Chapter Summaries

Tang Zhuyun confronted Zhou Yanhui about his feelings for the Prince of Jin and urged him to put his duties as crown prince before an impossible romance. Just as Zhou Yanhui suggested they could be friends, Nanxing shouted a warning and shielded Tang Zhuyun.

• Zhou Yanhui explained that he had approached Noble Consort Jia because Zong Heng said she was attracted to men, and admitted he might sacrifice himself if necessary.
• Tang Zhuyun learned that Zhou Yanhui had wanted to see her to understand why the Prince of Jin favored her, and she affirmed that she was pregnant and irreplaceable to him.
• Tang Zhuyun urged Zhou Yanhui to stop pursuing the Prince of Jin, preserve his dignity, and focus on becoming empress of the Xia Kingdom.
• Zhou Yanhui reflected on how closely Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin understood one another, then suggested that he and Tang Zhuyun could be friends.
• Tang Zhuyun rejected the idea, and Nanxing shouted a warning as she moved in front of her.

Tang Zhuyun and Zhou Yanhui were caught together in a staged assassination attempt, but the Prince of Jin arrived in time to dispel suspicion. After they returned home, Tang Zhuyun learned that a strange dog had pawed at the Prince of Jin while he was upstairs.

• Xiu'er realized the assassins were trying to make onlookers think Tang Zhuyun and Zhou Yanhui were meeting in secret, and Zhou Yanhui suspected Zong Heng was behind it.
• Tang Zhuyun and Zhou Yanhui traded teasing offers while waiting for the Prince of Jin to arrive.
• The Prince of Jin joined Tang Zhuyun, and Xiu'er told the onlookers he was there, making them disperse.
• Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin left together, and Zhou Yanhui watched their hands intertwined.
• Tang Zhuyun asked about the dirt on the Prince of Jin's clothes, and he explained that a Shar-Pei from the Prince of Min's Residence had pawed at him.

Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin discussed Qu Nian’s consort, Ren Yingying, and the Shar-Pei that had clung to the prince. The prince arranged for the dog to be cared for, while Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er considered court intrigues and cautioned against letting the prince meet the consort alone; Yanran then arrived looking guilty.

• Tang Zhuyun learned from Xiu'er that Qu Nian’s consort had a facial birthmark and might be a concubine-born Ren daughter passed off as the legitimate bride.
• The Prince of Jin asked Tang Zhuyun to look after the consort if they met, so she would not make Qu Nian lose face.
• The Prince of Jin wondered why the Shar-Pei had followed him, and Xiu'er discovered the dog was only a little over two years old.
• Xiu'er suggested the dog had followed the prince because he had dried meat in his pouch, and the prince arranged for servants at the Prince of Min's Residence to care for it.
• Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er discussed whether Zhou Yanhui and Zong Heng had coordinated events and agreed to stay watchful and prevent the prince from meeting the consort alone.
• Yanran entered with Jiaojiao, looking shifty, and asked Tang Zhuyun whether she had gone out that day.

Yanran explained how she had gotten into trouble with Jiaojiao and vowed to protect Cui Xiaoqiu, while Tang Zhuyun treated Niuniu after her fever returned. The chapter left Tang Zhuyun still wondering why a dog kept trying to follow the Prince of Jin.

• Yanran said she was practicing archery so she could protect Cui Xiaoqiu, whose injured arm kept him from holding his brush normally.
• Yanran recounted how Jiaojiao bit a dog that tried to enter the prince's residence and how the dog's owner, the Heir to the Prince of Min's wife, fell while trying to save it.
• Tang Zhuyun told Yanran not to take Jiaojiao out to frighten people, then wondered why the dog seemed intent on following the Prince of Jin.
• Madam Yan brought Niuniu to Tang Zhuyun after the child's fever returned, and Tang Zhuyun confirmed a relapse and prescribed medicine.
• Yanran offered to let Niuniu touch Jiaojiao, but Xiu'er scolded her for letting people rub the tiger's fur bald.

Yanran tried to teach Niuniu to write her name but needed to escape when she realized she did not know the correct characters. After Tang Zhuyun learned she was pregnant, the Prince of Jin met Xue Lie for drinks, where Xue Lie revealed his trouble finding a wife.

• Yanran wrote Niuniu's name incorrectly, then took her to find someone with better handwriting.
• Madam Yan asked Tang Zhuyun how to care for Niuniu and learned that Tang Zhuyun was expecting a child.
• Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er ate dinner while the Prince of Jin stayed away from the residence.
• Xue Lie persuaded the Prince of Jin to drink with him at Four Seas Tower.
• Xue Lie told the Prince of Jin that he disliked every woman his mother had introduced and was asked whom he liked instead.

Xue Lie told the Prince of Jin that he loved a concubine in the Prince of Min’s Residence and wanted to prove himself in Liaodong so he could pursue her. The Prince of Jin agreed to try to help with her status, but the chapter ended with him asking whether Lady Deng would let Xue Lie go.

• Xue Lie confessed that he loved a woman who had entered the Prince of Min’s Residence as a concubine to bring good fortune to the heir, and Qu Nian listened from outside in his Shar-Pei form.
• Xue Lie explained that he wanted to go to Liaodong, make a name for himself, and show Lady Deng he did not need to rely on his wife’s family.
• The Prince of Jin questioned how Xue Lie would prove himself and resolve the woman’s status, while Qu Nian silently urged him to accept.
• The Prince of Jin said he would do his best to help Xue Lie, then asked whether Lady Deng would agree to his going to Liaodong.

Xue Lie asked the Prince of Jin to help him pursue a future with Tang Zhuyun, while Qu Nian, trapped in a shar-pei’s body, clung to the prince to escape Lady Ren. Lady Ren took Qu Nian away and revealed that she and the dog needed to find a way back, leaving Qu Nian confused about who she was.

• Xue Lie insisted that Lady Deng would support his decision, but the Prince of Jin said he needed to discuss it with Tang Zhuyun first.
• Qu Nian followed the Prince of Jin, hoping to investigate his transformation and avoid Lady Ren, who had named him Dog Meat.
• Xue Lie joked that the shar-pei would make good dog meat hotpot, while the Prince of Jin hesitated over whether Tang Zhuyun liked dog meat.
• Lady Ren arrived, picked up Qu Nian, and left despite his efforts to reach the Prince of Jin.
• The Prince of Jin bought the last two bags of roasted chestnuts for Tang Zhuyun, while Lady Ren threatened to have Qu Nian neutered if he misbehaved.
• Lady Ren told Qu Nian that they had to find a way back, prompting Qu Nian to wonder who she was and where she had come from.

The Prince of Jin discovered Cui Xiaoqiu secretly practicing swordsmanship, then discussed Xue Lie’s request and Niuniu’s illness with Tang Zhuyun. The next day, Tang Zhuyun learned that Nanxing had wanted to kill Zong Heng, while Xiu’er quietly missed her husband, Song Jingyang, who could not return for the New Year.

• The Prince of Jin overheard swordplay and saw Cui Xiaoqiu secretly training with Master Wu, who hurried away when Madam Cui arrived.
• The Prince of Jin brought Tang Zhuyun sugar-roasted chestnuts and told her about Xue Lie’s request; they agreed to respond positively while she continued seeking a better prescription for Niuniu.
• Nanxing asked whether Zong Heng had been identified as the instigator of the restaurant assassination attempt, and Tang Zhuyun admitted she had forgotten to ask.
• Xiu’er praised Pei Shen for dealing with Wang Chunqiu and Qiao Geng, but Nanxing revealed that Pei Shen had stopped her from killing Zong Heng.
• Xiu’er admitted she missed Song Jingyang and felt sad that he could not return for their first New Year together.

Tang Zhuyun appreciated Madam Yan’s valuable agate pomegranate and learned that Lady Deng had come to visit after discovering Tang Zhuyun was pregnant. Lady Deng then raised the subject of Xue Lie’s marriage, leaving Tang Zhuyun to face the family conflict she had feared.

• Tang Zhuyun admired the lifelike agate pomegranate Madam Yan had sent and discussed the Yan Family’s frugal lifestyle with Xiu'er and Nanxing.
• Yanran left with Jiaojiao to take Kitchen God candy to Cui Xiaoqiu, while Xiu'er teased Tang Zhuyun about how much she did for the Prince of Jin.
• Tang Zhuyun noticed the tiny carving “Made by Lingao” on the pomegranate but assumed Lingao was a master carver.
• Lady Deng visited Tang Zhuyun, learned she was not yet two months pregnant, and urged her to keep the news private.
• After Xiu'er and Nanxing stepped outside, Lady Deng told Tang Zhuyun she wanted to discuss Lie'er's marriage.

Lady Deng explained to Tang Zhuyun that she had come to accept Xue Lie’s choice of Hua Cha, though she still wanted to judge the young woman for herself. She planned to remain in the capital and look after Hua Cha, while Tang Zhuyun promised to help care for Xue Lie and hoped to meet Hua Cha someday.

• Lady Deng told Tang Zhuyun that Xue Lie had gone to the prince about being sent to Liaodong, and admitted she knew he had lied about who raised the idea.
• Lady Deng explained that she opposed Xue Lie’s match because Hua Cha’s family had sold her to the Prince of Min’s Residence, but she would accept the marriage if Xue Lie remained devoted to her and worked to build a future.
• Tang Zhuyun promised to ask the prince to send more people to care for Xue Lie, and Lady Deng said she would stay in the capital to look after Hua Cha.
• Lady Deng asked Tang Zhuyun not to tell Xue Lie about their conversation, then went home to pack his bags after entrusting him to Tang Zhuyun’s care.
• After hearing the story, Xiu’er pointed out that Tang Zhuyun might never meet Hua Cha because she was the heir’s concubine, and told Tang Zhuyun to find a way herself.

Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er discussed the heir's wife and rumors about the Prince of Min, while the Prince of Jin punished Zong Heng for coveting his princess consort. The Prince of Jin returned home and found Tang Zhuyun unsettled by a dream in which a puppy stole her baby.

• Tang Zhuyun considered meeting the heir's wife over the New Year, but Xiu'er warned that the woman might be trying to escape rather than seek her help.
• Nanxing reported that one of Zong Heng's trusted aides had supposedly frozen to death, and Tang Zhuyun deduced that someone had forced him to drink and disguised his murder.
• The Prince of Jin entered the Zong Residence and cut off Zong Heng's remaining leg, warning him never to covet his princess consort.
• The Prince of Jin returned to Tang Zhuyun after bathing, and she told him about her dream of a Shar-Pei puppy running off with her baby.

Tang Zhuyun remembered her late-life friendship with Ren Yingying and reflected on how much she missed her old world. Meanwhile, Ren Yingying dealt with Dog Meat after Qu Nian fell into a latrine pit, leaving him mortified by his humiliating dog life.

• The Prince of Jin apologized for making Tang Zhuyun think of dogs, and she kissed him while remembering her friend Ren Yingying and her Shar-Pei, Dog Meat.
• Tang Zhuyun told the Prince of Jin that she could not return to her old world and recalled the friendship and adventures she had shared with Ren Yingying.
• Ren Yingying found Dog Meat soaked in the latrine pit, ordered servants to wash him, and scolded him after they brought him back.
• Qu Nian recalled that he had tried to reach the latrine instead of relieving himself by a tree, but had fallen into the pit and wished he could disappear from shame.

Qu Nian adjusted to being trapped in a dog’s body while Ren Yingying searched for him after he ran away. At the year’s end, Tang Zhuyun visited Great Xiangguo Temple to meet Master Hong’en and seek a pregnancy safety talisman, then emerged from a private conversation without revealing what he had said.

• Qu Nian recalled how he had been unconscious in Nanyue, transformed into a dog when Ren Yingying married him for good fortune, and received an undisclosed mission from the system.
• Ren Yingying threatened to make hot pot out of Dog Meat and tried to inspect his ears, so Qu Nian fled from her.
• Ren Yingying ordered the prince’s residence to search for Qu Nian in the middle of the night, and he eventually showed himself and was scolded again.
• Tang Zhuyun prepared holiday food for Great Confucian Scholar Kong and Xiyou, then set out for Great Xiangguo Temple with Xiu’er and Nanxing while Yanran went treasure hunting with Cui Xiaoqiu.
• Master Hong’en spoke privately with Tang Zhuyun for a quarter of an hour, and Xiu’er and Nanxing asked her what he had said.

Tang Zhuyun visited the Great Xiangguo Temple and unexpectedly reunited with her modern-day friend Ren Yingying, who had also transmigrated. As they caught up, Tang Zhuyun learned that Ren Yingying had rejected a system and gained access to a pharmacy space and surgical instruments.

• Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er discussed Master Hong'en's cryptic prediction and learned that the Heir to the Prince of Min's wife had come to pray at the temple.
• Tang Zhuyun heard Ren Yingying threaten Qu Nian and recognized her voice, then came face-to-face with her inside the temple courtyard.
• Tang Zhuyun and Ren Yingying reunited tearfully and went inside to talk while Nanxing and Xiu'er guarded the door.
• Ren Yingying told Tang Zhuyun about her transmigration and asked whether Tang Zhuyun had a space or system.
• Ren Yingying revealed that she had rejected a system but had a pharmacy space and surgical instruments, leaving Tang Zhuyun envious.

Tang Zhuyun reunited with Ren Yingying, and the two caught up on their transmigrations, systems, and lives in the Prince of Jin’s residence. Ren Yingying gave Tang Zhuyun medicine and discussed her marriage, while Qu Nian discovered that his body had changed; the chapter ended with Tang Zhuyun trying to match Ren Yingying with her cousin Xue Lie.

• Ren Yingying and Tang Zhuyun traded boasts about their families and learned that Tang Zhuyun had an eight-year-old son.
• Ren Yingying told Tang Zhuyun that she had kicked her unreliable system away, then conjured two boxes of cephalosporin for her.
• Tang Zhuyun warned Ren Yingying that lacking her predecessor’s memories was dangerous, while Ren Yingying explained that her birthmark helped disguise her identity.
• Ren Yingying revealed that Qu Nian had grown male anatomy, and Qu Nian resisted her attempt to inspect it.
• Tang Zhuyun told Ren Yingying that the Prince of Jin had no concubines, and Ren Yingying agreed to restore Hua Cha’s monthly allowance.
• Tang Zhuyun explained her connection to Xue Lie and suggested him as a match for Ren Yingying, who doubted his chuunibyou personality would ever change.

Tang Zhuyun and Ren Yingying caught up on their lives after transmigrating, while Qu Nian listened unhappily in his shar-pei form. The chapter ended with Ren Yingying asking for intimate details about Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin so she could write smut in ancient times.

• Tang Zhuyun questioned whether Dog Meat was really Ren Yingying's companion from her former life, and Ren Yingying insisted he was.
• Tang Zhuyun asked Ren Yingying about removing her birthmark, and Ren Yingying joked about the Heir waking and desiring her beauty.
• Tang Zhuyun recounted her life in the Prince of Jin's household, including his faked death and her becoming his princess consort.
• Ren Yingying considered saving Qu Nian and divorcing the Heir, then joked that she could rely on Tang Zhuyun and Dog Meat instead.
• Ren Yingying learned Tang Zhuyun had told the Prince of Jin where she came from, then pressed her for intimate details to use in her writing.

Tang Zhuyun reunited with Ren Yingying and reassured the Prince of Jin that she would stay with her family, while he secretly ordered guards to keep visitors from the Prince of Min's Residence away from her. Madam Yan revealed that Yan Ling had secretly given Niuniu ashes from an expensive talisman, leaving Tang Zhuyun concerned about the Daoist priest.

• Tang Zhuyun and Ren Yingying spent hours catching up, and Ren Yingying invited her to come for her birthday and asked her to bring medicine if needed.
• The Prince of Jin fetched Tang Zhuyun and grew uneasy when he learned that Ren Yingying was her close friend, but Tang Zhuyun reassured him that she would not leave.
• The Prince of Jin went to see Xiao Pang and ordered a guard to stop anyone from the Prince of Min's Residence from seeing Tang Zhuyun before he returned.
• Tang Zhuyun gave Madam Yan cephalosporin for Niuniu and learned that Yan Ling had secretly fed the child water mixed with ashes from a talisman bought for five hundred taels of silver.
• Yanran tried to comfort Niuniu about her parents' possible divorce, while Tang Zhuyun grew concerned as Madam Yan described the Daoist priest.

Tang Zhuyun spent time with Madam Yan and Niuniu before joking with Xiu'er and Nanxing about their friends and marriage. That evening, the Prince of Jin revealed he had investigated Lady Ren and found a small flaw in her disguise.

• Madam Yan explained how she had scolded Yan Ling after Niuniu got sick from drinking talisman water, and Tang Zhuyun agreed with her approach to life.
• Niuniu saved rose pastries for Brother Linlin because he had once brought her a clay doll, and Yanran encouraged her to eat one.
• Xiu'er suggested inviting Madam Yan, Madam Wang, and Madam Qin to visit, then teased Nanxing about her marriage and noble title.
• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun he had visited the Prince of Min's Residence to investigate Lady Ren because he feared she might not be the friend Tang Zhuyun believed her to be.
• The Prince of Jin confirmed that he had found a small flaw in Lady Ren's disguise.

Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin discussed Ren Yingying’s strange dog and the Prince’s search for his birth mother, then prepared for Tang Zhuyun to visit the Prince of Min’s Residence. The chapter ended with Tang Zhuyun asking where the Prince of Jin had gone as Linlin joined her for the visit.

• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun that Ren Yingying had been painting and asked about her dog, Dog Meat, whom Tang Zhuyun confirmed was not from this era.
• Tang Zhuyun reassured the Prince of Jin that Ren Yingying would not take her away, while he insisted they would not get a dog.
• The Prince of Jin said Xiao Pang had reported that his birth mother was once settled at an estate near the Xiao Family, and Tang Zhuyun comforted him by suggesting they might find traces of her there.
• Tang Zhuyun asked about helping Nanxing obtain an imperial title, and the Prince of Jin said he would ask Huaishang, whose grandfather had joined the Ministry of Rites.
• After the Prince of Jin left during the night, Tang Zhuyun slept late, and Linlin came to accompany her to visit the heir’s consort.
• Tang Zhuyun got up and asked where the Prince of Jin had gone.

Tang Zhuyun visited Ren Yingying with Linlin, collected medical supplies, and learned that Ren Yingying’s space could not replenish them. Nanxing then reported that the emperor had worsened, and Tang Zhuyun called for nitroglycerin.

• Tang Zhuyun stayed home from visiting Ren Yingying at breakfast and took Linlin to visit her instead.
• Ren Yingying doted on Linlin and offered him a huge red envelope and books from the study, while Qu Nian grumbled that the books were his.
• Tang Zhuyun told Ren Yingying she would remain in the capital until the Heir to the Prince of Min’s condition was known and urged her to stay cautious.
• Ren Yingying produced surgical instruments, anti-inflammatory medicine, and other supplies for Tang Zhuyun, then said her space could not replenish itself.
• Nanxing rushed in to report that the emperor had taken a turn for the worse, and Tang Zhuyun called for nitroglycerin.