Chapter Summaries

Yanran reunited with Tang Zhuyun, the Prince of Jin, and her family after their return to the capital, while Tang Zhuyun learned that the Consort of the Prince of Ding might have plotted to frame Yanran. The emperor summoned the family to the palace for Little New Year, where Tang Zhuyun prepared to confront the Consort.

• Yanran rode out to meet the Prince of Jin's carriage and joyfully returned home with her family.
• Tang Zhuyun reunited with Tang Baixin, Meng Yulan, and Little Tangyuan, and offered to help Meng Yulan with her wish to have another child.
• Tang Zhuyun and Meng Yulan discussed Yanran's possible future with Cui Ling and agreed to let the young couple's relationship unfold naturally.
• A palace eunuch summoned the Prince of Jin and his family to the palace that evening and revealed that an edict was also being delivered to the Prince of Ding's Residence.
• Meng Yulan told Tang Zhuyun that the Consort of the Prince of Ding might have feigned pregnancy to frame Yanran, and Tang Zhuyun resolved to confront her.

Yanran’s family prepared to attend a palace banquet, while Tang Baixin urged the Prince of Jin to establish Linlin’s status before his younger brothers grew up. Yanran suspected the emperor’s rivals would exploit the Prince of Jin’s failure to pay his respects, and the family entered the palace ready for trouble.

• Tang Baixin praised Linlin’s scholarship and urged the Prince of Jin to acknowledge him and secure his place in the family.
• The Prince of Jin said he had already considered Linlin’s status, and Tang Baixin left with his family after their meal.
• Yanran noticed that the Prince of Jin had not gone to pay his respects to the emperor, and Tang Zhuyun guessed someone would use the omission against him.
• The Prince of Jin and Linlin welcomed Tang Zhuyun and Yanran at the palace gates, and Yanran handed her bow and arrows to a eunuch for safekeeping.

At the palace banquet, Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin traded barbs with the Prince of Ding, while Yanran slipped outside to meet Jiang Ruo. Jiang Ruo asked Yanran for advice about approaching Wen Heng, and Yanran gave Cui Xiaoqiu pastries before deciding to return to the hall.

• Yanran noticed Cui Xiaoqiu attending the banquet without a seat and planned to save him some pastries.
• The Prince of Ding mocked the Prince of Jin, who retaliated by insulting the Prince of Ding's lack of a son, and Tang Zhuyun joined in by teasing his consort.
• The emperor arrived with Consort De and started the banquet's singing and dancing.
• Yanran left the hall with Jiang'er and met Jiang Ruo, who admitted she was afraid to visit Wen Heng and asked Yanran for advice.
• Yanran gave Cui Xiaoqiu pastries and then decided to return to the hall because she was cold.

Tang Zhuyun defended herself against accusations at the imperial banquet, while the Prince of Jin presented evidence of her service in the border city and unexpectedly asked the emperor to recognize Linlin as his heir. The emperor deferred Linlin’s request to the Ministry of Rites but named Yanran Commandery Princess Rouyi, leaving Tang Mingfan to feign deafness amid the court’s speculation.

• Tang Zhuyun denied poisoning the emperor, explained why she had not returned to the capital, and asked the Prince of Jin to address the charge of jealousy.
• The Prince of Jin claimed that only Tang Zhuyun could treat his private ailment, then produced the border city's umbrella of ten thousand people to answer the accusation about the earthquake.
• The Prince of Jin knelt with Linlin and asked the emperor to recognize Linlin as his eldest son, enter him in the imperial genealogy, and name him heir.
• The emperor told the Prince of Jin to submit a memorial for the Ministry of Rites to review, then decreed that Yanran would be named Commandery Princess Rouyi.
• Elder Lord Cui congratulated Tang Mingfan, who pretended he could not hear him.

At the palace banquet, the emperor raised marriage plans for Yanran and Linlin, unsettling Tang Zhuyun, while Yanran and Linlin discussed Cui Xiaoqiu’s coming exams. After the family returned home, Nanxing arrived and revealed that she was two months pregnant, leaving Tang Zhuyun delighted and reassured as she considered the emperor’s plans and the Prince of Jin’s next move.

• The emperor praised Yanran, then said it was time to discuss marriage for her and Linlin, and told Consort De to attend to the children’s matches.
• The Prince of Jin quietly reassured Tang Zhuyun that circumstances would change, while Yanran promised to help Linlin if anyone tried to take away the person he wanted.
• Yanran and Linlin discussed whether Cui Xiaoqiu would sit the exams next year, and Linlin predicted that he would.
• Tang Zhuyun returned from the palace banquet and found Nanxing waiting at the residence; Nanxing said she had knocked Pei Shen unconscious to come out because he would not let her leave.
• Nanxing told Tang Zhuyun she was pregnant, and Tang Zhuyun checked her pulse and confirmed that she was two months along and stable.
• Nanxing asked what the Prince of Jin was planning, and Tang Zhuyun said those plans would have to wait until the northwest was pacified.

Tang Zhuyun welcomed Nanxing’s martial maid and received visits from friends, while Yanran reassured Cui Xiaoqiu about his health and urged him to exercise. In Northern Yi, Ren Yingying decorated for the New Year but refused to visit the drunk Leertai, even after hearing that two dancing girls had gone to him.

• Nanxing sent Hanxiang, a martial maid she had trained, to serve Tang Zhuyun, and Tang Zhuyun accepted her.
• Yanran told Cui Xiaoqiu she was concerned about his health and persuaded him to exercise with her; he resolved to take the examinations and eventually win her over.
• Ren Yingying decorated her lodgings for the New Year, declined Leertai’s feast, and handed out red envelopes to the household staff.
• A maid woke Ren Yingying to say Leertai was drunk and wanted to see her, but Ren Yingying refused to go.
• The maid warned Ren Yingying that two dancing girls had gone to Leertai, but Ren Yingying told her not to disturb her sleep.

Qu Nian rushed to Ren Yingying in the middle of the night to explain that he had sent away the women brought to his room, but their argument ended when she gave him a New Year’s gift. He treasured the jade pendant and went to sleep believing she cared for him.

• Qu Nian sent away two women who entered his room and learned that a maid had sought Ren Yingying’s help.
• Qu Nian went to Ren Yingying’s room to explain himself, waking her from a dream.
• Ren Yingying mistook Qu Nian’s visit for a request to perform and gave him a blue pill, which he crushed underfoot.
• Qu Nian told Ren Yingying he had sent the women away and placed a New Year’s red envelope beneath her pillow.
• Ren Yingying gave Qu Nian a necklace with a white jade pendant, and he happily put it on.

After Ren Yingying gave Qu Nian a jade tag, he proudly wore it around the Northern Yi nobles, mistaking their puzzled reactions for envy. He set out to find Ren Yingying and explain that she had given him the tag, unaware she had been searching for a dog tag she bought for Dog Meat.

• Qu Nian rewarded a maid and the courtyard servants after receiving Ren Yingying’s New Year gift.
• Qu Nian dressed in fine clothes, showed off the jade tag, and went to receive Northern Yi nobles’ New Year respects.
• Ren Yingying took Dog Meat shopping, bought him a gold dog tag, and planned to make him a lambskin coat.
• The Northern Yi nobles mistook Qu Nian’s jade tag for a dog tag, but he assumed they were envious of it.
• A maid told Qu Nian that Ren Yingying had been searching for something she lost, and Qu Nian decided to go explain that she had given him the tag.

Ren Yingying found a handsome foreign prisoner of war at a Northern Yi slave market and bought him, but she struggled to decide what to do with him. When he insisted on following her, Qu Nian arrived, and she presented the young man as his New Year's gift.

• The maid realized Qu Nian had misunderstood the jade tag but stayed silent and hid away after he left to search for Ren Yingying.
• Ren Yingying wandered into a slave market, spotted a wounded blond, blue-eyed prisoner, and learned he had no family and could not understand her language.
• Ren Yingying pretended to leave, then arranged to buy the young man for twelve sheepskins and paid an intermediary extra silver.
• Ren Yingying gave the young man milk tea, clothes, and boots, but he knelt and kissed her shoe to show he wanted to follow her.
• Qu Nian arrived, and Ren Yingying announced that she had a New Year's gift for him: the young man.

Qu Nian reunited with Ren Yingying and discovered he had mistakenly worn Dog Meat’s tag, while Ren Yingying brought a blond young man along as a gift for the heir. They discussed what to do with the youth and the household’s plans for returning to the border city, and Qu Nian asked about Ren Yingying’s plans for their marriage.

• Qu Nian found Ren Yingying and noticed a blond youth kneeling close to her, while Ren Yingying recognized Dog Meat’s tag hanging around Qu Nian’s neck.
• Ren Yingying explained that she had accidentally given Qu Nian the dog tag, but Qu Nian refused to take it off because he did not want to admit it was a dog tag.
• Ren Yingying told Qu Nian she had rescued the blond youth and asked him to decide how to settle the young man.
• Ren Yingying suggested bringing the youth back so Hua Cha and Yuanyang could see a foreigner, and Qu Nian accused her of wanting to share him with his concubines.
• Ren Yingying asked when they would return to the border city and suggested discussing the girls’ plans, while Qu Nian asked what Ren Yingying intended to do after they returned.

Ren Yingying admitted to herself that she was afraid to love Qu Nian, while Qu Nian pressed her to stop pretending she did not care for him. He revealed that he had asked the Prince of Jin to grant her an independent title, leaving Ren Yingying overwhelmed by his New Year's gift.

• Ren Yingying reflected on her fear of falling in love and compared her hesitation with Tangbao's willingness to trust the Prince of Jin.
• Qu Nian moved close to Ren Yingying, tossed Dog Meat aside, and challenged her to admit whether she liked him.
• Qu Nian embraced Ren Yingying and explained that his pride had faded after he fell in love with her.
• Ren Yingying said Qu Nian had charged into battle to help her and promised to help him in return.
• Qu Nian revealed that he had asked the Prince of Jin to make Ren Yingying Lady Protector of the State, a title independent of him.
• Ren Yingying cried as Qu Nian presented the title as her New Year's gift.

Ren Yingying reflected on Qu Nian’s confession and her growing feelings for him while awaiting news about the peace talks. Qu Nian then brought her to the palace, where Lu Jiu had disfigured herself to force Leertai to let her leave for the Central Plains.

• Ren Yingying lamented that Qu Nian had sent her handsome confidant to Qu Hua and admitted that Qu Nian’s thoughtful gestures had stirred her heart.
• Ren Yingying wrote Tang Zhuyun a letter asking her to scold her back to her senses and confirm whether the Lady Protector of the Nation title was genuine.
• Qu Nian hurried in and told Ren Yingying that the empress had been hurt, then clarified that it was Lu Jiu, not Tang Zhuyun.
• Qu Nian explained that Lu Jiu had disfigured herself and wanted to return to the Central Plains, and Ren Yingying agreed to go see her.
• At the palace, Lu Jiu confronted Leertai with her bandaged, bloodied face and asked whether her self-disfigurement was enough.

Ren Yingying treated Lu Jiu’s self-inflicted facial wound and learned that Lu Jiu’s love for Leertai conflicted with her mother’s hatred of the Northern Yi. Qu Nian proposed giving Lu Jiu a title so she could stay with Leertai honorably, and the chapter ended as Qu Nian showed Ren Yingying a letter urging her to return to the capital.

• Ren Yingying treated Lu Jiu’s wound, and Lu Jiu explained that her mother had hated the Northern Yi and would never have approved of her relationship with Leertai.
• Leertai overheard Lu Jiu’s explanation, and Qu Nian offered to help him persuade her in exchange for increasing horse sales to the Central Plains.
• Qu Nian suggested asking the emperor to grant Lu Jiu a title so she could remain with Leertai as part of a marriage alliance, and Leertai accepted the idea.
• Lu Jiu agreed to stay with Leertai, while Ren Yingying treated her face and Qu Nian helped change her mind.
• After the peace talks ended and Ren Yingying’s group began traveling home, Qu Nian showed her a letter from the Prince of Jin asking her to return to the capital soon.
• Ren Yingying asked why Tangbao had not written to her and where Tangbao was.

Ren Yingying learned that the Prince of Ding had discovered Mingzhu was Zhou Xu and was demanding her, so the Prince of Jin summoned Ren Yingying to the capital to help. After agreeing to go, Ren Yingying also promised to help Qu Nian with his family trouble.

• Ren Yingying read the Prince of Jin's letter and learned that the Prince of Ding wanted Mingzhu, whose identity as Zhou Xu could expose the Prince of Jin's secret.
• Qu Nian explained that the Prince of Jin wanted Ren Yingying to return to the capital and create another woman to send in Mingzhu's place.
• Qu Nian told Ren Yingying that Tang Zhuyun had suffered pneumonia after the new year and was still recovering, though the Prince of Jin had kept it from her to spare her worry.
• Ren Yingying decided to travel to the capital after stopping in the border city, while the Prince of Jin planned to use the situation to keep the Prince of Ding waiting.
• Qu Nian reminded Ren Yingying that she had promised to help him, then revealed that his mother threatened to produce another son and make him the heir.
• Ren Yingying assured Qu Nian she would help him and suggested they could give up their positions and live together without ambition.

A snowstorm forced Qu Nian and Ren Yingying’s army to camp for several days, where Qu Nian cared for Ren Yingying during her period. When Dog Meat failed to return one evening, the army searched through the night without finding him, leaving Ren Yingying fearing the worst.

• Heavy snow blocked the army’s route, so Qu Nian ordered a camp and expected the delay to last several days.
• Qu Nian warmed Ren Yingying, arranged brown sugar and ginger water for her period, and shared grilled meat with her in their tent.
• Qu Nian and Ren Yingying stayed in the tent for three days while Dog Meat spent most of each day outside.
• Dog Meat did not return one evening, so Qu Nian sent soldiers to search for him.
• The search continued through the night without finding Dog Meat, and Ren Yingying grew despondent and worried that he had been taken or killed.

Ren Yingying stopped the army from continuing its search for Dog Meat and told Qu Nian to lead the troops onward while she stayed behind. She prepared to keep searching with a small group of soldiers as the army broke camp.

• Shang Ke told Ren Yingying that the soldiers could not keep searching for Dog Meat without delaying the army’s journey.
• Ren Yingying asked Shang Ke to call Qu Nian back, then told Qu Nian to break camp and lead the army onward.
• Qu Nian realized Ren Yingying intended to stay behind and angrily challenged her decision.
• Ren Yingying explained that she could not demand that the army search for her dog and asked Qu Nian to leave her a few soldiers to keep looking.
• Qu Nian went to make arrangements, and Ren Yingying ate and drank before the army departed.

Ren Yingying prepared to search for Dog Meat, and Qu Nian insisted on accompanying her despite his promise to the Prince of Jin. They set out with a search party, leaving two hundred of Qu Nian’s personal guards behind to look through the snow, and Ren Yingying vowed to keep searching for ten more days.

• Ren Yingying planned supplies for a search for Dog Meat, and Qu Nian brought her pumpkin congee and helped arrange provisions for twenty people.
• Qu Nian told Ren Yingying he would stay with her to find Dog Meat, despite her warning that he had promised the Prince of Jin and needed to lead his men back.
• Qu Nian comforted Ren Yingying as she broke down in fear that Dog Meat might be dead.
• The army departed on schedule, while Qu Nian kept two hundred guards behind and divided them into eight groups to search the snow.
• Qu Nian protected Ren Yingying from falls on the icy roads and was badly bruised, so she treated his injuries in their tent.
• Ren Yingying said they would search for another ten days and considered climbing a mountain to look for Dog Meat.

Ren Yingying and Qu Nian shared a bed to keep warm, and she finally slept well. The next morning, Qu Nian found Dog Meat injured and sent for Ren Yingying to bring him back.

• Qu Nian gave Ren Yingying his quilt, then agreed to sleep beside her when she insisted.
• Qu Nian held Ren Yingying as she fell asleep, while he stayed awake wishing Dog Meat would return.
• Ren Yingying woke to learn Qu Nian had gone searching for Dog Meat and ordered the guards to keep her in the tent.
• A guard told Ren Yingying that Qu Nian had found Dog Meat, who was injured, and asked her to go bring him back.

Ren Yingying reunited with Dog Meat, while Qu Nian learned the dog had been injured pursuing a little white wolf and worried that their souls might swap again. As Qu Nian fell ill on the journey, he told Ren Yingying about their past transformation, but she assumed his fever had made him delirious; their conversation was interrupted by word of an approaching carriage.

• Ren Yingying rushed to Dog Meat and comforted him, while Qu Nian ordered the group to return with the injured dog.
• Qu Nian told Ren Yingying that Dog Meat had chased a little white wolf and been bitten, but she questioned how he knew what the dog had been thinking.
• Dog Meat grew listless after two days, and Qu Nian also became feverish and drowsy as Ren Yingying cared for them both.
• Qu Nian woke from a dream about becoming Dog Meat and tried to warn Ren Yingying that he and Dog Meat had once swapped bodies.
• Ren Yingying thought Qu Nian's fever had damaged his brain, and a guard interrupted them to report that a carriage was approaching.

Ren Yingying reunited with her friends in the border city, where Jinjin’s affection for Xiyou and Wu Zhenhai’s planned marriage to Mingzhu became topics of conversation. After returning to the capital with Qu Nian, Jinse, and Yuanyang, Ren Yingying arrived as Tang Zhuyun confronted a woman over an accusation against Yanran.

• Hua Cha and the others welcomed Ren Yingying’s returning group, and they discussed Lady Deng’s recovery and Hua Cha’s closeness with Xue Lie.
• The women revealed that Xiyou liked Jinjin, while a misunderstanding had led Wu Zhenhai to think Xiyou was pursuing Mingzhu.
• Ren Yingying reunited with Xiu'er and Mingzhu in the border city, while Wu Zhenhai told Qu Nian that he and Mingzhu planned to marry that year.
• Ren Yingying left for the capital three days later with Qu Nian, Jinse, and Yuanyang, and they arrived more than half a month afterward.
• Tang Zhuyun confronted a woman and questioned whether Yanran had pushed her.