Chapter Summaries

Ren Yingying and Tang Zhuyun rushed to the palace with Linlin to treat the critically ill emperor, suspecting a plot. They arrived as the crown prince ordered their arrest, leaving the Prince of Jin and Tang Zhuyun facing armed Golden Qilin Guards.

• Ren Yingying escaped Qu Nian and joined Tang Zhuyun and Linlin on the journey to the palace, carrying Qu Nian along.
• On the carriage ride, Tang Zhuyun said they needed to save the emperor, while Qu Nian failed to get useful information from the system.
• The group entered the palace, where the Prince of Jin anxiously led Tang Zhuyun to the emperor despite the crown prince objecting to her presence.
• Tang Zhuyun prepared to give the emperor a nitroglycerin tablet, but the crown prince accused her and the Prince of Jin of attempting murder and summoned the guards.

The Prince of Jin thwarted the crown prince’s attempt to seize control while Tang Zhuyun revived the emperor and confirmed that his life was not in danger. After the emperor awoke, Linlin deduced that Wang Fu had known the emperor was safe all along, while Qu Nian resolved to complete his mission and regain human form.

• The Prince of Jin ignored the crown prince’s order to seize him, gave the emperor medicine, and ordered the Golden Scale Guards to clear the room.
• The Prince of Yong urged the crown prince to focus on the emperor, while Tang Zhuyun checked the emperor and said his heart attack had been triggered by shock and he would recover.
• The Prince of Jin sent Tang Zhuyun and the others out, then ordered the Golden Scale Guards to block anyone from entering as the crown prince accused him of rebellion.
• The emperor woke and rebuked his sons, while Tang Zhuyun admitted to Ren Yingying that she had given him a cardiac stimulant.
• Linlin reasoned that Wang Fu had not panicked because he knew the emperor was safe, and Qu Nian decided to work toward completing his mission so he could become human again.

Qu Nian decided to cooperate with the system, while Ren Yingying teased Linlin about marrying her and chose his brilliant senior fellow disciple Xiyou as her boyfriend. Tang Zhuyun learned that the emperor’s illness involved Noble Consort Jia and that the crown prince was moving against the Prince of Jin; as New Year’s Eve approached, her family worried about their father.

• Qu Nian resolved to cooperate with the system, and Ren Yingying joked that she wanted to marry Linlin before declaring Xiyou her boyfriend.
• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun that the emperor had fallen ill at Noble Consort Jia’s residence and had forced himself back to the Purple Tenuity Palace.
• Tang Zhuyun warned the Prince of Jin that the crown prince was acting against him, and the Prince of Jin asked her to accompany him to the New Year’s Eve palace banquet.
• Meng Yulan visited Tang Zhuyun and said her eldest brother wanted the Prince of Jin to share some plans with the family.
• Meng Yulan told Tang Zhuyun that their family’s greatest concern should be their father.

Tang Zhuyun learned that the emperor’s devotion to Noble Consort Jia had made the Prince of Jin question his father and consider taking the throne, while she worried that this would pit him against Tang Mingfan. The Prince of Jin also asked Tang Zhuyun to arrange help for Zhou Yanhui, who needed to return to Xia Kingdom before the New Year.

• Meng Yulan warned Tang Zhuyun that Tang Mingfan might oppose the Prince of Jin if he seized the throne, and urged her to guard against Noble Consort Jia at the palace banquet.
• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun that Noble Consort Jia had grown close to a Daoist priest, prompting the emperor to confront her and quarrel with her.
• The Prince of Jin admitted he had once wanted the throne but had never planned to replace the emperor, then changed the subject to preparing for their journey northwest.
• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun that Zhou Yanhui had to return to Xia Kingdom immediately and asked her to offer Zhou his men and protection.
• Xiu'er reacted angrily after Tang Zhuyun told her about the emperor and Noble Consort Jia.

Linlin successfully persuaded Zhou Yanhui, who thanked Tang Zhuyun before leaving. On Ren Yingying’s birthday, Tang Zhuyun visited her and learned she planned to attend the palace banquet, where a confrontation between the crown prince and Pei Shen might unfold.

• Tang Zhuyun asked for help handling Zhou Yanhui, and Linlin volunteered to speak with him.
• Linlin persuaded Zhou Yanhui, who thanked Tang Zhuyun before departing.
• Nanxing announced that her noble title had been officially granted, allowing her to accompany Tang Zhuyun to the palace banquet.
• On the last day of the lunar year, Tang Zhuyun visited Ren Yingying for her birthday and warned her to stay safe at the palace banquet.
• Ren Yingying gave Tang Zhuyun a small box, and Qu Nian recognized it.

Ren Yingying gave Tang Zhuyun a tiger tally she had accidentally dug up, and Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin weighed its value and risks. Tang Zhuyun prepared to attend the palace banquet, where a seemingly ordinary meal was set to become a turning point.

• Ren Yingying gave Tang Zhuyun a tiger tally that could command two hundred thousand troops in the southeast, and said she had found it beneath the peach tree while hiding money.
• Tang Zhuyun urged Ren Yingying to return the tally, then hurried back to tell the Prince of Jin about it.
• The Prince of Jin approved Tang Zhuyun's handling of the tally, noting that the Prince of Min mattered more than the object while he remained alive.
• Tang Zhuyun prepared to go to the palace and told Yanran to stay home, where Yanran planned to watch fireworks with Cui Xiaoqiu.
• Tang Zhuyun left for the palace with the Prince of Jin, while Xiu'er stayed behind to mind the household and take precautions against fires.

Tang Zhuyun attended a palace banquet with Ren Yingying and Nanxing, where Zong Xueci approached her and secretly passed her a note while pretending to quarrel. Zong Xueci returned to the crown prince’s party uncertain whether her attempt to seek Tang Zhuyun’s help had been the right choice.

• Tang Zhuyun found Ren Yingying wearing smudged makeup and learned that Dog Meat was waiting in her carriage.
• Ren Yingying sat with Nanxing and asked questions about the people at the banquet, including why the crown prince had brought two women.
• Zong Xueci approached Tang Zhuyun and claimed she needed to discuss the Prince of Jin’s future and work with her.
• Tang Zhuyun rebuffed Zong Xueci, but Zong Xueci slipped a piece of paper into her hand during their staged-looking scuffle.
• The Prince of Jin ordered Zong Xueci to leave, and the crown prince stopped the crown princess from speaking as the emperor was about to arrive.
• Zong Xueci returned to her seat, wondering whether her decision to approach Tang Zhuyun had been right.

At the emperor’s gathering, Tang Zhuyun received a warning from Zong Xueci and later encountered Zong Xueci and the Crown Princess on the way back from relieving herself. Their apparent scheme unraveled when the Crown Princess kicked Zong Xueci and nearly fell, then cried that her belly hurt.

• Tang Zhuyun passed Zong Xueci’s cursive note to the Prince of Jin, who called it a warning and destroyed it.
• The emperor arrived supported by Wang Fu and Noble Consort Jia, while the empress was absent, and ordered the entertainment to begin.
• Tang Zhuyun left to relieve herself, and Nanxing followed her at the Prince of Jin’s request.
• The Crown Princess left the hall, and Zong Xueci followed her out; Tang Zhuyun then met them on a narrow path.
• Zong Xueci clung to the Crown Princess and pleaded that she had no intention of harming her, disrupting their apparent plan to blame Tang Zhuyun.
• The Crown Princess kicked Zong Xueci, lost her footing but was caught by her maids, and cried that her belly hurt.

At the New Year’s palace banquet, Tang Zhuyun deflected the Crown Princess’s accusation and learned that someone had targeted the Prince of Jin’s residence while she was away. Meanwhile, Yanran and Cui Xiaoqiu spotted arsonists heading for the Cui Family’s Heavenly Unity Pavilion.

• Tang Zhuyun returned from dealing with the Crown Princess’s attempted frame-up and told the Prince of Jin that she was unharmed.
• The Crown Princess accused Tang Zhuyun of pushing her, but Tang Zhuyun challenged Noble Consort Jia’s demands and argued that she had no reason to risk her pregnancy.
• The emperor ended the dispute by fining the Crown Princess and Tang Zhuyun three months’ allowance each, while the Crown Prince rose to accuse him of favoring the Prince of Jin.
• The Prince of Jin returned and told Tang Zhuyun that someone had made a move against their residence, leaving her furious.
• Yanran tried to leave the rooftop, but Cui Xiaoqiu stopped her after spotting people setting fire to the Cui Family’s Heavenly Unity Pavilion.

On New Year’s Eve, a fire at the Cui Residence became a suspected ploy to target the Prince of Jin’s Residence. Linlin kept his household on alert while the firefighting crew turned against the prince’s guards, and the chapter ended with the Prince of Jin and Tang Zhuyun listening to the crown prince’s denunciations.

• Cui Xiaoqiu warned Yanran that the Cui Residence was on fire and told her to alert Linlin to be on guard.
• Linlin said the fire was a distraction aimed at the Prince of Jin’s Residence, and he told Yanran not to go out until he let her retrieve her golden bow.
• The firefighting crew entered the Cui Residence, then stopped fighting the flames and gathered at the wall after the prince’s household refused to help.
• The Prince of Jin’s guards aimed their bows at the crew as the Cui Family realized something was wrong.
• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun to hear out the crown prince, who was still denouncing the people around the emperor, while Ren Yingying and Nanxing waited for his next move.

The Prince of Jin used the imperial guards to seize the crown prince and his allies after the crown prince tried to justify a coup. Despite Tang Mingfan urging restraint, the Prince of Jin pressed ahead, and the crown prince and crown princess were reported dead with their heads brought back to the hall.

• The crown prince accused Noble Consort Jia and the Prince of Jin of manipulating the emperor, then ordered the guards to seize Tang Zhuyun and the others.
• Tang Zhuyun provoked the crown prince, then leaned on the Prince of Jin and urged him to act.
• The Prince of Jin ordered the imperial guards to seize the crown prince and his party, revealing that he controlled the guards.
• The Prince of Jin insisted that the crown prince had attempted rebellion and had him dragged away despite the emperor's protests.
• Tang Mingfan pleaded with the Prince of Jin to reconsider, while Ren Yingying told Nanxing she had secretly given him the tiger tally.
• The guards returned and reported that the crown prince and crown princess had killed themselves out of fear of punishment, with their heads in the guards' possession.

Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin survived the palace crisis after he surrendered to the emperor, while Linlin and Cui Ling defeated the attackers at the Prince of Jin's Residence. The Prince of Jin explained that Tang Mingfan had helped him avoid a doomed bid for the throne, and the couple still planned to leave the capital.

• Tang Zhuyun pretended to faint, and the Prince of Jin knelt before the emperor to ask for an imperial physician, claiming his pregnant wife needed care.
• Reinforcements helped Linlin, Cui Ling, and Yanran rout the attackers at the Prince of Jin's Residence, and Cui Ling asked to hand the captives to the authorities.
• After the physician left, Tang Zhuyun scolded the Prince of Jin for surrendering, and he explained that he had been near the end of his strength and could not have held the throne.
• The Prince of Jin revealed that Tang Mingfan had helped plan the outcome, including the crown prince's death and the destruction of the Zong Family's influence in the capital.
• The Prince of Jin said he and Tang Zhuyun would still leave the capital as planned, and Tang Zhuyun asked whether she would become crown princess.

Tang Zhuyun tried to delay the Prince of Jin’s plan to kill Noble Consort Jia, but he intended to act after Huaishang staged a rescue of the emperor. After the Prince of Jin left to confront Huaishang, Ren Yingying and the others joined Tang Zhuyun, who began getting out of bed for an unknown reason.

• Tang Zhuyun told the Prince of Jin she would share the burden of his killings, then asked him to wait before deciding whether to kill Noble Consort Jia.
• The Prince of Jin refused to wait and explained that Huaishang would try to rescue Father Emperor, after which he planned to kill Noble Consort Jia.
• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun to stay put and left to confront Huaishang.
• Ren Yingying, Nanxing, and Qu Nian entered the room, and Ren Yingying joked about Tang Zhuyun becoming empress.
• Tang Zhuyun got out of bed, and Ren Yingying grabbed her and asked where she was going.

Tang Zhuyun sent Nanxing to find Noble Consort Jia and the emperor while the emperor reflected with Tang Mingfan on the Crown Prince’s death and the Prince of Jin’s rise. Tang Zhuyun then arrived at the palace with Nanxing, Ren Yingying, and Qu Nian.

• Tang Zhuyun revealed that her supposed stomach trouble was an act and asked Nanxing to locate Noble Consort Jia or the emperor.
• Noble Consort Jia stayed near the emperor as the princes withdrew to a tea room, and the emperor summoned Tang Mingfan.
• The emperor and Tang Mingfan discussed the Crown Prince’s death, the Prince of Jin, and the emperor’s uncertainty about what to do next.
• Tang Mingfan urged the emperor to punish the Prince of Jin, but the emperor noted that the prince was heading northwest to find his birth mother.
• Tang Zhuyun arrived at the palace with Nanxing, while Ren Yingying and Qu Nian followed her.

Tang Zhuyun confronted Noble Consort Jia in private and strangled her, then claimed she had died by suicide. She returned to the Prince of Jin’s residence to see the children and wait for him, while the servants learned what had happened and worried about the Emperor’s response.

• Tang Zhuyun persuaded Noble Consort Jia to speak privately, leaving Nanxing and Ren Yingying outside.
• Noble Consort Jia cried out, and Tang Zhuyun told Nanxing to keep everyone out while she treated the consort alone.
• Tang Zhuyun came out and announced that Noble Consort Jia had killed herself, though the strangulation marks and overturned chair contradicted her account.
• Tang Zhuyun returned to the prince’s residence to see Linlin and Yanran, then began to feel unwell.
• Ren Yingying told Xiu'er that Noble Consort Jia was dead, while Qu Nian worried that Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin would face consequences.

After Noble Consort Jia’s death, Tang Zhuyun reflected on how smoothly the day’s events had gone and explained why she had chosen to kill her. She watched Linlin, sensing that his growing maturity might carry him toward the throne their struggle was preparing him for.

• Tang Zhuyun questioned why the Prince of Jin’s plan had succeeded so smoothly and concluded that he must have worked for a long time to win over the imperial guards.
• Tang Zhuyun told Ren Yingying that she had killed Noble Consort Jia after seeing her as an ongoing threat and deciding to strike decisively.
• Tang Zhuyun admitted she felt shaken after killing someone, while Xiu'er defended her as acting on heaven’s behalf.
• Xiu'er recounted the frightening events at the prince’s residence, and Tang Zhuyun noticed Linlin quietly writing at his desk.
• Tang Zhuyun reflected that Linlin had grown far more mature and suspected that his future achievements could surpass the Prince of Jin’s.

As Tang Zhuyun and the others spent New Year’s Eve discussing the palace upheaval, they learned that Zong Heng had joined the Prince of Jin and helped bring down the crown prince. The emperor then summoned Tang Zhuyun to the palace, while Linlin stayed behind to avoid worsening his grandfather’s anger.

• Nanxing refused to leave before the prince returned, and Xiu'er learned from Pei Shen that the emperor had spoken privately with the old master and was still meeting with the prince.
• Xiu'er revealed that Zong Heng and Zong Xueci had joined the Prince of Jin, with Zong Heng delivering a decisive blow against the crown prince and the Zong Family.
• Tang Zhuyun warned Ren Yingying to behave while she was away from the capital, and Ren Yingying left joking that she would live with her four beautiful concubines.
• After Tang Zhuyun grew tired, the emperor summoned her to the palace, and Linlin declined to accompany her because he feared his presence would make the emperor angrier.

Tang Zhuyun faced the emperor after killing Noble Consort Jia, defended her decision as an act of love for the Prince of Jin, and left with him after the emperor let her go. The couple returned home wary that Noble Consort Jia’s remaining followers might still pose a threat.

• Tang Zhuyun told Xiu'er she did not regret strangling Xiao Wu and only regretted acting too late.
• Tang Zhuyun told the emperor that she had removed the obstacle Noble Consort Jia posed to the Prince of Jin, and the emperor reflected on his love for Xiao Wu.
• Tang Zhuyun defended her actions to the emperor, who questioned her claims but ultimately told her to guide Qi'er and let her withdraw.
• The Prince of Jin met Tang Zhuyun outside and took her home, telling her he had arranged proper care for Nanny Rong.
• Tang Zhuyun warned the Prince of Jin that Noble Consort Jia's remaining followers might seek trouble, and he said he understood.

Tang Zhuyun visited Meng Yulan before leaving for her family home, and the two discussed her pregnancy, Sister Yuan, and the family’s hopes for more children. Their conversation ended when Xiu'er reported that Nanxing had gone missing.

• Tang Zhuyun planned to visit her family home while Xiu'er stayed at the Prince of Jin's Residence to oversee things.
• Meng Yulan scolded Tang Zhuyun for risking herself while pregnant and warned her to beware of surviving Zong Family members and Noble Consort Jia's followers.
• Meng Yulan explained that she wanted another child because she worried outsiders would see the Tang Family line as ending with Sister Yuan.
• Tang Zhuyun said Qin Li and Madam Qin were recovering from poisoning and should be well by midyear.
• Xiu'er entered and told Meng Yulan that Nanxing was missing.

Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er rejected the Pei Family messenger’s excuses and searched for Nanxing, while Yanran listened to Cui Xiaoqiu’s warning about four important objects. On her way to the Tang Family, Yanran bought toys from a peddler and discovered something unusual about a pinwheel.

• A servant woman told Tang Zhuyun that Nanxing had left after a misunderstanding involving Pei Shen and the ninth princess, and Xiu'er sent her away.
• Tang Zhuyun said she had already sent people to search for Nanxing, fearing the Zong Family or Xiao Wu’s remnants had harmed her.
• Cui Xiaoqiu told Yanran that her chess piece, prayer beads, and jade pendant had to be used with a fourth object, but Yanran doubted his story.
• A maid summoned Cui Xiaoqiu home because Madam Cui’s chest hurt, and Yanran decided to visit her mother instead.
• Yanran bought toys from a peddler, including a plain pinwheel he gave her, then noticed the pinwheel would not turn in the wind and found something unusual in it.