Chapter Summaries

Second Concubine watched her brother Jin Huayu become increasingly devoted to Shi while Shi quietly encroached on the Jin family's business. When Jin Huayu admitted he had bought a shop and residence for Shi's mother with the family's money, Second Concubine responded calmly, leaving their conflict unresolved.

• Third Concubine told Gu Wanning she feared a relationship with Gu Anfang could harm the Gu family's future marriage prospects, and asked for more time to decide.
• Shi began pushing Second Concubine out of the Jin family's business, while Second Concubine secretly opened a competing shop in the Capital.
• Jin Huayu showered Shi and her mother with gifts and spent eight thousand taels on a shop and residence for her mother.
• Shi urged Jin Huayu to study for the imperial examinations, telling him that status would protect them from being bullied.
• Jin Huayu confessed to Second Concubine that he had used shop money to buy property for Shi's mother, and Second Concubine calmly accepted his news.

Jin Huayu admitted that he had taken silver from the shops and invested his own money in a lending scheme, while Second Concubine realized he had been drawn into a dangerous trap. She went to seek comfort from Gu Wanning, but an anxious attendant arrived first with urgent news for the Marquis.

• Second Concubine asked Jin Huayu whether he had used the shops' silver, and he admitted he had misappropriated it to invest in a lending scheme.
• Jin Huayu boasted that his wife had introduced him to the opportunity and that he expected to earn enough interest to replace the shops' silver.
• Second Concubine let Jin Huayu leave, then grieved over how her younger brother had repaid her care.
• Second Concubine rode to Gu Wanning's residence to confide in her and sent the carriage away.
• An anxious attendant rushed to Gu Wanning's door seeking the Marquis, and Second Concubine introduced herself as Gu Wanning's friend.

Xu Weibei rushed off to stop a dispute involving his former subordinates while Gu Wanning comforted Second Concubine. When Third Concubine Hua Ying could not be found at home or at the clinic, Gu Wanning wondered where she had gone.

• Zhou Jingyuan told Xu Weibei that his former subordinates were escalating a fight, and Xu Weibei hurried away to intervene.
• Second Concubine told Gu Wanning she felt betrayed by her brother and refused to leave the household because she wanted to see how far he and his wife would go.
• Gu Wanning sent Er Ya to look for Third Concubine Hua Ying, but Er Ya found both Hua Ying's home and the clinic locked.
• Gu Wanning and Second Concubine speculated that Hua Ying might have gone out to treat a patient, since she had not told Gu Wanning where she was going.

Yiling visited Gu Wanning for meals and offered to find a physician for Xu Weibei, then revealed that her father wanted Xu Weibei to inherit the Southern Border throne. The chapter left Gu Wanning convinced Xu Weibei would refuse and warning Yiling that her father’s hopes for him were futile.

• Yiling arrived at Gu Wanning’s home to mooch a meal, while Er Ya scolded Second Concubine for continuing to worry about her unfilial son.
• Second Concubine went to visit the pregnant First Concubine and took her a jar of pickled radishes from Er Ya.
• Yiling offered to find someone from the Southern Border to examine Xu Weibei in exchange for Gu Wanning’s cooking.
• Yiling suggested that Gu Wanning and Xu Weibei move to the Southern Border, where her father wanted Xu Weibei to inherit the throne.
• Yiling explained that her great-grandmother had used the phrase “love brain,” leading Gu Wanning to infer that one of Yiling’s ancestors had been a transmigrator.
• Gu Wanning learned that the Southern Border emperor hoped Xu Weibei would expand the realm and told Yiling that the plan was futile.

Gu Wanning rejected Yiling’s efforts to persuade Xu Weibei to move to the Southern Border, while Yiling made herself at home in Gu Wanning’s quarters. As Gu Wanning and Er Ya prepared for the princess’s approaching childbirth, Yiling slept through the afternoon.

• Gu Wanning told Yiling that Xu Weibei would not agree to move to the Southern Border, and Yiling offered to keep him from remarrying if Gu Wanning died first.
• Yiling admired Gu Wanning’s belongings, dismissed her coral tabletop screen, and fell asleep in Gu Wanning’s room.
• Gu Wanning noticed a large crimson pearl set in a ring on Yiling’s hand, then began sewing a scented sachet for Xu Weibei.
• Gu Wanning had Er Ya bring in extra braziers to keep Yiling warm, while Er Ya worked on tiger-head shoes as a gift for the princess’s baby.
• Er Ya told Gu Wanning that the princess was due to give birth in the middle of the twelfth month, about half a month away.

Gu Wanning rushed to Princess Qingyi’s side during her dangerous labor and promised to raise her newborn son if she died. Princess Qingyi asked Gu Anwei to live on and find a caring wife, while her fate remained uncertain.

• Gu Wanning learned Princess Qingyi had been in difficult labor for a day and night and hurried to the Princess's Residence.
• Third Concubine told Gu Wanning that Princess Qingyi was carrying twins, but the second child could not be born and the medicine that might save it could cause the princess to bleed to death.
• Gu Anwei stayed beside Princess Qingyi after trying to harm himself, while Gu Anfang had stopped him.
• Princess Qingyi asked Gu Wanning to raise her child as her own, and Gu Wanning promised he would never fall into a stepmother’s hands.
• Princess Qingyi thanked Gu Wanning and asked Gu Anwei to live well, stop quarreling with his father, and find a caring woman.

Princess Qingyi was dying after childbirth, and Gu Anwei resolved to join her in death while Gu Wanning desperately sought help. Yiling offered to use a precious medicine to stop Princess Qingyi’s bleeding.

• Princess Qingyi begged Gu Wanning to care for her child, while Gu Anwei promised to save the baby and said he would die after arranging his wife’s burial.
• Gu Wanning left the birthing room in tears and asked Xu Weibei to summon Gu Yuanshi and his son.
• Yiling offered to help after hearing that Princess Qingyi needed labor induced and would suffer heavy bleeding.
• Yiling said she had a precious medicine for stopping bleeding and agreed to use it for Gu Wanning.

Yiling prepared to help save Princess Qingyi and her unborn child, while the Gu family waited anxiously. Gu Anwei carried the medicine into the birthing room, and Yiling remained confident as she admired the winter plum blossoms.

• Yiling told Gu Wanning she would do her utmost to save Princess Qingyi and insisted she had a way.
• Gu Anfang asked what preparations were needed, and Yiling said there was nothing to do yet.
• Gu Yuanshi and his son arrived, and Third Concubine brought out the medicine she had brewed.
• Gu Anfang tried to take the medicine into the birthing room, but Gu Wanning stopped him because he was not allowed inside.
• Gu Anwei took the medicine into the birthing room after Gu Yuanshi asked for the steward to be called.
• Yiling sniffed the winter plum blossoms while the others remained anxious about Princess Qingyi.

Gu Anwei and his family waited anxiously as Princess Qingyi gave birth, while Yiling prepared to treat her life-threatening bleeding. The chapter ended with Gu Anwei joining his father and brothers in prayer, desperate for Princess Qingyi and their newborn daughter to survive.

• Gu Yuanshi arranged a Buddhist altar and prayed with Gu Anqi and Gu Anfang while Yiling told Gu Wanning to wait for her to act.
• After Princess Qingyi gave birth to a girl, the midwife reported that the baby was alive but Princess Qingyi was unconscious and bleeding heavily.
• Yiling ordered everyone out and asked for warm water so she could treat Princess Qingyi.
• Gu Anwei left the room after Gu Wanning pulled him away, though he desperately wanted to stay beside his wife.
• Gu Yuanshi called Gu Anwei to pray, and Gu Anwei knelt and struck his forehead against the flagstones.

After Yiling and Third Concubine saved Princess Qingyi, the Gu family learned she was out of danger but would not be able to have more children. Gu Wanning returned home with Xu Weibei, who again asked her to marry him, but she avoided answering and remained unwilling.

• Yiling stopped Princess Qingyi's bleeding, and Gu Anwei rushed inside to see her.
• Yiling and Third Concubine confirmed that Princess Qingyi was weak but in no serious danger, so Gu Yuanshi and his sons finally stood up.
• Gu Wanning returned home after midnight and recalled Gu Yuanshi tenderly holding his newborn grandchildren while Gu Anwei joked about teaching his nephew to study.
• Gu Wanning told Xu Weibei that Princess Qingyi could not have more children, and he reassured her that a life without children could hold no regrets.
• Xu Weibei asked Gu Wanning to marry him and promised she would not have to meet his grandmother, but Gu Wanning changed the subject and remained unwilling.

After Princess Qingyi and Gu Anwei welcomed healthy twins, Gu Anwei declined a new official post and reconciled with his father as he embraced his family life. Meanwhile, Yiling teased Gu Wanning for not asking how she had saved Princess Qingyi, but Gu Wanning brushed her off.

• Xu Weibei wondered how to ease Gu Wanning’s fears about marriage and children, while Gu Anwei stayed awake watching over his wife with gratitude.
• Gu Anwei and Princess Qingyi’s twins, Tong and Chang, were healthy, and Gu Anwei declined the emperor’s new post to remain at the Ministry of Rites and spend more time with his family.
• Gu Anwei told Gu Wanning about his decision, thanked her for recommending him, and admitted that his own wishes mattered most.
• Gu Anwei felt he had reconciled with his father after becoming a father himself, and Gu Wanning agreed to attend the twins’ one-month celebration with Yiling.
• Yiling asked Gu Wanning why she had not asked how Yiling saved Princess Qingyi, and Gu Wanning replied that Yiling had made clear no one could ask before sending her away with fried peanuts.

Princess Yiling told Gu Wanning that she had used the Red Pearl to heal Gu Wanning’s second sister-in-law, then explained its supposed powers and her ability to nurture it with her blood. Gu Wanning warned Yiling to keep the secret safe, and the chapter ended with Gu Wanning wondering how Gu Wanqing was doing.

• Gu Wanning asked Yiling how she had saved her second sister-in-law, and Yiling revealed the Red Pearl.
• Yiling claimed the Red Pearl could bring the dead back to life and said she had used its powder to heal Gu Wanning’s second sister-in-law.
• Yiling showed Gu Wanning her cut finger and explained that her blood could nurture the pearl because she had Merfolk blood.
• Gu Wanning cautioned Yiling that the pearl’s secret could put her in danger and urged her never to reveal it to anyone else.
• Yiling said she had told Gu Wanning because she trusted her and hoped she would visit the Southern Border.
• Gu Wanning questioned whether Merfolk truly existed, then wondered how Gu Wanqing had been faring.

At Tong-ge and Chang-jie's full-month celebration, Gu Wanning learned that Gu Wanqing had become gaunt and was covered in bruises, despite insisting that the Prince of Qin treated her well. Gu Wanning confronted her about the injuries, then pointed out Gu Wanqing’s radiant smile to He Shi, leaving her to reconsider what she had seen.

• Gu Wanning heard that the Prince of Qin had taken Han Chun'er and was avoiding Gu Wanqing after Gu Yuanshi exposed the Prince's excessive household staff.
• At the celebration, Gu Wanning was shocked by how thin Gu Wanqing had become, and she worried about her and An-ge.
• Gu Wanqing arrived late and exposed bruises on her wrists and forearms while reaching for Gu Wanning's hand.
• Gu Wanning demanded to know whether the Prince had hurt Gu Wanqing and threatened to confront him, but Gu Wanqing denied it and told An-ge to play with his brothers.
• Gu Wanqing said the Prince planned to request that An-ge be named heir apparent when he turned eight.
• He Shi scolded Gu Wanning for confronting Gu Wanqing in public, but Gu Wanning asked her to look again as Gu Wanqing spoke to Princess Qingyi with a radiant smile.

Gu Wanqing exposed her injuries at a family celebration, then received word that the Prince of Qin had collapsed while having sex. Gu Wanning realized Gu Wanqing had likely arranged his death and left with a public alibi, while the family went to the Prince of Qin's Residence.

• Gu Wanning pointed out that Gu Wanqing's injuries were hidden beneath her fitted sleeves, and He Shi began to understand her implication.
• Gu Wanqing told Gu Wanning that she had hurt her own wrists that morning, then revealed a brief flash of killing intent.
• A servant from the Prince's Residence announced that the Prince of Qin had collapsed while having sex, and Gu Wanqing hurried away.
• Gu Wanqing left An-ge with He Shi, while Gu Anqi and his brothers went to the Prince of Qin's Residence.
• Gu Wanning pieced together that Gu Wanqing had exposed her abuse and created an alibi before arranging for the Prince of Qin to die in disgrace.

After the Prince of Qin died, Gu Wanning learned that Gu Xiaoxiao had been condemned with him and watched Gu Wanqing put on a convincing show of grief at his funeral. Xie Yun arrived as the empress’s representative, and the chapter ended by recounting how her cousin Xie Xuan’s family was kidnapped during a wokou raid.

• Gu Wanning learned that Gu Xiaoxiao had been ordered buried with the Prince of Qin after she tried to claim Han Chun’er’s favor and walked into danger herself.
• Gu Yuanshi sold his ancient books and sent the money to the Gu family’s old residence instead of trying to save Gu Xiaoxiao.
• Gu Wanqing mourned the Prince of Qin at his funeral while Gu Wanning secretly judged her acting and asked Er Ya why the procession was waiting.
• Xie Yun arrived at the funeral as the empress’s representative, having risen to the rank of Noble Lady.
• The account revealed that Xie Xuan had risen through the Southeast Navy and that wokou raiders had kidnapped the navy commander, his family, and Xie Xuan’s wife and children.

Gu Wanning learned that Linglong had allied herself with Xie Yun and ordered Gao Lan to watch her. She also discovered that Xu Weibei’s recent bad mood came from people repeatedly provoking him over his inability to perform, but the chapter ended before Gao Lan named them.

• Xie Xuan defeated the Japanese raiders, brought about a change of dynasty in Japan, and received rewards from the emperor, while Xie Yun was promoted to Noble Lady.
• Gu Wanning noticed that Linglong had come with Xie Yun and suspected that the two women planned to use their resentment against her and Xu Weibei.
• Gao Lan told Gu Wanning that Linglong was isolated and raising her daughter alone, and admitted that she had deliberately sought out Xie Yun.
• Gu Wanning asked Gao Lan to keep an eye on Linglong and learned that Xu Weibei was upset because people kept mocking him about being unable to perform.
• Gao Lan began explaining that a group of people had provoked Xu Weibei after a fight before the New Year, but he did not name them before the chapter ended.

Gu Wanning worried about the gossip and insults targeting Xu Weibei, while Xu Weibei struggled to hide his desire and sought advice on helping her overcome her fear of intimacy. The chapter ended with Zhou Jingyuan suggesting that a close female friend of Gu Wanning’s speak with her.

• Gu Wanning and Gao Lan discussed the recurring rumors about Xu Weibei’s physical condition and their inability to stop people gossiping.
• Xu Weibei crushed a cup and injured his hand after hearing the rumors again, then told his soldiers there was nothing wrong with him.
• Xu Weibei’s soldiers proposed that he prove himself with a woman, but he refused.
• Gu Wanning comforted Xu Weibei, who fled the bed after she embraced him and pretended he had diarrhea.
• Xu Weibei asked Zhou Jingyuan for advice, and Zhou Jingyuan recommended that one of Gu Wanning’s close female friends talk to her about intimacy.

Xu Weibei sent Third Concubine to speak with Gu Wanning about intimacy, but she misunderstood his intentions and brought medicine and supplies that embarrassed Gu Wanning. Gu Wanning refused them, and Third Concubine advised Xu Weibei to let her be, leaving him frustrated and his misunderstanding unresolved.

• Xu Weibei asked Third Concubine to discuss matters between men and women with Gu Wanning and offered to arrange a grand wedding for her and Gu Lao San.
• Xu Weibei repeatedly asked Gu Wanning whether Hua Ying had visited, making Gu Wanning suspect he was hiding something.
• Third Concubine visited Gu Wanning, sent Er Ya away, and opened her medicine chest to show her what she believed Xu Weibei had requested.
• Gu Wanning realized Xu Weibei had misunderstood her and refused Third Concubine's help.
• Third Concubine returned empty-handed and told Xu Weibei to let Gu Wanning do as she pleased, leaving him frustrated.

Gu Wanning prepared a spring outing while Yiling updated her on Third Concubine’s engagement and Second Concubine’s schemes against Shi’s family. The Jin family was left ruined, and Shi learned that the fortune she thought she had gained was gone.

• Gu Wanning invited the household to enjoy the spring scenery, and Yiling gathered the others while saying she planned to help Hua Ying prepare her dowry.
• Third Concubine told Gu Wanning that Gu Yuanshi had personally proposed to her on Gu Anfang’s behalf, and their wedding was set for the end of the year.
• Yiling told Gu Wanning that Second Concubine had used Concubine Yu’s affair with a young actor to take back the money and possessions Shi had sent to her natal family.
• Shi secretly sold the Jin family residence, unaware that Concubine Yu had handed their remaining wealth to the actor.
• Jin Huayu told Shi that the family had to rebuild its fortune from nothing, and Shi dropped her act.

After the Jin family’s affairs ended, Shi was sold into the mountains and Second Concubine moved in with Third Concubine. As the emperor fell gravely ill and Xu Weibei guarded the palace, he woke to find Gu Anqi staring at him and demanding an explanation.

• Shi returned home to find her mother gone and, with no money or other refuge, was sold into the mountains by her father’s principal wife.
• Second Concubine gave up on Jin Huayu and moved in with Third Concubine.
• The emperor fell gravely ill, and he ordered Xu Weibei to take command of the Imperial Guards while rumors of princes stirring spread.
• Gu Wanning stayed inside her residence as Xu Weibei’s men guarded it, while Gu Yuanshi and Gu Anqi kept watch in the palace.
• Xu Weibei dealt with a man who questioned his loyalty, patrolled through the night, and fell asleep exhausted in his quarters.
• Xu Weibei woke in daylight to find Gu Anqi pointing at his lower body and asking him to explain himself.