Chapter Summaries

Huaishang reported the Prince of Jin’s escape preparations and complained about Mianmian’s spending and pregnancy. Meanwhile, Tang Zhuyun’s severe pregnancy sickness eased after Wu Zhenhai brought her a folk remedy, and Yanran was delighted to learn her mother was expecting another child.

• Huaishang told the Prince of Jin that ships were ready in Dengzhou and at Prince of Min’s Residence in case the army had to flee east.
• Huaishang complained that Mianmian’s lavish spending was exhausting his finances, and the Prince of Jin urged him to be patient with his pregnant wife.
• Tang Zhuyun’s relentless vomiting and inability to eat worried Xiu'er and Mingzhu, who argued over whether she should keep the child.
• Wu Zhenhai brought Mingzhu a folk remedy for Tang Zhuyun, and Tang Zhuyun’s aches eased and appetite returned after taking it.
• Tang Zhuyun wrote to the Prince of Jin to announce the pregnancy, and Yanran rejoiced that her mother was well and she would have a little sister.

The Prince of Jin learned that Tang Zhuyun was pregnant and wrote her a long letter of advice while away. At the Dragon Boat Festival, Yanran watched the races with Jiang Ruo, placed a bet against the Prince of Ding, and noticed a flash of light near a guard on her way back from the privy.

• The Prince of Jin worried about Tang Zhuyun's pregnancy and spent most of the night writing her detailed instructions to protect her health.
• Yanran attended the Dragon Boat Festival races, greeted Meng Yulan and Little Tangyuan, and met Cui Xiaoqiu, who gave her a hundred-tael note to bet with.
• Jiang Ruo joined Yanran and admitted that she still missed Wen Heng, though she planned to look after him until he married.
• Yanran bet a hundred taels on Prince Rong's Residence because she disliked the Prince of Ding and wanted to encourage the team's young drummer.
• While returning from the privy, Yanran spotted a flash of light and fixed her gaze on a guard at the edge of the grounds.

Yanran uncovered an assassination plot during the dragon boat race and fought the attackers with her golden bow. After helping bring the chaos under control, she left the crowd astonished by her skill, while Cui Xiaoqiu and her family watched with pride.

• Yanran suspected a guard of being an assassin and sent Jiang'er to alert Huaishang as the race began.
• Prince Rong's team won the race, and hidden attackers launched arrows into the viewing stand.
• Yanran shielded Jiang Ruo, shot attackers with her short arrows, and mounted her horse to fight the remaining threats.
• The crowd recognized Yanran as the Prince of Jin's daughter, while the Prince of Jin remembered Xiao Mo and watched with emotion.
• Cui Xiaoqiu thanked Elder Lord Cui for his blessing, and Meng Yulan told Little Tangyuan to look up to Yanran.

Yanran helped Prince Rong's Residence win the dragon boat race, collected a large betting payout, and drew admiration from Cui Xiaoqiu and Qu Hua. Back home, Cui Xiaoqiu visited to tell her something about the race, but the chapter ended before he revealed it.

• Yanran dealt with the assassins, and she and Jiang Ruo collected five thousand taels from their bet on Prince Rong's Residence.
• Qu Hua arrived in the capital, praised Yanran, and asked her to call her sister.
• Yanran returned home, read a storybook, and dismissed Jiang'er's praise of her bravery.
• Cui Xiaoqiu visited after Old Master Cui was summoned to the palace and said he had something to tell Yanran about the dragon boat race.
• Yanran joked about sharing her winnings with Cui Xiaoqiu, then asked what he wanted to tell her about the race.

Yanran discovered that her father, the Prince of Jin, had rigged the dragon boat race with the help of Zhao Kuo, and she discussed the young man and her future with him. The Prince of Jin warned her about potential enemies and accepted her silver as the family faced financial strain.

• Cui Xiaoqiu agreed to investigate who had tampered with the dragon boat race while Yanran went to ask her father.
• Yanran found Zhao Kuo at the Prince of Jin's lodgings and realized he had helped rig the race.
• The Prince of Jin explained that Zhao Kuo was a trusted new retainer who had infiltrated the Prince of Rong's dragon boat team.
• Yanran told her father she hoped to help Eldest Brother lead troops, and the Prince of Jin warned that the Prince of Ding and others might target her.
• Yanran gave the Prince of Jin five thousand taels in silver notes and asked whether he could manage until winter.

Yanran returned from the dragon boat race after telling the Prince of Jin that Mu Ziyu had come to the capital, then wrote to Tang Zhuyun about killing twenty-three assassins. Qu Hua visited and joined Yanran, Jiang Ruo, and Little Tangyuan for archery practice, while Mu Ziyu waited outside the prince’s residence.

• Yanran told the Prince of Jin that Mu Ziyu was in the capital and said she would sound out Qu Hua; Huaishang praised her before she left.
• Yanran complimented Zhao Kuo in the courtyard, then wrote Tang Zhuyun that she had shot and killed twenty-three assassins at the dragon boat race.
• Qu Hua visited Yanran and asked to learn riding and archery, so Yanran invited her to practice alongside Jiang Ruo and Little Tangyuan.
• Qu Hua failed to draw Little Tangyuan’s bow but became fond of her, and the women and girls grew familiar with one another.
• Whenever Qu Hua visited the prince’s residence, Mu Ziyu waited outside, and Yanran regarded him as a fish who had taken the bait.

Yanran and her friends intimidated the capital’s banquet guests, while Tang Zhuyun received news of Yanran’s exploits and visited the mountain estate with her children. The ordinary outing took an unexpected turn when the estate steward told Xiu'er they had no fresh game to serve.

• Jiang Ruo played the suona beside the woman who had challenged Yanran, driving her away in tears.
• Yanran brandished a golden bow, and Qu Hua silenced the guests while Little Tangyuan crushed an egg in her hand.
• Tang Zhuyun read the Prince of Jin’s letter about Yanran, then went to inspect the medicinal herbs with Xiu'er and the children.
• Tang Zhuyun and the children arrived at the mountain estate for a meal, where Liu Da confessed to Xiu'er that the estate had no fresh game.

Tang Zhuyun learned that no one on the estate could find any wild animals and suspected the strange disappearance signaled an earthquake or another natural disaster. She left the story preparing to investigate the danger.

• Xiu'er confronted Liu Da after he reported that the estate's search parties had found no wild game, and she ordered him to prepare the available vegetables and meat.
• Tang Zhuyun watched the children play and remarked that the busy ants might mean rain was coming.
• Xiu'er told Tang Zhuyun about Liu Da's missing game, and Tang Zhuyun initially thought the animals had hidden because of the weather.
• Tang Zhuyun grew serious, summoned Liu Da, and told Xiu'er she suspected the earth would shake or another natural disaster would strike.

Tang Zhuyun suspected a natural disaster was approaching after animals behaved strangely and ordered the border city’s residents to stay outdoors. By the third day, people were losing patience, so she ordered public whippings to enforce the evacuation and asked whether to consult Mr. Xu and Jiang Zhong.

• Tang Zhuyun questioned Liu Da about unusual animal behavior and learned wild boars had trampled medicinal herbs and small animals had vanished.
• Tang Zhuyun ordered Liu Da to search the mountains for cracks or signs of collapse, but the searchers found no mountain damage.
• Tang Zhuyun returned to the city and arranged for an order to keep every household outdoors, using a fabricated divine warning and the promise of ten jin of fine grain to gain compliance.
• Tang Zhuyun worried that rain would drive people back inside, while Xiu'er reported that the first two days outdoors had passed and residents were wavering by the third day.
• Tang Zhuyun ordered disobedient households’ men to be publicly whipped without being killed, and Xiu'er asked whether they should consult Mr. Xu and Jiang Zhong.

Tang Zhuyun held firm to her preparations for a possible natural disaster, gained Wu Zhenhai’s support, and wrote to the Prince of Jin to warn him. As rain approached, Mr. Xu brought news that Wen Heng had devised a possible solution.

• Mingzhu told Tang Zhuyun that Wu Zhenhai supported her decisions and would suppress anyone who caused trouble.
• Tang Zhuyun advised Mingzhu to follow her heart about Wu Zhenhai, while Mingzhu said she had not decided what she wanted.
• Tang Zhuyun continued planning disaster relief as Wuxian broke a dish, misunderstood “broken pieces bring peace,” and threw another dish to repeat the phrase.
• Tang Zhuyun realized she had not warned the Prince of Jin about the possible disaster, so she wrote him a letter and prepared another for Xiao Ye’s return.
• Xiu'er reported that rain might come that night, and Mr. Xu arrived to discuss Tang Zhuyun’s preparations.
• Mr. Xu said Wen Heng had come up with an idea, and Tang Zhuyun asked to hear it.

Tang Zhuyun and Mr. Xu prepared the border city’s people for an earthquake by disguising the warning as a threat from the Northern Yi, but the disaster still caused heavy casualties. In its aftermath, Tang Zhuyun worried that the capital would use the earthquake to accuse the absent Prince of Jin.

• Mr. Xu suggested warning the people that the Northern Yi were about to attack so they would gather at the northwest city gate and be ready to flee.
• Tang Zhuyun organized the evacuation preparations, and the people gathered at the gate while Mingzhu supervised the distribution of ginger soup.
• Wu Zhenhai took Mingzhu out of the shelter when he declared that an earthquake had begun, and they tried to calm the panicked crowd together.
• The earthquake injured more than a thousand people, killed more than a hundred who fell into fissures, and threw the border city into chaos.
• Tang Zhuyun discussed relief and defenses with Mr. Xu while worrying that officials in the capital would blame the earthquake on the Prince of Jin.

After an earthquake devastated the border city, Tang Zhuyun devised a scheme to make the emperor believe she and the Prince of Jin were missing so he would send disaster relief. The Prince of Jin learned Tang Zhuyun was safe and met with Tang Baixin to discuss how they could secure aid, leaving Tang Baixin to consult his wife before deciding what to do.

• Tang Zhuyun ordered soldiers to help residents rebuild and worried with Xiu'er about destroyed crops, relief costs, and supplying the front lines.
• Tang Zhuyun proposed exaggerating the border city's devastation to pressure the emperor into providing aid, and she and Xiu'er concocted a story about the prince and princess consort going missing.
• Tang Zhuyun consulted Mr. Xu and Jiang Zhong, then had guards seal off every road out of the city to keep the true situation from reaching the capital.
• The Prince of Jin received Xiao Ye's report and Tang Zhuyun's letter confirming she had survived the earthquake, then sent for Tang Baixin.
• The Prince of Jin told Tang Baixin about the disaster, and they discussed the emperor's likely refusal to provide relief before Tang Baixin said he needed to consult his wife.

Tang Baixin told Meng Yulan that he needed to resign as vice minister of revenue to avoid making the emperor more suspicious of the Prince of Jin. Meng Yulan devised a way for him to step down, and the chapter ended with Tang Baixin admitting in court that he had visited a brothel and tendering his resignation.

• Tang Baixin told Meng Yulan about the Prince of Jin's situation and his plan to give up his post.
• Meng Yulan agreed to support Tang Baixin and urged him to keep their plans from her father.
• After considering possible excuses, Meng Yulan came up with an idea and asked Lüzhu to send Tang Baixin home after court.
• A censor impeached Tang Baixin for visiting a brothel, and Tang Baixin admitted the charge.
• Tang Baixin asked to be punished and resigned as vice minister of revenue, surprising Tang Mingfan and the court.

Tang Baixin confessed to helping Meng Yulan deceive the emperor, lost his post, and Tang Mingfan resigned to shield his family. After news arrived that the Prince of Jin and Tang Zhuyun had gone missing in the border-city earthquake, Yanran, Jiang Ruo, and Qu Hua began looking for ways to raise more relief money than the emperor had approved.

• Tang Baixin admitted his wrongdoing, and Tang Mingfan asked the emperor to remove him from office and accepted his own resignation.
• Meng Yulan revealed that she had planned the deception with Tang Baixin, and Tang Mingfan chose to request leave rather than expose his children.
• Five days later, the emperor learned that the Prince of Jin and Tang Zhuyun were missing in the earthquake and ordered a search, but approved only five hundred thousand taels of silver for aid.
• Yanran complained about the limited funds, and Jiang Ruo and Qu Hua joined her to discuss ways to raise money.
• After dismissing donations and street performances as unworkable, Qu Hua proposed seeking money from wealthy older relatives, and Jiang Ruo said she had an idea for getting silver from other people's fathers and brothers.

Yanran and her friends tried to raise money, with Jiang Ruo deciding to sell her dowry and Qu Hua returning to the prince's residence to sell items from its storeroom. Nanxing arrived fearing for the princess consort, and Yanran reassured her before teasing her about having a baby.

• Yanran, Qu Hua, and Jiang Ruo joked about raising money by seeking payments from other people's families.
• Jiang Ruo decided to sell her dowry and donate the proceeds, despite Yanran urging her not to act impulsively.
• Qu Hua returned to the prince's residence to sell items from the storeroom and help Yanran.
• Nanxing rushed in and asked whether the princess consort was safe, and Yanran assured her that she was all right.
• Yanran teased Nanxing by imitating her conversations with Pei Shen about having a child, and Nanxing chased her in embarrassment.

After learning that an earthquake had destroyed the city, Yanran decided to seek money from the emperor to help the survivors. She visited Nanny Rong for advice and prepared to use the emperor’s affection for her to win his support.

• Nanxing learned from Yanran that the earthquake had happened and that Her Highness had led the people to safety, but their homes and possessions were gone.
• Yanran decided the emperor was their best source of money, then concealed a plan from Nanxing when she feared Nanxing would stop her.
• Yanran rode to the convent to ask Nanny Rong for help, explaining that her parents were away and the city needed funds.
• Yanran told Nanny Rong she intended to appeal to Imperial Grandfather by relying on his affection for her, insisting that millions of lives were at stake and that she was only nine.

Yanran used her resemblance to Xiao Wu and an appeal to the emperor’s affection for his family to persuade him to support her wish to return home. The emperor understood her purpose and sent her away, leaving her to await his decision.

• Yanran learned from Wang Fu that Consort De had chosen palace maids who resembled Xiao Wu, and Nanny Rong agreed to help her.
• Yanran visited the emperor with pastries and deliberately reminded him of Xiao Wu while also showing her own lively personality.
• Yanran mentioned her childhood bond with Cui Ling and entertained the emperor with stories about him.
• Yanran asked for calligraphy or an imperial decree to help her return home, explaining that she missed her parents and worried about the earthquake and her mother’s pregnancy.
• Yanran told the emperor that the Prince of Jin missed him and that she and her brother wanted to help protect the Yuwen Family’s realm.
• The emperor recognized what Yanran wanted, acknowledged that she had moved him, and told her to go back.

Yanran secured silver for the border city, then learned from Meng Yulan to be wary of the emperor and reluctantly began needlework lessons. In Northern Yi, Ren Yingying learned the border city had suffered an earthquake and found Qu Nian facing a dangerous military situation, leaving them to meet again that evening.

• Yanran secured another million taels from the emperor, while Jiang Ruo and Qu Hua also sent silver and treasures to the border city.
• Yanran told Jiang Ruo and Qu Hua that a poem had won the emperor's support, while keeping the real story secret.
• Meng Yulan warned Yanran that the emperor might see her as a substitute for Xiao Wu and urged her not to enter the palace alone again.
• Meng Yulan arranged for Yanran to learn needlework, and Yanran reluctantly agreed.
• Ren Yingying asked Qu Nian whether Tangbao, Hua Cha, and the others had survived the earthquake; Qu Nian reassured her and promised to explain more that night.
• Qu Nian arrived at Ren Yingying's tent that evening, and her doglike gesture of beckoning him soured his mood.

Qu Nian and Ren Yingying devised a route through the snowy mountains, allowing the Central Plains army to reach the Northern Yi capital early and pause the fighting. As peace negotiations began and Lu Jiu stayed with the army, Ren Yingying learned that Qu Nian had refused Northern Yi’s gift of women, while the border city prepared to welcome a new child.

• Qu Nian told Ren Yingying that the army risked being trapped between pursuers and Northern Yi forces, and proposed crossing the snowy mountains to avoid a costly battle.
• Ren Yingying demonstrated her skiing skills, joined the scouting soldiers, and quickly found a safe route for the army.
• The Central Plains army reached the Northern Yi capital ahead of schedule, allowing Leertai to return and act as an intermediary for peace talks; Lu Jiu remained with the Central Plains army.
• Lu Jiu told Ren Yingying that Northern Yi had brought gifts, including women, and a guard explained that Qu Nian had refused them.
• The border city settled the people's basic needs, the Prince of Jin's prestige rose, and the prince's residence prepared for a new little master.

Tang Zhuyun went into labor and gave birth to a healthy son, whom she named Yuwen Wuji. The Prince of Jin and Yanran received the news in the capital, while Qu Nian in Northern Yi resolved to have a child of his own.

• Tang Zhuyun, Xiu'er, and Mingzhu chose the pet name Shanshan for the expected baby after days of waiting.
• Tang Zhuyun went into labor, and after four hours she gave birth to a boy rather than the daughter everyone expected.
• Xiu'er and Mingzhu celebrated the healthy birth, and Tang Zhuyun named her son Wuji.
• The Prince of Jin and Yanran learned that Tang Zhuyun and the baby were safe, while Yanran lamented that she still could not be a daughter again.
• Qu Nian heard the news in Northern Yi, envied the Prince of Jin's children, and decided to have a child that night.