Chapter Summaries

Tang Zhuyun bonded with the Xue brothers over a venison feast, while Xue Lie later asked whether she truly wanted to marry the Prince of Jin. She said she was willing to marry him, though she admitted she did not know whom she wanted to marry and thought the Prince of Jin would do.

• Tang Zhuyun organized a venison barbecue and invited the Xue brothers to eat with her.
• The Xue brothers fussed over Tang Zhuyun, while Xue Lie complained that she favored Second Brother and learned she had given him extra meat because his name was unfortunate.
• After the feast, Xue Lie stayed behind to talk with Tang Zhuyun and asked whether she regretted marrying the Prince of Jin.
• Tang Zhuyun told Xue Lie she was willing to marry the Prince of Jin, and the hidden Prince of Jin was overjoyed.
• Tang Zhuyun added that she did not know whom she wanted to marry, but if she had to marry someone, the Prince of Jin would do.

Tang Zhuyun reaffirmed that she was willing to marry the Prince of Jin, while Xue Lie tried to persuade her to stay with the Xue Family. The Prince of Jin secretly visited her, but when Xue Lie came fleeing his mother, both men ended up hiding under Tang Zhuyun's bed as Lady Deng called from the courtyard.

• Tang Zhuyun told Xue Lie she was willing to marry the Prince of Jin, and Nanxing called him a fool for proposing that she marry a cousin.
• Xue Lie left to tell Grandmother about Tang Zhuyun's decision, then asked her to make him a pouch.
• The Prince of Jin climbed over the wall and joined Tang Zhuyun, who cooked him noodles and applied ointment to his mosquito bites.
• When Xue Lie shouted for help outside, the Prince of Jin hid under Tang Zhuyun's bed, and Xue Lie rushed into the room to escape his mother.
• Xue Lie crawled under the bed just as Lady Deng called out to Tang Zhuyun from the courtyard.

Tang Zhuyun tried to conceal Xue Lie and the Prince of Jin as they fought beneath her bed, but Lady Deng discovered them and misunderstood what was happening. After Lady Deng took Xue Lie away, the Prince of Jin kissed Tang Zhuyun’s forehead and left, while Lady Deng promised to keep the incident quiet before hurried footsteps approached.

• Tang Zhuyun tried to hide Xue Lie from Lady Deng, who had come looking for him after he tangled her cherished Persian cat in thread.
• Xue Lie and the Prince of Jin tumbled out from under the bed and wrestled, prompting Lady Deng to mistake their struggle for improper behavior.
• Xue Lie insisted he had been protecting Tang Zhuyun from the Prince of Jin, but Lady Deng dragged him away and told him to stop causing trouble.
• The Prince of Jin teased Tang Zhuyun, kissed her forehead, and said he would wait for her to return the next night.
• Lady Deng returned and promised not to tell anyone about the incident, but hurried footsteps sounded outside as she finished speaking.

The Prince of Jin confronted the Xue Family after sneaking into Tang Zhuyun’s courtyard, and Xue Shanting took the trespass to the emperor. The marriage was confirmed, while Tang Zhuyun learned the Xue Family planned to surrender its military authority partly for her sake.

• The Prince of Jin defended his visit to the Xue Family residence by saying his daughter had missed Tang Zhuyun, while Xue Lie and Xue Shanting accused him of trespassing and defying the imperial marriage decree.
• Tang Zhuyun assured Xue Shanting that the Prince of Jin had only come to sit with her, and Xue Shanting sent him away before declaring he would ask the emperor to judge the matter.
• The Prince of Jin returned the next evening and told Tang Zhuyun that he and Xue Shanting had each lost three months’ salary, but the emperor had ordered the marriage to proceed as planned.
• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun that the Xue Family planned to surrender its military authority, partly because of her and partly to withdraw before the court could turn against them.

Tang Zhuyun learned that the Xue Family would relocate to the northwest under the Prince of Jin’s arrangement, while the families secured their shared interests through Linlin. The Xue Family agreed to support the Prince of Jin only on the condition that Linlin would be his heir if he ever appointed one.

• The Prince of Jin promised Tang Zhuyun he would make arrangements for the Xue Family and urged her to return home soon.
• Tang Zhuyun kissed the Prince of Jin before Xue Lie arrived and called for him at the courtyard gate.
• Xue Lie told Tang Zhuyun that Xue Shanting had agreed the family might leave Liaodong for the northwest at the Prince of Jin’s request.
• Tang Zhuyun realized the Xue Family had surrendered military power and would rebuild their standing in the Prince of Jin’s territory.
• Xue Lie revealed that the Prince of Jin had told Xue Shanting about Linlin’s parentage and had agreed that Linlin must be his heir if he appointed one.

Tang Zhuyun told Old Madam Xue she would marry from the Tang Family home and promised to approach her marriage to the Prince of Jin cautiously. After returning home, she reunited with Yanran and visited Meng Yulan and Sister Yuan, while a delivery arrived for the prince's residence.

• Xue Lie told Tang Zhuyun that the Xue Family wanted to know whether she would marry from their home, and she said she would discuss it with Old Madam Xue.
• Tang Zhuyun told Old Madam Xue she should marry from the Tang Family home and said she would treat the Prince of Jin as he treated her.
• Old Madam Xue urged Tang Zhuyun not to suffer or feel indebted to the Xue Family, and Tang Zhuyun promised to visit her every other day.
• Tang Zhuyun returned home, where Yanran welcomed her and Xiu'er remarked on her haggard appearance.
• Tang Zhuyun visited Meng Yulan and Sister Yuan, then Yanran told her that someone had arrived with a delivery for the prince's residence.

Tang Zhuyun received seafood from the Prince of Jin and discussed the terms of their future marriage with him. He accepted her demand for a faithful, exclusive relationship, and they ended the night teasing each other.

• The Prince of Jin sent Tang Zhuyun baskets of drunken shrimp, drunken crab, and salted fish from Tang Bay.
• Tang Zhuyun ate the raw drunken crab and shared the seafood with the Prince of Jin when he secretly visited that night.
• Tang Zhuyun suggested they visit Tang Bay together with Linlin and Yanran, and the Prince of Jin agreed.
• Tang Zhuyun told the Prince of Jin she would remain his princess consort only if he stayed faithful, and that she would leave if he refused or forced her.
• The Prince of Jin agreed to let Tang Zhuyun have her way, and she joked that she would confiscate his tool of the crime if he tried to force her.

The Prince of Jin and Tang Zhuyun teased each other while discussing her wedding dress, but he told her he had to leave for Gannan on a secret imperial assignment. He departed to investigate the governor, leaving Tang Zhuyun waiting for his safe return and their wedding.

• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun he would grant her anything she asked, and they joked about her wedding dress and the scar she had stitched on him.
• The Prince of Jin revealed that the emperor had ordered him to leave for Gannan immediately, and Tang Zhuyun learned he would be gone for about a month.
• The Prince of Jin explained that he had to investigate whether the governor of Gannan was colluding with foreign enemies, then embraced Tang Zhuyun and promised to return for their wedding.
• The Prince of Jin left without looking back, while Tang Zhuyun worried about his safety and the wedding proceeding in his absence.
• Xiu'er later asked whether the Prince of Jin had visited, and Tang Zhuyun told her that he and Song Jingyang had left the capital.

As her wedding approached, Tang Zhuyun learned that Tang Mingfan feared Linlin would feel displaced if she had more children and wanted him to stay in the Tang household. She revealed that Linlin was the Prince of Jin’s biological son, then urged her father to stay out of the prince’s troubles, before Tang Mingfan changed the subject to his treasured locust-wood box.

• Tang Zhuyun complained about the heat and her wedding dress as Tang Mingfan returned home early to speak with her.
• Tang Mingfan praised Tang Zhuyun and said he wanted Linlin to remain with the Tang Family so he would not feel neglected by her future children.
• Tang Zhuyun knelt and confessed that Linlin was the Prince of Jin’s biological son, though they had no way to prove it and did not plan to acknowledge the relationship publicly.
• Tang Zhuyun asked Tang Mingfan and her elder brother not to take sides in any future conflict involving the Prince of Jin, but Tang Mingfan said he would stand up for him.
• Tang Mingfan asked whether Tang Zhuyun had noticed his locust-wood box, leaving her to suspect it might contain the Four Books for Women.

Tang Mingfan revealed that the emperor had once entrusted the Prince of Jin to his care and gave Tang Zhuyun the old letter documenting the favor. He hinted that the letter was more valuable than immunity from death, but had not yet explained why.

• Tang Zhuyun broke the tiny key while trying to open Tang Mingfan's old box, so she split it open with an axe and found a letter.
• Tang Mingfan explained that the emperor had written him the letter when falsely accused of rebellion, asking him to help the Xiao Family raise the Prince of Jin.
• Tang Mingfan said the eldest commandery princess, daughter of the emperor's enemy, had revealed important information that helped him resolve the emperor's crisis.
• Tang Mingfan recalled that the emperor had offered him a gold medal of immunity from death, but he had repeatedly refused it.
• Tang Mingfan gave Tang Zhuyun the letter and said it was more important than a gold medal of immunity from death, then began to explain its significance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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