Chapter Summaries

Su Qiao defended Ye Jinghua, believing him softhearted and frail despite his reputation, while Su Baiwen and the others doubted her judgment. Ye Jinghua played up his weakness to gain her sympathy, leaving Su Baiwen furious and Xun Feng convinced of his master's scheme.

• Ye Jinghua admitted he had never intended to take the throne and had instead placed Ye Beiyao on it after quelling the rebellion.
• Su Qiao urged Ye Jinghua to rest and avoid agitation that might trigger his poison, while Xun Feng and the hidden guards silently rejected her description of him as softhearted.
• Su Baiwen tried to warn Su Qiao that Ye Jinghua was dangerous, but Ye Jinghua began coughing weakly and accepted water from her hand.
• Su Qiao told Su Baiwen not to bully Ye Jinghua because illness and poison had left him suffering.
• Su Baiwen grew jealous and angry as Su Qiao defended Ye Jinghua, and Xun Feng realized Ye Jinghua was deliberately acting weak to win her sympathy.

Su Baiwen tried to dissuade Su Qiao from liking Ye Jinghua, warning her about his dangerous reputation and the troubles of marrying him. Su Qiao admitted she liked him and said she would knock him unconscious and take him away if he ever became emperor and surrounded himself with consorts.

• Su Baiwen urged Ye Jinghua to leave, and Su Qiao agreed that he should return to his own residence and keep warm.
• Ye Jinghua told Xun Feng to bring Su Qiao braziers as he departed, and Xun Feng understood that he was blaming Fifteen for forgetting the cold.
• Su Baiwen warned Su Qiao that men could be fickle, but she pointed out that he was a man too.
• Su Baiwen told Su Qiao that Ye Jinghua had ulterior motives, and she openly admitted that she liked him.
• Su Baiwen warned that Ye Jinghua might become emperor and take many consorts, and Su Qiao said she would knock him unconscious and take him away.

Su Qiao insisted on curing Prince Jing and threatened to punish anyone who betrayed her, leaving Su Baiwen unable to dissuade her. Ye Jinghua learned of her plans and took her boldness as proof of her attachment, while Su Yue discovered that the Emperor had been poisoned and wondered who else in the palace used poison.

• Su Qiao told Su Baiwen she would train in poison and cure Prince Jing, and Su Baiwen returned to his room unable to change her mind.
• Ye Jinghua read the hidden guards’ note, ordered Xun Feng to take thirty strokes, then mused that Su Qiao’s threats showed how much she cared about him.
• Su Yue met Daoist Priest He outside the palace, and he told her the Emperor had been poisoned with a rare substance resembling Gu poison.
• Su Yue’s worry eased, and she asked whether another poison expert might be in the palace.

Su Yue learned that the Emperor’s poison could be cured, while He Zhou continued pursuing the Myriad Poison Gu Scripture and planned to search for Su Baiwen. Ye Jinghua visited Su Qiao in the Cold Palace with new furnishings, dresses, and jewelry, drawing wary attention from Su Baiwen.

• He Zhou told Su Yue that the Emperor’s poison could be cured, though treating it would be troublesome.
• He Zhou insisted that they still needed to find the Myriad Poison Gu Scripture and said he would leave to search for Su Baiwen.
• Ye Jinghua arrived at the Cold Palace with palace servants and supplies, surprising those who heard about his visit.
• Su Baiwen blocked Ye Jinghua, but Su Qiao asked her brother not to be fierce.
• Ye Jinghua offered to replace the worn furnishings and give Su Qiao dresses and jewelry, while Su Baiwen remained suspicious of him.

Ye Jinghua brought Su Qiao lavish gifts to thank her for treating his poison, and she promised to prepare pills to calm him. He invited her to the Lantern Fair and offered to ensure she could leave the Imperial Palace, while Su Baiwen remained suspicious of his intentions.

• Ye Jinghua presented Su Qiao with gifts and said her pills had eased his poison and helped him sleep.
• Su Qiao reassured Ye Jinghua that his poison could be cured and promised to make pills to help him stay calm.
• Su Baiwen privately warned Su Qiao that Ye Jinghua was using her nickname to damage her reputation and resolved to train harder so he could take her away.
• Su Qiao scolded Su Baiwen for speaking so boldly to the Regent, while Ye Jinghua looked coldly at him.
• Ye Jinghua invited Su Qiao to the Lantern Fair and said no one would stop her from leaving the Imperial Palace with him there.

Su Qiao persuaded Su Baiwen to let her leave the palace to see the Lantern Festival, while Prince Jing's protection at Yushu Pavilion unsettled the Empress. Ye Beiyao first refused the Empress's invitation, then changed his mind to test the situation, leaving Su Yue preparing eagerly for his visit.

• Su Qiao told Su Baiwen she had not left the palace in two years, and he agreed to let her go see the lanterns.
• Prince Jing's visit to Yushu Pavilion spread through the palace, and the Empress discovered that her people there had disappeared.
• Ye Beiyao initially refused the Empress's invitation to dinner, then called Eunuch Liu back and ordered him to say he would attend.
• Su Yue heard that Ye Beiyao was coming and ordered her attendants to prepare a bath and his favorite dishes.

Su Qiao disguised herself as a young man and went with Ye Jinghua and Su Baiwen to the bustling streets. Su Baiwen kept intervening to prevent Ye Jinghua from getting close to his sister, and the chapter ended with him catching Su Qiao after she was jostled in the crowd.

• Su Qiao showed Su Baiwen her disguise, and he marveled at her skill.
• Ye Jinghua arrived by carriage, but Su Baiwen insisted on riding along to keep Su Qiao from being alone with him.
• At the market, Su Qiao jumped out of the carriage herself, and Su Baiwen grew embarrassed when Ye Jinghua smiled at her carefree manner.
• Su Qiao rushed into the crowded street and was knocked off balance; Su Baiwen caught her before Ye Jinghua could steady her.

Ye Jinghua argued that he could protect Su Qiao if she became his Princess Consort, while Su Baiwen rejected the match because Ye belonged to the family that had killed their father. The chapter left the two men at odds over Su Qiao’s future, with Su Baiwen insisting that no member of the Imperial Family could be trusted.

• Su Baiwen promised to protect Su Qiao, and Ye Jinghua warned that the Empress and Daoist Priest He still threatened her while the parasite remained unresolved.
• Su Baiwen said he could take Su Qiao away or kill Su Yue and He Zhou, but Ye Jinghua pointed out that their guards and experts would make that dangerous.
• Ye Jinghua proposed that Su Qiao become his Princess Consort so he could protect her.
• Su Baiwen accused Ye Jinghua of pursuing his sister and refused the match because Ye belonged to the family that had killed their father.
• Su Baiwen argued that the Imperial Family was dangerous and that Su Qiao’s husband must have no other women; Ye Jinghua said he had no wife, concubines, or personal maid.
• Su Baiwen remained unconvinced and insisted that Imperial men could not be trusted with his sister.

Ye Jinghua tried to persuade Su Baiwen to consider his marriage proposal, but Su Baiwen used Ye Jinghua’s promise to protect Su Yue to avoid agreeing. At Phoenix Perch Palace, Ye Beiyao could barely endure Su Yue’s attention and left before she could finish speaking.

• Ye Jinghua explained that war, state affairs, and poison had kept him from considering marriage, while Su Baiwen mistakenly assumed the poison had left him impotent.
• Ye Jinghua insisted he was healthy and said he would protect Su Baiwen and Su Yue regardless of whether Su Baiwen accepted his proposal.
• Su Baiwen realized Ye Jinghua’s protection did not depend on his agreement and decided there was no reason to accept.
• Su Yue worried over Ye Beiyao’s poor appetite and urged him to care for his health, privately hoping her Master would soon make an antidote.
• Ye Beiyao, disgusted by the thought that Su Yue was an older woman beneath her appearance, abruptly left as she began to say what she had planned for the evening.

Su Yue believed Ye Beiyao’s sudden distance might be caused by his illness and sent a letter to Daoist Priest He. After He Zhou removed Ye Beiyao’s gu, the emperor suspected He had prepared the antidote in advance because of the Empress’s message.

• Ye Beiyao left Phoenix Perch Palace without celebrating the Lantern Festival with Su Yue, leaving her shocked and hurt.
• Su Yue dismissed her attendants’ suspicions and decided Ye Beiyao might be unwell, then sent Qiulan with a letter to Daoist Priest He.
• He Zhou removed Ye Beiyao’s gu and said he would prescribe formulas to replenish his body.
• After He Zhou left, Ye Beiyao told Eunuch Liu that the Daoist Priest had made preparations long ago and suspected a connection to the Empress.

Su Qiao got lost while sneaking through the Imperial Palace on her way to give the Empress a gift, and Ye Jinghua found her. He accompanied her toward Phoenix Perch Palace despite claiming to be in a bad mood.

• Eunuch Liu apologized for mentioning the Empress, and His Majesty ordered him out of the Imperial Study.
• Su Qiao returned to the palace late and tried to find her way to the Empress's palace, but became lost.
• Ye Jinghua appeared and learned that Su Qiao planned to give the Empress a little sweetheart as a gift.
• Ye Jinghua warned that experts guarded Phoenix Perch Palace and offered to help Su Qiao sneak in.
• After saying he was in a bad mood, Ye Jinghua changed his mind, wrapped an arm around Su Qiao, and carried her toward the Empress's palace.

Su Yue visited Su Qiao at Yushu Pavilion and learned that Prince Jing had taken away the pavilion’s former attendants. She confronted Su Qiao, who appeared confident and clear-headed, leaving Su Yue suspicious of how much she had changed.

• Fifteen secretly sent Sixteen to alert someone after the Empress’s procession arrived.
• Su Yue questioned Fifteen about the missing attendants and learned Prince Jing had removed them.
• Qiuyu kicked Fifteen and threatened her while Su Yue allowed the abuse.
• Su Qiao emerged from her room and dismissed the Empress’s arrival as unimportant.
• Su Yue studied Su Qiao’s changed appearance and demeanor, then remarked that her younger sister seemed different.

Su Qiao confronted Empress Su Yue in the palace courtyard, insulting her appearance and suggesting she was an aging woman rather than the emperor’s true sister. Su Yue ordered the guards to beat Su Qiao, leaving their confrontation poised to turn violent.

• Su Qiao ordered Fifteen to slap Qiuyan after the palace maid tried to rebuke her.
• Su Qiao taunted Su Yue about her wrinkles and claimed her internal organs had aged because of the medicine she had researched.
• The onlookers noticed the wrinkles at Su Yue’s eyes and grew suspicious about her age and relationship to the emperor.
• Su Qiao mocked the emperor’s taste in women and suggested the palace should prioritize beautiful women between thirty and forty.
• Su Yue, furious at Su Qiao’s insults, ordered the guards to beat her.

Ye Jinghua arrived in time to stop Su Yue from striking Su Qiao, then asked Su Qiao to become his Princess Consort. Su Qiao agreed after he swore he would never take another woman, and he went to deal with the people blocking their way before taking her out to eat.

• Su Qiao ran from Su Yue and hid behind Ye Jinghua when he arrived with the fifteen men.
• Ye Jinghua ignored Su Yue and checked that Su Qiao was unharmed, while Su Qiao insulted Su Yue and questioned why the emperor liked her.
• Ye Jinghua told Su Qiao he wanted only her and asked her to become his Princess Consort.
• Ye Jinghua swore he would never want another woman, and Su Qiao agreed to marry him for his wealth and good food.
• Ye Jinghua promised to find Su Qiao the best chefs and went to deal with the people blocking their way.

Ye Jinghua defended Su Qiao against the Empress and warned her to stop targeting his Princess Consort. When Ye Beiyao arrived, Su Yue claimed she had only come to visit her sister, and Su Qiao mocked her by comparing her to a Thin Horse.

• Su Qiao agreed to Ye Jinghua's suggestion and thought wistfully about the Lantern Festival snacks.
• Ye Jinghua told Su Yue that Su Qiao was not her sister and warned her against reaching for his Princess Consort.
• Ye Beiyao arrived at the Jade Serenity Courtyard and asked what was happening.
• Ye Jinghua urged Ye Beiyao to control the Empress, and Su Yue claimed she had come to visit Su Qiao out of concern.
• Su Qiao rejected Su Yue's claim of sisterhood and compared her tearful manner to that of a Thin Horse.

Su Qiao accused Su Yue of using beauty-preserving medicine and challenged her claim to be Prime Minister Su’s daughter. Ye Jinghua defended Su Qiao and questioned Su Yue’s identity, while Ye Beiyao finally told Su Yue that he believed her.

• Su Qiao pointed out wrinkles around Su Yue’s eyes and claimed they showed she had stopped increasing her beauty-preserving medicine.
• Ye Beiyao rebuked Su Qiao for slandering the Empress, while Ye Jinghua and Su Qiao mocked his choice of consort.
• Ye Jinghua said Prime Minister Su had only one daughter, Su Qiao, and had never been known to have another daughter.
• Su Yue claimed her mother had been rescued by Madam Su and that she and her mother had later been sent away from the Prime Minister’s Residence.
• Ye Beiyao told Su Yue he believed her, and she responded with tearful gratitude.

Su Qiao confronted Su Yue, while Ye Jinghua promised to clear Prime Minister Su’s name. After Su Yue returned to Phoenix Perch Palace, she discovered wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and suspected Su Qiao was responsible.

• Ye Beiyao dismissed Su Yue and left without discussing the Empress’s identity.
• Ye Jinghua comforted Su Qiao and promised to clear her father’s name, while Su Qiao said Su Yue and He Zhou should not die too quickly.
• Su Yue returned to Phoenix Perch Palace and nearly destroyed the Imperial Bedchamber in her anger.
• Su Yue saw wrinkles at the corners of her eyes in the mirror and panicked, while Qiulan tried to reassure her.
• Su Yue decided that something was wrong with her body and blamed Su Qiao.

Su Yue planned to secretly visit He Zhou for help with her changing body, while Su Qiao used a Golden Gu King to draw the Marrow-Devouring Gu out of herself. The extraction caused Su Qiao intense pain, and Ye Jinghua rushed to her room after hearing what was happening.

• Su Yue ordered Qiulan to arrange a secret meeting with He Zhou, convinced the Emperor would not help her and that He Zhou could solve her bodily problem.
• Su Baiwen returned from South Mountain with poisonous creatures, and Su Qiao urged him to guard her door while she refined a Gu King.
• Su Qiao refined a Golden Gu King from the Gu Worms Su Baiwen brought back.
• Su Qiao cut her wrist and let the Golden Gu King enter her body, waking the Marrow-Devouring Gu and causing her severe pain.
• Ye Jinghua received word from the hidden guards and leaped through Su Qiao's window to reach her.

Su Qiao endured severe pain as Qing Feng helped extract the Marrow-Devouring Gu and Golden Gu King from her wounds. She kept the Marrow-Devouring Gu to use against Su Yue, while Ye Jinghua took over treating her injuries.

• Ye Jinghua rushed to Su Qiao and held her as she suffered a painful attack, and Su Baiwen burst into the room after hearing the commotion.
• Qing Feng used acupuncture to ease Su Qiao's pain and warned that the Gu Worm inside her was about to emerge.
• Qing Feng caught the white Marrow-Devouring Gu when it came out of Su Qiao's wrist, and Su Qiao stopped Su Baiwen from crushing it so she could keep it for Su Yue.
• Su Qiao drew out the Golden Gu King and placed it in a separate porcelain container while Qing Feng treated her wound.
• Ye Jinghua offered to treat Su Qiao himself, and Qing Feng handed him the medicinal powder.

Su Qiao treated her wound after eliminating the threat and reassured Qing Feng that she could cure Ye Jinghua’s Gu poison once the remaining ingredients arrived. With the Gu safely contained, Su Baiwen prepared to help her eat and rest as they considered leaving the Imperial Palace.

• Qing Feng praised Su Qiao’s scar-removing medicine, and she offered him its formula.
• Qing Feng recognized the Golden Gu King and told Su Qiao about Huanan, the only person he had heard of who had refined one before.
• Su Qiao assured Qing Feng that Ye Jinghua’s poison could be cured once the remaining two ingredients arrived.
• Ye Jinghua sent Qing Feng away and ordered hot water so Su Qiao could bathe and rest.
• Su Baiwen sealed the Gu in porcelain bottles and planned to give them to Su Yue, then went to find food for Su Qiao.