Recaps

Tang Zhuyun learned that Tang Mingfan had given her a token allowing her to leave the Prince of Jin if he mistreated her, and she was moved by her father’s support. As she prepared for the Empress’s birthday and her wedding, the Prince of Jin’s letter reassured her that she did not need to change who she was.

• Tang Mingfan gave Tang Zhuyun a gold pardon token and promised she would always have his support if she needed to leave the Prince of Jin.
• Huaishang returned and wrote to the Prince of Jin that Tang Mingfan wanted Tang Zhuyun to have an amicable divorce, though she had not clearly stated her position.
• Tang Baixin transferred from the Ministry of Personnel to the Ministry of Revenue, and Meng Yulan explained that the move could benefit his prospects.
• Meng Yulan began teaching Tang Zhuyun and Yanran court etiquette ahead of the Empress’s birthday and discussed finding a suitable lady of complete fortune for the wedding.
• Tang Zhuyun received a letter from the Prince of Jin declaring that only death would part them and telling her she did not need to learn the rules or change who she was.

Tang Zhuyun prepared for her wedding by studying, visiting the Xue Family, and embroidering her bridal veil while building warm ties with her relatives. The chapter ended with her hurrying to examine Linlin after a wild bee stung his eyelid.

• Tang Zhuyun tried to bribe Huaishang to stop watching her, but he refused and reported the attempt to the Prince of Jin for a reward.
• Old Madam Xue offered to arrange Tang Zhuyun's dowry after her eyesight recovered, and Tang Zhuyun accepted the family's support.
• Tang Zhuyun treated members of the Xue Family and began embroidering her bridal veil under Xiu'er's instruction.
• Yanran admired the wedding furniture and explained that she preferred marrying someone other than her brother so more people could dote on her.
• Nanxing told Tang Zhuyun that a wild bee had stung Linlin's eyelid, so Tang Zhuyun took her medicine chest and went to examine him.

Tang Zhuyun visited Linlin at Great Xiangguo Temple and treated his bee sting before learning that his senior brother, Kong Xiyou, often suffered headaches. She asked to examine Kong Xiyou and waited for his response.

• Yanran persuaded Xiu'er to take her to the back gate to see a peddler, and Xiu'er warned her not to cause trouble or wander off.
• Tang Zhuyun hurried to Great Xiangguo Temple and found Linlin studying with Kong Xiyou on the secluded back mountain.
• Tang Zhuyun treated Linlin's swollen eye and promised to cook chicken wings for him that evening.
• Linlin privately told Tang Zhuyun that Kong Xiyou often got headaches and asked her to examine him.
• Tang Zhuyun told Kong Xiyou she suspected he was ill and asked to feel his pulse, arguing that an examination could reveal and treat his condition.

Tang Zhuyun treated Kong Xiyou’s symptoms but could only offer relief, then learned that the supposed assassin who frightened Xiu'er and Yanran was Xiao Pang. She was left trying to understand Xiao Pang’s connection to the Prince of Jin and why Huaishang had kept the matter from her.

• Tang Zhuyun examined Kong Xiyou, identified symptoms consistent with a cerebrovascular abnormality, and prescribed medicine to ease them.
• Xiu'er told Tang Zhuyun that a disheveled man had tried to grab Yanran, and Huaishang had taken him away after Xiu'er struck him with pellet drums.
• Yanran boasted to Tang Zhuyun and Meng Yulan about the failed assassination attempt and said the man had called her his daughter.
• Meng Yulan urged Tang Zhuyun to investigate because the strange man could pose a future danger to Yanran.
• Unable to find Huaishang, Tang Zhuyun questioned Nanxing, who identified the man as Xiao Pang and said Huaishang would have needed the Prince of Jin’s permission to explain more.

Tang Zhuyun entered the palace with Meng Yulan and encountered a young woman who fell into Mingze Lake, but she denied knowing how to swim and continued on her way. The chapter left the woman still struggling in the water as Tang Zhuyun and Meng Yulan headed to Weiyang Palace.

• Tang Zhuyun dismissed Nanxing's offer to question Huaishang about Xiao Pang and later told Linlin that she knew little about the matter.
• Linlin secretly sent the Prince of Jin a note urging him to admit his mistake to Tang Zhuyun.
• Meng Yulan advised Tang Zhuyun to keep a low profile in the palace, and Tang Zhuyun entered with her on the sixth day of the sixth month.
• A young woman fell into Mingze Lake, and the young eunuch asked Tang Zhuyun to rescue her because he had heard she could swim.
• Tang Zhuyun claimed the wooden tub at home was for Yanran to wash her feet in, then left with Meng Yulan without helping the woman.

Tang Zhuyun attended the empress’s gathering at Weiyang Palace with Meng Yulan and Yanran, where she endured the empress’s pointed remarks and accepted a jade bangle. As the guests were served peanut cream, Yanran noticed Tang Zhuyun’s bowl was marked with an unlucky morning glory, hinting at a possible plot.

• Tang Zhuyun and Meng Yulan discussed the palace and the trap that had been set for Tang Zhuyun before Yanran arrived with Huaishang.
• Tang Zhuyun ignored the empress’s greeting until a palace maid clarified that the empress meant the Prince of Jin’s wife, then she played dumb and answered the empress’s questions.
• The empress praised Tang Zhuyun, spoke with Yanran, and gave Tang Zhuyun a jade bangle for caring for the girl.
• The empress ordered peanut cream served, and a nervous maid switched the bowl meant for Tang Zhuyun.
• Yanran spotted a pale blue morning glory on Tang Zhuyun’s bowl and tugged her sleeve to warn her.

Tang Zhuyun avoided drinking the Empress’s peanut cream until the Crown Princess challenged her, then drank it to avoid appearing disrespectful. After Zong Xueci arrived and presented the Empress with a blood-written Heart Sutra, a censor’s granddaughter tried to provoke Tang Zhuyun about her gift, and Tang Zhuyun turned the woman’s introduction against her.

• Tang Zhuyun pretended to taste the peanut cream, but drank it only after the Crown Princess pressed her to show respect for the Empress’s gift.
• Yanran tried to drink Tang Zhuyun’s bowl, but Tang Zhuyun took it back and finished it herself.
• Zong Xueci arrived at the Crown Prince’s insistence, upsetting the Crown Princess, and the Empress seated her and sent the younger women to enjoy the gardens.
• Zong Xueci presented the Empress with a Heart Sutra written in her own blood mixed with gold powder.
• A woman in a red gown asked Tang Zhuyun to show her gift and mentioned her hundred-thousand-tael dowry.
• Tang Zhuyun asked the woman who she was, then deliberately called her Miss Shi after hearing that her grandfather was a censor.

Tang Zhuyun outwitted Zhang Changhong and impressed the empress with a butterfly trick, then traded barbs with Zong Xueci and Zhang Changhong at the flower-viewing gathering. She suddenly clutched her stomach and cried out in pain, prompting everyone to call for an imperial physician.

• Zhang Changhong challenged Tang Zhuyun's birthday gift, but Tang Zhuyun attracted butterflies to the embroidered peonies and won the empress's praise and a ruby jewelry set.
• Tang Zhuyun fed fish with Meng Yulan and wondered aloud whether the peanut cream might have been poisoned.
• Zong Xueci brought Zhang Changhong to apologize, and Tang Zhuyun dismissed Zhang Changhong's offense.
• Tang Zhuyun mocked Zong Xueci and Zhang Changhong, then challenged Zhang Changhong to a fight and made the two women retreat.
• Tang Zhuyun clutched her stomach and cried out in pain, and the gathering called for an imperial physician.

Tang Zhuyun staged a poisoning scare in Weiyang Palace, while Yanran's testimony and Meng Yulan's questions turned suspicion toward the empress. The emperor dismissed the incident as a misunderstanding, and Tang Zhuyun left the palace with Meng Yulan and Yanran.

• Tang Zhuyun pretended to suffer severe pain after drinking poisoned peanut cream, and Yanran told the emperor she had noticed the bowl looked different and meant to drink it herself.
• The imperial physician confirmed that Tang Zhuyun had been poisoned with oleander sap, and Tang Zhuyun explained that she knew its symptoms but not its taste.
• Meng Yulan urged the emperor to let the empress recuse herself from investigating the poisoning, while Tang Zhuyun publicly insisted she trusted the empress.
• The emperor declared the poisoning a misunderstanding and left the investigation to the empress, who ordered her attendants to investigate the matter thoroughly after he departed.
• Consort De suggested Tang Zhuyun needed a sedan chair, and the empress arranged for Tang Zhuyun, Meng Yulan, and Yanran to leave the palace.

Yanran told Tang Zhuyun she had spotted a frightening white-haired palace maid spying on them, while Tang Zhuyun reassured her and discussed the palace incident with her family. Tang Baixin gave Tang Zhuyun a handmade wedding gift and questioned why the empress targeted her, while the distant Prince of Jin wondered whether Tang Zhuyun had received his gift.

• Yanran privately told Tang Zhuyun that she had seen a white-haired palace maid watching them near the palace wall, and Tang Zhuyun comforted her.
• Yanran later described the maid to Linlin as someone who seemed ready to snatch someone away, and Linlin quietly questioned her before reassuring her.
• Tang Mingfan vowed to raise the poisoning incident with the emperor, but Tang Zhuyun discouraged him because the emperor was unwell.
• Tang Baixin gave Tang Zhuyun two Shoushan stone seals he had carved, then heard her full account of the palace incident and praised her response.
• Tang Baixin asked why the empress would target the Prince of Jin, and Tang Zhuyun avoided answering and hurried away.
• The Prince of Jin sneezed while traveling, and Song Jingyang suggested he had caught a chill; the prince wondered whether Tang Zhuyun had received his gift.

The Prince of Jin had arranged to send Tang Zhuyun a lamb as a gift, but she had not received it. Meanwhile, the empress sent two maids to Tang Zhuyun, who accepted them and began deciding how to handle their presence.

• The Prince of Jin told Song Jingyang that he had bought a lamb for Tang Zhuyun, while Song Jingyang reluctantly agreed she would probably like it.
• Tang Zhuyun learned that the empress had sent her two maids, and Xiu'er worried they were meant to come between Tang Zhuyun and the prince.
• Tang Zhuyun decided to accept the maids and leave the prince to handle his own family’s schemes.
• The empress’s female official delivered Yingzhu and Wanxiu, and Tang Zhuyun thanked the empress with pointed politeness.
• Tang Zhuyun renamed Wanxiu Wan'er and asked the two women whether they were willing to serve the princess consort.

Tang Zhuyun struggled to understand the Prince of Jin’s gift of a flower-decorated sheep, then learned he had sent it so she could taste Hexi mutton. After she slaughtered and enjoyed it, his second letter arrived demanding an explanation, leaving her eager to see what he wanted.

• Tang Zhuyun put the two dowry maids to work making bedding while Xiu'er promised to watch them.
• Tang Zhuyun received a restless white sheep decorated with a red flower from the Prince of Jin and let it roam around the residence.
• The children fed the sheep while Jiaojiao tried to get at it, worrying the servants.
• Tang Zhuyun learned from the Prince of Jin's letter that he had sent the sheep so she could taste Hexi mutton, then had it slaughtered and sent half to the Xue Family.
• Tang Mingfan praised the mutton, and Tang Zhuyun began writing the Prince of Jin a reply.
• The Prince of Jin sent a second letter demanding an explanation, and Tang Zhuyun eagerly opened it.

The Prince of Jin and Tang Zhuyun exchanged letters as he investigated Governor Sun, while his failure to mention the empress’s two maids left her irritated. After finding evidence on a snow mountain, the Prince of Jin raided the Sun residence, where a maid called for the missing Third Young Master.

• The Prince of Jin warned Tang Zhuyun not to use herself as bait again and told her to stay out of Xiao Pang’s complicated situation and watch Yanran.
• Tang Zhuyun sent the Prince of Jin medicine for mosquito bites, then grew uneasy that he had not mentioned the maids the empress gave him.
• The Prince of Jin rejected Governor Sun’s offered courtesan, and he and Song Jingyang each received letters tied to Xiao Ye’s leg.
• The Golden Scale Guard found evidence of Governor Sun’s crimes on a snow mountain, and the Prince of Jin spent three days and nights there retrieving it.
• The Prince of Jin led the Golden Scale Guard in arresting Governor Sun’s household and told him he should have known his crimes put his family at risk.
• A maid cried out for the missing Third Young Master as the Sun household knelt before the Prince of Jin.

The Prince of Jin showed mercy to the Sun family’s doomed lovers, then raced back toward the capital to see Tang Zhuyun before Qixi. Tang Zhuyun prepared for the wedding and wondered why he had stopped writing, just as Madam Wang arrived to see her.

• The Prince of Jin granted the third young master and Zhu'er half a shichen together, and they later hanged themselves; he ordered them buried together.
• The Prince of Jin dismissed Song Jingyang’s suggestions and went to a jewelry shop, where Song Jingyang found him while shopping for Xiu'er.
• The Prince of Jin ordered his men to return to the capital at a punishing pace because he wanted to arrive before Qixi.
• Tang Zhuyun assigned two maids to clean the garden and noticed she had not received a letter from the Prince of Jin for several days.
• Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er discussed how to keep the wedding rooster from making a mess, then Tang Zhuyun went out to welcome Madam Wang.

Tang Zhuyun heard rumors that the Prince of Jin had been impeached for sparing a maid, but she doubted the story. The Prince of Jin returned home in the middle of the night and gave her a bracelet, leaving her stunned by the gift.

• Madam Wang told Tang Zhuyun that the Prince of Jin had been impeached and was accused of making an exception for a maid named Zhu'er.
• Tang Zhuyun dismissed the rumor as unlikely and celebrated Qixi by making qiaoguo and floating needles with Yanran.
• Tang Zhuyun stayed up reading until the Prince of Jin arrived home, dusty and exhausted from his journey.
• Tang Zhuyun made the Prince of Jin ham fried rice while he kept watching her and asked her to close her eyes.
• The Prince of Jin slipped a bracelet onto Tang Zhuyun's wrist, and she widened her eyes when she saw it.

Tang Zhuyun endured the Prince of Jin’s costly glass-bead gift and tried to get him to wash up, but accidentally saw him undressed and fell into his arms. The Prince of Jin teased her and confessed that he had lovesickness.

• The Prince of Jin gave Tang Zhuyun an expensive glass-bead bracelet, and she hid her dismay at what she feared it had cost.
• Tang Zhuyun told the Prince of Jin she would manage the silver and warned him to ask before buying anything.
• After eating, the Prince of Jin borrowed Tang Zhuyun’s bathing tub and stayed to talk while she dozed off outside the room.
• Tang Zhuyun entered the side room after he called her, saw him undressed, and fell backward into his wet embrace.
• The Prince of Jin teased Tang Zhuyun about seeing him as a physician would see a patient, then said his illness was lovesickness.

The Prince of Jin stayed secretly with Tang Zhuyun, but a small kitchen fire nearly exposed him before she helped him slip away. After the commotion ended, Yanran welcomed him back and revealed that he had brought Tang Zhuyun a bracelet.

• The Prince of Jin admitted he had no clean clothes, so Tang Zhuyun let him sleep in the adjoining room while she rested nearby.
• Xiu'er arrived after hearing the Prince of Jin was there, and Song Jingyang spotted flames in the kitchen.
• Tang Zhuyun rushed to get the Prince of Jin out, but he urged her to leave first so no one would discover him with her.
• Song Jingyang put out the small fire, which had started when embers from the Prince of Jin's firewood flared up.
• Yanran greeted the Prince of Jin and revealed that Tang Zhuyun was wearing a bracelet he had brought her; he then asked about her missing prayer beads.

Tang Zhuyun learned why the Prince of Jin reacted so strongly to the word “zhu” and heard about the incident in Gannan that led to his impeachment. He left her reassured that his fixation was with her, whom he called Tang Zhuzi.

• Chang Zhi escorted Tang Mingfan to court while carrying food Tang Zhuyun had prepared for the Prince of Jin’s visit.
• Xiu'er urged Tang Zhuyun to dress up before Yingzhu and Wan'er could attract the Prince of Jin’s attention, but Tang Zhuyun chose to keep resting.
• Yingzhu and Wan'er greeted the Prince of Jin at the ornamental gate, and he coldly told Yingzhu to change her name because it contained “zhu.”
• Tang Zhuyun met the Prince of Jin and asked why pigs seemed to affect his behavior; he told her she was the pig he meant and called her Tang Zhuzi.
• The Prince of Jin explained what had happened in Gannan and said he had given the people there only one or two shichen, which had led to his impeachment.

Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin talked about his punishment, the emperor eating her cooking, and their upcoming wedding, while Tang Zhuyun planned a visit to the Great Xiangguo Temple. After the Prince of Jin left, Xiu'er reminded Tang Zhuyun that they had forgotten to discuss how he would deal with the two people being forced on him.

• Tang Zhuyun learned that the emperor had docked the Prince of Jin's salary for six months, though he said the emperor had treated him leniently.
• The Prince of Jin described how Tang Mingfan accompanied him before the emperor, who ate Tang Zhuyun's food while hearing the account of the Gannan affair.
• Tang Zhuyun protested that the Prince of Jin deserved a reward for his work, and he teased her about how much the emperor had enjoyed her cooking.
• Tang Zhuyun told the Prince of Jin she would visit the Great Xiangguo Temple the next day to speak with her mother, and he reluctantly said goodbye.
• Xiu'er asked how the Prince of Jin planned to handle the two people being forced on him, and Tang Zhuyun admitted she had forgotten to ask.

Tang Zhuyun set aside concerns about the empress’s two appointed maids and accompanied Meng Yulan to Great Xiangguo Temple, where she unexpectedly encountered Zong Heng and Jiang Beihan. Zong Heng revealed that he had come specifically to see her, leaving his business with her unresolved.

• Tang Zhuyun told Xiu'er to let the two maids stay for now, reasoning that she would deal with them after her wedding and did not want to cause trouble before the ceremony.
• Meng Yulan and Tang Zhuyun visited Great Xiangguo Temple, where Meng Yulan reunited with her old friend Qiangqiang, Madam Lu.
• Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er went to the back mountain, but Tang Zhuyun chose not to visit Linlin to avoid being thanked in person by Great Confucian Scholar Kong.
• Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er discussed Jiang Beihan and Yingxue before Zong Heng and Jiang Beihan appeared nearby.
• Tang Zhuyun mocked Zong Heng’s leg and traded sharp remarks with him, then asked whether he and Jiang Beihan were visiting on business.
• Zong Heng said he had come specifically to speak with Tang Zhuyun, while Jiang Beihan had only encountered him by chance.

Zong Heng told Tang Zhuyun that he knew the truth about the Prince of Jin’s origins and gave her three days to consider his demand. When the Prince of Jin refused to visit her, Tang Zhuyun climbed over the wall into his residence to discuss the matter with him.

• Jiang Beihan left the pavilion, and Zong Heng asked Tang Zhuyun to dismiss her servants so they could speak privately.
• Zong Heng revealed that he knew the Prince of Jin’s identity, listed Tang Zhuyun’s achievements, and gave her three days to consider his proposal.
• Tang Zhuyun acted angry to mislead Zong Heng, then secretly sent Xiu'er to ask the Prince of Jin to come see her.
• After the Prince of Jin refused to come, Tang Zhuyun decided to climb over the wall into his residence.
• Tang Zhuyun got past the wall with Song Jingyang’s help and called for the Prince of Jin to come out.

Tang Zhuyun told the Prince of Jin about Zong Heng’s threat regarding his parentage, and he reassured her that his past was already known to those who mattered. After they laughed and teased each other, the Prince of Jin asked to hold her, and Tang Zhuyun told him to hurry up.

• The Prince of Jin tried to keep Tang Zhuyun from entering, but she came in and teased him until they both laughed.
• Tang Zhuyun told the Prince of Jin about meeting Zong Heng and Jiang Beihan and repeated everything Zong Heng had said about his parentage.
• The Prince of Jin explained that his past as Xiao Jianqi was known, though people pretended otherwise out of deference to the emperor.
• Tang Zhuyun felt reassured and asked whether she should turn Zong Heng’s scheme against him, but the Prince of Jin said he would handle it and wanted to protect her.
• The Prince of Jin admitted he regretted not breaking Zong Heng’s third leg, then asked to hold Tang Zhuyun; she told him, “Fool, hurry up!”

Tang Zhuyun teased the Prince of Jin with a fake wet-clothes misunderstanding, then exchanged playful letters with him about her authority after marriage. As she prepared for their wedding, Qin Sang visited in disguise to offer advice and a useful gift.

• Tang Zhuyun made the Prince of Jin believe she had wet her clothes because of him, then laughed and ran away while he vowed to get even.
• The Prince of Jin sent Tang Zhuyun letters asking whether she would exercise authority over him after they married, and she replied, "You won't get away!"
• Tang Zhuyun dreamed of ruling over the Prince of Jin, then woke from her nap when Xiu'er said Qin Sang had arrived.
• Qin Sang came disguised as a vegetable seller and thanked Tang Zhuyun for helping her rouge shop with recipes.
• Qin Sang said she had come to share useful advice before Tang Zhuyun's wedding, and Tang Zhuyun eagerly anticipated her instruction.

Tang Zhuyun married the Prince of Jin, and they began their wedding night together in the bridal chamber. The Prince of Jin suggested they go to the wooden bathing pool, while Tang Zhuyun proposed they stay inside and take things slowly.

• Qin Sang taught Tang Zhuyun how to protect herself, and Tang Zhuyun eagerly prepared to put her lessons into practice.
• Tang Zhuyun remembered her family's tearful farewell and the Xue brothers' warning to the Prince of Jin as she left for the wedding.
• The Prince of Jin found Tang Zhuyun scrambling after the ceremonial vase in the bridal sedan and helped her complete the procession.
• The Prince of Jin lifted Tang Zhuyun's veil, removed her heavy phoenix crown, and left her to change and eat with Xiu'er.
• The Prince of Jin returned quickly from greeting the guests, and Xiu'er left the newlyweds alone together.
• The Prince of Jin suggested taking Tang Zhuyun to the wooden bathing pool, but she asked to stay in the room and proceed slowly.

On their wedding night, Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin consummated their marriage, then woke to tease each other and prepare to visit the emperor and empress. The Prince of Jin confronted Tang Zhuyun about the two maids the empress had sent, leaving her trying to explain why she had kept them.

• Tang Zhuyun teased the nervous Prince of Jin until he took the lead on their wedding night.
• The Prince of Jin cared for Tang Zhuyun afterward, and they joked together when she woke the next morning.
• The Prince of Jin delayed their palace visit by arranging for the emperor's court session to run late.
• Xiu'er told Tang Zhuyun that the two maids bestowed by the empress were waiting outside and had nearly entered her chambers the previous night.
• The Prince of Jin went to the courtyard, confronted the two maids, and returned to ask Tang Zhuyun why she was still keeping them.