Recaps

Tang Zhuyun examined Yanran and said she was fine, despite the Prince of Jin’s doubts and Hongxiu’s accusations. After sending everyone out, Tang Zhuyun asked Yanran to take off her clothes, and Yanran stared at her in disbelief after hearing what she said.

• Tang Zhuyun stopped the Prince of Jin from giving Yanran her medicine and checked Yanran’s pulse instead.
• Tang Zhuyun declared Yanran fine, prompting the Prince of Jin to question her and Hongxiu to call her a swindler.
• Tang Zhuyun insulted Hongxiu, and the Prince of Jin ordered the maid to leave the room.
• Tang Zhuyun told the Prince of Jin and everyone else to leave so she could examine Yanran alone.
• Tang Zhuyun asked Yanran to take off her clothes, reassured her, and said something that left Yanran staring at her in disbelief.

Tang Zhuyun discovered that Hongxiu had abused Yanran and fabricated her illnesses, then confronted the Prince of Jin and demanded justice. Yanran clung to Tang Zhuyun and finally cried openly as the Prince of Jin began to understand what had happened.

• Tang Zhuyun suspected Hongxiu was harming Yanran after finding no serious illness and noticing a tiny pinhole on the girl’s arm.
• Tang Zhuyun gently persuaded Yanran to let her examine her and found many needle marks on the insides of her thighs.
• Tang Zhuyun carried Yanran outside and told the Prince of Jin to have Hongxiu seized and beaten until she talked.
• Hongxiu claimed she was loyal to Yanran, but Yanran clung to Tang Zhuyun, and the Prince of Jin ordered Song Jingyang to slap Hongxiu.
• Tang Zhuyun accused Hongxiu of causing Yanran’s injuries and inventing her illnesses, explaining that the reported fits could have been ordinary fever convulsions.
• Yanran wrapped her arms around Tang Zhuyun’s neck and wept aloud, trembling as she released her pent-up hurt.

Tang Zhuyun took Yanran home after the Prince of Jin exposed Hongxiu’s abuse, then watched the Prince of Jin grow close to Linlin while Yanran stayed by her side. The chapter left Tang Zhuyun exasperated by the Prince of Jin’s daily visits and amused by Linlin’s unusual reason for wanting to grow up.

• Song Jingyang stopped Hongxiu from revealing more, and the Prince of Jin let Tang Zhuyun take Yanran home after she refused to leave her.
• Tang Zhuyun learned that the Prince of Jin would help Tang Baixin’s case, while Tang Mingfan insisted they treat his five thousand taels of silver as a loan.
• Yanran clung to Tang Zhuyun, and both she and Linlin asked whether Tang Zhuyun intended to marry the Prince of Jin.
• The Prince of Jin moved next door and began visiting for meals, while Yanran kept her distance and Song Jingyang warned Tang Zhuyun about Hongxiu’s punishment.
• The Prince of Jin bonded with Linlin through riding, hunting, and play, while Yanran helped Tang Zhuyun with cooking and chores.
• Linlin told Tang Zhuyun he wanted to grow up so he could pee farther than the Prince of Jin.

Tang Zhuyun learned that the emperor had asked her to care for Yanran, then met Qingfeng, the male courtesan her predecessor had once pursued. Qingfeng undressed and offered himself to her, while Tang Zhuyun remained unimpressed and stopped him as he approached.

• Tang Zhuyun asked Tang Mingfan whether her closeness to the Prince of Jin might raise the emperor’s suspicions, and he said he had already discussed it with the emperor.
• Tang Mingfan revealed that the emperor wanted Tang Zhuyun to care for Yanran and had offered her a reward, which he had refused.
• Tang Zhuyun asked how the Prince of Jin had ended up among commoners, but Tang Mingfan avoided answering and sent her to watch Linlin and Yanran.
• Xiu'er told Tang Zhuyun that Qingfeng had arrived and hurried the children away, expecting to give the pair privacy.
• Qingfeng apologized, removed all his clothes, and offered to let Tang Zhuyun do whatever she wanted to him.
• Tang Zhuyun told Qingfeng to wait as he approached, while he privately assumed she was eager to accept him.

Tang Zhuyun intimidated Qingfeng with a cleaver, then persuaded him to partner with her selling kidney-tonifying medicines. Qingfeng also revealed that the Marquis of Changyang’s fifth young master had offered 10,000 taels for a lenient sentence, and Tang Zhuyun regretted missing the chance to profit from the deal.

• Tang Zhuyun pretended she would cut Qingfeng with a cleaver, and the Prince of Jin arrived to find Qingfeng naked and cornered.
• Tang Zhuyun sent the Prince of Jin away and convinced the frightened Qingfeng to become her business partner.
• Tang Zhuyun proposed splitting the proceeds from selling her kidney-tonifying medicines with Qingfeng, and he agreed.
• Qingfeng told Tang Zhuyun that the Marquis of Changyang’s fifth young master had killed someone while drunk and that 10,000 taels had been offered for a lenient sentence.
• Tang Zhuyun regretted not being able to take a cut of the promised silver.

Tang Zhuyun argued with the Prince of Jin over Yanran staying in her care, and the two agreed to leave things as they were. The Prince of Jin then accepted Song Jingyang’s plan to find Tang Zhuyun a man, though he rejected Song Jingyang as the candidate.

• Yanran returned to Tang Zhuyun in tears, and Tang Zhuyun comforted her while the Prince of Jin reluctantly stayed quiet.
• Tang Zhuyun defended her conduct with Qingfeng and insisted Yanran should remain with her because she was weak; the Prince of Jin accused her of behaving improperly.
• Tang Zhuyun rebuked the Prince of Jin for making Yanran cry and reminded him that he had begged her to care for Yanran, but their argument ended with the arrangement unchanged.
• Song Jingyang suggested finding Tang Zhuyun a handsome, loyal man to keep her occupied, and the Prince of Jin agreed the idea was worth trying.
• The Prince of Jin named Song Jingyang as a possible candidate, but Song Jingyang protested that Tang Zhuyun would disgrace him; the prince said he was only teasing, and Song Jingyang offered another candidate.

The Prince of Jin asked Chang Zhi to marry Tang Zhuyun, but Chang Zhi refused, and Yanran fell ill after being frightened. Tang Zhuyun cared for her, prepared for the Dragon Boat Festival, and arrived at the celebration with Linlin and Yanran, where someone mocked her.

• Song Jingyang urged the Prince of Jin to consider Chang Zhi as a husband for Tang Zhuyun, but Chang Zhi refused because he already had a sweetheart and did not want to marry.
• Yanran developed a fever and called for her sister; Tang Zhuyun tended to her through the night while the Prince of Jin watched, and Linlin stayed beside Yanran.
• After Yanran recovered, Qingfeng's attendant paid Tang Zhuyun her share of the medicine profits and asked her to prepare more.
• Tang Zhuyun asked the Prince of Jin to pay for Dragon Boat Festival outfits, and he sent satin; Tang Mingfan revealed that he had given away the emperor's five hundred taels to his subordinates.
• Tang Zhuyun, Linlin, and Yanran attended the Dragon Boat Festival celebration, where a woman sarcastically called Tang Zhuyun the capital's famously lovesick woman.

Tang Zhuyun publicly humiliated Ruan Anruo and Ruan Anhua before turning her attention to the arrival of the celebrated Meng Yulan. When Yanran pointed out the Prince of Jin as her father and ran to Tang Zhuyun, the gathered nobles were left astonished by their closeness.

• Tang Zhuyun traded insults with Ruan Anhua and exposed the gifts she had taken from Ruan Anruo, embarrassing both sisters in public.
• Ruan Anruo and Ruan Anhua tried to deflect Tang Zhuyun's accusations, but Tang Zhuyun came away satisfied with her victory.
• The noble ladies discussed Meng Yulan and the rumor that the Prince of Jin's future princess might be chosen for her.
• Tang Zhuyun admired Meng Yulan and fantasized about matching her with her brother before the Prince of Jin appeared beside the emperor.
• Yanran pointed out the Prince of Jin as her father and ran to Tang Zhuyun, startling the onlookers with their closeness.

At the palace banquet, Yanran’s affection for Tang Zhuyun drew attention, and the emperor summoned Tang Zhuyun and the children. The emperor praised Linlin and rewarded him, Yanran, and Tang Zhuyun, while Yanran’s offer to give Tang Zhuyun her rewards for a dowry left Zhuyun embarrassed and fearing the rumors would never stop.

• Yanran’s remarks about Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin prompted Meng Yulan to approach Zhuyun, though Meng denied having any concern about the prince.
• A palace maid told Tang Zhuyun that the emperor wanted to see her, so she brought Yanran and Linlin toward the Prince of Jin.
• Tang Zhuyun had Linlin lead Yanran to the Prince of Jin, who took them to pay their respects to the emperor.
• The emperor spoke with Yanran and Linlin, praised Linlin, and rewarded him with writing supplies, chicken-blood stone, and gold and silver ingots.
• The emperor rewarded Yanran with gold and silver and Tang Zhuyun with six bolts of silk, then laughed when Yanran offered Zhuyun her rewards for a dowry.

Tang Zhuyun exposed Ruan Anruo's attempt to frame her for theft at the palace banquet and publicly humiliated her. Ruan Anruo then revealed that she and her cousin were about to be betrothed.

• A palace maid spilled tea on Tang Zhuyun's sleeve, and Tang Zhuyun noticed that the maid's clothes did not fit her.
• Ruan Anruo approached Tang Zhuyun with a false show of concern, but Tang Zhuyun mocked her in front of the guests.
• Tang Zhuyun found Ruan Anruo's jade monkey pendant and accused the palace maid of planting it; Song Jingyang caught the maid as she tried to flee.
• Tang Zhuyun slapped the maid and threatened her until the maid revealed that Ruan Anruo had bought her.
• Ruan Anruo argued that the Tang household was poor, and Tang Zhuyun warned that the scheme would harm her marriage prospects.
• Ruan Anruo announced that she and her cousin were about to be betrothed.

Tang Zhuyun won the confrontation with Ruan Anruo, then spent an awkward conversation with Meng Yulan, who hinted at her own dislike of the Prince of Jin. After Meng Yulan was summoned away, Yanran tearfully asked Tang Zhuyun why she could not marry her father.

• Ruan Anruo claimed her cousin had passed the palace examination, and Tang Zhuyun mocked his third-class jinshi rank by boasting about her family's examination successes.
• Meng Yulan arrived, ended the quarrel, and caused Ruan Anruo and the other onlookers to back down.
• Tang Zhuyun apologized after Meng Yulan pointed out that she had insulted families proud of their third-class jinshi relatives, and Meng Yulan said she hated the Prince of Jin too.
• Tang Zhuyun declined to bet on the princes' dragon boat teams, while Meng Yulan also refused to wager and praised her.
• A palace maid summoned Meng Yulan to the Empress Dowager, the Empress, Consort De, and Consort Qi, and Yanran asked Tang Zhuyun why she could not marry her father.

At the dragon boat races, Tang Zhuyun befriended Madam Wang, then learned the emperor had decreed that Meng Yulan would marry the Prince of Jin as his principal consort and Tang Zhuyun as his secondary consort. Tang Zhuyun insisted she did not want the marriage, and Tang Baixin began considering a way out.

• Tang Zhuyun watched the dragon boat race with Yanran and Linlin, then welcomed Madam Wang when the other guests shunned her.
• Meng Yulan returned looking upset, and Tang Zhuyun learned the emperor had decreed her marriage to the Prince of Jin as his secondary consort, alongside Meng Yulan as principal consort.
• Back at the residence, Tang Mingfan and Tang Baixin assumed Tang Zhuyun was pleased with the match, while Yanran celebrated and Linlin grew unhappy.
• Tang Zhuyun repeatedly told her father and brother that she did not want to marry the Prince of Jin, and Tang Baixin hinted that he had an idea for stopping it.

Tang Zhuyun tried to avoid marrying the Prince of Jin by planning to fake a serious illness, while her father and brother investigated possible exam fraud involving Ruan Anruo’s cousin. In the middle of the night, the Prince of Jin took Tang Zhuyun away to help save Meng Yulan.

• Tang Zhuyun persuaded Tang Baixin to suggest she fake a terrible disease so she could avoid marriage, and she decided to make medicine that would disfigure her.
• Tang Zhuyun told Tang Mingfan and Tang Baixin that Ruan Anruo’s cousin had become a third-rank jinshi despite being a good-for-nothing, and they agreed to investigate the exam results.
• Tang Zhuyun worked late making medicine, then fell asleep after dreaming that her disfigurement frightened the Prince of Jin.
• The Prince of Jin entered Tang Zhuyun’s room at night and offered her money to help save someone urgently.
• Tang Zhuyun agreed to go with the Prince of Jin and learned that the person he needed her to save was Meng Yulan.

Tang Zhuyun accompanied Prince of Jin to Duke Meng's Residence after Meng Yulan attempted suicide. She found Meng Yulan alive, and the chapter ended as Meng Yulan asked her mother to leave so she could speak privately with Zhuyun.

• Tang Zhuyun suspected Prince of Jin had harmed Meng Yulan, but he took her on horseback to Duke Meng's Residence to help save her.
• Duke Meng apologized to Prince of Jin and explained that the family had not summoned a doctor because they feared a scandal.
• Prince of Jin sent Tang Zhuyun into Meng Yulan's room to examine her because she knew medicine.
• Tang Zhuyun saw the ligature mark on Meng Yulan's neck, but Meng Yulan woke and said she would live.
• Meng Yulan asked Duke Meng's Wife to leave so she could speak with Tang Zhuyun.

Meng Yulan told Tang Zhuyun that she loved someone else and would rather die than marry the Prince of Jin. After Meng Yulan gave Tang Zhuyun her jewelry and spoke of her despair, Tang Zhuyun promised to help her find a way out before the imperial edict was issued.

• Tang Zhuyun urged Meng Yulan not to give up, but Meng Yulan said she refused to marry the Prince of Jin because she loved someone else.
• Meng Yulan revealed she had rejected marriage proposals for six years while waiting for her beloved, but believed the emperor's words left her no choice.
• Meng Yulan said she admired Tang Zhuyun's freedom and boldness, then gave her a box of jewelry as a trousseau gift and an apology to the Prince of Jin.
• Tang Zhuyun wiped Meng Yulan's tears and promised to help her avoid the marriage, insisting that the imperial edict had not yet been issued.

Tang Zhuyun tried to keep Meng Yulan from surrendering to the marriage with the Prince of Jin, but Meng Yulan feared harming her family and believed death was her only escape. Meng Yulan asked Tang Zhuyun to preserve her hidden letters for her vanished childhood sweetheart, whose family had been exiled to the border.

• Tang Zhuyun offered Meng Yulan medicine to feign a terrible illness and said she had her own way to avoid danger, but Meng Yulan refused to take the medicine.
• Meng Yulan explained that illness would disgrace her parents and burden her mother, while death would end her torment and longing for the man she loved.
• Tang Zhuyun suggested the Prince of Jin might object to the marriage and noted that his daughter, Yanran, was recovering with her.
• Meng Yulan offered Tang Zhuyun her belongings and asked her to protect letters hidden by Lüzhu, her childhood companion, and deliver them to her beloved if he returned to the capital.
• Meng Yulan recalled that she and her childhood sweetheart had hoped to marry, but his family was exiled to the border before their engagement was settled.

Tang Zhuyun tried to help Meng Yulan avoid marrying the Prince of Jin, learning that Meng Yulan loved Jiang Beihan, the exiled heir of the Marquis of Wuyang. The Prince of Jin gave the women until next May to change the emperor’s mind, then took Tang Zhuyun back and asked what medicine she wanted.

• Meng Yulan told Tang Zhuyun that she loved Jiang Beihan and asked her to deliver her letters if he returned to the capital.
• Tang Zhuyun invited the Prince of Jin to discuss Meng Yulan’s unwillingness to marry him, but Meng Yulan only said she was unworthy of him.
• The Prince of Jin said Meng Yulan could refuse the marriage before the emperor and revealed that no marriage would be bestowed before next May.
• The Prince of Jin warned the women to change the emperor’s mind within a year or marry into his household, then took Tang Zhuyun back.
• Tang Zhuyun complained about her chafed thighs, and when the Prince of Jin suggested ointment, she asked him for a pill.

Tang Zhuyun thanked the Prince of Jin for delaying their marriage edict, and he obtained the emperor’s permission to observe a year of mourning for his maternal grandmother. The emperor explained that a prophecy about Tang Zhuyun had prompted him to arrange her marriage to the Prince of Jin, leaving the prince questioning the decision.

• Tang Zhuyun apologized after learning the Prince of Jin was mourning his maternal grandmother, and she told him that the dead watched over the living as stars.
• Tang Zhuyun prepared separate breakfasts for Tang Mingfan and the Prince of Jin, explaining that the prince had agreed to delay the marriage edict for a year.
• The Prince of Jin ate the vegetarian breakfast Tang Zhuyun had prepared, then asked the emperor why he had arranged for Tang Zhuyun to marry him.
• The emperor said he had once seen Tang Zhuyun pregnant and behaving defiantly at the Tang residence, and admitted that he had been furious with her.
• The emperor recounted how Master Hong'en had prophesied that Tang Zhuyun would have a very different fortune after turning twenty.

The emperor proposed Tang Zhuyun as the Prince of Jin’s secondary consort, but Wang Fu’s unexpected support helped push the decision forward. Tang Zhuyun dismissed the Prince’s warnings to focus on making more medicine, and Meng Yulan arrived at the temple with an undisclosed purpose.

• The emperor told the Prince of Jin that he wanted Tang Zhuyun to become his secondary consort because she had saved Yanran and might bring peace to the family.
• Wang Fu supported the proposal after his wife praised Tang Zhuyun’s kindness, and the emperor teased him for trying to please her.
• The Prince of Jin returned empty-handed and told Tang Zhuyun what had happened, while she regretted her kindness and then remembered she needed to make more medicine.
• Yanran came out and asked the Prince of Jin why he was gritting his teeth, and he claimed nothing was wrong.
• Meng Yulan visited Tang Zhuyun and said she had come to the temple for a reason.

Meng Yulan asked Tang Zhuyun to deliver a package to Jiang Beihan, and Tang Zhuyun arranged for it to be sent. Back home, she shared a meal with the Prince of Jin and Chang Zhi, where Chang Zhi teased them about flirting and accused the Prince of Jin of having feelings for her.

• Meng Yulan asked Tang Zhuyun to send something to Jiang Beihan, and Tang Zhuyun agreed after learning Meng Yulan would send it under her own name.
• Tang Baixin nearly collided with Meng Yulan at the door, blushed, and fled after claiming he had forgotten an official document; Tang Zhuyun wondered if he had a crush on her.
• Tang Zhuyun wrapped Meng Yulan's package and paid twenty taels to have it delivered, then collected money for her seasonings and bought food for home.
• Tang Zhuyun returned to find Linlin teaching Yanran to read, and later Chang Zhi sent pork and carp ahead of his visit for a feast.
• The Prince of Jin arrived for lunch, teased Tang Zhuyun about being his woman, and made her drink the overly salty soup she had prepared for him.
• Chang Zhi joked that Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin were flirting, then claimed the Prince had feelings for her and had been testing him by trying to match Chang Zhi with her.

Tang Zhuyun clashed with the Prince of Jin, then heard how Ruan Anruo had failed to approach him. Two days later, Madam Song arrived at the Tang residence with Song Cui'er, and Tang Zhuyun confronted the grandmother who had abused her.

• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun that his residence had household rules and a mama to teach them before leaving the Tang residence.
• Ruan Anruo tried to speak to the Prince of Jin, but his icy stare left her too frightened to get a word out.
• Xiu'er told Tang Zhuyun that Ruan Anruo had been unable to speak in front of the Prince of Jin.
• Tang Zhuyun practiced boxing with Xiu'er and the two children until a visitor arrived at the door.
• Madam Song entered the Tang residence with Song Cui'er and scolded Tang Zhuyun for not greeting her.
• Tang Zhuyun called Madam Song an impostor and told Xiu'er to report her to the authorities.

Tang Zhuyun confronted Madam Song when she arrived demanding to be obeyed, and used her status as the Prince of Jin’s secondary consort to stop her from openly attacking the family. Madam Song then tried to arrange Song Cui’er’s marriage to Baixin and threatened Tang Zhuyun with an old scandal, but Tang Zhuyun frightened her into silence by warning that exposing it would implicate the whole family.

• Madam Song demanded that Tang Zhuyun acknowledge her and kowtow, but Tang Mingfan defended his daughter and revealed she was the Prince of Jin’s secondary consort.
• Tang Zhuyun comforted Yanran and Linlin, then secretly listened as Madam Song said she had brought Song Cui’er to marry Baixin.
• Tang Mingfan avoided agreeing to the match, paid the coachman eighty taels through Tang Zhuyun, and left for the yamen.
• Madam Song wailed and cursed after Tang Zhuyun mocked her, then threatened to expose Tang Zhuyun’s past to the Prince of Jin.
• Tang Zhuyun warned that revealing the scandal would make the whole family guilty of deceiving the emperor, frightening Madam Song into silence.

Tang Zhuyun resisted Madam Song’s attempts to take control of the household and planned to use the Prince of Jin’s presence to frighten her into leaving. After Tang Zhuyun invited him to dinner, the Prince of Jin agreed, though he soon regretted it.

• Tang Zhuyun refused to cater to Madam Song, and Tang Mingfan gave her silver to buy food for the household.
• Tang Zhuyun secretly fed Linlin and Yanran boiled eggs, then sent Tang Mingfan to the palace with a meal.
• Madam Song demanded the household money and moved Tang Zhuyun’s furniture and cloth into the main room while Tang Zhuyun was out.
• Tang Zhuyun sent Linlin and Yanran to invite the Prince of Jin to dinner, then persuaded Madam Song to hand over grocery money by warning her about offending him.
• The Prince of Jin accepted Yanran’s invitation to eat red-braised pork at Tang Zhuyun’s home.

Tang Zhuyun used the Prince of Jin’s visit to make Madam Song wary and less controlling, while the prince realized she had treated him as a tool. After tallying her earnings, Tang Zhuyun heard Song Cui'er arrive with something to say.

• Tang Mingfan brought the Prince of Jin to dinner, where Tang Zhuyun fawned over him to impress Madam Song, then invoked Yanran to calm his anger.
• The Prince of Jin warned Tang Zhuyun against repeating her performance, and Madam Song became more cautious after seeing their apparent intimacy.
• Over the next few days, the Prince of Jin visited only through Song Jingyang to see Yanran, while Madam Song urged Song Cui'er to learn the capital’s ways.
• Tang Zhuyun calculated that she and Qingfeng had earned nearly 200 taels, but she still needed money to repay her debt and pursue her plans for the children.
• Song Cui'er visited Tang Zhuyun, who told her to get to the point before the children returned.

Tang Zhuyun encouraged Song Cui'er to ask the Prince of Jin to let her join Tang Zhuyun as an extra dowry maid, and Song Cui'er went to the prince herself. The prince became furious at Tang Zhuyun’s words and planned to confront her the next day, while Tang Zhuyun stayed with the children and Linlin proposed marrying Yanran when they grew up.

• Tang Zhuyun told Song Cui'er that the Prince of Jin had a terrible temper and earned far more than Tang Zhuyun’s brother, prompting Song Cui'er to ask to become an extra dowry maid.
• Tang Zhuyun told Song Cui'er to ask the Prince of Jin for permission, not expecting her to approach him.
• Song Cui'er waited outside the prince’s door and asked whether he would accept an extra dowry maid for Tang Zhuyun.
• The Prince of Jin questioned Song Cui'er about Tang Zhuyun’s remarks, then sent her away and told Song Jingyang they would confront Tang Zhuyun the next day.
• Tang Zhuyun told Linlin and Yanran she would tolerate their great-grandmother’s visit for now, and Linlin said he would marry Yanran when they grew up.