Chapter Summaries

Xu Weibei let Linglong remain in the Capital despite her threats, while Gao Lan reported that Fang Tingxiu was set to be promoted and that Gu Wanning had been caring for Xu Weibei with food. On her way home with crabs, Gu Wanning heard that Gu Wanqing was being blamed for a favored concubine’s death and spotted Linglong holding A Yi.

• Linglong refused to back down and threatened to expose secrets unless Xu Weibei protected A Yi, so Gao Lan cut ties with her.
• Xu Weibei dismissed Gao Lan’s warning and allowed Linglong to stay in the Capital, while asking about Fang Tingxiu and Gu Wanning.
• Gao Lan said Fang Tingxiu would likely be promoted before his marriage and told Xu Weibei that Gu Wanning had been farming and sending him food.
• Er Ya told Gu Wanning that a favored concubine had died and the Prince accused Gu Wanqing of causing her death.
• Gu Wanning and the others chased crabs that escaped from their basket, and Er Ya spotted Linglong holding A Yi nearby.

After Xu Weibei ate Gu Wanning’s raw marinated crab, he was reported poisoned, and Gu Wanning hurried to his separate residence with Third Concubine and Fourth Concubine. They found the residence surrounded by guards, where Gu Wanning tried to identify Gu Anfang.

• Gu Wanning sent Xu Weibei a dish of raw marinated crab, which he ate and enjoyed.
• Er Ya told Gu Wanning that Xu Weibei had been poisoned and might not survive.
• Gu Wanning suspected someone had poisoned Xu Weibei and went to his separate residence with Er Ya.
• Gu Wanning brought Third Concubine and Fourth Concubine along to see Xu Weibei.
• They found the separate residence surrounded by guards, and Third Concubine pointed out a man she believed was Gu Anfang.

Gu Wanning learned that Xu Weibei had been poisoned, while Fourth Concubine uncovered a rumor that he could no longer perform sexually. After hearing that Xu Weibei had taken poison and been rescued, Gu Wanning questioned the report and suspected something was wrong.

• Gu Anfang told Gu Wanning that Xu Weibei had been poisoned and was receiving treatment, then urged her to leave.
• Fourth Concubine slipped away to investigate Xu Weibei’s condition while the others waited in a carriage.
• Fourth Concubine returned and said people were claiming Xu Weibei could no longer get it up.
• Fourth Concubine reported that Xu Weibei had taken poison but been saved, and Gu Wanning doubted the story and questioned how the rumor had spread.

After Linglong revealed that A Yi was Xue Fengxian’s daughter and claimed Xu Weibei could not perform, Gu Wanning worried the humiliation would drive him to take his life. She planned to visit him and talk him around, leaving the story with Third Concubine distracting Gu Anfang so she could slip away.

• Fourth Concubine told Gu Wanning that Linglong had appealed to the emperor to have A Yi recognized as Xue Fengxian’s daughter and restored to the Xue family.
• Gu Wanning realized Linglong’s claim that Xu Weibei could not perform had exposed his secret and likely explained why he had taken poison.
• Gu Wanning decided to visit Xu Weibei, fearing he might harm himself and that others would use the rumor against him.
• Gu Wanning asked Third Concubine to distract Gu Anfang while she left through the back door.
• Third Concubine pretended to twist her ankle in front of Gu Anfang.

Gu Wanning visited Xu Weibei after learning about his condition and tried to comfort him, while Xu Weibei admitted he feared the rumors and felt unable to face outsiders. He sent her away to avoid drawing her into the scandal, keeping his wish to start over with her to himself.

• Gu Anfang caught Third Concubine when she stumbled, and the onlookers teased him as he helped her inside.
• Gu Wanning entered the other residence through the back door and left Er Ya and Fourth Concubine outside before visiting Xu Weibei.
• Xu Weibei insisted he had not taken poison and explained that his condition began after he ate Gu Wanning's raw marinated crab and took a folk remedy.
• Gu Wanning learned that Xu Weibei's condition came from the remedy and warned him that news of Linglong would likely spread through the city.
• Gu Wanning reassured Xu Weibei and suggested he could leave and start over, while Xu Weibei secretly wondered if she would start over with him.
• Xu Weibei said he feared rumors but would not do anything foolish, then asked Gu Wanning to leave so the scandal would not involve her.

Gu Wanning learned that Xu Weibei had allowed Linglong and her daughter to move into the Xue Residence, while Jiaoniang’s future remained uncertain. Her family warned her to stay away from Xu Weibei as rumors about his condition linked her divorce to his inability to perform, leaving her gloomy after He Shi departed.

• Gu Wanning cautioned Xu Weibei not to hide his illness or seek desperate treatment, and he assured her he would not take his own life.
• Xu Weibei revealed that Jiaoniang was Xue Fengxian’s daughter, and Gu Wanning warned him that Linglong might betray him again.
• The Grand Princess arrived, and Xu Weibei told Gu Wanning to leave; afterward, Gu Wanning heard the emperor had shielded Xu Weibei from punishment and ordered Linglong and her daughter to live at the Xue Residence.
• Gu Anqi told Gu Wanning that Xu Weibei had not explained what would happen to Jiaoniang, then warned her not to consider reconciling with the Marquis.
• He Shi urged Gu Wanning to avoid being drawn into Xu Weibei’s scandal, and Gu Wanning became gloomy as rumors tied her divorce to his inability to perform.

Gu Wanning wrestled with her conflicted feelings about Xu Weibei and dreamed of marrying him, but resolved not to risk herself for his sake. The next morning, Er Ya spotted a suspicious man peeking around their alley, and Gu Wanning decided to warn her eldest brother.

• Gu Wanning told Er Ya she felt sorry for Xu Weibei but was unwilling to face the storm surrounding him, and Er Ya suggested she stay with him since he could no longer pursue other women.
• Gu Wanning dreamed she was in a bridal chamber with Xu Weibei, then woke frightened and decided to stop discussing him before she convinced herself she could save him.
• Gu Wanning prepared to visit her pregnant second sister-in-law, the princess, while her mother sent gifts through her rather than risk upsetting her son.
• Er Ya returned with tofu pudding and told Gu Wanning she had confronted a man lurking at the end of the alley who refused to explain why he was there.
• Gu Wanning suspected someone had targeted the Gu family and decided they should tell her eldest brother.

The Grand Princess confronted Gu Wanning in public, demanding she confirm whether Xu Weibei was impotent. Gu Wanning defended his manhood and military record to shield him from further slander, but the Grand Princess then accused her of trying to win his gratitude and return as his marchioness.

• Gu Wanning and Er Ya’s sedan chair was stopped by the Grand Princess’s procession.
• The Grand Princess said she had come specifically to ask Gu Wanning whether Xu Weibei was truly a man.
• Gu Wanning realized the Grand Princess was pressuring her to defend Xu Weibei and chose to protect him despite their divorce.
• Gu Wanning blamed the divorce on her own jealousy and praised Xu Weibei’s courage and victory against the Oirat.
• The Grand Princess asked whether Gu Wanning regretted speaking up and hoped to reconcile with Xu Weibei.

Xu Weibei publicly accepted responsibility for his divorce from Gu Wanning, exposing his impotence and clearing her of blame. After the Grand Princess fainted and tried to make him confess again, Gu Wanning pretended to faint to stop him, and Xu Weibei prepared to carry her home.

• Gu Wanning told the Grand Princess she had no wish to rekindle her marriage with the Marquis.
• Xu Weibei appeared and publicly admitted he was incapable of marital relations, that Gu Wanning was a virgin, and that he alone had caused their divorce.
• The Grand Princess fainted, and Xu Weibei went to check on her.
• After recovering, the Grand Princess slapped Xu Weibei and tried to blame Gu Wanning for the divorce.
• Gu Wanning called Er Ya and pretended to faint so Xu Weibei would not have to prove his impotence again.
• Xu Weibei moved to carry Gu Wanning and call for a doctor, but Er Ya pinched her awake.

Gu Wanning pretended to faint so Xu Weibei could take her away from the crowd after the Grand Princess’s scheme left him humiliated. She comforted him in tears, and after she returned home, she and Er Ya condemned the people who mocked him and the Grand Princess.

• Er Ya left in the paid sedan chair, so Xu Weibei carried Gu Wanning back to her residence as onlookers followed them.
• Xu Weibei apologized for his grandmother scheming against Gu Wanning and promised it would not happen again.
• Gu Wanning threw herself into Xu Weibei’s arms and sobbed, then withdrew and hurried inside after seeing his robes soaked with her tears.
• Xu Weibei stayed outside Gu Wanning’s door for a long time before leaving, ignoring the hostile looks around him.
• Er Ya realized Gu Wanning had pretended to faint and joked that she had done it for Xu Weibei, while Gu Wanning defended him and criticized the Grand Princess.

Gu Wanning learned that Xu Weibei was sending his concubines away and helped them consider their futures. After Third Concubine suggested someone had harmed the Marquis, Gu Wanning wondered whether his condition might be treatable.

• Er Ya urged Gu Wanning to consider living with Xu Weibei as companions, but Gu Wanning asked her to tell her sister-in-law so her family would stop asking about it.
• Second Concubine told Gu Wanning that Xu Weibei was sending the concubines away, and the women discussed what they would do next.
• Second Concubine planned to return home, Third Concubine intended to open a medical clinic, and Fourth Concubine planned to travel to her senior brother.
• The concubines left to prepare for their departure, but Third Concubine stayed behind to tell Gu Wanning that she suspected someone had harmed Xu Weibei.
• Gu Wanning questioned Third Concubine about her suspicion, and Third Concubine said Xu Weibei's masculine appearance made her doubt he had been born with a deficiency.

Gu Wanning learned Third Concubine suspected Physician Bian or someone else close to Xu Weibei had been harming him, and she resolved to warn the Marquis. After Xu Weibei refused to see her and rejected the food she sent, Gu Wanning angrily decided she would stop pursuing him for now and eat the meal herself.

• Third Concubine told Gu Wanning she suspected someone close to Xu Weibei, possibly Physician Bian, had been secretly doing something to him.
• Gu Wanning agreed to find a tactful way to warn Xu Weibei and admitted she wanted to stay by his side, but Third Concubine left the decision to her.
• Gu Wanning went to see Xu Weibei, but he had Gao Lan tell her he would not meet with her.
• Xu Weibei refused the food Gu Wanning sent, and Zhi Nu brought the untouched meal back.
• Gu Wanning told Zhi Nu they would eat the food themselves and resolved not to bother with Xu Weibei for now.

Gu Wanning struggled with her feelings after Xu Weibei sent her away, while Er Ya urged her to give him time and reconsider. As Xu Weibei’s concubines left the Marquis’s Residence, Gu Wanning turned to practical tasks and still wondered whether she could win him back.

• Gu Wanning refused to prepare food for Xu Weibei, though she admitted to Er Ya that she could not bear to leave him.
• Er Ya argued that Xu Weibei’s loneliness and his willingness to take responsibility made him worth giving time, and Gu Wanning agreed to focus on immediate tasks first.
• Qin Lie bought First Concubine a house and brought Jiaoniang to her, while Xu Weibei gave each concubine two thousand taels of silver as they departed.
• Second Concubine returned to her family, Third Concubine bought a house near Gu Wanning’s and planned to open a medical clinic, and Fourth Concubine went to the Northwest to reunite with her senior brother.
• As Gu Wanning and Er Ya rode to the fields, Er Ya asked whether Gu Wanning thought Xu Weibei would accept her, and Gu Wanning questioned whether her opinion mattered.

Gu Wanning believed Xu Weibei had sent a marriage proposal, only to learn that Gu Anqi had rejected a proposal from Zheng Jian’s family. Gu Anqi urged her to consider another man, leaving her to ponder his warning about Xu Weibei.

• Er Ya reassured Gu Wanning that she could pursue Xu Weibei if they both wanted to be together.
• Gu Wanning and Er Ya traveled through heavy rain to the Estate, where Gu Wanning arranged dry clothes and money for the soaked driver.
• A few days later, Gu Anqi told Gu Wanning that he had turned down a marriage proposal from the Zheng Duke's Residence.
• Gu Anqi warned Gu Wanning to consider meeting a suitable man and hinted that Xu Weibei could not fulfill her needs.
• Gu Wanning thanked Gu Anqi, then clarified that she had been thinking about the Zheng family rather than Xu Weibei.

After the Zheng family spread sexual rumors about Gu Wanning, she chose not to make a fuss, but Gu Anqi promised to help her get justice. Gu Wanning agreed to his plan to strip the Zheng Duke’s Residence of its title, leaving the matter to unfold over the next month or so.

• Er Ya urged Gu Wanning to ask Gu Anqi to impeach Zheng Jian and the Zheng Duke’s Residence, but Gu Wanning said she would rather ignore the rumors.
• Gu Anqi visited Gu Wanning and told her he knew about the rumors and would see that she got justice.
• Gu Wanning told Gu Anqi not to trouble himself, but Gu Anqi proposed first arranging for the Zheng Duke’s Residence to lose its title.
• Gu Wanning accepted Gu Anqi’s plan and agreed to wait before they acted.
• Gu Anqi then began talking about Zhi Nu.

After learning that Xu Weibei had dragged Zheng Jian through the city, leaving him apparently dead, Gu Wanning feared the Marquis had put himself in grave danger by defending her. Gu Anqi went to manage the crisis while Gu Wanning returned home, hoping Xu Weibei would survive the emperor’s likely retaliation.

• Gu Anqi told Gu Wanning that Gu Yuanshi planned to impeach the Zheng Duke's Residence, and the siblings discussed sharing Zhi Nu’s horse with He Ge.
• Er Ya rushed back and reported that Xu Weibei had tied Zheng Jian up and dragged him from outside the city into the city.
• Gu Wanning hurried to stop Xu Weibei, believing he had acted on her behalf, and Gu Anqi promised to try to talk him down.
• At the Marquis's Residence, Gu Wanning and Gu Anqi found Zheng Jian lying bloodied and motionless as guards kept the Zheng Duke's Residence people away.
• Gu Anqi told Gu Wanning to return home and assured her he would try to secure the outcome she wanted, while she feared the emperor might use Zheng Jian’s apparent death to condemn Xu Weibei.

After Xu Weibei killed someone to protect her, Gu Wanning realized she loved him and resolved to help save him. She planned to seek support without asking her father, and believed Gu Anqi would help.

• Gu Wanning returned home determined to save Xu Weibei and asked Er Ya to accompany her.
• Gu Wanning rejected Er Ya's suggestion that she ask Gu Yuanshi for help, fearing he would refuse to intervene.
• Gu Wanning recognized that she loved Xu Weibei and decided to stand by him while he needed her.
• Er Ya warned Gu Wanning not to return to a life of hardship with Xu Weibei and said Gu Anqi would help repay the Marquis for protecting her.
• Gu Wanning agreed that Gu Anqi would help.

Gu Wanning sought Princess Qingyi’s advice on how to save Xu Weibei, but learned that appealing directly to the emperor could endanger her father and worsen the situation. She admitted she wanted to be with Xu Weibei and resolved to find another way to help him.

• Gu Wanning went to the Princess's Residence and told Princess Qingyi she wanted to save the Marquis.
• Gu Wanning proposed offering the emperor future new crops in exchange for leniency toward Xu Weibei, but Princess Qingyi warned that this would anger him and implicate Gu Yuanshi.
• Princess Qingyi explained that the emperor would distrust Gu Wanning’s offer and would not welcome her uniting with Xu Weibei.
• Gu Wanning asked Princess Qingyi what she would do, then admitted she wanted to try being with Xu Weibei and would consider no other man if she married.

Princess Qingyi and Gu Anwei advised Gu Wanning to avoid interfering with the emperor and instead help Xu Weibei regain the will to save himself. Gu Wanning hoped her father might support her, but Gu Yuanshi disowned her and forbade Gu Anwei from seeing her privately.

• Princess Qingyi warned Gu Wanning not to interfere with the emperor and said Xu Weibei might be the one best able to save himself.
• Princess Qingyi urged Gu Wanning to revive Xu Weibei's spirit, and Gu Wanning thanked her for the advice.
• Gu Anwei agreed to find a way for Gu Wanning to visit Xu Weibei in three to five days.
• Gu Anwei suggested their father might help, but Gu Yuanshi sent word that he disowned Gu Wanning and forbade Gu Anwei from meeting her privately.
• Gu Anwei angrily condemned Gu Yuanshi for failing to speak properly to his own children despite his success.

Gu Wanning returned home after Gu Anwei assured her that Gu Yuanshi would act to help Xu Weibei, though she still worried about the risks of their relationship. She prepared to visit Xu Weibei, determined to pursue him despite the uncertainty.

• Gu Anwei told Gu Wanning that Gu Yuanshi wanted to help but should not plead directly, and warned her to consider whether she wanted to return to the Marquis’s household.
• Gu Wanning asked Gu Anwei to arrange a meeting with Xu Weibei, and he told her to wait at home for news.
• Gu Wanning returned home and reassured Second Concubine and Third Concubine that she would find a way to help Xu Weibei.
• Second Concubine offered to provide silver and shared that her younger brother was engaged to a young lady from a vice minister’s household.
• Gu Yuanshi sent He Shi to take Zhi Nu back, and Gu Wanning persuaded Zhi Nu to go.
• Gu Wanning spent three days preparing gifts and what to say before visiting Xu Weibei, determined to win him over.