Recaps

Wen Yunmian helped Mi Yuheng gain a chance to rise in the Imperial Medical Bureau while secretly investigating who had planted Peach Blossom Song pills in Peony Pavilion. As the palace treated her coldly after Jun Chenyu stopped summoning her, Wen Yunmian prepared to break the stalemate and expose the traitor.

• Wen Yunmian told Mi Yuheng to prove his abilities after arranging for him to expose Imperial Physician Rong, and Mi Yuheng was summoned by Jun Chenyu.
• Wen Yunmian revealed that she had found Peach Blossom Song pills hidden among the pink chrysanthemums and decided to draw out the traitor in Peony Pavilion.
• Wen Yunmian instructed Yun Yang to tell Qiukui she was infertile and Yun Fei to tell Shukui she was unusually fertile, planning to identify the traitor by their reactions.
• Jun Chenyu stopped summoning Wen Yunmian while Noble Lady Wei received frequent favor, and palace servants began neglecting Wen Yunmian.
• Wen Yunmian remained composed as her servants complained about the poor treatment and said the stalemate would soon be broken.

Wen Yunmian secretly met Xie Yunjian and offered to help protect Grand Preceptor Shang in exchange for Xie becoming her eyes and ears at court. She advised him to expose lesser offenses by Shang’s relatives to ease Jun Chenyu’s suspicions, leaving Xie to consider her plan.

• Wen Yunmian left the Peony Pavilion alone and waited on a palace walkway for Xie Yunjian.
• Wen Yunmian told Xie Yunjian she knew he was trying to save Grand Preceptor Shang and offered to protect Shang and his family.
• Xie Yunjian trusted Wen Yunmian but warned her that helping him could endanger her by drawing the imperial harem into state affairs.
• Wen Yunmian asked Xie Yunjian to become her eyes and ears at court, promising not to use him to manipulate court or harem politics.
• Wen Yunmian advised Xie Yunjian to present evidence of minor offenses by Shang’s relatives so Jun Chenyu could punish them without treating Shang as a grave threat.

Wen Yunmian learned that her father had provoked Jun Chenyu by offering another daughter to serve him, and she prepared a plan to regain the emperor’s favor. Disguised in an imperial physician’s robe, she entered Chanyang Palace with Mi Yuheng’s help, ready to see Jun Chenyu.

• Xie Yunjian told Wen Yunmian that her father had urged Jun Chenyu to favor another daughter, with the Duke of State Pacification backing the proposal.
• Wen Yunmian asked Yun Yang to deliver Mi Yuheng a note requesting his help, and he sent her an imperial physician’s robe.
• Wen Yunmian changed into revealing silk garments beneath the robe and prepared to visit Jun Chenyu at midnight.
• Mi Yuheng switched shifts with Physician Liu so he could assist Wen Yunmian, then asked her for a carriage in return.
• Wen Yunmian concealed her face and followed a young eunuch into Chanyang Palace carrying a medicine chest.

Wen Yunmian disguised herself as Imperial Physician Ni to examine Jun Chenyu, and he recognized her, drew her into the hot spring, and kept her at Chanyang Palace for the night. The next morning, Yun Yang told her Consort Shu and the other ladies were waiting for her at Fengyi Palace.

• Wen Yunmian entered Chanyang Palace disguised as Imperial Physician Ni and took Jun Chenyu's pulse while Attendant Hui served him.
• Jun Chenyu recognized Wen Yunmian, sent Attendant Hui to bathe, and confronted Wen Yunmian after they were alone.
• Wen Yunmian claimed she had missed Jun Chenyu, and he pulled her into the hot spring before agreeing to see her the following night.
• Wen Yunmian pretended to twist her ankle behind a screen, and Jun Chenyu dismissed Attendant Hui and kept Wen Yunmian in Chanyang Palace.
• Attendant Hui heard a woman's voice inside the hall and left angrily after Eunuch Lu warned her not to disturb Jun Chenyu.
• Jun Chenyu let Wen Yunmian sleep in Chanyang Palace, and the next morning Yun Yang told her Consort Shu and the other ladies were waiting at Fengyi Palace.

Consort Shu accused Wen Yunmian of concealing that she was barren and pushed to have her expelled from the palace. An imperial physician confirmed Wen Yunmian had a yin-cold constitution that could leave her unable to conceive, while news of her favor with His Majesty enraged Consort Shu further.

• Wen Yunmian and Yun Yang went to Fengyi Palace, where Consort Shu confronted her with two matrons who denied knowing she was infertile.
• Consort Shu proposed summoning an imperial physician to determine whether Wen Yunmian could bear children and sending her to the Temple of Protecting the Nation if she could not.
• Wen Yunmian feigned panic for Noble Lady Yu's benefit and quietly sent Yun Yang out of the hall.
• The imperial physician declared that Wen Yunmian's yin-cold constitution made her barren for life, though he allowed there might be exceptions.
• Consort Xian revealed that Wen Yunmian, not Attendant Hui, had served His Majesty the previous night, making Consort Shu furious and determined to send her away.

After the harem petitioned to expel Wen Yunmian for her suspected infertility, Jun Chenyu arrived and defended her, then took her back to Peony Pavilion. There, Wen Yunmian thanked him by offering to model several outfits she had prepared for him.

• Consort Shu and the other consorts petitioned the Empress to strip Wen Yunmian of her rank and expel her from the palace.
• Jun Chenyu entered Fengyi Palace, rejected the petition, and helped Wen Yunmian up from her knees.
• Jun Chenyu ordered the harem not to raise Wen Yunmian's infertility again and sent Consort Shu back to her palace to calm down.
• Jun Chenyu led Wen Yunmian from Fengyi Palace, while the Empress admitted she envied the favor Wen Yunmian had earned.
• Wen Yunmian returned to Peony Pavilion with Jun Chenyu and offered to try on several outfits for him.

Wen Yunmian spent the day with Jun Chenyu, then learned he had punished her father and arranged to meet him. She exposed Qiukui as the source of a secret leaked to Consort Shu and warned that betrayal would leave Qiukui with nowhere to turn.

• Jun Chenyu stayed with Wen Yunmian until afternoon, while Eunuch Lu ordered the Peony Pavilion guards to withdraw.
• Yun Yang told Wen Yunmian that Jun Chenyu had reprimanded her father, Wen Fu'an, and ordered him to remain at home for several days.
• Wen Yunmian dismissed the punishment as deserved, asked Yun Fei to arrange a sedan chair for Imperial Physician Ni, and sent Yun Yang to deliver a letter and set up a meeting with her father.
• Wen Yunmian summoned Qiukui and confronted her about leaking the secret that Wen Yunmian could not conceive to Consort Shu.
• Yun Fei revealed that she had told only Qiukui the secret, and Wen Yunmian warned Qiukui that Consort Shu would not shelter a servant known to betray her mistress.

Wen Yunmian uncovered Qiukui’s role in Consort Shu’s schemes and arranged to use her evidence to turn Jun Chenyu against the consort. Consort Shu panicked when Qiukui warned her that Wen Yunmian was on her way to report the crimes, and Qiukui claimed she had a way to reverse the accusation.

• Wen Yunmian questioned Qiukui, who admitted placing a pill among the green chrysanthemums and leaking Wen Yunmian’s infertility to Noble Lady Yu.
• Wen Yunmian learned Qiukui had kept a hairpin from Consort Shu as evidence and promised to protect Qiukui’s younger sister.
• Wen Yunmian instructed Qiukui to visit Consort Shu directly and warn her that Wen Yunmian intended to accuse her before the Empress.
• Consort Shu was preparing dishes for Jun Chenyu when Qiukui arrived with Zhang Fuhai and claimed Wen Yunmian had exposed her.
• Consort Shu panicked that Jun Chenyu might learn of her crimes at Fengyi Palace, and Qiukui offered a way to turn the accusation against Wen Yunmian.

Wen Yunmian brought Qiukui before the Empress and Jun Chenyu, where Qiukui exposed Consort Shu’s schemes. Jun Chenyu confined Consort Shu to her palace, but Wen Yunmian expected a harsher punishment to follow by the next day.

• The Empress summoned Consort Shu after Wen Yunmian accused her of sending Qiukui to harm her.
• Jun Chenyu learned that Consort Shu had orchestrated the Peach Blossom Song incident and went to Fengyi Palace to hear the accusation.
• Qiukui confessed that she had spied on Wen Yunmian, planted a pill among the green chrysanthemums, and reported Wen Yunmian’s infertility to Consort Shu.
• Qiukui presented Consort Shu’s hairpin as proof, and Jun Chenyu ordered Consort Shu confined to the Palace of Prolonged Happiness and Qiukui beaten and expelled from the palace.
• Wen Yunmian told Yun Fei that Consort Shu’s real punishment would come by the next day.

Wen Yunmian confronted Wen Fu'an over his ties to the Duke of State Protection's Residence and warned him that the family faced ruin if he continued. She offered him a chance to gain promotion by going to Cloud City to stop a flood and expose corrupt officials, but he left undecided.

• Jun Chenyu chose not to punish Consort Shu further, while Wen Yunmian suspected Consort Shu would bring disaster upon herself that night.
• Wen Yunmian met Wen Fu'an in an abandoned palace and challenged him for blaming her after his reprimand at court.
• Wen Yunmian warned Wen Fu'an that the Duke of State Pacification's family might rebel and was using him for his command over the capital's Golden Guards.
• Wen Yunmian urged Wen Fu'an to cut ties with the duke's household and promised him wealth and honor if he listened to her.
• Wen Yunmian told Wen Fu'an to volunteer for a mission to Cloud City, where he could control flooding and expose officials who planned to collude with bandits.
• Wen Fu'an doubted her prediction and feared the danger, then said he needed time to consider her offer.

Wen Yunmian gave her father five days to prepare for the coming flood, while Consort Shu was punished after Jun Chenyu learned she had arranged Qiukui and her family's murders. Consort Shu blamed Wen Yunmian and agreed to use Joyous Promise against her.

• Wen Yunmian told her father he had five days to prepare before the flood's warning signs began.
• Jun Chenyu learned that Zhang Fuhai had bribed Qiukui's family and that Qiukui and her family had been murdered, then stripped Consort Shu of her palace-management authority and confined her.
• Consort Xian heard of the punishment and quietly instructed her maid to carry out a plan.
• Consort Shu summoned Noble Lady Yu, admitted ordering the killings, and learned Jun Chenyu had been told the truth and sent gifts to Noble Lady Yan.
• Noble Lady Yu persuaded Consort Shu that Wen Yunmian had lured her into a trap and suggested promoting Joyous Promise, Wen Yunmian's estranged younger sister, to undermine her.

Wen Leyan pursued the emperor’s favor and a future pregnancy, while Consort Xian learned of her ambitions and made plans against her. Outside the palace, Madam Meng boasted that Wen Yunmian would fall, but the Gu family hurried to investigate after hearing her threat; the chapter ended as Wen Yunmian received news from Xie Yunjian on the fifth-day deadline.

• Wen Leyan served the emperor in bed and gloated to Wen Yunmian, then waited in the cold for the emperor, hoping to become pregnant with two princes.
• Consort Xian overheard Wen Leyan’s claims about her fertility and ambitions, then signaled palace maid Tan You before leaving.
• Jun Chenyu stayed away from the harem while Noble Lady Wei attended him, and Wen Yunmian spent quiet days practicing calligraphy and watching snow.
• Madam Meng spread word that Wen Leyan would rise, but noblewomen praised Wen Yunmian’s maternal relatives, Old Madam Gu and First Madam Gu.
• Madam Meng warned Old Madam Gu that Wen Yunmian would enter the cold palace, prompting Shu Xiangyu and Old Madam Gu to hurry home and seek news.
• Wen Yunmian received a message from Xie Yunjian as the five-day deadline arrived.

Wen Yunmian received a loving letter from her Gu grandparents and decided to support their family instead of the Marquis's Residence. She secretly sent her cousin Gu Weilan intelligence about the flooding and bandits in Cloud City, and he prepared to bring the matter before the emperor and lead relief efforts.

• Wen Yunmian read a letter in which her Gu grandparents promised to protect her, and she resolved to help their family rise.
• Wen Yunmian wrote Gu Weilan about the flooding in Cloud City and entrusted Yun Yang to deliver the letter directly to him.
• Gu Weilan read Wen Yunmian's warning, concealed the letter, and took it to his grandfather.
• Gu Weilan and his grandfather discussed the dangers of suppressing bandits and providing winter relief, and Gu Weilan offered to appeal to the emperor and go to Yunzhou.
• Gu Weilan explained that Wen Yunmian had also given him guidance on dealing with the bandits, while his grandfather recognized that she wanted him to earn credit through his own abilities.

Gu Weilan accepted his cousin Wen Yunmian’s plan to support each other, and he was appointed Deputy Envoy for the Cloud City relief and bandit-suppression expedition. Wen Leyan regretted missing the chance to advance her own family, while Jun Chenyu received a favorable report from the eastern frontier.

• Gu Weilan’s grandfather urged him to seize the Cloud City mission and build the Gu Family’s influence so he could support Wen Yunmian.
• Wen Yunmian asked Xie Yunjian to recommend Gu Weilan as Deputy Envoy, and he agreed.
• Jun Chenyu appointed Xie Yunjian Chief Envoy and Gu Weilan Deputy Envoy, ordering them to lead ten thousand troops to Cloud City.
• Wen Leyan realized Gu Weilan might gain honors from the expedition and regretted not arranging for someone from the Meng Family to go.
• Jun Chenyu chose Wen Leyan’s name tablet that evening, then read a report of victory from the Eastern Frontier War as an official praised General Qin Zhao.

Jun Chenyu canceled Wen Leyan’s summons and went to Peony Pavilion to visit Wen Yunmian instead. Wen Leyan, humiliated by the rejection, vowed to kill her elder sister, while Wen Yunmian suspected the emperor’s visit had a deeper purpose.

• Jun Chenyu dismissed the officials, canceled Joyous Promise’s summons, and ordered preparations to visit Peony Pavilion.
• Wen Leyan arrogantly slighted Consort Hui, who rebuked her and compared her unfavorably to Wen Yunmian.
• A eunuch told Wen Leyan that Jun Chenyu would not receive her and had gone to Peony Pavilion, leaving her furious and humiliated.
• Wen Leyan returned to her room, smashed its furnishings, and declared that she wanted Wen Yunmian dead.
• Wen Yunmian received word that Jun Chenyu was coming to Peony Pavilion and suspected his visit had a deeper intention.

Wen Yunmian impressed Jun Chenyu with her knowledge and skill at Go, gaining his attention and easing his frustration. As they played, Jun Chenyu revealed that General Qin Zhao had won a victory and that he might restore Consort Shu’s authority, though he feared Wen Yunmian would suffer for it.

• Wen Yunmian welcomed Jun Chenyu to the Peony Pavilion and discussed Cao Gui’s military talents with him.
• Wen Yunmian challenged Jun Chenyu to Go and captured his black stones, surprising and impressing him.
• Wen Yunmian asked about Jun Chenyu’s worries and reassured him that she did not resent his absence or Consort Shu’s confinement.
• Jun Chenyu told Wen Yunmian that General Qin Zhao had won a victory and that he might lift Consort Shu’s confinement and restore her authority over the six palaces.
• Jun Chenyu worried that restoring Consort Shu would leave Wen Yunmian suffering an injustice.

Wen Yunmian won Jun Chenyu’s favor by urging him to prioritize the realm and showing no resentment over Consort Shu’s confinement. After Jun Chenyu promised to protect her and encouraged her to rise through her own abilities, Wen received gifts from the Imperial Household Department and went to Fengyi Palace, where the consorts gathered and Consort Shu returned from confinement.

• Wen Yunmian told Jun Chenyu that Qin Zhao’s confidence and the realm’s interests mattered more than her own grievances, deepening Jun Chenyu’s guilt and affection for her.
• Jun Chenyu promised to protect Wen Yunmian and told her to rise through her own abilities if she wanted to gain status and reach his side.
• Eunuch Hong brought Wen Yunmian red gauze charcoal, cloaks, and other gifts from the Imperial Household Department.
• Wen Yunmian went through the snow to Fengyi Palace after the Empress summoned the consorts, choosing not to use the sedan chair Jun Chenyu had provided.
• Consort Shu arrived at Fengyi Palace after her confinement ended, and the other consorts crowded around her as the Qin Clan’s growing prestige overshadowed Consort Hui.

At the Empress’s gathering to discuss year-end arrangements, Consort Shu challenged the Empress’s authority while Noble Lady Wei announced that she was pregnant. Wen Yunmian noticed Consort Shu’s unusually calm reaction as the news shocked the palace.

• Wen Yunmian attended the Empress’s gathering and tried to stay out of Consort Shu’s attention, while Noble Lady Wei drew praise from the assembled consorts.
• The Empress warned Consort Shu to be cautious, but Consort Shu claimed she would handle the year-end arrangements herself.
• Consort Hui defended the Empress, and Consort Shu rebuked her for having no experience managing palace affairs.
• Noble Lady Wei’s maid announced that an Imperial Physician had found her more than half a month pregnant, astonishing the gathered consorts.
• Wen Yunmian watched Consort Shu remain unusually calm about Noble Lady Wei’s pregnancy and suspected something was wrong.

Noble Lady Wei’s pregnancy earned her the honorary title Noble Lady Shu and the emperor’s attention, while Wen Yunmian recognized the political maneuvering behind his favor. The chapter ended with the Empress sending Cloudglow Brocade to Wen Yunmian and excusing her from a visit because she felt unwell.

• Consort Shu and Noble Lady Yu questioned Wen Yunmian over Noble Lady Wei’s pregnancy, but the Empress rebuked them.
• Jun Chenyu arrived at Fengyi Palace, greeted Wen Yunmian first, then congratulated Noble Lady Wei on her pregnancy.
• Jun Chenyu bestowed the title Shu on Noble Lady Wei and promised to promote her after she safely delivered the imperial heir.
• Wen Yunmian considered how the emperor’s favor toward Noble Lady Wei could counterbalance the Duke of State Protection’s Residence, while Wen Leyan anticipated receiving favor herself.
• After Jun Chenyu escorted Noble Lady Shu away, Wen Yunmian noticed Consort Xian and reflected on the dangers of announcing an early pregnancy.
• Eunuch Hong brought Cloudglow Brocade to Peony Pavilion on the Empress’s orders and said Wen Yunmian need not visit because the Empress felt unwell.

Wen Yunmian received Answering Lady Su, who asked for her protection after losing her family support and imperial favor. When Answering Lady Su detected an unusual scent on the Cloudglow Brocade sent in the Empress’s name, Wen Yunmian began to suspect a plot and called for Imperial Physician Ni.

• Answering Lady Su begged Wen Yunmian to protect her, but Wen Yunmian gave her an ambiguous answer rather than accepting her allegiance.
• Answering Lady Su recognized the Cloudglow Brocade and noticed it carried a muddled scent that did not belong on the silk.
• A young eunuch claimed an extra bolt had been delivered and took one bolt away; Wen Yunmian gave Answering Lady Su a piece of the remaining fabric to investigate.
• Wen Yunmian sent Yun Yang to summon Imperial Physician Ni and suspected Consort Shu had arranged something involving the fabric.

Wen Yunmian discovered that the silk sent to Noble Lady Shu had been tainted with white luo, a substance that could cause a miscarriage, and learned that Consort Chun’s servant had secretly buried something near the Peony Pavilion. She set a plan in motion to turn the scheme against Consort Chun while Jun Chenyu visited Noble Lady Shu.

• Mi Yuheng examined the suspicious silk and identified white luo, which could make a pregnant woman miscarry.
• Shukui reported that the silk had been delivered to Noble Lady Shu’s palace, and Wen Yunmian decided not to alert the Empress without evidence.
• Wen Yunmian asked Mi Yuheng to secretly prepare white luo and sent Yun Yang to watch the Peony Pavilion.
• Yun Yang saw Xiao Yangzi, a servant of Consort Chun, bury something beneath a white magnolia tree.
• Wen Yunmian ordered Yun Yang to move the buried object to Consort Chun’s palace and told Yun Fei to collect white luo and spread its scent through the Peony Pavilion.
• Jun Chenyu joined Noble Lady Shu at the Lucky Cloud Palace, where he reassured her of his affection and noticed she was reading the Zuo Zhuan.

Wen Yunmian used Jun Chenyu’s longing for her and a staged wall repair to strengthen her place in his heart while setting a plan in motion. After Jun Chenyu promised to visit again that night, Wen Yunmian prepared for the next stage of her scheme.

• Jun Chenyu missed Wen Yunmian while spending the night with Noble Lady Shu, then answered Wen Yunmian’s poetic note with a letter and promised to have breakfast with her.
• Wen Yunmian explained to Yun Yang that she had sent the note to make Jun Chenyu compare her favorably with Noble Lady Shu.
• At breakfast, Wen Yunmian charmed Jun Chenyu into promising to visit her again that night.
• Yun Yang brought workers to repair the Peony Pavilion’s damaged walls and said Consort Chun had sent help, prompting Wen Yunmian to praise her in front of Jun Chenyu.
• After Jun Chenyu left, Yun Yang revealed she had arranged for Consort Chun to see the repair workers, while Wen Yunmian asked about Yun Fei’s preparations.

Noble Lady Shu miscarried after being exposed to white Luo, and Jun Chenyu ordered an investigation. Wen Yunmian believed the turmoil she had anticipated had begun, while the culprit remained unknown.

• Noble Lady Yu pleaded with Consort Shu to stop her younger sister from being forced to marry Young Master Qin as a concubine, but Consort Shu refused and Wen Leyan mocked her.
• Consort Chun told Consort Shu that Wen Yunmian had suffered water damage at the Peony Pavilion and suggested Jun Chenyu's interest in her was only temporary.
• A scream announced that Noble Lady Shu had miscarried, and Jun Chenyu hurried from the Peony Pavilion to Lucky Cloud Palace as Wen Yunmian and the Empress followed.
• The imperial physicians found that Noble Lady Shu had been exposed to white Luo, which could cause a miscarriage, and Jun Chenyu ordered an immediate investigation.

After Noble Lady Shu miscarried, Jun Chenyu traced the cause to white Luo incense on her garment, which had been routed through Peony Pavilion. White Luo was then found in Peony Pavilion, leaving Wen Yunmian under suspicion until Mi Yuheng declared that she was also a victim.

• Tanxiang reported that Noble Lady Shu’s pain and bleeding began after she wore a garment made from Cloudglow Brocade, and Imperial Physician Zhang found white Luo incense on it.
• The Head of the Imperial Household Department said the silk had been mistakenly sent to Peony Pavilion, where it was later retrieved, and Jun Chenyu rebuked him for implicating Wen Yunmian.
• Wen Yunmian asked Jun Chenyu to search Peony Pavilion, and Mi Yuheng accompanied the Imperial Guards to investigate.
• Mi Yuheng reported that white Luo was found in Peony Pavilion, prompting Noble Lady Shu and Consort Shu to accuse Wen Yunmian.
• Jun Chenyu asked Wen Yunmian if she had caused the miscarriage, and Mi Yuheng insisted that she was also a victim.

After White Luo was found in the Peony Pavilion’s walls, Wen Yunmian turned suspicion toward Consort Chun, whose palace was searched. With White Luo discovered beneath a floor brick, Consort Shu and others pressed for Consort Chun’s punishment, but Feicui interrupted before Jun Chenyu could act.

• Mi Yuheng reported White Luo in the Peony Pavilion’s walls, and Wen Yunmian claimed someone was trying to harm her.
• Yun Yang recalled that Consort Chun had sent people to supervise repairs at the Peony Pavilion, prompting Jun Chenyu to order a search of the Palace of Gathered Elegance.
• The Imperial Guards found White Luo beneath a pried-up floor brick in Consort Chun’s palace, and Jun Chenyu confronted her with the evidence.
• Noble Lady Shu and Consort Hui urged Jun Chenyu to punish Consort Chun, while Consort Chun accused Wen Yunmian of planting the White Luo.
• Feicui knelt before Jun Chenyu and said she had something to tell him.