Recaps

The Prince of Jin revealed to Linlin that he was his biological father and explained how Linlin had been conceived. After Linlin considered the truth, he accepted him as his father, while the Prince of Jin promised to protect him and Tang Zhuyun.

• Linlin told the Prince of Jin that he rejected his irresponsible biological father but trusted and cared for the Prince of Jin.
• The Prince of Jin asked Linlin whether he would forgive a serious mistake, then admitted that he was Linlin's biological father.
• The Prince of Jin explained the circumstances of his and Tang Zhuyun's encounter and said he regretted missing Linlin's childhood.
• Linlin said he could not acknowledge the Prince of Jin because doing so might endanger his family and expose them to political trouble.
• The Prince of Jin promised to protect Linlin and Tang Zhuyun, and Linlin tearfully called him "Father."

The Prince of Jin and Linlin shared an emotional moment after Tang Zhuyun left them alone. Tang Zhuyun then checked on the injured Nanxing and made clear that she and the Prince of Jin had no romantic feelings, leaving her focused on her own future and her son.

• The Prince of Jin sent Tang Zhuyun away, then comforted Linlin as they both cried over their reunion.
• Tang Zhuyun prepared chicken soup while Yanran worried that Nanxing was being left to suffer, and Tang Zhuyun decided to treat Nanxing because she had saved the Prince of Jin.
• Tang Zhuyun found Huaishang with Nanxing and teased him about Xiu'er before examining Nanxing's wound.
• Nanxing apologized for her past disrespect, but Tang Zhuyun told her that Linlin's parentage did not mean she loved the Prince of Jin.
• Tang Zhuyun explained that she and the Prince of Jin were joined only by their child and an imperial decree, and resolved to focus on making money and outliving him.

Tang Zhuyun struggled to answer the Prince of Jin’s questions about Linlin’s early childhood, then encouraged Yanran to learn riding, swimming, and archery. Xiu'er brought up Huaishang’s long-standing claim to one hundred taels of silver, leaving Tang Zhuyun reluctant to pay him.

• Nanxing asked Song Jingyang whether Tang Zhuyun disliked her, and Song Jingyang said Tang Zhuyun had already treated her well by saving her life.
• The Prince of Jin questioned Tang Zhuyun about Linlin’s childhood, but she claimed she could not remember much.
• Yanran asked the Prince of Jin how he survived falling into the river, and he explained that he swam to the bank and found someone waiting for him.
• Tang Zhuyun urged Yanran to learn practical skills and promised to swim with her in the lotus pond, while the Prince of Jin offered to teach her.
• Xiu'er, Song Jingyang, and Huaishang confronted Tang Zhuyun about Huaishang’s hundred taels of silver, and Xiu'er urged her to return it.

Tang Zhuyun stopped Xiu'er from provoking the Prince of Jin and told Yanran the little mermaid story, using it to teach her about choosing a partner and valuing family. The Prince of Jin ended the night wondering whether Tang Zhuyun was a mermaid princess who had become human for a lover.

• Xiu'er took the hundred-tael banknote Tang Zhuyun offered Huaishang and added one tael of her own, prompting Tang Zhuyun to pull her aside and warn her not to provoke the Prince of Jin.
• Tang Zhuyun explained to Xiu'er that they should stand up for themselves without opposing the Prince of Jin over everything.
• Yanran asked Tang Zhuyun to finish the little mermaid story, and Tang Zhuyun guided her through what she would do in the mermaid's place.
• Tang Zhuyun gave Yanran advice about love, family, and not sacrificing herself for a man, while Linlin persuaded her not to think of marrying her brother.
• The Prince of Jin wondered whether Tang Zhuyun was a mermaid princess who had become human for someone she loved.

Tang Zhuyun refused to engage with Hongfu when she came demanding entry to the residence, and the Prince of Jin ordered Song Jingyang to take her away and watch her. He explained that Hongfu was useful as a target and bait, but the next day Huaishang found himself caught up in the matter too.

• Huaishang brought frozen seafood to the residence, and Tang Zhuyun eagerly cooked and ate it, strengthening the Prince of Jin’s suspicion that she came from the sea.
• The Prince of Jin tried to coax Tang Zhuyun into drinking wine, but she refused, so he abandoned his plan to get her drunk and make her reveal the truth.
• Tang Zhuyun asked to take the children onto the roof to watch the Lantern Festival, and the Prince of Jin agreed.
• Hongfu arrived demanding to enter the residence because she was carrying the Prince of Jin’s child, but Tang Zhuyun chose not to meet or argue with her.
• The Prince of Jin ordered Song Jingyang to take Hongfu away and stay to look after her, then told Yanran that Hongfu was useful as a target and bait.
• Huaishang was relieved to avoid dealing with Hongfu, but the next day he could no longer be happy.

Song Jingyang returned with Hongfu’s lavish gifts and a thousand taels, but Tang Zhuyun rejected the jewels and the Prince of Jin directed his men to keep watch over Hongfu and her unborn child. The chapter ended with Tang Zhuyun, the Prince of Jin, and the children celebrating the Lantern Festival together.

• Song Jingyang brought back a treasure box of jewelry from Hongfu and kept the thousand taels she had paid him, but Tang Zhuyun refused to accept the gifts.
• The Prince of Jin ordered Song Jingyang to return the jewelry and told him and Huaishang to treat Hongfu with concern while keeping an eye on her pregnancy.
• The Prince of Jin rewarded Huaishang with a thousand taels and gave him another five hundred taels for Yao Jinhua.
• Tang Zhuyun privately decided Hongfu had no place in the household, since the child was not the Prince of Jin’s.
• On the Lantern Festival, Song Jingyang took Linlin and Yanran onto the roof to watch the crowds, while Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin shared fried yuanxiao below.

Tang Zhuyun played drunk to win the Prince of Jin’s eastern pearls, but he saw through her act and questioned her sudden change in temperament. She refused to reveal her secret and asked whether he still planned to leave once his injury healed.

• Song Jingyang brought a box of festival snacks, and Tang Zhuyun shared some with him and Xiu'er.
• The Prince of Jin offered Tang Zhuyun eastern pearls if she got drunk on fermented-rice tangyuan, and she pretended to pass out after eating a bowl.
• The Prince of Jin tested Tang Zhuyun by asking if she wanted to go home or return to the sea, and she broke character laughing at his mermaid theory.
• The Prince of Jin accused Tang Zhuyun of having changed and knowing things she had not known before, but she claimed she had simply kept her abilities hidden.
• Tang Zhuyun teased the Prince of Jin about his suspicions and asked whether he would leave on the second day of the second month after recovering from his injury.

Tang Zhuyun learned that Tang Baixin was going to Jiangbei for disaster relief and worried about his safety, so she asked the Prince of Jin to protect him. The Prince of Jin agreed to consider helping and left Tang Zhuyun wondering what repayment he would demand.

• The Prince of Jin ordered Tang Zhuyun to leave, then spent the night furious over their confrontation.
• Huaishang told the Prince of Jin that several groups had broken into Hongfu's residence amid the previous night's chaos.
• Tang Baixin told Tang Zhuyun he was going to Jiangbei to provide disaster relief and promised to resume investigating the Prince of Jin's case when he returned.
• Tang Baixin explained that he hoped his service would help Meng Yulan become his principal wife, and Tang Zhuyun offered to care for the family while he was away.
• The Prince of Jin warned that Jiang Beihan might exploit Tang Baixin's trip, so Tang Zhuyun begged him to arrange guards for her brother.
• The Prince of Jin said he would discuss Tang Zhuyun moving home after the funeral procession and asked how she would repay him for keeping Tang Baixin alive.

Tang Zhuyun refused the Prince of Jin’s offer to trade two guards for a dog for Linlin, explaining why keeping one was unsafe while the children were young. The Prince of Jin later arranged help for Tang Baixin anyway, and Tang Zhuyun learned of it when Tang Baixin thanked him.

• The Prince of Jin asked Tang Zhuyun to get a dog for Linlin in exchange for two guards, but she explained her concerns about dirt, disease, allergies, and injuries.
• The Prince of Jin dropped the dog request, then refused to provide guards; Tang Zhuyun argued that he should repay Tang Baixin for raising Linlin and helping the family.
• Tang Zhuyun left to change Nanxing’s dressing, and the Prince of Jin decided to arrange the guards for Tang Baixin without telling her.
• Two days later, Tang Zhuyun learned of the Prince of Jin’s help when Tang Baixin thanked him.
• With Linlin and Yanran visiting the Tang family, Tang Zhuyun made tiger-head shoes for her expected niece or nephew while the Prince of Jin questioned her needlework.

Tang Zhuyun worried about Madam Wang after she came to visit and then disappeared, while the Prince of Jin speculated about her motives. Madam Wang returned to the Wang residence, but just as Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin sat down to eat, Xiu'er announced that something had happened there.

• Tang Zhuyun learned that Madam Wang had come to see her but left before they could meet, and she sent Xiu'er to find out why.
• Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin considered whether Madam Wang's visit involved danger, personal trouble, or aid for disaster victims.
• When Xiu'er could not find Madam Wang at the Wang residence, Tang Zhuyun ordered a search, and the Prince of Jin approved.
• Xiu'er later reported that Madam Wang had returned to the Wang residence, so Tang Zhuyun went to prepare eight-treasure duck.
• As the Prince of Jin began eating, Xiu'er announced that something had happened at the Wang residence.

Tang Zhuyun treated Madam Wang after she took arsenic and the imperial physicians could not save her. As Wang Fu waited anxiously outside, Tang Zhuyun prepared to use acupuncture, while suspecting Madam Wang’s despair was tied to another illness.

• Tang Zhuyun learned Madam Wang had taken arsenic and decided to try to save her.
• Song Jingyang reported that Wang Fu had brought the unconscious Madam Wang to see Tang Zhuyun after the imperial physicians gave up.
• Tang Zhuyun examined Madam Wang, prescribed medicine to induce vomiting and an antidote, and noticed she had another illness.
• Wang Fu recalled how he and Madam Wang had built a happy life together and worried that she had tried to leave him without explanation.
• Tang Zhuyun asked Wang Fu to leave so she could use acupuncture to force out the poison, and he reluctantly agreed.

Tang Zhuyun saved Madam Wang after she swallowed arsenic and questioned her about a disease that had driven her to despair. Madam Wang insisted she had never betrayed Wang Fu, but could not explain how she had contracted it.

• Tang Zhuyun treated Madam Wang with acupuncture and medicine, taking care to avoid contact with the vomit.
• Madam Wang awoke, mistook Tang Zhuyun's residence for the underworld, and begged to be allowed to die.
• Xiu'er stopped Wang Fu from entering and sent him away to wash and rest while Tang Zhuyun cared for Madam Wang.
• Tang Zhuyun asked Madam Wang why she had tried to die and how she had become ill.
• Madam Wang said a physician had diagnosed her with a disease supposedly caught from an infected man, though she swore she had never been unfaithful to Wang Fu.

Tang Zhuyun learned that Madam Wang had been infected and threatened to spy on the emperor’s health, and she urged her to tell Wang Fu and fight back. Wang Fu thanked Tang Zhuyun for saving his wife, while the Prince of Jin questioned why Wang Fu had trusted her to help.

• Madam Wang told Tang Zhuyun that an old servant had threatened to expose her illness unless she asked Wang Fu about the emperor’s health.
• Tang Zhuyun reassured Madam Wang that her illness could be cured and urged her to tell Wang Fu and identify those around her who might have infected her.
• Tang Zhuyun told Wang Fu what Madam Wang had revealed and shared her suspicions about the plot.
• Wang Fu thanked Tang Zhuyun for saving Madam Wang, then went to comfort his wife.
• Tang Zhuyun told the Prince of Jin about the scheme, and he asked why Wang Fu had believed she could save Madam Wang.

Tang Zhuyun revealed that she had recognized the emperor’s heart condition and treated Madam Wang after she was poisoned with arsenic. After Tang Zhuyun recovered her strength with fish bought at the Prince of Jin’s request, she planned to visit her family before her elder brother departed.

• Tang Zhuyun told the Prince of Jin how she had recognized the emperor’s heart condition and said she would not harm him, then received permission to investigate the person who had poisoned Madam Wang.
• The Prince of Jin told Xiu'er to buy fish and seafood for Tang Zhuyun, who was exhausted from treating Madam Wang.
• Tang Zhuyun checked Madam Wang’s condition, confirmed the arsenic had been cleared, and agreed to let Madam Wang stay at the prince’s residence while Wang Fu investigated.
• Madam Wang asked Wang Fu to bring their adopted son Zhigao to visit her, and Wang Fu agreed.
• Tang Zhuyun ate the fish Xiu'er had cooked and told the Prince of Jin she planned to visit home before her elder brother left, while refusing his offer of travel money.

Tang Zhuyun accepted golden-thread soft armor from Wang Fu but gave it to her brother, leaving the Prince of Jin disappointed and jealous. After Song Jingyang pointed out that the prince had never given Tang Zhuyun a gift, the prince began to reconsider how he had treated her.

• Wang Fu gave Tang Zhuyun golden-thread soft armor, hoping she would pass it to the Prince of Jin.
• Tang Zhuyun gave Meng Yulan the armor for Tang Mingfan to wear, and Meng Yulan accepted it.
• Tang Zhuyun returned to the prince's manor empty-handed and went to see Madam Wang, while the Prince of Jin waited in vain for the armor.
• The Prince of Jin admitted he wanted Wang Fu's gift, but Tang Zhuyun said she had given it to her brother.
• Song Jingyang told the Prince of Jin that he should give Tang Zhuyun gifts, and the prince realized he had never done so.

The Prince of Jin planned a birthday gift for Tang Zhuyun before leaving the residence, while Tang Zhuyun investigated Madam Wang’s illness and discovered that Zhigao may have infected both Madam Wang and his wet nurse. The chapter left Wang Fu and Madam Wang facing the possibility that someone had deliberately placed an infected infant in their household.

• Song Jingyang asked the Prince of Jin whether he had planned a birthday gift for Tang Zhuyun, prompting the Prince to consider what to give her.
• Song Jingyang advised the Prince of Jin not to copy the seventeen pieces of jewelry he had given Xiu'er, and the Prince designed a large gift to be made in advance.
• Tang Zhuyun and Madam Wang searched the household for a traitor but found no culprit, until Tang Zhuyun noticed that Zhigao's wet nurse seemed nervous.
• Tang Zhuyun examined the wet nurse and realized she had likely become ill around the same time as Madam Wang, despite the disease being difficult to transmit early on.
• Tang Zhuyun examined Zhigao and concluded that his infected birth mother had probably passed the disease to him, meaning someone may have deliberately placed him in Madam Wang's care.

Tang Zhuyun discussed treating the Wang household’s innocent child, but the Prince of Jin forbade it and ordered Nanxing to watch over her while he was away. She agreed with Meng Yulan to establish a porridge tent for refugees, then learned the effort could expose the prince’s residence to sabotage and political attacks.

• The Prince of Jin offered Tang Zhuyun a birthday gift, but she barely reacted and told him about the Wang household’s troubles.
• Tang Zhuyun said she intended to treat the Wang child, and the Prince of Jin forbade her and told Nanxing to keep her from treating people while he was away.
• Meng Yulan worried that her baby might be born on the Dragon Boat Festival, and Tang Zhuyun reassured her that the Tang family would cherish a daughter.
• Meng Yulan proposed that the prince’s residence distribute porridge to refugees, and Tang Zhuyun agreed to set up a porridge tent.
• Meng Yulan warned that porridge relief could be sabotaged and that censors might attack Tang Zhuyun if the residence failed to help the refugees.

Tang Zhuyun asked the Prince of Jin about his fake death and his reputation, then sought permission to offer free medical care to disaster victims and bring Linlin and Yanran. The Prince of Jin revealed that he had personally executed more than forty people who destroyed his family, and Tang Zhuyun affirmed that she stood by him.

• Tang Zhuyun learned that the emperor had intended to make her a secondary consort but impulsively promised her the principal consort position after hearing that the Prince of Jin's mother liked her.
• Tang Zhuyun asked to treat disaster victims for free and bring Linlin and Yanran, with Yanran learning medicine, and the Prince of Jin considered her request.
• Tang Zhuyun asked why people feared the Prince of Jin, and he said he had killed more than forty people himself at an execution ground.
• The Prince of Jin explained that those people had destroyed his family and killed his loved ones, and Tang Zhuyun told him she was on his side.

Tang Zhuyun planned to disguise herself as a maid for the free medical consultations, while the Prince of Jin grew jealous and flustered around her. After his nosebleed stopped, Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er settled on a name for her disguise.

• Tang Zhuyun explained that she wanted to hide her identity during the free consultations because her family’s and the Prince of Jin’s enemies could cause trouble.
• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun she could use whatever she wanted from his residence, but she said she would save his wealth for Linlin.
• Tang Zhuyun changed into Xiu'er's clothes and asked her to have another outfit made, while the Prince of Jin developed a nosebleed.
• Tang Zhuyun treated the Prince of Jin’s nosebleed, and he started bleeding again after her buttons came undone.
• Tang Zhuyun decided she and Xiu'er would pose as maids, and Xiu'er suggested the names Daxiu and Erxiu.

Tang Zhuyun prepared to leave with two children to help treat patients, while the Prince of Jin worried over her safety and arranged a veiled hat. Nanxing insisted on accompanying her, and the Prince of Jin agreed.

• Tang Zhuyun rejected the name Jianxian, failed to learn the Prince of Jin's given name, and left to prepare supplies for a porridge shelter and medicine distribution.
• Song Jingyang told Tang Zhuyun that Eunuch Wang had visited the Prince of Jin, who learned that Wang Fu's wife wanted to keep the child Tang Zhuyun had treated.
• Tang Zhuyun told the Prince of Jin she would take the two children with her the next day, and he advised her to wear a veiled hat to avoid being recognized.
• The Prince of Jin had a veiled hat prepared, and Tang Zhuyun cut its long black veil shorter before setting out.
• Nanxing insisted on accompanying Tang Zhuyun despite her injuries, and the Prince of Jin allowed her to go.

Tang Zhuyun and Yanran changed the Prince of Jin's Residence porridge stall to serve women, drawing more women and children to Tang Zhuyun's clinic. Zong Heng arrived in the city but did not approach them, while Linlin was sent ahead to see a present the Prince of Jin had prepared.

• Yanran discovered that some disaster victims took porridge from their daughters to feed their sons, so she proposed serving only women at the residence's stall.
• Tang Zhuyun approved Yanran's plan, and the next day their women-only stall attracted more female patients to Tang Zhuyun.
• Nanxing told Tang Zhuyun that Zong Heng, the crown princess's younger brother and her predecessor's old enemy, was coming, so Tang Zhuyun ordered their people to stay away from his stall.
• Zong Heng and the noble young ladies stayed at the other stalls until nightfall without confronting Tang Zhuyun, who joked with Yanran about selling cold medicine and ginger soup.
• A guard summoned Linlin back to the residence to see a present from the Prince of Jin, while Yanran asked Xiu'er to make her clothes and accessories like Tang Zhuyun's.

Tang Zhuyun discovered that the Prince of Jin had brought home a tiger cub for Linlin and Yanran, and reluctantly agreed to let the children raise it. After they named the cub Jiaojiao, she confronted the Prince of Jin for deciding without consulting her.

• Tang Zhuyun entered the main room and found Linlin and Yanran admiring a cub the Prince of Jin had brought home.
• Linlin explained that the animal was a tiger cub, and the Prince of Jin said Linlin could raise it as a pet.
• Yanran named the cub Jiaojiao and explained that she had hoped for a little sister or a dog before settling for the tiger.
• Tang Zhuyun discovered Jiaojiao was male, joked about his name, and told both children they would be responsible for raising him.
• After the children took Jiaojiao to play, Tang Zhuyun challenged the Prince of Jin for bringing the cub home without discussing it with her, then left after teasing him.

The Prince of Jin grew jealous at the thought that Tang Zhuyun might be interested in Zong Heng, while Tang Zhuyun remained focused on treating disaster victims. As Zong Heng stayed away and the noble young ladies kept visiting, a suspiciously unusual woman approached Tang Zhuyun at the clinic.

• Song Jingyang warned the Prince of Jin that Zong Heng, one of the Four Young Masters of the Capital, might visit the porridge shed and attract Tang Zhuyun’s attention.
• The Prince of Jin questioned Tang Zhuyun in his sleep about Zong Heng, and she replied that she remembered him because he had set a vicious dog on her.
• At breakfast, Yanran asked whether Zong Heng would come, and the Prince of Jin grew jealous when Tang Zhuyun said she hoped he would arrive soon.
• The Prince of Jin told Song Jingyang to protect Tang Zhuyun, but Zong Heng never appeared as Tang Zhuyun treated women and children over the following days.
• As Tang Zhuyun rested near the porridge line, a ragged woman approached her, and Song Jingyang stepped in to block the woman’s path.

Tang Zhuyun treated Qin Sang, a former courtesan, whose gratitude brought donations and patients to the disaster-relief clinic. The crown princess invited Tang Zhuyun to a fundraising gathering, but Tang Zhuyun suspected the money would support the crown prince and refused to attend.

• Qin Sang paid Tang Zhuyun for treatment, and Tang Zhuyun diagnosed her illness and gave her prescriptions.
• After recovering, Qin Sang brought other women to the clinic and donated money to support its relief work.
• The Prince of Jin warned Song Jingyang to keep investigating Qin Sang, though her background appeared clean.
• Tang Zhuyun reviewed the clinic’s expenses and found an invitation from the crown princess to gather donations for disaster victims.
• Tang Zhuyun suspected the fundraising would benefit the crown prince and rejected the invitation, while Xiu'er admitted she wanted to see Zong Heng.

Tang Zhuyun dismissed the crown princess’s invitation and planned to irritate her by asking to borrow silver, while warning Xiu'er to avoid Zong Heng. When Zong Heng appeared at the disaster-relief site, Tang Zhuyun and her companions saw that he had recovered his looks, and Qin Sang revealed that she had bought her freedom.

• Tang Zhuyun told Xiu'er not to provoke Zong Heng, and the Prince of Jin warned her to stay away from him.
• Tang Zhuyun said she would answer the crown princess’s invitation by claiming she was ill from worrying about silver and asking to borrow some.
• Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin reviewed their accounts, and she joked that she would squeeze money from anyone who provoked her while she remained a widow.
• Zong Heng appeared at the relief site looking even more handsome, and the Zong family’s flower rolls drew the disaster victims away from Tang Zhuyun’s group.
• Qin Sang told Tang Zhuyun that she had bought her freedom for three hundred taels, then teased Xiu'er about learning her flirtatious ways.