Chapter Summaries

Tong Aning witnessed Zhao Qianrong publicly expose and humiliate her unfaithful husband, then spent time with Mu Yao and received a letter from Tong Fengye. At the Marquis of Changle’s mourning, Xixi revealed that Weng Qingtao had murdered his twin Weng Qingrui and taken his place, and Princess Jianing ordered her guards to kill him.

• Zhao Qianrong put her husband Wei Feng up for sale in public after he betrayed her, and the outraged crowd pelted him and Cao Xiang with rotten food.
• Tong Aning returned home with Mu Yao, watched her paint a portrait, gave her medicinal sugar pills, and read a letter from Tong Fengye.
• After the Marquis of Changle’s youngest son died in battle, Su Zhouyue reassured Feng Jingruo that Feng Chu was safe, then later brought Tong Aning to the funeral.
• Tong Aning realized that the man acting as Weng Qingrui was actually his twin Weng Qingtao, and Xixi revealed that Weng Qingtao had killed his brother and taken his place.
• After Weng Qingtao proposed becoming husband to both households, Jianing summoned her hidden guards and ordered them to kill him.

Jianing uncovered that Weng Qingtao had murdered his twin brother Weng Qingrui and killed him, while the emperor punished the Marquis of Changle’s household. Half a year later, Wen Chensi returned from the Yun Kingdom, and court business ended with Tong Aning revealing embarrassing secrets about officials through her inner voice.

• Jianing forced Weng Qingtao to confess to murdering Weng Qingrui, then stabbed him to death despite the Marquis of Changle’s protests.
• At court, Jianing accused the Marquis of Changle of knowing about the murder and deceiving the sovereign, and the emperor condemned the marquis’s negligence.
• Jianing arranged Weng Qingrui’s funeral, while the Marquis of Changle’s household was raided and its property confiscated; she offered Chai Mo a place as her female official.
• Half a year later, Wen Chensi returned from the Yun Kingdom, whose empress established friendly relations with Great Xia.
• The emperor assigned Sha Cheng to arrange rewards for border soldiers, and Tong Aning’s inner voice exposed that one official had just left a colleague’s bed.

Tong Aning’s thoughts exposed the affair between Zhu Qizheng and He Xi, whose fiancées confronted them after learning the truth. Meanwhile, Meng Yu and Azhu returned to the capital, and the chapter ended with Zhu Qizheng and He Xi petitioning to abolish the women’s academy, drawing Wen Chensi into the fallout.

• The emperor kept Tong Aning and Xue Lin after court for a meal, then questioned Official Zhu and Official He after Tong Aning’s thoughts suggested they were secretly together.
• The emperor set Tong Aning and Xue Lin’s wedding for the third day of the ninth month, while Su Zhouyue and Tong Siyan began preparing for it.
• Tong Aning and Lou Yingyu welcomed Azhu back from the army and shared a meal with her at the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion.
• Two women accused Tao Jiang of pursuing their fiancés, but Tong Aning’s thoughts revealed that Zhu Qizheng and He Xi had been sleeping together and had tried to shift blame onto Tao Jiang.
• Zhu Qizheng and He Xi arrived at court with slap marks after their fiancées confronted them, and Tong Aning’s thoughts revealed they had proposed marrying in name only.
• Zhu Qizheng and He Xi petitioned the emperor to abolish the women’s academy, leaving Wen Chensi bewildered.

Wen Chensi defended the women's academy at court, and the emperor sent Zhu Qizheng and He Xi to Danzhou. At a meeting arranged to discuss Azhu's betrothal, Li Yurong revealed that he had promised to marry another woman and insulted Tong Aning, so Azhu struck him with her whip.

• Wen Chensi rebuked Zhu Qizheng and He Xi for blaming the women's academy, and the emperor sent them to Danzhou to help the local people.
• At a palace banquet, the emperor raised Azhu's betrothal to Li Yurong, and Meng Yu and Zhuang Qing agreed to consider the match if Li proved worthy.
• Tong Aning accompanied Azhu to meet Li Yurong, who said he had promised to marry his mother's lifesaver's daughter, even though she would become his concubine.
• Tong Aning challenged Li Yurong, but he accused her of trying to ruin Azhu's marriage because she was engaged to Xue Lin.
• Li Yurong claimed he would marry only Azhu, and Azhu struck him with her whip and demanded that he apologize to Tong Aning.

Tong Aning helped Azhu break off her marriage to Li Yurong, exposed the Li family’s crimes, and saw them punished. At Prince Liang’s son’s wedding, an assassination attempt sparked an investigation, while Tong Aning’s private thoughts revealed embarrassing gossip about Duke Zheng.

• Azhu struck Li Yurong for insulting Tong Aning and ended their marriage arrangement, then Tong Aning had A Shu beat him as well.
• At court, Li Suihe accused Tong Aning and Azhu of assaulting Li Yurong, but Tong Aning exposed the Li family’s abuses and the emperor ordered the family punished and their engagement broken.
• Xue Lin led the confiscation of the Li family’s property, and Yingtao told Tong Aning that he had mocked Li Yurong by making him paddle in two small boats.
• At Prince Liang’s youngest son’s wedding, an assassin wounded Xue Xingchao, prompting Prince Liang and his son to investigate the guests.
• Xue Xingchao and Prince Liang suspected Duke Zheng and the bride’s father, but Tong Aning’s thoughts revealed that Duke Zheng’s suspicious behavior came from his private intimacy with his wife.

After learning that Fang Jianming had repeatedly tried to assault Lu Jingfu, Xue Xingchao beat him while Prince Liang sent the wedding guests away. Later, Tong Aning and Lou Yingyu celebrated the spring examination results, and Lou Yingyu astonished herself by silencing the arrogant Yu Kingdom delegation during negotiations.

• Donghua brought Fang Jianming, who had sneaked into Lu Jingfu's room, bound before Xue Xingchao and Prince Liang.
• Xue Xingchao pretended to send Fang Jianming for a medical examination, then beat him in the side hall until he passed out.
• The spring examinations concluded successfully, and Tong Aning celebrated the results with Lou Yingyu and Azhu.
• Lou Yingyu learned she ranked first on the capital's beauty list as a “brainless beauty,” then spent the night with Tong Aning and Azhu.
• Lou Yingyu joined Qu Bufan's negotiations with the Yu Kingdom envoys and silenced their delegation after they began with arrogance.

Lou Yingyu, Tong Aning, and Azhu visited Xue Ruyun, where Tong Aning gave Azhu scar-removing ointment and learned why Xue Ruyun refused to teach Ling Xue’er. Tong Aning discovered Ling Xue’er had been experimenting on people to compile a medical book, then hurried to stop her from meeting her final subject, Wei Feng.

• Qu Bufan praised Lou Yingyu’s usefulness in negotiations with the Yu Kingdom, and she later joked with Tong Aning and Azhu about his encouragement.
• Tong Aning visited Xue Ruyun, who gave Azhu improved scar-removing ointment that Tong Aning and Lou Yingyu had prepared for her.
• Xue Ruyun explained that she refused to accept Ling Xue’er as a disciple because she believed Ling Xue’er did not value human life.
• Ling Xue’er told Tong Aning she would soon no longer need Xue Ruyun as her master, and Xixi revealed that she had been experimenting on people to write a medical book.
• Tong Aning and A Shu hurried to the place where Ling Xue’er was expected to meet her final subject and found Wei Feng there.

Ling Xue'er lured Wei Feng to a house and tried to cut him open for her medical research, but Tong Aning stopped her and sent them both to Jingzhao Prefecture. Later, a shopkeeper overheard that a man courting her daughter intended for her to marry his father, so she decided to accompany her daughter on their outing.

• Ling Xue'er brought Wei Feng to a house, where her accomplices restrained him and she revealed her plan to use him in her medical research.
• Tong Aning had A Shu restrain Ling Xue'er and explained that medicine was meant to save people, then sent Ling Xue'er and Wei Feng to Jingzhao Prefecture.
• After returning, Tong Aning and Xue Lin shared pastries while he told her he remembered her advice to eat more sweet things.
• A shopkeeper overheard that a man pursuing her daughter planned for her daughter to marry his father, and she decided to go with her daughter to meet him.

Tong Aning and her companions learned how a scheming father and son had been exposed on a pleasure boat, then Tong Fengye returned home from the north with gifts for his family. The chapter ended as Tong Fengye hinted that he had something else to reveal, and Tong Aning suspected he had rescued a girl.

• Tong Aning learned through Xixi that Han Wang and his father had drugged themselves while plotting to frame Zhou Qingdai, and Qi Wanxiang attacked her husband before leaving the two men in the water.
• Tong Aning, Lou Yingyu, and Azhu declined to rescue Han Wang and later discovered Zhou Youhui had switched the drugged cups to expose the plot.
• Zhou Youhui sent medicinal ingredients Tong Aning needed to the marquis's residence a few days later.
• Tong Fengye returned home, reunited with his family, and gave Tong Aning a whistle that summoned a golden eagle he had tamed for her protection.
• Tong Fengye began to reveal something else, and Tong Aning wondered whether he had rescued a girl on the battlefield.

Tong Fengye returned and reunited with his family before Tong Aning met Xue Lin, who received a grass-woven grasshopper from her. They then encountered Ning Ningwan accusing Shi Shiyun of keeping a male pet, only for the supposed lover to be revealed as Chi Xinjiang, her fiancé.

• Tong Fengye told his family he had never taken out Su Zhouyue’s letter, and they sympathized with the hardship behind his military success.
• Tong Aobai praised Tong Fengye and announced that he and Feng Chu would receive rewards, while Tong Aning went to meet Xue Lin.
• Tong Aning gave Xue Lin a grass-woven grasshopper and showed him the golden eagle Tong Fengye had trained for her protection.
• Ning Ningwan confronted Shi Shiyun over a supposed male pet, but Chi Xinjiang arrived and tried to make her leave.
• Shi Shiyun pulled off Chi Xinjiang’s veiled hat and learned he was the man she had mistaken for a male courtesan and kept at her residence.
• Tong Aning’s thoughts revealed how Chi Xinjiang had fallen in love with Shi Shiyun after she saved him, and that he had once insulted himself as the fiancé who deserved to have his eyes gouged out.

Shi Shiyun and Chi Xinjiang decided to marry in three days, while Tong Aning and Xue Lin celebrated their wedding at Prince Yong's Residence. The newlyweds spent their wedding night together, and the next day the court noticed Tong Aning was absent.

• Shi Shiyun reassured Chi Xinjiang that he would always be her husband and agreed to marry him in three days.
• Xue Lin told Tong Aning they would marry soon, and Tong Aning agreed as they shared pastries and milk tea in the carriage.
• Tong Fengye wished Xue Lin would treat Tong Aning well, and Tong Aning left the marquis's residence in a bridal sedan.
• Xue Lin and Tong Aning held their wedding ceremony at Prince Yong's Residence, with the emperor and empress dowager in attendance.
• Xue Lin brought Tong Aning her favorite foods, then shared fruit wine and kissed her on their wedding night.
• At court the next day, the emperor joked that the officials could not visit Prince Yong's Residence to bring Tong Aning back.

Tong Aning and Xue Lin began married life together, and Xue Lin gave her the holdings of Prince Yong's Residence. On their return visit to the Tong family, gossip about a woman with multiple lovers led to the revelation that Zhan Yuhua had deceived both You Wenhuai and his sister, You Wenmei, before You Wenhuai collapsed.

• Tong Aning found Xue Lin practicing swordsmanship and learned he had taken it up because he feared his weak health might keep him from sharing a long life with her.
• Tong Aning and Xue Lin paid respects in the ancestral hall, planned how she would spend time in his garden, and Xue Lin gave her the holdings of Prince Yong's Residence.
• Three days later, Xue Lin accompanied Tong Aning on her return visit to the Tong family, where her family welcomed them warmly.
• At dinner, Tong Aning heard that Lord You and another man had discovered they shared a wife, and she learned the woman had also been involved with a third person.
• At the You Residence, You Wenmei insisted Zhan Yuhua was her beloved Yulang, while You Wenhuai ordered them separated.
• Zhan Yuhua pleaded with You Wenhuai to accept that she loved both him and his sister, and You Wenhuai spat blood and collapsed.

Tong Aning and Lou Yingyu joked about Zhang Chihai’s misfortunes before Tong Aning accompanied Xue Lin to court, where he agreed to inherit the title of Prince Yong’s Residence. As Xue Lin and Tong Aning left, she revealed that the crown prince was plotting rebellion with the empress.

• Tong Aning, Lou Yingyu, and Azhu discussed You Wenmei, You Wenhuai, and the bruised Zhang Chihai outside the Tong family’s shop.
• Xue Lin met Tong Aning, and Sichen explained that Zhang Chihai had gone to the You family and been beaten by You Wenhuai.
• Tong Aning and Xue Lin saw Zhang Chihai being pulled aside by his stepfather, then learned that Zhang Chihai requested leave the next day.
• At court, the emperor asked Xue Lin to inherit the title of Prince Yong’s Residence, and Xue Lin agreed before telling the emperor to look ahead as well.
• Xue Lin told Tong Aning that the crown prince had often mistreated him when they studied together, and Tong Aning promised to protect him.
• Tong Aning revealed that the crown prince was plotting rebellion with the empress, shocking Xue Lin.

The crown prince and empress attempted to overthrow the emperor, but Tong Fengye and Feng Chu arrived with the imperial guards and stopped them. After the rebellion, Xue Lin made peace with the emperor’s past failures, while Tong Aning joked that she might become emperor.

• The emperor confronted the crown prince as the Crimson Shadow Army surrounded the hall, and the crown prince accused him of favoring Xue Lin.
• The empress joined the crown prince and accused the emperor of trying to make amends to Xue Lin, prompting him to reveal that the empress’s second brother had helped murder Xue Lin’s parents.
• The crown prince questioned whether the emperor had considered him when sending Xue Lin to investigate human traffickers, and the emperor admitted he had originally wanted to send the crown prince.
• Tong Fengye and Feng Chu arrived with the imperial guards before the Crimson Shadow Army could act, and the emperor ordered the empress and crown prince taken away.
• Five days later, the emperor stripped the empress and crown prince of their titles and banished them from the capital; Xue Lin later told Tong Aning he would let the past go.
• Tong Aning joked that she could become emperor, then privately imagined keeping eight or ten male favorites, so Xue Lin pulled her down and told her to sleep.

Tong Aning celebrated the New Year with her family and Xue Lin, received the title of Commandery Princess Bright Moon, and learned that her family could hear her thoughts. After dreaming that Xixi planned to leave because she had found happiness, Tong Aning persuaded Xixi to stay, and she woke reassured and content.

• Tong Aning reunited with her family as Tong Fengye arrived carrying gifts, then joined everyone in a snowball fight.
• Tong Aning and Tong Fengye struggled to make dumplings while discussing how Tong Fengye could care for Mu Yao.
• Su Zhouyue received the rank of first-rank titled lady, and Tong Aning was granted the title of Commandery Princess Bright Moon.
• During New Year's Eve games, Tong Aning learned that her family could hear her thoughts, then celebrated the new year with fireworks and Xue Lin.
• In a dream, Xixi told Tong Aning it had to leave because she had found happiness, but Tong Aning asked it to stay as her melon-eating partner.
• Tong Aning woke to find Xixi still with her and able to stop broadcasting her thoughts, then shared her happiness with Xue Lin.