murder at the Pavilion of Fragrant Flowers, and after she realized her mistake, he remained angry and kissed her fiercely.

• Zhou Xuheng collected the sleeping Zhou Jingmi from Lu Jingsi and carried her back to the palace.
• Lu Jingsi returned to the cabin, removed Su Luoqian's hair ornaments, and kissed her while she slept.
• Su Luoqian woke, smelled perfume on Lu Jingsi's sleeve, and accused him of embracing brothel courtesans.
• Lu Jingsi explained that he had investigated a murder at the Pavilion of Fragrant Flowers and denied meeting courtesans.
• Su Luoqian realized she had misunderstood, apologized, and tried to appease him with a kiss.
• Lu Jingsi kissed Su Luoqian fiercely and pinned her hands above her head as she struggled on the beauty couch.

Su Luoqian and Lu Jingsi spent the night together on a pleasure boat during the fireworks, then Lu Jingsi carried her back to the prince’s residence. Su Luoqian slept until early afternoon, woke to eat a little, and went back to sleep.

• Lu Jingsi told Su Luoqian that the little princess had already been sent back and kept her aboard the pleasure boat to watch the fireworks.
• As fireworks lit Bright Moon Lake, Lu Jingsi and Su Luoqian stayed together on the boat through the night.
• At dawn, Lu Jingsi dressed the sleeping Su Luoqian, carried her to the carriage, and told Chengying to have someone purchase the pleasure boat.
• Su Luoqian slept until early afternoon while Zelan checked on her, then drank lotus seed soup and went back to sleep.