Chapter Summaries

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.

Su Qiao taunted Gu Wanting about losing Jin Moli’s favor and revealed that the Empress Dowager would blame her for his worsening health. Gu Wanting panicked and rushed at Su Qiao.

• Su Qiao mocked Gu Wanting for believing Jin Moli still loved her.
• Gu Wanting realized Jin Moli had secretly visited her residence because Su Qiao had set her up.
• Su Qiao told Gu Wanting that Jin Moli’s health had deteriorated after eating her medicinal dishes and that the Empress Dowager would never spare her.
• Gu Wanting rejected Su Qiao’s claims and lunged at her to shove her.

Su Qiao staged a miscarriage and exposed the drugged tea in Jingren Palace, while the Emperor and Imperial Physician Wang believed she had lost her child. Imperial Physician Wang reported that her injuries and the drug would leave her unable to bear children, but Su Qiao’s deception remained undiscovered.

• Su Qiao fell onto a stone and used stored blood to make it seem as though she had miscarried.
• After returning to Jingren Palace, Su Qiao drank some tea before pretending to notice that it was poisoned.
• Nanny Bai identified safflower and wisteria in the tea and ordered Jingren Palace sealed while Chunyu detained its maids and eunuchs.
• Imperial Physician Wang told Jin Moli that Su Qiao had lost the fetus and would probably never bear children again.
• Jin Moli asked about Su Qiao’s condition, and Imperial Physician Wang described her injuries and weakened body.

After Su Qiao miscarried, Imperial Physician Wang warned Jin Moli that she might never bear children again, and Jin Canghan returned to find her unconscious. Grief-stricken and convinced Jin Moli was responsible, Jin Canghan vowed to avenge her and their child as 444 urged Su Qiao to wake up.

• Imperial Physician Wang told Jin Moli that Su Qiao still needed medicine to clear remaining blood clots and residue, and Jin Moli feared she might never bear children again.
• Chief Steward Qi reported that Consort Wan was confined and demanding to see Jin Moli, who ordered him to warn her that her family would pay if anything happened to her unborn child.
• Jin Moli left Jingren Palace after ordering its staff replaced and the others detained for questioning.
• Jin Canghan returned, learned from Nanny Bai that Su Qiao had miscarried, and broke down beside her bed, blaming himself for leaving her.
• Jin Canghan swore to kill Jin Moli and avenge Su Qiao and their child, while Nanny Bai had Chunyu guard the door.
• 444 frantically urged Su Qiao to wake up before Jin Canghan did something terrible.

Su Qiao woke briefly and asked Jin Canghan to protect her before falling asleep again. Jin Canghan stayed by her side and reflected on how his family had denied him a life of his own.

• Su Qiao woke and called Jin Canghan back to her bedside.
• Jin Canghan rushed to Su Qiao, and she asked him to protect her until she recovered.
• Jin Canghan promised not to leave Su Qiao, and she fell asleep again.
• Jin Canghan reflected that he had planned to take Su Qiao away but believed he had been denied a name, a family, and a future.
• Jin Canghan recalled how Mother Empress had told him to be grateful and endure, though he had never wanted the life imposed on him.

Su Qiao recovered after a night unconscious and learned that court officials were demanding punishment for Consort Wan. As Jin Moli postponed that punishment because of her pregnancy, Su Qiao planned to stay away from the Empress Dowager for six months while preparing for Gu Wanting's childbirth.

• Jin Canghan kept watch beside the unconscious Su Qiao all night, then slept briefly on the roof beam after she threatened him.
• After recovering with chicken soup, Su Qiao named four palace attendants for arrest and planned to ask Jin Moli to release the others.
• Su Qiao learned that her grandfather and other officials had demanded Consort Wan's punishment and confronted Gu Jun in court.
• Jin Moli demoted Gu Jun and ordered him home to reflect, but postponed Consort Wan's punishment because she was pregnant.
• Jin Canghan fed Su Qiao chicken soup, and she asked him to tell the Empress Dowager she would not visit for six months.

Su Qiao learned that Jin Moli and Jin Canghan were identical twins who switched identities, and she resolved to protect her husband’s claim to the throne. Jin Canghan went to confront the Empress Dowager, who recognized him as Han’er.

• Before leaving Su Qiao’s bedside, Jin Canghan ordered Nanny Bai not to leave her alone or accept drinks from anyone.
• Su Qiao told Nanny Bai that Jin Moli and Jin Canghan were twins who often exchanged identities, and revealed that she had married Jin Canghan.
• Su Qiao declared that the Black Obsidian Nation needed only one Emperor and that it was her husband, and she planned to inform her grandfather.
• Jin Canghan barged into Yonghe Palace, drove off the guards, and ordered everyone except Nanny Qin to leave.
• The Empress Dowager approached Jin Canghan and asked if he was Han’er.

Jin Canghan confronted the Empress Dowager over her role in harming Su Qiao and killing their child, declaring that he would no longer tolerate her interference. Their relationship was severed as he warned her he would protect his wife at any cost.

• Jin Canghan accused the Empress Dowager of using Gu Wanting and sending poison to harm Su Qiao and cause their child's death.
• Jin Canghan revealed that the Empress Dowager had made him infertile with Secret Medicine when he was twelve and accused her of favoring Jin Moli.
• The Empress Dowager insisted that her actions had been for Jin Canghan's own good and that she had wanted to keep him alive.
• Jin Canghan rejected her justification and said he would rather die than let Su Qiao or their child be harmed.
• Jin Canghan vowed that he would no longer tolerate the Empress Dowager's actions against his wife, even if they all perished.

Jin Canghan confronted the Empress Dowager over Su Qiao and warned her to keep Jin Moli away from his wife. At Jingren Palace, Su Qiao sent a secret letter to her family, and Jin Moli apologized before leaving her with rewards.

• Jin Canghan told the Empress Dowager that Su Qiao would not visit for six months and threatened to help Jin Moli lose the throne if he pursued her.
• Nanny Qin explained that Su Qiao’s pregnancy was Jin Canghan’s only chance to have a child and that he felt guilty over her inability to have more children.
• The Empress Dowager defended her actions, saying she had feared Jin Moli would kill Jin Canghan and would never allow him to leave with a child.
• Su Qiao wrote a secret letter to her family and had Nanny Bai send it home, calming the Su family.
• Jin Moli apologized to Su Qiao, who moved away when he reached for her, and he left after giving her rewards.

After recovering, Su Qiao lived in Jingren Palace with Jin Canghan disguised as a eunuch while Jin Moli continued visiting her. As Gu Wanting’s delivery and their plan drew near, Jin Canghan urged Su Qiao to leave the palace.

• Su Qiao learned that Jin Canghan had evidence Jin Moli murdered his brothers, poisoned the Former Emperor, forged an Imperial Decree, and eliminated opposing ministers.
• Su Qiao practiced dancing in Jingren Palace, and Jin Canghan cared for her and advised her to stop exercising until spring.
• Su Qiao agreed to stop dancing because Gu Wanting would give birth in about a month and their plan was approaching.
• Jin Canghan took Su Qiao’s hand and told her they should leave the palace.

Jin Canghan confessed that he wanted Su Qiao to leave the palace with him, then admitted his jealousy over her relationship with Jin Moli. Su Qiao teased him for being timid and challenged him to act like her husband.

• Jin Canghan asked Su Qiao to leave with him and promised to provide for her, even suggesting they adopt children.
• Su Qiao asked 444 to investigate whether anything had happened recently, then pressed Jin Canghan to explain himself.
• Jin Canghan said he had married Su Qiao and claimed she belonged with him, not Jin Moli, whom he blamed for their child's death.
• Jin Canghan confessed that seeing Su Qiao accept Jin Moli's gifts and spend time with him made him jealous.
• Jin Canghan said he wanted to throw Su Qiao onto the bed and make her recognize him as her man, but Su Qiao mocked his timidity and reminded him she had never stopped him.