Chapter Summaries

Qiao Jiao asked Tang Zhuyun to find Sun Jun, while Tang Zhuyun decided to tell the Prince of Jin about the questions surrounding Xiao Wu and seek a chance to speak with the emperor. Meanwhile, Nanny Jing supported Xiu'er and proposed that she and Song Jingyang register their marriage now and hold a grand wedding later.

• Qiao Jiao told Tang Zhuyun that she feared Sun Jun had been harmed and promised to repay her if she helped find him.
• Tang Zhuyun agreed to have Song Jingyang investigate Sun Jun's whereabouts and decided to tell the Prince of Jin about the doubts concerning Xiao Wu.
• Tang Zhuyun planned to ask Master Hong'en to help bring the emperor out of the palace so she could speak with him.
• Nanny Jing asked Xiu'er whether she knew Song Jingyang wanted to move their wedding to three days later, then suggested they register their marriage first and celebrate grandly after the prince's residence weathered its troubles.
• Xiu'er said she did not care about a grand wedding, and Nanny Jing promised to speak with Xiu'er's mother the next day.

Nanxing told Xiu'er she planned to fake a miscarriage and asked for help making the scheme convincing. Qin Sang then sought Xiu'er's advice about approaching retired Grand Secretary Xu, whom she believed would take her in, and left confident he would agree.

• Nanxing told Xiu'er she planned to pretend to miscarry, and Xiu'er agreed to ask the princess consort for advice and gather information.
• Qin Sang arrived at the residence and asked Xiu'er about retired Grand Secretary Xu.
• Qin Sang explained that Xu had once shown interest in her when she played the pipa for guests at the Prince of Yong's request.
• Qin Sang said she wanted Xu's protection because his reputation could help her establish a stable life, and she was confident he would not refuse her.

On Xiu'er and Song Jingyang's wedding day, Tang Zhuyun helped Xiu'er prepare and discussed her hopes for having children. Song Jingyang sought wedding-night advice from the imprisoned Prince of Jin, then told Xiu'er the prince had failed, leaving her to conclude that Tang Zhuyun took contraceptive medicine to protect his reputation.

• Three days after Qin Sang left for the Xu residence, Tang Zhuyun told Xiu'er she would let Qin Sang make her own choices and help her if the Prince of Jin regained his position.
• As Xiu'er and Song Jingyang prepared to marry quietly, Xiu'er admitted she was nervous and said she wanted to leave having children to fate, despite worrying about Song Jingyang's dangerous work away from home.
• Tang Zhuyun promised to make Xiu'er a medicine intended to help her conceive, and Xiu'er thanked her and asked her to keep it secret.
• At the imperial prison, Song Jingyang told the Prince of Jin that he was marrying that day and pressed him for advice about the wedding night.
• The Prince of Jin angrily gave Song Jingyang advice drawn from his own experience, while Song Jingyang mistakenly decided the prince had been unable to perform.
• Song Jingyang told Xiu'er that the Prince of Jin had failed, and Xiu'er concluded that Tang Zhuyun took contraceptive medicine daily to save the prince's face.

Tang Zhuyun learned that the Prince of Jin would return to the residence temporarily to answer a bribery accusation, giving them a brief chance to talk. As she prepared dishes for his arrival, Nanxing wondered whether Qin Sang might help find someone to speak in his defense, and Yanran set off to ask newlywed Xiu'er for a red envelope.

• Tang Zhuyun teased Xiu'er and Song Jingyang, then sent them to pay respects to Nanny Jing.
• Tang Zhuyun told Nanxing that the Prince of Jin would return temporarily while the Court of Judicial Review investigated a bribery accusation, a plan he had devised to avoid her visiting the imperial prison.
• Nanxing recalled her intimate banter with Pei Shen and wondered about his seemingly boundless energy.
• Nanxing asked about finding someone to speak for the Prince of Jin, and Tang Zhuyun said there had been no progress but she would ask him about Qin Sang.
• Tang Zhuyun went to prepare the Prince of Jin's favorite dishes, while Yanran woke and went to seek a red envelope from Xiu'er.

Tang Zhuyun secretly met the Prince of Jin in his study, where they discussed the emperor’s decision to let them leave the capital and their suspicions about the Prince’s origins. The Prince of Jin reassured her and invited her to visit the place where he grew up, while their conversation ended when a servant arrived with something to discuss.

• The Prince of Jin returned with the Court of Judicial Review, and Tang Zhuyun watched him secretly before following Nanxing to the study.
• Nanxing and the Prince of Jin passed Tang Zhuyun through a window, and the Prince of Jin kissed her and kept her on his lap as they talked.
• The Prince of Jin said the emperor had visited him in prison and settled their departure from the capital, while remaining suspicious of Noble Consort Jia.
• Tang Zhuyun shared Qiao Jiao’s information about Xiao Wu, and the Prince of Jin said he had also questioned whether Noble Consort Jia was his mother.
• The Prince of Jin reassured Tang Zhuyun that he resembled the emperor in a hidden portrait and invited her to see where he grew up.
• After teasing Tang Zhuyun about her concern over a miscarriage, the Prince of Jin heard a servant ask to speak with him.

Nanxing asked the Prince of Jin how she could help him, and he told her only to try to keep Pei Shen neutral without making Tang Zhuyun worry. After the Prince returned to the imperial prison, Tang Zhuyun planned to bring Linlin home and enjoyed a lighthearted moment with Nanxing and Xiu'er before Madam Qin arrived.

• Tang Zhuyun stepped out so Nanxing could speak privately with the Prince of Jin.
• Nanxing offered to influence Pei Shen, but the Prince of Jin asked only that she keep him neutral and protect Tang Zhuyun.
• Nanxing insisted on trying to stay with Pei Shen, and the Prince of Jin agreed as long as she did not burden Tang Zhuyun.
• The Prince of Jin returned to the imperial prison after sharing a meal, and Tang Zhuyun asked Nanxing to bring Linlin back from the Great Xiangguo Temple.
• Tang Zhuyun, Nanxing, and Xiu'er joked about tonics before a maid announced Madam Qin's arrival.

Madam Qin told Tang Zhuyun that Qin Sang had been taken into the Xu residence under a new identity and was doing well, while Tang Zhuyun cautioned that conceiving a child would be difficult. As night fell, Pei Shen met Nanxing in a carriage bound for Great Xiangguo Temple after the Golden Scale Guard searched it for a fugitive.

• Madam Qin told Tang Zhuyun that her late period was a false pregnancy and that she would help the marquis address His Highness's situation.
• Madam Qin relayed that Old Lord Xu had given Qin Sang a collateral-branch identity and that Qin Sang was safe in the Xu residence.
• Tang Zhuyun discussed Qin Sang's chances of pregnancy with Xiu'er and Nanxing, then let Xiu'er send her a prescription.
• Tang Zhuyun told Xiu'er not to visit for half a month while Song Jingyang prepared to leave the capital.
• The Golden Scale Guard searched a carriage from the Prince of Jin's Residence but found no fugitive.
• Pei Shen rested his head on Nanxing's lap as their carriage continued toward Great Xiangguo Temple, and Nanxing dismissed his attempt to boast.

Pei Shen told Nanxing that Noble Consort Jia had tried to win him over, then confronted her about Kong Xiyou and confessed that he had no other women. At the Great Xiangguo Temple, Nanxing learned that Pei Shen and Xiyou were fellow disciples, and the chapter ended with Pei Shen challenging the Golden Scale Guard’s authority to search his carriage.

• Pei Shen told Nanxing that Noble Consort Jia had asked the emperor to restore his parents’ graves and grant them posthumous titles.
• Pei Shen asked whether Kong Xiyou was in love with Nanxing, then declared that he had no women other than her.
• Pei Shen called Nanxing his bright moon, and the two bickered on the way to the Great Xiangguo Temple.
• Pei Shen introduced Nanxing as his sister-in-law to Xiyou, revealing that they were fellow disciples, while Nanxing stayed in the carriage.
• Pei Shen questioned Linlin about his studies and learned that Xiyou had secretly taken him fishing for food.
• The Golden Scale Guard stopped Pei Shen’s carriage to search it, and Pei Shen demanded to know whether an imperial edict authorized the search.

Nanxing accompanied Pei Shen past a Golden Qilin Guard search and returned with him to the Marquis of Champions’ residence. Pei Shen asked to start over, but Nanxing remained guarded, and they ended the night entangled in his study.

• Pei Shen refused to let the Golden Qilin Guard search his carriage, and the guards backed down when he threatened them.
• Linlin reassured Nanxing, then returned to the prince’s residence while Nanxing continued with Pei Shen.
• Pei Shen asked Nanxing to return to his residence, and she agreed despite knowing a tail was following them.
• Pei Shen told Nanxing he wanted to start over and asked her to tell him what she wanted, but she did not accept his offer.
• Pei Shen brought Nanxing to his study, where they became intimate.

Pei Shen left Nanxing when Mo Ting reported that the main courtyard was on fire, and Nanxing heard Qiao Jiao calling for help outside the residence. She rescued Qiao Jiao from the men who had killed Sun Jun and was left to take her away.

• Mo Ting interrupted Pei Shen and Nanxing to report a fire in the main courtyard, and Pei Shen hurried there.
• Nanxing overheard that a madam's room and a candle might have started the fire, then heard Qiao Jiao crying for help.
• Nanxing found Qiao Jiao beside Sun Jun's body, surrounded by five armed men who intended to take her back.
• Nanxing killed the five men and told Qiao Jiao she could leave with her or die there.
• Qiao Jiao recognized Nanxing, pleaded for help, and struggled to leave Sun Jun's body behind.

After rescuing Qiao Jiao, Nanxing brought her to Tang Zhuyun, where Qiao Jiao offered to impersonate her sister and infiltrate the Guo family to oppose the people who had killed Sun Jun. Tang Zhuyun accepted her plan and arranged for Song Jingyang to recover Sun Jun’s body, while Nanxing worried about Pei Shen after hearing that the Marquis of Guanjun’s residence was on fire.

• Qiao Jiao left Sun Jun’s body and followed Nanxing to the prince’s residence, where she wept through the night.
• Qiao Jiao asked Tang Zhuyun to recover Sun Jun’s body and offered to help her in return.
• Qiao Jiao proposed taking Qiao Qiao’s place because the sisters looked alike, and explained that her recent miscarriage would help her pass as her sister.
• Tang Zhuyun accepted Qiao Jiao’s plan and said she would have Song Jingyang retrieve Sun Jun’s body.
• Tang Zhuyun questioned Nanxing about the fire at the Marquis of Guanjun’s residence, and Nanxing said Pei Shen should be all right despite her growing unease.

Nanxing went to the Champion Marquis’s residence after hearing that Pei Shen had been badly injured in a fire, but learned he was awake and driving away doctors. Mo Ting pleaded with her to see Pei Shen and offered to reveal what Pei Shen had risked his life to save.

• Nanxing visited Linlin and asked whether Pei Shen could help the prince, and Linlin confidently said he could.
• Nanxing overheard servants say Pei Shen had not woken after rushing into a fire to save a chest, and she feared he was gravely hurt.
• Nanxing slipped into the Champion Marquis’s residence and found Mo Ting waiting outside Pei Shen’s study.
• Mo Ting told Nanxing that Pei Shen had been waiting for her and had repeatedly driven away the doctors.
• Nanxing refused to see Pei Shen, so Mo Ting began to tell her what Pei Shen had saved and asked her to pretend she had not learned it.

Nanxing confronted Pei Shen about the fire and the keepsakes he had saved, while trying to resist the feelings resurfacing between them. She left determined to repay the Prince of Jin’s household and act quickly before Pei Shen weakened her resolve further.

• Mo Ting admitted what he knew, cleared the room, and let Nanxing enter Pei Shen’s room.
• Nanxing checked Pei Shen’s injured leg and told him to prepare to seek an audience with the Consort.
• Nanxing opened the fire-damaged chest and found Pei Shen’s collection of her belongings, including their repaired red coral bracelet.
• Pei Shen told Nanxing he had kept the main courtyard for her and that Mo Ting alone knew she was Madam; Nanxing left without accepting his plea to give him her heart.
• Tang Zhuyun examined Pei Shen’s injuries and treated his throat, while Xiu'er teased her about being kind to him.
• Nanxing claimed she was going to ask Qiao Jiao how she would help, but planned to question her about her miscarriage and resolved to act before her defenses against Pei Shen crumbled.

Nanxing secretly left Pei Shen’s bed and fought the Golden Scale Guards, who had been pursuing her as a fugitive. After Pei Shen rushed back to rescue her, a physician declared that she had miscarried, while Nanxing explained that years of taking medicine had left her unable to carry a child.

• Nanxing pretended to be sleepy after Pei Shen left for court, then got up once his footsteps had faded.
• Mo Ting warned Pei Shen that Nanxing was fighting the Golden Scale Guards, and Pei Shen abandoned court to return to her.
• Pei Shen stopped the guards from attacking Nanxing and carried her to a clinic after she collapsed with an injured arm and pain in her lower abdomen.
• A physician told Pei Shen that Nanxing had miscarried after seeing her condition and the blood on her trousers.
• Nanxing told Pei Shen that the medicine she had taken meant she could not get pregnant or keep a child, and reflected that she could no longer distinguish truth from deception in their past.

Nanxing admitted that she still loved Pei Shen, but she continued to let him believe she had lost their child. When the Golden Qilin Guard arrived with an imperial edict, Pei Shen refused to hand her over and carried her home, promising to answer to the emperor himself.

• Nanxing saw Pei Shen cry and apologize for failing to protect her, and she resolved to keep pretending that she had miscarried.
• Nanxing told Pei Shen she would stay and urged him to consider how to resolve their situation as a wanted criminal and her protector.
• Mo Ting announced that the Golden Qilin Guard had returned with an imperial edict, and Nanxing offered to go with them.
• Pei Shen carried Nanxing into the carriage and told the guards he would go to the palace to answer for his actions.
• Pei Shen brought Nanxing back to the marquis's residence, carrying her inside despite her insistence that she was fine.

Nanxing waited in Pei Shen’s study and learned from Mo Ting how deeply Pei Shen had missed her. After discovering Pei Shen had been beaten, she checked his wounds and grew anxious when he said he had arranged revenge for her.

• Pei Shen carried Nanxing to the study and begged her not to leave, and she promised to wait for him.
• Mo Ting showed Nanxing Pei Shen’s many portraits of her and told her how lonely he had been during her absence.
• Nanxing overheard that Pei Shen had been beaten with a paddle and went out to meet him when he returned.
• Pei Shen led Nanxing back inside, served her food, and let her inspect the bruises covering his backside.
• Pei Shen told Nanxing he had found someone to avenge her, and she nervously asked what he planned to do.

Nanxing learned that Pei Shen had arranged the deaths of Qiao Geng and Wang Chunqiu to avenge her, while Xiu'er nearly exposed the secret of Nanxing's supposed miscarriage. Pei Shen let Xiu'er leave with her explanation about the spilled blood, but Nanxing remained uneasy about whether he suspected the truth.

• Pei Shen kept Nanxing in bed and told her he would help her get revenge.
• Xiu'er told Nanxing that Pei Shen had caused Qiao Geng's death in an accidental shooting and Wang Chunqiu's death from a sudden illness.
• Pei Shen entered while Xiu'er was visiting, and a bottle of pigeon blood she had brought for Nanxing fell and spilled.
• Xiu'er claimed the blood was dog blood meant to ward off Nanxing's fate of bringing death to her husband, and Pei Shen accepted the explanation.
• After Xiu'er left, Pei Shen admitted that he had dealt with Qiao Geng and Wang Chunqiu because they had harmed his child.
• Nanxing questioned why Pei Shen seemed unsuspicious, but she could not tell whether he had seen through the miscarriage ruse.

Nanxing confessed to Pei Shen that she had faked her miscarriage to influence him, and he demanded to know what she felt for him. The chapter ended with Nanxing unable to answer what Pei Shen meant to her.

• Xiu'er told Tang Zhuyun she suspected Pei Shen had deliberately bumped into her and might know about their scheme, so Tang Zhuyun planned to visit Nanxing the next morning.
• Song Jingyang told Xiu'er he had bought land for her dowry and offered to buy her a shop, while she scolded him for spending recklessly.
• Unable to sleep, Nanxing told Pei Shen that her miscarriage was fake and that she had used pigeon blood to make it look real.
• Nanxing admitted she had tried to drive a wedge between Pei Shen and Noble Consort Jia so he would support the Prince of Jin, and said she wanted to help both the prince and the consort.
• Pei Shen asked Nanxing what she was to him, and she struggled to answer.

Nanxing confessed that she had faked her miscarriage, but Pei Shen revealed that he had known and had played along to help her. He explained that he had acted against Noble Consort Jia by getting ahead of a plan the Prince of Jin had been preparing.

• Nanxing admitted to Pei Shen that she had faked her miscarriage and offered to accept whatever punishment he chose.
• Pei Shen told Nanxing he had known about her deception and would have kept pretending not to know if she had not confessed.
• Nanxing said she did not regret her choices, and Pei Shen reassured her that he was glad she had not miscarried and had helped her confront Noble Consort Jia.
• Nanxing worried that Noble Consort Jia would hate Pei Shen and asked how he had managed to act so quickly.
• Pei Shen revealed that he had beaten the Prince of Jin to a long-planned move, using his agreement to work for the prince as an opportunity to act first.

Nanxing and Pei Shen reconciled after his injury, but their private moment was interrupted when Song Jingyang broke into the marquis’s residence to check on her for Xiu’er. After Song Jingyang confirmed Nanxing was safe, he returned to Xiu’er, while Pei Shen tried to resume where he and Nanxing had left off.

• Pei Shen teased Nanxing about her lies and pulled her close, while she promised to protect him and keep him alive.
• Nanxing and Pei Shen heard fighting outside, dressed, and went out to find the guards battling Song Jingyang.
• Nanxing ordered the guards to stop, and Pei Shen took Song Jingyang to the study to ask why he had entered the residence at night.
• Song Jingyang explained that Xiu’er had sent him to check on Nanxing, and Nanxing told him that Pei Shen knew the truth and she was fine.
• Pei Shen asked Song Jingyang to leave, then took Nanxing’s hand and asked whether they could continue.
• Song Jingyang returned to Xiu’er, reassured her that Nanxing was doing well, and reminded her that he would leave for Qingzhou in three days.