Chapter Summaries

Zhen Meili inspected Gu Moran and the women in his household, making blunt judgments that prompted Shen Ling'er and Su Yao to challenge her. The chapter left Zhen Meili beginning to assess Xie Wanqing.

• Zhen Meili inspected Gu Moran's build and couch, and Gu Moran stopped her from touching him further.
• Zhen Meili declared that the women each had problems, while Su Yao warned her she would have to account for the workshop's extra copper if her claims lacked reasoning.
• Zhen Meili told Shen Ling'er that her small frame might make childbirth difficult, and Shen Ling'er challenged her lack of medical knowledge.
• Shen Ling'er corrected Zhen Meili's claims about childbirth and made her wipe the marks she had left on Gu Moran's clothes.
• Zhen Meili turned to Xie Wanqing and said her fine-boned frame needed building up because she was liable to jam.

Zhen Meili teased the women in Gu Moran’s household about their physiques and habits, then praised Murong Xue as strong enough to bear triplets. Murong Xue began imagining how having the firstborn sons might let her claim the empress’s seat or even make Gu Moran her prince consort.

• Xie Wanqing challenged Zhen Meili to draw where she thought Xie Wanqing would jam, and Zhen Meili backed down from her crude joke.
• Zhen Meili called Su Yao and Liu Ruyan overworked gears, while Gu Moran suggested Su Yao attend to him after dinner and Su Yao rebuked him over his waived debts.
• Zhen Meili appraised Lin Qingdai and Murong Xue, then praised Murong Xue’s sturdy build and slapped her thigh.
• Zhen Meili claimed Murong Xue could bear triplets, and Murong Xue privately imagined that sons born first could help her become empress or grant Gu Moran the title of prince consort.

Murong Xue took Zhen Meili’s comments about her strong constitution and future children to heart, resolving to prove she could be a capable principal consort by caring for Gu Moran. She carefully fed him his medicine and made plans for their future children, while the others amused themselves at her sudden change in manner.

• Shen Ling'er and Su Yao challenged Zhen Meili’s claims about predicting multiple births, while Murong Xue privately imagined raising children with Gu Moran.
• Liu Ruyan teased Murong Xue about having a child with Gu Moran, and Murong Xue became flustered before sitting beside him.
• Murong Xue adjusted Gu Moran’s blanket and took over feeding him medicine, determined to show she could look after him.
• Gu Moran joked about her careful spoonfuls, and Murong Xue offered him candied fruit while saying she was not afraid of the work of raising children.
• Su Yao, Xie Wanqing, Liu Ruyan, and Lin Qingdai reacted with amusement as Murong Xue wiped the dish and made plans for her future role as principal consort.

Murong Xue was teased into managing Gu Moran’s medicine and schedule, then fled when asked to choose whose room he would sleep in. That night, she prepared her room and tried to make herself look pregnant, hoping to conceive before Lin Qingdai.

• Murong Xue fed Gu Moran his medicine while Su Yao and the others added household tasks to her list.
• Gu Moran asked Murong Xue to choose where he would spend the night, and she dodged the decision by claiming she needed to check the rain and the courtyard blades.
• Murong Xue continued checking the doors while the others joked that she was still thinking about Gu Moran’s sleeping arrangements.
• At night, Murong Xue secured her window and waited in her room, wondering whether Gu Moran would come.
• Murong Xue stuffed pillows under her clothes to imitate a pregnant belly, but decided the bump was too small.

Murong Xue practiced pretending to be pregnant with pillows, imagining how she would raise a son with Gu Moran. Yun Shuyue caught her at the window and mistook the pillows for a real pregnancy, leaving Murong Xue mortified.

• Murong Xue strapped pillows beneath her robe and practiced walking and sitting like a pregnant woman.
• Murong Xue imagined raising a son with Gu Moran and decided what lessons he would learn from their friends.
• Murong Xue heard chewing at the window and discovered Yun Shuyue watching her.
• Murong Xue rushed toward the window, struck her knee on a stool, and startled Yun Shuyue into dropping her pastry.
• Yun Shuyue fell from the windowsill and exclaimed that Murong Xue had a little prince in her belly.

Yun Shuyue mistook the pillows Murong Xue had strapped to her belly for a pregnancy and spread the news through the residence, prompting Murong Xue to chase her with a saber. The rumor reached Gu Moran and Su Yao’s chamber and stirred fears of a succession contest just as the other women arrived.

• Yun Shuyue shouted that Murong Xue was pregnant and ran toward Su Yao’s courtyard.
• Murong Xue chased Yun Shuyue, insisting that the bulge beneath her clothes came from pillows.
• Yun Shuyue cried for help and announced that Murong Xue was coming to hack people down with her big belly.
• Gu Moran and Su Yao heard the pregnancy rumor, and Su Yao worried Murong Xue might gain influence by bearing his eldest son.
• The women hurried to Gu Moran’s chamber, and the door burst open.

Lin Qingdai, Shen Ling'er, and Xie Wanqing each found excuses to stay with Gu Moran for the night after hearing about the disturbance. Their rivalry over his attention left Gu Moran surrounded in bed, and he pulled Lin Qingdai into his arms as she tried to retreat.

• Lin Qingdai entered Gu Moran's chamber, claiming she had come to guard him from an intruder.
• Shen Ling'er arrived with a medicine chest and said she needed to monitor Gu Moran's health.
• Xie Wanqing brought ginseng soup and announced she would stay because the flooded passage prevented her from returning to her quarters.
• Su Yao invited the other women into bed and took Gu Moran's hand, while Shen Ling'er nestled against his leg.
• Gu Moran pulled Lin Qingdai onto the bed after she hesitated, and she lost her resistance against his chest.

Gu Moran spent the night with Xie Wanqing and Su Yao while Zhen Meili secretly documented the bed’s strain. After recognizing Gu Moran’s household as his weakness, Meng Jiuning decided to win his favor to protect Dali; far away, Gu Mochen suffered the effects of the Bliss Pills and begged for more medicine.

• Gu Moran embraced Xie Wanqing and Su Yao, while Murong Xue dragged Yun Shuyue away to run five hundred laps.
• Zhen Meili eavesdropped outside Su Yao’s room and recorded that the canopy bed needed reinforcement.
• Meng Jiuning concluded that Gu Moran’s wives were his weakness and resolved to compete for his favor to secure Dali’s protection.
• Gu Moran overheard Meng Jiuning’s plan and smiled, intending to let her proceed.
• In Anyang City, Gu Mochen writhed on the floor from the Bliss Pills’ effects and begged for the divine medicine.

Gu Mochen rejected Inukami Jusaburo and Park Roejang’s attempt to buy his betrayal with Bliss Pills and foreign troops, swallowing their treasonous agreement instead of signing it. Zhou Huaili and three veteran soldiers arrived and ordered the envoys to leave.

• Inukami Jusaburo and Park Roejang offered Gu Mochen Bliss Pills and military aid in exchange for Prince An’s seal and access to Laizhou and Dengzhou’s naval ports.
• Gu Mochen grabbed the agreement and ate most of it, refusing to sign away Great Yan’s territory.
• Inukami Jusaburo kicked Gu Mochen, who struck his head against a stone pillar to resist his drug craving.
• Gu Mochen denounced the envoys and declared that he would never surrender Great Yan’s maritime territory.
• Zhou Huaili and three veteran soldiers confronted Inukami Jusaburo and told him to leave.

After refusing to sign a coercive treaty, Gu Mochen endured painful treatment for his wounds and faced the growing dependence caused by Bliss Pills. He ordered himself chained to a pillar and sent a secret appeal to Gu Moran in Yi Prefecture, leaving the capital uninformed.

• Gu Mochen swallowed the treaty document, and Zhou Huaili ordered Inukami Jusaburo and Park Roejang escorted from the residence.
• The physician treated Gu Mochen’s wounds without anesthetic, while Gu Mochen resolved that the Bliss Pills could not be allowed to remain.
• Gu Mochen refused to send word to the capital because the court might strip him of his title, and the physician suggested seeking help from Gu Moran and Madam Shen in Yi Prefecture.
• As the drug’s craving returned, Gu Mochen ordered Zhou Huaili to chain him to a pillar and record his condition every hour.
• Gu Mochen ordered a swift runner sent to Yi Prefecture with his jade pendant, a letter written in blood, and the treaty fragments, warning Gu Moran about the addictive pills.

Gu Mochen ordered Anyang’s defenses and warned that Wa and Silla were preparing to establish a foothold, even as the sinister drug drove him toward losing control. After receiving Gu Mochen’s blood-written appeal, Gu Moran moved to investigate the drug’s spread and prepare for a campaign against the Wa people.

• Gu Mochen ordered Zhou Huaili to seal Anyang, mobilize its commandant, and have the Qi and Lu navy watch the sea and treat resisting overseas fleets as pirates.
• As the drug’s effects overwhelmed him, Gu Mochen told Zhou Huaili to kill him if he lost control, but Zhou Huaili restrained him and left to carry out his orders.
• Zhou Huaili forced the Anyang commandant to seal the water gates and detain merchants from Wa and Silla for questioning.
• A messenger delivered Gu Moran Gu Mochen’s bloodied jade pendant and letter, which warned that Wa’s sinister drug must not enter the sea and asked Gu Moran to set aside their rivalry.
• Gu Moran ordered an investigation of outside merchant caravans in Yi Prefecture, placed the region on high alert, and summoned Pu Yunshan to help prepare for war against the Wa people.

Gu Moran prepared for war while Shen Ling'er identified the poison afflicting his imperial brother, and Meng Jiuning offered a dangerous cure. After the medicine was sent with Gu Moran’s ultimatum, Meng Jiuning stumbled into his arms in the study.

• Gu Moran sealed a petition to go to war and ordered Tuoba Mang to produce two thousand Subduing Fire Thunders within ten days.
• Shen Ling'er determined that the poison would kill Gu Moran’s imperial brother within seven days if he stopped taking it, and that curing it required Elder Shen’s needle technique.
• Meng Jiuning offered the Dali royal formula Withered Wood Meets Spring Powder, warning that it would end the patient’s martial abilities and shorten his life by at least ten years.
• Gu Moran had Meng Jiuning brew the antidote and wrote his imperial brother a note presenting it as a choice between death and ruin.
• Meng Jiuning delivered the wax-sealed pill and tea to Gu Moran, then fell into his arms and explained that her legs had weakened after tending the medicine.

Zhen Meili secretly inspected Prince Yi Gu Moran’s bed, while the court later debated his plan to cross jurisdictions and subdue the Wa raiders. Chancellor Su and Grand Commandant Lin Zhenshan defended the campaign, and the Empress Dowager arrived as the argument continued.

• Gu Moran carried Meng Jiuning to the canopy bed, while Zhen Meili overheard them and recommended adding two heavy mattresses after recording her inspection.
• Three days later, the court resumed assemblies, and the Censor-in-Chief accused Gu Moran of illegally seeking military authority under the pretext of fighting Wa raiders.
• Chancellor Su defended Gu Moran and Prince An, citing the threat of Wa and Silla spies using poison to force Prince An to surrender two seaports.
• A vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue objected that the depleted treasury could not afford a war against Wa, but Lin Zhenshan threatened anyone who withheld supplies or obstructed Gu Moran.
• A palace attendant announced the arrival of the Empress Dowager.

The empress dowager authorized Prince Yi, Gu Moran, to command the response to the Wokou invasion, while Gu Moli planned to leave the capital and join him in Dengzhou. In Anyang, the tortured Gu Mochen blamed his own ambition and began explaining the childhood isolation that shaped him.

• The empress dowager united the phoenix seal, Central Secretariat seal, and Ministry of War tiger tally to issue a directive against the Wokou and grant Gu Moran broad authority in Anyang and Qi and Lu.
• Gu Moli watched the sealed directive leave the palace and ordered Qingwu to prepare horses and clothes so they could travel to Dengzhou while a double pretended to be ill.
• Gu Mochen told Zhou Huaili that haste and his attempts to outdo Gu Moran had led him to take dangerous medicines and become gravely ill.
• Gu Mochen rejected Zhou Huaili's claim that Chen Qing alone was to blame and began recounting how his motherless status left him isolated and abused in the Hall of Literary Learning.

Gu Mochen revealed how the empress had orchestrated his childhood torment and explained why he remained loyal to Chen Qing. An eight-hundred-li delivery brought a brutal antidote that would cure his poison at the cost of his martial abilities and ten years of life, and Gu Mochen rejected Zhou Huaili’s fear that the Third Prince meant to kill him.

• Gu Mochen recalled how Chen Qing had protected him from abuse and said he would never betray the man who had treated him like a brother.
• Gu Mochen accused the empress of arranging his torment and the false pursuit of a Longevity Pill to clear the way for her son.
• Gu Mochen coughed up black blood and feared he was dying as a bloodied deathsworn guard delivered a medicine from Yi Prefecture.
• Zhou Huaili read the letter explaining that the pill would purge the Bliss Pills’ poison but shatter Gu Mochen’s meridians and shorten his life by ten years.
• Zhou Huaili begged Gu Mochen not to take the pill, but Gu Mochen argued that the Third Prince would have let him die or poisoned him outright if he truly wanted him dead.

Gu Mochen took the medicine Gu Moran had provided, which cured his Bliss Pills addiction by destroying his meridians and leaving him severely weakened. He sent Zhou Huaili to give Gu Moran his sword and entrust him with the fight against the Japanese at sea.

• Gu Mochen insisted on taking the pill despite its cost, and Zhou Huaili fed it to him.
• The medicine clashed with the Bliss Pills poison, shattered Gu Mochen's meridians, and drove black blood from his body.
• Zhou Huaili cut Gu Mochen free and held him until he regained consciousness.
• Gu Mochen confirmed that the poison was cured, though he had lost his strength and become half crippled.
• Gu Mochen ordered Zhou Huaili to retrieve Sea-Calming and tell Gu Moran to take it to Dengzhou and fight the Japanese.

Gu Moran ordered Zhen Meili to design a deep-sea warship and comforted Su Yao, who worried she could not support his campaign to Dengzhou. Their private moment ended behind closed curtains, while Inukami Jusaburo and Park Roejang waited in hiding by the coast.

• Gu Moran asked Zhen Meili to design a stable deep-sea warship equipped to carry Subduing Fire Thunder, and she hurried off to work on the plans.
• Su Yao worried that she and the other women staying in Yi Prefecture could not help Gu Moran at the front, but he reassured her that guarding the city's finances was vital to his army.
• Gu Moran told Su Yao that her fertile days had arrived, and she embraced him as they retired behind the bed curtains.
• Inukami Jusaburo hid in the reeds as searchers called from the shore, while Park Roejang waited beside an old mooring post for a response from the waterway.

Inukami Jusaburo and Park Roejang planned to flee to Tsukushi and use rumors of a Great Yan campaign to recruit warriors, but a sailor revealed that a tsunami had devastated the ports and supply bases there. With their route home cut off and supplies dwindling, Park Roejang urged Inukami Jusaburo to return with him to Goryeo.

• Park Roejang and Inukami Jusaburo discussed escaping by sea, while Inukami proposed stirring up the island lords by claiming Great Yan was preparing to campaign east.
• The two boarded a small boat after a sailor arrived carrying charred timber from their ship and reported that a great earthquake and tsunami had struck the Hizen coast.
• The sailor told Inukami Jusaburo that the family granary, shipyards, harbors, and navigation markers had been destroyed or damaged, leaving no known port where they could safely resupply.
• Park Roejang warned that returning to Tsukushi would leave Inukami's men without food or ship repairs and urged him to come to Goryeo instead.

Noble Consort Chen discovered that Gu Moli had secretly left the capital for Dengzhou, where Gu Moran faced danger, and sought the empress dowager’s counsel. The empress dowager allowed Gu Moli to go, while Noble Consort Chen warned that the deposed empress might be plotting to leave the temple.

• Inukami Jusaburo asked Park Roejang whether Great Yan would pursue them, and Park said the people ashore would return that night.
• Noble Consort Chen discovered that the sick girl posing as Gu Moli was a double and learned that Gu Moli had fled toward Dengzhou with Qingwu to protect Gu Moran.
• Noble Consort Chen ordered the double confined and guarded, then disguised herself and went to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.
• Noble Consort Chen told the empress dowager that Gu Moli had gone to Dengzhou, and the empress dowager said to let her go and watch Gu Moran’s back.
• Noble Consort Chen warned that the deposed empress’s personal eunuch had passed something outside and feared the empress would leave the temple.

The Empress Dowager ordered Gu Moyuan deposed and confined while plotting to restore the throne to Chengqian’s bloodline through Ran'er. In Yi Prefecture, Su Yao and the others prepared Gu Moran’s supplies and intelligence before his departure for Qi and Lu.

• Noble Consort Chen warned the Empress Dowager that powerful clans were joining forces to oppose Gu Moyuan’s deposition.
• The Empress Dowager ordered Gu Moyuan stripped of his titles and imprisoned, and commanded the grand commandant to surround the clans’ estates and prevent messages from getting out.
• The Empress Dowager revealed her plan to restore Chengqian’s bloodline, relying on Ran'er to return from the front with command of a hundred thousand troops before she killed Gu Chengshi.
• In Yi Prefecture, Su Yao arranged grain and silver shipments for Gu Moran’s campaign, while Xie Wanqing packed dispatches and Liu Ruyan prepared warm clothing.
• Su Yao gave Gu Moran the private seal controlling the residence’s reserves, and he assured her that his granary was in her hands.