Chapter Summaries

Qi Lingheng returned to Lin Yunwan after dealing with trouble, then oversaw the Jiangqian officials’ hearing and punishments while she rested at home. After the officials concluded the initial trial, he hurried back when he learned Lin Yunwan was giving birth.

• Qi Lingheng returned to Lin Yunwan, took her back to Prince Huan's Residence, and later secretly visited her at night while she slept.
• Lin Yunwan learned that Xiruo was pregnant after the imperial physicians examined her.
• Qi Lingheng presided over a nine-day hearing with the provincial commissions and issued an initial verdict rewarding officials who had followed Lin Yunwan's orders and punishing those who had resisted them.
• Lin Huabin received punishment for his yamen's failures and could not speak with Qi Lingheng afterward.
• A Fu informed Qi Lingheng that Lin Yunwan was giving birth, and Qi Lingheng hurriedly left the hearing to return to her.

Lin Yunwan gave birth to Qi Lingheng’s son, Qi Zaijun, and the palace sent lavish rewards to Jiangqian. At Zaijun’s first-birthday selection, he grabbed Qi Lingheng’s seal, while Lin Yunwan worried about the imperial succession and wondered why Yun Yi had not visited.

• Qi Lingheng entered the birthing room and waited behind a screen as Lin Yunwan labored, and she gave birth to a son.
• Dong Shuangshuang visited Lin Yunwan and admired the newborn, whose name was to be bestowed by the Emperor.
• A month later, the palace sent an imperial decree and immense rewards, including silk, horses, and estates placed under Lin Yunwan’s name.
• At Qi Zaijun’s first-birthday selection, he grabbed Qi Lingheng’s personal seal, prompting Lin Yunwan to urge Qi Lingheng to inform the Emperor and Empress.
• Lin Yunwan heard that the Crown Prince’s illness had worsened and the Crown Princess might be pregnant, while Qi Lingheng said they would wait to see whether the child was born safely.
• Lin Yunwan asked whether A Fu had returned and worried that Yun Yi still had not come to visit before the New Year.

Lin Yunwan learned that Lin Yunyi had failed his examinations and that the Lu family was still entangling itself with her family, so she asked Qi Lingheng to investigate while her brother focused on his studies. Years later, an imperial decree summoned Qi Lingheng and Lin Yunwan back to the Capital, where Lin Yunwan prepared to reunite with her family and prevent Lin Yunyi from repeating past misfortunes.

• Lin Yunwan learned from Qi Lingheng and A Fu that Lin Yunyi was considering marriage, but she later discovered that he had failed the Provincial and Academy Examinations and had not settled a match.
• After Qi Lingheng’s people returned with news that the Lu family was still troubling Lin Yunwan’s family, she decided Lin Yunyi should concentrate on his studies while Qi Lingheng investigated.
• When Qi Zaijun was nearly five, an imperial decree summoned Qi Lingheng and Lin Yunwan back to the Capital, prompting the people of Jiangqian to mourn their departure.
• Lin Yunwan worried about Qi Zaijun’s behavior in the palace and looked forward to seeing Lin Yunyi and her mother, determined to keep her brother from suffering the same disastrous path again.

Lin Huabin asked Qi Lingheng to arrange a transfer, believing he would be sent to the Capital, but Qi Lingheng posted him to a remote, bitterly cold place instead. Lin Yunwan and Qi Lingheng departed Jiangqian with Qi Zaijun and arrived in the Capital after twenty days of travel.

• Lin Huabin asked Lin Yunwan and Qi Lingheng to help transfer him out of Jiangqian, and Qi Lingheng promised to arrange it.
• Lin Yunwan warned Qi Lingheng that Lin Huabin would cause trouble in the Capital, and Qi Lingheng clarified that he had only promised to move him out of Jiangqian.
• After the farewell feast, Lin Yunwan, Qi Lingheng, and Qi Zaijun set out for the Capital, while Lin Huabin went to the yamen expecting a Capital posting.
• Lin Huabin discovered that his transfer was to a remote, bitterly cold place, and Old Madam Lin angrily confronted him about it.
• After traveling for about twenty days, Lin Yunwan, Qi Lingheng, and Qi Zaijun arrived in the Capital.

Qi Lingheng and Lin Yunwan brought Qi Zaijun to meet Emperor Jingshun and Empress Zhao, who doted on their grandson and kept him at the palace. The emperor announced his intention to invest Qi Zaijun as Heir Apparent, while he and the empress began to wonder why Lin Yunwan looked familiar.

• Qi Lingheng and Lin Yunwan took Qi Zaijun to the palace, where Emperor Jingshun and Empress Zhao warmly welcomed their grandson.
• Qi Zaijun impressed the emperor and empress with his manners, and Emperor Jingshun held him while Empress Zhao later carried him to bed.
• Emperor Jingshun and Empress Zhao kept Qi Zaijun overnight, and Lin Yunwan and Qi Lingheng returned home without him.
• A palace eunuch told Lin Yunwan and Qi Lingheng that the emperor intended to invest Qi Zaijun as Heir Apparent and would keep him for a few more days.
• Empress Zhao spent her days playing with Qi Zaijun, while Emperor Jingshun visited Kunning Palace and wondered whether Lin Yunwan looked familiar.

Lin Yunwan returned to the Capital with Qi Lingheng and visited her family, where she reunited emotionally with her mother and learned that her brother Lin Yunyi had withheld the reason he skipped an examination. She took Lin Yunyi aside to ask him about it, while Qi Lingheng declined to intervene.

• Lin Yunwan and Qi Lingheng quietly visited the Lin Family, where Lin Yunwan reunited with her mother, Madam Lin.
• Madam Lin told Lin Yunwan that Lin Yunyi had burned her letters after she read them, and reassured her that she and Lin Yunyi would always be her family.
• Lin Yunwan asked about the Lin clan and learned that it was declining, while Madam Lin said Seventh Master Li still visited and Lin Yunyi kept wine for him.
• Lin Yunwan asked why Lin Yunyi had not sat the examination three years earlier, and Madam Lin told her to ask him directly.
• Lin Yunwan summoned Lin Yunyi to speak with her, while Qi Lingheng told him he was on his own.

Lin Yunwan learned that Lin Yunyi had rejected potential brides because he wanted a capable wife, while the Lin family's poverty had led other families to look down on him. She agreed to help with his marriage and returned to the princely residence, where Qi Lingheng recognized how much she had carried for her family.

• Lin Yunyi explained that he wanted a wife able to manage a household and said he had missed the Tongsheng Examination because of diarrhea, while hinting that the Lu family might have been involved.
• Lin Yunwan and Qi Lingheng shared a meal with Madam Lin and Lin Yunyi, and Madam Lin told Lin Yunwan that prospective matches had rejected Yunyi because the Lin family was poor.
• Madam Lin revealed that Lin Yunyi was due to meet the Chang family's Di Daughter at a temple in five days.
• Lin Yunwan told Lin Yunyi that she and Madam Lin should help him choose a wife, and he agreed to listen to their advice.
• After returning to the princely residence, Lin Yunwan told Qi Lingheng that caring for her family, him, and Jun'er had not felt like a hardship.

Lin Yunwan discussed the Lu family’s role in Lin Yunyi’s poisoning and learned that Qi Lingheng would support her in pursuing the truth. At Red Elephant Temple, she recalled Chang Gong’s visit there nearly seven years earlier.

• Lin Yunwan blamed the Lu family for Yun Yi’s poisoning and said the academy’s scholars had still held Lu Changzong responsible despite the family’s intervention.
• Qi Lingheng and Lin Yunwan discussed Ge Bao’er’s recognition by Duke Xingguo and Duchess Xingguo, and Lin Yunwan suspected the duchess and Madam Chang planned to meet at Red Elephant Temple.
• Qi Lingheng told Lin Yunwan that the scholars had shunned Lu Changzong after Yun Yi was poisoned, while the legitimate eldest son was left alone, leading Lin Yunwan to wonder if Chang Gong had helped Yun Yi.
• Qi Lingheng told Lin Yunwan to act on her suspicions and promised to support her as Prince Huan Consort.
• At Red Elephant Temple, Lin Yunwan found the old calligraphy Chang Gong had written there nearly seven years earlier.

Lin Yunwan visited Red Elephant Temple and learned that Lu Chang'gong’s childhood calligraphy had become treasured, while Ge Bao'er tried to persuade Lu Zhengliu to intervene in Lin Yunyi’s proposed marriage. Lu Zhengliu rejected her account of the past but decided to go to the temple himself to help Yun Yi’s marriage.

• Lin Yunwan saw Lu Chang'gong’s old calligraphy at Red Elephant Temple and recalled teaching him to write.
• Ge Bao'er told Lu Zhengliu she had asked her mother to support Lin Yunyi’s match with Lord Chang’s daughter, and urged him to stop the students at Mingshan Academy from bullying Qing'er.
• Lu Zhengliu doubted Ge Bao'er’s innocence and rejected the idea that the Lu and Lin families could mend their old friendship.
• Ge Bao'er admitted privately that she had no intention of helping the Lin Family, then visited Old Madam Lu, who cursed her and called for Yun Wan.
• Lu Zhengliu changed his destination from the dock to Red Elephant Temple, intending to help Yun Yi’s marriage.

Lin Yunwan overheard Madam Chen and her servant misleading Madam Chang into rejecting a match with the Lin family's young master, and she confronted them for slandering the Lin family. The chapter ended as Madam Chen's servants challenged Lin Yunwan's attendants, unaware of whom they were facing.

• Madam Chen steered Madam Chang's worries about her younger daughter's marriage toward a proposed match with the Lin family's young master.
• Madam Chen and her nanny implied that Lin Yunyi had avoided an examination out of fear and warned Madam Chang away from the match without revealing any evidence.
• Madam Chang believed the insinuations and promised to reject the match discreetly while thanking Madam Chen for the warning.
• Lin Yunwan called out Madam Chen for using despicable means to ruin the Lin family's reputation.
• Madam Chen demanded to know who was listening, and Nanny Lü and Cuiqin rebuked her and her servant.

Lin Yunwan stopped Madam Chen from discrediting Lin Yunyi to Madam Chang, and Lu Zhengliu later revealed why Madam Chen had tried to sabotage the match. Madam Chang rejected the marriage discussion and left, while Lu Zhengliu hurried after the unidentified noblewoman who had defended Lin Yunyi.

• Lin Yunwan urged Madam Chang to wait for Lin Yunyi’s Provincial Examinations before judging his character and talent.
• Madam Chen left Red Elephant Temple furious and told her servant to report to Great-Aunt that her task was done.
• Lu Zhengliu intercepted Madam Chang and confessed that a concubine related to Madam Chen had sent her to ruin Lin Yunyi’s marriage prospects.
• Madam Chang rejected the Lin family match, frustrated that several people had tried to influence her, and described the noblewoman who had defended Lin Yunyi.
• Lu Zhengliu rode away to catch up with the noblewoman and discover who she was.

Lu Zhengliu failed to catch Lin Yunwan’s carriage, and Madam Chang canceled her daughter’s meeting with Lin Yunyi after deciding not to risk an alliance with the Lin family. Back home, Yunwan learned the Chang family had already withdrawn, then heard that Chang Gong’s Clerical Script resembled hers and fell silent thinking of the child she had raised.

• Lu Zhengliu recognized Lin Yunwan in the carriage from Prince Huan’s Residence, fell from his horse while chasing it, and failed to catch up.
• Madam Chang decided to cancel her daughter’s meeting with Lin Yunyi, fearing the Chen family’s influence and doubting the Lin family was a safe match.
• Qi Lingheng caught up with Lin Yunwan, heard about her visit to Red Elephant Temple, and agreed that the Chang family was not a suitable alliance if Yun Yi was dissatisfied.
• Lin Yunwan told Lin Yunyi what had happened, but he said the Chang family had already sent word that they would not meet him.
• After dinner, Lin Yunyi told Lin Yunwan that Chang Gong’s Clerical Script looked just like hers, leaving her silent as she remembered him.

Lu Zhengliu confronted Ge Bao'er over the broken match between Lin Yunyi and the Chang family, then visited Zhu Qing and Mu'er, whose closeness to Lu Chang'gong highlighted their distance from him. Lu Zhengliu told Lu Chang'gong he had seen someone resembling his dead mother at Red Elephant Temple, and Lu Chang'gong secretly realized his mother had returned.

• Ge Bao'er brought soup to Lu Zhengliu and tried to discuss Lin Yunyi's marriage, but Lu Zhengliu accused her of interfering and warned her to stay away from the Lin family's affairs.
• Lu Zhengliu visited Zhu Qing and Mu'er, who was shy around him but affectionate with Lu Chang'gong when he brought her books.
• Zhu Qing told Mu'er that Lu Chang'gong's mother had been the best person in the world and that Mu'er could no longer meet her.
• Lu Zhengliu told Lu Chang'gong he had seen someone who looked like his mother at Red Elephant Temple, though he believed he must have been mistaken.
• After leaving Lu Zhengliu, Lu Chang'gong trembled and realized that his mother had come back, wondering whether she still remembered him.

Lin Yunwan reunited with Lu Chang'gong at Red Elephant Temple, where he tearfully asked if he could still call her Mother. As they climbed the mountain, he told her about the Lu family, and she warned him that Concubine Ge might have poisoned Old Madam Lu.

• Lin Yunwan recognized Lu Chang'gong by the clerical-script couplets he had written at Red Elephant Temple and arranged to speak with him privately.
• Lu Chang'gong asked whether he could still call Lin Yunwan Mother, then wept as he told her how much he had missed her.
• Lin Yunwan and Lu Chang'gong climbed the mountain together, and he told her about the Lu family's decline and how Concubine Zhu Qing had cared for him.
• Lin Yunwan warned Lu Chang'gong that Concubine Ge knew Old Madam Lu had poisoned her, and he realized Concubine Ge might have poisoned Old Madam in return.

Lin Yunwan urged Lu Chang'gong to focus on his studies rather than revenge, then returned to the Wuding Marquis Residence with Qi Zaijun. At the residence, Ge Bao'er secretly added medicine to Old Madam Lu's dose, while Lu Zhengliu and Lu Chang'gong found the old woman accusing them of plotting against her.

• Lin Yunwan learned that Lu Chang'gong had helped Lin Yunyi after he was poisoned and told him to concentrate on the coming examinations instead of seeking revenge.
• Lin Yunwan left Red Elephant Temple with Qi Zaijun, while Lu Chang'gong watched their carriage depart and thought of her son as someone he could never be.
• Lu Chang'gong learned from Qianru that Lu Changzong was avoiding Mingshan Academy and quarreling with Concubine Ge over Xiao Xuan, then went to see Mu'er.
• Ge Bao'er secretly put medicine from a small bottle into Old Madam Lu's bowl and forced her to take it, then blamed the Lin family for Qing'er's troubles.
• Lu Zhengliu visited Old Madam Lu, who accused Ge Bao'er and others of harming her, and he later led Lu Chang'gong away when she claimed Lu Chang'gong meant to harm the family too.

Nanny Yan told Old Madam Lu that Concubine Ge had paid her back for the poisoning plots and left her isolated, prompting the Old Madam to mourn Lin Yunwan. Lu Zhengliu then spoke with Lu Chang'gong about seeing a woman who resembled his dead first wife and urged his son to secure the Lu family's future.

• Nanny Yan confessed that she served Concubine Ge because the Ge family's influence controlled her son and daughter-in-law's prospects, and reminded Old Madam Lu that Concubine Ge's cruelty was retribution for her past schemes.
• Old Madam Lu wept for Yun Wan while Nanny Yan lamented the decline of the Wuding Marquis Residence and left her in bed.
• After leaving the Hall of Longevity, Lu Zhengliu told Lu Chang'gong he had visited Red Elephant Temple hoping to see a woman who resembled his late wife.
• Lu Zhengliu and Lu Chang'gong passed Lu Changzong's courtyard, where Xiao Xuan's laughter could be heard, and Lu Zhengliu warned his son not to follow his brother's example.
• Lu Zhengliu urged Lu Chang'gong to study hard and support the Lu family, while Lu Chang'gong told him not to return to Red Elephant Temple because his mother was dead.
• Lu Chang'gong declined an invitation to the Duke Xingguo's Residence banquet because of his upcoming examination, while Lu Zhengliu planned to attend and seek an introduction to Prince Huan and Prince Huan Consort.

Lin Yunwan attended a banquet at Duke Xingguo's Residence with Qi Zaijun, where Madam Chen mistook her for a low-ranking relative and insulted her before discovering she was the Prince Huan Consort. Meanwhile, Ge Bao'er and Lu Changzong traveled to the banquet, arguing over his wish to bring Xiao Xuan.

• Lin Yunwan and Qi Lingheng prepared for the banquet, but Qi Lingheng went to the palace while Lin Yunwan took Qi Zaijun to Duke Xingguo's Residence.
• Lin Yunwan greeted the Crown Prince Consort at the entrance, and they entered the residence together.
• Madam Chen heard Lin Yunwan's voice and, believing her to be a poor relation of the Crown Prince Consort, vowed to confront her over their earlier encounter at Red Elephant Temple.
• Madam Chen challenged Lin Yunwan at the banquet, then learned from a servant that Lin Yunwan was the Prince Huan Consort and hurriedly welcomed her inside.
• On the road to the banquet, Lu Changzong argued with Ge Bao'er because she would not let him bring Xiao Xuan, and he insulted her by calling her a concubine.

Lin Yunwan brought Qi Zaijun to change after milk spilled on him at the Duke's Residence, while Ge Bao'er pressed Lady Liu's maid for a chance to meet the Prince Huan Consort. Lu Zhengliu saw Lin Yunwan in the inner courtyard and ran to her, but she asked who he was.

• A maid spilled milk on Qi Zaijun, and Lin Yunwan took him to a guest room to change.
• Ge Bao'er asked Lady Liu's maid to arrange for her to meet the Princess Consort, insisting she could rise in status if she tried.
• A manservant told Lu Zhengliu that the Chen Heir Apparent was recovering from a leg injury in the rear courtyard, and Lu Zhengliu recalled the Duke's household treating him as an unwelcome relative.
• Lu Zhengliu spotted Lin Yunwan near the Second Gate and rushed toward her, recognizing her as his first wife.
• Lin Yunwan asked Lu Zhengliu who he was, leaving him unable to explain himself.

Lu Zhengliu recognized Lin Yunwan at Duke Xingguo’s Residence and begged her to return to him, but she denied knowing him. He discovered she was Prince Huan’s Consort and had a son, and watched her leave with Qi Zaijun, realizing he could never marry her again.

• Lu Zhengliu rushed toward Lin Yunwan, but Cuiqin and the maids blocked him as he tearfully begged her to come home.
• Lin Yunwan coldly denied knowing Lu Zhengliu while he apologized for his past and promised to make amends.
• Lu Zhengliu learned Lin Yunwan had remarried and insisted he would marry her again, despite Cuiqin’s objections.
• Qi Zaijun ran to Lin Yunwan and called her Mother, and Cuiqin revealed that she was Prince Huan’s Consort.
• Lin Yunwan left with Qi Zaijun, while Lu Zhengliu realized she had married into the imperial family and was beyond his reach.

At Duke Xingguo's Residence, Lin Yunwan confronted Madam Chen after Lu Zhengliu entered the inner courtyard and accosted her. Qi Lingheng arrived and took Lin Yunwan and Qi Zaijun home, leaving Lu Zhengliu kneeling.

• Lin Yunwan held Qi Zaijun and challenged Madam Chen for allowing Lu Zhengliu into the inner courtyard, then prepared to leave the banquet.
• Qi Lingheng grew impatient when servants could not tell him where Lin Yunwan was and went to fetch her with Second Master Chen.
• Madam Chen tried to blame Lu Zhengliu's behavior on his hysteria and persuade Lin Yunwan to discuss the matter privately, but Qi Zaijun scolded her and led Lin Yunwan toward the gate.
• Qi Lingheng arrived, heard Lin Yunwan explain that Madam Chen had tried to keep them from leaving, and confronted Lu Zhengliu.
• Second Master Chen and the servants knelt; Qi Lingheng demanded that Lu Zhengliu kneel too, and Lu Zhengliu complied before Qi Lingheng took Lin Yunwan and Qi Zaijun home.
• Ge Bao'er arrived after they had left, unaware that Lu Changzong had secretly watched the confrontation.