Chapter Summaries

Song Qingshu’s disguise was exposed when the Yellow-robed Woman attacked him, and he subdued her and the Courtesan Queen. After the Yellow-robed Woman unmasked him and recognized him, Song Qingshu pinned her down and kissed her.

• The Courtesan Queen identified Song Qingshu by the distinctive scent of her face powder, and the Yellow-robed Woman attacked him with her sword.
• Song Qingshu subdued the Yellow-robed Woman and revealed that he knew she was called Yingluo.
• The Courtesan Queen recognized Song Qingshu as Tang Kuobian, but the Yellow-robed Woman argued that he could not be the Jin Dynasty’s Imperial Son-in-Law.
• The Yellow-robed Woman used the Nine Yin Manual’s acupoint technique to free herself, seal Song Qingshu’s chest, and tear off his mask.
• The Yellow-robed Woman recognized Song Qingshu and accused him of being a playboy, but he caught her wrist, pressed her onto the bed, and kissed her.

Song Qingshu provoked the Yellow-robed Woman, then revealed he knew she was trying to rescue her sisters from Huan Yi Yuan and offered to help. After hearing how Song Yuanqiao and the others became involved with three princesses, Zhao Fujin grieved and the Yellow-robed Woman condemned the Wudang Sect.

• Song Qingshu kissed the Yellow-robed Woman and teased her until she attacked him, while the Courtesan Queen watched in shock.
• Song Qingshu called the Courtesan Queen his Fifth Sister and offered the two hundred thousand taels of gold as a redemption gift.
• Song Qingshu stopped the Yellow-robed Woman’s sword attack by asking whether she still wanted to rescue her sisters from Huan Yi Yuan.
• The Yellow-robed Woman admitted her former surname was Zhao and her current surname was Yang, then asked why Song Qingshu would help her.
• Song Qingshu explained his mission to rescue Song Yuanqiao and the others and told the women how they had become involved with three princesses.
• Zhao Fujin lowered her head in sorrow, and the Yellow-robed Woman angrily called the Wudang Sect shameless.

Song Qingshu learned that twenty-three princesses remained captive in Huan Yi Yuan and discussed the obstacles to rescuing them with Zhao Fujin and the Yellow-robed Woman. As they considered a hostage plan and escape from Daxing Prefecture, Zhao Fujin revealed that the Jurchen controlled the women with Carefree Powder.

• Song Qingshu defended his father and martial uncles, while Zhao Fujin teased him about becoming their nephew and the Yellow-robed Woman bristled at the idea.
• The Yellow-robed Woman explained that her master, Huang Shang, had rescued her from the Jurchen and was still alive.
• Zhao Fujin counted twenty-one of her sisters and two of Prince Kang's daughters still held at Huan Yi Yuan, and the Yellow-robed Woman claimed she had bribed the city gate guards.
• Song Qingshu warned that a lockdown and Jurchen pursuit could make escape difficult, then the Yellow-robed Woman realized he had secretly helped her at Taihe Hall.
• Zhao Fujin revealed that the Jurchen had forced the captive women to take Carefree Powder to keep them under control.

Zhao Fujin explained that the Jin Dynasty used addictive Carefree Powder to control the captured women after the Jingkang Incident, and Song Qingshu promised to find a way to rescue them. He and the Yellow-robed Woman discussed plans before a eunuch arrived to summon Song Qingshu to the Empress.

• Song Qingshu realized Zhao Fujin's Carefree Powder was not Three Smiles Free and Unfettered Powder, and Zhao Fujin began explaining why the women had not killed themselves.
• Zhao Fujin recounted how Empress Renhuai died rather than submit to the Jin Emperor, and how the Jurchen tortured women who failed to kill themselves.
• Zhao Fujin revealed that the Jin Dynasty forced the captured women to take addictive Carefree Powder, which left them suffering terribly when they missed a dose.
• Song Qingshu promised to obtain the antidote, while privately deciding that the women might need more Carefree Powder until the Poison Hand Medicine King and Cheng Lingsu could study it.
• The Yellow-robed Woman proposed abducting the Jin Empress, but Song Qingshu rejected the plan and teased her about their relationship.
• A young eunuch announced that the Empress had summoned Song Qingshu.

Song Qingshu answered Empress Peiman’s summons while investigating Carefree Powder, and the Yellow-robed Woman secretly followed him. Peiman drew him close and promised to let him experience what it felt like to be emperor.

• Song Qingshu left Zhao Fujin and the Yellow-robed Woman in hiding after telling them he would use Peiman’s summons to seek information about Carefree Powder.
• The Yellow-robed Woman decided to follow Song Qingshu, while Zhao Fujin stayed behind and worried about him.
• Song Qingshu passed through Taihe Hall’s guards with the two eunuchs and realized Peiman had regained influence over some of them.
• Peiman reprimanded Song Qingshu for missing their appointment, then praised his caution and invited him to sit beside her.
• Peiman asked whether Song Qingshu had practiced her lessons, then embraced him and promised to let him experience being emperor.

Empress Peiman challenged Song Qingshu to prove his courage by touching her, hinting that she needed him for a dangerous task. Song Qingshu finally gave in while the Yellow-robed Woman secretly watched, leaving her furious.

• Empress Peiman asked Song Qingshu whether he would repay her kindness by helping her with a difficult matter.
• Song Qingshu claimed he feared nothing, and Empress Peiman challenged him to prove his courage by touching her.
• The Yellow-robed Woman watched from outside the window and condemned Empress Peiman's shameless request.
• Song Qingshu hesitated, then touched Empress Peiman at her direction while telling himself he needed to learn what she was planning.
• The Yellow-robed Woman saw Song Qingshu put his hands inside Empress Peiman's robes and angrily called him a bastard.

Empress Peiman revealed that she wanted Song Qingshu to impersonate the emperor for one night, then rehearsed the role with him in the palace. Song Qingshu’s commanding performance overwhelmed Peiman, who obeyed his orders and discovered an unexpected pleasure in being punished.

• After the Yellow-robed Woman left, Empress Peiman told Song Qingshu she wanted him to impersonate the emperor for one night.
• Song Qingshu agreed to carry out Peiman’s plan, and she said she would explain what he needed to do when the time came.
• Peiman knelt before Song Qingshu to rehearse greeting him as the emperor, but he ordered her to stay down and slap herself.
• Song Qingshu’s imposing presence made Peiman obey, and she struck herself twice at his command.
• Song Qingshu realized that Peiman seemed to enjoy being ordered around and punished.

Song Qingshu indulged Empress Peiman’s advances while trying to maintain his cover as a eunuch, then asked her to bring Carefree Powder so he could obtain some for his own plans. The chapter left Peiman tempted by the drug and unaware of his true identity.

• Song Qingshu asked Empress Peiman to massage his legs, and she eagerly played along despite the pain of kneeling.
• Peiman massaged Song Qingshu’s shoulders, became aroused by his strong physique, and kissed his Adam’s apple.
• Peiman pushed Song Qingshu onto the bed and offered him a jade object for their intimate game.
• Song Qingshu asked Peiman to fetch Carefree Powder, hoping to use it to help detoxify the women of Huan Yi Yuan.
• Peiman agreed to the idea, tempted by the prospect of forgetting that Song Qingshu was supposedly a eunuch.

Song Qingshu drugged Empress Peiman and used her hallucinations to conceal his identity while satisfying his desires. After returning to Xiao Xingguo’s residence, he faced the Yellow-robed Woman’s pointed accusation about what he had done in Taihe Hall.

• Song Qingshu poured Carefree Powder down Empress Peiman’s throat until it muddled her mind, then took advantage of her hallucinations.
• Empress Peiman woke later, realized someone had left evidence that she had been violated, and wondered whether a guard or Prince Wei had entered Taihe Hall.
• Song Qingshu returned to Xiao Xingguo’s residence and found the Yellow-robed Woman and her sister still awake.
• The Yellow-robed Woman asked Song Qingshu why he had taken so long, then suggested that Empress Peiman was what he had found fun in Taihe Hall.

Song Qingshu argued with the Yellow-robed Woman about his affair with Empress Peiman, then revealed that he had obtained a bottle of Carefree Powder that might help detoxify the captive sisters. Zhao Fujin thanked him for avenging the women humiliated during the Jingkang Disaster, and Yingluo reluctantly knelt with her.

• The Yellow-robed Woman accused Song Qingshu of shamelessly seducing Empress Peiman, and he claimed he had done it to gather intelligence and save the sisters.
• Zhao Fujin grew upset when the Yellow-robed Woman called herself damaged goods, and Song Qingshu teased Yingluo for losing her usual composure around him.
• Song Qingshu showed Zhao Fujin a bottle of Carefree Powder and explained that it might gradually remove the toxins from their bodies, though there was not enough for everyone.
• Zhao Fujin recalled how Jin forces had violated imperial women during the Jingkang Disaster and said she was grateful Song Qingshu had acted against the Jin Empress.
• Zhao Fujin knelt to thank Song Qingshu and asked Yingluo to join her; Yingluo reluctantly knelt and thanked him.

Song Qingshu and Yingluo killed two men sent by Empress Peiman to watch him, then he left Zhao Fujin and Yingluo and returned to Tang Kuo Manor. He found Wanyan Ge Bi awake in his room, and she asked who he was.

• Song Qingshu warned Yingluo that two experts were hiding in the courtyard, and they split up to attack them.
• Yingluo killed one watcher with redirected concealed weapons, while Song Qingshu captured and killed the other after learning Empress Peiman had sent them to watch Xiao Xingzi.
• Song Qingshu told Zhao Fujin and Yingluo they could remain safely in the room, then left after teasing Yingluo.
• After Song Qingshu departed, Zhao Fujin teased Yingluo about liking him, and the sisters playfully tussled.
• Song Qingshu returned to Tang Kuo Manor before dawn and found Wanyan Ge Bi dozing at the table; she woke and asked who he was.

Song Qingshu accidentally revealed his true face to Ge Bi, then explained that he was Tang Kuobian’s sworn brother and gave her a jade bi before leaving. After putting on Tang Kuobian’s mask and returning, he was mistaken for her husband, and Ge Bi embraced and kissed him.

• Song Qingshu forgot to wear Tang Kuobian’s mask, so Ge Bi saw his true face and he sealed her acupoints to stop her from screaming.
• Song Qingshu calmed Ge Bi and told her he was her husband’s sworn brother, the Golden Snake King.
• Song Qingshu explained that his identity was sensitive, apologized, and gave Ge Bi a jade bi that Tang Kuobian had chosen for her.
• Song Qingshu put on Tang Kuobian’s mask and returned to Ge Bi, who mistook him for her husband and kissed him.

Song Qingshu and Ge Bi reconciled, and she confronted him about his relationship with Wanyan Ping and the problem of marrying two princesses. Afterward, Ge Bi told him about the day’s events and asked whether Song Qingshu was really his sworn brother.

• Song Qingshu and Ge Bi became intimate, and she said the experience felt strange before blaming their recent distance.
• Ge Bi confronted Song Qingshu about Wanyan Ping, and he described rescuing her after she fell into a ravine.
• Ge Bi warned that Wanyan Ping’s marriage to Song Qingshu might not receive the Emperor’s approval, and she told him he had two years to find a solution.
• Ge Bi asked which sister he preferred, and Song Qingshu joked that he preferred being with both of them.
• Ge Bi asked Song Qingshu not to tell Wanyan Ping they had reconciled yet, then recounted what had happened earlier and asked if Song Qingshu was truly his sworn brother.

Song Qingshu told Ge Bi about his sworn brother and reassured her of his love before they were interrupted by Prince Wei’s arrival. When Song Qingshu went to receive him, he met a beautiful young girl who called him Uncle Tang Kuo.

• Song Qingshu praised his sworn brother and told Ge Bi that the man would care for her if Song Qingshu died.
• Ge Bi worried that she had caused Song Qingshu trouble, but he reassured her and the two spent the night together.
• A servant announced Prince Wei’s arrival, and Song Qingshu and Ge Bi got dressed to receive him.
• Song Qingshu heard Prince Wei complaining about the wait and entered the hall, where he saw an unfamiliar young girl with him.
• The young girl teased Song Qingshu for staring and called him Uncle Tang Kuo.

Song Qingshu confronted Prince Wei Daoyan after the prince insulted him, and he humiliated Daoyan’s shadow guard when the guard attacked. After Daoyan left, Wanyan Chongjie visited Ge Bi, and Song Qingshu realized she was the Grand Preceptor’s granddaughter.

• Song Qingshu rebuked Prince Wei Daoyan for insulting him and warned him against speaking as though the throne were already his.
• Daoyan ordered his shadow guard to strike Song Qingshu, but Song slapped the guard down before he could land the blow.
• Ge Bi shielded Song Qingshu from the guard, and Daoyan called off his man and left with a threat.
• Wanyan Chongjie reassured Ge Bi that Daoyan would have to consider the interests of the great clans.
• Ge Bi welcomed Chongjie, and Song Qingshu recognized her as the Grand Preceptor’s granddaughter.

Chong Jie tried to turn Ge Bi against Song Qingshu by revealing his visit to Qiuxiang Tower, but Ge Bi remained calm and pitied the captured Song princess who had become a courtesan. The chapter left Song Qingshu learning that the Tangkuo family would attend Pucha Qiucao’s coming-of-age banquet, while Qiucao angrily rejected the groom chosen for her despite their betrothal before birth.

• Chong Jie told Ge Bi that Song Qingshu had won the Courtesan Queen at Qiuxiang Tower, hoping to provoke discord between the couple.
• Ge Bi dismissed Prince Wei’s complaint and expressed sympathy for the Courtesan Queen, prompting Chong Jie to argue that the strong devoured the weak.
• Chong Jie asked whether Ge Bi and Song Qingshu would attend Pucha Qiucao’s coming-of-age banquet, and Ge Bi confirmed they would.
• Ge Bi explained that Qiucao was Pucha Ahute’s daughter and that the Tangkuo family had accepted the invitation.
• Pucha Qiucao smashed vases while rejecting a marriage to a cripple surnamed Yang, and her father reminded her that they had been betrothed before birth.

Pucha Qiucao resisted her arranged marriage to Yang Guo, while Puchá Ahute persuaded her to meet him at her coming-of-age banquet before deciding. Song Qingshu and Ge Bi discussed Chong Jie and the Courtesan Queen, then prepared to visit Wanyan Liang after his envoy invited Song Qingshu to a talk.

• Pucha Qiucao threatened to destroy Puchá Ahute’s antiques unless he explained why she had to marry Yang Guo, and refused to marry a cripple.
• Puchá Ahute promised Qiucao could meet Yang Guo at her banquet and reject the match afterward if she remained dissatisfied.
• Song Qingshu and Ge Bi joked about Chong Jie’s hostility and discussed the Courtesan Queen, with Ge Bi checking that Song Qingshu had not been hurt.
• An envoy told Song Qingshu that Wanyan Liang had invited him to his residence, and Ge Bi said she would accompany him.

Song Qingshu and Ge Bi visited Wanyan Liang to thank him for saving Tang Kuobian, while both remained wary of his intentions. Song Qingshu ended the visit by secretly clasping Tudan Jing’s hand as she accepted his gift.

• Ge Bi explained that she and Song Qingshu should visit Wanyan Liang to thank him, and they set out with gifts for Hailing King's Mansion.
• Song Qingshu saw Wanyan Liang waiting at the entrance beside Tudan Jing and reflected on the Tang Kuo family's decline and Ge Bi's isolation.
• Ge Bi warned Song Qingshu to be cautious of Wanyan Liang's unexpected warmth.
• Ge Bi and Song Qingshu personally presented their gifts, and Ge Bi deftly avoided Wanyan Liang's attempted familiarity.
• Song Qingshu offered a gift to Tudan Jing and secretly clasped her hand as she reached to accept it.

Song Qingshu secretly used Blissful Zen Qi to stir Tudan Jing’s desire, then spoke privately with Wanyan Liang, who offered him any woman in the manor. Song Qingshu named the Princess Consort as the one he liked.

• Song Qingshu secretly sent a trace of Blissful Zen Qi into Tudan Jing when he touched her fingers, leaving her flustered and distracted.
• Wanyan Liang ended the banquet and sent Tudan Jing and Ge Bi to tour the gardens while he took Song Qingshu to a pavilion.
• Wanyan Liang spoke of his wish to conquer the Southern Song, and Song Qingshu praised a poem that hinted at those ambitions.
• Wanyan Liang offered Song Qingshu any woman in the manor, and Song Qingshu said he found the Princess Consort most pleasing.

Song Qingshu played along as Wanyan Liang tried to recruit him by warning that Ge Bi’s beauty and Tang Kuobian’s weak family position left him vulnerable. Wanyan Liang stopped short of revealing his plans, insisting Tang Kuobian first prove he could be trusted.

• Wanyan Liang grew alarmed when Song Qingshu praised Tudan Jing and hinted that he might want Ge Bi, but he abandoned the subject and asked about the court.
• Wanyan Liang warned that the Mongols were growing powerful and criticized the emperor’s drinking, health, and temper.
• Song Qingshu claimed that members of the Tang Kuobian family were dissatisfied with him as clan head and asked Wanyan Liang for guidance.
• Wanyan Liang argued that marrying Ge Bi had earned Tang Kuobian enemies and invoked the Courtesan Queen as a warning about failing to protect a beautiful wife.
• Wanyan Liang urged Song Qingshu to pursue power, then refused to explain further until Tang Kuobian proved he could trust him.