Recaps

Ren Yingying admitted to herself that she was afraid to love Qu Nian, while Qu Nian pressed her to stop pretending she did not care for him. He revealed that he had asked the Prince of Jin to grant her an independent title, leaving Ren Yingying overwhelmed by his New Year's gift.

• Ren Yingying reflected on her fear of falling in love and compared her hesitation with Tangbao's willingness to trust the Prince of Jin.
• Qu Nian moved close to Ren Yingying, tossed Dog Meat aside, and challenged her to admit whether she liked him.
• Qu Nian embraced Ren Yingying and explained that his pride had faded after he fell in love with her.
• Ren Yingying said Qu Nian had charged into battle to help her and promised to help him in return.
• Qu Nian revealed that he had asked the Prince of Jin to make Ren Yingying Lady Protector of the State, a title independent of him.
• Ren Yingying cried as Qu Nian presented the title as her New Year's gift.

Ren Yingying reflected on Qu Nian’s confession and her growing feelings for him while awaiting news about the peace talks. Qu Nian then brought her to the palace, where Lu Jiu had disfigured herself to force Leertai to let her leave for the Central Plains.

• Ren Yingying lamented that Qu Nian had sent her handsome confidant to Qu Hua and admitted that Qu Nian’s thoughtful gestures had stirred her heart.
• Ren Yingying wrote Tang Zhuyun a letter asking her to scold her back to her senses and confirm whether the Lady Protector of the Nation title was genuine.
• Qu Nian hurried in and told Ren Yingying that the empress had been hurt, then clarified that it was Lu Jiu, not Tang Zhuyun.
• Qu Nian explained that Lu Jiu had disfigured herself and wanted to return to the Central Plains, and Ren Yingying agreed to go see her.
• At the palace, Lu Jiu confronted Leertai with her bandaged, bloodied face and asked whether her self-disfigurement was enough.

Ren Yingying treated Lu Jiu’s self-inflicted facial wound and learned that Lu Jiu’s love for Leertai conflicted with her mother’s hatred of the Northern Yi. Qu Nian proposed giving Lu Jiu a title so she could stay with Leertai honorably, and the chapter ended as Qu Nian showed Ren Yingying a letter urging her to return to the capital.

• Ren Yingying treated Lu Jiu’s wound, and Lu Jiu explained that her mother had hated the Northern Yi and would never have approved of her relationship with Leertai.
• Leertai overheard Lu Jiu’s explanation, and Qu Nian offered to help him persuade her in exchange for increasing horse sales to the Central Plains.
• Qu Nian suggested asking the emperor to grant Lu Jiu a title so she could remain with Leertai as part of a marriage alliance, and Leertai accepted the idea.
• Lu Jiu agreed to stay with Leertai, while Ren Yingying treated her face and Qu Nian helped change her mind.
• After the peace talks ended and Ren Yingying’s group began traveling home, Qu Nian showed her a letter from the Prince of Jin asking her to return to the capital soon.
• Ren Yingying asked why Tangbao had not written to her and where Tangbao was.

Ren Yingying learned that the Prince of Ding had discovered Mingzhu was Zhou Xu and was demanding her, so the Prince of Jin summoned Ren Yingying to the capital to help. After agreeing to go, Ren Yingying also promised to help Qu Nian with his family trouble.

• Ren Yingying read the Prince of Jin's letter and learned that the Prince of Ding wanted Mingzhu, whose identity as Zhou Xu could expose the Prince of Jin's secret.
• Qu Nian explained that the Prince of Jin wanted Ren Yingying to return to the capital and create another woman to send in Mingzhu's place.
• Qu Nian told Ren Yingying that Tang Zhuyun had suffered pneumonia after the new year and was still recovering, though the Prince of Jin had kept it from her to spare her worry.
• Ren Yingying decided to travel to the capital after stopping in the border city, while the Prince of Jin planned to use the situation to keep the Prince of Ding waiting.
• Qu Nian reminded Ren Yingying that she had promised to help him, then revealed that his mother threatened to produce another son and make him the heir.
• Ren Yingying assured Qu Nian she would help him and suggested they could give up their positions and live together without ambition.

A snowstorm forced Qu Nian and Ren Yingying’s army to camp for several days, where Qu Nian cared for Ren Yingying during her period. When Dog Meat failed to return one evening, the army searched through the night without finding him, leaving Ren Yingying fearing the worst.

• Heavy snow blocked the army’s route, so Qu Nian ordered a camp and expected the delay to last several days.
• Qu Nian warmed Ren Yingying, arranged brown sugar and ginger water for her period, and shared grilled meat with her in their tent.
• Qu Nian and Ren Yingying stayed in the tent for three days while Dog Meat spent most of each day outside.
• Dog Meat did not return one evening, so Qu Nian sent soldiers to search for him.
• The search continued through the night without finding Dog Meat, and Ren Yingying grew despondent and worried that he had been taken or killed.

Ren Yingying stopped the army from continuing its search for Dog Meat and told Qu Nian to lead the troops onward while she stayed behind. She prepared to keep searching with a small group of soldiers as the army broke camp.

• Shang Ke told Ren Yingying that the soldiers could not keep searching for Dog Meat without delaying the army’s journey.
• Ren Yingying asked Shang Ke to call Qu Nian back, then told Qu Nian to break camp and lead the army onward.
• Qu Nian realized Ren Yingying intended to stay behind and angrily challenged her decision.
• Ren Yingying explained that she could not demand that the army search for her dog and asked Qu Nian to leave her a few soldiers to keep looking.
• Qu Nian went to make arrangements, and Ren Yingying ate and drank before the army departed.

Ren Yingying prepared to search for Dog Meat, and Qu Nian insisted on accompanying her despite his promise to the Prince of Jin. They set out with a search party, leaving two hundred of Qu Nian’s personal guards behind to look through the snow, and Ren Yingying vowed to keep searching for ten more days.

• Ren Yingying planned supplies for a search for Dog Meat, and Qu Nian brought her pumpkin congee and helped arrange provisions for twenty people.
• Qu Nian told Ren Yingying he would stay with her to find Dog Meat, despite her warning that he had promised the Prince of Jin and needed to lead his men back.
• Qu Nian comforted Ren Yingying as she broke down in fear that Dog Meat might be dead.
• The army departed on schedule, while Qu Nian kept two hundred guards behind and divided them into eight groups to search the snow.
• Qu Nian protected Ren Yingying from falls on the icy roads and was badly bruised, so she treated his injuries in their tent.
• Ren Yingying said they would search for another ten days and considered climbing a mountain to look for Dog Meat.

Ren Yingying and Qu Nian shared a bed to keep warm, and she finally slept well. The next morning, Qu Nian found Dog Meat injured and sent for Ren Yingying to bring him back.

• Qu Nian gave Ren Yingying his quilt, then agreed to sleep beside her when she insisted.
• Qu Nian held Ren Yingying as she fell asleep, while he stayed awake wishing Dog Meat would return.
• Ren Yingying woke to learn Qu Nian had gone searching for Dog Meat and ordered the guards to keep her in the tent.
• A guard told Ren Yingying that Qu Nian had found Dog Meat, who was injured, and asked her to go bring him back.

Ren Yingying reunited with Dog Meat, while Qu Nian learned the dog had been injured pursuing a little white wolf and worried that their souls might swap again. As Qu Nian fell ill on the journey, he told Ren Yingying about their past transformation, but she assumed his fever had made him delirious; their conversation was interrupted by word of an approaching carriage.

• Ren Yingying rushed to Dog Meat and comforted him, while Qu Nian ordered the group to return with the injured dog.
• Qu Nian told Ren Yingying that Dog Meat had chased a little white wolf and been bitten, but she questioned how he knew what the dog had been thinking.
• Dog Meat grew listless after two days, and Qu Nian also became feverish and drowsy as Ren Yingying cared for them both.
• Qu Nian woke from a dream about becoming Dog Meat and tried to warn Ren Yingying that he and Dog Meat had once swapped bodies.
• Ren Yingying thought Qu Nian's fever had damaged his brain, and a guard interrupted them to report that a carriage was approaching.

Ren Yingying reunited with her friends in the border city, where Jinjin’s affection for Xiyou and Wu Zhenhai’s planned marriage to Mingzhu became topics of conversation. After returning to the capital with Qu Nian, Jinse, and Yuanyang, Ren Yingying arrived as Tang Zhuyun confronted a woman over an accusation against Yanran.

• Hua Cha and the others welcomed Ren Yingying’s returning group, and they discussed Lady Deng’s recovery and Hua Cha’s closeness with Xue Lie.
• The women revealed that Xiyou liked Jinjin, while a misunderstanding had led Wu Zhenhai to think Xiyou was pursuing Mingzhu.
• Ren Yingying reunited with Xiu'er and Mingzhu in the border city, while Wu Zhenhai told Qu Nian that he and Mingzhu planned to marry that year.
• Ren Yingying left for the capital three days later with Qu Nian, Jinse, and Yuanyang, and they arrived more than half a month afterward.
• Tang Zhuyun confronted a woman and questioned whether Yanran had pushed her.

At Grand Secretary Liu Jian’s wedding banquet, Yanran avoided Jiang Ruo’s complaints until Jiang Ruo came to ask for help getting closer to Wen Heng, who now taught at the Imperial Academy. Yanran later joined her mother and Sangsang, while Jiang Ruo and Qu Hua talked and Yanran enjoyed the feast.

• Tang Zhuyun brought Yanran to Grand Secretary Liu Jian’s wedding banquet, where Jiang Ruo tried to get Yanran’s attention.
• Jiang Ruo complained that other women seemed interested in Wen Heng and admitted she regretted letting him go, but had been unable to tell him so when she visited him.
• Jiang Ruo learned that Wen Heng taught at the Imperial Academy and urged Yanran to accompany her there; Yanran refused.
• Qu Hua arrived, and she and Jiang Ruo talked about their relationships while Yanran focused on eating the banquet food.
• Yanran greeted Tang Zhuyun and Sangsang, and Sangsang remarked that she had heard about Yanran’s exploits.
• Tang Zhuyun complained that Yanran’s recent fighting had brought a stream of people to the Prince’s residence to report her.

Yanran was accused of pushing the Consort of Prince of Ding, who began bleeding and lost her baby. Yanran exposed flaws in the servants’ accusations, but the crowd pitied the Consort; Tang Zhuyun reminded Yanran that the four-month-old child would have to be delivered.

• Yanran went to the pond with Jiang'er and encountered the Consort of Prince of Ding, then turned to leave after warning that they might be blamed for trouble.
• The Consort of Prince of Ding fell and accused Yanran of pushing her, while her servants repeated the charge and an imperial physician was summoned.
• Yanran slapped a matron who grabbed her and challenged the servants to swear they had seen the push; they swore they were telling the truth.
• Yanran pointed out that her chicken-leg grease stained Tang Zhuyun’s sleeve and the matron’s face, but was absent from the Consort of Prince of Ding’s clothes.
• Imperial Physician Chen declared that the child could not be saved, and the Consort of Prince of Ding fainted before waking and crying for her baby.
• Tang Zhuyun told Yanran that the Consort of Prince of Ding was more than four months pregnant and would have to give birth to the stillborn child, leaving Yanran eager to see what happened next.

Tang Zhuyun exposed the Consort of Prince of Ding’s fake miscarriage and bluffed that she was infertile, then reunited with Ren Yingying. Qu Nian returned to the prince’s residence and found Mu Ziyu there, looking so different that he barely recognized him.

• Tang Zhuyun threatened to use silver needles to help the Consort of Prince of Ding expel her supposed stillborn fetus, then mocked her and claimed she could not bear children.
• Afterward, Tang Zhuyun told Yanran she had been bluffing and guessed that the Prince of Ding was the one who could not father children.
• Ren Yingying returned and reunited with Tang Zhuyun, then told her how Dog Meat’s disappearance had brought her and Qu Nian together.
• Qu Hua rushed to Qu Nian and begged him to drive Mu Ziyu away.
• Mu Ziyu emerged and greeted Qu Nian as his brother, leaving Qu Nian stunned by his changed appearance.

Qu Hua returned to the Prince of Jin’s Residence and found Mu Ziyu and Qu Nian conspiring to keep her in check, then tried to recruit Ren Yingying to help punish her brother. Ren Yingying instead revealed that Qu Nian had arranged a handsome man for Qu Hua, while her conversation with Tang Zhuyun ended with Ren Yingying asking about someone impersonating Mingzhu.

• Mu Ziyu told Qu Nian he had sent the foreigner Qu Nian provided to Liaodong for training, and Qu Nian approved while privately resolving to let Mu Ziyu keep disciplining Qu Hua.
• Qu Hua left after seeing Mu Ziyu and Qu Nian exchange knowing looks, then asked Ren Yingying to join forces against Qu Nian.
• Ren Yingying claimed she and Qu Nian had always gotten along, leaving Qu Hua furious that she had no ally.
• Ren Yingying asked whether Qu Nian had given Qu Hua a man and whether Qu Hua had been intimate with him, prompting Qu Hua to storm out in anger.
• Ren Yingying told Tang Zhuyun that she had warned Qu Nian’s relatives not to take advantage of her, then asked to see the person prepared to impersonate Mingzhu.
• Tang Zhuyun knew nothing about the impersonator, and Ren Yingying redirected their conversation by asking her to explain Mingzhu.

Qu Nian approved of Mu Ziyu as a match for Qu Hua after Mu Ziyu said he would give up his heirship rather than constrain her freedom. After dinner, Qu Nian and Ren Yingying left together, bickering about the Prince of Jin, children, and Dog Meat.

• Tang Zhuyun grew furious when she heard that the Prince of Ding coveted Mingzhu and asked Hanxiang to find out whether the Prince of Jin would invite the returned Heir to the Prince of Min to dinner.
• Mu Ziyu told Qu Nian that he and Qu Hua had slept together and that he did not mind her past or care about keeping his heirship if it meant being with her.
• Qu Nian accepted Mu Ziyu as Qu Hua's future husband and took him to the Prince of Jin's Residence, where Yanran angrily searched for bricks after seeing them arrive together.
• After dinner, the Prince of Jin sent Linlin to see Qu Nian out, provoking Qu Nian, who then called Ren Yingying to leave with him.
• Qu Nian carried Dog Meat and told Ren Yingying he had found female dogs for him, while Ren Yingying joked that Dog Meat could be Qu Nian's ready-made son.

Qu Nian tried to find Dog Meat a mate so he could win a night with Ren Yingying, but Dog Meat rejected the Shar-Peis and Ren Yingying fell asleep beside him. Ren Yingying later helped the Prince of Jin with a scheme involving a woman resembling Mingzhu, while Wu Zhenhai visited Mingzhu and learned his subordinate had found a lead on who leaked Miss Huo’s portrait.

• Qu Nian brought several Shar-Peis for Dog Meat, but Dog Meat recoiled from them and Ren Yingying ordered the servants to take them away.
• Qu Nian shared a bed with Ren Yingying, but she fell asleep before anything happened.
• Ren Yingying worked all day on a woman selected by Chang Zhi’s old flame for the Prince of Jin, then complained that the Prince of Ding was getting off lightly despite the risks to Mingzhu.
• Wu Zhenhai visited Mingzhu while she fed Wuji, and Wuji eagerly reached for Wu Zhenhai’s saber.
• Wu Zhenhai left after a subordinate told him there was a lead on who had leaked Miss Huo’s portrait.

Wu Zhenhai exposed Jianchun as the maid who betrayed Mingzhu and learned that she had done it out of unrequited love for him. After dealing with Jianchun, he visited Mingzhu, who asked whether his concern was about the capital or the border city.

• Wu Zhenhai confronted Jianchun and demanded to know why she had betrayed Mingzhu, who had once given her two thousand taels of silver.
• Wu Zhenhai threatened Jianchun with a branding iron until she confessed that she had betrayed Mingzhu because she loved him.
• Jianchun claimed she had acted to protect Wu Zhenhai from Mingzhu's insults, and Wu Zhenhai ordered his subordinates to kill her and destroy her face.
• Wu Zhenhai ordered an attendant to silence Jianchun's family, then bathed and changed before checking on Wu Yu, who was reading.
• Wu Zhenhai visited Mingzhu as she finished writing to Tang Zhuyun, and she asked whether he had come to discuss the capital or the border city.

Wu Zhenhai concealed Jianchun’s betrayal from Mingzhu, but she worked out the truth and asked him to stop investigating her family. In the capital, the Prince of Ding kept the false Mingzhu hidden while Tang Zhuyun discussed Yanran’s visit to the Imperial Academy and the Prince of Jin went out to deal with his opponents.

• Wu Zhenhai lied that Jianchun had died after her husband’s family abused her, but Mingzhu caught the lie because Jianchun had visited her half a month earlier.
• Mingzhu deduced that Jianchun had sold her portrait, and Wu Zhenhai admitted what had happened while leaving out Jianchun’s motive and his methods of punishment.
• Mingzhu told Wu Zhenhai not to tell anyone else or trouble Jianchun’s family, and he agreed to write to the prince to end the investigation.
• The Prince of Ding treasured the false Mingzhu in a hidden residence, while his Consort remained unaware of the reason for his absence and tried to make amends for her fake pregnancy.
• Tang Zhuyun spoke with Nanxing about Yanran, who went with Jiang Ruo to the Imperial Academy and planned to bring food to her brother and Cui Xiaoqiu.
• The Prince of Jin left home despite claiming to be recovering from an old injury, intending to force his opponents to submit.

Tang Zhuyun learned that the Prince of Jin had fought Yuan Han, the third young master of the Prince Who Guards the South’s household, after welcoming him in the palace. Nanxing began explaining that Yuan Han’s close sister Yuan Yi had met the Prince of Jin when he was still the heir.

• Ren Yingying visited Tang Zhuyun and revealed that the Prince of Jin and Qu Nian had gone to a group meeting about the new Prince Who Guards the South’s arrival.
• Zhao Kuo reported that the Prince of Jin had suffered a slight injury after fighting Yuan Han in the palace, so Tang Zhuyun sent medicine back with him.
• Qu Nian declined to explain the fight, telling Tang Zhuyun to wait for the Prince of Jin to return and explain it himself.
• Nanxing recalled that Yuan Han and his sister Yuan Yi had been close, then said Yuan Yi had met the Prince of Jin when he was still the heir.

Tang Zhuyun and her companions gossiped about Yuan Yi’s past affection for the Prince of Jin, then the Prince of Jin returned with a bruised mouth and explained that Yuan Han had attacked him over his sister. He denied being responsible for Yuan Yi’s unmarried life and revealed his close, secret friendship with Yuan Fang.

• Nanxing said Yuan Yi had once been interested in the Prince of Jin but had never married, and Ren Yingying worried she might threaten Tang Zhuyun.
• Tang Zhuyun joked with Yanran that the Prince of Jin should be nervous and promised they would find Yanran someone else if her future love did not return her feelings.
• The Prince of Jin returned with an injury at the corner of his mouth and said Yuan Han had struck him by surprise while accusing him of wasting Yuan Yi’s time.
• The Prince of Jin insisted he had forgotten what Yuan Yi looked like and questioned whether he was responsible for her remaining unmarried.
• The Prince of Jin revealed that he and Yuan Fang were close in private and that he had supported Yuan Fang in taking his position.

Tang Zhuyun and Ren Yingying discussed their relationships and Yuan Yi’s silence, while Jiang Ruo grieved over Wen Heng’s rejection. Yanran’s carriage nearly collided with Yuan Yi’s at a crossroads, leaving Yanran eager to meet the commandery princess.

• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun that he had no part in Yuan Yi’s marriage and that he was close friends with Yuan Fang.
• Ren Yingying visited Tang Zhuyun, teased her about her marriage, and asked whether Qu Nian might have a physical problem.
• Ren Yingying wondered why Yuan Yi had not requested an audience, but Tang Zhuyun said there was little reason for them to meet.
• Jiang Ruo brought meals with Yanran and watched Wen Heng pass without acknowledging her, then cried over his rejection.
• Yanran and Jiang Ruo’s carriage nearly collided with the commandery princess’s carriage, and Yanran learned Yuan Yi was inside.

Yanran brought Jiang Ruo to the prince's residence, where Tang Zhuyun agreed to treat the gravely ill child Yuan Yi had brought to her. The chapter ended as Ren Yingying noticed the child's malformed ear and wondered how Doudou was related to Yuan Yi.

• Yanran changed plans and took Jiang Ruo to the prince's residence so she could seek relationship advice.
• Ren Yingying urged Tang Zhuyun to refuse Yuan Yi, but Tang Zhuyun agreed to see her after learning she had brought a child with a persistent fever and convulsions.
• Yuan Yi arrived carrying Doudou, and Tang Zhuyun examined the child before bringing her inside.
• Tang Zhuyun recognized that Doudou had congenital microtia and prepared to use acupuncture to lower her fever.
• Ren Yingying noticed Doudou's malformed ear and wondered whether the child was Yuan Yi's daughter.

Yuan Yi brought her feverish daughter Doudou to Tang Zhuyun for treatment and revealed that the child was her own, while Tang Zhuyun warned that the illness might be beyond her ability to cure. The Prince of Jin returned and said Yuan Fang had told him Yuan Yi had never married, leaving the truth about Doudou uncertain.

• Tang Zhuyun gave Doudou medicine and warned Yuan Yi that she might be unable to treat the child's illness.
• Yuan Yi revealed that Doudou was her daughter and asked Tang Zhuyun to ease her suffering if she could not be saved.
• Tang Zhuyun agreed to try to help and arranged a courtyard for Yuan Yi and Doudou to stay in.
• The Prince of Jin encountered Yuan Yi but did not recognize her, focusing instead on Tang Zhuyun's lack of warm clothing.
• Ren Yingying teased Tang Zhuyun about the Prince of Jin and left, promising to investigate Yuan Yi's story with Qu Nian.
• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun that Yuan Fang had said Yuan Yi had never married, and he suspected Yuan Yi was lying.

Tang Zhuyun weighed whether to treat Doudou, whose severe anemia might require a blood transfusion, and agreed to try after Yuan Fang asked for help. Yuan Yi then admitted that Doudou was her biological daughter, though she had concealed the truth from her brothers.

• Tang Zhuyun told the Prince of Jin she was unsure whether she could safely help Doudou, and he went to ask Yuan Fang about the child.
• Yuan Fang told Tang Zhuyun that Doudou was the daughter of one of Yuan Yi's maids, whom Yuan Yi had adopted, and begged her to help.
• Yanran told Tang Zhuyun that she had heard Yuan Yi call Doudou her own flesh and blood, leading Tang Zhuyun to suspect Yuan Yi was Doudou's birth mother.
• Tang Zhuyun and Ren Yingying discussed stabilizing Doudou's anemia before attempting ear reconstruction, and Tang Zhuyun explained that Doudou might need a blood transfusion.
• Yuan Yi offered her own blood and admitted that Doudou was her biological daughter, a secret known only to her wet nurse and two personal maids.
• Tang Zhuyun assured Yuan Yi that she would do everything she could to help Doudou.

Yuan Yi explained how Fan Chun drugged and assaulted her, leaving her to bear Doudou in secret, and why she had killed him. Ren Yingying urged Tang Zhuyun to help women trapped by abuse, and the chapter ended with Tang Zhuyun asking Yuan Yi how old Fan Chun had been.

• Yuan Yi told Tang Zhuyun and Ren Yingying about her youthful affection for the Prince of Jin and explained that she had not stayed unmarried for his sake.
• Yuan Yi revealed that Fan Chun, her father's trusted adviser, had drugged and assaulted her, and that she became pregnant with Doudou.
• Yuan Yi said she had hidden her pregnancy by announcing that she would marry and giving birth while secluded in an embroidery tower.
• Yuan Yi told them that she had killed Fan Chun the previous year and that Doudou was his daughter, though Yuan Yi had raised her as her own.
• Ren Yingying comforted Yuan Yi and urged Tang Zhuyun to use her influence to speak up for women and help them resist abuse.
• Tang Zhuyun asked Yuan Yi how old Fan Chun had been and how his age compared with her father's.