Chapter Summaries

Su Qiao refused Xi Muyan’s request to get close to the Crown Prince, suspecting that Xi Muyan was secretly making Xi Hanzhou more volatile. After Xi Muyan pleaded his case, she pretended to agree to try again, leaving her true intentions unclear.

• Su Qiao bluntly told Xi Muyan that she no longer wanted to get close to the Crown Prince.
• Xi Muyan asked why she had changed her mind and said he wanted her to help keep the Crown Prince’s temper in check for the good of the court and common people.
• Su Qiao suspected Xi Muyan had given Xi Hanzhou a slow-acting drug to provoke his rages.
• Xi Muyan claimed he had no ambition for the throne and wanted only a carefree life with Su Qiao.
• Su Qiao pretended to be persuaded and agreed to try again, without promising she would succeed.

Su Qiao agreed to Xi Muyan’s request to keep an eye on the Crown Prince, while privately planning to turn the arrangement to her advantage. After Xi Muyan left her at the tent, she changed clothes, took a horse, and rode alone across the moonlit grassland.

• 444 was surprised that Su Qiao agreed to Xi Muyan’s request, and she explained that she wanted to see what would happen later.
• Xi Muyan urged Su Qiao to report any harmful decisions the Crown Prince made and warned her not to put herself in danger.
• Xi Muyan offered to take Su Qiao to the bonfire party, but she declined and let him escort her back to her tent.
• Xi Muyan left for the bonfire party, and Su Qiao changed into dark blue Beyond the Great Wall Attire before taking a horse out of the campsite.
• Su Qiao rode across the grassland beneath the stars, free to show her true nature away from the campsite.

Su Qiao escaped across the grasslands while Xi Hanzhou learned she had disappeared and grew furious. After his guards debated her motives and abilities, he concluded she had secretly learned martial arts from her maternal family and endured mistreatment at the Su Prime Minister's Estate.

• Su Qiao rode away across the quiet grasslands toward the horizon.
• Xi Hanzhou flew into a rage when a subordinate reported the news, and the others in his tent knelt in fear.
• Jincheng reminded Xi Hanzhou that he had repaid his debt to Su Qiao, while Jinwu suspected she was gathering information for Xi Muyan.
• Jinchi argued that Su Qiao was intelligent, patient, decisive, and formidable, and Xi Hanzhou agreed with his assessment.
• Xi Hanzhou reasoned that Su Qiao had secretly learned martial arts from her maternal family and had endured ill treatment at the Su Prime Minister's Estate.

Xi Hanzhou believed Su Qiao had been mistreated and learned martial arts from her maternal family, while his attendants struggled to follow his reasoning. Su Qiao rested beneath the stars on the grassland until Little Four warned her that Xi Hanzhou had arrived.

• Xi Hanzhou grew furious thinking about Su Qiao's past and wished he could destroy the Su Prime Minister's Estate.
• Jinchi agreed with Xi Hanzhou's assumptions about Su Qiao's martial arts and her apparent disability, while Jinwu questioned them.
• Xi Hanzhou left the camp on horseback, and his attendants and guards followed him.
• Su Qiao enjoyed the peaceful grassland night, lay down to rest, and fell asleep as Little Four watched over her.
• Little Four woke Su Qiao by warning her that Xi Hanzhou was nearby and that she might catch a cold lying on the grass.

Su Qiao argued with Xi Hanzhou after he found her outside the camp and tried to stop her from leaving. Xi Hanzhou then took her onto his horse and rode off with her.

• Su Qiao saw Xi Hanzhou approach with a troop of riders while she discussed the Black Mark contract with Little Four.
• Xi Hanzhou asked why Su Qiao had gone so far, and she said she could go wherever she wanted.
• Xi Hanzhou tried to make Su Qiao promise not to leave, but she shoved him away and challenged his authority.
• Xi Hanzhou led Su Qiao to his horse, picked her up onto it, and rode away with her in his arms.

Su Qiao rode across the grassland with Xi Hanzhou, who warned her about the wolves and offered to deal with the people who had mistreated her. She refused his intervention, said she had her own plans, and rode back separately to avoid unnecessary trouble.

• Xi Hanzhou rode with Su Qiao across the grassland and warned her not to ride alone at night because wolves hunted in packs.
• Xi Hanzhou praised Su Qiao for disguising her recovery and asked whether she had healed her leg herself.
• Su Qiao said she had fixed her leg herself, and Xi Hanzhou offered to make the people who hurt her disappear.
• Su Qiao refused his offer, saying death was too easy and that she had her own plans.
• Su Qiao dismounted and rode back on her own horse to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.

Su Qiao warned Xi Hanzhou that power made even family untrustworthy, then rode away, calling wealth, status, and power burdens. Xi Hanzhou resolved to pursue her and considered how to undo her promised marriage to Xi Muyan.

• Xi Hanzhou warned Su Qiao to keep her distance from Xi Muyan, and she cautioned him not to trust anyone in the struggle for power.
• Su Qiao rode away, saying that wealth, status, and power were burdens to her.
• Jincheng and Jinwu wondered at Su Qiao's unusual outlook, while Xi Hanzhou declared that he would seize her even if she was like the wind.
• Jinchi advised Xi Hanzhou to resolve Su Qiao's engagement to Xi Muyan, and Xi Hanzhou asked whether her original match had been as a Primary Consort before her leg injury changed it.

Xi Hanzhou considered how to pursue Su Qiao but agreed to wait for a safer opportunity, while Su Qiao confronted her maid Xiao Ling after overhearing her insults. The chapter ended with Xiao Ling silently resenting Su Qiao.

• Xi Hanzhou said he could change the situation again, but Jinchi warned him that revealing his feelings could put Su Qiao in danger.
• Jinchi advised that Su Qiao would have a better chance while others continued to underestimate her, and Xi Hanzhou agreed she hated trouble.
• Su Qiao practiced her skills before dawn and returned to find Xiao Ling insulting her and questioning whether the Fourth Prince would want her.
• Su Qiao shoved Xiao Ling aside and challenged her to explain why the Fourth Prince would choose a lowly maid instead.
• Xiao Ling pressed her lips together and resented Su Qiao, believing she was superior because her legs were uninjured.

Su Qiao confronted Xiao Ling for neglecting her and discovered that the maid had given away the Crown Prince’s banquet clothes and jewelry to Second Miss. Su Qiao told Xiao Ling to deal with the consequences after explaining that she was required to attend the banquet.

• Su Qiao reprimanded Xiao Ling for failing to serve her and speaking disrespectfully.
• Su Qiao noticed that the banquet clothes and jewelry sent by Xi Hanzhou had disappeared.
• Xiao Ling admitted she had given the clothes and accessories to Second Miss because she assumed Su Qiao would not attend the banquet.
• Su Qiao revealed that the Crown Prince had sent the outfit for her to wear and that Prime Minister Su had ordered her to attend.
• Su Qiao told Xiao Ling to handle the consequences of giving away the outfit.

Su Qiao rejected Xiao Ling’s attempt to make her pretend to be ill and slapped the maid for threatening her with Madam Su. After Xiao Ling ran off to seek Su Yuxin’s support, Su Qiao chose a different outfit for the banquet.

• Xiao Ling admitted she had taken the black-and-gold outfit because Su Yuxin liked it and urged Su Qiao to feign illness.
• Xiao Ling threatened to report Su Qiao to Madam Su and ordered her to stay in the tent.
• Su Qiao slapped Xiao Ling three times after the maid challenged her and invoked Madam Su’s authority.
• Xiao Ling ran out, saying she would bring Su Yuxin to judge the dispute.
• Su Qiao explained to 444 why Xiao Ling expected Su Yuxin to help her, then chose a blue-and-white Beyond the Great Wall Attire with turquoise accessories.

Su Qiao prepared to explore the camp and planned to reclaim the clothes and jewelry Su Yuxin had taken. Su Yuxin confronted her with Xiao Ling and several powerful young men behind her, accusing Su Qiao of cruelty toward her servant.

• Su Qiao dressed, left her tent, and decided to look around the camp while keeping in mind that she needed to recover her belongings.
• Su Qiao noticed Su Yuxin approaching with Xiao Ling and a group of princes and ministers’ sons, and dismissed 444’s advice to win them over with virtue.
• Su Yuxin blocked Su Qiao’s path, pointed out Xiao Ling’s swollen cheeks, and accused Su Qiao of beating her servant over a minor matter.

Su Qiao confronted Su Yuxin and Xiao Ling over stolen clothes and jewelry, but Su Yuxin defended Xiao Ling and demanded an apology for her beating. Su Qiao’s patience wore thin as Su Yuxin publicly cast herself as Xiao Ling’s protector.

• Su Qiao told Su Yuxin to stop making a scene and discuss the matter elsewhere, but Su Yuxin insisted they settle it in public.
• Su Qiao accused Xiao Ling of taking her clothes and jewelry, insulting her, and trying to keep her from attending the banquet.
• Xiao Ling denied the accusations and knelt beside Su Yuxin, who promised to protect her.
• Su Yuxin admitted she wanted to wear Su Qiao’s belongings but argued that Su Qiao should have confronted her instead of punishing Xiao Ling.
• Su Yuxin demanded that Su Qiao apologize for slapping Xiao Ling, then comforted Xiao Ling as she wept.

Su Qiao confronted Su Yuxin after she defended Xiao Ling and demanded an apology for the maid. Su Qiao left Su Yuxin stunned by slapping her and accusing her of disgracing the Prime Minister’s Estate.

• Su Yuxin comforted Xiao Ling and insisted Su Qiao apologize, threatening to tell their parents if she refused.
• Su Qiao mocked Su Yuxin for putting a maid above her elder legitimate sister and the Prime Minister’s Estate.
• Su Qiao slapped Su Yuxin when she angrily pointed at her.
• Su Qiao rebuked Su Yuxin for disregarding hierarchy and shaming their family, and some onlookers nodded at her reasoning.

Su Qiao defended slapping a maid who had insulted her, arguing that Su Yuxin had undermined the Prime Minister’s Estate by demanding an apology to a servant. She challenged the princes and frontier leaders to say whether they would tolerate the same behavior in their own households, leaving the princes speechless and the officials’ sons reconsidering their sympathy for Su Yuxin.

• Su Yuxin angrily accused Su Qiao of using social rank as an excuse to beat and kill people.
• Su Qiao said the maid had disrespected her, and warned that Su Yuxin’s demand for an apology had humiliated their family and made her look foolish.
• The Fourth and Fifth Princes comforted Su Yuxin and criticized Su Qiao for being harsh and ruthless.
• Su Qiao asked the princes and the frontier leaders’ sons whether they would tolerate a servant insulting a superior in their own estates or tribes.
• The princes could not answer, while the sons of officials reconsidered their sympathy and recognized they would not tolerate such a servant.

Su Qiao defended her treatment of a disrespectful servant and rebuked Su Yuxin for challenging her in public. She warned that Su Yuxin’s actions could damage the Prime Minister’s family’s reputation, while Su Yuxin maintained that the dispute was being blown out of proportion.

• The frontier chieftains’ children praised Su Qiao’s boldness and agreed that a disrespectful servant should be punished or dismissed.
• The Fourth Prince questioned whether Su Qiao had to discuss the matter in public, and Su Qiao replied that Su Yuxin had insisted on bringing it before everyone.
• Su Qiao called Su Yuxin foolish and challenged her for defending a servant who had repeatedly been sarcastic toward her elder sister.
• Su Qiao said Su Yuxin’s behavior reflected badly on their father and mother and made the Prime Minister’s household seem disorderly.
• Su Yuxin argued that the incident was minor and that harsh treatment of servants was unfair.

Su Qiao argued that Su Yuxin’s treatment of servants challenged the social hierarchy and imperial authority. After the Emperor and Xi Hanzhou arrived, Xi Hanzhou ordered Xiao Ling and another servant to be beaten and thrown to the wild dogs, leaving Xiao Ling begging Su Yuxin for help.

• Su Qiao warned that treating servants as equals undermined the authority of officials and the imperial family.
• The Emperor and Xi Hanzhou arrived, and Eunuch Yu told them what had happened, favoring Su Qiao in his account.
• The Emperor examined Su Yuxin’s clothes and looked thoughtfully at Xi Hanzhou.
• Xi Hanzhou ordered two servants who had overstepped their place to receive a hundred strokes each and be thrown to the wild dogs.
• The guards seized Xiao Ling, who trembled and begged Su Yuxin to save her.

Xi Hanzhou ordered Su Yuxin punished for her disrespect, while the Emperor rebuked the princes who tried to protect her. Su Qiao pleaded for her sister’s life, leaving Xi Hanzhou furious that she had undermined his attempt to defend her.

• Xi Hanzhou ordered the guards to take Su Yuxin away, and the Emperor allowed him to decide her punishment.
• Xi Muyan pleaded for Su Yuxin, but Xi Hanzhou challenged the Fourth Prince over his apparent wish to protect her.
• The Emperor rebuked the princes and ordered the Fourth Prince to withdraw.
• The Emperor urged Xi Hanzhou to impose only a slight punishment, and Su Qiao thanked him for sparing Su Yuxin’s life.
• Xi Hanzhou accused Su Qiao of undermining him by pleading for the sister who had disrespected her.

Su Qiao protected Su Yuxin from suspicion and impressed the emperor with her conduct. Xi Hanzhou arranged for Su Qiao to have her own table, prompting the emperor to warn him that she belonged to his fourth brother.

• Su Qiao reasoned that the emperor did not intend to kill Su Yuxin and stepped forward to protect her.
• Xi Hanzhou left Su Yuxin alive, and she collapsed with relief as the princes arranged for her maidservants to help her away.
• The emperor summoned Su Qiao, questioned her age, and asked about her closeness to Xi Hanzhou.
• Su Qiao explained that Xi Hanzhou was repaying her for helping him, and the emperor dismissed her.
• Xi Hanzhou ordered Eunuch Yu to provide Su Qiao with a separate table and trustworthy palace maids.
• Xi Hanzhou told the emperor that Su Qiao had saved his life, and the emperor warned him that she belonged to his fourth brother.

Xi Hanzhou learned that Su Qiao had been designated for Fourth Prince and grew angry at the thought of losing her. After the Emperor warned her through his attitude, Su Qiao recognized that her path to the Crown Prince would be difficult.

• Xi Hanzhou questioned the Emperor about when Su Qiao had become Fourth Prince’s woman and learned that the match had been settled but no decree issued.
• Xi Hanzhou told the Emperor that several princes and ministers’ sons admired Second Miss Su, prompting the Emperor to view Prime Minister Su’s family coldly.
• Xi Hanzhou left the banquet to change after spilling wine on himself.
• Su Qiao discussed the Emperor’s warning with Little Four and acknowledged that her relationship with the Crown Prince would be difficult.

Su Qiao impressed the frontier tribes with her knowledge and practical advice, prompting Batie to ask the Emperor to marry her to his son Yingmu. The chapter ended with Prime Minister Su objecting to the request.

• Su Qiao sat with the frontier leaders’ children, where her straightforward manner and knowledge won their admiration.
• Su Qiao gave the frontier leaders advice and a prescription to address an epidemic affecting their horses and sheep.
• After questioning Su Qiao about frontier life, several tribe leaders became eager to choose her as a wife for their sons.
• Batie asked the Emperor to bestow Su Qiao as Yingmu’s Primary Consort.
• Prime Minister Su hurriedly objected to Batie’s request.