Recaps

Su Qiao went to Yonghe Palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, where she arrived amid rumors about the Emperor’s unexplained absence from court. The Empress Dowager welcomed her and then summoned Eunuch Wen from the Bureau of Imperial Household Affairs.

• Su Qiao predicted a good show for the next day, then went to sleep while 444 pressed her to explain.
• Su Qiao dressed in a golden-threaded cloud-satin gown and went to Yonghe Palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.
• A eunuch reported that the Emperor had missed court without informing the ministers, and the Empress Dowager angrily wondered where he had spent the night.
• The imperial concubines speculated that the Emperor might have stayed with Consort Ying before Su Qiao entered Yonghe Palace.
• The Empress Dowager greeted Su Qiao warmly, commented on the child in her belly, and ordered Nanny Qin to fetch Eunuch Wen from the Bureau of Imperial Household Affairs.

The Empress Dowager learned that the emperor had missed morning court because he had supposedly fallen ill, then discovered the real cause and ordered Consort Wan seized. The chapter ended with Eunuch Liu heading to Minghe Palace to bring her to the Empress Dowager.

• Su Qiao expressed concern that the emperor might be ill after hearing he had missed morning court.
• Chief Steward Qi told the Empress Dowager that the emperor had become dizzy and weak, and that the imperial physician had ordered him to rest.
• The Empress Dowager dismissed the consorts and warned them not to disturb the emperor.
• After questioning Eunuch Liu, the Empress Dowager learned the truth and angrily ordered him to bring Consort Wan to her.
• Eunuch Liu led eunuchs and palace women toward Minghe Palace to seize Consort Wan.

The Empress Dowager blamed Gu Wanting for Jin Moli’s lack of an heir and for the troubles in the royal family, while Su Qiao considered why no one had conceived. After hearing that Jin Moli had fallen ill, Su Qiao’s party wondered whether to visit him.

• The Empress Dowager regretted allowing Gu Wanting into Jin Moli’s residence and told Nanny Qin that she wanted Jin Moli to sever his attachment to her.
• Su Qiao speculated that Jin Moli’s lack of an heir was due to his devotion to Gu Wanting, the inner court’s Secret Medicine, and infighting among the consorts.
• Su Qiao suspected the late Empress had not truly died from childbirth complications and concluded that the Empress Dowager had tampered with Gu Wanting’s chances of becoming pregnant.
• Jin Canghan noticed Su Qiao was distracted and asked if she was all right.
• Ren Dong said Jin Moli had suddenly fallen ill and asked whether Su Qiao’s party should visit him.

Su Qiao returned to Jingren Palace after Jin Canghan learned she was carrying twins and might be unwell, then went to Yonghe Palace when the Empress Dowager summoned her. The Empress Dowager began addressing accusations involving Consort Wan and Ren Dong.

• Jin Canghan carried Su Qiao to a sedan chair and ordered the palace attendants to prepare for her care.
• Imperial Physician Liu examined Su Qiao and found her unharmed, but Jin Canghan kept him at Jingren Palace until evening.
• The Empress Dowager summoned Su Qiao to Yonghe Palace, and Jin Canghan sent Imperial Physician Liu with her.
• Su Qiao entered Yonghe Palace and found Consort Wan, her two maids, and Ren Dong kneeling before the Empress Dowager and the emperor.
• The Empress Dowager apologized for making Su Qiao travel and said the others had made wild accusations, prompting the emperor to interrupt her.

The Empress Dowager confronted Su Qiao over Consort Wan’s accusation that Ren Dong had drugged her and caused the Emperor’s illness. Su Qiao brought palace servants to answer questions, then rebuked Ren Dong for ignoring palace protocol as the inquiry began.

• The Empress Dowager pressed Jin Moli to punish Consort Wan and defend his conduct before the court and his ancestors.
• Jin Moli said he had felt unwell and argued that the matter had not been fully investigated.
• The Empress Dowager explained that Consort Wan accused Ren Dong of drugging her, and that medicinal herbs had been found in Ren Dong’s pouch.
• Su Qiao summoned two palace maids and two eunuchs to be questioned as witnesses.
• Su Qiao reproached Ren Dong for continuing to call her “Miss” and instructed the witnesses to tell the truth.

The Empress Dowager confronted Ren Dong over her secret dealings with Minghe Palace, and witnesses testified that Consort Wan’s maids had paid her. Ren Dong blamed Su Qiao, but her story collapsed, leaving her pleading for help as the Empress Dowager turned her attention to Consort Wan’s maids.

• The Empress Dowager questioned the palace maids and eunuchs, who described seeing Ren Dong meet with Chuxue and Yixue from Minghe Palace.
• Ren Dong claimed Su Qiao had ordered her to act, but a little eunuch said he had seen Chuxue give Ren Dong a bulging purse.
• The little eunuch and three other witnesses swore that their testimony was true, leaving Ren Dong unable to defend herself.
• Ren Dong crawled to Su Qiao and begged her to save her, but Su Qiao reminded her that she had already offered to send her out of the palace.
• Nanny Bai kicked Ren Dong away, and the Empress Dowager asked Chuxue and Yixue what they had to say.

Chuxue and Yixue killed themselves to protect Consort Wan, and Jin Moli comforted her despite the Empress Dowager’s objections. Su Qiao questioned Ren Dong about poisoning the wedding wine, and Ren Dong’s glance toward Consort Wan made Jin Moli suspect her involvement.

• Chuxue and Yixue confessed to acting without Consort Wan’s knowledge, then threw themselves against a pillar and died.
• Consort Wan mourned the maids and blamed herself, and Jin Moli held her while the Empress Dowager insisted she remain under suspicion.
• Su Qiao asked Ren Dong why she had put Muscle-weakening Powder in the wedding wine and how she had obtained it.
• Ren Dong looked toward Consort Wan instead of answering, and Jin Moli stared at Consort Wan in disbelief.

Su Qiao revealed that Ren Dong had been bribed to drug her and Jin Moli on their wedding night, then exposed the harmful ingredients in Consort Wan’s medicinal soup. The Empress Dowager struck Consort Wan after hearing Su Qiao’s accusation.

• Su Qiao told Ren Dong and Consort Wan that Ren Dong had been bought off before the wedding and had drugged Su Qiao and Jin Moli.
• Consort Wan denied involvement, while the Empress Dowager stopped Su Qiao from discussing the wedding night further.
• Jin Moli ended the matter and claimed he had not been drugged, but was merely overworked.
• Su Qiao said Consort Wan had prepared Jin Moli’s dinner and added Atractylodes to sparrow meat soup, which could harm his health.
• The Empress Dowager angrily slapped Consort Wan.

Consort Wan faced execution after giving Jin Moli a medicinal dish that harmed him, but Imperial Physician Wang testified that he had warned her about the forbidden ingredients. After Consort Wan fainted while trying to take her own life, Imperial Physician Wang revealed that she was pregnant, leaving Jin Moli and the Empress Dowager stunned.

• The Empress Dowager ordered Consort Wan executed, and Consort Wan pleaded with Jin Moli, claiming she had not meant to harm him.
• Imperial Physician Wang testified that he had warned Consort Wan not to combine Atractylodes with herring or sparrow meat, and Imperial Physician Liu and Imperial Physician Wen confirmed he had given her the list of contraindications.
• Consort Wan admitted fault and tried to throw herself against a pillar, but Jin Moli stopped her and she fainted.
• Imperial Physician Wang examined Consort Wan and announced that she was pregnant, shocking Jin Moli and the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager ordered Imperial Physicians to examine Jin Moli after learning he had consumed harmful food, and they found his condition was not serious. When Jin Moli tried to protect the pregnant Gu Wanting from punishment, the Empress Dowager reminded him of the earlier poisoning cases, and he realized the woman he had loved had deceived him.

• The Empress Dowager ordered Imperial Physician Wang, Imperial Physician Liu, and Imperial Physician Wen to examine Jin Moli, and they found he had a mild deficiency that medicine could treat.
• Jin Moli hesitated to punish Gu Wanting because he loved her and she was carrying his child.
• The Empress Dowager reminded Jin Moli that the poisonings of Consort Ying and the nuptial wine culprit had not been discovered.
• Jin Moli looked at Su Qiao with resentment over the humiliation of his wedding night, then realized Gu Wanting had likely been behind it.
• Jin Moli concluded that Gu Wanting had been calculating and deceptive, and his joy over her pregnancy gave way to disappointment.

Jin Moli demoted Consort Wan and ordered Ren Dong executed after the palace plot, while Su Qiao accepted the outcome and returned to Jingren Palace. There, she sent a secret note to her younger brother Su Zimo and settled down to eat and drink.

• Jin Moli demoted Consort Wan to Noble Lady and ordered Ren Dong executed, though the Empress Dowager thought the punishment too lenient.
• Su Qiao reassured Jin Moli and left Yonghe Palace with Jin Canghan, who thanked her for helping expose the plot.
• Su Qiao's attendants discussed Ren Dong's betrayal and worried that it had hurt their mistress.
• Su Qiao sent a secret note to Su Zimo, who was researching glass and colored glaze outside the capital.
• Su Qiao ate and drank peacefully at Jingren Palace.

After Jin Moli missed court to stay with Consort Wan, ministers criticized him, and he went to Su Qiao’s Jingren Palace to reassure her. Su Qiao warmly excused his actions while implying that she understood her lesser standing beside Consort Wan.

• Jin Canghan finally relaxed after worrying that the previous day’s events had frightened Su Qiao and upset her.
• Ministers criticized Jin Moli for missing court after spending the night at Consort Wan’s residence.
• Jin Moli considered visiting Consort Wan but went instead to Su Qiao’s Jingren Palace.
• Su Qiao welcomed Jin Moli, ate with him, and accepted his offer to have more pickled vegetables prepared for her.
• Jin Moli tried to discuss the previous day, and Su Qiao said he had been right to protect Consort Wan and avoid stirring up trouble.
• Su Qiao reminded Jin Moli that she had been in the palace for only two months and could not match Consort Wan’s merits or affection for him.

Su Qiao reassured Jin Moli about the court’s reaction, then secretly prepared to test how much he would endure for Gu Wanting. After Jin Moli left, she invited Jin Canghan to dine and began telling him how devoted Jin Moli was to Consort Wan.

• Jin Moli explained that court memorials and the Grand Tutor had urged him to reconsider, while the hidden Jin Canghan glared at him for holding Su Qiao’s hand.
• Su Qiao reassured Jin Moli that the ministers would understand and urged him to return to rest after their meal.
• After Jin Moli left, Su Qiao ordered a new table of dishes, dismissed the servants, and called Jin Canghan down from the rafters.
• Su Qiao invited Jin Canghan to eat with her, and he happily accepted.
• Su Qiao sighed and told Jin Canghan that Jin Moli seemed deeply devoted to Consort Wan and willing to neglect his health to protect her.

Su Qiao ate with Jin Canghan and confided her doubts about entering the palace, while he struggled to comfort her without revealing his identity. She let him believe he would help raise her child, but privately remembered that she was not pregnant and could only maintain the deception for about another month.

• Su Qiao told Jin Canghan she regretted entering the palace and felt something was wrong with the person she had come for.
• Jin Canghan tried to comfort Su Qiao, then stopped her from eating spicy beef and fussed over which foods were safe for pregnancy.
• Jin Canghan explained that he had studied pregnancy after learning Su Qiao was expecting, and she praised his thoughtfulness.
• Su Qiao said Jin Canghan could teach her child martial arts and other skills after the birth, making him overjoyed.
• Su Qiao privately recalled that she was not pregnant and estimated she could keep up the deception for only one more month.

Jin Moli worried that Consort Ying had grown distant from him and, after speaking with Qi Kun, went to visit Consort Xian. 444 later reported that Jin Moli failed to consummate the night with Consort Xian and then left Consort Shu as well.

• 444 wondered what Consort Wan would do after losing her rank, stipend, and longtime attendants, Chuxue and Yixue.
• Jin Moli accidentally headed toward Minghe Palace and asked Qi Kun whether Consort Ying had been angry with him.
• Qi Kun said Consort Ying seemed distant and noted that Consort Wan remained suspicious despite Imperial Concubine Yu being blamed for the poisoning.
• Qi Kun suggested Jin Moli visit Consort Xian, and Jin Moli went with him to Yushu Palace.
• 444 reported that Jin Moli left Consort Xian angrily after being unable to perform, then went to Consort Shu and left again.

Su Qiao denied causing Jin Moli’s impotence and watched the fallout begin. After the Empress Dowager learned of his condition, Jin Moli left her with a plea to protect Consort Wan’s unborn child, fearing it might be his only child.

• Su Qiao dismissed 444’s accusation that she had given Jin Moli medicine to make him impotent.
• Su Qiao said she would make Gu Wanting and Jin Moli pay for what they had done in her previous life.
• Jin Moli summoned several Imperial Concubines before repeated visits from Imperial Physicians revealed his impotence, after which he stopped going to the harem.
• The Empress Dowager confronted Jin Moli about his condition, but he insisted it was temporary and refused to discuss it further.
• Jin Moli asked the Empress Dowager to protect Consort Wan’s unborn child at all costs.

Su Qiao tried to send Jin Moli to check on pregnant Consort Wan, but he stayed close to Su Qiao and began to feel a physical reaction. A eunuch named Little Yu appeared and drew Jin Moli’s suspicion.

• The Empress Dowager promised Jin Moli she would protect the child and advised him to spend time with Consort Ying.
• Su Qiao urged Jin Moli to visit Consort Wan after claiming she looked unwell near the Imperial Garden.
• Jin Moli praised Su Qiao’s magnanimity, but she pressed him to leave for Minghe Palace and check on Consort Wan.
• Jin Moli embraced Su Qiao and felt an unexpected reaction before she pushed him away, claiming she felt unwell.
• Jin Moli noticed a figure in the palace and questioned Su Qiao, who identified him as Little Yu, the eunuch assigned to her by the Empress Dowager.

Jin Canghan feared revealing his identity to Su Qiao, so he decided to wait until after she gave birth before telling her the truth and taking her and their child away. Jin Moli visited Gu Wanting, who raged over her isolation and his neglect.

• Jin Moli left to visit Gu Wanting after sensing something familiar about the eunuch beside Su Qiao.
• Su Qiao reassured 444 that Jin Moli was unlikely to recognize Jin Canghan.
• Jin Canghan considered confessing his identity to Su Qiao but feared she would reject him or that the stress might harm her pregnancy.
• Jin Canghan vowed to tell Su Qiao the truth after she gave birth and then take her and their child away.
• Gu Wanting complained that the emperor and her former supporters had abandoned her, while her wet nurse tried to calm her.

Jin Moli overheard Gu Wanting admit that she wanted rank, power, and her son made Crown Prince, then issued her a secret promise of promotion and succession to ensure she safely bore his heir. Su Qiao found Jin Moli visiting her palace repeatedly, while Jin Canghan’s anger grew; the chapter ended as Jin Moli asked about her missing steward eunuch.

• Gu Wanting broke down and told Old Wet Nurse that Jin Moli had promised to love only her and make their son Crown Prince, but she feared Su Qiao’s advantages.
• Jin Moli overheard Gu Wanting’s complaints, left Minghe Palace, and realized she had concealed her ambitions while catering to him.
• Jin Moli ordered Imperial Physician Wang and Imperial Physician Wen to check Consort Wan daily and secretly promised to make her Imperial Noble Consort and her son Crown Prince if she safely bore a Prince.
• Jin Moli continued visiting Su Qiao’s palace frequently, increasing Jin Canghan’s anger and Su Qiao’s irritation.
• Jin Moli asked Su Qiao where her steward eunuch was, and she said he had gone to the Imperial Hospital.

Su Qiao kept Jin Canghan hidden while distracting Jin Moli with a story about their supposed first meeting ten years earlier. Jin Moli listened as she described the boy who rescued her, while Jin Canghan remained on the roof, furious; the chapter ended with an author’s note about comments and the novel’s readers.

• Su Qiao explained that her appetite had increased as her belly grew and said she had asked Jin Canghan to check which foods were safe.
• Jin Moli tried to touch Su Qiao’s belly, but she stepped away and sat with a table between them.
• Su Qiao learned that Jin Canghan had returned and was hiding on the roof, trembling with anger.
• Su Qiao told Jin Moli that, when she was six, a boy rescued her from traffickers and gave her a candied hawthorn skewer.
• Su Qiao claimed she had vowed to find and marry that boy, whoever he was, while gazing affectionately at Jin Moli.

Su Qiao told Jin Moli how she had spent nearly ten years searching for the prince who saved her and preparing herself to be worthy of him, though she had mistaken Jin Canghan for Jin Moli. Jin Moli pretended to remember the encounter and left the meal feeling jealous and guilty.

• Su Qiao recalled searching the capital and nearby towns for nearly ten years after the prince saved her.
• Su Qiao explained that she studied the arts and dance to become worthy of the man she believed had rescued her.
• Jin Moli realized Su Qiao had mistaken Jin Canghan for him and grew jealous of his younger brother.
• Jin Moli falsely claimed that Su Qiao's story had stirred hazy memories, while Jin Canghan silently insisted that he remembered everything.
• Su Qiao kindly dismissed Jin Moli's apology and urged him to eat, and Jin Moli claimed he had urgent matters and left.

Su Qiao tried to stir Jin Canghan’s feelings by leaning on his concern for her and her unborn child. After he secretly returned to the Underground Palace, he confronted Jin Moli, who accused him of staying close to Su Qiao in disguise.

• Su Qiao told 444 that Jin Moli was likely jealous after seeing her sincere feelings compared with Consort Wan.
• Jin Canghan pretended he had just returned, and Su Qiao told him she would rely on her child for support inside the palace.
• Jin Canghan promised to protect Su Qiao and her child, and Su Qiao said she felt more at ease with him than with the Emperor.
• Jin Canghan left Jingren Palace that night and returned to the Underground Palace, where he encountered Jin Moli.
• Jin Canghan admitted he had been the eunuch protecting Su Qiao and called her and her child his own, while Jin Moli insisted that Su Qiao was his woman.

Jin Canghan and Jin Moli fought over Su Qiao, each claiming she belonged to him, until the Empress Dowager intervened and learned Jin Canghan had secretly gone to Jingren Palace. The brothers’ conflict remained unresolved as Jin Canghan insisted Su Qiao was his wife and carried his child.

• Jin Canghan taunted Jin Moli, saying Su Qiao loved him and that he was the man she had searched for over ten years.
• Jin Moli claimed Su Qiao was his Imperial Consort, and Jin Canghan insisted she belonged to him and carried his child.
• Jin Moli attacked Jin Canghan, then took a secret guard’s sword and charged at him as they argued over the past.
• The Empress Dowager arrived and separated the brothers, demanding to know what had happened.
• Jin Moli revealed that Jin Canghan had stayed in the palace disguised as a eunuch and gone to Jingren Palace, while Jin Canghan defended his right to see Su Qiao.

Jin Canghan confronted the Empress Dowager and Jin Moli over their plans for the Su Family, insisting he would protect Su Qiao and their child. He left the Underground Palace, while the Empress Dowager pleaded with Jin Moli to spare his younger brother.

• Jin Canghan told the Empress Dowager he would not let Su Qiao and their child die, regardless of what happened to the Su Family.
• Jin Canghan accused his mother of favoring Jin Moli and questioned why he could not have the woman he loved and their child.
• Jin Canghan packed his belongings and left the Underground Palace.
• The Empress Dowager blamed Gu Wanting for the events that had brought them to this situation, and Jin Moli told her he did not want to hear about the past.
• The Empress Dowager asked Jin Moli to spare Jin Canghan's life, saying she felt guilty about his unhappy years.

Jin Moli rejected the Empress Dowager’s plan to spare Su Qiao’s unborn child, while Jin Canghan left Jingren Palace determined to protect Su Qiao and their child. The next morning, Su Qiao encountered Gu Wanting in the Imperial Garden.

• Jin Moli told the Empress Dowager that Jin Canghan would not let him go and refused to spare Su Qiao’s unborn child.
• The Empress Dowager decided she had to deal with Su Qiao and her child, believing their deaths would end the conflict.
• Jin Canghan visited the sleeping Su Qiao, promised to protect her and their child, and left Jingren Palace with a cloth bundle.
• Su Qiao told 444 that Jin Canghan was too slow to act and suspected he had finally decided to build his own forces.
• Su Qiao gathered flowers in the Imperial Garden to make tea and cosmetics, where Gu Wanting confronted her over failing to salute.