Chapter Summaries

Yan Wanning’s period began, and Si Yunqi worried over her until the Palace Physician confirmed she was healthy and advised rest. When Si Yunqi went to work in his study, Yan Wanning asked to accompany him, and he carried her there on the condition that she stay put.

• Yan Wanning examined Si Yunqi’s healed chest scar, comforted him, and listened as he told her how he had been wounded fighting Western Rong’s third prince.
• The next morning, Yan Wanning began menstruating and asked Si Yunqi to summon Xiao He instead of a physician.
• Si Yunqi brought her brown sugar water and insisted that the Palace Physician check her pulse.
• The Palace Physician found Yan Wanning healthy but said she had been worrying too much and needed rest, with no medicine required.
• Yan Wanning asked to go with Si Yunqi to his study, and he carried her there after telling her to remain still.

At court, the ministers approved the Western Rong’s marriage alliance proposal despite military officials warning that the peace might not last. On the northern frontier, Yan Wanning went out to meet An Yingying and received thanks from a displaced old woman she had helped.

• The emperor heard ministers debate whether to accept the Western Rong’s marriage alliance, and Chancellor Lu supported peace while the Marquis of Weiyuan opposed the proposal.
• The court agreed to the Western Rong’s marriage alliance despite the military officials’ objections.
• Yan Wanning fell asleep in Si Yunqi’s arms as he handled military affairs, then persuaded him to let her go to a gathering at the Fragrant Fullness Tower.
• Yan Wanning saw displaced people preparing to return home and learned Si Yunqi had arranged soldiers to escort them.
• An old woman and her grandchild thanked Yan Wanning for arranging treatment for the woman, and Yan Wanning accepted their basket of fruit and vegetables.

Yan Wanning met An Yingying at Fragrant Fullness Tower and grew concerned when An Yingying drank heavily and revealed her distress over Gu Qingshi. An Yingying confessed that Gu Qingshi wanted to take Bai Lian as a concubine and had hit her for Bai Lian’s sake.

• Yan Wanning arrived at Fragrant Fullness Tower and was startled by An Yingying’s haggard appearance.
• An Yingying explained that Bai Lian was the daughter of General Gu’s deputy and had grown up alongside Gu Qingshi in the Gu residence.
• Yan Wanning noticed An Yingying’s mood shift when she mentioned Gu Qingshi and asked whether she was upset about him.
• An Yingying drank heavily, and Yan Wanning and the maids took the wine away and coaxed her into drinking warm water.
• An Yingying wept to Yan Wanning that Gu Qingshi wanted to take Bai Lian as a concubine and had hit her for Bai Lian’s sake.

An Yingying told Yan Wanning how Gu Qingshi’s devotion to Bai Lian had hurt her and left her feeling like an outsider in her own engagement. Yan Wanning realized she would be furious if Si Yunqi took a concubine, just as he arrived and overheard her calling men awful.

• An Yingying told Yan Wanning that Gu Qingshi planned to take Bai Lian as a concubine and had struck her.
• An Yingying recalled how Gu Qingshi had ignored her while showing deep concern for Bai Lian after Bai Lian fell into a pond.
• An Yingying warned Yan Wanning to guard against her husband taking a concubine, and Yan Wanning admitted she would not accept Si Yunqi doing so.
• Si Yunqi arrived outside the private room with Gu Qingshi, overheard Yan Wanning’s remarks, and entered to ask what she had been saying.

Yan Wanning and Si Yunqi reunited, exchanged gifts, and agreed that he would perform a sword dance for her. Meanwhile, An Yingying confronted Gu Qingshi about his plan to take Bai Lian as a concubine and laid out the years of humiliation she had endured from his family.

• Si Yunqi arrived to take Yan Wanning home, while Gu Qingshi carried the drunken An Yingying away after she angrily rebuffed him.
• Yan Wanning and Si Yunqi stayed to eat, and she asked him to perform a sword dance; he agreed and gave her a golden butterfly hairpin.
• Yan Wanning gave Si Yunqi an embroidered pouch she had made, and he happily let her tie it around his waist.
• An Yingying accused Gu Qingshi of looking forward to taking Bai Lian as a concubine, and he said he needed to repay the Gu family's debt of gratitude.
• An Yingying told Gu Qingshi that his grandmother had repeatedly demeaned her over the betrothal and accused the Gu family of treating her unfairly.

An Yingying confronted Gu Qingshi about his neglect and his plan to take Bai Lian as a concubine, then asked to end their marriage. Meanwhile, Si Yunqi told Yan Wanning that a Western Rong princess would soon arrive for a marriage alliance and that they would return to the Capital after the start of spring.

• An Yingying told Gu Qingshi that their marriage had made her feel lonely and awkward, and that she had suffered under his grandmother’s treatment.
• Gu Qingshi apologized and promised not to take Bai Lian as a concubine, but An Yingying asked to part by mutual agreement.
• Gu Qingshi, unwilling to lose An Yingying, asked whether they could try again.
• Yan Wanning worried that Gu Qingshi might hit An Yingying, and Si Yunqi assured her that he would not.
• Si Yunqi told Yan Wanning that an envoy would bring a Western Rong princess to Ningguan City for a marriage alliance, and asked her to stay in the residence while he was busy.
• Si Yunqi offered to take Yan Wanning back to the Capital for the emperor’s birthday after the start of spring, and she wondered whether they would spend the New Year there and whether Grandmother would join them.

Si Yunqi hosted the Western Rong envoys and rejected Tamu’er’s attempted gift of a seductive dancer, declaring his devotion to Yan Wanning. After the banquet, Yan Wanning waited awake at the residence, embroidering a white robe.

• Yan Wanning felt sad that she and Si Yunqi would leave the old dowager princess alone for the New Year, and Si Yunqi promised they would return after the emperor’s birthday.
• The Western Rong envoys arrived, led by the fifth prince, Tamu’er, who was escorting his sister to Zhaoyuan for a marriage alliance.
• Si Yunqi received Tamu’er and the envoys at a banquet in the Fragrant Fullness Tower.
• Tamu’er presented Jiaoniang as a gift, but Si Yunqi refused her and said he already had a beloved wife.
• After the banquet, Yan Wanning returned to Anyuan Courtyard and embroidered a white robe while unable to sleep.

Yan Wanning mistook the scent of women’s powder on Si Yunqi for proof that he had held another woman and feared he planned to take a concubine. Si Yunqi explained that the scent came from dancers at a banquet and reassured her that he wanted no other woman, leaving them reconciled.

• Si Yunqi returned to Anyuan Courtyard and found Yan Wanning hiding something, but she pushed him away and wept.
• Yan Wanning accused Si Yunqi of smelling of another woman’s powder and asked whether he intended to take a concubine.
• Si Yunqi denied having another woman or wanting a concubine, explaining that dancers at a banquet had left the scent on him.
• Si Yunqi comforted Yan Wanning and told her he was happy she had cried out of jealousy.
• Yan Wanning smiled, nestled against Si Yunqi, and told him she liked him.

Yan Wanning and Si Yunqi reconciled and spent the night together, while Liyue persuaded Qin Shaoheng to accept her despite his fears about his disability. The next morning, Yan Wanning woke to find Si Yunqi still beside her, and he gently stopped her from teasing him.

• Si Yunqi and Yan Wanning shared an intimate reconciliation, and Xiao He and Yun Yin kept watch outside their room.
• Liyue teased Qin Shaoheng and insisted she would not regret being with him, despite his warning that others would mock her.
• Qin Shaoheng gave in to Liyue's advances, and they embraced.
• Yan Wanning woke late the next morning beside Si Yunqi, who caught her hand as she touched his neck and told her not to tease him.

Gu Qingshi missed the Western Rong envoys’ farewell to stay with his wife, but returned home to find An Yingying being mistreated by Old Madam Gu. Madam Gu intervened to protect Yingying, while Old Madam Gu insisted on forcing Gu Qingshi to take Bai Lian as an equal wife.

• Mu Ta'er asked after Prince Anbei, and Gu Qingshi told him the prince could not attend the envoys’ farewell because of an urgent matter.
• Mu Ta'er left for the Capital, saying he would seek Prince Anbei’s guidance there, and Gu Qingshi promised to pass on the message.
• Gu Qingshi stopped at a jewelry shop on his way home, then learned from Xue'er that Nanny Fang had taken An Yingying by force to Old Madam Gu’s courtyard.
• Old Madam Gu announced she would make Gu Qingshi take Bai Lian as an equal wife, while An Yingying knelt weakly before them.
• Madam Gu had Furong help An Yingying into a chair and declared she would take her away, ignoring Old Madam Gu’s protests.

Gu Qingshi refused Old Madam Gu’s demand that he take Bai Lian as an equal wife, while Madam Gu had Bai Lian escorted out. An Yingying fainted and was found to be pregnant, leaving Gu Qingshi and Old Madam Gu shaken as he vowed to protect Yingying and threatened to establish a separate household.

• Old Madam Gu demanded that Gu Qingshi take Bai Lian as an equal wife, but he refused and declared he would marry no one else.
• Madam Gu argued that making Bai Lian an equal wife would not repay the Gu family’s debt fairly, and ordered the servants to escort Bai Lian out.
• An Yingying fainted in Gu Qingshi’s arms, and Xue’er discovered that she was bleeding.
• The residence physician saved An Yingying’s pregnancy and revealed she was a little over a month pregnant, advising the family to give her medicine and help her regain her strength.
• Gu Qingshi blamed himself for An Yingying’s suffering and warned Old Madam Gu that he would take Yingying away and establish a separate household if she continued to make things difficult for her.

Si Yunqi explained how Qin Shaoheng’s war injuries left him unable to walk and why he had avoided marrying Liyue, while Yan Wanning planned to see An Yingying and Liyue at Old Madam Gu’s birthday celebration. The chapter ended with Qin Shaoheng’s lonely life after physicians failed to heal his legs.

• Old Madam Gu promised not to interfere in An Yingying’s affairs, and Madam Gu scolded Gu Qingshi for failing to protect his pregnant wife.
• Yan Wanning worried about An Yingying, and Si Yunqi told her she could see her at Old Madam Gu’s birthday celebration in three days.
• Yan Wanning asked about Liyue and Qin Shaoheng, and Si Yunqi explained that they loved each other but had not married since Qin Shaoheng’s injury.
• Si Yunqi recalled how Western Rong poisoned Qin Shaoheng’s knees in battle and an avalanche buried him beneath the snow.
• Liyue dug Qin Shaoheng out, but physicians could only save his life, leaving him unable to walk and isolated at the Qin residence.

Yan Wanning and Si Yunqi attended Old Madam Gu’s sixtieth birthday banquet, where Yan Wanning reunited with An Yingying and learned that Bai Lian had been betrothed to the Sun Family. The chapter left Yan Wanning preparing to tell An Yingying that she and Si Yunqi would soon return to the capital.

• Yan Wanning comforted Si Yunqi after learning that he had grown up as an orphan and promised that they would both live well.
• Three days later, Yan Wanning and Si Yunqi attended Old Madam Gu’s birthday banquet and split up for the separate men’s and women’s gatherings.
• Xue’er led Yan Wanning to Qinghe Court, where she found An Yingying pale and resting in bed with a chill.
• Yan Wanning learned that Bai Lian had been betrothed to the Sun Family and said the match could let An Yingying live in peace.
• Yan Wanning told An Yingying that she and Si Yunqi would soon return to the capital.

Yan Wanning attended a banquet at the Gu Residence, where she met Madam Gu and saw Liyue before getting drunk. On the carriage home, she clung to Si Yunqi and kissed him while Yun Yin and Xiao He shared a shy moment driving and riding along.

• Yan Wanning told An Yingying she did not know when she would return and left for the banquet at the Gu Residence.
• Madam Gu greeted Yan Wanning and quietly reflected that A Yuan could rest easy after seeing her.
• Yan Wanning saw Liyue at the banquet but became drunk, and Si Yunqi carried her to the carriage.
• Yan Wanning accused Si Yunqi of being bad, bit his Adam's apple, and asked him to kiss her as he kissed and fondled her in the carriage.
• Xiao He gave Yun Yin cotton to block out the sounds, and Yun Yin wondered why his heart raced whenever he spoke with her.

Si Yunqi and Yan Wanning left for the Capital after bidding farewell to the Old Princess Dowager and their friends. On the road, Yan Wanning missed her grandmother, and Si Yunqi comforted her as she slept in his arms.

• The Old Princess Dowager tearfully bade farewell to Yan Wanning and urged Si Yunqi to protect her in the Capital; he promised he would.
• Si Yunqi and Yan Wanning set out, and the Old Princess Dowager watched their party leave before returning inside with Lüyun.
• At the city gate, Yan Wanning learned that An Yingying was three months pregnant and gave her an heirloom jade bracelet for the child.
• After leaving the city, Yan Wanning had no appetite because she missed the Old Princess Dowager and went to sleep in the carriage.
• Si Yunqi joined Yan Wanning on the daybed and held her as she murmured for him to hold her.

After discovering that Yan Wanning was pregnant, Si Yunqi took extra care of her during their journey to Yucheng. He promised to take her to the city’s Lantern Festival night market, where the couple joined the crowds.

• Si Yunqi summoned a physician when Yan Wanning’s nausea and exhaustion worsened, and the physician confirmed she was more than a month pregnant.
• The physician said Yan Wanning and the baby were well but advised medicine to stabilize the pregnancy, which they would obtain after reaching Yucheng.
• Yan Wanning worried that Si Yunqi did not want her to be pregnant, but he reassured her and coaxed her into eating.
• After arriving at an inn in Yucheng, Yan Wanning agreed to take her medicine and eat properly so Si Yunqi would take her out that night.
• Si Yunqi took Yan Wanning to Yucheng’s Lantern Festival night market, where crowds of young men and women exchanged lanterns to show their feelings.

Yan Wanning and Si Yunqi explored Yucheng’s night market, winning riddle lanterns and watching an acrobatic performance together. The chapter ended as someone shouted for the crowd to make way.

• Yan Wanning and Si Yunqi walked through the night market together, drawing attention as they browsed the stalls.
• Yan Wanning solved a snake riddle and won a rabbit lantern, then solved a chicken riddle and won a horse lantern for Si Yunqi.
• Yan Wanning persuaded Si Yunqi to take her to a crowd gathered around an acrobatic performance, and he lifted her so she could see.
• Yan Wanning and Si Yunqi watched a performer smash a stone on a man’s chest; Si Yunqi donated silver and set Yan Wanning down.
• Someone shouted for the crowd to make way as Yan Wanning and Si Yunqi prepared to leave.

After Si Yunqi rescued Yan Wanning from a runaway carriage, the couple returned to the Capital, where Si Yunqi met with Emperor Jingyuan. Yan Wanning rested at the Prince of Anbei's residence and took her pregnancy medicine as the household was prepared for their arrival.

• Si Yunqi pulled Yan Wanning away from a runaway carriage, then controlled the horse and saved a child beneath its hooves.
• Si Yunqi carried the shaken Yan Wanning back, and they left Yucheng for the Capital after three days.
• Si Yunqi escorted Yan Wanning to the Prince of Anbei's residence, then went to the palace to meet Emperor Jingyuan.
• Emperor Jingyuan asked about Yan Wanning and praised Si Yunqi for promising not to let her down.
• Emperor Jingyuan and Si Yunqi discussed candidates for the Western Rong marriage alliance, and Si Yunqi agreed with the emperor's plan to choose an imperial clansman or a minister's legitimate son.
• Yan Wanning drank her pregnancy medicine and ate a sour plum while Xiao He arranged for the residence to be tidied.

Nanny Cheng handed Yan Wanning the keys to the prince's residence and reported on its affairs, then Si Yunqi received a letter from the Duke Yan Household. Yan Wanning decided to retrieve her late parents' belongings, and she and Si Yunqi arrived at the duke's residence, where Second Uncle greeted them uneasily.

• Nanny Cheng gave Yan Wanning the storeroom keys and began reporting on the residence, but Yan Wanning fell asleep before she finished.
• Xiao He brought Si Yunqi a letter from the Duke Yan Household, and he later gave it to Yan Wanning.
• Yan Wanning read the invitation from her relatives, dismissed their supposed longing, and asked Si Yunqi to accompany her to retrieve her parents' belongings.
• Si Yunqi agreed, and the next morning he took Yan Wanning by carriage to the Duke Yan Household.
• Duke Yan recognized the couple, sent a servant to alert the madam, and greeted Si Yunqi and Yan Wanning with a bow.

Yan Wanning returned to the Duke Yan Household with Si Yunqi to reclaim the dowry and belongings her parents had entrusted to her uncle and aunt. Duke Yan and Chen Shi admitted they remembered the entrusted property, but were alarmed because they had already spent most of it.

• Duke Yan welcomed Si Yunqi and Yan Wanning into the household, where Chen Shi and Yan Wanwen encountered them.
• Yan Wanwen tried to attract Si Yunqi’s attention, but he ignored her, and Xiao He rebuked Chen Shi and Yan Wanwen for slighting Yan Wanning.
• Si Yunqi said he had brought Yan Wanning for her customary return visit and to retrieve the things her parents had left behind.
• Yan Wanning showed Chen Shi the booklet recording the entrusted property and asked for everything to be returned that day.
• Duke Yan and Chen Shi grew anxious because the household had spent most of Yan Wanning’s inheritance, while Chen Shi had also kept some for Yan Wanwen’s dowry.