Recaps

Qi Yu and Xie Ning went hunting in the woods, where two tigers attacked them and Qi Yu sprained his ankle while escaping. Qi Xiao brought Qi Yu to safety, rewarded Xie Ning for guarding the prince, and treated his injuries; Qi Yu worried that Xie Ning would be punished by Marquis Xie.

• Qi Yu and Xie Ning rode with A Ping and guards to the woods, unaware that tigers had been sighted there.
• After the group hunted rabbits, Zhao Hu sensed danger, and two tigers emerged from the bushes.
• A Ping rode to summon help while the guards protected Qi Yu and Xie Ning; during their retreat, Qi Yu fell into a hidden pit and sprained his ankle.
• A guard carried Qi Yu out of the woods, and A Ping reached the palace to alert Qi Xiao.
• Qi Xiao carried the injured Qi Yu inside and ordered De'an to reward Xie Ning with five hundred taels for guarding the prince.
• Imperial Physician Zhou reset Qi Yu's dislocated ankle, and Qi Yu asked Qi Xiao whether Marquis Xie would punish Xie Ning.

After Qi Yu was injured fleeing a tiger, Qi Xiao punished him for risking his own life and the lives of his guards. Qi Yu apologized and promised to avoid danger as Qi Xiao tended to his wounds.

• Qi Xiao ordered A Ping to fetch the disciplinary ruler and laid it beside Qi Yu's bed.
• Qi Xiao beat Qi Yu for leaving the palace without permission and entering the woods despite the tiger danger.
• Qi Yu remembered how Zhao Hu, the guards, Xie Ning, and Qi Xiao had protected him during the incident.
• Qi Yu apologized and promised never to enter dangerous places or treat his life carelessly again.
• Qi Xiao stopped the beating and applied ointment to Qi Yu's injuries.

Qi Xiao stayed awake beside the sleeping Qi Yu, burdened by the affairs of the empire and shaken by how nearly he had lost the boy. As dawn approached, he reflected on the fragile burden of being emperor while De'an prepared fresh tea.

• Qi Xiao watched Qi Yu sleep and carefully covered his injured shoulder with the quilt.
• Qi Xiao worked through memorials on taxes, river repairs, and the Northern Border troop rotation throughout the night.
• Qi Xiao recalled believing as a child that his father could hold up the sky, and thought about how close he had come to losing Qi Yu.
• De'an watched the candlelit window as dawn neared and went to brew Qi Xiao fresh tea.

Qi Yu recovered from his injuries after his father beat him, while Qi Ming mocked him and Qi Yu chose not to retaliate. He accepted the Empress’s medicine and wondered what his second brother truly wanted from him.

• De'an gently applied ointment to Qi Yu’s bruised backside, while A Ping cared for him with unusual attentiveness after De'an reminded him how much Qi Yu’s father cared for the prince.
• Qi Yu wondered whether Xie Lao'er had been beaten at home, then complained that he would never return to the woods to hunt rabbits.
• Qi Ming visited with Zhou Wenhan and mocked Qi Yu for becoming the tiger’s prey, but Qi Yu answered calmly and promised to bring him a tiger-skin cloak next time.
• After Qi Ming left, Qi Yu admitted that he had stayed quiet because his backside hurt too much to argue.
• The Empress sent Qi Yu two kinds of ointment and a message urging him to recover, and Qi Yu thanked her through her attendant.
• Qi Yu wondered when Qi Ming would stop finding fault with him and decided that his brother wanted something he could not give, so he would keep yielding.

After Xie Ning returned from the palace, Xie Ting punished him for endangering the Fourth Prince, and Xiao Ya tended his wounds through the night. Xie Ning woke to find breakfast and a handkerchief she had embroidered, which he tucked into his sleeve.

• Xie Ning walked home from the palace and knelt before Xie Ting, returning the banknotes and wound medicine.
• Xie Ting gave Xie Ning ten strokes with the family cane for taking the Fourth Prince into danger and risking the Jinghai Marquis Residence.
• Madam Xie helped Xie Ning to his room, where Nanny Zhou cleaned his wounds and Xiao Ya applied ointment.
• Xiao Ya told Xie Ning she would be heartbroken if anything happened to him, then stayed by his bed and cared for him during the night.
• Xie Ning woke to warm porridge, Osmanthus Cake, and a handkerchief embroidered by Xiao Ya, which he tucked into his sleeve.

Qi Yu complained that his injuries hurt and that Qi Xiao had not come to comfort him, so Qi Xiao visited and tended to him. Reassured by his father’s indulgence, Qi Yu fell asleep as Qi Xiao stayed by his bedside.

• Qi Yu lay on his stomach, complained to A Ping about his pain, and asked him to tell Qi Xiao that he had fainted.
• Qi Xiao came to Qi Yu’s room, checked whether he had used the prescribed ointment, and listened as Qi Yu complained about being beaten in front of the servants.
• Qi Xiao told Qi Yu that he was his son and pulled the quilt over his shoulders.
• Qi Yu asked Qi Xiao to stay and requested Osmanthus Cake for the next day before falling asleep.
• Qi Xiao stayed until Qi Yu was asleep, then told De'an to keep dinner warm for him.

Qi Xiao punished the Cui Family for embezzling military supplies, while the resulting purge reshaped court appointments in the Crown Prince’s favor. Qi Yu learned what had happened from Qi Ling and reflected on why he needed to understand the court.

• Qi Xiao ordered a thorough investigation of the Cui Family after evidence showed military supplies for the Northern Border had been falsified and stolen.
• Noble Lady Cui knelt outside Xuanzheng Hall, but Qi Xiao refused to see her and had her sent back.
• The Cui Family’s property was confiscated, its male members were exiled to Lingnan, and Noble Lady Cui was stripped of her title and moved to the Cold Palace.
• The investigation implicated more than a dozen officials, while Gu Hengsheng and Sun Qiwen received appointments that strengthened the Crown Prince’s influence at court.
• Qi Ling told Qi Yu about the case, and Qi Yu accepted that his father had acted rightly and resolved to understand how the court worked.

Qi Xiao confronted his unspoken feelings for Yu'er while insisting that the boy was still too young to understand them. The next morning, he visited Qi Yu in Yuning Hall and refused to promise that Qi Yu could leave the palace once he recovered.

• Qi Xiao watched Yu'er sleep and quietly cared for him, keeping his changed feelings to himself.
• Qi Xiao declined De'an's offer of a calming herbal decoction and ignored the consorts' name tablets as usual.
• After morning court, Qi Xiao visited Qi Yu, checked his injuries, and said he could leave bed in two days.
• Qi Yu asked whether he could leave the palace after recovering, but Qi Xiao said it would depend and that asking the Crown Prince would not help.
• Qi Yu noticed Qi Xiao's faint smile and began plotting how to persuade him.

Qi Xiao kept watch beside the sleeping Qi Yu, struggling privately with his feelings while maintaining his restraint. At dawn, he left for morning court after asking De'an to prepare extra Almond Cream for Qi Yu.

• Qi Xiao put aside a Ministry of War memorial and watched Qi Yu sleep, recalling their intimate moments and suppressing his thoughts.
• De'an saw Qi Xiao keeping watch and reflected on the emperor's lonely nights, but chose to remain silent.
• Qi Xiao washed his face with cold water, returned to bed, and planned the next day's duties while Qi Yu leaned against him in his sleep.
• De'an woke Qi Xiao for morning court, and Qi Xiao carefully tucked in Qi Yu before dressing.
• Qi Xiao asked De'an to have the Imperial Kitchen prepare extra Almond Cream with half a portion of sugar, then left for court reflecting on his duty to the realm.

Xie Ning recovered from his wounds while Xiao Ya’s new place in his household led the servants to treat her as a likely future concubine. Meanwhile, Qi Ling managed the aftermath of the Xiao Family affair and sent Qi Yu medicine and cakes while Qi Yu remained confined to bed, hoping to speak with their father once he healed.

• Xie Ning praised Xiao Ya’s flower, and she blushed as she finished applying ointment to his wounds.
• Madam Xie gave Xiao Ya fabric, flowers, and silver bangles, while Nanny Zhou moved her into Xie Ning’s courtyard; the household began treating Xiao Ya with greater respect.
• Nanny Zhou told Madam Xie that Xiao Ya was steady, and Madam Xie said they would watch her a little longer.
• Qi Ling continued placing loyal followers in key offices and sent Qi Yu bruise ointment and chestnut cakes at Yuning Hall.
• Qi Yu finished his storybooks and snacks in Xuanzheng Hall, then fell asleep while waiting for his injuries to heal so he could speak with his father.

After four days of bed rest, Qi Yu persuaded Qi Xiao to let him visit the Eastern Palace for dinner. He enjoyed a meal with Qi Ling and returned to Xuanzheng Hall before the deadline his father set.

• Qi Yu hobbled to the West Warm Pavilion on a crutch and pleaded with Qi Xiao to let him leave the palace for a meal.
• Qi Xiao allowed Qi Yu to visit only the Eastern Palace and ordered him to return before the shen hour.
• Qi Yu arrived at the Eastern Palace and told Qi Ling about his frustrations during four days of recovery.
• Qi Yu ate his favorite dishes with Qi Ling, who had more rice than usual while his brother was there.
• Qi Ling invited Qi Yu to stay overnight, but Qi Yu kept his promise to Qi Xiao and returned by sedan chair.

Qi Yu joined his father and brothers for dinner after eating at the Eastern Palace, and his appetite amused the family. He ended the night uncomfortably full, and Qi Xiao rubbed his belly until he fell asleep.

• Qi Yu returned to Xuanzheng Hall and found Qi Ling, Qi Ming, and Qi Zhao with Qi Xiao.
• Qi Xiao led his sons to dinner, where Qi Yu ate a second meal and praised dishes from both the Eastern Palace and his father's table.
• Qi Ling, Qi Ming, and Qi Zhao left after dinner, while Qi Yu returned to his bedchamber feeling bloated.
• Qi Xiao noticed Qi Yu's rounded belly and rubbed it as Qi Yu admitted what he had eaten at the Eastern Palace.
• Qi Yu fell asleep, and Qi Xiao decided to ask the Imperial Kitchen to prepare one fewer dish the next day.

Qi Yu presented Emperor Chengwu with a turtle named Divine Turtle for his birthday, hoping it would bring him ten thousand years of life. Qi Xiao kept the turtle beside his desk and quietly echoed Qi Yu’s wish, while De'an recalled that Qi Xiao had once given his own father a crooked wooden sword.

• Qi Yu prepared a turtle in a rosewood case as his birthday gift for Qi Xiao.
• At the birthday banquet, Qi Ling, Qi Ming, and Qi Zhao each presented their gifts before Qi Yu offered the turtle.
• Qi Xiao opened the case, and Qi Yu explained that the turtle was called Divine Turtle and that he wished his father ten thousand years of life.
• Qi Xiao kept the turtle and its case beside his desk in the West Warm Pavilion.
• Qi Xiao wished the turtle ten thousand times ten thousand years of life, and De'an recalled Qi Xiao's childhood birthday gift to the Late Emperor.

After Qi Xiao’s birthday banquet, the palace consorts hoped to use his drinking as a chance to draw his attention, but Xiao Luo knew he would not summon them. Qi Yu, tipsy from secretly drinking wine, joined Qi Xiao in the West Warm Pavilion and joked with him about his unusual birthday gifts.

• Qi Xiao drank several extra cups of wine at his birthday banquet while the consorts tried to attract his notice with performances and gifts.
• Xiao Luo recognized that the consorts were hoping to attend Qi Xiao after the banquet, but believed their efforts would fail.
• Qi Yu secretly drank three sips of Osmanthus Wine, and the wine left him flushed and excited.
• Qi Yu hobbled into the West Warm Pavilion, where Qi Xiao asked him to come closer.
• Qi Yu laughed and promised not to give Qi Xiao a turtle next year, and they recalled his earlier gifts of a stone and a foxtail-grass bracelet.

After the birthday banquet, Qi Yu told Qi Xiao he would stay by his side and keep him company, and Qi Xiao let him spend the evening reading while he finished one memorial. Once Qi Yu fell asleep, Qi Xiao returned to work and ordered Osmanthus Cake made for him the next morning.

• Qi Yu drank wine at the banquet and, back in the West Warm Pavilion, promised Qi Xiao he would always be there for him.
• Qi Yu urged Qi Xiao to stop reviewing memorials after one and stayed beside him reading until he finished it.
• Qi Xiao helped the unsteady Qi Yu prepare for bed and watched him fall asleep.
• Qi Xiao returned to the imperial desk to review memorials and ordered De'an to prepare Osmanthus Cake with half the usual sugar.
• Qi Xiao instructed De'an to bring him the Ministry of Revenue's winter-clothing memorial before the Ministry of War's troop-rotation memorial.

Qi Yu tried increasingly potent tonics to grow taller and ate nearly an entire century-old ginseng root, causing a severe nosebleed. Qi Xiao scolded and comforted him, then told him to grow through proper food and rest instead.

• Qi Yu rejected the imperial physician’s and Grand Tutor Sun’s advice and tried deer antler velvet tea and reishi soup to grow faster.
• Qi Yu took a century-old ginseng root from the Imperial Treasury and ate almost all of it.
• Qi Yu developed a heavy nosebleed, and A Ping summoned De'an, who alerted Qi Xiao.
• Imperial Physician Zhou diagnosed Qi Yu with a surge of blood and vital energy from consuming too much ginseng.
• Qi Yu admitted he wanted to grow taller, and Qi Xiao lightly spanked him and warned him not to repeat it.
• Qi Xiao wiped Qi Yu’s face and held him, telling him to eat and sleep properly as the bleeding began to stop.

After Qi Yu ate a hundred-year-old ginseng root to grow taller, Qi Xiao and Imperial Physician Zhou treated him for severe nosebleeds and weakness, forbidding strong tonics and prescribing bland food and medicine. Qi Yu sought help from Qi Ling to reduce his regimen, but his brother sided with Qi Xiao, and the chapter ended with Qi Yu still trying to bargain for less medicine.

• Qi Xiao scolded Qi Yu for eating an entire hundred-year-old ginseng root and learned from Imperial Physician Zhou that it had caused severe bleeding and weakness.
• Imperial Physician Zhou prescribed gentle nourishment and banned ginseng, deer antler velvet, and reishi mushrooms for half a month; Chun He and A Ping made sure Qi Yu followed the regimen.
• Qi Yu complained to the rabbits about his bitter medicine and bland medicinal meals.
• Qi Yu visited Qi Ling and asked him to persuade their father to reduce the tonic regimen, but Qi Ling rebuked him for eating something he knew he should not.
• Qi Yu complained to Qi Xiao that Qi Ling had insulted him, but Qi Xiao agreed with his brother and refused to let Qi Yu skip a bowl of medicine.

Qi Yu refused to drink ginseng soup, and Qi Ling told him that their father had saved the best ginseng for him while drinking inferior rootlets himself. Qi Yu stopped wasting the soup and quietly shared pastries with his brother, leaving their quarrel behind.

• Qi Yu ordered Chun He and A Ping to remove all ginseng from his meals and hide the supply in Yuning Hall.
• Qi Ling visited Qi Yu with Longjing pastries and teased him about fleeing from ginseng soup.
• Qi Yu and Qi Ling bickered over pastries and words until Qi Yu asked his brother to stop picking on him because he was ill.
• Qi Ling revealed that their father had reserved the best ginseng for Qi Yu while drinking inferior rootlets himself, and warned him not to pour soup into the clivia again.
• Qi Yu inspected the yellowing clivia, returned to the table, and shared his pastry with Qi Ling as they finished the plate together.

Qi Yu went to Xuanzheng Hall to apologize to Qi Xiao for wasting the last ginseng root and for not understanding his father’s sacrifices. Qi Xiao comforted him, and Qi Yu left after drinking his father’s cold ginseng-rootlet tea.

• Qi Yu watered the clivia and walked from Yuning Hall to Xuanzheng Hall without his crutch.
• Qi Yu tearfully confessed that he had wasted the ginseng soup and promised not to be willful again.
• Qi Xiao wiped Qi Yu’s tears and told him that his health mattered more than the ginseng.
• Qi Xiao embraced Qi Yu and explained that he gave him the best things because he was his son.
• Before leaving with De'an, Qi Yu drank the cold ginseng-rootlet tea from Qi Xiao’s desk.

Qi Yu begged Qi Ling for forbidden meat after a week on the imperial physician’s strict diet, imposed because he had eaten a hundred-year-old ginseng root. Qi Ling refused braised pork but gave him permitted Osmanthus Cake and minced lean meat, and Qi Yu promised not to eat things recklessly again.

• Qi Yu complained to Qi Ling that he had gone seven days without braised pork and pleaded for a bite.
• Qi Ling refused Qi Yu’s requests for braised pork, pork hock, ribs, and other meat, explaining that he needed another half month to recover.
• Qi Ling reminded Qi Yu that his reckless ginseng-eating had caused the restrictions, and Qi Yu admitted he had no argument.
• Qi Ling offered Qi Yu permitted Osmanthus Cake, milk, vegetables, and minced lean meat in the Eastern Palace.
• Qi Yu slowly ate the minced meat and promised Qi Ling he would never eat things recklessly again.

Qi Yu secretly ate braised pork at the Eastern Palace while still restricted to congee, and Qi Xiao learned of it but chose not to punish him. As Qi Yu anticipated his birthday feast, Qi Xiao kept his dietary restrictions in place until the prescribed half-month ended.

• Qi Yu returned from the Eastern Palace after secretly eating meat, then cleaned his hands and hid the evidence from Chun He.
• De'an told Qi Xiao that Qi Yu had come back with braised pork sauce on his cuff, and Qi Xiao decided not to pursue the matter.
• Qi Xiao ordered the Imperial Kitchen to prepare Qi Yu’s favorite dishes, including braised pork, sweet-and-sour ribs, and extra Osmanthus Cake, for his birthday.
• Qi Yu asked Qi Xiao for an early birthday present and listed a light but powerful bow, riding boots, and a new travelogue among his wishes.
• Qi Yu asked to have his dietary restrictions lifted early, but Qi Xiao refused and promised no change before the imperial physician’s half-month period ended.
• Qi Yu reminded Qi Xiao that he had overheard the birthday feast order and looked forward to eating his fill.

As Qi Yu’s birthday approached, he received many valuable gifts from prominent households and Qi Ming, but found that he already owned things like them. He asked Qi Xiao for his birthday present, and Qi Xiao promised to give it to him at dinner, leaving Qi Yu eager to return to Yuning Hall and change.

• The Jinghai Marquis Residence sent Qi Yu tribute-quality writing supplies, and Xie Ning added a dagger for protection; Qi Yu laughed about his earlier tiger hunt.
• Wang Yuan delivered the Duke of Min’s gift, a well-preserved painting of hunters in the mountains, and Qi Yu thanked the Duke.
• Other officials’ families and Qi Ming sent gifts, including jade paperweights, books, a screen, and a rare poetry collection.
• On his birthday, Qi Yu examined the gifts but found that he already had similar things, while A Ping and Chun He recorded who had sent each one.
• Qi Yu went to Xuanzheng Hall, told Qi Xiao about the gifts, and said he was still waiting for his father’s present.
• Qi Xiao promised to give Qi Yu his gift at dinner, and Qi Yu hurried back to Yuning Hall to change.

Qi Xiao treated Qi Yu to his favorite foods and gave him a custom-made bow. Qi Yu thanked his father and promised to hunt only in safe places, then went to sleep with the bow beside his pillow.

• Qi Yu eagerly ate his favorite dishes with Qi Xiao and learned that Qi Xiao knew he had also eaten at the Crown Prince's residence.
• After dinner, Qi Xiao had De'an present Qi Yu with a finely crafted bow engraved with a wish for his safety.
• Qi Yu hugged Qi Xiao, thanked him for the bow, and promised to hunt only rabbits and pheasants at the West Mountain Hunting Grounds.
• Qi Yu placed the bow beside his pillow and fell asleep after gazing at it.

After learning that the Emperor had given Qi Yu a personally inscribed bow, Qi Ming struggled with jealousy and lashed out at a eunuch. Qi Yu sensed that Qi Ming’s behavior had changed and began to recognize that he had to face danger himself as he grew up.

• Zhou Wenhan told Qi Ming about the Emperor’s birthday gift to Qi Yu, and Qi Ming ruined his calligraphy as he remembered the casual closeness between his father and Fourth Brother.
• Qi Ming ordered Zhou Wenhan not to bring him such talk again, then nearly smashed the inkstone his father had given him before kicking a young eunuch who was picking up his crumpled paper.
• Qi Yu quietly fed the rabbits and did not react when Qin Wei mentioned that Qi Ming had looked grim.
• Qi Yu told Qin Wei that Qi Ming’s unexpected smiles unsettled him more than his former sour looks, but said he would do nothing unless Qi Ming acted.
• As Qi Yu and Qin Wei headed to lessons, Qin Wei realized that Qi Yu had begun to understand he could not rely on his father to shield him from everything.

Qi Ming questioned Consort Jing about her years in the palace and learned how she had given up hope of winning the Emperor’s favor. He left convinced that, unlike affection, the Crown Prince’s power could be contested, and began to imagine taking the path to the throne himself.

• Qi Ming visited Consort Jing and asked whether she had ever regretted her life with the Emperor.
• Consort Jing recounted how the Emperor raised the Fourth Prince at Xuanzheng Hall and gradually gave up hope of winning his attention.
• Qi Ming asked whether someone else might have become Crown Prince if the Late Empress had not been there, then left without pressing Consort Jing for an answer.
• Qi Ming reflected on Crown Prince Qi Ling’s secure position and considered that the heir could be appointed or deposed.
• Qi Ming watched Qi Ling review documents in the Eastern Palace but did not enter or speak to him.
• Qi Ming realized he might seek power by challenging the Crown Prince and turned toward the palace path ahead.