Chapter Summaries

Tang Zhuyun learned that Zhou Xu planned to escape and worried about the danger she faced. The Prince of Jin prepared bodies for Zhou Xu’s escape and, at Tang Zhuyun’s urging, agreed to take Dog Meat along to help.

• Tang Zhuyun worried that Zhou Xu’s ruthless plan to escape would provoke the Zhou Family and Wu Zhenhai, then went to the Prince of Jin’s study to ask about her.
• Tang Zhuyun found the Prince of Jin’s unfinished letter to Song Jingyang and read documents showing the range of his official duties.
• The Prince of Jin returned with human blood on him and explained that he had obtained corpses from a graveyard for Zhou Xu to use in an escape by fire.
• The Prince of Jin said he would oversee Zhou Xu’s escape that night, and Tang Zhuyun urged him to bring capable people.
• Tang Zhuyun proposed borrowing Dog Meat for the mission, and Ren Yingying enthusiastically declared that her son could handle it while Qu Nian inwardly resisted.

Dog Meat agreed to accompany the Prince of Jin, while at the Zhou Residence, Wu Zhenhai questioned Zhou Xu about the incident involving Zhou Fu. He left unconvinced that Zhou Xu had arranged the scandal, and Zhou Xu refused to help him settle its consequences.

• Tang Zhuyun voiced doubts about Dog Meat’s willingness to go, but Qu Nian insisted he was willing and Ren Yingying backed him.
• The Prince of Jin agreed to take Dog Meat along, while privately finding him as unlikeable as Qu Nian.
• At the Zhou Residence, Zhou Xu wept to Old Madam Zhou about Zhou Fu and Wu Zhenhai, and Old Madam Zhou worried about the family’s reputation.
• Wu Zhenhai arrived and told Old Madam Zhou that his marriage to Zhou Xu still stood, then asked to speak with Zhou Xu alone.
• Wu Zhenhai accused Zhou Xu of arranging the incident, but she denied it and challenged him to decide how to resolve the scandal.
• Wu Zhenhai remained uncertain about Zhou Xu’s guilt, while she refused to help him and privately hoped Zhou Fu would disrupt his household.

Wu Zhenhai suspected Zhou Fu and Lady Lu had set him up, while Zhou Xu denied involvement and challenged his plan to blame her for the scandal. She appealed to his sympathy, and he reaffirmed that their marriage plans remained unchanged.

• Wu Zhenhai asked Zhou Xu to help identify who had trapped him, and she pointed out that Lady Lu’s unusual closeness to Zhou Fu was suspicious.
• Wu Zhenhai said the governor-general planned to send Zhou Fu away and insisted that Zhou Xu would still bear the scandal to protect the Zhou Family’s reputation.
• Wu Zhenhai offered Zhou Xu an extra ten thousand taels for her dowry and two shops, then told her he was weary of his family troubles.
• Zhou Xu denied plotting against him and said she was grateful he could take her out of her unhappy life, while asking him not to let Zhou Fu disrupt their future.
• Wu Zhenhai accepted her denial, said he was no longer concerned about who else was responsible, and assured her their marriage plans had not changed.

Zhou Xu confided her hurt and despair to Wu Zhenhai, who tried to comfort her and promised to help her recover. Their conversation was interrupted by Zhou Fu, who tried to strike Zhou Xu and was driven off by Wu Zhenhai’s insults and threats.

• Wu Zhenhai told Zhou Xu that he had refused to marry Zhou Fu, and Zhou Xu reproached him for not showing more concern for her after she was humiliated.
• Zhou Xu spoke about death and wishing to be a tree in another life, while Wu Zhenhai urged her to focus on what she wanted in this life.
• Wu Zhenhai told Zhou Xu to embroider her dowry and said Zhou Fu would be married off elsewhere.
• Zhou Fu arrived and tried to slap Zhou Xu, but Wu Zhenhai caught her hand and shoved her back.
• Wu Zhenhai and Zhou Xu mocked Zhou Fu, and Wu Zhenhai threatened to harm her if she tried to strike Zhou Xu again.

Zhou Xu let Wu Zhenhai help her humiliate Zhou Fu, then shared a meal and a farewell toast with him while he promised to marry her and build a future together. Wu Zhenhai left believing she was waiting for their wedding, while Zhou Xu watched him go beneath the lanterns.

• Wu Zhenhai made Zhou Fu's maids and old servants slap themselves for having hit Zhou Xu, and Zhou Fu fled in humiliation.
• Zhou Xu invited Wu Zhenhai to eat with her, thanked him for helping her, and raised a toast wishing him well.
• Wu Zhenhai proposed moving up their wedding and promised to end his other relationships apart from Lady Lu, while Zhou Xu questioned whether she would live long enough to marry him.
• After the meal, Zhou Xu lit more candles, and Wu Zhenhai warned her to be careful before leaving.
• Wu Zhenhai looked back to see Zhou Xu smiling beneath the lanterns and left expecting to marry her.

Zhou Xu prepared to leave her past behind as the Prince of Jin reassured her that she and her mother would have a place in his household. After Zhou Xu sent Wu Zhenhai away with a false warning about Wu Chanjuan, Wu Guang arrived to report that Zhou Xu’s courtyard was on fire.

• The Prince of Jin visited Zhou Xu early and urged her not to believe Wu Zhenhai’s promises; Zhou Xu said she had let go of the past and agreed to join the prince’s household.
• The Prince of Jin told Zhou Xu to pack what she wanted and promised that he and his wife would support her, while Zhou Xu said she would take nothing and offered to look after their mother and help her sister-in-law.
• Dog Meat barked four times to signal Wu Zhenhai’s arrival, and the Prince of Jin hid behind a screen as Zhou Xu went out to meet him.
• Wu Zhenhai brought Zhou Xu pastries, but she told him that Wu Chanjuan might have a bruise from her husband; he rushed off to see her, and Zhou Xu returned inside.
• Wu Zhenhai beat Che Yun after hearing him insult Wu Chanjuan, then realized Zhou Xu had lied to get him away; Wu Guang arrived and reported that Zhou Xu’s courtyard was on fire.

Wu Zhenhai believed Zhou Xu had died in a fire she set, while Zhou Xu escaped with the Prince of Jin and prepared to change her face. She left her old life behind as Ren Yingying began arranging a new identity for her and the old madam.

• Wu Zhenhai rushed to the Zhou Residence fire, but guards restrained him as he watched the flames consume Zhou Xu's courtyard.
• After the fire died down, Wu Zhenhai found a burned body wearing the jewelry he had given Zhou Xu and concluded she had set the fire and died.
• Wu Zhenhai grieved over Zhou Xu's apparent death, blamed himself, and fainted while holding the corpse.
• Zhou Xu told the Prince of Jin to leave with her, then woke later to find Tang Zhuyun and Ren Yingying ready to help her change her face.
• Ren Yingying proposed changing Zhou Xu's face first and arranging for the old madam to disappear before changing hers, and Zhou Xu agreed.

Ren Yingying prepared to operate on Zhou Xu while Tang Zhuyun renamed her Huo Mingzhu, marking the start of her new life. Meanwhile, Qu Nian tried to approach the Prince of Jin but instead got into trouble in his study.

• Ren Yingying began preparing to reshape Zhou Xu's face, and Tang Zhuyun reassured her about the operation.
• Zhou Xu asked Tang Zhuyun to choose her new name, and they settled on Huo Mingzhu.
• The Prince of Jin worried about the operation and called Qu Nian into his study.
• Qu Nian refused the lamb, jumped onto the Prince of Jin's desk, and scrawled through the wet ink.

Qu Nian tried to reveal that he had been turned into a dog by writing on paper, but the Prince of Jin repeatedly mistook him for a dog spirit. After Qu Nian finally explained himself, the Prince of Jin asked how he could help, leaving Qu Nian to wonder whether confessing had accomplished anything.

• Qu Nian struggled to write with his paw until the Prince of Jin noticed the ink stayed on the paper and gave him a clean sheet.
• Qu Nian wrote his name, but the Prince of Jin assumed Ren Yingying had taught Dog Meat to write.
• The Prince of Jin guessed Qu Nian was a dog spirit or Qu Nian's dog, and Qu Nian angrily wrote that he was Qu Nian, not a dog spirit, and someone had turned him into a dog.
• Qu Nian told the Prince of Jin that Ren Yingying was changing his younger sister's face, but the Prince said he had no reason to help him.
• The Prince of Jin laughed at Qu Nian's situation, then asked how he could help, and Qu Nian wilted with regret.

Qu Nian sought the Prince of Jin’s help while trying to understand why he had become a dog, then went with him to see Ren Yingying’s work. At the Zhou family, Wu Zhenhai found Zhou Xu’s hidden clothing and resolved to make Zhou Fu pay for her death.

• Qu Nian told the Prince of Jin not to reveal his transformation and asked about Ren Yingying’s origins, while the Prince offered to investigate possible witchcraft.
• Qu Nian accompanied the Prince of Jin to wait for Ren Yingying, played chess with him, and flipped the board when Xiu'er returned and revealed that the procedure would take a long time.
• Xiu'er left to find out what had happened to the Zhou family, dismissing Wu Zhenhai’s grief with a mocking remark.
• Wu Zhenhai found a box beneath the wutong tree containing Zhou Xu’s embroidered ruqun and fainted while mourning her.
• Wu Guang told Wu Zhenhai that tung oil had been poured into the room, but Wu Zhenhai insisted Zhou Fu had set the fire and vowed to have him buried with Zhou Xu.

After Zhou Xu died, Wu Zhenhai grieved and blamed himself for failing her. Governor-General Zhou tried to replace her with Zhou Fu as Wu Zhenhai’s bride, but Wu Zhenhai agreed only after demanding that Zhou Xu be brought into the Wu Family and honored as his wife.

• Wu Zhenhai mourned Zhou Xu while Governor-General Zhou dismissed her death and urged him to move on.
• Governor-General Zhou took Wu Zhenhai to his study and praised the support he had given him over the years.
• Governor-General Zhou proposed that Wu Zhenhai marry Zhou Fu instead of Zhou Xu, and insisted the engagement was settled.
• Wu Zhenhai agreed to the marriage but asked to bring Zhou Xu into the Wu Family with the rites due a wife.
• Wu Zhenhai said he wanted to be buried beside Zhou Xu when he died.

Wu Zhenhai arranged to bring Zhou Xu’s corpse home as his bride and hold her funeral, while the living Zhou Xu, now Mingzhu, recovered at the Prince of Jin’s residence. The others dismissed Wu Zhenhai’s grief as his own affair and left Mingzhu to decide whether to attend her own funeral.

• Wu Zhenhai ordered preparations to marry Zhou Xu’s corpse and hold a wake and funeral at the Wu Family residence.
• Ren Yingying finished treating Mingzhu, who was expected to wake after the anesthetic wore off, while the Prince of Jin teased Qu Nian about their conversation.
• Xiu'er reported that Wu Zhenhai was grieving, digging up the parasol tree from Zhou Xu’s courtyard, and repeatedly fainting.
• Tang Zhuyun said Wu Zhenhai’s grief had nothing to do with Mingzhu, and the Prince of Jin asked Xiu'er to speak with her.
• Ren Yingying suggested that Mingzhu might attend her own funeral, while Qu Nian decided to play dead to avoid further teasing.

Mingzhu refused to be drawn back into Wu Zhenhai’s life, while Wu Zhenhai mourned Zhou Xu and pushed Wu Shao out of the family. When Tang Zhuyun’s household could not attend the funeral, Mingzhu volunteered to appear publicly under her own identity.

• Mingzhu told Tang Zhuyun she had made a clean break with Wu Zhenhai and urged her to send Xiu'er and Ren Yingying to the funeral instead.
• Xiu'er reported that Wu Shao demanded permission to marry Zhou Fu before letting Zhou Xu’s coffin into the Wu house, so Wu Zhenhai drove him out of the family.
• Wu Zhenhai arranged Zhou Xu’s funeral, mourned her privately, and reflected on his mistakes and his children.
• The next day, Xiu'er went into labor, preventing Tang Zhuyun’s household from attending the funeral as planned.
• Mingzhu volunteered to go to the funeral and appear before everyone openly as herself.

Mingzhu dressed in dazzling finery went with the Prince of Jin to the Wu residence, while Xiu'er began labor at the prince's residence and waited for Song Jingyang's return. Mingzhu made a stunning entrance that left the gathered guests staring.

• Mingzhu insisted on going to the Wu residence, and the Prince of Jin agreed to accompany her despite worrying about Xiu'er, who had gone into labor.
• Tang Zhuyun dressed Mingzhu in elegant clothes and jewelry, while Ren Yingying prepared to go along carrying Qu Nian as her dog.
• Tang Zhuyun examined Xiu'er and reassured her that the early labor was safe; Xiu'er took heart at news that Song Jingyang would return after his journey.
• The Prince of Jin and Mingzhu arrived at the Wu residence, where Mingzhu stepped from the carriage and dazzled the assembled guests.

Mingzhu and Ren Yingying attended Zhou Xu’s funeral, where Wu Zhenhai humiliated Zhou Fu by ordering her to wear mourning clothes and burn offerings. After Wu mistook Mingzhu for the dead Zhou Xu, the women learned that the Consort of the Prince of Jin had gone into labor and hurried home.

• The Prince of Jin introduced Mingzhu as his younger sister and asked Wu Zhenhai to look after her and Ren Yingying.
• Mingzhu and Ren Yingying offered incense at Zhou Xu’s funeral, and Ren Yingying criticized the costly golden nanmu coffin.
• Zhou Fu reluctantly arrived with Madam Wang, then resisted when Wu Zhenhai ordered her to wear mourning clothes and burn offerings for Zhou Xu.
• Wu Zhenhai told Zhou Fu to leave and never speak of marrying into the Wu Family again, and she ran out in tears.
• Wu Zhenhai mistook Mingzhu for Zhou Xu and reached for her arm before recognizing her and leaving in distress.
• Ren Yingying learned that the Consort of the Prince of Jin had gone into labor, so she and Mingzhu hurried back to help.

Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er went into labor at the same time, and Tang Zhuyun gave birth to twin sons before Xiu'er entered the birthing room. The Prince of Jin stayed with Tang Zhuyun and later welcomed the newborns with Yanran and Linlin.

• Tang Zhuyun's water broke as Xiu'er paced the courtyard, and both women were carried toward their birthing rooms.
• The Prince of Jin rushed to Tang Zhuyun's side as Ren Yingying helped deliver her first son, then announced there was another baby.
• Yanran and Linlin met their newborn brother, while Tang Zhuyun gave birth to a second son.
• Ren Yingying accompanied Xiu'er to her birthing room, and Xiu'er asked Mingzhu to tell her what had happened at the Wu residence.
• The Prince of Jin saved the bathwater from his sons' first baths, and Qu Nian eventually climbed into the basin to try it.
• Yanran and Linlin watched their sleeping newborn brothers as the Prince of Jin embraced his children.

Yanran and Linlin welcomed their newborn twin brothers, whom Linlin named Wuji and Wuxian, while the Prince of Jin reassured Linlin that he was still the intended heir. The chapter ended with Qu Nian barking furiously after the Prince of Jin laughed at Linlin’s extra name lists.

• Yanran asked about names for the twins, and the Prince of Jin approved Linlin’s proposed childhood names, Wuji and Wuxian.
• Yanran went to check on Xiu'er and hoped she had given birth to a girl, while the Prince of Jin told her to provide whatever Xiu'er needed.
• Linlin warned the Prince of Jin that others might question the brothers’ relationship and said he would help raise the twins and support whichever was suited to inherit.
• The Prince of Jin affirmed that Linlin was the most suitable heir and urged him not to yield the position to a less capable younger brother.
• Linlin revealed that he had prepared names for several possible combinations of babies, and Qu Nian barked furiously at the Prince of Jin’s laughter.

Xiu'er gave birth to a daughter, named Song Shu with the little name Guagua, while the newborns Wuji and Wuxian were cared for by their families. As Tang Zhuyun recovered and Mingzhu took on the prince's household affairs, the Prince of Jin was upset by some new trouble, leaving its cause unclear.

• Xiu'er safely delivered a daughter at the hour of the rat and insisted she would not favor her over a son.
• Xiu'er asked Linlin to name the baby, and he chose Song Shu; she revealed that the heir's consort had chosen Guagua as the baby's little name.
• Xiu'er nursed Wuxian as well as her own daughter because Tang Zhuyun could not produce enough milk for Wuji.
• Mingzhu began arranging the children's one-month celebration and took over household affairs with care and authority.
• The Prince of Jin moved his work back to stay with Tang Zhuyun during her confinement, and Tang Zhuyun asked what had upset him.

The Prince of Jin discussed Mingzhu’s marriage prospects and Wu Zhenhai’s disturbing acts with Tang Zhuyun, while keeping Wu Zhenhai’s devotion from Mingzhu. Song Jingyang returned and reunited with Xiu'er and their daughter, Guagua.

• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun that he had rejected marriage proposals for Mingzhu and planned to let her decide for herself after settling in.
• The Prince of Jin described how Wu Zhenhai had buried Zhou Xu’s coffin beneath the parasol tree and left silver after being told Concubine Yu did not want to see him.
• The Prince of Jin and Tang Zhuyun agreed not to tell Mingzhu about Wu Zhenhai’s actions and to help her move on and find a kind husband.
• Song Jingyang arrived at Xiu'er's home, and Xiu'er rushed into his arms while Guagua slept nearby.
• Song Jingyang washed and changed, then told Xiu'er he regretted missing her childbirth; Xiu'er saw his facial scar and began to cry.

Ren Yingying removed Song Jingyang's facial scar, then visited Tang Zhuyun and discussed Dog Meat and Mingzhu's future. The chapter ended when Yanran arrived at the courtyard with an unexpected visitor.

• Ren Yingying examined Song Jingyang's scar and removed it, telling him to keep a gel patch on for five days.
• Ren Yingying went to Tang Zhuyun's courtyard to look for Dog Meat and saw the twins with their wet nurses.
• Ren Yingying joked that Dog Meat was currying favor with the prince, and Tang Zhuyun warned her to consider how she would deal with Qu Hua.
• Ren Yingying asked Mingzhu about her earlier suggestion, but Mingzhu said she did not want to deceive anyone and was not thinking about marriage.
• Yanran arrived, excitedly asking Tang Zhuyun to guess who had come.