Chapter Summaries

On their wedding night, An Ziran tried to keep Fu Wutian at a distance and believed the wine was harmless, but he gradually realized he had been drugged. Fu Wutian caught An Ziran reaching for him and teased him about sneaking a bite alone.

• An Ziran insisted that Fu Wutian sleep on the floor, but Fu Wutian refused because they were now husband and wife.
• Fu Wutian poured more wine, and An Ziran drank several cups without becoming intoxicated.
• An Ziran changed out of his wedding robes and lay on the outside of the bed with his back turned to Fu Wutian.
• As the room grew dark, An Ziran felt increasingly hot and realized the wine had contained a drug.
• An Ziran reached toward Fu Wutian, who caught his hand and teased him for sneaking a bite alone.

An Ziran woke late after his wedding night and tried to keep his distance from Fu Wutian as they prepared for the day. Fu Wutian styled An Ziran’s hair, leaving him flustered, and they set out together.

• An Ziran woke near nine in the morning and refused Fu Wutian’s help with washing up.
• An Ziran asked Fu Wutian to leave while he changed, and Fu Wutian agreed.
• Fu Wutian noticed An Ziran’s messy hair and led him back to the mirror to fix it.
• Fu Wutian styled An Ziran’s hair with a blue gemstone clasp and praised his appearance.
• An Ziran hid his discomfort and told Fu Wutian to leave with him.

An Ziran and Fu Wutian served tea to Old Prince Fu, who revealed that he had supplied the wine that affected their wedding night. At breakfast, Fu Wutian and his grandfather competed for An Ziran’s attention, while An Ziran resolved to keep losing weight despite Fu Wutian’s preference for him plump.

• An Ziran and Fu Wutian served tea to Old Prince Fu, who gave An Ziran a generous red packet and called him his grandson’s wife.
• Old Prince Fu teased Fu Wutian about their wedding night and revealed that he had provided the Extreme Sun Drunk wine.
• Old Prince Fu took An Ziran and Fu Wutian to breakfast, where An Ziran shared food with both of them.
• Fu Wutian peeled eggs for An Ziran, prompting Old Prince Fu to complain that his grandson favored his wife.
• Fu Wutian urged An Ziran to eat more and said he preferred him plump, but An Ziran resolved to continue losing weight.

An Ziran learned that the imperial family had largely snubbed his wedding and dealt with a servant who gossiped about him. He and Fu Wutian agreed to bring Little Bun into Prince Fu's Manor, and Fu Wutian agreed to accompany An Ziran on his return visit to the An Family.

• An Ziran overheard Ximei claim that Fu Wutian would eventually take concubines and noted that the Emperor's princes had skipped the wedding banquet.
• Fu Wutian demoted Ximei to cleaning latrines after learning she had gossiped about An Ziran.
• An Ziran returned to the An Family Compound with Fu Wutian and learned that Little Bun had cried through the night.
• An Ziran and Fu Wutian agreed that Little Bun would move into Prince Fu's Manor, and Fu Wutian agreed to accompany An Ziran to Anyuan County for his return visit.

An Ziran and Fu Wutian set out from Gentlemen City for An Ziran’s return visit to Anyuan County, leaving An Ziming in Fu Yi’s care. On the journey, Fu Wutian’s thoughtfulness moved An Ziran, while his public endearments embarrassed him.

• Fu Wutian asked Fu Yi to watch over Old Prince Fu and take special care of An Ziming while they were away.
• An Ziran and Fu Wutian left Prince Fu’s Manor with their attendants and a carriage full of gifts, heading for Anyuan County.
• An Ziran admired the fine horses pulling the carriage, and Fu Wutian explained that he had chosen them to make the return visit quicker.
• At a roadside tea stall, Fu Wutian called An Ziran his wife, embarrassing him in front of the waiter.
• An Ziran told Fu Wutian not to call him wife in public, and Fu Wutian said he would call him Ziran instead.

At a tea stall, An Ziran heard that farmers were fleeing repeated disasters in Prosper Prefecture and quietly asked Steward Su to learn more about the region. The convoy resumed its journey to Maple City after Steward Su shared buns with two displaced families and questioned them about their circumstances.

• Several farmers arrived at the tea stall with their children, and two travelers explained that floods and other disasters had driven people from Prosper Prefecture.
• A farmer's hungry child stared at Steward Su's leftover buns, so Steward Su gave them to him.
• Seeing another family also struggling with dry provisions, Steward Su asked An Ziran for permission to help, and An Ziran told him to distribute more buns and ask the families about Prosper Prefecture.
• Fu Wutian asked why An Ziran was interested in Prosper Prefecture, but An Ziran only said he was asking.
• Steward Su gave buns to both families and questioned them before the convoy set off again.

An Ziran returned to Anyuan County with Fu Wutian after learning the An Family had been troubled by An Changde’s visit. The household’s women reacted to news of An Yuzhi’s powerful engagement, while Wang Qinglan went out to greet An Ziran and was stunned by the man beside him.

• An Ziran arrived at the An Family residence with Fu Wutian and asked the gatekeeper whether anything major had happened in his absence.
• The gatekeeper told An Ziran that An Changde and his wife had visited and caused a scene, then An Ziran entered without asking for details.
• An Changde had tried to learn from Wang Qinglan and the others why An Ziran had gone to Gentlemen City, but they knew nothing; meanwhile, Prefect Jiang had shelved his plans against the An Family.
• Fang Junping and An Qiaoe resented that An Yuzhi had been promised to a noble figure, while Zheng Bi encouraged An Kexin to marry someone of higher rank than Prefect Jiang.
• Wang Qinglan hurried to greet An Ziran and was stunned to see Fu Wutian walking beside him.

An Ziran returned to the An Family with Fu Wutian and revealed that An Yuzhi had fled her marriage and been disowned. The household learned that Fu Wutian was An Ziran’s husband, leaving the women stunned.

• Fang Junping and Zheng Bi arrived with their daughters and mocked Fu Wutian, who told them he was an An Family son-in-law.
• An Ziran announced that An Yuzhi had fled her marriage and was no longer the An Family’s third young lady.
• Fu Wutian clarified that he was not An Yuzhi’s husband, prompting An Qiaoe and An Kexin to hope he might marry one of them.
• Ge Qian'an said Fu Wutian was a merchant, disappointing the young women, and Shao Fei revealed that Fu Wutian had already married An Ziran.
• Fang Junping, Zheng Bi, and the others were shocked to learn that An Ziran had married Fu Wutian two days earlier.

An Ziran defended his marriage to Fu Wutian when Wang Qinglan, Zheng Bi, and Fang Junping challenged him over the An Family’s inheritance and mourning customs. After silencing the women with family rules, An Ziran stayed in Anyuan County with Fu Wutian, and An Changde and his wife learned of his return.

• Zheng Bi accused An Ziran of marrying as a concubine, and Fu Wutian threatened to strip and parade her if she insulted his wife again.
• Fang Junping challenged An Ziran over mourning rules, and he explained that the hundred-day waiting period had passed and that he and Fu Wutian had not consummated their marriage.
• An Ziran warned the women that anyone who continued making trouble would be punished according to family rules, and they returned to their rooms.
• An Ziran stayed in Anyuan County for several more days with Fu Wutian rather than returning immediately to Gentlemen City.
• Steward Su reflected on the amended mourning laws, while the narrator explained that Emperor Fu Chong had reduced the mourning period after violating it himself.
• An Changde and his wife learned that An Ziran had returned for a post-wedding visit.

An Changde and Wu Zhi learned that An Ziran had married a merchant and revived their plan to seize the An Family's estate. They sent a groom to inform Prefect Jiang, while An Ziran received a report on their actions and discussed his capable informant Xiao Ye with Fu Wutian.

• An Xueyan told An Yaozong that An Ziran had married a merchant, and An Yaozong hurried to share the news with their parents.
• An Changde and Wu Zhi confirmed the report, sent An Xueyan away, and decided to notify Prefect Jiang after checking the story.
• An Changde and Wu Zhi hired Anyuan County's groom to travel to Yong Prefecture and tell Prefect Jiang the news.
• An Ziran read Xiao Ye's report on An Changde and Wu Zhi's activities, and Fu Wutian praised Xiao Ye's abilities.
• Fu Wutian teased An Ziran for complimenting another man, and An Ziran brushed off his jealousy.