Chapter Summaries

The Prince of Jin pressed Tang Zhuyun to explain her origins, and she revealed that she had transmigrated after a fall and hoped to change the world through medicine. He feared she might someday leave, but when a patient sought help after midnight, he went with her to see Lord Yan’s ill daughter.

• Xiu'er and Yanran joked about marrying Song Jingyang or becoming each other’s in-laws while Linlin reflected on how a powerful family could be both a help and an obstacle.
• The Prince of Jin questioned Tang Zhuyun about what she was hiding, and she turned the questions back on him about Zhou Yanhui.
• After the Prince of Jin told her what he had said to Zhou Yanhui, Tang Zhuyun revealed that she had become Tang Zhuyun after falling and coming from another world.
• The Prince of Jin worried that Tang Zhuyun might return to her original world, while she told him she wanted to use medicine to influence and change the world.
• A late-night request for medical help prompted Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin to dress and go see Lord Yan’s sick daughter.

Tang Zhuyun agreed to examine Madam Yan’s gravely ill daughter, Niuniu, after learning Yan Ling had argued with the Prince of Jin and tried to stop his wife from seeking help. As Tang Zhuyun took Niuniu’s pulse, her expression grew grim, and Madam Yan said the girl had worsened over six or seven days.

• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun that Yan Ling had talked back to him because of Xiao Wu, and Tang Zhuyun insisted Yan Ling should apologize before she helped.
• The Prince of Jin described Yan Ling as an admirable naval general despite his lecherous private conduct.
• Madam Yan arrived with unconscious Niuniu and begged Tang Zhuyun to save her.
• Madam Yan berated and struck Yan Ling when he tried to stop her from bringing Niuniu inside, while the Prince of Jin watched.
• Tang Zhuyun examined Niuniu and asked how long she had been ill, and Madam Yan said the child had worsened for six or seven days.

Madam Yan sought Tang Zhuyun’s help after Niuniu’s illness worsened, even obtaining a divorce letter to avoid entangling Yan Ling in trouble. Tang Zhuyun warned that Niuniu’s suspected meningitis was difficult to treat, but agreed to try, leaving Madam Yan hopeful and Yan Ling apologizing to the Prince of Jin.

• Madam Yan recalled how deeply she cherished Niuniu and how she had sought Tang Zhuyun’s help after her daughter grew gravely ill.
• Madam Yan ordered Yan Ling’s adviser to write a divorce letter, stamped it with Yan Ling’s personal seal, and sent it to the yamen.
• Madam Yan brought Niuniu to the prince’s residence, where Tang Zhuyun suspected meningitis and warned that treatment had little chance of success.
• Madam Yan begged Tang Zhuyun to try to save Niuniu, and Tang Zhuyun agreed to do what she could.
• The Prince of Jin reproached Yan Ling with a cold glance, and Yan Ling apologized for offending him.

Tang Zhuyun treated Niuniu’s critical fever while the Prince of Jin devotedly assisted her, leaving Yan Ling to reconsider how he had treated Madam Yan. Niuniu’s fever eased temporarily, but Sister Yuan also fell ill, and the Prince of Jin went to bring her to Tang Zhuyun.

• The Prince of Jin fetched Tang Zhuyun’s medicine chest and silver needles, then helped her treat Niuniu as Yan Ling and Madam Yan watched.
• Tang Zhuyun gave Niuniu acupuncture and, with Madam Yan and the Prince of Jin, forced her to take medicine.
• A maid reported that Sister Yuan had a fever, so Tang Zhuyun asked Tang Baixin to bring her over and the Prince of Jin went to help.
• Madam Yan found that Niuniu’s fever had temporarily eased, while Tang Zhuyun warned that the child still faced further dangers.
• Yan Ling reflected on Madam Yan’s sacrifices and felt ashamed as he compared his own conduct with the Prince of Jin’s care for Tang Zhuyun.

Sister Yuan’s low fever brought the Tang family to the Prince of Jin’s residence in the middle of the night, where Tang Zhuyun examined her and reassured everyone. After the family settled down, the Prince of Jin looked after Tang Zhuyun and chose to stay home with her instead of going to court.

• The Prince of Jin brought Sister Yuan and the Tang family to Tang Zhuyun, who found that the girl had only a low fever from a chill.
• Sister Yuan clung to Tang Baixin while smiling at the Prince of Jin, and Meng Yulan apologized for disturbing him and Tang Zhuyun.
• The Prince of Jin had congee made for Tang Zhuyun, while Madam Yan persuaded Yan Ling to drink a bowl too.
• Tang Zhuyun decided to return to her room, and the Prince of Jin carried her through the deep snow after she nearly slipped.
• The Prince of Jin got into bed with Tang Zhuyun and decided to take the day off and stay with her.

While Tang Zhuyun treated Niuniu’s recurring fever, Yan Ling recognized how little comfort and luxury he had provided Madam Yan compared with the Prince of Jin’s household. Yanran arrived to see Tang Zhuyun, but a tiger suddenly sprang into the courtyard and frightened Yan Ling and Madam Yan.

• Madam Yan rebuked Yan Ling for neglecting Niuniu, and he eventually said he believed their daughter would be all right.
• Tang Zhuyun was summoned after Niuniu developed another fever and stayed to keep watch; Yan Ling acknowledged that he owed the Prince of Jin for saving his daughter.
• Xiu'er visited Tang Zhuyun, and Yan Ling learned she was Song Jingyang’s wife as he compared her household’s comforts with Madam Yan’s circumstances.
• Tang Zhuyun invited Madam Yan to wash and offered her handmade soap, while Xiu'er revealed that it contained costly rosewater.
• Yanran arrived to wait for Tang Zhuyun, and a tiger suddenly sprang into the courtyard, startling Yan Ling and Madam Yan.

Yan Ling and Madam Yan stayed at the Prince of Jin’s residence while Niuniu recovered, and Yan Ling decided to embrace the rumors that he was the prince’s lackey. After Pei Shen returned from drinking with the Prince of Jin, the household learned that the prince had been hurt protecting him.

• Yanran visited Niuniu with precious toys, cheered her up, and went outside to knock down icicles.
• Yan Ling heard people call him the Prince of Jin’s lackey and resolved to make the accusation true, while helping Madam Yan care for Niuniu.
• Xiu'er and Nanxing discussed Nanxing’s improving menstrual cycle and joked about their future children.
• A maid mistakenly reported that Pei Shen had injured his groin, alarming Tang Zhuyun, Xiu'er, and Nanxing.
• Pei Shen brought the injured Prince of Jin back, and Tang Zhuyun found that he had a cramp and some scrapes from protecting Pei Shen.

Tang Zhuyun examined the Prince of Jin’s leg while he struggled to hide his desire, and Pei Shen tried unsuccessfully to draw Nanxing’s concern to his minor hand injury. The Prince of Jin revealed that Huaishang had caused the accident, while Pei Shen’s attempt to ask Tang Zhuyun for help arranging his marriage to Nanxing remained unresolved.

• Tang Zhuyun checked the Prince of Jin’s leg, mistook his flushed face for pain, and scolded him when he reacted to her closeness.
• Pei Shen staged concern over his scraped hand through Mo Ting, but Nanxing dismissed the injury and Xiu'er called out his behavior.
• The Prince of Jin’s bird, Eighth Master, loudly praised his prowess, so Tang Zhuyun carried him outside and hung him beneath the covered walkway.
• Tang Zhuyun asked the Prince of Jin why Pei Shen had sought him out, and he explained that Pei Shen wanted her help formally marrying Nanxing before he left the capital.
• The Prince of Jin said Huaishang had caused the accident and asked Tang Zhuyun not to open the door while he recovered.

After Huaishang unexpectedly attacked the Prince of Jin, Tang Zhuyun and the household tended to the prince and tried to understand what had happened. Pei Shen’s attempt to share Nanxing’s custard ended badly, and he asked her to hold a wedding before an uninvited guest arrived at the prince’s residence.

• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun that Huaishang had struck at him after seeing him knocked down, though he insisted Huaishang had not betrayed him.
• Tang Zhuyun reassured the household that the Prince of Jin was all right, and Nanny Jing visited him with pastries while defending Huaishang as incapable of attacking him.
• Pei Shen ate Nanxing’s milk custard to prove he was fine, then suffered stomach trouble because he still could not tolerate milk.
• Pei Shen asked Nanxing to marry him on the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth month, but she pointed out that he had already registered their marriage without telling her.
• An uninvited guest arrived at the Prince of Jin’s residence.

Yan Ling kept watch over Niuniu while Madam Yan rested, and Huaishang was brought to Tang Zhuyun after suddenly going mad. Tang Zhuyun identified poisonous mushrooms as the cause and said he would recover, while the Prince of Jin reflected on what Huaishang’s hallucinations revealed about his desires.

• Madam Yan told Yan Ling to stay out of the residence’s affairs and let her sleep while he watched Niuniu.
• Madam Yao brought Huaishang to Tang Zhuyun for help after he began acting irrationally.
• Huaishang mistook the brazier’s coals for gold and fought the Prince of Jin, who pinned him down and beat him with a feather duster.
• Tang Zhuyun checked Huaishang’s pulse and suspected poisonous mushrooms after Mianmian said she had found dried mushrooms in his treasure chest.
• Madam Yao explained that Huaishang had eaten mushrooms she had meant to throw away, and Tang Zhuyun said he would recover after the episode passed.

Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin managed Huaishang while he acted irrationally under the temporary effects of medicine, and Madam Yao took him home with Mianmian’s help. Afterward, the Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun he wanted to use a similar method to sound out Xiao Pang about the mystery of his origins.

• Madam Yao fretted over Huaishang’s condition, teased him about marriage, and tried to persuade Mianmian to stay with him.
• Xiu'er scattered soybeans on the couch, and Huaishang became distracted by the beans he mistook for gold.
• Madam Yao and Mianmian prepared to take Huaishang home, but he refused to leave until Xiu'er told him to hide his beans there.
• Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er wondered whether Mianmian was a maid or a distant Huai relative.
• The Prince of Jin sent Xiu'er away and told Tang Zhuyun he wanted to use a similar method to test Xiao Pang, and Tang Zhuyun agreed to try.

Tang Zhuyun realized she was pregnant but kept the news to herself while the Prince of Jin brought Xiao Pang to the residence. When Xiao Pang again refused to reveal the truth about the Prince of Jin’s origins, Tang Zhuyun suggested they eat first.

• Tang Zhuyun discovered her period was late and realized she was pregnant, but she did not tell the Prince of Jin.
• Two days later, Tang Zhuyun sent Niuniu and her mother home after Niuniu’s condition stabilized.
• Madam Yan praised Tang Zhuyun’s medical skills to others, and Tang Zhuyun’s reputation as a divine physician spread among the capital’s noblewomen.
• The Prince of Jin brought Xiao Pang back to the residence while Linlin took Yanran to the Great Xiangguo Temple.
• The Prince of Jin asked Xiao Pang to tell the truth, but Xiao Pang refused, so Tang Zhuyun suggested they eat first.

Tang Zhuyun questioned Xiao Pang while he was hallucinating and learned the truth about Fourth Master Xiao, Bai Lu, and the Xiao Family’s rebellion. Afterward, the Prince of Jin realized Tang Zhuyun was pregnant, and she confirmed it.

• After eating the poisonous mushrooms, Xiao Pang mistook Tang Zhuyun for Mo'er and said he had promised to take her away from the Xiao Family because she would die if they stayed.
• Tang Zhuyun learned from Xiao Pang that Fourth Master Xiao had secretly rescued Bai Lu, A-Qi's birth mother, and had planned to leave to find and care for her.
• Xiao Pang revealed that Fourth Master Xiao knew the Xiao Family was doomed and had urged him to live as a wastrel; the Prince of Jin knocked Xiao Pang unconscious and had him taken away.
• The Prince of Jin noticed Tang Zhuyun had been protecting her belly and concluded she was pregnant.
• Tang Zhuyun confirmed that she was carrying their child and placed the Prince of Jin's hand on her abdomen.

Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin celebrated her pregnancy while discussing his uncertainty about searching for his birth mother, Bai Lu. He decided to speak openly with Xiao Pang, and the chapter ended with Yanran eagerly imagining how she would command her younger sibling.

• The Prince of Jin delightedly pressed his ear to Tang Zhuyun's belly, and they joked about whether their baby would be a son or a daughter.
• Tang Zhuyun recognized that the Prince of Jin was troubled by what Xiao Pang had revealed about Bai Lu and encouraged him to search for her.
• The Prince of Jin said he would speak openly with Xiao Pang and urged Tang Zhuyun to take care of herself and the baby.
• At dinner, the Prince of Jin announced Tang Zhuyun's pregnancy and warned Yanran not to throw herself into her mother's arms.
• Yanran celebrated having a younger sibling and planned to make a younger brother her foot soldier or have a younger sister help with embroidery.

Tang Zhuyun, Xiu'er, and Nanxing discussed Nanxing’s refusal to agree to a wedding with Pei Shen and then dealt with Zhou Yanhui, who insisted on seeing Tang Zhuyun. Nanxing went out to investigate a sudden commotion, but she had not returned when Yanran arrived.

• Nanxing told Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er that she had not agreed to marry Pei Shen because she hated being stared at, and Tang Zhuyun urged her to discuss the matter with him.
• A maid reported that Zhou Yanhui had come to see the Prince of Jin, and Tang Zhuyun refused to receive her.
• Gongs and drums sounded outside, prompting Nanxing to hurry out to see what was happening while Xiu'er wondered if Pei Shen had come to fetch a bride.
• Zhou Yanhui refused to leave and insisted that she needed to speak with Tang Zhuyun because the prince’s life was at stake.
• Tang Zhuyun became sick and threw up outside, while Nanxing remained away; Xiu'er considered going to look for her before Yanran called out to her mother.

Tang Zhuyun learned that the Heir to the Prince of Min was unconscious after the attack on Nanyue, and five women were being married to him to ward off misfortune. The Prince of Jin later explained the unusual history of the Prince of Min’s family, leaving Tang Zhuyun feeling that her own husband was not so bizarre after all.

• Yanran reported that the Prince of Min’s wedding procession was carrying off a bride, and Nanxing confirmed that the bride was bound inside her sedan.
• Nanxing explained that the Heir to the Prince of Min was unconscious and that a Gu family daughter and four concubines were being married to him because a fortune-teller prescribed five women with pure yin destinies.
• Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er questioned the absurd wedding, while Yanran insisted that she and her mother consort could help if anyone came to them.
• The Prince of Jin returned and told Tang Zhuyun about the Prince of Min and Princess Consort Min, including how they brought their whole family to the capital rather than send their son there alone.

Tang Zhuyun teased the Prince of Jin about the Prince of Min’s daughter and learned she was his cousin, while he recalled his youthful rivalry with her brother, Qu Nian. Their nighttime conversation ended with Tang Zhuyun still pestering him for more details.

• The Prince of Jin explained that the Prince of Min’s family had once visited the capital, where Princess Consort Min conceived a daughter and named her Jinghua.
• Tang Zhuyun grew jealous that the Prince of Jin knew the girl’s personal name, but he explained that Princess Consort Min was his aunt and the girl was his younger female cousin.
• The Prince of Jin revealed that he and Qu Nian had been young rivals who competed in martial arts, and that Qu Nian’s life or death was now uncertain.
• The Prince of Jin tried to end the conversation so Tang Zhuyun could sleep, but she joked about his childhood and kept asking about Qu Nian.

Tang Zhuyun discussed Qu Nian, her pregnancy, and the Prince of Jin’s political connections with Xiu'er and Nanxing. Nanxing revealed that Huaishang had awakened and wanted to silence Mianmian, so she advised him to marry her.

• The Prince of Jin reassured Tang Zhuyun that Qu Nian was unharmed and told her to focus on caring for herself and their child.
• Xiu'er and Tang Zhuyun discussed having children and assessed the Prince of Jin’s ties with other families.
• Nanxing warned Tang Zhuyun that Zong Heng and Zhou Yanhui had grown close.
• Nanxing explained that she still resented Pei Shen for his past coldness when she was jealous of his younger paternal cousin.
• Nanxing told Tang Zhuyun that Huaishang had regained consciousness and wanted to kill Mianmian to silence her, so Nanxing had suggested he marry her.

Tang Zhuyun visited Xiu'er at the Four Seas Tower after hearing she had cried, only to learn that a meal had reminded Xiu'er of her late father. As they shared food and gossip, Zhou Yanhui arrived demanding to see Tang Zhuyun, who agreed to receive her alone.

• Tang Zhuyun and Nanxing discussed Mianmian's refusal to marry Huaishang, Linlin's efforts to invite Great Confucian Scholar Kong and Xiyou for the New Year, and Yanran's visit to Cui Xiaoqiu.
• After a maid reported that Xiu'er had cried at the Four Seas Tower, Tang Zhuyun went there with Nanxing to check on her.
• Xiu'er explained that eating fish had reminded her of her late father, and Tang Zhuyun joined Xiu'er and Nanny Jing for a meal.
• Xiu'er told Tang Zhuyun that the rooster used in the Heir to the Prince of Min's wedding ceremony had defecated before a dog killed it, and Nanxing suspected someone was spreading the story to cause trouble for the heir's wife.
• Zhou Yanhui demanded to see Tang Zhuyun, who told the others to let her in alone.

Zhou Yanhui told Tang Zhuyun that Zong Heng planned to use her to get close to the Prince of Jin and drive Tang Zhuyun away. Tang Zhuyun learned the details of Zong Heng’s scheme and asked Zhou Yanhui whether she thought it would work.

• Zhou Yanhui asked Tang Zhuyun to dismiss her attendants, but Tang Zhuyun refused to meet her alone and revealed she already knew Zhou Yanhui’s secret.
• Tang Zhuyun said that she and the Prince of Jin had both discovered Zhou Yanhui was a woman but had kept it private, and she warned Zhou Yanhui to improve her disguise.
• Xiu'er teased Zhou Yanhui by revealing that Tang Zhuyun was pregnant, leaving Zhou Yanhui heartbroken.
• Zhou Yanhui explained that she had been seeking the Prince of Jin because Zong Heng planned to harm him.
• Zhou Yanhui said Zong Heng had promised to help her win the Prince of Jin and claim Tang Zhuyun for himself if she helped find Noble Consort Jia’s weakness.
• Tang Zhuyun asked Zhou Yanhui whether she believed Zong Heng’s plan would work.