Chapter Summaries

Cui Xiaoqiu accepted responsibility before Old Madam Cui, who took the two maids and warned Madam Cui. He continued his studies and learned that his grandmother had reassigned the maids to Third Master, leaving the household matter settled.

• Cui Xiaoqiu knelt before Old Madam Cui and accepted punishment for his role in his mother's predicament.
• Old Madam Cui dismissed Cui Xiaoqiu, took the two maids as her own, and told him she would only warn Madam Cui.
• Cui Run questioned Cui Xiaoqiu's treatment of his mother, and Cui Xiaoqiu urged him to focus on the autumn examinations.
• Cui Xiaoqiu checked on Madam Cui, then returned to reading without entering her room.
• Nanny Zhang told Cui Xiaoqiu that Old Madam Cui had recalled the maids and reassigned them to Third Master.

Cui Xiaoqiu told Yanran about the bedchamber maids and pressed her on whether she would accept such a custom in someone she loved. Yanran reassured him without realizing he meant her, and he resolved to wait for her while growing impatient for the Prince of Jin's plans to succeed.

• Cui Xiaoqiu discussed his feelings with Linlin, who told him Yanran was the person he needed to speak to.
• Cui Xiaoqiu told Yanran that Grandmother had taken back the bedchamber maids assigned to him.
• Yanran said she would not judge Cui Xiaoqiu if he kept bedchamber maids, but she encouraged him to follow his own path and find someone whose heart was in tune with his.
• Cui Xiaoqiu said he wanted someone whose heart belonged only to him, and Yanran promised to help him find a suitable woman.
• Cui Xiaoqiu realized that passing the provincial examination could attract other suitors and became impatient for the Prince of Jin to act so he could secure a future with Yanran.

The Prince of Jin confronted the emperor over Prince of Ding’s misconduct and refused to spare him, while rejecting the emperor’s offers of succession as another test. The emperor revealed he intended to arrange a marriage for Linlin, leaving the Prince of Jin cold with anger and suspicion.

• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun that the emperor had asked to see their three sons, but he had refused to bring them because he would not let them be drawn into the emperor’s power struggle.
• At court, the emperor rebuked the Prince of Ding, then privately ordered the Prince of Jin to have Tang Zhuyun cure him.
• The Prince of Jin demanded that Prince of Ding be punished for coveting Mingzhu, and the emperor asked him to spare his brother’s life and send him away from the capital.
• The emperor offered to make the Prince of Jin crown prince and then proposed abdicating, but the Prince of Jin refused and spoke of raising his sons without turning them against one another.
• The Prince of Jin challenged the emperor over arranging a marriage for Linlin, realizing the emperor had been testing him and still intended to manipulate his descendants.

The Prince of Jin argued with the emperor against arranging a marriage for Linlin, insisting his son should choose his own wife. After learning of the emperor’s plan, Linlin remained calm and told his father that an imperial marriage decree would not determine his whole future.

• The Prince of Jin rejected the emperor’s plan to decree a marriage for Linlin, while the emperor explained his concerns about love and the realm’s future.
• The Prince of Jin left the palace reflecting on his aging father and the end of his era.
• Linlin greeted the Prince of Jin at home with Black Flower, and his father urged him to enter the upcoming autumn provincial examination to prove himself to the emperor.
• The Prince of Jin told Linlin about the proposed marriage decree, but Linlin said he was a man and could still have choices even if he were made to marry.
• The Prince of Jin left reassured that Linlin would not take the examination and that he had already refused the emperor’s marriage decree.

Tang Zhuyun erupted over the emperor’s decree betrothing Linlin to Lang Xuan, but Linlin and the Prince of Jin stayed calm and planned to avoid a direct clash with the emperor. Tang Zhuyun then tried to settle Ren Yingying’s suspicions about Qu Nian, only to discover she had mistaken his male cousin for a woman.

• Tang Zhuyun received the marriage decree for Linlin and Lang Xuan and vowed to oppose it, while the Prince of Jin promised to handle the emperor.
• Linlin reassured Tang Zhuyun that the betrothal could be dealt with later, and the Prince of Jin suggested the Lang Family might fall before the emperor did.
• Tang Zhuyun learned that Ren Yingying was upset because she believed Qu Nian was spending time with another woman, but she refused to leave him because she feared returning to the Gu Family.
• Tang Zhuyun summoned Qu Nian to discuss the matter, and he arrived dragging his younger male cousin, whom Ren Yingying had mistaken for a woman.
• Qu Nian explained that he was taking his cousin home after catching him pursuing opera, and Tang Zhuyun sent the pair away.

Yanran warned Tang Zhuyun that Lang Xuan, the girl betrothed to Linlin, was scheming and had followed him to the Imperial Academy. After Tang Zhuyun forbade Yanran from sneaking into the Lang family home again, Yanran repeated her warning to Linlin, who said he understood.

• Yanran told Tang Zhuyun she had seen Lang Xuan secretly watching Linlin at the Imperial Academy.
• Yanran admitted she had sneaked onto the Lang family home’s roof to observe Lang Xuan and said Lang Xuan had staged a suicide threat and later pretended to be ill over the betrothal.
• Yanran said Lang Xuan had mistreated a maid and warned that she would keep her from entering the family.
• Tang Zhuyun ordered Yanran not to visit the Lang family home at night or lay a hand on Lang Xuan.
• Yanran told Linlin to guard himself against Lang Xuan, and he replied that he knew.

Yanran worried that Linlin might marry Lang Jiu, but Linlin reassured her that the Lang Family would be destroyed. After visiting Cui Xiaoqiu at the Imperial Academy, Yanran ran into Wen Heng, who asked where Jiang Ruo was because she had not visited him for several days.

• Yanran complained to Linlin about the prospect of Lang Jiu joining the family, and he said the Lang Family would cease to exist.
• Yanran suggested that Mother Consort prepare maids for Linlin, who joked that he would seek Yanran's approval before marrying.
• Yanran reassured Cui Xiaoqiu about his studies and encouraged him to rest, prompting him to inspect his dark circles in a bronze mirror.
• Yanran waited for Lang Jiu at the Imperial Academy, then carried Cui Xiaoqiu's food inside when Lang Jiu did not appear.
• Yanran encountered Wen Heng, who asked where Jiang Ruo was because she had not come by for several days.

Wen Heng worried that Jiang Ruo had moved on, while Jiang Ruo stayed home with a swollen face after drinking baijiu. Yanran brought them together, and Jiang Ruo apologized and promised to make things right as they left hand in hand.

• After Jiang Ruo failed to appear for several days, Wen Heng feared she had fallen for someone else and asked Yanran about her.
• Yanran found Jiang Ruo at home with a swollen face, and Jiang Ruo explained that she had drunk baijiu while trying to follow Yanran's plan.
• Yanran told Jiang Ruo that Wen Heng had been asking about her, and Jiang Ruo decided to go see him with Yanran's support.
• Jiang Ruo told Wen Heng she had cried because she missed him, then apologized for giving him divorce papers and promised to listen to him.
• Wen Heng softened and left hand in hand with Jiang Ruo while Yanran watched from the teahouse.

Yanran investigated a rumor that the Wen Family was selling wheat seed at half price and learned that Mianmian’s family had no knowledge of it. Huaishang rejected Mianmian’s suggestion that Xiaobai marry Wuji, while Yanran ended the chapter sleeping uneasily after a dream began.

• Yanran overheard a teahouse waiter say a wealthy southern family was selling wheat seed at half price to help a sick mother and suspected the Wen Family.
• Yanran visited Mianmian and learned that her mother was healthy and the Wen Family knew nothing about the wheat-seed sale.
• Mianmian promised to investigate the rumor, while Yanran joked that Xiaobai and Wuji would make a good match.
• Mianmian teased Huaishang about arranging Xiaobai’s marriage to Wuji, but Huaishang refused and said he would choose an obedient son-in-law.
• Jiang Ruo stayed overnight in Wen Heng’s quarters at the Imperial Academy, and Yanran later slept uneasily after having a dream.

After a nightmare about wheat, Yanran realized that cheap wheat seed might be part of a malicious plot rather than a harmless bargain. Linlin agreed to alert the Prince of Jin and investigate while Yanran set out to uncover the truth herself.

• Yanran woke from a nightmare about wheat flowering and withering, then practiced swordsmanship until dawn.
• Yanran asked Tang Mingfan why someone might sell wheat seed cheaply, and he suggested charity, a long-term business strategy, or deliberate sabotage.
• Yanran recognized that the cheap seed could conceal a trap and promised Tang Mingfan she would investigate.
• Yanran told Linlin her suspicions, and he went to inform the Prince of Jin and arrange an investigation.
• Yanran went out to investigate the cheap wheat seed herself.

Yanran investigated a suspicious batch of wheat seeds with the Prince of Jin while Ren Yingying planned to make her marriage with Qu Nian official. Qu Nian enlisted Dog Meat’s help, leaving their plans to unfold that night.

• Yanran tested the wheat seeds and found that most had failed to sprout, then joined the Prince of Jin’s investigation.
• Yanran visited Cui Xiaoqiu at the Imperial Academy before riding off with Yuan Han.
• Ren Yingying resolved to arrange a banquet and get Qu Nian tipsy so they could consummate their marriage.
• Qu Nian brought Dog Meat to see a row of little white dogs, winning the dog over with the gift.
• Qu Nian asked Dog Meat to help him that night, and Dog Meat agreed to help bring him and Ren Yingying together.

Ren Yingying and Qu Nian were interrupted just as they were about to consummate their marriage when word came that Yanran had been gravely injured. They learned Yanran had only broken a front tooth, and Ren Yingying promised to repair it, leaving Qu Nian frustrated by another delay.

• Dog Meat released a live mouse into Ren Yingying’s room, and Qu Nian helped catch it before the two went to bed together.
• Ren Yingying agreed to be intimate with Qu Nian, but a maid interrupted them with news that Yanran was gravely injured.
• Ren Yingying and Qu Nian hurried to the Prince of Jin’s Residence and found Yanran crying over her bloodied mouth.
• Tang Zhuyun explained that Yanran’s horse had thrown her, causing her to break a front tooth when she landed in a mud puddle.
• Ren Yingying reassured Yanran that she could fix the tooth, while Yanran urged Cui Xiaoqiu to return to prepare for the next day’s exam.

After Yanran was injured, she told Tang Zhuyun and Ren Yingying how the wheat seed seizure had turned into a confrontation with angry commoners. The Prince of Jin’s group secured the seed and caught a hunched-back man who exposed a suspected trap, but they had not yet questioned him.

• Yanran’s tooth was confirmed salvageable, and Cui Xiaoqiu left to rest before his provincial exams.
• Yanran recounted that she and Linlin had seized the wheat seed, angering commoners who feared losing their families’ harvest.
• Yanran’s brother calmed the crowd by promising to test the seed in public and let trusted people observe.
• Yanran admitted the sellers had noticed her earlier investigation and prepared a trap, hiding bad seed beneath the boat’s cabin.
• A hunched-back man exposed the hidden seed, and Yanran said her brother had brought him back but had not questioned him yet.

Tang Zhuyun and the others learned that the Lang Family’s first branch had sabotaged the wheat seed to frame the Prince of Jin’s Residence, while Lang Jiu’s role in exposing them raised questions about her motives. The Prince of Jin ordered the investigation to continue, and Linlin said he would not spare Lang Jiu if the Lang Family were destroyed.

• Yanran told Tang Zhuyun and Ren Yingying that the wheat seed had been partly steamed and that her brother had uncovered the trick aboard a suspiciously weighted boat.
• Linlin reported that a hunchbacked man from the Lang Family’s fourth branch had accused the first branch of plotting to blame poor harvests on the Prince of Jin.
• The Prince of Jin realized Lang Jiu was from the fourth branch, and Qu Nian concluded she had sided with Linlin against her family.
• Linlin said he had barely met Lang Jiu and doubted the hunchbacked man’s claim that Lang He had directed the scheme, so the Prince of Jin ordered further investigation.
• Linlin assured the Prince of Jin that he had no personal ties to Lang Jiu and would not soften toward her if the Lang Family fell.
• Qu Nian went looking for Ren Yingying, learned she was staying the night, and asked to be shown to her room.

Linlin questioned what Lang Xuan was plotting after Tu Wu returned safely, while Yanran recovered and worried about Cui Xiaoqiu's examination. Lang Xuan then secretly sent Tu Wu to Linzhou to find someone, leaving the identity of the person undisclosed.

• Linlin told Yanran that he had let Tu Wu go, and she warned him not to trust Lang Jiu before asking him to see Cui Xiaoqiu off.
• Unable to sleep, Linlin wondered whether Lang Xuan or her father had arranged Tu Wu's actions and decided to investigate the matter.
• Lang Xuan learned that Tu Wu had returned safely and asked him to recount everything that had happened at the prince's residence.
• After hearing Tu Wu's account, Lang Xuan gave him five hundred taels of silver and ordered him to secretly send a trusted friend to Linzhou.
• Lang Xuan told Tu Wu that the task was to find someone.

Lang Xuan recalled her tragic former life and resolved to protect her family and atone for the Lang Family’s crimes without repeating her mistakes. She told Tu Wu to find Baoxuan in Linzhou, then reconsidered the plan as Concubine Yun and Lang Wu arrived.

• Lang Xuan remembered her past love for Yuwen Duo, her family’s downfall, and how he had honored her after her lonely death.
• Lang Xuan told Tu Wu about Baoxuan and asked him to bring her from Linzhou to the capital, then paused the plan because Baoxuan had adoptive parents and the truth might arouse Yuwen Duo’s suspicions.
• Lang Xuan promised to arrange Chunya’s marriage to Tu Wu after he had helped her for six months or a year, and Tu Wu agreed.
• Concubine Yun arrived with Lang Wu, who protested that he hated Lang Xuan, while Concubine Yun tried to quiet him.
• Lang Xuan laughed at their exchange and remembered how Concubine Yun had later died defending her from the crown prince.

After waking with memories of her former life, Lang Xuan treated Concubine Yun and Lang Wu with new warmth and reflected on her brother’s fate. Meanwhile, Cui Xiaoqiu fell ill during the autumn examinations, and Yanran rushed to his side.

• Lang Xuan remembered her younger brother’s warning and regretted failing to understand his concern in her previous life.
• Lang Xuan spoke kindly with Concubine Yun and asked Lang Wu about his studies, encouraging him to learn a skill and repay their mother.
• Lang Xuan recalled that Cui Xiaoqiu would suffer severe diarrhea on the third day of the autumn examinations and fail to complete the test.
• Cui Xiaoqiu was carried out of the examination hall, and an imperial physician attributed his illness to unclean food, though Cui Xiaoqiu doubted that explanation.
• Yanran learned Cui Xiaoqiu was ill and hurried to the Cui Family with Tang Zhuyun; Cui Xiaoqiu reassured Yanran that his illness was not her fault.

Tang Zhuyun discovered that contaminated incense had made Cui Xiaoqiu ill and ruined his examination, while Yanran worried over him. After learning Cui Xiaoqiu had switched the incense himself, Old Madam Cui suspected he may have known about the danger and acted deliberately.

• Tang Zhuyun examined Cui Xiaoqiu and asked to inspect his belongings and the incense after deciding his illness likely came from his surroundings.
• Tang Zhuyun found something added to the incense, and Old Madam Cui reprimanded Madam Cui for speaking disrespectfully to her.
• Cui Xiaoqiu assured Yanran he was all right and revealed he had switched the incense because he thought his choice was better.
• Tang Zhuyun left with Yanran, who worried that Cui Xiaoqiu would struggle to find a wife because of his mother.
• Old Madam Cui sent Madam Cui away and asked Cui Xiaoqiu whether he had known his mother was being tricked.

After being carried out of the examination, Cui Xiaoqiu comforted Old Madam Cui and confronted Cui Run about the harm caused by their mother’s control. He worried that the incident had damaged his chance to win over the Consort of the Prince of Jin, but Yanran arrived late at night with food.

• Cui Xiaoqiu persuaded Old Madam Cui not to punish Madam Cui, while Old Madam Cui resolved to see that justice was done for him.
• Cui Run urged Cui Xiaoqiu to investigate the incense and avoid wrongly accusing Madam Cui, but Cui Xiaoqiu said her interference was slowly destroying him.
• Cui Xiaoqiu challenged Cui Run to consider the cost of indulging their mother and explained that he could not endure her control over his life.
• Cui Xiaoqiu realized the Prince of Jin had given him little time and feared the examination incident had further alienated the Consort of the Prince of Jin.
• Old Madam Cui fell ill, and Madam Cui dutifully stayed by her side to nurse her.
• Yanran climbed in through Cui Xiaoqiu's window with a food box and helped him prepare to eat.

Yanran comforted Cui Xiaoqiu after his plans were derailed by his mother, then returned home and met Linlin after he had secretly met Lang Xuan. Lang Xuan warned Linlin that the Lang Family intended to keep causing trouble for the Prince of Jin’s Residence.

• Yanran brought Cui Xiaoqiu food, comforted him over his setback, and encouraged him to keep going to the Imperial Academy.
• Yanran climbed back over the wall and encountered Linlin and Zhao Qing returning late from an outing.
• Linlin told Yanran that the court was investigating the wheat seeds and that the Lang Family would not escape punishment.
• Linlin recalled meeting Lang Xuan, who had arranged the meeting to seek a way out for her family.
• Lang Xuan warned Linlin that the Lang Family had sought help and intended to keep making trouble for the Prince of Jin’s Residence.