Recaps

Qi Yu grew closer to Qi Xiao and Qi Ling while the Autumn Examination brought Gu Hengsheng and Sun Qiwen into the princes’ orbit. Gu Hengsheng emerged as the top graduate and was assigned work on Henan’s waterways, while Qi Yu’s bond with Qi Xiao remained central to palace life.

• Qi Yu joined Qi Ling and Xie Ning on the hunt, then recovered from sore arms under Qi Xiao’s care and grew closer to both his father and the Crown Prince.
• Qi Yu struggled with Qi Ming’s resentment during lessons, asked Qi Xiao to love him more, and spent a night beside him in Xuanzheng Hall.
• Qi Ling identified Gu Hengsheng as a capable candidate and investigated Sun Qiwen’s concerns about concealed Yunnan copper production, while Qi Yu helped Gu Hengsheng prepare for the examinations.
• As the Autumn Examination began, Qi Yu kept away from Qi Xiao and Jiaofang Hall, leaving both Qi Xiao and Xiao Luo to wonder at the distance between them.
• Qi Xiao found Qi Yu feverish, canceled morning court, and stayed beside him until he recovered, while Qi Yu returned to spending time with his father.
• The Xiao Family failed to secure influence through Xiao Luo, who refused to assist them and remained focused on memories of Yang Ning.
• Gu Hengsheng and Sun Qiwen placed highly in the examinations, and Qi Yu spotted the merit of an essay about hardship and tax relief in Henan.
• Gu Hengsheng became the top graduate and was assigned to the Waterways Bureau, while Qi Xiao rejected a request to favor a Xiao Family candidate and Qi Yu offered his father osmanthus cake.

After A Rong's scheme drove Qi Yu into a faint, Qi Xiao punished the Xiao Family and worked to reassure his son. Qi Yu later helped Xiao Ya bury her mother, while Madam Xie considered arranging for Xiao Ya to become Xie Ning's bedchamber maid.

• Qi Xiao learned that A Rong had been placed in Yuning Hall by the Xiao Family and, after she caused Qi Yu to faint, ordered the Xiao Family expelled from the capital and stripped of its influence.
• When Qi Yu recovered, Qi Xiao promised no one would be forced on him again, and Qi Yu told him he was troubled by Jiang Baolin's attention to his father.
• Qi Xiao agreed that Jiang Baolin would not massage his shoulders or play the zither, while Qi Yu offered to learn massage from Imperial Physician Zhou.
• Qi Yu stayed close to Qi Xiao, who cared for him through meals, baths, and late nights as Qi Yu asked him to remain nearby.
• Qi Ling learned that local officials had mistreated the expelled Xiao Family and ordered aid for them while warning against further unauthorized punishment.
• Qi Yu and Xie Ning found Xiao Ya trying to sell herself to bury her mother, gathered money for her, and helped arrange the burial before bringing her to the Jinghai Marquis Residence without requiring her to become a servant.
• Qi Yu told Qi Xiao about helping Xiao Ya, and Qi Xiao corrected his lesson, lightly struck him with a ruler, and ordered chestnuts, Osmanthus Cake, and ginseng soup for him.
• Madam Xie observed Xiao Ya at the residence, decided she was suitable for Xie Ning, and told Nanny Zhou to explain the bedchamber-maid arrangement and wait until after winter.

After Qi Yu’s injury, Qi Xiao cared for him as he recovered, and Qi Yu learned to keep his promises and take his health seriously. Qi Yu’s birthday brought him a cherished bow, while Qi Ming grew resentful of his closeness with their father and began considering a challenge to Qi Ling’s position.

• Qi Yu fell into a hidden pit while escaping two tigers, and Qi Xiao punished him after he recovered from his injured ankle.
• Xie Ning was caned by Xie Ting for taking Qi Yu into danger, while Xiao Ya stayed by Xie Ning’s bedside and cared for him.
• Qi Xiao confiscated the Cui Family’s property and punished its members after an investigation exposed stolen military supplies.
• Qi Yu recovered enough to visit Qi Ling, celebrated Qi Xiao’s birthday with a turtle, and promised to stay beside his father.
• Qi Yu ate nearly an entire century-old ginseng root to grow taller, suffered a severe nosebleed, and followed a restricted diet while he recovered.
• Qi Yu apologized to Qi Xiao for wasting ginseng soup, and Qi Xiao told him that his health mattered more than the ginseng.
• Qi Xiao gave Qi Yu a finely crafted bow for his birthday, and Qi Yu promised to hunt only rabbits and pheasants.
• Qi Ming reflected on Qi Ling’s secure position as Crown Prince and began considering a challenge to his brother.

After Qi Yu survives Qi Ming’s poisoning plot, he grows closer to Qi Xiao while learning to judge officials and take part in state affairs. As Qi Ling returns from Jiangnan and prepares to inherit the throne, Qi Yu plans a future with Qi Xiao at Qingliang Terrace and remains determined to stay by his father’s side.

• Qi Yu drank Qi Ling’s poisoned wine by mistake, and Qi Xiao sealed the palace and uncovered Qi Ming’s plot through the dead eunuch’s links to Zhou Wenhan and the Sun Family.
• Qi Xiao stripped Consort Jing of her title and sentenced Qi Ming to lifelong confinement, while Qi Yu mourned their broken relationship and asked that his brother receive books and a thick quilt.
• As Qi Yu recovered, Qi Xiao cared for him, and Qi Yu began sharing quiet routines with his father, from washing his feet to listening to travel stories together.
• Qi Xiao sent Qi Ling to Jiangnan to investigate relief spending and repair embankments, and Qi Ling punished corrupt officials and returned to the capital praised for his work.
• Qi Yu studied official assessments and proposed reforms, while Qi Xiao gradually entrusted him with reviewing records and teaching him how to detect wrongdoing.
• Qi Xiao gave Qi Ling responsibility over the Ministries of Revenue and Personnel, and Qi Yu accepted Nanyang as his future fief but refused to leave the palace or live apart from Qi Xiao.
• Qi Yu planned Qingliang Terrace as a future study for Qi Xiao, and after arguing with his father, he spent a night in the Eastern Palace with Qi Ling.
• Qi Yu gave half the Imperial Treasury’s treasures to Qi Ling, received the Private Treasury key from Qi Xiao, then found discrepancies in military procurement accounts and joined Qi Xiao at the Hot Spring Lodge.