Chapter Summaries

Tang Zhuyun asked Qingfeng to investigate Ruan Anruo’s cousin and sent word to Meng Yulan that Jiang Beihan had returned, while Yanran begged to remain with her. The Prince of Jin learned of Tang Zhuyun’s request and ordered Qingfeng to carry it out; later, a rider stopped after splashing mud on Tang Zhuyun.

• Tang Zhuyun sent Xiu'er to ask Qingfeng to find out whether Ruan Anruo’s cousin frequented brothels and where he could be found.
• Tang Zhuyun sent Xiu'er to tell Meng Yulan that Jiang Beihan had returned, but Meng Yulan was already crying with swollen eyes.
• Yanran told Tang Zhuyun that the Prince of Jin wanted her to return to the prince's residence, and Tang Zhuyun agreed to ask him to let Yanran stay.
• The Prince of Jin read Tang Zhuyun’s letter to Qingfeng and ordered Qingfeng’s manservant to tell him to follow her request.
• After the rain cleared, several riders splashed water onto Tang Zhuyun as she bought vegetables, and one rider stopped to ask if she was all right.

Tang Zhuyun worried that the man she encountered might be Linlin’s biological father, then rushed to Duke Meng’s Residence after Lüzhu revealed Jiang Beihan had married someone else. She comforted the devastated Meng Yulan, who insisted on confronting him.

• Tang Zhuyun recognized the man on horseback from her past and feared he was Linlin’s father, so she resolved not to let him take Linlin away.
• Lüzhu arrived and begged Tang Zhuyun to save Meng Yulan, explaining that Jiang Beihan had married and had a child despite promising to wait for Meng Yulan.
• Tang Zhuyun hurried with Lüzhu to Duke Meng’s Residence and comforted Meng Yulan as she wept over Jiang Beihan’s betrayal.
• Meng Yulan said she wanted to confront Jiang Beihan, but Tang Zhuyun urged her to calm down and called him a beast.

Meng Yulan asked Tang Zhuyun to help her meet Jiang Beihan, and Tang Baixin offered to discreetly ask about Jiang Beihan’s wife. As the Tang family prepared to visit the Great Xiangguo Temple for their birth mother’s memorial, Yanran insisted on going with them, and the Prince of Jin agreed.

• Meng Yulan begged Tang Zhuyun to help her see Jiang Beihan, and Tang Zhuyun promised to think of a way while cautioning her not to expect too much.
• Tang Zhuyun told Tang Baixin about Meng Yulan, and he offered to discreetly ask about Jiang Beihan’s wife when he went to the Ministry of Personnel.
• Tang Baixin asked whether the offerings for their birth mother’s memorial were ready, and Tang Zhuyun confirmed they would bring incense and candles to the Great Xiangguo Temple.
• Tang Zhuyun suggested Yanran stay with the Prince of Jin during the family memorial visit, but Yanran cried, believing Tang Zhuyun was sending her away.
• The Prince of Jin allowed Yanran to accompany the family, and Yanran happily thanked him before promising to listen to Tang Zhuyun.

Tang Zhuyun visited the Great Xiangguo Temple with her family and encountered the emperor, the Prince of Jin, and Jiang Beihan. After learning Jiang Beihan already had three children, she wondered if Meng Yulan had lost her chance to marry him, then went to find her father.

• Tang Zhuyun and her family paid respects to her mother's memorial tablet at the Great Xiangguo Temple.
• Tang Zhuyun met the emperor, who was visiting incognito with the Prince of Jin and Jiang Beihan.
• Tang Zhuyun learned Jiang Beihan had one son and two daughters, and made sarcastic remarks about his children and her upcoming marriage to the Prince of Jin.
• The emperor ordered the Prince of Jin to pay respects to Tang Zhuyun's mother, and Jiang Beihan congratulated Tang Zhuyun on becoming a secondary consort.
• Tang Zhuyun told Tang Baixin that Jiang Beihan's three children left Meng Yulan with no hope, then said she was going to find their father.

Tang Zhuyun waited for Tang Mingfan at Master Hong'en's residence and clashed with the Prince of Jin, who still accused her of loving Jiang Beihan. As she left with her father, she learned how much the emperor valued him and warned him that the emperor appeared to have a serious heart condition, leaving Tang Mingfan alarmed.

• Tang Zhuyun waited outside Master Hong'en's residence for Tang Mingfan and argued with the Prince of Jin about her supposed feelings for Jiang Beihan.
• Tang Zhuyun told the Prince of Jin she hoped to persuade the emperor to dissolve their engagement, and he said that would be best.
• Tang Zhuyun left with Tang Mingfan and learned that the emperor had supported him with gifts and money for a home.
• Tang Mingfan urged Tang Zhuyun to remain loyal to the emperor and advise the Prince of Jin if he strayed from the right path.
• Tang Zhuyun described the emperor's swollen face, purplish lips, creased earlobes, and bulging veins, and told Tang Mingfan she suspected his heart condition was serious.
• Tang Mingfan's expression changed as he asked whether Tang Zhuyun's warning was true.

Tang Zhuyun warned the emperor about his health and examined him, finding his illness less severe than the imperial physicians had claimed. The emperor accepted her help and expressed gratitude to the Tang family, while the Prince of Jin waited outside, uncertain whether she would ask to end their engagement.

• Tang Zhuyun asked to speak privately with the emperor, and Tang Mingfan supported her request.
• The Prince of Jin and Jiang Beihan discussed Tang Zhuyun's reluctance to marry and Jiang Beihan's warning about Meng Yulan.
• Tang Zhuyun told the emperor she had seen signs of his illness, and he admitted he had known about it since the previous year.
• Tang Zhuyun took the emperor's pulse and said his condition was not as serious as the imperial physicians had predicted.
• Tang Zhuyun promised to provide a prescription and care instructions, and the delighted emperor praised the Tang family.

Tang Zhuyun tried to persuade the emperor to end her engagement to the Prince of Jin, but the emperor instead sent them to offer incense together. After they argued, Tang Mingfan explained that the Prince of Jin could never become emperor because the emperor had given him the Golden Scale Guard and betrothed him to Tang Zhuyun.

• Tang Zhuyun asked the emperor whether she could become the Prince of Jin's secondary consort instead, but the emperor summoned the prince and falsely accused him of bullying her.
• The emperor ordered Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin to offer incense to Madam Tang, and the prince confronted her afterward about blaming him for their engagement trouble.
• Tang Zhuyun denied loving the Prince of Jin and said she would help raise his daughter, but the prince asked why Meng Yulan had hanged herself.
• Tang Zhuyun asked Tang Mingfan whether the emperor was keeping his illness secret from the Prince of Jin, and Tang Mingfan said the prince could never become emperor because he had received the Golden Scale Guard and been betrothed to her.

Tang Zhuyun learned why Tang Mingfan accepted her engagement to the Prince of Jin and discovered that Tang Baixin had fallen for Meng Yulan. She decided to stop raising the impossible match and thought Meng Yulan would be fine marrying the prince, unaware that her troubles were only beginning.

• Tang Mingfan explained that the emperor had given the Prince of Jin the Golden Scale Guard to keep him apart from the succession struggle, and that the betrothal also protected Tang Mingfan’s political neutrality.
• Tang Zhuyun asked about the Prince of Jin’s birth mother and origins, but Tang Mingfan said those were private matters and reassured her about the emperor’s character.
• Tang Zhuyun told Tang Baixin about Jiang Beihan’s treatment of Meng Yulan, and Tang Baixin urged her to encourage Meng Yulan to live well with the Prince of Jin.
• Tang Zhuyun tested Tang Baixin by suggesting he marry Meng Yulan, and his angry, embarrassed response revealed that he had fallen for her.
• Tang Zhuyun accepted that Meng Yulan’s marriage to the Prince of Jin was unavoidable and decided to help Tang Baixin find another wife.

Tang Zhuyun learned that Yanran had returned pale after an unexplained incident, but postponed asking the children about it. The next morning, Tang Baixin returned carrying a bloodied, unconscious woman and begged Tang Zhuyun to save her.

• Tang Zhuyun sent Xiu'er to tell Meng Yulan that Jiang Beihan already had three children, and learned Meng Yulan had known already.
• Tang Zhuyun spent the day resting while Linlin and Yanran played in the Prince of Jin's courtyard; when they returned, Yanran was pale, and Linlin said a large rat had frightened her.
• Tang Zhuyun went to bed before asking what had happened, then cooked fish, flatbreads, cold dishes, and shaved ice for Tang Mingfan the next morning.
• Tang Mingfan left for court without his court tablet, so Tang Baixin took it and ran after him.
• Tang Zhuyun urged Yanran to eat her egg at breakfast, then heard Xiu'er cry out and saw Tang Baixin carrying a woman whose head was bleeding.

Tang Zhuyun saved Meng Yulan after she tried to take her own life, then learned how Jiang Beihan, Yingxue, and Madam Meng had deceived and hurt her. Meng Yulan was left convinced that the people closest to her had driven her to despair, while Tang Zhuyun tried to persuade her to keep living.

• Tang Baixin brought the badly injured Meng Yulan to Tang Zhuyun, who treated her wound despite Lüzhu begging her not to save her mistress.
• Tang Zhuyun realized Meng Yulan had woken during the treatment and challenged her for trying to die over Jiang Beihan’s lack of love.
• Meng Yulan explained that she had secretly sent Jiang Beihan two thousand taels and a letter, only to learn Yingxue had married him and become the mother of his three children.
• Tang Zhuyun asked whether Meng Yulan could turn to the Prince of Jin, but Meng Yulan revealed that Madam Meng had instructed Yingxue to deceive her and arrange Yingxue’s marriage to Jiang Beihan.
• Meng Yulan blamed Madam Meng, Yingxue, and Jiang Beihan for pushing her toward despair, saying Jiang had judged her without asking what had happened.

Meng Yulan resolved to face the consequences of her actions, but Tang Baixin insisted on taking responsibility and offered her shelter with the Tang family. Tang Baixin left to tell Tang Mingfan, while Tang Zhuyun feared the emperor and the Prince of Jin would retaliate.

• Meng Yulan thanked Tang Zhuyun for saving her and said she had already prepared to die.
• Tang Baixin told Meng Yulan he had chosen to take responsibility and promised to handle the emperor and the prince.
• Tang Baixin offered Meng Yulan a place with the Tang family and asked her to help teach Tang Zhuyun while she decided what to do.
• Tang Zhuyun worried that the emperor would not forgive Meng Yulan and that the Prince of Jin would be enraged.
• Meng Yulan urged Tang Baixin not to get involved, but he told Tang Zhuyun to watch over her and left to wait for Tang Mingfan after court.

Tang Zhuyun tried to protect Meng Yulan and the Tang family by seeking the Prince of Jin’s forgiveness, while Meng Yulan agreed to appeal to the emperor and the prince. The prince took Tang Zhuyun to the Golden Scale Guard’s imperial prison, leaving her plea unresolved.

• Tang Zhuyun persuaded Meng Yulan to recover and consider appealing to the emperor and the Prince of Jin so the Tang family would not be implicated.
• Tang Mingfan and Tang Baixin knelt outside the imperial study for hours, but the emperor refused to see them.
• The Prince of Jin grew furious when Song Jingyang told him Tang Zhuyun planned to leave Meng Yulan with him.
• Tang Zhuyun went to see the Prince of Jin, bringing Linlin along despite telling him to stay behind.
• The Prince of Jin agreed to speak privately with Tang Zhuyun and ordered Song Jingyang to lead them to the Golden Scale Guard’s imperial prison.

The Prince of Jin took Linlin and Tang Zhuyun to the imperial prison, intending to punish Tang Zhuyun for meddling and to make his position clear. Tang Zhuyun reached the torture room to plead for her father and elder brother, but the Prince of Jin threatened to torture her before hearing her out.

• The Prince of Jin made Tang Zhuyun run behind his horse while keeping Linlin with him, and Linlin cried as he watched his aunt struggle.
• Linlin clung to the Prince of Jin and insisted on entering the imperial prison with him, while Tang Zhuyun worried about his unusual attachment.
• At the imperial prison, the Prince of Jin ordered Song Jingyang to bring Tang Zhuyun inside and told Linlin he could stay only if he did not interfere.
• The Prince of Jin offered to let Tang Zhuyun leave and remain his secondary consort, but she insisted on pleading for her father and elder brother.
• The Prince of Jin said he would hear Tang Zhuyun after venting his anger and asked her to choose a torture instrument.

Linlin privately pleaded with the Prince of Jin not to punish Tang Zhuyun, revealing that she was his mother and that he had overheard the prince’s dangerous secret. The Prince of Jin was shaken by Linlin’s loyalty and comforted him, leaving their relationship changed by what Linlin had disclosed.

• Linlin offered to accept punishment in Tang Zhuyun’s place and asked the Prince of Jin to speak with him privately.
• Linlin admitted that the Prince of Jin had every right to be angry, but said Tang Zhuyun sided with family and did not intend to marry him.
• Linlin told the Prince of Jin that Tang Zhuyun was actually his mother and that she had become good to him.
• Linlin revealed that he had overheard the Prince of Jin speaking with Huaishang and begged him not to make things difficult for his mother.
• The Prince of Jin pulled Linlin to his feet, comforted him, and held him as he reflected on the child’s pain.

Linlin revealed that he knew the Prince of Jin’s secret and begged him to help his father, prompting the prince to punish Linlin while reassuring him that their bond remained. The Prince of Jin left with Linlin and asked him to consider what the emperor wanted him to do.

• Linlin admitted that Yanran had heard the Prince of Jin’s secret but said she would keep quiet, and he promised to help the prince when he grew up if the prince helped his father.
• The Prince of Jin ordered Tang Zhuyun held down and spanked Linlin, warning him not to reveal the secret again.
• Linlin cried and clung to the Prince of Jin, who let Tang Zhuyun go and carried Linlin away.
• The Prince of Jin took Linlin on horseback and asked what Linlin would do in his place and what the emperor wanted him to do.

Linlin explained that the Prince of Jin should plead with the emperor to secure a mild punishment for the Tang family, while Meng Yulan rejected her mother's demand that she die to protect the family’s reputation. The chapter ended with Tang Baixin returning just as Madam Meng ordered her servants to seize Meng Yulan.

• Linlin advised the Prince of Jin to plead with the emperor on Tang Mingfan’s behalf, and the prince agreed that Linlin had understood the emperor’s intentions.
• Tang Zhuyun returned home and told Meng Yulan that the Prince of Jin had entered the palace to plead for the Tang family.
• Madam Meng urged Meng Yulan to kill herself and admitted that she had switched Meng Yulan’s letters to Jiang Beihan.
• Meng Yulan refused to die, disowned Madam Meng, and prepared to leave with Lüzhu.
• Madam Meng ordered her servants to seize Meng Yulan, but Tang Baixin returned and challenged her.

Tang Baixin returned with Tang Mingfan, Linlin, and Meng Yulan, bringing news that the emperor had ordered Meng Yulan to become his concubine. Tang Baixin and his family accepted her as his wife in their hearts, while Tang Mingfan gave her a valuable qin score; the chapter ended as Tang Zhuyun learned the emperor also wanted her to become the Prince of Jin’s concubine.

• Tang Baixin told everyone that the emperor had bestowed Meng Yulan upon him as a concubine, and Tang Mingfan declared that she now belonged to the Tang family.
• Meng Yulan accepted the emperor’s decree, and Tang Baixin promised that she would be the only woman at his side and his wife in his heart.
• Tang Baixin and Meng Yulan kowtowed to Tang Mingfan, who welcomed her into the family and asked her to help look after the household.
• Meng Yulan told Linlin he could call her Auntie, and Tang Mingfan gave her a rare, valuable qin score as a first-meeting gift.
• Tang Mingfan told Tang Zhuyun that the emperor wanted her to become the Prince of Jin’s concubine, but that he had already spoken to the emperor.

Tang Zhuyun was ordered to move into the Prince of Jin’s residence as his concubine, but she found out she would be staying next door and could return to her family whenever she liked. After she refused to share his bed for now, Linlin and Yanran arrived, and Linlin said the prince had summoned him.

• Tang Zhuyun agreed to leave for the Prince of Jin’s residence, while her family reassured her she could come home.
• Tang Zhuyun discovered the prince’s residence was only a few steps away and that she would stay next door to her family.
• The Prince of Jin warned Tang Zhuyun to behave, and she asked whether she still had to share his bed.
• Tang Zhuyun declined to sleep with the prince that night, and he ordered her out.
• Linlin and Yanran arrived with lanterns, and Linlin said he had come to see the prince at the prince’s request.

Tang Zhuyun worried about Linlin after the Prince of Jin hurt him, but Linlin reassured her and reconciled with the prince in the bath. Their quiet moment ended when the Crown Prince, Prince of Yong, and Seventh Prince arrived, and the Seventh Prince mistook Linlin for the Prince of Jin’s son.

• Tang Zhuyun tried to protect Linlin and called for the correct medicine after learning he had applied the wrong bottle.
• The Prince of Jin ordered Tang Zhuyun and Yanran to rest in a side room while he took Linlin to bathe.
• Yanran asked whether Tang Zhuyun had become her mother consort, and Tang Zhuyun encouraged her to grow strong enough to protect her.
• Linlin told the Prince of Jin that he felt sorry for him and promised to stand by him, softening the prince’s heart.
• The Crown Prince, Prince of Yong, and Seventh Prince arrived to congratulate the Prince of Jin on gaining a little sister-in-law.
• The Seventh Prince saw Linlin beside the Prince of Jin and asked when his Sixth Brother had gotten a son so old.

Tang Zhuyun and Linlin endured the princes’ taunts at a feast, but the Prince of Jin shielded them from being drawn into a public humiliation. Later, he arrived seriously wounded and summoned Tang Zhuyun to help him, only for her to respond with a question about getting a chastity arch if he died.

• The Seventh Prince mocked the Prince of Jin, and Linlin insulted him by comparing his chatter to a mynah bird that had talked itself to death.
• At the feast, the Seventh Prince asked to see Tang Zhuyun, but the Prince of Jin used Yanran’s health to deflect the request.
• Tang Zhuyun and Linlin listened as the gathering continued, then both fell asleep before the princes’ feast ended.
• Tang Zhuyun woke to find the Prince of Jin bleeding from a barbed hidden weapon lodged in his chest.
• The Prince of Jin urged Tang Zhuyun to help him, and she asked whether a widowed concubine could receive a chastity arch.