Chapter Summaries

The Prince of Jin gave Tang Zhuyun a dragon pearl and told her he had brought her eldest brother back, but she rushed off to see her family instead of staying with him. While she cooked noodles for him, they discussed Zong Heng and the Prince of Jin’s search, and he ended by promising to stay with her when she gave birth.

• The Prince of Jin gave Tang Zhuyun a dragon pearl, which she happily accepted while mistaking its significance for a possible wish-granting treasure.
• The Prince of Jin revealed that he had brought Tang Baixin back, and Tang Zhuyun ran next door to see him.
• Song Jingyang told the Prince of Jin that mentioning Tang Baixin had driven Tang Zhuyun away, but she returned after a brief visit.
• Tang Zhuyun discovered that the Prince of Jin had not eaten, so she made noodles while he peeled garlic and told her Zong Heng had broken his leg and would be away for at least two months.
• When Tang Zhuyun praised Tang Baixin’s return and spoke about childbirth, the Prince of Jin promised he would stay with her when she gave birth.

Tang Zhuyun worried that the Prince of Jin’s sudden affection meant he wanted more children, while she wanted to keep their relationship close but platonic. After Yanran and Linlin interrupted his attempt to explain himself, Tang Zhuyun asked Song Jingyang whether anything had changed during the prince’s trip, but he offered only a simple explanation for the prince’s attention.

• Tang Zhuyun told the Prince of Jin that she could not have children, and he reassured her that he did not mind.
• The Prince of Jin began to say they could start over, but Yanran and Linlin rushed in and interrupted him.
• Tang Zhuyun left to cut fruit, while the Prince of Jin regretted raising the subject of children.
• Tang Zhuyun found Song Jingyang and Xiu'er together in the kitchen and asked whether anything had shocked the Prince of Jin during his trip.
• Song Jingyang guessed that the Prince of Jin had realized he could not do without Tang Zhuyun, but she remained suspicious of his sudden kindness.

On her birthday, Tang Zhuyun wished for the Prince of Jin to achieve his ambition, hoping he would then let her go and she could practice medicine without fear. The Prince of Jin revealed that he did want to become emperor and promised to share his success with her, while Tang Zhuyun made clear that her own dream was simply to be a doctor.

• Yanran fed cherries to the Prince of Jin and Tang Zhuyun, then joked that two cherries joined at the stem were like her parents kissing.
• Tang Zhuyun told Yanran that her favorite birthday present was the one Yanran had given her, and wished for the Prince of Jin to get what he wanted.
• That night, the family of four slept together, and the Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun that he had heard her wish and knew how she felt.
• Tang Zhuyun explained that she hoped he would become emperor so she could avoid dying alongside him, and the Prince of Jin admitted that becoming emperor was his ambition.
• The Prince of Jin promised to share his success with Tang Zhuyun, who said she wanted to practice medicine freely and without interference.

Tang Zhuyun ignored the Prince of Jin’s apology and attempt to reconcile, while he returned to court and worked to win her father’s favor. His reunion with Tang Mingfan drew attention, and his clash with the Prince of Yong ended with the Prince of Jin summoned to see the emperor.

• The Prince of Jin apologized to Tang Zhuyun and asked her to make a fresh start with him, but she pretended to be asleep.
• The Prince of Jin stopped Chang Zhi from taking Tang Mingfan’s meal and had Song Jingyang deliver it instead.
• The Prince of Jin arrived at court unharmed, greeted Tang Mingfan warmly, and admitted he had made Tang Zhuyun suffer.
• The Prince of Yong hinted that the Prince of Jin should free the seventh prince, but the Prince of Jin refused and told him to go keep his brother company.
• Wang Fu summoned the Prince of Jin to see the emperor, while Tang Mingfan told Lord Xu that his family desired nothing and was not seeking power.

The Prince of Jin asked the emperor to let him marry Tang Zhuyun again with the full rites for a prince's consort, explaining that he wanted to honor her devotion to him. The emperor granted the request and ordered a grand wedding, though Wang Fu warned that arranging it might cause problems.

• The Prince of Jin visited the emperor, and Tang Zhuyun's name softened the atmosphere between them.
• The Prince of Jin asked the emperor to let him hold a proper wedding for Tang Zhuyun, saying he did not want to be indebted to her.
• The emperor, hurt by the prince's words, granted his request and let him withdraw.
• The emperor reflected that he might never earn the Prince of Jin's forgiveness, while Wang Fu tried to comfort him.
• The emperor ordered the Prince of Jin's wedding arranged according to proper rites and made grand and lively, but Wang Fu cautioned that there might be problems.

The emperor approved the Prince of Jin’s marriage to Tang Zhuyun and arranged a residence and dowry for the Tang family. Tang Zhuyun was stunned by the news and confided in Xiu'er that she did not want to mistake the prince’s affection for love of her own.

• Wang Fu persuaded the emperor to grant Tang Mingfan a residence beside the Prince of Jin's Residence and to fund Tang Zhuyun’s dowry.
• The emperor agreed to let bygones be bygones, approve Tang Baixin’s request for Madam Meng to become his lawful wife, and have Tang Mingfan stay after court.
• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun that the emperor had agreed to their marriage, leaving her shocked by how quickly he had acted.
• Yanran feared that her father’s new marriage would bring her a stepmother, so the Prince of Jin reassured her that he would marry Tang Zhuyun.
• Tang Zhuyun worried that others would expect her to love the Prince of Jin because he loved her, and Xiu'er urged her to ignore their judgments.

After her betrothal to the Prince of Jin barred them from meeting before the wedding, Tang Zhuyun stayed at her maiden home to support her pregnant sister-in-law, Meng Yulan. When Duke Meng’s Residence tried to repair its relationship with Meng Yulan, she decided to accept their help and use her restored reputation to advance her family’s standing.

• After the betrothal edicts arrived, the Prince of Jin grew irritable because he and Tang Zhuyun could not meet until their wedding in the seventh month.
• Tang Zhuyun stayed with the Tang Family while Meng Yulan awaited childbirth, and reassured her when she feared dying in labor.
• Lüzhu reported that Nanny Zhang from Duke Meng’s Residence had come to mend relations and offer Meng Yulan a dowry.
• Meng Yulan told Tang Zhuyun she would reconcile with Duke Meng’s Residence and accept its money for the sake of her child and her own reputation.
• Meng Yulan explained that she intended to use the reconciliation to restore her influence and improve the Tang Family’s position.

Meng Yulan gave Tang Zhuyun part of her dowry and asked her to care for her child and Linlin if she died in childbirth. After moving next door, the Prince of Jin used Linlin’s shuttlecock game as an excuse to peek at Tang Zhuyun, and she threw the shuttlecock back at him.

• Meng Yulan accepted Duke Meng's dowry supplement but sent back the servants, then explained how Tang Zhuyun could handle people placed in her household.
• Meng Yulan persuaded Tang Zhuyun to accept a dowry from the Tang Family and asked her to protect her child and Linlin if she died during childbirth.
• Tang Zhuyun promised to care for Meng Yulan's children, and the two women agreed to look after each other's young children if either of them died.
• The Prince of Jin moved next door, and Tang Zhuyun ignored his coughing while playing shuttlecock with Yanran.
• Linlin returned from Great Confucian Scholar Kong's and helped the Prince of Jin arrange to join the game, giving him an excuse to climb onto the wall and watch Tang Zhuyun.
• The Prince of Jin claimed he was not looking at Tang Zhuyun, and she angrily threw the shuttlecock back at him.

Tang Mingfan warmly supported the Prince of Jin and moved into his residence, giving the prince a way to get meals from Tang Zhuyun. Tang Zhuyun resented the prince’s schemes but ended by asking whether his wealth had come from legitimate sources.

• Tang Mingfan caught Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin bickering and teased them as a pair of lovers.
• Tang Mingfan brought the Prince of Jin food and defended him against gossip and criticism, while the prince appreciated Tang Mingfan’s praise.
• The Prince of Jin persuaded Tang Mingfan to move into his residence, arguing that it would keep him close to Tang Zhuyun after her marriage.
• Tang Zhuyun realized the prince had effectively used her father to get meals from her, while Tang Mingfan mistook their exchanges for flirtation.
• Tang Zhuyun asked the Prince of Jin about his assets and whether his silver had come from legitimate sources.

Tang Zhuyun learned that the Prince of Jin had made a fortune betting on his own dragon boat race, then joined Xiu'er in eavesdropping when Yingxue came to see Meng Yulan. Yingxue began explaining the hardships of her years in exile and the children she had lost, leaving Meng Yulan to hear her out.

• The Prince of Jin revealed that he had earned more than fifty thousand taels by betting on himself during last year's dragon boat race, and promised to take Tang Zhuyun along next time he found a chance to make money.
• Yingxue arrived at the Tang Residence, where Xiu'er berated her for coming to see Meng Yulan.
• Meng Yulan agreed to meet Yingxue, and Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er listened from the window.
• Meng Yulan refused Yingxue's bow and tea, reminded her that they were no longer mistress and maid, and asked why she had come.
• Yingxue described the hardships of exile and said that only three of the five children she should have had remained with her, while Xiu'er mocked her in Tang Zhuyun's ear.

Tang Zhuyun worried that the Prince of Jin expected her to consummate their marriage, while Xiu'er guessed he might be impotent. Meanwhile, Meng Yulan turned Yingxue’s attempt at reconciliation into a trap and prepared to use Jiang Beihan’s guilt against her.

• Xiu'er told Tang Zhuyun that the Prince of Jin likely wanted to consummate their marriage and have children, then speculated that he might be unable to perform.
• Yingxue told Meng Yulan she wanted to make peace, but Meng Yulan reminded her that she had already drawn a line between them and accused her of returning to scheme against her.
• Meng Yulan said Yingxue had come to upset her during her pregnancy and pretended that the visit had harmed the baby.
• Xiu'er called for Song Jingyang to summon Meng Yulan’s husband and eldest young master, claiming Yingxue had endangered the pregnancy.
• Meng Yulan revealed that she planned to exploit Jiang Beihan’s guilt and warned Yingxue that their conflict was only beginning.

Meng Yulan explained why she planned to punish Yingxue after Yingxue endangered her pregnancy, while Tang Zhuyun prepared to follow the Prince of Jin’s advice and bet on the Prince of Yong in the dragon boat race. The chapter ended with Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er counting their money and Xiu'er teasing her about the prince’s efforts to win her over.

• Xiu'er told Meng Yulan and Tang Zhuyun that Jiang Beihan had struck Yingxue, and Meng Yulan said she intended to make Yingxue pay for her actions.
• Meng Yulan discussed Tang Zhuyun’s possible move to the prince’s residence and said Linlin seemed increasingly like the Prince of Jin’s son.
• The Prince of Jin called for Tang Zhuyun and warned her not to learn Meng Yulan’s methods for handling inner-courtyard rivalries.
• The Prince of Jin advised Tang Zhuyun to bet on the Prince of Yong winning the dragon boat race, and she questioned whether he was trying to cheat her.
• Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er counted their money to decide how much to bet, and Xiu'er said she trusted the Prince of Jin’s advice because he was trying to please Tang Zhuyun.

Tang Zhuyun discovered that the Prince of Jin had spent five hundred taels buying back her gaudy pawned belongings, while Meng Yulan prepared for the possibility of labor. The chapter ended with Meng Yulan realizing she was about to give birth.

• Xiu'er placed a thousand-tael bet on the Prince of Yong, and Song Jingyang revealed that the Prince of Jin had spent over ten thousand taels helping him win.
• Meng Yulan told Tang Zhuyun she had arranged for a midwife and planned to send one of her sisters to Jiang Beihan, likely Meng Yuqian.
• Meng Yulan worried that her baby might be a girl born on the Dragon Boat Festival, and Tang Zhuyun tried to reassure her.
• Song Jingyang showed Tang Zhuyun the belongings the Prince of Jin had redeemed from a pawnshop for five hundred taels, and Tang Zhuyun pretended to be pleased.
• Meng Yulan felt pain while trying not to laugh and told Tang Zhuyun she thought she was about to give birth.

Meng Yulan went into labor, and Tang Zhuyun stayed with her as the family waited anxiously for the birth. While they waited, Tang Mingfan recalled his late wife’s difficult labor and the painful history of his family, and the chapter left the baby still unborn.

• Meng Yulan began labor and asked Tang Zhuyun for medicine to speed it up, but Tang Zhuyun refused because it could harm her and the child.
• Tang Baixin returned and took over helping Meng Yulan walk, while Tang Mingfan grew anxious and Tang Zhuyun sent Linlin and Yanran to stay with the Prince of Jin.
• Xiu'er reported that Meng Yulan had entered the birthing room but that the baby was not expected until later that night.
• Tang Mingfan told the Prince of Jin about his late wife’s difficult first labor and his regret over failing to protect her and Tang Zhuyun.
• The Prince of Jin drank with Tang Mingfan, then waited for news and learned that Tang Zhuyun had brought Tang Baixin into the birthing room to comfort Meng Yulan.

Meng Yulan gave birth to a daughter during the night, while Tang Zhuyun stayed by her side and helped calm her fears about the baby's birth date. The chapter ended with Tang Zhuyun exhausted after the delivery and the Prince of Jin helping her rest.

• The Prince of Jin left after hearing that something was happening at the Eastern Palace, while Tang Baixin stayed with Meng Yulan as she labored.
• When Meng Yulan worried the baby might be born on the Dragon Boat Festival, Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er reassured her that the family could report a different birth date.
• Xiu'er announced that Meng Yulan had delivered a girl, and Tang Mingfan named his granddaughter Tang Yuan.
• After staying up all night, Tang Zhuyun felt dizzy, and the Prince of Jin rushed to help her before she sat down and began to fall asleep.

Tang Zhuyun tried to hide her early period while the Prince of Jin anxiously watched over her, convinced that helping with Meng Yulan’s labor had drained her vitality. After Tang Zhuyun visited her newborn niece, the Prince of Jin insisted she wear Master Hong'en’s prayer beads to anchor her soul, leaving her wondering whether he knew she had traveled to this world.

• Tang Zhuyun stayed outside Meng Yulan’s room despite the Prince of Jin urging her to rest, while Tang Baixin reassured Meng Yulan that the family cherished her newborn daughter.
• Xiu'er came out after cleaning the room, and Tang Zhuyun realized her period had started early and tried to keep the Prince of Jin from noticing.
• The Prince of Jin mistook Tang Zhuyun’s discomfort for the cost of using her vital energy to help Meng Yulan give birth, and he tried to carry her before she pushed him away.
• Linlin and Yanran distracted the Prince of Jin long enough for Tang Zhuyun to change, then Tang Zhuyun joined her family to see Sister Yuan.
• The Prince of Jin demanded that Tang Zhuyun wear Master Hong'en’s prayer beads to anchor her soul, making her wonder whether he knew she had traveled to this world.

Tang Zhuyun shared an all-fish feast with the Prince of Jin and Yanran, who asked for a younger sibling, before preparing for Sister Yuan’s third-day bathing ceremony. As the Prince of Jin rode to the palace after the emperor summoned him, a Taoist priest’s Dragon Boat Festival ritual blocked his way and angered him.

• Tang Zhuyun avoided admitting she was a transmigrator and promised to help the Prince of Jin, who told her not to use her medical skills casually.
• After sleeping until afternoon, Tang Zhuyun joined the Prince of Jin and Yanran for an all-fish feast and teased Yanran about calling her big sister when asked for a younger sibling.
• Tang Zhuyun said she would take Yanran shopping to prepare for Sister Yuan’s third-day bathing ceremony, but Song Jingyang reported that the emperor had summoned the princes to meet Xue Shanting.
• The Prince of Jin left for the palace, while Tang Zhuyun choked on a fishbone and finally coughed it out.
• A Taoist priest performing a Dragon Boat Festival ritual blocked the Prince of Jin’s road, and he ordered Song Jingyang to smash the altar and ban such rituals.

Tang Zhuyun watched a Daoist ritual with Yanran when a brash young general disrupted it and demanded the priest summon a soul. After Tang Zhuyun confronted him, he mistook her for a relative and reacted with shock when he learned she was the Consort of the Prince of Jin.

• Tang Zhuyun watched a Daoist priest perform a ritual with Yanran and agreed they could invite one to the prince's residence the following year.
• A young general galloped up to the priest, demanded he summon a soul, and threatened him when he could not.
• Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er challenged the young general for bullying the priest, and he charged into the teahouse.
• Nanxing fought the young general until he heard her call Tang Zhuyun “Your Highness” and realized she was a woman.
• The young general mistook Tang Zhuyun for his aunt and then his cousin, while Yanran defended her mother.
• The young general questioned why Tang Zhuyun had married the Prince of Jin, and Yanran angrily rebuked him.

Tang Zhuyun told Tang Baixin about a young general who questioned whether she was Tang Zhuyun's biological daughter, while the Prince of Jin rushed home after hearing she had been accosted. He found her safe in the kitchen, reminded her to keep wearing her prayer beads, and heard that someone from the Xue family had acted strangely.

• A young general questioned Yanran's resemblance to Tang Zhuyun and asked whether Nanxing was a man or a woman before Tang Zhuyun took her group away.
• Tang Zhuyun told Tang Baixin about the encounter, and he reassured her while they waited for the prince's guards to investigate.
• Song Jingyang told the Prince of Jin and Tang Mingfan that Tang Zhuyun had been accosted, and the Prince of Jin hurried home after learning she was safe.
• The Prince of Jin found Tang Zhuyun cooking and mistakenly thought the Daoist priest had threatened her, then checked that she still wore her prayer beads.
• Tang Zhuyun explained that someone from the Xue family had acted strangely, and the Prince of Jin asked whether the Daoist priest was connected to the Xue family.

Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin tried to understand why Xue Lie had confronted her, while Tang Mingfan decided to ask Old General Xue directly. The family celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival together, and the Prince of Jin realized he wanted to share in their closeness.

• Tang Zhuyun told the Prince of Jin that Xue Lie was Xue Shanting’s grandson and wondered whether the Prince had offended the Xue Family, but he said he had no ties to them.
• After Xiu'er recounted the encounter, the Prince of Jin noted that Xue Shanting had seemed hostile toward Tang Mingfan and wondered whether the mystery involved Tang Mingfan’s or Madam Song’s origins.
• Tang Mingfan said he would speak with Old General Xue the next day, while the Prince of Jin worried that the emperor’s favor for Xue Shanting could put Tang Mingfan at a disadvantage.
• The family shared zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Prince of Jin unwrapped one for Tang Zhuyun after she served him.
• Tang Zhuyun and Yanran discussed their colored cords, and Tang Mingfan asked the Prince of Jin to keep being patient with his daughter.
• Seeing that Linlin wore a matching cord, the Prince of Jin realized he wanted to join the family’s closeness.