Weaving a Tale of Love Recap, Plot, Synopsis, Total Episodes

Weaving a Tale of Love Synopsis

During the reign of the Tang Dynasty, Lady An, a dressmaker from the previous dynasty is framed and imprisoned by her disciple, Zhuo Jinniang, and entrusts her young daughter, Liuli (Gulnazar), to an old friend in the palace.

As a medical officer, Liuli grows up in the palace and is in charge of the palace’s epidemic prevention work, and inherits her mother’s amazing dressmaking talent.

Fortunately, she meets Pei Xingjian, who is very capable but has been wasting time for many years and helps her to escape from the trap.

Liuli keeps on investigating the truth of An’s case and does not hesitate to hibernate.

At this time, Emperor Taizong is seriously ill and the situation is sensitive, so Liuli and Pei Xingjian work together to support prince Li Zhi.

They plan together and go through difficulties together, and also have a secret love affair.

When the new emperor ascends to the throne and clarifies the unjust case, Liuli and Pei Xingjian choose to stay away from the imperial palace to protect their love.

Weaving a Tale of Love Recap

Episode 1 Recap

During the prosperous Zhenguan era of Emperor Taizong, the capital city of Chang'an buzzed with activity, and its people lived in peace. Among the city's renowned clothing establishments was the Ruyi Dyeing Shop, managed by An Silang and his sister, Master An, who was once known as the "best embroiderer under heaven" in the palace's Wardrobe Service.

After witnessing the palace's cutthroat politics, Master An had retired with the permission of Empress Zhangsun to live a quiet life with her daughter, Kudi Liuli. One day, Cairen Wu, recently appointed as a cairen, arrived at the Ruyi Dyeing Shop with her mother to commission an auspicious gown for her impending entry into the palace. Kudi Liuli, a young girl at the time, secretly observed the interaction from behind a screen.

Cairen Wu praised the shop's exquisite embroidery and unique designs, expressing her desire for the most unique auspicious gown in all of Chang'an. Her demanding mother then laid out stringent requirements, insisting the gown must adhere to palace regulations while also being innovative, auspicious, elegant, subtle, and unforgettable. Hearing the word "palace" stirred unease in Master An. An Silang initially expressed humility, suggesting their skills were more suited for commoners than for the imperial palace.

However, young Kudi Liuli, unaware of her mother's past, enthusiastically vouched for Master An's unparalleled skill and kind heart, promising Cairen Wu would be the most beautiful bride if her mother made the gown. Cairen Wu's mother then pressed the issue, threatening to harm the shop's reputation if they refused, suggesting their incompetence for palace-level work. Master An reluctantly agreed to take on the commission, but cautioned that she should not be blamed if her efforts did not meet expectations.

Cairen Wu assured them that if they tried their best, she would not hold them responsible. Meanwhile, within the palace, Minister Lin, the head of the Wardrobe Service, harshly admonished her embroiderers for their carelessness, reminding them that their work was more precious than their lives and served the dignity of the nobility. She was deeply concerned by rumors that Consort Yang, whom she had previously neglected, was to be named the new empress.

To mend her past oversight, Minister Lin decided to personally deliver Consort Yang's seasonal clothes. Zhuo Jinniang, Master An's only apprentice, seized this opportunity. She cleverly suggested preparing Consort Yang's ceremonial robe of the empress immediately, even before an official edict was issued, to demonstrate foresight and loyalty. Minister Lin was impressed by Zhuo Jinniang's initiative and, lamenting the absence of Master An, asked who could undertake such a critical task.

Zhuo Jinniang eagerly volunteered, highlighting her status as Master An's sole disciple. Confident in her abilities, Zhuo Jinniang secured Minister Lin's promise of the esteemed "master of the Wardrobe Service" title if she successfully crafted a robe pleasing to the new empress. Despite Master An's strict prohibition against her learning embroidery, Kudi Liuli secretly cultivated her talent. Her friend, Shanhu, was captivated by a camellia-embroidered handkerchief Liuli had made.

Liuli explained that she secretly practiced using a dull golden needle—a unique item that her mother, Master An, wouldn't regularly check. Shanhu, intrigued and envious, wanted to learn from Liuli and asked for the handkerchief as a pledge, threatening to tell Liuli's parents if she reneged on her promise. Liuli agreed and gave her the handkerchief, but a sudden gust of wind carried it away.

Sometime later, Zhuo Jinniang presented her finished ceremonial robe to Minister Lin, only to face severe criticism. Minister Lin was profoundly disappointed, deeming Zhuo Jinniang's work far inferior to Master An's legendary embroidery, which had once adorned Empress Zhangsun's ceremonial robe. Minister Lin accused Zhuo Jinniang of lacking true talent and declared any further attempts to modify the robe would be useless.

She asserted that the only way to salvage the situation was to find Master An and bring her back to modify the robe. When Zhuo Jinniang expressed her inability to locate her master, Minister Lin accused her of deliberately concealing Master An's whereabouts to secure the master title for herself.

She menacingly reminded Zhuo Jinniang that failing to produce a satisfactory robe could lead to charges of incompetence or even disrespect towards the new empress, both capital offenses, forcing Zhuo Jinniang to choose between finding Master An or facing execution. Driven by desperation, Zhuo Jinniang finally tracked Master An to Kudi's Mansion. A servant initially denied Master An's presence, but Zhuo Jinniang, a court lady, insisted on seeing her old acquaintance.

Master An, upon seeing her former apprentice, noted the disruption to her peaceful life and instructed her maid, Ye, to keep Kudi Liuli away. Zhuo Jinniang then implored Master An to modify the robe, explaining her predicament and the severe consequences she faced from Minister Lin. Master An initially refused, reiterating her desire to remain detached from palace affairs, a privilege granted by the late Empress Zhangsun. However, Zhuo Jinniang retaliated with veiled threats.

She warned that if the robe remained unacceptable, she would be forced to reveal Master An's location and unparalleled skill to the new empress. This would undoubtedly result in an imperial edict for Master An to return, an order defiance of which would be a capital offense. Zhuo Jinniang then subtly brought up the name "Liuli," implying knowledge of Master An's daughter and threatening her family's safety.

Seeing her family and daughter in peril, Master An, though noting Zhuo Jinniang's ruthless transformation, reluctantly agreed to help under one condition: Zhuo Jinniang must never reveal that Master An had a daughter. Zhuo Jinniang swore a solemn oath. Master An instructed her to leave the robe and return in seven days, also warning Zhuo Jinniang that to secure her desired "master" title, she must claim the modified robe as entirely her own work.

Before leaving, Zhuo Jinniang, with insatiable ambition, made one last request: Master An's golden needle, the symbol of the "best embroiderer under heaven," claiming it would legitimize her position and bring honor to their school. Master An refused, remarking on Zhuo Jinniang's greed. Back home, Master An discovered Kudi Liuli secretly attempting to embroider a handkerchief with the golden needle. Seeing the exquisite craftsmanship Liuli had achieved with the dull needle, Master An was both amazed and deeply troubled.

She tearfully questioned why Liuli wouldn't heed her warnings, explaining that while embroidery itself wasn't bad, exceptional skill was like "a precious stone that lands its innocent possessor in jail." She revealed that her own talents had forced her into the palace's deadly power struggles, and she desperately wanted to prevent Liuli from suffering the same fate. Master An confessed her profound fear, stating that Liuli's extraordinary talent only amplified her worries.

While Master An wrestled with her fears, her husband, Kudi Yanzhong, and his sister, Cao, discussed Master An's precarious situation. Cao suggested a drastic measure: preparing a divorce paper for Master An as a contingency. She argued that if Consort Yang failed to become empress, the divorce paper would serve as proof of the Kudi family's disassociation from Master An, thereby protecting their family and reputation, especially Kudi Liuli.

To save her family from ruin, Master An sadly agreed to this plan, urging her husband to write the document and sever ties with her. Accepting her dire circumstances, Master An resolved to secure Kudi Liuli's future. Recognizing Liuli's innate talent for clothing design, Master An decided to fully impart her skills to her daughter. She gave Liuli her comprehensive tailoring notes, instructing her to memorize everything, then burn them immediately, and never reveal the secrets to anyone.

Master An also entrusted Kudi Liuli with the golden needle, a symbolic token of the "best embroiderer under heaven" bestowed by the late empress. She explained that Kudi Liuli would be sent to the Wu's Mansion for seven days to complete the finishing touches on Cairen Wu's dress.

Master An promised to retrieve Liuli herself in seven days, but gave her solemn instructions: if she did not return, Liuli must not go back home, but instead ask Cairen Wu to send her to a nunnery, never to reveal her true identity as the daughter of Master An. Kudi Liuli, distressed by the impending separation and the gravity of her mother's words, tearfully agreed, promising to obey. Master An reassured her daughter that these measures were for her safety.

Meanwhile, young Pei Xingjian, a scholar on his way to Chang'an for the imperial examinations, encountered the esteemed General Su Dingfang returning from a successful military campaign. Filled with admiration, Pei Xingjian followed the general to a temple, begging to be accepted as his student. General Su, initially annoyed, tested Pei Xingjian by asking him to shoot the highest and most beautiful camellia flower from a nearby tea tree.

Pei Xingjian aimed and shot, but instead of a flower, he struck the very camellia-embroidered handkerchief that Kudi Liuli had lost earlier. General Su dismissed him, deeming him superficial. However, the abbot of the temple interceded, remarking on the unusual coincidence of hitting the only "fake" flower among hundreds.

Swayed by the abbot's words, General Su reluctantly agreed to reconsider, instructing Pei Xingjian to wait outside the temple for a few days, and if fate truly brought them together again, he would take him as a student, provided Pei Xingjian never entered the temple grounds.

Episode 2 Recap

An had confided in her husband, Kudi Yanzhong, about modifying the empress's ceremonial robe. Her conniving concubine, Cao, immediately voiced concerns that An's involvement could endanger the entire family. Cao shrewdly suggested that Kudi Yanzhong write a Letter of Divorce to officially separate himself from An and their potential misfortune. Kudi Yanzhong, demonstrating his selfish and cowardly nature, promptly wrote the divorce paper.

An observed their actions with disdain, recognizing Cao’s ruthlessness and Kudi Yanzhong’s weakness, which solidified her resolve to ensure Kudi Liuli’s safety. Kudi Liuli, a young girl with an exceptional eye for detail, examined Zhuo Jinniang’s ceremonial robe and pointed out its lack of vitality, suggesting an additional embroidered bird to enhance it. An was taken aback by her daughter's inherent talent, yet worried about the unforeseen consequences such a gift might bring.

After careful consideration, An decided to send Kudi Liuli to a secure location. She entrusted her with the golden stitch, a treasured heirloom symbolizing the "best embroiderer under heaven," along with her compiled garment-making techniques. An gave Liuli strict instructions: she must memorize the contents, then burn the notes, and under no circumstances reveal the techniques or her identity as An's daughter.

An warned Liuli that if anyone other than herself came to retrieve her in seven days, she must not return home but instead seek sanctuary at a nunnery, protected by the Buddha. Liuli, distressed by the thought of separation, pleaded with her mother, but An remained firm, assuring her it was for her own protection and promising to return in exactly seven days.

Subsequently, An's brother, Silang, took Kudi Liuli to the Wu Mansion to deliver the auspicious clothes commissioned by Cairen Wu. Wu Yuanhua admired the lifelike peach blossom embroidered on her grand red ceremonial dress. Madam Yang, however, felt a single flower was too plain. Kudi Liuli promptly explained that the singular blossom symbolized "one of a kind," a wish for Cairen Wu to stand out amongst the other concubines. Madam Yang was thoroughly pleased and ordered a reward for Liuli.

Kudi Liuli then requested to stay at the mansion for a few days to perfectly adjust the collar and cuffs to Cairen Wu’s measurements. Upon learning that Liuli was the daughter of the renowned "best embroiderer under heaven," Wu Yuanhua gladly consented, eager to witness her skills firsthand. As Kudi Liuli settled into the Wu Mansion, she often reflected on her mother’s heartfelt warnings, feeling a deep sense of unease.

Concurrently, Pei Xingjian continued his wait at the temple, determined to meet General Su Dingfang, who was engaged in a prolonged game of blind chess with the abbot. A temple attendant informed Pei Xingjian that the blind chess game could last for days, making it impossible to predict when General Su would emerge. General Su had explicitly forbidden Pei Xingjian from "stepping" inside the temple.

Ingeniously, Pei Xingjian interpreted this rule to his advantage, using his agility to traverse the temple’s rooftops and walls, thus entering the premises without actually setting foot on the ground through any door. As he moved through the temple, he admired the camellia handkerchief he carried, marveling at its lifelike embroidery and wondering about the master artisan who created it. He was told by the attendant that, because it was blind chess, no one knew when the game would end.

Three days into her stay, Kudi Liuli visited the temple to pray for her mother's safety and seek guidance for her future, which felt uncertain and filled with fear. As she drew a particularly inauspicious fortune stick, Pei Xingjian, hidden in the rafters, subtly nudged it back with a small stone. He repeated this action each time she drew a bad omen until, finally, an auspicious stick fell from the cylinder.

In his haste, Pei Xingjian accidentally dropped the camellia handkerchief. Kudi Liuli instantly recognized it as her own and, interpreting its appearance with the auspicious stick, believed it to be a divine intervention from the Buddha, affirming her mother's eventual safety. Reassured, she departed with a sense of peace. Moments later, General Su Dingfang finished his chess game and appeared. He confronted Pei Xingjian about interfering with the young girl's fortune.

Pei Xingjian explained that while a fortune stick could not alter fate, a good one could instill the courage needed to face difficult circumstances. He eloquently defined courage as "doing what one knows cannot be done," citing General Su's own famous military feats as examples. Deeply moved by Pei Xingjian's insight and compassion, Su Dingfang finally accepted him as his disciple.

Soon after, Pei Xingjian paid his respects at the Wu Mansion, given that his late father and Cairen Wu’s father had been close friends. Madam Yang and Cairen Wu extended a warm welcome, inviting him to stay with them. As the seven-day period concluded, Zhuo Jinniang arrived at An's home to collect the ceremonial robe. She was visibly stunned by the garment's exquisite modifications, which were now vibrant and flawless.

An reminded Zhuo Jinniang of their prior agreement, which included maintaining secrecy about An's daughter. Zhuo Jinniang, while praising An's unparalleled skill, subtly accused her of withholding deeper secrets. An countered by explaining that true artistry transcended mere technique, residing instead in the heart. Zhuo Jinniang, feigning agreement, took the robe, but reiterated her cynical promise to keep An's daughter a secret. At the Wu Mansion, Kudi Liuli put the final perfect touches on Cairen Wu's auspicious clothes.

Cairen Wu, admiring her stunning reflection, profusely praised Liuli's remarkable skill. She offered to bring Liuli into the palace to be her personal dressmaker. Kudi Liuli gently declined, explaining that her mother described the palace as a beautiful but restrictive cage, and that she longed for the freedom of her mother's homeland, Gaochang.

Cairen Wu reflected on their divergent paths, acknowledging that while Liuli sought boundless freedom, her own ambition lay within the palace walls—to climb to power, become her own mistress, and ultimately command influence over the realm. She then kindly instructed Liuli to call her "Sister Wu." In the palace, Minister Lin presented the ceremonial robe to Consort Yang, congratulating her on her anticipated promotion to empress. However, Emperor Li Shimin unexpectedly arrived.

Recognizing the ceremonial robe, he furiously accused Consort Yang of usurping the empress's position. Consort Yang vehemently denied the accusation, swearing her innocence and even attempting to commit suicide by running into a pillar to prove her loyalty. Li Shimin intervened just in time, then pressed for the identity of the robe's creator.

Panicked, Minister Lin and Zhuo Jinniang immediately shifted the blame to An, falsely claiming that An, once the "best embroiderer under heaven," regretted leaving the palace and had fabricated the ceremonial robe to curry favor with Consort Yang, hoping to secure her re-entry into the Wardrobe Service. They insisted they were merely messengers, delivering what they believed to be an ordinary skirt. Initially, Li Shimin, enraged, ordered the execution of both Minister Lin and Zhuo Jinniang.

However, Consort Yang, recovering from her injury, pleaded for their lives, arguing that their deaths would only fuel rumors about her ambitions and cause further turmoil in the court. Li Shimin relented, commuting their sentences. Instead, he ordered them to cooperate with the Highest Judiciary to arrest An, whom he now considered a manipulative instigator of discord. Zhuo Jinniang, accompanied by Highest Judiciary guards, descended upon An’s residence.

She publicly accused An of illicitly colluding with harem concubines and disrupting the imperial court. An courageously confronted Zhuo Jinniang, exposing her false accusations and treachery. Witnessing the unfolding crisis, Kudi Yanzhong and Cao quickly produced the Letter of Divorce, presenting it to the officers as proof of their separation from An. The guards immediately arrested An. Unsatisfied, Zhuo Jinniang frantically searched An’s room for the golden stitch but found nothing. Kudi Yanzhong genuinely knew nothing of its whereabouts.

Under the threat of torture from the Highest Judiciary, Cao reluctantly revealed that the golden stitch was likely with Kudi Liuli. Zhuo Jinniang forced Cao to disclose Liuli's current location and led the guards to the Wu Mansion. Simultaneously, Pei Xingjian, having arranged his lodging for the imperial examinations, was about to bid farewell to the Wu Mansion. Cairen Wu, alerted to the approaching danger, urgently pleaded with Pei Xingjian to help Kudi Liuli escape through the back exit.

As the Highest Judiciary guards stormed the mansion to search, Cairen Wu valiantly stalled them. A guard soon discovered fresh hoof prints near the back gate, indicating a hasty departure. Pei Xingjian quickly concealed Kudi Liuli inside a large book box and galloped away. Zhuo Jinniang and the guards relentlessly pursued them. Realizing she was endangering Pei Xingjian, Kudi Liuli secretly placed her mother's invaluable golden stitch and garment-making notes into his book box.

Then, with a brave and determined heart, she pulled out a small dagger, cut the horse's reins, and intentionally fell from the horse. This selfless act allowed Pei Xingjian to escape with the precious items. Seeing the guards closing in on Liuli, Pei Xingjian was forced to continue his escape alone. Cao, present with Zhuo Jinniang, immediately recognized Kudi Liuli. Despite a thorough search, Zhuo Jinniang again failed to find the golden stitch on Liuli and, in a fit of anger, ordered Kudi Liuli to be imprisoned.

Episode 3 Recap

Pei Xingjian, who was masked, managed to elude the Highest Judiciary officers sent by Zhuo Jinniang. An officer reported the failed pursuit to Zhuo Jinniang, who decided to abandon the chase. She reasoned that she only sought the golden needle and did not wish to offend the powerful Wu family, whose daughter, Cairen Wu, was newly ennobled and soon to enter the palace. Emperor Li Shimin also desired to downplay the ceremonial robe case, placing blame solely on An.

Zhuo Jinniang concluded that since An had been apprehended on the street, there was no need to involve the Wu Mansion further. Meanwhile, Kudi Liuli was incarcerated in the Highest Judiciary prison. Cao recognized Kudi Liuli as An's daughter, confirming Zhuo Jinniang's capture of both mother and daughter. Zhuo Jinniang pressed An to surrender the golden needle and her tailoring secrets, offering Kudi Liuli's life in exchange. An, heartbroken by her unconscious daughter's plight, vehemently refused.

She reminded Zhuo Jinniang of her oath not to involve innocent people or Kudi Liuli, condemning Zhuo Jinniang's ruthlessness and predicting her retribution. Unmoved, Zhuo Jinniang, driven by her ambition to become the head of the Wardrobe Service, gave An two hours to reconsider, making it clear that An had no choice but to beg.

In a desperate bid to save Kudi Liuli, An covertly offered a golden hairpin to a jailer, pleading with him to summon Sun Decheng from the Mortuary to arrange a proper funeral for them, hoping for a better next life. The jailer, accepting the hairpin, agreed to fetch Sun Decheng. Back at his residence, Pei Xingjian discovered the golden needle and a handkerchief Kudi Liuli had hidden in his book box.

He recognized the handkerchief as hers and realized her earlier fortune-telling attempt had been related to their current predicament. He marveled at her cleverness and composure, praying for her safe escape and hoping she would one day return to retrieve the golden needle. At the prison, Sun Decheng arrived in An's cell. An tearfully entrusted her posthumous arrangements to him, asking for good coffins and grave goods for her and her daughter.

Sun Decheng assured her he would comply, stating that the Mortuary upheld strict rules. When the jailer asked Sun to also take a recently deceased prisoner from a nearby cell, Sun Decheng, feigning adherence to Mortuary protocol, claimed the prisoner was "not completely dead yet" and that his department would not touch anyone still breathing, promising his apprentices would collect the body in an hour.

This cunning delay was a crucial part of his plan to save An and Kudi Liuli. Kudi Liuli slowly regained consciousness, scared and disoriented. An gently calmed her, urgently delivering her final instructions. She assured Liuli that Sun Decheng, despite his stern exterior, was a kind man who would save her, and that Liuli must obey him implicitly. An implored her daughter to be brave and strong, to endure all hardships, and to live well.

She instructed Liuli to leave the palace and live freely when she turned eighteen, with Sun Decheng's help. An also stressed that Liuli must never seek revenge for her, as her sole wish was for Liuli to grow up safely, happily, and freely. Kudi Liuli, distressed by these poignant words, clung to her mother, wishing only to remain with her. An then gave Kudi Liuli a fake-death pill, assuring her it would secure their survival.

Kudi Liuli swallowed the pill and lay down. An then informed Shun that she would simulate her death by hanging, emphasizing that she needed to remain suspended longer for the act to appear convincing. Shun, terrified, soon alerted the jailers, announcing that a prisoner had committed suicide. The jailers, upon seeing An hanging and Kudi Liuli seemingly lifeless, concluded that An had strangled her daughter before taking her own life.

They then instructed Shun to transport both bodies to the Mortuary, as they were no longer their responsibility. Upon learning of An and Kudi Liuli's alleged suicides, Zhuo Jinniang and Minister Lin hurried to the Mortuary to confirm the deaths. While Minister Lin was ready to accept the apparent suicide, Zhuo Jinniang, suspicious of a fake-death medicine that could allow revival, insisted on cremating the bodies to eliminate any possibility of Kudi Liuli or An returning.

Sun Decheng vehemently opposed this, citing the Mortuary's strict burial traditions. However, Zhuo Jinniang asserted her authority, reminding him that the Wardrobe Service, assisting the Highest Judiciary, was his superior, and he had no choice but to obey. Sun Decheng then realized Zhuo Jinniang's true motive: she had searched An and Liuli in prison and not found the golden needle, suspecting it was hidden within their bodies.

She intended to cremate them to retrieve the "true gold that fears no fire" for herself, abusing her power for personal gain. Zhuo Jinniang, wanting to eliminate all threats and claim the needle, ordered Kudi Liuli's body to be cast onto the pyre alongside her mother's. Just as the fire was lit, a messenger from Chamberlain Gao arrived, abruptly halting the cremation.

He announced that it was Cairen Wu's auspicious day to enter the palace, and all funeral activities and any form of "defilement" were strictly forbidden. Minister Lin seized the opportunity to persuade Zhuo Jinniang to back down, arguing that if the golden needle wasn't in An, it was highly improbable it would be in Kudi Liuli, as no mother would inflict such suffering on her own daughter. Kudi Liuli's life was thus spared.

Sun Decheng and Shun immediately rescued her from the brink of the fire and administered the antidote. Emperor Li Shimin warmly received Wu Yuanhua, who was dressed in the auspicious red garment adorned with a vibrant peach blossom embroidery. He praised her beauty and the unique, tasteful embroidery, renaming her "Meiniang," which she gratefully accepted. Back at the Mortuary, Kudi Liuli slowly revived. Sun Decheng, relieved, gave her water and comforted her.

He gently informed her of her mother's death, sending Kudi Liuli into profound grief. Sun Decheng urged her to control her sorrow, reminding her that she was still in danger and her survival depended on secrecy. He encouraged her to be strong, recalling An's last wish for her to live.

He formally adopted her as his apprentice and renamed her "Xiaodouzi," instructing her to abandon her female identity, her lineage as An's daughter, and her name Liuli, to survive the treacherous palace. Sun Decheng then handed Kudi Liuli a sachet containing her mother's will.

The letter confirmed An's sacrifice, urged Liuli to live well without seeking revenge, to trust Sun Decheng as her foster father, and to leave the palace at eighteen to live a peaceful, free life away from Chang'an. Heartbroken but resolute, Kudi Liuli embraced her new identity. From that day forward, Kudi Liuli remained in the Mortuary, disguised as Physician Dou, while Zhuo Jinniang quickly ascended to become the Head of the Wardrobe Service. Eleven years later, Cairen Di passed away.

Cairen Wu, now known as Meiniang, attended the funeral, bringing a new dress for Cairen Di as a final gesture of sisterly affection in the palace's often indifferent environment. She was deeply impressed by the exquisite fine clothes Cairen Di was wearing. Inquiring about their origin, Sun Decheng's apprentice, Shun, eagerly revealed that they were Physician Dou's work, even claiming his skills surpassed the Wardrobe Service.

Sun Decheng tried to hush Shun, but Cairen Wu was curious how a physician came to be skilled in embroidery. Sun Decheng explained that Physician Dou was responsible for disinfection in the Mortuary, a necessary but often avoided task by prestigious imperial doctors, leading the Mortuary to train its own physicians. He tried to downplay Physician Dou's exceptional tailoring, attributing it to his dexterity and willingness to help mend clothes for others in the maid-less Mortuary.

Cairen Wu, however, was more impressed by the compassion behind the act than the skill itself, noting the rarity of such benevolent hearts in the palace. She expressed her desire to meet Physician Dou to thank him in person on Cairen Di's behalf. Sun Decheng went to the Mortuary to find Kudi Liuli, who was playing a prank on Shun by hiding in a coffin and pretending to be a ghost.

Shun, terrified, fled and later wailingly reported a ghost to Sun Decheng. Sun Decheng found Kudi Liuli, scolding her for her mischievousness and for disregarding his warnings to hide her tailoring talent. Kudi Liuli admitted she simply felt pity for Cairen Di. Sun Decheng then took her to meet Cairen Wu. Cairen Wu found "Physician Dou's" face familiar but couldn't recall where they had met.

Kudi Liuli, recognizing Cairen Wu as Wu Yuanhua, her savior from years ago, was about to reveal herself but was subtly stopped by Sun Decheng, who reminded her of her place. Sun Decheng apologized for his foster son's lack of manners. Cairen Wu inquired why Physician Dou made Cairen Di's dress if they didn't know each other.

Kudi Liuli explained that she was moved by the loyalty of Cairen Di's servants and couldn't bear to see her buried in old clothes, so she made a new one out of respect. Cairen Wu was deeply touched by this kindness and offered her help should Physician Dou ever face difficulties in the palace. Afterward, Sun Decheng sternly warned Kudi Liuli about the grave danger of almost revealing her identity.

Kudi Liuli argued that Cairen Wu, her "Sister Wu," was a good person who had saved her and wouldn't harm her, believing that reuniting with Cairen Wu could help her find the masked man who had rescued her from the Wu Mansion and ultimately recover her mother's golden needle.

Sun Decheng cautioned her that people change, and the palace was a dangerous place where revealing one's true identity—her biggest weakness—could bring mortal danger not only to herself but also to all who had helped her, including Cairen Wu. Kudi Liuli understood and apologized for her impulsiveness. While overseeing her embroiderers and teaching them the art of "The Ink for Women," Zhuo Jinniang noticed Deng Qiniang with an exquisitely embroidered pouch.

She immediately recognized the unique, long-lost embroidery technique, identifying it as the signature style of her late master, An, the "best embroiderer under heaven." Zhuo Jinniang pressed Deng Qiniang about the pouch's origin, sternly reminding her of An's past crime of treason and the severe consequences of being associated with it.

A terrified Deng Qiniang confessed that she had found the pouch a few days earlier near the Mortuary after accidentally bumping into a young physician who was in a hurry. She suspected he dropped it. Zhuo Jinniang then commanded Deng Qiniang to find this physician to ascertain if the pouch belonged to him, which would absolve Deng Qiniang of any blame.

Kudi Liuli, now known as Physician Dou, was looking for her lost pouch when she encountered Deng Qiniang, who was holding it. Deng Qiniang immediately questioned Kudi Liuli about the pouch's origin, explaining that its unique embroidery technique was believed lost after An's death, and that Master Zhuo had identified it as An's work. Deng Qiniang warned that Kudi Liuli wouldn't get the pouch back without revealing its source.

Episode 4 Recap

Deng Qiniang confronted Kudi Liuli, revealing she was inquiring about the sachet's origin on behalf of Zhuo Jinniang. Deng Qiniang explained that the intricate embroidery was a lost technique, one that even Master Zhuo, An's only apprentice, could not replicate. Kudi Liuli claimed she had purchased the sachet from Shun at the Mortuary.

She then asked Deng Qiniang why Zhuo Jinniang was so interested, learning that Zhuo Jinniang was An’s only apprentice and naturally sought to understand the origin of a sachet embroidered by An. Overjoyed by the news that her mother had an apprentice in the palace, Kudi Liuli rushed to Sun Decheng, eager to uncover the truth about her mother’s death.

Sun Decheng sternly cautioned Kudi Liuli against approaching Zhuo Jinniang or revealing her true identity, warning that doing so could endanger many people, including Zhuo Jinniang herself, who would have been implicated if she knew the truth about An’s death. Kudi Liuli understood and agreed to remain hidden. Realizing that Zhuo Jinniang would likely investigate further, Sun Decheng and Kudi Liuli devised a plan to mislead her. Zhuo Jinniang summoned Shun to her, pressing him about the sachet.

Shun, adhering to Sun Decheng's instructions, claimed he bought it from a nomadic Hu merchant in the West Market and showed Zhuo Jinniang several other sachets he had acquired. Zhuo Jinniang, noting the distinctive needlework reminiscent of An's style, immediately dispatched Deng Qiniang to search every stall and shop in the West Market to find the merchant. The extensive search, however, yielded no results. Still suspicious, Zhuo Jinniang summoned Kudi Liuli and Shun.

She questioned Kudi Liuli’s deep attachment to the sachet, to which Kudi Liuli feigned concern for the money she claimed was inside. Zhuo Jinniang persisted in demanding the sachet's true origin, but Shun steadfastly maintained his story about buying it from a Hu merchant whose whereabouts were uncertain due to his transient nature. Shun even offered the remaining sachets he had. At this critical moment, Cairen Wu arrived at the Wardrobe Service for a fitting for her "Flower dress."

Overhearing the commotion, she inquired about the special sachet that had caused such a stir. Deng Qiniang presented the sachet, explaining its unique, lost embroidery technique, which even Zhuo Jinniang couldn't replicate, prompting Zhuo Jinniang's investigation. Cairen Wu mentioned that she, too, had a similar sachet. Cairen Wu cleverly intervened, claiming her younger sister had also bought a similar sachet from a Hu merchant in the West Market, offering to procure more for Zhuo Jinniang.

This fabricated story temporarily appeased Zhuo Jinniang, who, expressing her admiration for the embroidery, concluded her interrogation. After Zhuo Jinniang left, Cairen Wu confronted Kudi Liuli directly, revealing she knew Kudi Liuli had made the sachets Shun sold. Cairen Wu pointed out discrepancies between Kudi Liuli’s mother's old sachet, which Kudi Liuli still carried, and the new ones made with palace fabric.

Cairen Wu advised Kudi Liuli to quickly make new batches of sachets using a mix of ordinary and old fabrics, instructing her to send one to her, anticipating Zhuo Jinniang would soon visit to verify her story. Shun was greatly impressed by Cairen Wu's astute observations and quick thinking. Meanwhile, at an inn for examinees, Pei Xingjian, slightly tipsy, encountered a challenging couplet displayed in the hall.

It was set by Crown Prince Li Zhi, inviting Chang'an's talents to provide a matching lower line within two days, threatening to tarnish the inn's reputation if none could.

Pei Xingjian quickly penned an acrostic poem that not only contained a sharp critique of the Imperial Examination but also cleverly integrated both the upper line ("Fog veils the mountaintop and mountain veils the fog") and its ingenious lower line ("Wine soaks the saddened and sadness soaks the wine") within its verses. Two days later, Crown Prince Li Zhi, visiting incognito, was highly impressed by Pei Xingjian's literary prowess and calligraphy.

He ordered his attendant, Sheng, to invite Pei Xingjian for a meeting. Kudi Liuli swiftly crafted the new sachets and delivered one to Cairen Wu. Just as Cairen Wu predicted, Zhuo Jinniang arrived shortly after. Cairen Wu showed Zhuo Jinniang the new sachet, which, with its ordinary fabric, appeared to support the story of it being from a common Hu merchant. Satisfied, Zhuo Jinniang's doubts were finally laid to rest.

Cairen Wu discreetly had a palace maid escort Kudi Liuli out through a side door. Kudi Liuli thanked Cairen Wu for her help, promising to one day reveal her full story. Cairen Wu responded that she only helped because of Kudi Liuli's kind heart, considering it a repayment for Kudi Liuli having made Cairen Di's beautiful ceremonial robe.

After returning to the Wardrobe Service, Zhuo Jinniang and Deng Qiniang overheard a servant from Cairen Di's household praise Physician Douzi from the Mortuary for making Cairen Di's exquisite burial robe, criticizing the Wardrobe Service's skills and ethics. This revelation, coupled with Kudi Liuli's suspicious sachets, reignited Zhuo Jinniang's suspicions. She realized that Kudi Liuli, originally found with An's sachet, was also a skilled dressmaker. Convinced it was no coincidence, Zhuo Jinniang hurried to the imperial archives.

She discovered Kudi Liuli, listed as "Physician Douzi," had entered the palace at age seven, with no record of her parents, having been found as an orphan by Sun Decheng during an outing. This information intensified Zhuo Jinniang's suspicions about Kudi Liuli's true identity. Around this time, Chamberlain Liu tried to assign Wei Lin to the Mortuary, but Sun Decheng rebuffed him, citing Wei Lin's dishonesty.

Zhuo Jinniang then approached Sun Decheng, requesting Kudi Liuli be transferred to the Wardrobe Service, praising her talent. Sun Decheng vehemently refused, asserting Kudi Liuli was his adopted son and indispensable to the Mortuary. With Kudi Liuli's eighteenth birthday approaching—the age her mother An had intended for her to leave the palace—Sun Decheng secretly began making plans.

He cooked longevity noodles for Kudi Liuli, shared his concerns about her inability to hide her talents, and even feigned a complaint to the Imperial Hospital, accusing Kudi Liuli of being unruly, hoping they would expel her from the palace. Kudi Liuli, however, was reluctant to leave Sun Decheng. Suddenly, a notice arrived from the Chamberlain Institute, ordering Kudi Liuli's transfer to the Wardrobe Service.

Terrified, Sun Decheng devised a desperate plan: he instructed Shun to prepare a coffin, which they secretly modified with air holes, to smuggle Kudi Liuli out. Wei Lin, passing by and noticing their furtive actions, mistakenly assumed they were illicitly moving palace goods and approached to investigate. Kudi Liuli feigned drunkenness, allowing Shun to distract and dismiss the other eunuchs.

Sun Decheng quickly placed Kudi Liuli in the coffin, giving her three parcels: one containing her mother An's belongings, and two others filled with Sun Decheng's and Shun's savings for her future. He reiterated strict instructions to remain still inside the coffin until he called for her. Meanwhile, Pei Xingjian arrived at the Drunken Fragrance Tower for his meeting.

However, Crown Prince Li Zhi sent his guard, Huantian, to apologize for his absence due to his father's illness and strict household rules. Pei Xingjian, discerning Huantian's impressive martial arts skills through a shared drink, pressed for his master's identity and whereabouts. Huantian remained evasive, only revealing his master's noble background. Unsatisfied, Pei Xingjian secretly followed Huantian to uncover the truth. Sun Decheng and Shun covertly transported the coffin out of the palace in a carriage.

At the palace gate, they were intercepted by Chamberlain Pan Qinhai, who, acting on an anonymous tip, arrested Shun for privately selling palace items. Inside the coffin, Kudi Liuli, hearing Shun's cries, began to shout, unwilling to let him take the blame alone. Sun Decheng, fearing her exposure, quickly knocked her unconscious and drove the carriage through the gate, managing to deceive Wei Lin, who bought Sun Decheng's lie about transporting a plague victim.

During the chaotic escape, Huantian, still being trailed by Pei Xingjian, fired a hidden weapon at Sun Decheng's horse, causing it to bolt. The coffin was flung from the carriage, and Kudi Liuli was thrown out. Sun Decheng hastily pulled her away to safety. From a rooftop, Pei Xingjian witnessed the dramatic event and, upon descending, picked up a lost parcel that had fallen from the coffin. Kudi Liuli, regaining consciousness, insisted on returning to the palace to save Shun.

Sun Decheng vehemently forbade her, explaining that her return would only implicate more people connected to her true identity. He promised to use all his resources, including bribing the notoriously greedy Vice Chief Pan Qinhai, to rescue Shun, noting that the offense was not severe. Kudi Liuli tearfully knelt, vowing to honor and care for Sun Decheng in the future.

Sun Decheng urged her to leave Chang'an immediately and head towards the West State, instructing her to leave a mark outside the city gate to assure him of her safe passage. Kudi Liuli, remembering her mother's dying wish for her to live a peaceful, free life without seeking revenge, bid a tearful farewell to Sun Decheng. As Kudi Liuli ventured through Chang'an, she admired a beautiful woman's dress in a clothing store.

Reaching for her money, she discovered her parcel was missing. With no other funds, she offered her only valuable possession, a jade pendant, to the shopkeeper, who, taking a slight loss, accepted it in exchange for the dress. Dressed in feminine attire for the first time in years, Kudi Liuli instantly caught the attention of many men, unnerving her and causing her to try and blend in. Unbeknownst to her, the missing parcel was now in the possession of Pei Xingjian, who had picked it up after the carriage accident.

Episode 5 Recap

Kudi Liuli, appearing as a woman for the first time in eleven years, walked through the bustling streets of Chang'an, overwhelmed by the vibrant city's sights and sounds. She noticed a public notice on a pillar, stating that a lost package was being held by Pei Xingjian at the School of the Four Gates.

Seeking directions, she asked a flower vendor, who instructed her to walk straight through Chonghua Ward, past the West Market and the Ruyi Dyeing Shop, before turning east at the next intersection. The names Chonghua Ward and Ruyi Dyeing Shop resonated deeply within her. Unconsciously, Kudi Liuli found herself standing before the old Kudi family residence in Chonghua Ward. She thought about how eleven years had passed and wondered if her grandfather, Kudi Yenzhong, was well.

Kudi Yenzhong, upon seeing her, immediately recognized her but was visibly frightened. He spoke to her, urging her not to acknowledge him. He claimed she had mistaken him for someone else and advised her against seeking a reunion, stating that peace was a blessing and forcing the issue would only harm herself and others. Kudi Liuli, understanding the implications of revealing her identity, replied that after her mother's death, she had no relatives left and would not disturb unrelated people.

Just then, Shanhu, Kudi Yenzhong's wife, returned home and, unaware of Kudi Liuli's true identity, rudely dismissed her from their doorstep, accepting Kudi Yenzhong's quick lie that she was merely asking for directions. With a heavy heart, Kudi Liuli tearfully departed, feeling like an orphan with no true home. As she wandered, Kudi Liuli was overcome by a vivid hallucination of her mother, who promised to make her favorite osmanthus cake.

Regaining her composure, she followed her memories to the Ruyi Dyeing Shop. Inside, she immediately recognized a unique piece of fabric that her mother had woven. The shop owner, An Silang, who was her uncle, came out to greet her. He noted her "barbarian" features and was struck by her resemblance to his late sister. Kudi Liuli, recalling her grandfather's fear of implication, skillfully deflected his growing suspicion.

She praised the fabric as a rare gem, exquisitely crafted and practical, and attributed it to the legendary Master An, the "best embroiderer under heaven," who she claimed had a long history with the shop. Touched that someone still remembered his sister after eleven years, An Silang invited Kudi Liuli into the inner courtyard to see more of his sister's original designs. Stepping into the familiar courtyard, Kudi Liuli was flooded with poignant memories of her childhood.

She recalled her mother promising to embroider a wedding dress for her when she grew as tall as she was. Seeing the red lines marking her height on a pillar from years past, Kudi Liuli added a new mark, tears streaming down her face as she silently lamented, "Mom, you promised to embroider the wedding dress for me. Mom, why did you break your promise?" The embroiderer Ni, noticing Kudi Liuli's distress, asked what was wrong.

Fearing her identity would be exposed, Kudi Liuli quickly composed herself, claiming a sudden family emergency and promising to return another day. Ni, however, had already connected Kudi Liuli's tears and resemblance to Master An. She reported her suspicions to An Silang, who rushed out, calling "Liuli!" Kudi Liuli turned, and the two embraced in a tearful reunion. An Silang was overjoyed, noting how she had grown taller than her mother.

He insisted she come home, expressing deep regret for sending her to the Wu Mansion years ago, which had caused her so much suffering. Kudi Liuli, still cautious, agreed but made him promise not to reveal her true identity to anyone else. Back at the shop, Kudi Liuli recounted her difficult eleven years, crediting Weng and Shun for protecting and caring for her.

She then expressed her desire to travel to West State, her mother's hometown and a place her mother described as the most comfortable in the world. An Silang, concerned for her safety on such a perilous journey without an official passport, suggested she wait a month or two while he organized a caravan to escort her. In the meantime, he proposed she adopt the alias "Yuer" and work as a painter in his shop, living with Ni.

Ni, who greatly admired Master An, eagerly welcomed "Yuer," considering it a blessing to live and work with her. Kudi Liuli gladly accepted. In a private meeting, Li Zhi, disguised as "Ninth Master," met with Pei Xingjian. Li Zhi began by praising Pei Xingjian's poetic talent, especially the ingenious hidden message within his poem.

However, Li Zhi soon grew serious, confronting Pei Xingjian about his long poem satirizing the Tang imperial examination system, which he had openly displayed at the Drunken Fragrance Tower. Li Zhi warned him of potential official repercussions and asked if he feared punishment. Unperturbed, Pei Xingjian asserted that he wrote the poem precisely to provoke public discussion and involve the authorities, believing it would ultimately accelerate reform. He stated, "If the government intervenes, more people will pay attention.

In this way, the reform of the imperial examination can be promoted. If so, I would love it. Why should I be afraid?" He then elaborated on the system's flaws: the lack of anonymity in exams leading to bias influenced by candidates' reputations and family power, and the monopoly of elite families over universities. He proposed solutions such as concealing names on exam papers.

He also highlighted the disparity between the "Ming Classics" (Mingjing) examination, which merely required rote memorization, and the "Jinshi" examination, which tested talent and effort through poetry and political essays, advocating for the latter to be prioritized in reforms. Li Zhi, impressed, exclaimed "Good!" and proposed they drink heartily, "When drinking with a bosom friend, a thousand cups will still be too little. Today I will drink with you. No drunk, no home."

A pressing family emergency forced Li Zhi to cut short his meeting with Pei Xingjian, though he promised to resume their discussions in five days. Meanwhile, at the Wardrobe Service, Zhuo Jinniang fumed over Xiaodouzi's absence, two days past his reporting date. She sent Deng Qiniang to the Mortuary to investigate. Deng Qiniang returned with news that Xiaodouzi had fallen ill, argued with Sun Decheng, got drunk, and disappeared.

Sun Decheng and the Mortuary staff believed he had gone to the Wardrobe Service, while Zhuo Jinniang suspected Sun Decheng was deliberately withholding him. Sun Decheng, having successfully orchestrated Kudi Liuli's escape, inwardly vowed to stall for time, praying to Master An's spirit to bless Liuli with a safe, happy life away from the palace and to protect her from following her mother's tragic path.

The palace was in turmoil as Emperor Li Shimin's health rapidly declined, culminating in him coughing blood. Concubines and Cairen Wu gathered outside the Buddhist Hall, anxiously awaiting news. Chamberlain Gao informed them that the Emperor had been experiencing chest pain for days but forbade anyone to speak of it. The Crown Prince, Li Zhi, had been by his father's side constantly, and now Doctor Zong was treating His Majesty.

Prince Cao, Li Ming, arrived and questioned Chamberlain Gao about the palace rule stating that concubines without heirs would be sent to Ganye Temple after the Emperor's death, hinting that "man can conquer nature." Inside, Li Shimin, feigning strength, assured his concubines he was fine and merely did not wish to worry them. Li Ming then formally requested to stay and attend to the Emperor, offering to relieve the Crown Prince.

His mother, Cairen Wu, supported his plea, expressing concern for Li Zhi's overwork. However, Li Ming corrected her, stating his true concern was for the Emperor's safety. Li Zhi, puzzled by his brother's words, then looked on as the scene ended.

Episode 6 Recap

Cairen Wu learned of the long-standing palace rule that any concubine who had not borne children would be sent to Ganye Temple after the emperor's passing. Upon confirming with Chamberlain Gao that no exceptions had ever been made, Cairen Wu expressed her belief that human will could overcome fate, vowing to change this strict decree. Prince Cao Li Ming then requested permission to stay and attend to Emperor Li Shimin's illness in place of the Crown Prince Li Zhi.

He claimed concern for the Emperor's well-being, pointing out that Li Shimin was taking elixirs daily for longevity, which Taoist priests warned should not be tainted by alcohol. Prince Cao accused Li Zhi of frequently indulging in drinking with scholars and visiting places like the Drunken Fragrance Tower, contrasting this with his own year of abstinence. Annoyed by the bickering, Emperor Li Shimin dismissed both princes, stating that his beloved Consort Yang was enough company.

Kudi Liuli and her uncle, Silang, visited the Great Ci'en Temple, a site that brought back vivid childhood memories for Liuli. Silang explained that the temple, originally a smaller shrine, was rebuilt by the Crown Prince in memory of Empress Wende and was now a bustling hub, presided over by Master Xuanzang. While Silang went to visit the master, Liuli wandered off. There, Pei Xingjian encountered Prince Hedong Pei Ruzhuo.

Seeing Liuli sketching, Pei Ruzhuo made a snide remark about "Hu women" visiting temples instead of the West Market. Liuli quickly retaliated, questioning why a scholar would concern himself with women's trivialities instead of public welfare. This led to a sharp exchange, with Pei Ruzhuo’s attendant insulting Liuli by calling her a "lowly Hu person." Liuli, however, stood her ground, asserting her identity and challenging their understanding of the temple's origins.

Pei Xingjian watched the scene unfold with an almost imperceptible smile. Following the confrontation, Pei Ruzhuo secretly ordered his servants to investigate Liuli’s identity. Meanwhile, Liuli found herself in a familiar shrine, where she first prayed to Buddha for the safety of her grandpa, Sun Decheng, and Shun, fearing they might be implicated because of her. Later, a woman approached her, revealing that this particular Bodhisattva was especially potent for blessing elders.

Trusting the woman's advice, Liuli offered a prayer for her father, Kudi Yenzhong of Chonghuafang, wishing him health and a long, peaceful life. Unbeknownst to Liuli, this woman was one of Pei Ruzhuo’s agents, and Pei Xingjian observed the entire information-gathering process from a discreet distance. Separately, Crown Prince Li Zhi and Prince Cao Li Ming engaged in a heated debate concerning imperial examination reforms.

Li Zhi, concerned about the prevalent nepotism in the academies and the quality of officials, argued that reform was critical for selecting true talent. Prince Cao, however, held a conservative view, insisting that upholding the privileges of the imperial relatives and nobility was essential for maintaining the stability of the Li dynasty. Prince Cao further challenged Li Zhi’s standing, suggesting that Li Zhi’s position as Crown Prince was merely a birthright rather than a testament to his capabilities.

Silang arranged for Ni to take Kudi Liuli to the old An family residence. Stepping inside, Liuli was overwhelmed by a rush of childhood memories. After settling in, she confessed to Ni that she was penniless and asked to borrow some money, promising to repay her the next day once she retrieved a package that had been "picked up" by someone from the School of the Four Gates. The next morning, Liuli arrived at the School of the Four Gates.

She recognized Pei Xingjian, who was with Pei Ruzhuo at the temple, and, fearing he would cause trouble, initially tried to hide. However, as Pei Xingjian prepared to leave with her package, she donned a mask and confronted him. Liuli concocted a story, claiming the package contained the relics of her deceased cousin, a palace servant, which were lost when his coffin carriage overturned in the market.

To verify her claim, she precisely described three smaller colored parcels within the main one. Pei Xingjian confirmed her description and returned the package, leading Liuli to praise his integrity and noble character profusely. Liuli's joy was short-lived. On her way home, she accidentally dropped the package, only to discover it was filled with worthless tree branches and stones. Furious, she immediately stormed back to the School of the Four Gates.

Xue Xu, Pei Xingjian’s rival and superior, seized the opportunity to undermine him by publicly supporting Liuli and bringing her directly to Pei Xingjian. Liuli vehemently accused Pei Xingjian of theft and switching the contents of her package. Pei Xingjian denied the accusations, calling her a liar and threatening to report her to the authorities. As Xue Xu continued to encourage Liuli's tirade, Pei Xingjian, losing his temper, struck an acupoint on Liuli, rendering her mute.

He then carried her to an uninhabited house, instructing her to reflect on her actions for three hours until the acupoint would naturally release. As Pei Xingjian prepared to leave, Liuli, as her voice returned, cursed him furiously, comparing him to Pei Ruzhuo. Pei Xingjian then pulled off his mask, recognizing her as the "Hu woman" from the Great Ci'en Temple.

He warned her to be careful of Prince Hedong Pei Ruzhuo, revealing that the Prince had already investigated her identity and would soon come to make trouble. With that, Pei Xingjian departed, leaving Liuli to reflect on her predicament. Elsewhere, Zhuo Jinniang, realizing Xiaodouzi had not reported to the Wardrobe Service, sent Deng Qiniang to investigate. Deng Qiniang discovered that Xiaodouzi had fallen gravely ill and disappeared, which led Zhuo Jinniang to suspect Sun Decheng of foul play.

Meanwhile, Chamberlain Pan, known for his avarice, had ordered a thorough search of Shun’s room following a secret report of Shun’s alleged wealth from smuggling palace goods. However, the search yielded no hidden money. Crown Prince Li Zhi worked through the night to finalize Pei Xingjian's proposals for imperial examination reform. Despite his attendant's warnings about the Emperor's current irritable state and the potential political backlash from Prince Cao Li Ming, Li Zhi remained resolute.

He believed that, as Crown Prince, he had a duty to implement such a valuable solution for the empire and would not be swayed by personal considerations or fear of obstruction. Back at the old house, Kudi Liuli expressed her burning anger and determination to reclaim her mother's belongings from Pei Xingjian, emphasizing that they represented her entire life's savings and contained her mother's precious items, including a gold needle she had already lost.

Ni, however, advised caution, reminding Liuli of Pei Xingjian's power as an official. She suggested that rather than acting impulsively, they should devise a "perfect plan" to confront him and retrieve her mother's possessions. Ni also shared that the annual Hu Merchants Conference was approaching, and she had meticulously crafted a "Flower cage skirt" to win first place for Ruyi Dyeing Shop. Liuli inquired about the significance of this. Ni explained that the conference winner earned a year's worth of Hu merchant orders and industry recognition.

Episode 7 Recap

The annual Hu Merchants Conference, a grand event where the winner secures a year's worth of orders and earns the esteemed title of industry leader, was fast approaching. Ni was determined for Ruyi Dyeing Shop to compete, not just for the orders, but to clear its name. She explained that after the passing of her mother, An, Cao's brother opened Cao Dyeing Shop nearby.

They brazenly claimed to be An's successors, promoting themselves with the title "An's greatest stitch in the world." This deceit had not only attracted new customers but also stolen many of Ruyi Dyeing Shop's loyal patrons. Ni's maternal uncle, An Silang, was deeply distressed by this, recalling how Cao had betrayed An in the past and was now profiting from her reputation. Ni vowed to defeat Cao Dyeing Shop at the conference, seeking justice for An and Ruyi Dyeing Shop.

Meanwhile, Kudi Yenzhong and Cao had other ambitions for Shanhu. Hearing that Commandant Pei Yan was seeking a concubine, they aimed to marry Shanhu into the influential family. Kudi Yenzhong's sister, Kudi Wuniang, was consulted. Wuniang revealed that Pei Yan's legitimate wife, Madam Cui, had initiated the search for a concubine herself because she had been unable to bear children after three years of marriage, despite Pei Yan's kindness.

Wuniang praised Pei Yan as a promising, good-looking, and high-ranking official whose concubine would enjoy a life similar to a legitimate wife, especially if she bore the first son. To secure this advantageous match, Wuniang advised Shanhu to attend the upcoming flower fight banquet at the Commandant's Mansion, where other noble young ladies would be present to meet Pei Yan. Wuniang arranged for a carriage and prized peonies for Shanhu but stressed the importance of Shanhu's attire and demeanor.

Cao assured Wuniang that Shanhu would be impeccably dressed to impress. In the palace, Cairen Wu was consumed by worry as Emperor Li Shimin's health deteriorated. Palace maids gossiped about childless concubines being exiled to Ganye Temple after an emperor's death, causing Cairen Wu immense anxiety about her own future. While walking alone in the imperial garden, she spotted a fledgling bird that had fallen from its nest.

Empathizing with its vulnerability and thinking of her own uncertain fate, she tried to return it but found the tree too tall. Prince Li Zhi happened upon the scene and instructed his attendant to help. When the attendant struggled, Li Zhi, dismissing the idea that human scent would cause the bird's parents to abandon it, climbed the tree himself. In the process, a memorial he carried fell to the ground.

Cairen Wu picked it up, revealing it to be a proposal for reforming the imperial examination system. Observing Li Zhi's scratched hand, Cairen Wu gently bandaged it and advised him against pressing the ailing Emperor with state affairs, suggesting he prioritize filial piety instead. Li Zhi expressed his gratitude for her counsel. Later, in a court assembly, a frail Li Shimin met his officials. Li Zhi seized the opportunity to present his imperial examination reform proposal.

He argued that the current system fostered bookish scholars unfit for governance and that the imperial academies disproportionately admitted royalty and nobles, leading to factionalism and corruption. An official interjected, urging patience and reminding Li Zhi of the Emperor's need for rest. Li Shimin, visibly irritated, agreed, perceiving Li Zhi's actions as "impatient." Prince Li Ming then subtly undermined Li Zhi by declaring his sole focus was the Emperor's well-being, disavowing any interest in political affairs.

This pleased Li Shimin, leaving Li Zhi regretting his earlier decision not to heed Cairen Wu's advice. Meanwhile, Zhuo Jinniang, accompanied by Deng Qiniang, went to the Mortuary in search of Xiaodouzi. They learned that Sun Decheng was away, preoccupied with rescuing Shun from prison. After Deng Qiniang's thorough search yielded no sign of Xiaodouzi, Zhuo Jinniang left in a huff. Wei Lin, a Mortuary subordinate, discreetly followed Zhuo Jinniang and informed her that Xiaodouzi's disappearance was suspicious.

He explained that Xiaodouzi was Sun Decheng's favored adopted son, yet Sun Decheng had recently threatened to expel him from the palace. Wei Lin observed that while everyone else in the Mortuary was frantic about Xiaodouzi's absence, Sun Decheng remained singularly focused on Shun. Wei Lin suspected Sun Decheng had deliberately helped Xiaodouzi escape. Although lacking concrete proof, he suggested Shun, being Xiaodouzi's close friend and Sun Decheng's disciple, might hold the key.

Wei Lin, who had been demoted to the Mortuary for offending someone, offered his loyalty to Zhuo Jinniang in exchange for her patronage. Zhuo Jinniang promised him a reward if he could help uncover the truth and instructed him to diligently monitor Sun Decheng and report any developments. Back at Ruyi Dyeing Shop, Kudi Liuli, working as "Yu," received an urgent request from Baniang (Pei Yan's sister) and Yuniang (Madam Cui's sister).

They needed a unique dress for Madam Cui for the flower fight, to be completed by the next day. Kudi Liuli confidently assured them she could deliver a beautiful gown within half a day, drawing on their descriptions of Madam Cui's height, demeanor, and preference for light blue and pink. She planned a layered silk gauze design, creating a "cloud-like" effect.

Simultaneously, at Cao Dyeing Shop, Shanhu, desperate to make a grand impression at the Commandant's Mansion, rejected all the garments presented by her mother, Cao, and her cousin, Cao Darlang, deeming them "for commoners." She later overheard Baniang and Yuniang effusively praising the new designer at Ruyi Dyeing Shop. Shanhu, intrigued, snuck into Ruyi Dyeing Shop and meticulously memorized Kudi Liuli's dress design for Madam Cui. Ni caught her in the act and called her out.

Shanhu, recognizing Kudi Liuli from a previous encounter, boldly tried to recruit her to Cao Dyeing Shop. Kudi Liuli firmly refused, denouncing Cao's fraudulent claims of being An's successor. Ni quickly intervened, telling Shanhu it was not the time for old grievances. As Shanhu left, she mentioned Cao Darlang's deep infatuation with Ni and his intention to propose marriage. Ni unequivocally rejected Cao Darlang, stating she had no romantic interest in him.

The next day, Kudi Liuli completed Madam Cui's dress, and Baniang, highly impressed, picked it up. She then invited Kudi Liuli to the Commandant's Mansion to tailor more clothes for Madam Cui, an invitation Kudi Liuli accepted, arriving by the Commandant's carriage. Meanwhile, Cao, proud of the dress she made for Shanhu based on the stolen design, personally escorted her to the mansion, adorning her hair with a peony at the entrance, knowing Madam Cui's fondness for the flower.

Upon arrival, Kudi Liuli immediately spotted Shanhu in the copied dress and directly confronted her about the plagiarism. Shanhu, however, defiantly denied any wrongdoing, insisting she was an invited guest. Kudi Liuli observed that Shanhu's dress, though 70-80% similar, was crude in craftsmanship and ill-suited for the event, especially without a proper peony.

As Pei Yan, Pei Xingjian, and other esteemed scholars gathered for wine and poetry, a servant announced that the ladies were engaged in a "flower fight" in the pavilion, and Madam Cui suggested it as a theme for their compositions. Pei Yan candidly explained his reluctant decision to take a concubine. When he lightheartedly inquired about Pei Xingjian's own marriage, Pei Xingjian dismissed himself as a "rare jinx" whom no one would marry.

Moments later, the scholars noticed Shanhu and Madam Cui wearing almost identical dresses. Their snickers and whispers mocked Shanhu's crude imitation, comparing it to a clumsy imitation. Baniang, mortified, confronted Kudi Liuli, demanding an explanation for her sister-in-law's embarrassment. Kudi Liuli calmly revealed Shanhu's previous day's visit and her theft of the design. Surprisingly, Madam Cui appeared indifferent, stating that beautiful clothing would naturally be imitated. However, Baniang insisted on a truly unique garment.

Kudi Liuli, stepping forward, promised to create a "unique in the world" dress for Madam Cui on the spot, incorporating the rare black jade peonies from Madam Cui's own garden. She explained that the previous dress had only been half-made as she did not know which flowers Madam Cui would wear.

Episode 8 Recap

Kudi Liuli picked the blooming black jade peony and used its petals to adorn Madame Pei's dress. The dress immediately came to life, becoming exquisite, and everyone was amazed. Madame Pei was very satisfied. The girls accused Shanhu of plagiarism. Kudi Liuli exposed in public that the Cao Dyeing Shop was fake and that An had never accepted Cao as an apprentice.

Madame Pei immediately decided to have Kudi Liuli help her make clothes in the future, and even picked an identical peony flower for Kudi Liuli to wear on her head. Kudi Liuli secretly complained in her heart, worried that Madame Pei would make her a concubine. Kudi Liuli's heart skipped a beat when she saw Pei Xingjian in the pavilion, not expecting him to know not only Pei Ruzhuo but also Pei Yan.

Pei Yan heard about Kudi Liuli's attitude and actions towards Pei Ruzhuo at the Grand Ci'en Temple, and admired her. The friends present seized the opportunity to persuade him to take Kudi Liuli as a concubine. Madame Pei invited the girls to the garden to admire flowers. Shanhu deliberately walked at the back and, taking advantage of an opportune moment, stepped on Kudi Liuli's dress.

Kudi Liuli lost her balance and fell to the ground, and the peony flower on her head also fell. Shanhu took the opportunity to crush the peony flower. Madame Pei rushed over after hearing the news. Kudi Liuli repeatedly apologized, using the excuse of her misfortune, and hastily resigned to Madame Pei. Pei Ruzhuo sent a matchmaker to propose marriage.

Cao thought it was someone sent by Pei Yan's family, but it turned out to be someone sent by Prince Hedong, Pei Ruzhuo, to propose. Cao had originally wanted to climb up the social ladder by connecting with the Commandant's Mansion. The matchmaker boastfully showed off the Hedong Mansion's status in court. Cao was overjoyed and agreed to the marriage on the spot, happily sending the matchmaker away.

Pei Xingjian went to the Ruyi Dyeing Shop to commission a four-season hunting screen, intending to give it to Su Dingfang as a birthday gift. Ni dared not accept such a large task, worrying she might not be up to it. Kudi Liuli, who was painting in the inner room, overheard their conversation and proactively offered to paint the screen for Pei Xingjian, requesting an additional half of the remuneration for the craftsmen who would process the screen.

Pei Xingjian readily agreed. Kudi Liuli invited Pei Xingjian to the inner room to discuss. She lowered her head to draw while explaining her creative ideas to Pei Xingjian. Kudi Liuli suggested dividing the hunting scene into four parts according to the seasons. Pei Xingjian greatly agreed with her idea. Kudi Liuli only looked up and saw Pei Xingjian then, resolutely refused to paint the screen for him, and forcibly drove him away.

Shanhu made a fool of herself at the Commandant's Mansion. She went home dejected, complaining endlessly to her parents, but her parents were overjoyed, wanting to marry her to Prince Hedong Pei Ruzhuo. Shanhu, naturally, couldn't have been more pleased. Kudi Wuniang rushed to report the good news to her elder brother. Pei Yan and his wife had both taken a liking to a daughter of the Kudi family and promised to deliver betrothal gifts soon.

Kudi Yenzhong and his wife complained bitterly, as they had already agreed to Pei Ruzhuo's marriage. Kudi Wuniang was relentless, forcing them to refuse Pei Ruzhuo. Shanhu casually mentioned that the painter from Ruyi Dyeing Shop had stolen all the thunder. Cao was curious about the painter's identity. Kudi Yenzhong had no choice but to admit that the painter was Kudi Liuli. Cao was so angry that she gnashed her teeth.

Pei Xingjian offered double the price for Kudi Liuli to paint the screen, but Kudi Liuli still refused. Pei Xingjian reminded her to be careful of Pei Ruzhuo, who had already found out that she was Kudi Yenzhong's daughter and would soon send someone to propose marriage.

Just then, Cao came to confront Kudi Liuli, scolding An and Kudi Liuli, and condemning Kudi Liuli for impersonating Kudi Yenzhong's daughter, causing both the Commandant's Mansion and the Hedong Mansion to send people to propose. Kudi Liuli retorted sharply. Seeing this, Pei Xingjian suspected that Kudi Liuli was Kudi Yenzhong's illegitimate daughter. Kudi Liuli called Cao into the inner room and admitted that both Pei Yan and Pei Ruzhuo were interested in her.

Cao gnashed her teeth in anger, hating her for ruining Shanhu's marriage. Kudi Liuli did not want to marry anyone; she only wanted to go far away to West state, having no connection with the Kudi family from now on. Cao was unwilling, but Kudi Liuli warned her not to harm the Ruyi Dyeing Shop, or she would make Cao's actions public. Only then did Cao leave dejectedly. Kudi Liuli asked Ni to go to Baniang to explain the situation.

She was unwilling to marry Pei Yan as a concubine. Ni worried that Pei Ruzhuo would come to propose marriage. Pei Xingjian suddenly burst in, urging Kudi Liuli to make a decision soon, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous. He promised to help Kudi Liuli resolve the crisis. Cao and Kudi Yenzhong were restless, not knowing how to go to Pei Yan and Pei Ruzhuo to break off the engagement.

Both families were powerful and wealthy, and they could not afford to offend either. Late at night, Kudi Liuli personally came to Pei Mansion to ask Pei Xingjian for help. Pei Xingjian had been waiting for a long time. Kudi Liuli begged him to help persuade both Pei Ruzhuo and Pei Yan to give up the idea of proposing marriage, and in return, she would agree to paint the screen for Pei Xingjian.

Pei Xingjian advised her to seize the opportunity to find a wealthy husband. Kudi Liuli lied, claiming her beloved was her cousin who had just died in the palace. Pei Xingjian believed her and pressed for the reason. Kudi Liuli falsely claimed that her cousin had been selected by the Imperial Hospital to be a medical official but eventually died in the palace.

Pei Xingjian came up with a good idea: to have Kudi Liuli personally go to the two mansions to break off the engagements, and he also gave her a bottle of the best wound medicine for her injuries. The next morning, Kudi Liuli came to the Kudi family, repeatedly claiming she was there to help them. Kudi Yenzhong warmly welcomed her arrival.

Kudi Liuli recognized at a glance that the gold and silver jewelry worn by Shanhu and Cao all belonged to her mother, so she forced them to hand them over. Kudi Yenzhong forced both of them to take off the jewelry and return it to Kudi Liuli. Shanhu was very reluctant and threw her bracelet on the ground. Kudi Liuli slapped her hard.

A maid came to report that both the Hedong Mansion and the Pei Captain's Mansion had sent people to propose marriage. Kudi Yenzhong desperately pleaded with Kudi Liuli to help them out of the predicament. Kudi Liuli gave him a good idea. The marriage proposal teams from the Pei Captain's Mansion and the Hedong Mansion refused to yield to each other, scrambling to enter the Kudi family. Finally, the matchmaker from the Hedong Mansion seized the initiative. She led her people into Kudi's Mansion. Cao waited at the entrance, falsely claiming that Kudi Yenzhong had gone out and had not yet returned.

Episode 9 Recap

The matchmaker brought out the betrothal gifts from Hedong Mansion for Cao to inspect, and forced her to sign the marriage contract. Kudi Wuniang burst in angrily, demanding to present betrothal gifts for the Commandant's Mansion, and also made Cao sign the marriage contract. Cao was caught in a dilemma. The matchmaker spoke disrespectfully to Kudi Wuniang, making sarcastic remarks, and the two immediately got into a heated argument.

Kudi Liuli, hiding behind a screen, saw this scene and pushed Shanhu out to help Cao. Shanhu looked at the courtyard full of betrothal gifts, she was reluctant to part with them and kept complaining that Kudi Liuli had ruined her good fortune. But unable to resist Kudi Liuli's urging, she had no choice but to step forward. Shanhu knelt down and apologized to Kudi Wuniang, saying that she could not marry into the Commandant's Mansion.

She had long heard that Pei Yan and Madam Cui had a deep relationship and did not want to marry there to be a sacrifice. Shanhu then refused the marriage proposal from Hedong Mansion, using the excuse that she did not want the two families to get entangled because of her. Shanhu claimed she was not blessed and cruelly rejected both marriage proposals, making a public vow. Seeing this, Kudi Wuniang and the matchmaker quickly left with the betrothal gifts.

Shanhu sobbed sadly. Kudi Liuli, satisfied with this outcome, returned home. That day, she agreed to paint a screen for Pei Xingjian. Li Zhi personally called on Cairen Wu to express his gratitude and specifically brought the injured young bird. Cairen Wu instructed the palace maid Songtao to take good care of the young bird. Li Zhi took the opportunity to confide his frustrations to Cairen Wu.

Li Ming made things difficult for him everywhere, and Li Shimin ignored him, making Li Zhi feel that he was not even as good as the young bird. Cairen Wu advised him to bide his time and wait for the opportunity. Zhuo Jinniang came to Chamberlain Pan to lodge a complaint, wanting to inquire about Xiaodouzi's whereabouts from Shun. She heavily bribed Chamberlain Pan to prevent Sun Decheng and Shun from meeting.

Chamberlain Pan, greedy for money, immediately decided to let Zhuo Jinniang interrogate Shun. Just then, Sun Decheng came to Chamberlain Pan to plead for Shun. Chamberlain Pan avoided seeing him, declaring that he would handle Shun's matter impartially, and also told someone to inform Sun Decheng to give up early. Chamberlain Pan wanted to take Zhuo Jinniang to interrogate Shun, but Zhuo Jinniang did not want to see him temporarily.

She instructed Chamberlain Pan to torture Shun severely and only talk to her after Shun was thoroughly disillusioned with Sun Decheng. Li Zhi knelt outside the main hall, requesting an audience with Li Shimin, but Li Shimin refused to see him. Cairen Wu came to attend to Li Shimin and advised Li Zhi to go back, calm down, and copy scriptures to show his sincerity to Li Shimin. Li Zhi suddenly understood. Chamberlain Pan ordered Shun to be tortured severely.

Shun was beaten to a pulp but consistently refused to reveal Xiaodouzi's whereabouts. Sun Decheng repeatedly tried to visit Chamberlain Pan but was always turned away. He had no choice but to intercept Chamberlain Pan halfway. Chamberlain Pan, unable to shake him off, reminded him to think carefully about whom he had offended. Sun Decheng immediately thought of Zhuo Jinniang.

An Silang learned that Kudi Liuli went to the Commandant's Mansion to make clothes and couldn't help but worry about her. Kudi Liuli's paternal aunt, Kudi Wuniang, was a concubine in the Commandant's Mansion. If she recognized Kudi Liuli, it would definitely cause a lot of trouble. An Silang told Kudi Liuli to stay in the old house and not go out casually, so she had to comply.

The Hu Merchants Conference was about to be held, and Shanhu couldn't think of a good clothing design for the competition. Cao asked her nephew Cao Wu to find her cousin Deng Qiniang in the palace to get clothing designs, hoping to help Shanhu win first prize. Cao Wu secretly kept several high-quality garments smuggled out of the palace and wanted to give them to Ni for the competition. However, Cao caught him in the act.

Cao Wu claimed that he wanted to marry Ni only to work undercover at the Ruyi Dyeing Shop and eventually take over the Ruyi Dyeing Shop. Cao thought this plan was excellent and immediately went to propose marriage for Cao Wu without a second thought. Cao came to the Ruyi Dyeing Shop and straightforwardly proposed marriage to Ni. Ni, without letting her finish, forcefully drove her away. Cairen Wu arrived punctually every day to care for Li Shimin.

Li Shimin's health gradually improved. Consort Yang and Li Ming, along with the harem concubines, rushed to pay respect to Li Shimin upon hearing the news. Only Li Zhi was absent. Li Shimin kept Consort Yang and Li Ming to talk, sending everyone else away. Cairen Wu learned that Li Zhi had given up on himself and was sulking in his room all day.

Cairen Wu went to find him and guessed that Li Shimin would soon send someone to summon Li Zhi. Li Shimin thanked Li Ming for the medicinal pills, which had gradually improved his health. Li Shimin heard that recently, civil and military officials had been showing favor to Li Ming, while neglecting Li Zhi. Li Ming repeatedly defended himself and took the opportunity to accuse Li Zhi. Li Shimin sent Chamberlain Gao to summon Li Zhi.

Chamberlain Gao came to invite Li Zhi, advising him not to defy Li Shimin. Chamberlain Gao waited outside. Cairen Wu handed Li Zhi a bottle of medicine and gave him many instructions. Li Zhi came to see Li Shimin as ordered, claiming that he had been confined to his room for self-reflection every day and had not touched a drop of alcohol. Li Shimin was deeply comforted. Li Zhi personally fed Li Shimin the medicine.

Li Shimin smelled alcohol on Li Zhi and, in a fit of anger, knocked the medicine bowl to the ground. Li Ming also made sarcastic remarks from the side. Li Zhi, scared, knelt down to admit his mistake.

Episode 10 Recap

Li Shimin harshly reprimanded Li Zhi, insisting that he indulged in nightly revelries, drinking and having fun, and was completely unworthy to be the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty. Li Zhi repeatedly explained that he had been in seclusion recently, Copy scriptures every day. He originally intended to copy them a hundred times, but this resulted in injuries to his arm muscles and bones, so he applied Medicated wine to relieve the pain.

Li Shimin did not believe him, so he sent Chamberlain Pan to find a physician for confirmation. Li Ming secretly followed them out and asked Chamberlain Pan to invite Physician Zong, promising him a generous reward if he succeeded. Cairen Wu guessed that Li Ming would interfere, and also knew that Physician Zong was eagerly currying favor with Li Ming. She feigned illness and sent a palace maid to call Physician Zong for diagnosis.

Chamberlain Pan arrived at the Imperial Hospital and learned that Physician Zong had been called away by Cairen Wu. He had no choice but to find other physicians. The physicians examined Li Zhi and found that he indeed had injured his arm muscles and bones due to fatigue, which was why he applied Medicated wine.

Li Shimin then realized he had Misunderstanding Li Zhi, and repeatedly apologized to him, complaining that he didn't speak up earlier, leading to such a big Misunderstanding. Li Zhi felt that Copy scriptures for his father's blessing was his duty, and he had only copied eighty-eight times so far. Li Ming didn't believe it, so he sent someone to retrieve the scriptures. Li Shimin checked and found there were indeed eighty-eight copies.

He was overjoyed and immediately issued an imperial edict proclaiming Li Zhi's filial piety to the world. Li Ming originally wanted to seize the opportunity to deal with Li Zhi, but instead, Li Zhi stole all the thunder. He gritted his teeth in anger. Cao Wu personally visited Ni to express his love. Ni rejected him at the door and also rejected his confession, attracting many passersby to watch.

Kudi Liuli helped Ni cover her Flower cage skirt with a thin veil, and the Flower cage skirt immediately became beautiful and exquisite. Ni was very happy, and Kudi Liuli had a flash of inspiration and came up with a good idea. She wanted to use the scholars' love for face to publicly ask Pei Xingjian for the memento left by her mother. Cairen Wu accompanied Li Shimin in reviewing memorials to the throne.

She saw Li Zhi's memorial to the throne placed far away and deliberately knocked it to the ground. Li Shimin looked through Li Zhi's memorial to the throne and also began to reflect on the imperial examination system of the Tang Dynasty. Cairen Wu was secretly pleased. The reason she spared no effort to help Li Zhi was that she valued his kindness and slight impulsiveness, which reminded her of herself when she first entered the palace.

Pei Xingjian heard that Li Shimin was going to take Drastic medicine for the Stubborn disease of the Tang Dynasty's imperial examination system. He was in a good mood, unable to suppress his joy. His colleagues advised him not to be too ostentatious, as the School of the Four Gates had many of Li Ming's people, and everyone looked uneasy. Moreover, Xue Xu had recently been currying favor with the doctor, and the doctor had long been Li Ming's aide.

Wei Lin firmly believed that Shun would not return, so he moved Shun's bedding, which was opposed by other attendants. Pei Xingjian was ordered to go to the Warehouse of the School of the Four Gates to receive eight carts of goods. The goods were paper rolls for the School of the Four Gates, but they were escorted by the army, which puzzled him. Xue Xu applied to the doctor to inspect the goods.

He had a dispute with Pei Xingjian. Commander Mo, who was responsible for escorting the goods, was an old acquaintance of Pei Xingjian. Pei Xingjian asked him about the reason and learned that a total of twenty boxes of goods had been transported in this batch. Kudi Liuli came to find Pei Xingjian and brought the hunting map in four seasons for him to review. Pei Xingjian was very satisfied.

Kudi Liuli took the opportunity to ask Pei Xingjian for the valuables in the package. Pei Xingjian denied taking the valuables inside. Kudi Liuli threatened and intimidated him before leaving. Xue Xu returned to the School of the Four Gates dejectedly, saw Kudi Liuli waiting for him at the door, and handed him a Paper complaint, accusing Pei Xingjian of embezzling property.

Xue Xu was troubled by not finding a way to deal with Pei Xingjian, and he readily agreed to help Kudi Liuli get justice. Cao Wu went to the secret room to get Cao's sample clothes, wanting to give them to Ni as a gift. Cao suddenly came into the inner room with Shopkeeper Shi from the fabric store. Shopkeeper Shi deliberately sold un-faded and un-shrunk fabric to Ni.

Ni would not be able to win at the Hu Merchants Conference. Cao immediately gave Shopkeeper Shi a sum of money as remuneration. Cao Wu couldn't stand Cao using such despicable methods and wanted to inform Ni. Cao painstakingly persuaded him to think for Cao and strive to win the first prize at this Hu Merchants Conference to gain Ni's respect. Cao Wu couldn't sleep at night, unsure of what to do. Finally, Cao Wu made up his mind.

He quietly came to inform Ni that there was a problem with the fabric. Ni washed the Flower cage skirt overnight and found that the skirt had shrunk severely and the color had bled. Ni cried sadly and incessantly. She had been working Hard work for a month, and now all her efforts were in vain. Kudi Liuli came up with a good idea to modify the original skirt.

She stayed up all night to iron the skirt and then modify and process it. The next morning, Ni woke up groggily and found that Kudi Liuli had already modified the Flower cage skirt to be as beautiful as a flower, even lighter and more elegant than before. Ni was greatly impressed and quickly woke up Kudi Liuli who was lying on the table.

Kudi Liuli firmly believed that this dress would shine brilliantly at the Hu Merchants Conference and bring glory to the Ruyi Dyeing Shop. Pei Xingjian arrived at the Warehouse early in the morning and learned that another twenty boxes of goods had been transported yesterday. He lied, claiming that he had left his family heirloom jade pendant inside, and the guards let him in. Pei Xingjian carefully inspected the goods and found that they contained not paper rolls but leather.

Episode 11 Recap

Xue Xu suddenly broke into the warehouse, ordering Pei Xingjian to be arrested. Pei Xingjian repeatedly argued that he was only there to find his own belongings and hadn't touched the goods in the boxes at all. Xue Xu paid no attention, producing Kudi Liuli's complaint, and intended to punish Pei Xingjian by suspending him from school for self-reflection. Pei Xingjian was furious, grinding his teeth.

He went directly to Kudi Liuli's house to confront her, but after knocking for a long time, no one opened the door. Cao Wu passed by, learned that he was looking for a painter, and took him to the Hu Merchants Conference to find Kudi Liuli. The Hu Merchants Conference was bustling and crowded with people. Merchants from all over gathered there, unwilling to miss the annual opportunity to make a fortune.

The conference attracted dyeing shops from across the country to participate, and representatives from each shop tightly held their sample garments for the competition. Kudi Liuli and Ni weaved through the crowd. She inadvertently saw Pei Xingjian. Before Kudi Liuli could react, Pei Xingjian acupunctured her from behind. Kudi Liuli was unable to move. She hurled insults at Pei Xingjian.

Pei Xingjian was already furious because she had filed a false complaint against him, and now he was even more enraged. He exposed Kudi Liuli face-to-face, saying she was vicious, and that her beloved lover had just died, yet she was out seeking pleasure. Kudi Liuli worried about her identity being exposed and made an excuse to go to the restroom.

Ni vouched for her with Ruyi Dyeing Shop as a guarantee, and only then did Pei Xingjian release her acupoint. Kudi Liuli wanted to go to the restroom, only to realize she was carrying her sample garment for the competition on her back. She asked a child by the roadside to help look after it. Pei Xingjian then rushed over, snatched the package, and begged Kudi Liuli to withdraw the complaint. Kudi Liuli flatly refused.

Just then, a Hu merchant stopped Kudi Liuli, claiming to be the organizer of the Hu Merchants Conference, and asked to take Kudi Liuli's sample garment for registration. Kudi Liuli believed him and handed the sample garment to the Hu merchant. Pei Xingjian instantly saw that the Hu merchant was a swindler. He mocked Kudi Liuli sarcastically, telling her to withdraw the complaint, and then promised to help her retrieve the sample garment.

Kudi Liuli didn't believe him; she wanted to go backstage herself to confirm. The Hu Merchants Conference officially began. Emcee Cao Lushan announced the start of the competition for the garment-making group. Ruyi Dyeing Shop was ranked tenth. Ni waited anxiously for Kudi Liuli, who didn't come, so she begged Cao Lushan to postpone Ruyi Dyeing Shop's turn. Shanhu absolutely refused. Kudi Liuli rushed back, and only then did Ni realize the sample garment had been swindled away.

Kudi Liuli was burning with anxiety, hoping Pei Xingjian would find the sample garment as soon as possible. Cao Dyeing Shop made a grand entrance. Their sample garments were elegant and magnificent, an eye-opener that won the favor of the merchants. The next one was Ruyi Dyeing Shop. Pei Xingjian was late in appearing, so Kudi Liuli had no choice but to apply to withdraw from the competition.

Pei Xingjian searched carefully through the crowd and finally found the Hu merchant who had impersonated the organizer. He snatched the sample garment back from him and delivered it to Kudi Liuli on time. Ni was overjoyed and quickly hung up the sample garment for display. Kudi Liuli thanked Pei Xingjian for his strong support. Pei Xingjian asked her to withdraw the complaint, but Kudi Liuli flatly refused. Ni hung up the Flower cage skirt.

A breeze blew, and the skirt swayed like flowers. Cao and Shanhu scoffed at this, ridiculing Ni's dress as too cheap and not refined enough for such a grand occasion. Kudi Liuli was defiant; she personally changed into the Flower cage skirt and displayed it. She danced gracefully on stage, becoming even more beautiful and exquisite. Immediately, thunderous applause erupted below the stage. People couldn't help but cheer and acclaim. Pei Xingjian was also stunned by Kudi Liuli's beauty.

When the performance ended, the applause from the audience was ceaseless. Kudi Liuli stood on stage and saw Pei Xingjian quietly leaving in the distance. She felt a deep sense of loss. Kudi Liuli returned to the exhibition stand and saw that Pei Xingjian had left a sculpture of a dancing Hu woman. Her heart was filled with joy.

That night, Ni was so excited remembering how the Flower cage skirt had shone brightly at the Hu Merchants Conference that she couldn't sleep. The more Kudi Liuli thought about it, the more she felt that Pei Xingjian was a good person, and she worried that she had wrongly blamed him. Chamberlain Pan sent men to brutally interrogate Shun. He was beaten to a pulp but refused to reveal Xiaodouzi's whereabouts.

Zhuo Jinniang brought Deng Qiniang to the prison and used both soft and hard tactics on Shun, forcing him to disclose Xiaodouzi's whereabouts. Shun only admitted that Xiaodouzi had left the palace but didn't know her exact location. Zhuo Jinniang relentlessly questioned who Xiaodouzi learned garment-making from. Shun confessed that Sun Decheng had picked up Xiaodouzi from outside the palace and he genuinely didn't know where she had learned her craft.

Pei Xingjian and Pei Yan closely monitored the activities at the School of the Four Gates warehouse. They saw Xue Xu escorting a batch of goods to the warehouse late at night. Li Ming arrived shortly after. Pei Xingjian and Pei Yan looked down from the rooftop and saw that the boxes contained armor. According to Tang Dynasty law, privately hoarding armor was a capital offense. Pei Xingjian suspected Li Ming of having rebellious intentions.

Episode 12 Recap

Pei Yan suspected that Li Ming would take the opportunity of transporting student paper rolls to smuggle armor. Pei Xingjian wanted to report Li Ming's rebellious behavior, but he was of little importance. Pei Yan suggested he find Su Dingfang, but Su Dingfang was not in Chang'an. Pei Xingjian wanted to report this matter to Li Zhi. The more Zhuo Jinniang thought about it, the angrier she became. She decided to go to Chamberlain Pan to thoroughly investigate Xiaodouzi's whereabouts.

Zhuo Jinniang believed that Sun Decheng knew about this, so she sent Deng Qiniang to notify Wei Lin, instructing Wei Lin to keep a close eye on Sun Decheng's every move. The Ruyi Dyeing Shop won first place at the Hu Merchants Conference, successfully securing orders from the Hu merchants. Since the Hu Merchants Conference, the Ruyi Dyeing Shop's reputation spread far and wide, with an endless stream of customers visiting every day. An Silang and Ni were extremely busy.

Kudi Wuniang heard the news and rushed to the Ruyi Dyeing Shop, wanting to meet the painter. An Silang lied, saying the painter had already resigned and left. Kudi Wuniang had no choice but to leave dejectedly. As she stepped out, she ran into Cao, ignoring her. Cao hurriedly caught up to greet her. Kudi Wuniang sarcastically ridiculed the Cao Dyeing Shop's clothing making techniques. Cao, feeling indignant, casually mentioned the Ruyi Dyeing Shop's painter, then hesitated.

Kudi Wuniang immediately grew suspicious. She then heard passersby say that the painter was a Hu person and lived with Ni in the An family old house. Kudi Wuniang suspected the painter was Kudi Liuli, and she wanted to confirm it herself. Ni saw Kudi Wuniang as she went out and quickly went home to tell Kudi Liuli to hide. Kudi Wuniang knocked on the door relentlessly. Ni had no choice but to open the door.

Kudi Wuniang rushed directly into the house, searching everywhere for the painter. Ni lied, claiming the painter had already resigned and left. Kudi Wuniang didn't believe it at all and pressed Ni hard. Kudi Liuli had no choice but to let Kudi Wuniang in to meet her. She dressed up as a palace attendant, claiming she was there to order clothes for the palace, then found an excuse to leave. Kudi Wuniang believed her.

Kudi Liuli strolled leisurely on the bustling street, where there were stilt walkers, magicians, and acrobats. Kudi Liuli was captivated and overwhelmed by the sights. Pei Xingjian arrived outside the palace to investigate the situation and found the palace gates heavily guarded; only those with a waist tag could enter. He was at his wit's end and had no choice but to ride back. In the crowd, he recognized Xiaodouzi from the reward poster, shouting "Physician Dou!"

Kudi Liuli was so frightened that she fled in panic, but she was still arrested by Pei Xingjian, who forcibly took her to a private room in a nearby tavern for negotiations. The tavern keeper saw a fake Pei Xingjian bringing a person dressed as a palace attendant into the private room, felt that she resembled Physician Dou on the reward poster, and hurried to report to the authorities.

Pei Xingjian scolded Physician Dou for faking her death and making his cousin anxious. Pei Xingjian repeatedly explained that he had not stolen the valuables from the package and asked Physician Dou to explain clearly to his cousin. Kudi Liuli, worried about being exposed, hastily agreed, also falsely claiming that she was bored staying in the palace, so she hid in a coffin and secretly slipped out.

Pei Xingjian believed her, wanting to borrow her waist tag to enter the palace to see Li Zhi. Kudi Liuli had no waist tag at all, so she could only make various excuses to procrastinate. The officers suddenly arrived at the tavern to arrest Physician Dou, who had escaped from the palace. Pei Xingjian quickly pulled Kudi Liuli to escape. The two of them came to an empty room. Pei Xingjian forced her to hand over the waist tag.

Kudi Liuli lied, claiming it was with her cousin. The officers came to smash the door. Pei Xingjian had a sudden idea to swap clothes with Kudi Liuli, hoping to cover her escape. Kudi Liuli was worried about exposing her female identity, so she firmly refused to take them off. Pei Xingjian had no choice but to take her out through the window. Pei Xingjian rode off with Kudi Liuli, galloping all the way. The officers pursued them relentlessly.

Pei Xingjian took her to hide in a nearby courtyard, successfully evading the officers' pursuit. In a moment of desperation, Pei Xingjian held Kudi Liuli tightly, only then discovering her female identity. Pei Xingjian was instantly stunned and wanted to take her to the yamen to clarify things. Kudi Liuli promised to explain slowly to him. Kudi Liuli changed into women's clothes. She fully recounted her experiences to Pei Xingjian.

Zhuo Jinniang, in order to seize her mother's precious golden needle, tried every means to harm them mother and daughter. Her mother was murdered, and she narrowly escaped, forced to disguise herself as a man and serve on duty in the palace. To help her escape the palace, Shun was arrested. Kudi Liuli promised to withdraw the complaint as soon as possible to clear his name. Pei Xingjian forbade her from risking herself for the complaint.

Ni came to Kudi Liuli with the reward poster from the street, repeatedly urging her not to reveal her life experience to avoid bringing disaster upon herself. Kudi Liuli, however, advised her not to worry. Pei Xingjian was disappointed to learn that Kudi Liuli did not have a waist tag. Kudi Liuli was curious who he wanted to see in the palace and promised to help him with all her might.

Kudi Liuli was also worried about Sun Decheng and Shun and wanted to return to the palace to see them. Pei Xingjian disagreed with Kudi Liuli risking herself, admitting that he wanted to see Crown Prince Li Zhi. Kudi Liuli guessed that he had something important to report and found it inconvenient to ask further. Sun Decheng came to the prison to see Shun. The jailer, following Chamberlain Pan's orders, firmly refused him entry.

Sun Decheng had no choice but to leave the food, which was then secretly eaten by the jailer. The jailer brought Shun plain food and drink. Wei Lin had been following Sun Decheng and was soon discovered by him. Sun Decheng quickly hid. Sun Decheng returned to the Mortuary. Hearing that wanted posters for Xiaodouzi were posted all over Chang'an, he was extremely anxious.

That night, Sun Decheng could not sleep, thinking of taking the opportunity to go outside the city to see if Xiaodouzi had left any marks when he went out of the palace for procurement the next day. Wei Lin came to see Zhuo Jinniang early in the morning and reported Sun Decheng's whereabouts to her.

Episode 13 Recap

Wei Lin reported Sun Decheng's recent whereabouts to Zhuo Jinniang. He guessed that Sun Decheng would take advantage of his outing today for procurement to see Xiaodouzi. Wei Lin did not have a Waist tag and could not leave the palace, so Zhuo Jinniang sent Deng Qiniang to follow Sun Decheng. Today is the fifth day of the lunar month. Kudi Liuli remembered that Sun Decheng would leave the palace for procurement on the fifth day of every month.

She wanted to see Sun Decheng, but Ni guarded her every step of the way. Kudi Liuli pretended there was a mouse in the room, diverting Ni's attention. She seized the opportunity to sneak out of the house. Ni hurried out to look for her and ran into Pei Xingjian. Pei Xingjian learned that Kudi Liuli went to see Sun Decheng, worried she might be in danger, and quickly took Ni to pursue her.

Cao Wu noticed Ni had left and followed closely behind. Kudi Liuli disguised herself and specifically wore a bamboo hat. She stood on the second-floor terrace of the tavern, looking down. From a distance, she saw Sun Decheng walking towards her and quickly went downstairs to find him. The streets were bustling with people and merchants. Ni and Pei Xingjian had to stand upstairs to search among the crowd.

They quickly spotted Kudi Liuli and also saw Deng Qiniang following Sun Decheng. Pei Xingjian rushed downstairs to help Kudi Liuli out of trouble. Kudi Liuli frantically squeezed through the crowd, quickly walking towards Sun Decheng. She waved to signal Sun Decheng. The two hurried over to acknowledge each other. Deng Qiniang followed closely behind. Cao Wu recognized Deng Qiniang and greeted her warmly.

Deng Qiniang was eager to follow Sun Decheng, so she quickly sent Cao Wu away with a few words. Deng Qiniang turned around and found that she had lost track of Sun Decheng. She then reported to the soldiers guarding the wanted posters. The soldiers followed her to arrest Physician Dou. Kudi Liuli was getting closer and closer to Sun Decheng. Pei Xingjian quickly pulled Kudi Liuli to a quiet spot in the alley.

Deng Qiniang couldn't find Physician Dou, so she ordered the soldiers to arrest Sun Decheng and relentlessly questioned him about Physician Dou's whereabouts. Sun Decheng claimed complete ignorance. Deng Qiniang then had the soldiers escort Sun Decheng back to the palace to report. Kudi Liuli watched helplessly as Sun Decheng was arrested; she was frantic with worry. However, Pei Xingjian had acupunctured her, making her unable to move. Pei Xingjian sent Kudi Liuli home.

Kudi Liuli wanted to immediately return to the palace to surrender, but Pei Xingjian strongly disagreed. He also had Ni guard Kudi Liuli, who was still acupunctured. That night, Pei Xingjian couldn't sleep, his heart constantly worried about Kudi Liuli. Kudi Liuli woke up groggily and saw Ni sleeping by her bedside. She quietly got up, changed into a eunuch's clothes, and left. Ni woke up and found Kudi Liuli gone; a letter was left on the table.

Kudi Liuli stated she was returning to the palace to rescue Sun Decheng and Shun, and also promised to do everything possible to help Pei Xingjian deliver messages to Li Zhi. Pei Xingjian came to see Kudi Liuli early in the morning and ran into Ni, only then learning that Kudi Liuli had returned to the palace. Without a word, Pei Xingjian took Ni and pursued her.

Kudi Liuli wanted to enter the palace to see Chamberlain Pan, but the guards disagreed. Kudi Liuli tore down a wanted poster, voluntarily admitting that she was Physician Dou on the notice. After the guards confirmed it, they allowed her to enter the palace. Pei Xingjian and Ni arrived at the palace gate and saw Kudi Liuli entering the palace with the wanted poster from a distance. The two could only leave dejectedly.

Chamberlain Pan relentlessly pressed Sun Decheng, forcing him to reveal Physician Dou's whereabouts. Sun Decheng refused to answer. Unexpectedly, Kudi Liuli returned voluntarily to surrender. She falsely claimed that she had stolen things from the palace to sell outside, and that this matter had nothing to do with Shun or Sun Decheng. She pleaded with Chamberlain Pan to release them both.

Chamberlain Pan was eager to go to Zhuo Jinniang to claim a reward, so he merely fined Shun's salary and released him. Chamberlain Pan locked Kudi Liuli up and then went to report to Zhuo Jinniang. Ni was frantic with worry, not knowing how to report to Silang. Pei Xingjian promised to do his best to rescue Kudi Liuli and also advised her kindly, which slightly relieved Ni. Sun Decheng helped the bruised and battered Shun back to his residence.

Wei Lin had to make room for him. Sun Decheng treated Shun's injuries. Zhuo Jinniang came to the prison overnight to see Kudi Liuli. Kudi Liuli knew she was her mother's apprentice and, worried about Involving Zhuo Jinniang, dared not tell the truth. She falsely claimed that she had secretly sold palace items. Seeing Shun being arrested, she fled the palace out of fear.

Only after seeing the wanted poster did she realize she had caused trouble, so she returned to surrender. Zhuo Jinniang only wanted to know the origin of her clothing making techniques. Kudi Liuli repeatedly claimed she was self-taught, but Zhuo Jinniang did not believe her at all. She pressed her about her relationship with An. Kudi Liuli denied knowing An and asked Zhuo Jinniang to tell her some things about An.

Zhuo Jinniang cursed An vehemently and denied being An's apprentice. Zhuo Jinniang forced Kudi Liuli to think about the origin of her clothing making techniques and also forbade the jailers from giving Kudi Liuli food. She then left in a rage. Kudi Liuli heard Zhuo Jinniang's jealousy and hatred towards her mother in her venomous tone. Remembering Sun Decheng's instructions, she suspected Zhuo Jinniang was her enemy. Shun remained silent throughout.

Sun Decheng thought he was angry because he hadn't stepped in to rescue him, so he recounted the entire process of his full assistance. However, Zhuo Jinniang and Chamberlain Pan colluded, and he couldn't see Shun at all. Shun still didn't say a word, just cried softly and sadly. Ni handed the letter Kudi Liuli left to Silang and repeatedly apologized to him.

Silang complained that Kudi Liuli was too willful, worried that she would encounter danger after returning to the palace, but felt helpless. Sun Decheng bribed a jailer to see Kudi Liuli. Kudi Liuli eagerly asked him about Zhuo Jinniang. Sun Decheng felt relieved when he learned that she had not revealed her true identity to Zhuo Jinniang. Sun Decheng found it inconvenient to say more and quickly brought her a plate of dishes.

Episode 14 Recap

Sun Decheng added a fake death pill to the food, hoping to rescue Kudi Liuli in the name of the Mortuary. Unexpectedly, Zhuo Jinniang suddenly arrived, overturned the food, and suspected Sun Decheng and Kudi Liuli of collusion. The jailer dared not offend Zhuo Jinniang, so he drove Sun Decheng away. Before leaving, Sun Decheng repeatedly warned Kudi Liuli to beware of villains. Sun Decheng returned to the Mortuary dejectedly. Shun sat outside the door secretly shedding tears.

He dared not face Sun Decheng, feeling guilty. Zhuo Jinniang relentlessly pressed Kudi Liuli, forcing her to reveal her master. Kudi Liuli saw through her sinister intentions and had no choice but to brace herself and deal with her, falsely claiming that she had read a book on clothing design in the Mortuary when she was a child. It was a burial object of a concubine, and Kudi Liuli put it back in the coffin after reading it.

Zhuo Jinniang asked her to recall the clothing styles carefully, and Kudi Liuli promised to think about it after eating. Sun Decheng personally brewed medicine for Shun, but found him missing. Sun Decheng asked Fuzi and Guizi, but they also didn't know Shun's whereabouts. The three immediately split up to look for him. Sun Decheng found Shun secretly shedding tears by the lake in the imperial garden.

He showed concern for Shun and wanted to take him back to the Mortuary. Shun trembled with fear and even threatened to jump into the lake. Sun Decheng earnestly persuaded him, and Shun had no choice but to admit that he had believed Zhuo Jinniang's instigation, mistakenly thinking that Sun Decheng only cared about Kudi Liuli and ignored his well-being. That's why he confessed about Kudi Liuli selling sachets, leading to Kudi Liuli being wanted.

He wanted to atone for his sin with death. Sun Decheng thanked him for not revealing Kudi Liuli's Life experience. Shun knelt on the ground and admitted his mistake to Sun Decheng, regretting having harmed Kudi Liuli. Sun Decheng didn't blame him at all and advised him to live well. Zhuo Jinniang sent someone to deliver food to Kudi Liuli. Only after eating her fill did Kudi Liuli remember Pei Xingjian's matter.

However, she was imprisoned and couldn't see Li Zhi at all. Deng Qiniang asked Zhuo Jinniang for leave, wanting to visit her uncle tomorrow when she went to the West Market to make purchases. Zhuo Jinniang agreed for her to return before curfew. Cao learned that Deng Qiniang was visiting home and used this opportunity to make a big fuss, beating gongs and drums at the entrance of Cao Dyeing Shop, heavily promoting her family's clothes.

Ni passed by Cao and heard that Deng Qiniang was Zhuo Jinniang's personal disciple. She wanted to ask Deng Qiniang for help in delivering a message for Kudi Liuli. Ni came to Pei Xingjian for discussion. Pei Xingjian also agreed with her idea, so he went with her to find Deng Qiniang. As soon as they saw Deng Qiniang, they directly stated their purpose. Deng Qiniang refused before they could finish. Cao Wu quickly mediated.

Pei Xingjian only wanted to know if Kudi Liuli was in danger and begged Deng Qiniang to make arrangements for Kudi Liuli so she would suffer less. Deng Qiniang used the excuse of having little influence to repeatedly decline. Pei Xingjian had to make a concession, only asking Deng Qiniang to check if Kudi Liuli had been beaten. Ni and Cao Wu knelt together to plead with Deng Qiniang.

Only then did Deng Qiniang reluctantly agree to help inquire about the situation and convey messages, stating she could do nothing else. Li Shimin's condition improved slightly. Concubines from various palaces and imperial princes all vied to visit him. Only Cairen Wu did not come; she was helping Li Zhi copy scriptures.

Cairen Wu drew a pattern of Bao Er, the rescued pigeon, and asked Songtao to send it to the Wardrobe Service to make a cushion, preferably embroidered by Physician Dou. Songtao arrived at the Wardrobe Service, met Deng Qiniang, handed the pattern to her, and specifically named Physician Dou to do it. Deng Qiniang seized the opportunity to ask Zhuo Jinniang to intercede for Physician Dou.

Zhuo Jinniang personally went to the prison to check the progress of her pattern drawing. Kudi Liuli drew many patterns of shrouds worn by the deceased. Zhuo Jinniang flipped through them from beginning to end, secretly admiring them in her heart, then handed Kudi Liuli a new notebook, telling her to fill it up. Zhuo Jinniang realized that the patterns were used on shrouds, and was so angry that she gnashed her teeth.

Zhuo Jinniang accidentally saw the palace eunuchs removing the most beautiful peonies in the garden. She quickly asked for the reason and learned that the peonies in Consort Yang's palace were not as beautiful as those outside. Chamberlain Pan, to please Consort Yang, had all the outside peonies removed. Zhuo Jinniang was inspired and decided to kill Physician Dou to prevent future trouble. Deng Qiniang visited Kudi Liuli overnight and conveyed greetings from Pei Xingjian and Ni to her.

Kudi Liuli wanted her to help pass a message to Li Zhi, but Deng Qiniang was powerless. She suggested Kudi Liuli help Cairen Wu embroider a cushion, and then ask Cairen Wu for help with an introduction. Kudi Liuli did not want to trouble Cairen Wu but was willing to embroider the cushion for Cairen Wu.

Zhuo Jinniang knew that Cairen Wu was deeply favored by Li Shimin, so she worked all night helping Cairen Wu embroider the cushion until she was exhausted. Deng Qiniang proactively offered to finish the embroidery for her, telling her to go back to her room to rest first. Deng Qiniang brought the half-embroidered cushion to Kudi Liuli overnight.

Kudi Liuli immediately recognized Zhuo Jinniang's needlework for embroidering the pigeon's eyes, which was identical to the needlework for the pheasant eyes on the ceremonial robe of the empress that her mother had modified eleven years ago, confirming that Zhuo Jinniang was the one who killed her mother.

Episode 15 Recap

Kudi Liuli quickly finished embroidering the pillowcase. Deng Qiniang promptly delivered it to Cairen Wu, admitting it was embroidered by Kudi Liuli. Cairen Wu carefully examined the cushion and found the four characters "太子有难" (The Crown Prince is in trouble) faintly embroidered within. Cairen Wu dared not delay and immediately rushed to the prison to ask Kudi Liuli for the reason.

Kudi Liuli then reported to her in full detail that Pei Xingjian had discovered a shocking secret and wished to meet Crown Prince Li Zhi in person. Cairen Wu had known Pei Xingjian since childhood and knew him to be cautious. Cairen Wu reported to Li Zhi immediately. Zhuo Jinniang gave Chamberlain Pan a large sum of money, asking him to execute Kudi Liuli.

Chamberlain Pan did not want to cause unnecessary trouble, so he told Zhuo Jinniang to handle it herself, not allowing her to leave any hidden dangers to avoid being involved. Zhuo Jinniang gave him the money as a hush fee. Zhuo Jinniang called Wei Lin over and used both persuasion and coercion on him, telling Wei Lin to poison Kudi Liuli. She promised to transfer him to the Wardrobe Service and entrust him with important responsibilities if he succeeded.

Wei Lin used the excuse of being new to the Mortuary and wanting to buy something to please everyone. He asked Guizi about everyone's preferences, learned that Kudi Liuli liked osmanthus cakes, and then secretly took Guizi's money to buy osmanthus cakes. Huantian arrived at Pei Xingjian's house in advance to scout. Li Zhi then arrived to meet Pei Xingjian.

Pei Xingjian did not expect him to be the Crown Prince and quickly invited him into his house for a secret talk. Pei Xingjian had investigated and found that Li Ming was secretly hoarding armor, suspecting him of rebellious intentions, and reminded Li Zhi to be careful everywhere. Li Zhi was immensely grateful to Pei Xingjian and promised to grant him one request. Pei Xingjian knelt down, begging Li Zhi to rescue Kudi Liuli.

Li Zhi learned that Kudi Liuli had risked her life to send a message to Cairen Wu, which enabled him to meet Pei Xingjian. Li Zhi briefly understood Kudi Liuli's situation and promised to rescue her as soon as possible. That night, Kudi Liuli had a dream. She dreamed that Pei Xingjian came to the prison to thank her for delivering the message to the Crown Prince.

Learning that she was to be executed at noon today, Pei Xingjian was heartbroken. Kudi Liuli felt no regrets about dying; she had successfully rescued Shun and had delivered a message for Pei Xingjian. Pei Xingjian championed her cause, shouting anxiously and urgently questioning her true identity. Before Pei Xingjian could finish speaking, the jailers forcibly dragged him away.

Kudi Liuli awoke from the nightmare, vowing to live well and let the world know that she was the daughter of An, the best embroiderer under heaven. Wei Lin prepared osmanthus cakes and came to the prison overnight. He bribed the thin and fat jailers with money. He went to the secret cell to deliver osmanthus cakes to Kudi Liuli. The cell was eerie, and the screams of prisoners could be heard from time to time.

Wei Lin had been timid since childhood, and he was scared out of his wits. He asked the jailer to give the osmanthus cakes to Kudi Liuli. The fat jailer, being gluttonous, secretly ate all the osmanthus cakes. Wei Lin went out and saw Li Zhi bringing people to the prison. He was so frightened that he quickly hid.

Li Zhi inquired with the jailers about Kudi Liuli being held in a secret cell and asked them to lead the way. Wei Lin returned to report to Zhuo Jinniang. Zhuo Jinniang, learning that he had handed the osmanthus cakes to the jailer for delivery, severely reprimanded him and sent Deng Qiniang to the prison to scout for information. Li Zhi finally arrived at the hidden cell and saw Kudi Liuli calmly washing and dressing herself.

Li Zhi lavished praise on her optimism and magnanimity, and unexpectedly, he found her to be exquisitely beautiful, which made his eyes light up. Just then, the fat jailer suddenly frothed at the mouth and fell to the ground unconscious. The thin jailer suspected the osmanthus cakes were poisoned but did not recognize the eunuch who delivered them to Kudi Liuli.

Li Zhi dispatched men to thoroughly investigate the matter and also had his personal eunuch convey a message to Chamberlain Pan, falsely claiming that Kudi Liuli had left the palace to assist him with some affairs, thus rescuing Kudi Liuli. Deng Qiniang, seeing this scene, quickly returned to report to Zhuo Jinniang.

Episode 16 Recap

Li Zhi rescued Kudi Liuli and thanked her for risking her life to deliver the message. Kudi Liuli returned to the familiar Mortuary, and Guizi and Fuzi cheered happily. Shun saw Kudi Liuli and was filled with mixed emotions of joy and sorrow. Sun Decheng rushed over upon hearing the news and, seeing Kudi Liuli alive and standing before him, was moved to tears. Sun Decheng and Shun were stunned to learn that Li Zhi had saved Kudi Liuli.

Sun Decheng was eager for Kudi Liuli to leave the palace, but she firmly refused, vowing to stay and avenge her mother. Kudi Liuli clearly remembered that eleven years ago, a palace maid from the Wardrobe Service came to her mother to modify the ceremonial robe of the empress. The needlework for embroidering the eyes of the pheasant bird was identical to Zhuo Jinniang's.

Kudi Liuli believed Zhuo Jinniang was the murderer of her mother, but Sun Decheng stammered, afraid to reveal the truth. Shun could no longer bear it and exposed Zhuo Jinniang's crimes of framing An one by one. Kudi Liuli gritted her teeth in anger, vowing to go to the Wardrobe Service to find out the truth and avenge her mother.

Guizi wanted to give Kudi Liuli some money to buy a chicken to celebrate, only to find his money was gone. Sun Decheng suspected Wei Lin's doing and told Guizi to check his luggage. Guizi found Wei Lin's purse in his box and discovered many treasures inside, not only Guizi's money but also the jade pendant Kudi Liuli gave to Shun, and An's belongings left to Kudi Liuli. Kudi Liuli then realized she had wronged Pei Xingjian.

Guizi suddenly remembered that Wei Lin had once inquired about Kudi Liuli's fondness for osmanthus cakes. Kudi Liuli concluded that Wei Lin was the one who sent the poisoned osmanthus cakes to the prison, but by an unfortunate coincidence, he poisoned the fat jailer instead. Just then, someone brought Wei Lin's body back. He had jumped into the lake and committed suicide out of fear of his crimes.

Sun Decheng immediately understood everything: because Wei Lin had committed too many evil deeds, he was silenced. Chamberlain Pan reported to Li Zhi about Wei Lin poisoning Kudi Liuli, and also reported Wei Lin's numerous crimes of being dishonest and stealing things from the palace. Chamberlain Pan repeatedly apologized to Li Zhi, and Li Zhi did not pursue the matter.

It turned out that after Wei Lin failed to poison Kudi Liuli, Zhuo Jinniang, fearing that the truth would be exposed, had already conceived the idea of harming him. Zhuo Jinniang lured Wei Lin to the lakeside, deliberately threw her handkerchief into the lake, and asked Wei Lin to retrieve it for her. While he was unprepared, she kicked Wei Lin into the lake, watching him sink to the bottom before leaving.

Since Wei Lin's death, Zhuo Jinniang had been feeling uneasy. She forbade Deng Qiniang from mentioning Wei Lin's name, always fearing Wei Lin's ghost would come for revenge, and she was terrified out of her wits. Chamberlain Pan had warned Zhuo Jinniang beforehand not to harm Wei Lin, but Zhuo Jinniang didn't listen at all and mercilessly killed Wei Lin. The Wardrobe Service was making new clothes for the concubines of various palaces.

Cairen Wu and Consort Yang's clothes had clashing colors, so Zhuo Jinniang told Bi to change Cairen Wu's color. Bi casually asked a few questions and was scolded severely by Zhuo Jinniang. After much deliberation, Kudi Liuli quietly reported to the Wardrobe Service. Zhuo Jinniang told her the rules of the Wardrobe Service, warning her not to make any mistakes, or she would lose her life.

Zhuo Jinniang arranged Kudi Liuli to sit at the very end and asked her to show her true skills to everyone. Bi voluntarily offered to compete with Kudi Liuli. Zhuo Jinniang made a harsh promise: if Kudi Liuli won the competition, she would be assigned to make clothes for favored concubines; if she lost, she would be sent back to the Mortuary. Kudi Liuli secretly vowed to win the competition.

Zhuo Jinniang set "The Queen of Flowers" as the theme, asking them to embroider a pillowcase before dark. Bi was determined to win. She meticulously traced patterns from a vase of flowers and then began embroidering. Kudi Liuli stared at the pot of flowers in a daze, delaying putting her needle to work, which made Deng Qiniang worry for her. Kudi Liuli pondered for a long time and finally started painting. Bi and Kudi Liuli completed their embroideries on time.

Zhuo Jinniang praised Bi's embroidery as lifelike. Kudi Liuli unveiled her embroidery, revealing a dazzling Queen of Flowers surrounded by stars. Zhuo Jinniang's eyes lit up, and the embroiderers were even more amazed. Zhuo Jinniang immediately decided to let Kudi Liuli stay in the Wardrobe Service and moved her seat to the front. The embroiderers were very dissatisfied and whispered amongst themselves.

Kudi Liuli thanked Deng Qiniang for her strong support and promised to do her best to help her in the future. However, Deng Qiniang didn't appreciate it, as Kudi Liuli had stolen all the limelight as soon as she arrived at the Wardrobe Service, making her fear she was nurturing a tiger that would cause trouble. Li Zhi sent his eunuch Yunhai to arrange a quiet residence for Kudi Liuli, and Kudi Liuli was very satisfied.

Because the silk threads sent from the palace were too fine, Zhuo Jinniang wanted to send someone to the West Market to buy some thicker threads. The embroiderers were all eager to go, but Zhuo Jinniang sent Kudi Liuli to make the purchase. Kudi Liuli did not want to make too many enemies. She went to Zhuo Jinniang to request a change of seat and also offered to hand over the purchasing task to other embroiderers.

Zhuo Jinniang clearly stated that the Wardrobe Service was a place where one earned a living by skill, advising her not to be a doormat. Kudi Liuli just wanted to do her duty well. Zhuo Jinniang remembered An had once said similar words, only to end up tragically, unable to even protect her own daughter.

Episode 17 Recap

Kudi Liuli officially started working at the Wardrobe Service. Because the silk threads sent by the eunuch were too fine, Zhuo Jinniang wanted to send someone to the West Market to buy thicker silk threads. The embroiderers were all eager to try, but to their surprise, Zhuo Jinniang sent Kudi Liuli to do the purchasing. The embroiderers were very dissatisfied and discussed it privately.

Kudi Liuli came to Zhuo Jinniang, wanting to change back to her original seat and even offered to let other embroiderers handle the purchasing. Zhuo Jinniang clearly stated that the Wardrobe Service was a place where one earned a living by skill, advising her not to be too kind. Kudi Liuli just wanted to be On duty properly.

Zhuo Jinniang remembered that An had once said similar words, only to end up with a tragic fate of ruin, disgrace, and being unable to protect even her own daughter. When Kudi Liuli heard Zhuo Jinniang curse her mother so maliciously, she suppressed the grief and indignation in her heart and calmly pressed her about her mother's cause of death. Zhuo Jinniang forbade her from asking around and dismissed her with a few words.

Kudi Liuli secretly vowed to uncover the truth and clear her mother's name. Kudi Liuli left the palace early to do some purchasing. She first went home to see Ni. The two, reunited after a long separation, were overjoyed. Kudi Liuli did not want to see her uncle Silang, fearing that he would not let her return to the palace. Kudi Liuli wanted to avenge her mother, and she also had Cairen Wu, Sun Decheng, and Shun looking after her.

Ni detected a hint of worry in her relaxed tone. Kudi Liuli knew that after returning to the palace this time, she would not have the chance to wear women's clothing, so she asked Ni to help her put on exquisite makeup and change into a beautiful dress.

Kudi Liuli brought Ni to the School of the Four Gates, wanting to apologize to Pei Xingjian in person and withdraw the lawsuit, but Pei Xingjian and Xue Xu were not there today. Kudi Liuli left a letter explaining the situation. Ni accompanied Kudi Liuli as she strolled on the street. Pei Xingjian rode his horse to the School of the Four Gates. Kudi Liuli was trying on a mask, and the two passed each other.

Kudi Liuli saw a dough figurine that resembled Pei Xingjian, and Ni bought it on the spot and gave it to her. Pei Xingjian arrived at the School of the Four Gates and received Kudi Liuli's letter. He immediately rode off to pursue her. At the palace gate, he saw someone dressed as a eunuch entering. Pei Xingjian shouted Xiaodouzi's name loudly, but that person did not turn back. Pei Xingjian then realized he had mistaken the person.

Pei Xingjian was about to leave dejectedly when he ran into Kudi Liuli. Kudi Liuli had purchased many items and was preparing to return to the palace. Pei Xingjian was overjoyed. A carriage suddenly sped towards them, about to hit Kudi Liuli. Pei Xingjian, without hesitation, embraced her, and she narrowly escaped harm. Kudi Liuli broke free from his embrace and repeatedly apologized to Pei Xingjian. Pei Xingjian felt indebted to her.

Pei Xingjian learned from Li Zhi's guard Huantian that someone wanted to poison Kudi Liuli. Worried that she might be in danger again, he wanted to ask the Crown Prince to let her leave the palace. Kudi Liuli could not leave the palace temporarily as she still had important matters to complete. Pei Xingjian did not ask further and gave her his personal dagger for self-defense. Pei Xingjian and Kudi Liuli bade a reluctant farewell.

Pei Xingjian watched Kudi Liuli's receding figure, feeling a deep sigh in his heart. He called out to Kudi Liuli, repeatedly urging her to stay away from Prince Cao and his mother to avoid unnecessary trouble. Kudi Liuli remembered all his warnings. Kudi Liuli returned to her lodging, took out two male and female clay figurines, and simulated her conversation with Pei Xingjian. Kudi Liuli gradually developed a subtle attachment to Pei Xingjian in her heart.

Pei Xingjian learned from Commander Mo Kun that Li Ming had sent Adjutant Chen to smuggle a batch of armor into the capital while transporting paper scrolls. He sent Huantian to report to Li Zhi. Li Zhi decided to take action at the School of the Four Gates to catch them red-handed. Mo Kun escorted the paper scrolls into the capital. He had an upset stomach and suffered from continuous diarrhea along the way.

Adjutant Chen suspected that Mo Kun was sent by Li Zhi, so he intentionally set up one fewer tent, making Mo Kun share a tent with them to monitor his every move. In the dead of night, Mo Kun was fast asleep in his tent. Adjutant Chen quietly led his men out to receive the goods. Before leaving, he placed a few soybeans next to Mo Kun.

Mo Kun saw the entire process of Adjutant Chen receiving the goods through a crack in the door. Adjutant Chen returned to the tent, found that the soybeans had been stepped on, and guessed that Mo Kun had discovered their actions. Huantian came early to deliver Li Zhi's order to Pei Xingjian: the carts transporting the paper scrolls were entering the capital today. Huantian stayed to assist Pei Xingjian. The procession of paper scroll carts entered Chang'an city grandly.

Mo Kun secretly went to an alley to meet Pei Xingjian and revealed that Adjutant Chen had received armor at the campsite. Pei Xingjian took Huantian to stake out outside the Warehouse of the School of the Four Gates, waiting for Li Zhi to arrive with his men to uncover evidence of Li Ming's rebellion on the spot. Xue Xu arrived at the Warehouse early and arranged for people to put the paper scrolls and armor into the Warehouse.

Adjutant Chen quietly called Xue Xu aside. They decided to use a trick, placing a batch of armor in the Warehouse to frame Li Zhi. Xue Xu suspected that Pei Xingjian was Li Zhi's inside man. Adjutant Chen told Xue Xu to keep watch outside. Cairen Wu heard that Li Zhi was going to impeach Li Ming publicly today. She was anxious and wanted to stop Li Zhi immediately, but it was too late.

She could only first Pay respect to Li Shimin and then act according to the situation. Adjutant Chen sent men to place all the paper scrolls and armor in the Warehouse. Using the excuse that the steward was not present, he handed the Warehouse key to Mo Kun. Xue Xu informed Recorder Zhang of the Directorate of Education to come to the Warehouse at Shenshi (3-5 PM) to retrieve the books stored there.

Mo Kun did not allow him to enter. Pei Xingjian quickly came to Mo Kun's rescue, advising Recorder Zhang to come back in an hour. Recorder Zhang made Pei Xingjian write an IOU on the spot. The more Pei Xingjian thought about it, the more something felt wrong.

He took Huantian and Mo Kun into the Warehouse to check and found several boxes of armor inside, with the character "东" (east) embroidered on them, which signified Li Zhi, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. Pei Xingjian immediately realized the seriousness of the problem. Adjutant Chen and Xue Xu had both hidden, deliberately given the key to Mo Kun, and even specifically called Recorder Zhang to witness, which clearly was an attempt to frame Li Zhi.

Episode 18 Recap

Huantian dared not delay and hurried back to the palace to stop Li Zhi from impeaching Li Ming. Pei Xingjian had originally wanted Li Zhi to catch Li Ming red-handed, but it ended up harming Li Zhi instead, and he fell into deep self-reproach. Li Shimin summoned Li Zhi, Li Ming, and the harem concubines, meticulously arranging matters for the Ullambana Festival. Li Zhi wanted to report to Li Shimin about Li Ming privately hoarding armor.

Cairen Wu quickly stopped him, admitting that she had secretly helped Li Zhi copy scriptures. Li Zhi did not want to overlook Cairen Wu's contribution and intended to report it to Li Shimin. Li Shimin repeatedly praised Li Zhi for his kind and benevolent heart. Huantian galloped back to the imperial palace and reported in detail to Li Zhi that Li Ming had Adjutant Chen embroider the character "East" on the armor, intending to frame Li Zhi.

Li Zhi felt a chill down his spine, grateful that Cairen Wu had stopped him in time, preventing Li Ming's conspiracy from succeeding. Consort Yang noticed Li Ming's unusual behavior just now. Li Ming was indignant; Li Zhi had intended to impeach him for privately hoarding armor, and he had already prepared a countermeasure, but unfortunately, Cairen Wu intervened. Li Ming was filled with regret.

Consort Yang forbade him from doing such rebellious things again, but Li Ming had already lost his mind and completely disregarded her advice. The Thirteenth Prince Li Fu presented Li Zhi with a famous painting titled "Hunting Deer." Li Shimin couldn't help but recall the past when he took his princes hunting. Just then, Li Ming and Li Zhi came to pay respect. Li Ming proactively invited Li Zhi to go hunting together.

Li Zhi found an excuse to decline, but Li Shimin told them to go together. Li Zhi had no choice but to agree and also invited Li Fu to join them. Mo Kun was about to lead his team out of the capital. Pei Xingjian and Huantian came to the city gate to see him off. Huantian worried that Li Ming might try to kill Li Zhi during the hunt.

Pei Xingjian decided to accompany him tomorrow to protect Li Zhi. Li Zhi, Li Ming, and Li Fu, the three brothers, went hunting together. Li Zhi soon spotted a deer and spurred his horse to chase it. The deer, however, ran into the woods to the east. Li Ming repeatedly claimed that he had sent men to surround the woods, assuring Li Zhi that he could hunt safely.

Li Ming sent Puba Nu to closely follow Li Zhi, ostensibly for protection, but in reality, to find an opportunity to kill Li Zhi. Puba Nu sent men to set up a blockade in the east and also released a wild boar in the west. Then he signaled Li Ming, who sent Li Fu away to hunt the boar in the west. Li Zhi rode for a long time but saw no sign of the blockade Li Ming had mentioned.

Worried about getting lost, Pei Xingjian and Huantian arrived just in time, suspecting foul play. As they expected, Li Ming had arranged many masked assassins in the woods. These men were highly skilled in martial arts and agile. Pei Xingjian and Huantian escorted Li Zhi, fighting and retreating. The assassins signaled each other, accurately indicating Li Zhi's escape route. Pei Xingjian told Huantian to escort Li Zhi to flee north.

He then fought fiercely with the masked assassins, quickly subduing them. One survivor took the opportunity to signal Li Ming. Pei Xingjian rushed to pursue Li Zhi and Huantian. From a distance, he saw masked assassins shoot Huantian off his horse and shoot Li Zhi dead on the spot. He cried out in alarm and immediately rode over to save them. Unexpectedly, Li Zhi emerged from the bushes. Pei Xingjian then realized that Li Zhi and Huantian had exchanged clothes.

He quickly rode away with Li Zhi to escape for their lives. Li Ming saw the signal and brought his men to the exact location, only to discover that the one killed was Huantian, not Li Zhi. He gnashed his teeth in rage and ordered the continued pursuit of Li Zhi. Pei Xingjian galloped with Li Zhi to escape for their lives, but they ended up at the edge of a cliff.

Because of their speed, the warhorse carried both of them over the cliff. Puba Nu and Li Ming arrived shortly after, confirmed that the two had fallen into the abyss, and couldn't help but laugh heartily. Li Ming returned to the palace to report to Li Shimin, repeatedly claiming that he had failed to protect Li Zhi, and that Li Zhi had fallen off the cliff and died. Li Shimin was heartbroken and grief-stricken.

Unexpectedly, Li Zhi returned alive, which stunned Li Ming. He feigned congratulations for Li Zhi's return, while Li Shimin showed great concern for Li Zhi. It turned out that when Pei Xingjian and Li Zhi fell from the cliff, Pei Xingjian saw a large tree on the edge of the cliff. He kicked away the warhorse beneath their feet, and both he and Li Zhi hung from the tree branches.

Pei Xingjian then used all his strength to kick Li Zhi onto a rock, thus saving him. Li Zhi did not explain the truth, instead, he lied, claiming that he vaguely saw Li Shimin's figure, and Li Shimin blew a puff of immortal qi, which blew him onto a rock, saving him. Li Ming, finding one scheme foiled, devised another: he wanted to transfer Puba Nu to protect Li Zhi.

Li Zhi saw through his wolfish ambition and insisted on having Pei Xingjian as his guard. Li Shimin knew Puba Nu was an unparalleled martial artist and advised Li Zhi to let him be his personal guard. Li Zhi proposed a contest between Pei Xingjian and Puba Nu. Li Shimin immediately decided to wait ten days to see the results of the competition before making a decision. Songtao reported in detail to Cairen Wu about Li Zhi's narrow escape from death, leaving her stunned.

Episode 19 Recap

Physician Zong was ordered to treat Li Zhi's injuries. Li Zhi, seeing his flustered expression, became suspicious of him. He deliberately knocked over the bowl of Trauma medicine, forcefully drove Physician Zong out, and grew angrier the more he thought about it. Li Ming had brazenly tried to assassinate him, even attempting to plant Pubanu by his side, and now sent Physician Zong, who was related to Consort Yang, to harm him.

Li Zhi had long since seen through Li Ming's wolf's ambition. Cairen Wu chose the trustworthy Doctor Lu to treat Li Zhi's injuries. Doctor Lu applied Trauma medicine to Li Zhi, checked that the sword wound was not poisoned, and guaranteed that it would stop bleeding and scab in three days. Li Zhi sent people to give Huantian a grand burial and treat his family well.

Consort Yang suspected Li Ming of harming Li Zhi, so she summoned him to account. Li Ming admitted to sending people to assassinate Li Zhi during the hunt. Instead of repenting, he complained that Consort Yang's unwillingness to contend with the world had made her miss the chance to become empress eleven years ago, which in turn made him miss the opportunity to contend for the crown prince position. Consort Yang was heartbroken.

Although Li Ming was not her biological son, she did not want to watch him take risks, so she promised to protect him completely. Li Ming knelt to thank Consort Yang for her support. Kudi Liuli could not sleep at night. She never expected that Li Zhi, noble as a Crown Prince, would Suffer assassination. She recalled Pei Xingjian's instructions and developed an inexplicable fear of the magnificent imperial palace.

She finally understood why her mother had left the imperial palace back then. Kudi Liuli vowed to overcome all difficulties to find out the truth and seek justice for her mother. The Crown Prince sent people to notify the Wardrobe Service to send two sets of clothes every day. As the fabric was uncomfortable, they were returned, and he also requested an extra set of clothes daily.

Kudi Liuli heard that Zhuo Jinniang was working day and night to rush the ceremonial dress for the Yulanpen Festival for Consort Yang and had even specifically sent refreshing tea. Kudi Liuli voluntarily helped Bi brew tea. Bi told her many of Zhuo Jinniang's requirements and precautions, and asked Kudi Liuli to go to the Warehouse to get tea leaves. Kudi Liuli took the opportunity to place poison in the tea leaves.

Bi carefully brewed a cup of tea and personally delivered it to Zhuo Jinniang. Kudi Liuli inadvertently overheard the embroiderers privately discussing her mother's ill intentions. She immediately changed her mind, not wanting to poison Zhuo Jinniang like that and make her mother unable to clear her name in this lifetime. Kudi Liuli voluntarily offered to deliver the tea on Bi's behalf. Bi thought she was trying to steal credit, so she started to contend with her.

Kudi Liuli deliberately spilled the poisoned cup of tea on the ground. Kudi Liuli wanted to visit Li Zhi's injuries, so she voluntarily sent him the finished clothes. Kudi Liuli followed Retinue Wang into the room to visit Li Zhi and saw him faint due to wound infection. Kudi Liuli saw that the wound was rotting and turning black, which were clearly symptoms of poisoning. Kudi Liuli learned that the physician was invited by Cairen Wu from outside the palace.

A few days ago, the wound started to improve, but in the past few days, it had gotten worse day by day. Kudi Liuli suspected that something went wrong in between and suggested quickly changing physicians. Cairen Wu immediately sent people to inform Pei Xingjian, asking him to find a physician outside. Although Kudi Liuli had some medical knowledge, she had never dealt with such severe external injuries.

She was at her wit's end, just continuously blowing air to relieve Li Zhi's pain. Li Zhi groggily woke up. He dared not sleep again, worried that he would never wake up, and also feared being framed again. Kudi Liuli gently persuaded him, telling him about her own childhood experiences.

She encouraged him to face it bravely, assuring him that the bad guys were more worried and scared than him, and that the bad guys would Suffer retribution sooner or later. Li Zhi felt slightly relieved in his heart. Pei Xingjian carefully selected three physicians. They diagnosed and treated Li Zhi one by one, confirming that Doctor Lu's prescription had no problem. Pei Xingjian suggested testing the medicine, gauze, and clothes one by one.

He volunteered to be the test subject. Kudi Liuli cut Pei Xingjian's arm, first testing Doctor Lu's Trauma medicine; the wound healed quickly. Subsequently, they also tested the gauze and clothes, finding no problems. Pei Xingjian decided to continue investigating, guaranteeing to find out the truth completely.

Episode 20 Recap

Kudi Liuli remembered that the prince's clothes were made from fabrics chosen from the Thin material warehouse. She came to the Thin material warehouse in the dark to investigate. From afar, she saw Cai Yue, Minister Lin's attendant, entering the Thin material warehouse with a roll of white cloth. Kudi Liuli accidentally made a noise, and Cai Yue immediately became alert. Fortunately, Pei Xingjian arrived in time and pulled Kudi Liuli aside.

Pei Xingjian suspected that the fabric of the prince's clothes was poisoned, so he came to the Thin material warehouse overnight to investigate. He did not expect Kudi Liuli to suddenly appear. Kudi Liuli heard that Cai Yue used to be a palace maid in Li Ming's residence. Pei Xingjian immediately understood everything. He went overnight to check the dregs of the herbs used to boil the fabric but found no abnormalities.

Pei Xingjian tested the poison on himself and quickly discovered that when one of the herbs was mixed with Trauma medicine, it could produce an imperceptible toxicity. Pei Xingjian reported in detail to Li Zhi the entire process of Li Ming hiring someone to poison him. He suggested that Li Zhi pretend to be deeply poisoned to deceive Li Ming, and have Kudi Liuli specially sew clothes for Li Zhi, embroidering a mark on the corner of the clothes.

Li Zhi only needed to choose clothes with the mark. Sure enough, Li Zhi's wound healed within a few days. He continued to pretend to be seriously injured, sending people to the Wardrobe Service daily to urge for clothes, successfully deceiving Li Ming. Cairen Wu learned that Li Zhi's wound had healed, so she brought "Bao Er," the pigeon they both rescued, to entertain Li Zhi. Sheng, Li Zhi's personal attendant, brought the clothes Kudi Liuli had personally sewn.

Cairen Wu saw the mark on them and repeatedly praised Kudi Liuli for her thoughtfulness. Li Zhi took the opportunity to propose transferring Kudi Liuli to the Eastern Palace to work. Cairen Wu, however, wanted her to stay in the Wardrobe Service as an informant, and not bury her talent for making clothes. Li Zhi no longer insisted.

Cairen Wu suggested inviting Pei Xingjian to the palace to discuss the martial arts competition, and Li Zhi immediately sent someone to invite him. Li Ming heard that Li Zhi's injuries were getting worse, and he secretly rejoiced in his heart, but then he felt something was off. Li Zhi valued Pei Xingjian greatly, yet he had not postponed the date of the martial arts competition.

The more Li Ming thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong, and he wanted to go to the Eastern Palace himself to find out. Li Ming brought Pubanu and Physician Zong to the Eastern Palace to visit the sick, pretending to be concerned. At the palace gate, he coincidentally met Pei Xingjian. They entered the room together. Li Zhi pretended to be seriously injured, staggering out to meet his guests.

Li Ming wanted Physician Zong to check Li Zhi's wound healing. Li Zhi excused himself, saying that each time he had to Change medicine, it was excruciatingly painful, like peeling off a layer of skin, and politely declined Li Ming's kind offer. Li Ming advised Li Zhi to postpone the date of the martial arts competition. Li Zhi did not want to delay too long because of his injury. Li Ming hinted to Pubanu to test Pei Xingjian's martial arts.

The two took the opportunity of bowing to each other to test each other's strength. Afterward, Li Ming reminded Pubanu that he must win against Pei Xingjian, or he would be severely dealt with. The embroiderers of the Wardrobe Service heard that Pei Xingjian was handsome and dashing, and all wanted to catch a glimpse of his elegance.

They found all sorts of excuses to ask Deng Qiniang for leave, wanting to watch the martial arts competition between Pei Xingjian and Pubanu. Deng Qiniang was in a dilemma. Zhuo Jinniang rushed over upon hearing the news, severely reprimanded them, and issued a stern warning: no one was allowed to leave the Wardrobe Service gate, or they would not be spared.

Li Zhi repeatedly reminded Pei Xingjian to be wary of Li Ming and others plotting mischief, but he was still not at ease, so he gave him countless warnings and instructions. Li Ming gave Pubanu a death order: he could only win, not lose. Pubanu prepared a pill that could instantly boost his power, but this pill had significant side effects. Li Ming, eager to win, forcibly fed Pubanu the pill and also had him poison his twin hammers.

Today was the day of the martial arts competition. Li Shimin personally came to the Eastern Palace to supervise the battle, also allowing palace maids and attendants to watch. Zhuo Jinniang arranged a full schedule of tasks for every embroiderer, precisely to prevent them from watching the competition. Kudi Liuli wanted to watch the martial arts competition between Pei Xingjian and Pubanu.

She used the excuse that the embroidery needles were too thin, and Deng Qiniang allowed her to go to the Warehouse to choose. Kudi Liuli took the opportunity to go to the competition arena. Kudi Liuli was late in returning. Shuang'er concluded that she had gone to watch the martial arts competition. Deng Qiniang forbade Shuang'er from talking nonsense.

Zhuo Jinniang then arrived, reminding the embroiderers to finish their tasks on time, and asked Deng Qiniang that Kudi Liuli had been out for an hour. Zhuo Jinniang was furious, gritting her teeth. The martial arts competition began. Li Shimin allowed Pei Xingjian and Pubanu to choose their own weapons and publicly announced that the winner would be appointed Guard Leader of the Left. Pubanu used his twin hammers, and Pei Xingjian used a sword.

The two were at loggerheads, refusing to give way, fighting inextricably. Kudi Liuli was mesmerized. Pubanu and Pei Xingjian suddenly stopped. Everyone present looked at each other in dismay. Pubanu let out a roar, gathering all his strength to press Pei Xingjian step by step, with every move aimed at killing. Pei Xingjian skillfully parried each one. Pubanu's large hammer grazed Pei Xingjian's head. He pressed a mechanism, and some white powder fell out of the hammer.

Pei Xingjian felt something was wrong and suspected that Pubanu's large hammer was poisoned. Pubanu admitted it without hesitation. Pei Xingjian felt unwell all over and soon turned pale and was profusely sweating. Pei Xingjian did not want to lose; he wanted to win honor for Li Zhi. He struggled to stand up and cut his arm to force himself to stay conscious. Pei Xingjian fought back, and Kudi Liuli couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety for him.

Episode 21 Recap

Pabanu pressed Pei Xingjian closely, every move was fatal. Pei Xingjian had to self-harm to force himself to stay awake, but because he was too deeply poisoned, his physical strength gradually failed him. Pei Xingjian decided to make one last desperate attempt, a do-or-die struggle with Li Ming. He flew forward with all his might, trying to abduct Li Ming, but was subdued by guards on the spot. Li Zhi hurriedly stood up to defend Pei Xingjian.

Pei Xingjian claimed that he acted recklessly to protect Li Zhi's safety. Consort Yang was relentless, accusing Pei Xingjian of insubordination and insisting on a severe punishment for him. Li Shimin didn't know how to choose for a moment, so he wanted to hear Cairen Wu's opinion. Cairen Wu praised Li Shimin as an enlightened ruler who appointed people based on merit.

She also brought up the historical allusion of the twenty-four sages from the previous dynasty, advising Li Shimin to employ Pei Xingjian solely based on his talent. Li Shimin not only did not punish Pei Xingjian's rash behavior, but also highly praised his act of sacrificing himself to protect his master. He publicly announced that Pei Xingjian would be Li Zhi's personal guard. Pabanu would remain with Li Ming, and he rewarded each of them with a precious sword.

Pei Xingjian fainted on the spot due to excessive blood loss. Kudi Liuli was extremely anxious but could not help. Consort Yang saw that Li Shimin was biased towards Li Zhi, and she was furious, swearing to protect Li Ming's safety at all costs. Pei Xingjian remained unconscious. Li Zhi dared not ask an imperial physician from the Imperial Hospital to treat him.

Cairen Wu also noticed that Pei Xingjian's arm suddenly became disobedient during the competition and felt something was suspicious. She promptly sent someone to invite Doctor Lu. Doctor Lu examined him and found that Pei Xingjian's arm was disobedient due to poisoning. He quickly detoxified him and bandaged his wound. Kudi Liuli tiptoed back to the Wardrobe Service, but was still caught red-handed by Zhuo Jinniang. Kudi Liuli admitted that she went to peek at the competition.

Zhuo Jinniang was enraged and humiliated. She immediately punished Kudi Liuli by making her kneel for four hours, forbidding her from eating dinner, and requiring her to finish all of today's work. Kudi Liuli willingly accepted the punishment. Bi made sarcastic remarks from the side, and other embroiderers also joined in the commotion. Li Zhi thanked Cairen Wu for always helping him solve his troubles in time.

Cairen Wu encouraged him not to waste his good years, but to achieve great things while he was young. She firmly believed that he would become a virtuous emperor in the future and would manage the harem well. Cairen Wu knew that sooner or later she would be banished to Ganye Temple to become a nun. At that time, she would not be able to offer advice to Li Zhi.

Li Zhi had long regarded her as a confidante, like an elder sister, and he promised to do his best to help her. Dinner time arrived, and the embroiderers all went to eat. Kudi Liuli was still kneeling there, but in her heart, she was thinking of the injured Pei Xingjian, wondering if he had woken up. Kudi Liuli prayed to heaven for Pei Xingjian's speedy recovery. Retinue Wang stayed by Pei Xingjian's side, not leaving an inch.

Pei Xingjian remained unconscious. In his semiconscious state, he kept calling "Yu"'s name. Retinue Wang guessed that Yu was Pei Xingjian's beloved. Kudi Liuli came to visit Pei Xingjian early in the morning. Retinue Wang asked her about Yu. Pei Xingjian kept calling his beloved's name, "Yu". Kudi Liuli lied, saying she didn't know this person, but inwardly she was overjoyed. Pei Xingjian was still unconscious, but it was time for his Change medicine.

Retinue Wang had urgent matters to attend to, so he asked Kudi Liuli to help him Change medicine. Kudi Liuli carefully checked Pei Xingjian's wound, gently helping him Change medicine. Her heart was filled with pity, and she couldn't help but burst into tears. Pei Xingjian groggily woke up. He saw Kudi Liuli by his side and comforted her not to be sad. Li Zhi came to visit Pei Xingjian.

He repeatedly praised Kudi Liuli for bringing good fortune to Pei Xingjian, and he also patted her head. Li Zhi permitted Kudi Liuli to visit Pei Xingjian at the Eastern Palace at any time. Pei Xingjian worried about gossip and forbade Kudi Liuli from coming to the Eastern Palace again. Li Zhi promised to find a legitimate excuse for her to come in the future. Sun Decheng came to see Kudi Liuli and brought her favorite osmanthus cakes.

Sun Decheng advised her to be prudent and not to always go to the Eastern Palace, to avoid suffering resentment from Consort Yang and Li Ming. Kudi Liuli, however, didn't take it seriously. She decided to go all out to help Li Zhi, hoping that Li Zhi would redress her mother's grievances. Sun Decheng advised her to give up early, but Kudi Liuli's mind was made up. The Ullambana Festival was approaching.

All the concubines in the harem wanted to seize this opportunity to compete for beauty and favor. They all sent people to the Wardrobe Service to custom-make dresses. Only Cairen Wu remained inactive. Zhuo Jinniang sent Deng Qiniang to inquire with Cairen Wu. Cairen Wu wanted Kudi Liuli to make clothes for her. Li Zhi sent palace maids to summon Kudi Liuli away. Zhuo Jinniang assigned each embroiderer to be responsible for one of the harem concubines' dresses. They were all jealous that Kudi Liuli could sew a dress for the currently favored Cairen Wu, and were reprimanded by Zhuo Jinniang.

Episode 22 Recap

Pei Xingjian's injuries gradually recovered, but Kudi Liuli was still worried, so she came to the Eastern Palace to see him and congratulate him on becoming the Guard Leader of the Left. Pei Xingjian asked her to personally sew a nightgown as a gift. Kudi Liuli readily agreed and measured Pei Xingjian on the spot with her arm. Pei Xingjian was curious if she measured Li Zhi for clothes in the same way.

Kudi Liuli explained that the Wardrobe Service already had Li Zhi's clothing measurements. Pei Xingjian forbade her from measuring other men like that; he would be jealous. Consort Yang was very dissatisfied with the clothing patterns provided by the Wardrobe Service. Zhuo Jinniang severely reprimanded the embroiderers. Kudi Liuli suggested catering to Consort Yang's preferences. Songtao and Guard Lang were deeply in love. The two secretly met behind the rockery. Guard Lang couldn't help but tightly embrace Songtao.

This scene was caught by Consort Yang's personal maid A-jian. A-jian coerced Songtao into doing something for her and also revealed that Guard Lang cooperated with her to arrange a meeting with Songtao. Songtao slapped Guard Lang hard and reluctantly agreed to help A-jian with the task. Li Zhi obtained a bottle of excellent wine and sent Retinue Wang to invite Pei Xingjian and Kudi Liuli to taste it.

Retinue Wang took the opportunity to inquire about Yu's identity from Pei Xingjian. Pei Xingjian quickly found an excuse to cover it up. Kudi Liuli arrived first at the banquet. Upon learning there was wine to drink, she couldn't help but recall the amusing story of secretly drinking the wine her mother brought home when she was little. Li Zhi was amused and couldn't help but laugh. Pei Xingjian arrived shortly after.

Li Zhi raised a glass, thanking them both for saving his life. Kudi Liuli, unable to refuse the kind offer, lifted the glass and drank it all. She repeatedly praised the wine for being delicious and mellow, but still felt that stolen wine tasted better. Li Zhi wanted to penalize Kudi Liuli with three cups of wine.

Kudi Liuli complained that he was using his status as the crown prince to pressure her and wanted to penalize him with three cups of wine as well. Li Zhi voluntarily accepted the penalty. Pei Xingjian offered to drink Kudi Liuli's penalty wine for her. Li Zhi was insistent and also penalized him with three cups. The three of them each drank three cups of wine. Kudi Liuli became happier the more she drank.

She started pouring for herself and drinking and quickly became drunk. Pei Xingjian worried that Kudi Liuli might reveal her Female identity after drinking, so he asked Li Zhi for leave to Escort Kudi Liuli back to the Wardrobe Service. Li Zhi found him to be Disappointing. Pei Xingjian quietly reminded Kudi Liuli not to expose her Female identity. Kudi Liuli used the excuse of being worried about being punished upon returning and left with Pei Xingjian.

Pei Xingjian repeatedly reminded Kudi Liuli not to drink too much in the future to avoid exposing her Female identity. Kudi Liuli then sobered up. Pei Xingjian warned her not to get too close to Li Zhi, fearing she might be transferred to be Li Zhi's personal guard. After all, men and women are different, and there would be many inconveniences then. Kudi Liuli then realized the seriousness of the problem and thanked Pei Xingjian for always thinking of her.

Pei Xingjian wanted to know about her mother's wrongful suffering and promised to investigate it thoroughly, but Kudi Liuli could not tell him yet. Today was The first day of the lunar month. The embroiderers were all eager to eat the monthly awarded meal, but Kudi Liuli remained unmoved. After everyone had left, Kudi Liuli began to design dress patterns for Consort Yang. Deng Qiniang delivered a meal to Zhuo Jinniang.

Zhuo Jinniang learned that Kudi Liuli was drawing, so she sent Deng Qiniang to gather information. Kudi Liuli drew a 'hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix' pattern for Consort Yang. Deng Qiniang was amazed and praised Kudi Liuli profusely. Kudi Liuli felt that the 'hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix' perfectly matched Consort Yang's unique status in the harem and also aligned with her thoughts. Zhuo Jinniang overheard Kudi Liuli and Deng Qiniang's conversation.

Zhuo Jinniang mistakenly thought Kudi Liuli wanted to bypass her to gain credit from Consort Yang. She severely reprimanded her. Kudi Liuli repeatedly explained that she didn't want to steal credit and intended to hand over the clothing pattern to Zhuo Jinniang after finishing it. Only then did Zhuo Jinniang cease. Kudi Liuli quickly completed the pattern. Zhuo Jinniang immediately presented it to Consort Yang for review.

Consort Yang was very satisfied and even asked her to personally sew the dress. Kudi Liuli brought several dress patterns for Cairen Wu to choose from. Cairen Wu chose the peony pattern. Songtao took the opportunity while delivering ginseng soup to come and eavesdrop on their conversation.

Episode 23 Recap

Kudi Liuli suggested using Golden silk to embroider the peony petals and decorating them with Tianshan jade. Cairen Wu was very satisfied. Songtao overheard their conversation and immediately reported it to Consort Yang. Consort Yang was secretly pleased. She knew that Empress Zhangsun loved peonies the most during her lifetime. If Cairen Wu dared to use this design, she would definitely anger Li Shimin. She wanted to see Cairen Wu in trouble.

Li Zhi transferred Mo Kun back to the capital for a new assignment. As soon as Mo Kun arrived in the capital, he came to find Pei Xingjian, eager to find something to do. Pei Xingjian asked him to secretly investigate Kudi Liuli's Life experience, hoping to clear her mother's name. When Shun went to the Warehouse, he accidentally learned that Pei Xingjian had sent someone to investigate An's old case. He quickly reported it to Sun Decheng.

Sun Decheng was worried that if Pei Xingjian found out Kudi Liuli was An's daughter, it would bring harm to Kudi Liuli. Shun also broke out in a cold sweat for Kudi Liuli, and he couldn't figure out whether Pei Xingjian was a good person or a bad person. Mo Kun quickly found out that An was Kudi Yenzhong's wife. She was known as the best embroiderer under heaven and deeply trusted by Empress Zhangsun.

An grew tired of life in the palace, so she resigned from Empress Zhangsun and left the imperial palace. Later, An was inexplicably imprisoned for helping Consort Yang sew a ceremonial robe of the empress for her enthronement. An poisoned her daughter and then hanged herself in prison. Mo Kun reported the investigation results in detail to Pei Xingjian.

Pei Xingjian reviewed everything from beginning to end and concluded that Kudi Liuli was An's daughter, who was saved by Sun Decheng and then stayed in the Mortuary as a medical official. Pei Xingjian also guessed that the reason Kudi Liuli returned to the palace was that she had found the culprit who harmed her mother and wanted to come back to avenge her mother.

Pei Xingjian remembered that eleven years ago, he and Kudi Liuli became connected because of a camellia handkerchief. Later, he accidentally saved Kudi Liuli, who had escaped from a coffin. Pei Xingjian had collected An's belongings for eleven years, and now he could finally return them to their rightful owner. Pei Xingjian excitedly came to find Kudi Liuli, promising to give her important items.

Zhuo Jinniang was worried that the dress Kudi Liuli made for Cairen Wu would overshadow Consort Yang. She sent Kudi Liuli away early in the morning, assigning her many tasks. Then, she secretly went to Kudi Liuli's bedroom with Deng Qiniang. The two of them turned the room upside down. Zhuo Jinniang finally found Kudi Liuli's embroidered peony design under the bed. She was ecstatic. Pei Xingjian came to deliver An's belongings to Kudi Liuli.

From afar, he saw Zhuo Jinniang and Deng Qiniang ransacking her room. He therefore concluded that Zhuo Jinniang was the one who harmed An back then. He broke out in a cold sweat, worried for Kudi Liuli, and had to quietly leave first. As Pei Xingjian left, he saw Kudi Liuli and advised her not to return yet. He also told her about Zhuo Jinniang ransacking her room and arranged to meet her at Changchun Lake in the evening.

Pei Xingjian arrived at Changchun Lake early. After much deliberation, he decided not to hand over An's belongings to Kudi Liuli, still feeling that it would be safer if he kept them. Mo Kun was patrolling the imperial palace with his guards and happened to see Pei Xingjian waiting for Kudi Liuli by the lake, so he exchanged a few pleasantries with him. Kudi Liuli then came to meet Pei Xingjian, curious about what good thing he had.

Pei Xingjian lied, saying a friend had given him a bottle of wine, which he had originally intended to give to Kudi Liuli, but he was afraid she would lose her composure if she drank too much, so he temporarily changed his mind and bought Kudi Liuli her favorite osmanthus cake. Kudi Liuli was very displeased but still ate it happily. Pei Xingjian and Kudi Liuli sat side by side by Changchun Lake, talking intimately.

Their eyes met, and they both developed unique feelings for each other. Kudi Liuli wanted to meet him there often. Pei Xingjian was worried that too many people talking would cause trouble, so he arranged to meet her at Yixin Palace in the future. Kudi Liuli heard that a concubine had died in Yixin Palace and that it was often haunted.

Pei Xingjian decided to fuel the rumors, amplifying them infinitely so that everyone would be afraid to go, and the two of them could date there in peace. Kudi Liuli felt warm inside. That night, Pei Xingjian deliberately disguised himself as a ghost and appeared in Yixin Palace, seen by a passing palace maid. This further solidified the rumors of Yixin Palace being haunted. Pei Xingjian's actions successfully cleared the way for his future dates with Kudi Liuli.

Today was the Ullambana Festival. Li Shimin personally attended the sacrificial ceremony. Concubines and princes from all palaces came to accompany Li Shimin, but only Consort Yang and Cairen Wu were late.

Episode 24 Recap

Consort Yang changed into that Phoenix-Adorned fine clothes early. She deliberately delayed outside the palace gate, wanting to appear alone before everyone after all the civil and military officials and harem members had entered. This splendid appearance in the Phoenix-Adorned fine clothes was meant to display her status in the harem. When Consort Yang saw the time was right, she gracefully walked in amidst everyone's eager anticipation.

Li Shimin immediately saw that the fine clothes she wore were exceptionally crafted, sewn with peacock feathers. Consort Yang publicly denounced Cairen Wu, claiming Cairen Wu had specially made a Moutan pattern ceremonial dress for the Yulan Festival, even using Golden silk and Tianshan jade. She deliberately delayed her appearance to seek attention and steal the spotlight. Cairen Wu arrived late, greatly displeasing Li Shimin, who eagerly asked about the Moutan pattern ceremonial dress.

Cairen Wu calmly explained the reason: the Yulan Festival is a day to worship departed ancestors. She specifically asked Kudi Liuli to sew a Moutan pattern ceremonial dress that Empress Zhangsun liked during her lifetime, and personally delivered it to Empress Zhangsun's palace for worship, which is why she was late. Li Shimin praised her actions, noticing that Cairen Wu was only wearing a very simple and plain dress.

Cairen Wu did not want to be overly extravagant on such a solemn day, so she had Kudi Liuli make this simple and elegant dress. Li Shimin increasingly found Consort Yang's Phoenix-Adorned fine clothes an eyesore and punished her to return to her palace to reflect. Consort Yang deliberately knelt outside the grand hall, hoping to regain Li Shimin's favor using a bitter stratagem. The more she thought as she knelt there, the angrier she became.

She had intended to publicly assert her dominance over Cairen Wu, but unexpectedly, Cairen Wu had stolen all the thunder. Consort Yang knelt for a long time before Li Shimin called her in to hold her accountable. Consort Yang pushed all the blame onto Zhuo Jinniang. Li Shimin pointed out to her face that she should not have worn a ceremonial dress with the Phoenix-Adorned pattern, and moreover, she had killed to obtain the feathers.

Consort Yang was so frightened that she repeatedly begged for mercy, but Li Shimin did not buy it and punished her to return to her palace to reflect. Today was the fifteenth day of the seventh month. Cairen Wu, following custom, prepared two lotus lanterns to guide the deceased, personally delivering them to Empress Zhangsun's memorial hall. She also knelt on the spot, praying to Empress Zhangsun to bless Li Shimin and Li Zhi.

Hearing these words from outside the door, Li Zhi felt warmth in his heart. Empress Zhangsun was Li Zhi's birth mother, so he expressed his gratitude to Cairen Wu directly. In fact, Cairen Wu's visit to worship Empress Zhangsun was deliberately intended for the Crown Prince. She disliked all the machinations in the palace, but having offended Consort Yang today, she made this trip to ensure her safety.

Cairen Wu was certain that Li Shimin would soon summon her, and she did not want to miss this good opportunity, intending to completely overthrow Consort Yang, who was deeply entrenched in the harem, in one fell swoop. In a furious rage, Consort Yang burst into the Wardrobe Service, gathered all the embroiderers, and unleashed her wrath. Minister Lin believed it was all Zhuo Jinniang's fault. Zhuo Jinniang made every excuse, pushing all the blame onto Kudi Liuli.

Retinue Wang, under Li Zhi's orders, was delivering refreshments to Kudi Liuli. Seeing Zhuo Jinniang framing Kudi Liuli, he feared Kudi Liuli would be punished and quickly returned to report to Li Zhi. Kudi Liuli explained in detail why she chose the Phoenix-Adorned pattern. Consort Yang was completely unappreciative. Zhuo Jinniang seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire from the side. In a fit of anger, Consort Yang was about to drag Kudi Liuli away for severe punishment.

Fortunately, Li Zhi arrived in time to rescue Kudi Liuli. Li Zhi clearly stated that he had come to thank Kudi Liuli for sewing clothes for his mother. However, Consort Yang was relentless, insisting that Kudi Liuli had deliberately framed her, causing her to be punished by Li Shimin. Li Zhi strongly defended Kudi Liuli. Consort Yang was so angry that she gnashed her teeth. Li Zhi declared that he would protect Kudi Liuli at all costs.

Consort Yang then ordered Zhuo Jinniang to be dragged away and severely beaten. Zhuo Jinniang was so frightened that she repeatedly begged for mercy. As Cairen Wu had expected, Li Shimin sent someone overnight to summon Cairen Wu to talk with him. Since Empress Zhangsun's death, Li Shimin had favored Consort Yang the most; if not for the objections of his ministers back then, Consort Yang would have been crowned empress long ago.

He never expected Consort Yang to become so unrecognizable, daring to commit such an audacious act of transgression today. Li Shimin had always missed Empress Zhangsun deeply and thanked Cairen Wu for fulfilling his wish. To please Li Shimin, Cairen Wu sang the "Spring Excursion" written by Empress Zhangsun on the spot. Cairen Wu's melodious and sweet singing deeply moved Li Shimin.

Stirred by the scene, he couldn't help but recall the beautiful times he had spring excursions with Empress Zhangsun. Li Shimin was so moved that his eyes welled up with tears. Consort Yang lost to Cairen Wu, was punished by Li Shimin, and was publicly contradicted by Li Zhi. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. As soon as she returned to her palace, she threw a violent tantrum, hysterically smashing things around.

Palace maid Dan Qing kindly advised her, urging her to consider Li Ming more. Consort Yang hadn't expected Li Zhi to defend a mere medical official so vehemently. She dispatched Dan Qing to keep a close eye on Kudi Liuli. That night, Pei Xingjian arranged to meet Kudi Liuli at Yixin Palace. He specially prepared a lamp for worshipping the deceased, so Kudi Liuli could worship her deceased mother.

Episode 25 Recap

Kudi Liuli placed the lotus lanterns prepared by Pei Xingjian into the pond, expressing her grief for her deceased mother. Pei Xingjian played the flute to pay tribute to the departed. Songtao knelt outside the palace gate waiting for Cairen Wu, repeatedly apologizing to her, regretting believing Cai Yue's slanders, and betraying Cairen Wu. Cairen Wu had discovered her anomaly early on and deliberately revealed her choice of the peony pattern in front of her.

Unexpectedly, Songtao couldn't wait to inform Consort Yang, thanks to Yuliu who followed her all the way. Songtao wanted to stay by Cairen Wu's side, swearing loyalty to Cairen Wu wholeheartedly from then on. Cairen Wu no longer trusted her and asked Yuliu to inform Chamberlain Pan to reassign Songtao to another place. Songtao was certain that Consort Yang would not let her go, and desperately pleaded with Yuliu to intercede for her.

Yuliu was powerless and advised her to take care of herself. Consort Yang sent people to closely monitor Li Zhi's every move. Learning that he showed great affection for Kudi Liuli and often called her into the palace for drinks, Consort Yang sent Cai Yue to spread news that Li Zhi favored male companions. The rumors quickly spread rampantly throughout the palace. Deng Qiniang wanted to embroider the customs and traditions of the West Market.

She consulted Zhuo Jinniang for embroidery stitches, but Zhuo Jinniang flatly refused. Deng Qiniang was very sad. Hearing about this, Kudi Liuli hurried over to comfort Deng Qiniang. That night, Kudi Liuli and Pei Xingjian met by appointment at Yixin Palace. She gave Pei Xingjian the sleeping clothes she made herself. Pei Xingjian forbade her from making sleeping clothes for other men again. Kudi Liuli teased him for not acting like a man.

Pei Xingjian wanted to show her if he was a true man, and Kudi Liuli fled in fright. Retinue Jiang specially selected handsome eunuchs and sent them to the Eastern Palace to please Li Zhi, but they were turned away by Retinue Wang. Cairen Wu heard the rumors that Li Zhi favored male companions, and that it implicitly referred to Kudi Liuli. She hurried to inform Li Zhi, but he was dismissive. Cairen Wu reminded Li Zhi to be careful.

Pei Xingjian also advised Li Zhi to distance himself from Kudi Liuli. Li Zhi kept claiming that he had matters to discuss with Kudi Liuli recently and completely disregarded the rumors. Consort Yang sent people every day to deliver soup, herbal tonics to Li Shimin, and also cared about Li Shimin's health. It was not until a month later that Li Shimin was moved by Consort Yang's sincerity, and let go of the matter concerning the Yulan Festival.

Consort Yang regained Li Shimin's favor. The rumors about Li Zhi favoring male companions became more and more outrageous. Consort Yang repeatedly urged Li Ming to keep quiet about these matters, absolutely forbidding Li Shimin from hearing about them from their mother and son. Despite Retinue Wang's dissuasion, Li Zhi still often called Kudi Liuli to the Eastern Palace. Yuanlang was the eunuch serving Li Zhi in the Eastern Palace.

Li Ming sent him to closely monitor Li Zhi's every move. Pei Xingjian called Kudi Liuli to use the back entrance, repeatedly reminding her not to go to the Eastern Palace to see Li Zhi again, lest the rumors harm her safety. Kudi Liuli readily agreed. Unexpectedly, Retinue Wang also came in through the back entrance and forcibly took Kudi Liuli away. Li Ming saw Retinue Wang bring Kudi Liuli to the Eastern Palace.

Hearing that Consort Yang was accompanying Li Shimin, he felt the time was right and instructed Yuanlang to put medicine into the incense burner. After Li Ming arranged everything, he came to Pay respect to Li Shimin. Consort Yang wanted to go to the lotus pond in the Eastern Palace to pick lotus seeds to cool Li Shimin's internal heat. Li Shimin also wanted to go, calling Li Ming to join them. Li Ming was naturally delighted.

As the medicine in the incense took effect, Kudi Liuli felt her face flush, her body weak, and she constantly broke into a cold sweat. Li Zhi stared infatuatedly at her, drenched in fragrant sweat. Kudi Liuli felt very uncomfortable and wanted to take her painting drafts back. She stumbled and almost fainted after a few steps. Li Zhi quickly picked her up and told her to rest temporarily in the Eastern Palace. Kudi Liuli resisted with all her might.

Episode 26 Recap

Li Zhi helped the sweating Kudi Liuli onto the couch. Kudi Liuli was extremely thirsty, and Li Zhi quickly called Yuanlang to fetch water. Pei Xingjian was worried about Kudi Liuli and wanted to go in to see what was happening. Yuanlang tried all sorts of excuses to stop him. Suddenly hearing Li Zhi's call, Yuanlang rushed in. Feeling uneasy, Pei Xingjian had no choice but to seek help from Cairen Wu.

Cairen Wu was not there, having gone to the imperial garden for a stroll, so he asked the palace maid Yuliu to relay a message, requesting Cairen Wu to definitely go to the Eastern Palace. Cairen Wu returned to the palace four hours later. Yuliu told her Pei Xingjian's message. Cairen Wu realized the situation was bad and immediately rushed to the Eastern Palace. Retinue Wang delivered something to Li Zhi, but Yuanlang tried every way to stop him.

Retinue Wang forced his way in, put down the item, and quickly came out. He looked flustered and forbade Yuanlang from telling anyone what he had seen. Li Shimin brought Consort Yang and Li Ming to the Eastern Palace to pick lotus seeds. Yuanlang gave a knowing look to Li Ming, who understood that he had succeeded. Retinue Wang and Yuanlang invited Li Shimin and his entourage into the palace.

Li Shimin inquired about the crown prince's whereabouts, and Retinue Wang stammered, claiming Li Zhi was Reading in the Hall of Good Virtue. Cairen Wu rushed to the Eastern Palace. Halfway there, she met Mo Kun, who called her aside. Li Shimin went directly to the Hall of Good Virtue. There was no sound inside, and Li Shimin immediately became furious, pressing hard for Li Zhi's whereabouts. Retinue Wang had no choice but to take them to the back garden.

From afar, Li Shimin saw Li Zhi reeling silk with the palace maids, which reminded him of the deceased Empress Zhangsun, who loved raising silkworms and reeling silk during her lifetime. Li Zhi quickly came over to apologize to Li Shimin. He had originally intended to secretly make a piece of clothing from the woven silk for Li Shimin as a birthday gift, but it was discovered. Li Shimin praised him profusely, leaving Consort Yang and Li Ming dumbfounded.

Yuanlang hurried back to the study and meticulously searched inside the incense burner. As he came out, he bumped directly into Pei Xingjian. Yuanlang was so scared he took off running. Pei Xingjian had already taken the unburnt aphrodisiac incense from inside. Cairen Wu rushed to the Eastern Palace, repeatedly claiming she came to Learn weaving and embroidery. Li Shimin was delighted.

He personally inspected the entire process of raising silkworms and reeling silk and praised Li Zhi's silk weaving skills. Li Zhi admitted that Kudi Liuli had taught him. Li Shimin called Kudi Liuli over and bestowed rewards upon her. Li Zhi invited Li Shimin and his entourage inside for tea. Cairen Wu suddenly felt hot all over and found the incense here too strong. Li Shimin also felt hot and weak.

Li Zhi then called Yuanlang, who was on duty today. Yuanlang, startled, grabbed the incense burner and ran. Pei Xingjian quickly stopped him and publicly exposed that there was aphrodisiac incense in the burner. He had confiscated such incense from pleasure houses when he was at the School of the Four Gates. Li Ming and Consort Yang fanned the flames from the side. Li Shimin severely reprimanded Li Zhi, suspecting that he had obtained these from pleasure houses.

Li Zhi was completely unaware of this. Cairen Wu reviewed the recent events in the palace from the beginning: first, someone spread rumors to slander Li Zhi, and now, aphrodisiac incense inexplicably appeared, leading her to conclude that someone was deliberately framing Li Zhi. Just then, Mo Kun rushed to report to Li Shimin that he had found aphrodisiac incense at Yuanlang's home. Li Shimin forced Yuanlang to confess the mastermind. Consort Yang, fearing exposure, subtly threatened and intimidated him.

Yuanlang admitted it was his sole doing and that there was no mastermind. Li Shimin ordered Pei Xingjian to take Yuanlang out and beat him to death with a stick, publicly announcing an iron rule: from now on, anyone who dares to spread rumors about Li Zhi will be severely punished.

Li Shimin suspected that Li Ming and Consort Yang had believed the rumors and deliberately invited him to the Eastern Palace to pick lotus, intending for him to catch Li Zhi in the act. Li Shimin severely reprimanded Li Ming and Consort Yang, punishing Consort Yang to return and reflect behind closed doors. He also specifically asked Chamberlain Gao to convey a message, forbidding Consort Yang from kneeling outside the main hall again to disgrace herself.

Li Shimin also had Chamberlain Gao warn Li Ming to conduct himself well in the future. Consort Yang advised Li Ming to be careful in his actions in the future, so as not to provoke Li Shimin. Cai Yue fanned the flames from the side, repeatedly claiming that all of this was because of Kudi Liuli. Li Ming swore to kill Kudi Liuli to prevent future troubles. Consort Yang coughed up a mouthful of blood due to intense anger.

Li Zhi thanked Cairen Wu for stepping forward to clarify the facts. Cairen Wu believed that all of this was due to Pei Xingjian being Meticulous, which allowed Li Zhi to escape a disaster, and she reminded him to be extra careful in the future. Pei Xingjian came to see Kudi Liuli. Seeing her crying like a pear blossom bathed in rain, he wiped away her tears and vowed to protect her well in the future. Only then did Kudi Liuli break into a smile.

Episode 27 Recap

It turned out that Pei Xingjian learned that Li Zhi had called Kudi Liuli to the Eastern Palace, so he went to ask Cairen Wu to go to the Eastern Palace, but Cairen Wu was not there. Pei Xingjian went to the study to find Li Zhi, but Yuanlang tried to put him off. He became suspicious, so he secretly climbed onto the roof and saw Li Zhi and Kudi Liuli had been drugged unconscious by an aphrodisiac.

He quickly jumped in through the window, took away the aphrodisiac, had Retinue Wang bring ice, and forcibly woke Li Zhi and Kudi Liuli. Pei Xingjian concluded that Li Ming would soon bring Li Shimin to catch them red-handed, so he decided to play along and had Retinue Wang lead Li Shimin and others to the backyard. This not only cleared Li Zhi of suspicion but also demonstrated his filial piety and benevolence.

Cairen Wu learned the whole story from Retinue Wang, but she was still very confused, not knowing if the rumors in the palace about Li Zhi's preference for men were true or false. Retinue Wang strongly vouched for the innocence of Li Zhi and Kudi Liuli, stating that Li Zhi merely appreciated Kudi Liuli's talent. Only then did Cairen Wu feel relieved.

Pei Xingjian brought medicine to Kudi Liuli and learned that Kudi Liuli had seen Sun Decheng's message and went to find Sun Decheng without even eating. Sun Decheng then rushed to bring Kudi Liuli osmanthus cakes, and only then did Pei Xingjian realize that something was wrong, so he hurried to chase after Kudi Liuli. Kudi Liuli rushed to meet Sun Decheng. When she reached a secluded spot, she was strangled with a rope by a masked assassin.

Fortunately, Pei Xingjian arrived in time and broke the rope, and the assassin, scared, fled in a hurry. Kudi Liuli was suffocated and fainted, so Pei Xingjian had to perform artificial respiration to rescue her. Kudi Liuli finally woke up. Pei Xingjian saw that the waist tag dropped by the assassin belonged to Cao's mansion, thus concluding that Li Ming had sent someone to assassinate Kudi Liuli. The assassin stumbled and fled in all directions.

Sun Decheng met him head-on and held onto him tightly. Pei Xingjian immediately threw a dart, and the assassin took the opportunity to escape. Pei Xingjian entrusted Sun Decheng to go to the Mortuary to take care of Kudi Liuli. He immediately chased the assassin, who disappeared near the Palace of Bright Future. Pei Xingjian encountered a patrolling guard, handed him the waist tag from Cao's mansion, and asked the guard captain for help in catching the assassin.

The more Sun Decheng thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. He suspected that Pei Xingjian had deliberately let the assassin go by throwing the dart, and he worried that Pei Xingjian and Li Ming were in league. Kudi Liuli firmly believed in Pei Xingjian's character, but Sun Decheng was still uneasy and gave her many warnings and instructions. That night, Kudi Liuli was so scared that she couldn't sleep.

Pei Xingjian played the flute on the roof to embolden her. Kudi Liuli gradually relaxed her guard and fell into a deep sleep at the head of the bed. Rumors about Kudi Liuli's assassination spread like wildfire in the palace. Everyone suspected that Li Ming and Consort Yang had sent people to retaliate against Kudi Liuli. The guard captain returned the waist tag from Cao's mansion to Li Ming, who offered all sorts of explanations.

When he learned that rumors were rampant in the palace, all suspecting that he and his mother were seeking opportunities for revenge against Kudi Liuli, Li Ming promised to find out the truth of the matter as soon as possible. Consort Yang advised Li Ming not to act rashly again, asserting that Kudi Liuli could not withstand major challenges.

Li Zhi was worried about Kudi Liuli, so he brought Retinue Wang to the Wardrobe Service, but after hesitating for a long time at the entrance, he quietly left. He was concerned about causing Kudi Liuli unnecessary trouble. Zhuo Jinniang returned after recovering from her injuries and saw the exquisite peonies on the ceremonial dress Kudi Liuli had embroidered for Empress Zhangsun, which was also double-sided embroidery.

Zhuo Jinniang knew that the only person in the world who mastered this unique skill was the deceased An. Her jealousy surged, and she wanted to get rid of Kudi Liuli to prevent future problems. Deng Qiniang tried her best to defend Kudi Liuli, but Zhuo Jinniang remained resentful. Deng Qiniang was responsible for embroidering a shawl for Madam Wei, and Kudi Liuli would help her embroider whenever she had time.

She also taught her double-sided embroidery hand-in-hand, for which Deng Qiniang was extremely grateful. Zhuo Jinniang suddenly sent someone to call Kudi Liuli. Deng Qiniang guessed that Zhuo Jinniang would ask about the double-sided embroidery. She asked about the relationship between Kudi Liuli and An, and Kudi Liuli quickly found an excuse to cover it up. As Deng Qiniang had expected, Zhuo Jinniang pressed Kudi Liuli relentlessly about the origin of her double-sided embroidery.

Kudi Liuli claimed repeatedly that a deceased immortal maiden from Yixin Palace had taught her the double-sided embroidery techniques in a dream, and that was how she learned this extraordinary skill. Kudi Liuli promised that the next time the immortal maiden appeared in her dream, she would truthfully report it to Zhuo Jinniang. Zhuo Jinniang didn't believe it at all, but she didn't want to lose this rare opportunity, so she could only let it be.

Sun Decheng heard that Pei Xingjian went to the Wardrobe Service to find Kudi Liuli. He personally brewed longan and red date soup and sent Shun to deliver it to Kudi Liuli. He also instructed Shun to make sure Pei Xingjian drank a bowl, specifically using the bowl with the green rim. Sun Decheng put medicine in that soup bowl, planning for it to take effect when Pei Xingjian left the palace. Shun advised Sun Decheng to think twice. Sun Decheng suspected that Pei Xingjian was a threat to Kudi Liuli and wanted to poison him to eliminate the hidden danger around Kudi Liuli.

Episode 28 Recap

Li Zhi sent Pei Xingjian to deliver pastries to Kudi Liuli, and Pei Xingjian personally fed them to her. The two chatted and laughed, sharing them together. Shun sent longan and red date soup to Kudi Liuli. He specifically served a bowl for Pei Xingjian, using the bowl that Sun Decheng had previously poisoned. Shun watched Pei Xingjian finish eating before leaving.

Li Ming learned that Songtao had been driven out by Cairen Wu, so he called her over to hold her accountable, threatening and intimidating her. Songtao was so scared that she repeatedly begged for mercy. Li Ming asked her to think carefully about whether Cairen Wu had any weaknesses. Songtao felt that Cairen Wu was upright and proper, with no flaws at all.

Li Ming pressed her hard, and Songtao racked her brains and finally remembered that the Wu family and the Pei family had been close friends for many years, and Cairen Wu and Pei Xingjian had known each other since childhood. Li Ming came up with a terrible idea, wanting to eliminate both Pei Xingjian and Cairen Wu, and also made Songtao give false testimony.

After Pei Xingjian drank the longan and red date soup, he felt weak all over when he left the palace, just like the feeling when Pubanu had drugged him before. Sun Decheng and Shun had been following closely behind, wanting to kill Pei Xingjian when he fell off his horse. Pei Xingjian gradually lost strength and fell from his horse.

Sun Decheng and Shun were about to go over when suddenly, a group of masked men in black arrived and abducted Pei Xingjian. Sun Decheng and Shun followed closely and found that they had drugged all the palace maids in Cairen Wu's palace and sent Pei Xingjian to Cairen Wu's bedchamber.

Shun came early to deliver the good news to Kudi Liuli, reporting that Sun Decheng had drugged Pei Xingjian, but Pei Xingjian was sent to Cairen Wu's bedchamber by others. Kudi Liuli learned that Pei Xingjian was in trouble and broke out in a cold sweat. She went to rescue him without a second thought. Pei Xingjian woke up early and found himself sleeping in Cairen Wu's bedchamber, only then realizing he had been drugged.

He repeatedly explained to Cairen Wu. Pei Xingjian was eager to leave, but Cairen Wu desperately tried to stop him, concluding that someone was deliberately framing them both and had been waiting outside for a long time, just wanting to catch them red-handed. Cairen Wu's bedchamber had only one entrance and exit, so Pei Xingjian had no choice but to wait and see. Yuliu and the palace maids woke up one after another.

They didn't know what had happened last night. Li Ming and Consort Yang came to Cairen Wu's bedchamber together and ran into Li Zhi. Consort Yang lied, claiming that Li Shimin's favorite cat was lost and they wanted to search Cairen Wu's palace. Li Zhi saw that the mother and son had ulterior motives, so he went with them to see Cairen Wu. Consort Yang, Li Ming, and Li Zhi arrived at the entrance of Cairen Wu's bedchamber.

Yuliu desperately tried to stop them, but Li Ming was relentless. Cairen Wu suddenly opened the door and came out. Consort Yang insisted on going in to look for the cat. Cairen Wu made an excuse that she was feeling unwell and her bedchamber was not yet tidy, so it was inconvenient to enter. Kudi Liuli arrived just in time, claiming to be there to retrieve the clothes Cairen Wu wanted to alter.

Cairen Wu was greatly perplexed, but she believed Kudi Liuli would not harm her, so she let Kudi Liuli go into the bedchamber to get them herself. As soon as Kudi Liuli entered the door, Pei Xingjian eagerly explained the matter to her. Kudi Liuli believed he was innocent and decided to reveal her Female identity to save Pei Xingjian. Li Ming and Consort Yang relentlessly pressed Cairen Wu, insisting on entering the room to look for the cat.

Li Zhi stepped forward to vouch for Cairen Wu, asking Cairen Wu to go in and search herself. Consort Yang spoke disrespectfully to Li Zhi, suspecting he had an illicit relationship with Cairen Wu. Kudi Liuli came out carrying a large stack of clothes, deliberately covering her face. Li Ming suspected it was Pei Xingjian and went over to verify on the spot. Unexpectedly, it was indeed Kudi Liuli.

Kudi Liuli made an excuse that she had taken a few fewer clothes and returned to get them again, then she hastily left while Li Zhi and Li Ming were arguing. Consort Yang grew impatient. She forcefully pushed Cairen Wu aside and directly burst into her bedchamber to search. She saw someone lying on Cairen Wu's bed. Consort Yang opened the bed curtains and found a girl getting up from the bed. Cairen Wu introduced her as her younger sister.

She also sent Yuliu with Consort Yang's palace maids to search everywhere, but they still didn't find the cat. Consort Yang had no choice but to leave with Li Ming, feeling dejected. Seeing that Cairen Wu had successfully resolved the situation, Li Zhi left feeling relieved. Li Ming and Consort Yang were utterly perplexed, wondering when Pei Xingjian had slipped away. Their meticulously planned trap had failed again.

Cairen Wu entered the room to see Kudi Liuli, pressing her on how she knew Pei Xingjian was there. Kudi Liuli lied, claiming she had stumbled upon it by chance and helped save Pei Xingjian. Cairen Wu didn't believe her at all. She increasingly felt that Kudi Liuli had many secrets and forced her to tell the truth. Kudi Liuli knelt down and admitted her mistakes, admitting she had many secrets.

Because the inner palace was dangerous, she didn't want to involve Cairen Wu. Kudi Liuli then recounted her Life experience in detail. Cairen Wu was overjoyed, never expecting that this was Kudi Liuli, the girl who had altered her auspicious clothes eleven years ago. Kudi Liuli dared not reveal that Sun Decheng had drugged and harmed Pei Xingjian.

She lied, claiming she saw a group of men in black sending Pei Xingjian to Cairen Wu's bedchamber last night, and she rushed over early in the morning to help. Kudi Liuli was eager to know who the young man was who rescued him from Wu Mansion back then. Li Shimin suddenly sent Chamberlain Gao to invite Cairen Wu, so Kudi Liuli had no choice but to leave first.

Kudi Liuli went directly to the Mortuary to find Sun Decheng, admitting she had told Pei Xingjian and Cairen Wu her true identity, firmly believing that both of them were good people. Sun Decheng was still uneasy, advising her to be careful everywhere. Kudi Liuli warned him not to harm Pei Xingjian again, and Sun Decheng had no choice but to agree.

Kudi Liuli came to find Zhuo Jinniang, lying that an immortal fairy had appeared in her dream and taught her the wrong needle embroidery method. Zhuo Jinniang clearly remembered that An had once taught her, but she had never learned it. Zhuo Jinniang boasted that she had long known the wrong needle method; she just hadn't had the opportunity to teach it to other embroiderers.

Episode 29 Recap

Kudi Liuli claimed that a fairy maiden had visited her in a dream and promised to teach her random stitch embroidery, net embroidery, and beaded embroidery. Zhuo Jinniang immediately became alert, as these embroidery techniques were all taught to her by An when An was alive.

Zhuo Jinniang pressed repeatedly for details about the fairy maiden's appearance and name, but Kudi Liuli couldn't answer any questions, only admitting that the fairy maiden had promised to teach her all the embroidery techniques. Zhuo Jinniang was thrown into confusion. Zhuo Jinniang was ordered to embroider a butterfly pillowcase for Consort Yang, but she couldn't calm down. She asked Deng Qiniang to take it and embroider it, but she had never taught Deng Qiniang the embroidery technique for butterflies.

Deng Qiniang wanted to try, but Zhuo Jinniang dared not be Careless and told her to give it to Kudi Liuli to embroider. Kudi Liuli had previously taught Deng Qiniang this technique, so she asked Deng Qiniang to quietly complete the pillowcase. If Zhuo Jinniang couldn't tell the difference, it would mean Deng Qiniang's skills had improved. Deng Qiniang felt grateful to Kudi Liuli.

Zhuo Jinniang worried that An might have given her clothing secret manual to someone else before her death, suspecting that Kudi Liuli was An's successor. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. Zhuo Jinniang dreamed that An came to take her life. She was scared out of her wits. Deng Qiniang advised her to offer An an incense stick to comfort the spirit of the deceased.

Zhuo Jinniang remembered that today was An's memorial day, so she took Deng Qiniang to Yixin Palace, where Kudi Liuli had mentioned, to worship An. At the same time, Kudi Liuli was burning paper offerings for her mother in the pavilion of Yixin Palace, with Pei Xingjian accompanying her. He suddenly saw Zhuo Jinniang and Deng Qiniang also coming there, and quickly pulled Kudi Liuli into a room to hide.

Zhuo Jinniang saw An's favorite Sesame seed cake and unfinished joss paper in the pavilion. She was scared out of her wits and, along with Deng Qiniang, split up to look for the person worshipping An. Deng Qiniang came to search the room. Kudi Liuli quickly stopped her, but before she could explain, Zhuo Jinniang called Deng Qiniang out. She concluded that Kudi Liuli had come to worship An.

Deng Qiniang tried her best to defend Kudi Liuli, but Zhuo Jinniang didn't believe her at all. Kudi Liuli admitted to Pei Xingjian that she was An's daughter. Zhuo Jinniang had been searching for the clothing secret manual and the golden needle An left behind. Kudi Liuli had entrusted these relics to her savior and vowed to find her savior as soon as possible to retrieve her mother's relics.

Pei Xingjian saw that Zhuo Jinniang had already begun to suspect her. He couldn't help but worry about her safety and advised her to leave the imperial palace as soon as possible. Kudi Liuli insisted on vindicating her mother. Zhuo Jinniang took Deng Qiniang to ransack Kudi Liuli's bedroom, hoping to find the golden needle, but found nothing. Zhuo Jinniang gritted her teeth in anger and threatened that she would never let Kudi Liuli go.

Pei Xingjian saw this scene from a distance and became even more worried for Kudi Liuli. Zhuo Jinniang told Kudi Liuli to hand over Consort Yang's pillowcase. Kudi Liuli falsely claimed that she had asked Deng Qiniang to help her deliver it. Deng Qiniang quickly brought the pillowcase she had embroidered. Zhuo Jinniang carefully checked it and found no flaws, then told Deng Qiniang to quickly deliver it to Consort Yang.

Deng Qiniang called Kudi Liuli aside and questioned her about her relationship with An. She also revealed that Zhuo Jinniang had searched her bedroom for the clothing secret manual and golden needle. Although Zhuo Jinniang found nothing this time, she would definitely not give up easily. Deng Qiniang warned Kudi Liuli to be extra careful. Kudi Liuli admitted that she had studied under An, but she did not have the clothing secret manual or the golden needle left by An.

Deng Qiniang advised Kudi Liuli to leave the Wardrobe Service as soon as possible to avoid Zhuo Jinniang causing her trouble, but Kudi Liuli adamantly refused to leave. That night, Pei Xingjian secretly came to find Deng Qiniang. Deng Qiniang told him about Kudi Liuli's dangerous situation. Deng Qiniang asked Pei Xingjian to persuade Kudi Liuli to leave the Wardrobe Service as soon as possible. Pei Xingjian came up with a good idea and asked Deng Qiniang for help.

Immediately after, Pei Xingjian went to find Sun Decheng, clearly stating that he was there for Kudi Liuli. Sun Decheng readily agreed to help him. Deng Qiniang took two embroiderers to a pawnshop Pei Xingjian had arranged beforehand. The shopkeeper repeatedly claimed that the abbess of a nunnery had a golden needle she was eager to sell. Deng Qiniang calmly returned to report to Zhuo Jinniang. Zhuo Jinniang couldn't wait to go find the abbess.

Pei Xingjian asked Deng Qiniang to arrange a meeting with Kudi Liuli and returned An's relics to Kudi Liuli. Kudi Liuli never expected that Pei Xingjian was the person who had rescued her from the Wu Mansion eleven years ago. Kudi Liuli opened the package and found that the imperial golden needle left by her mother was missing. Pei Xingjian admitted that he had indirectly sold the golden needle to Zhuo Jinniang, intending to protect Kudi Liuli's safety.

Kudi Liuli flew into a rage. That golden needle was a relic left by her mother, yet Pei Xingjian had sold it to her enemy, Zhuo Jinniang. Pei Xingjian explained the implications to her and advised her to calm down first, then find an opportunity for revenge. Kudi Liuli absolutely refused, insisting on going to Zhuo Jinniang to get it back. Pei Xingjian had no choice but to knock her out.

Zhuo Jinniang asked Deng Qiniang to bring her to the nunnery. The abbess claimed that the owner had changed her mind at the last minute and would not sell the golden needle. The owner had originally intended to sell the golden needle to treat a family member's illness, but the family member had passed away after ineffective treatment, so the owner no longer wished to sell it. Zhuo Jinniang single-mindedly wanted to obtain that golden needle and threatened to burn down the nunnery.

Episode 30 Recap

The nun led Zhuo Jinniang and Deng Qiniang to the main hall, where Kudi Liuli's memorial tablet was enshrined. Zhuo Jinniang eagerly opened the box in front of the tablet, which contained the golden needle she had dreamed of. Zhuo Jinniang wished she could immediately claim it as her own and pressed the nun hard about her relationship with Kudi Liuli. Pei Xingjian had once saved the nun's life.

He had previously entrusted Deng Qiniang to find the nun and explain the situation, promising to send the nun away from the capital after the matter was settled. The nun lied, claiming that eleven years ago, she had taken in Kudi Liuli, who had narrowly escaped death, at the entrance of the nunnery. Kudi Liuli had a persistent high fever and died shortly after. The nun found the golden needle on her.

Zhuo Jinniang pressed hard for the whereabouts of the clothing secret manual, but the nun knew nothing, and Zhuo Jinniang believed her. Pei Xingjian woke Kudi Liuli up. Kudi Liuli's anger had not subsided, and she forbade Pei Xingjian from interfering in her affairs again, then walked away. Zhuo Jinniang unexpectedly got the golden needle, but she still couldn't be happy. Remembering the person who worshipped An that night in Yixin Palace, she still harbored doubts about Kudi Liuli's identity.

Sun Decheng, as Pei Xingjian had instructed, came to Zhuo Jinniang to retrieve the Mortuary's Waist tag, falsely claiming that he had worshipped An that night in Yixin Palace to make up for his guilt of burning An's body eleven years ago. Zhuo Jinniang immediately looked flustered, not wanting to mention the incident eleven years ago. She lied that she had not seen Sun Decheng's Waist tag and hurriedly left.

Pei Xingjian deliberately had Sun Decheng come forward to completely eliminate Zhuo Jinniang's suspicion of Kudi Liuli. Deng Qiniang specifically waited for Kudi Liuli at the dormitory entrance, wanting to explain the whole story to her. Kudi Liuli didn't want to listen; she just couldn't let it go and went back to her room without saying a word.

Just as Deng Qiniang was about to follow, Pei Xingjian quickly pulled her back, telling her to let Kudi Liuli calm down by herself. That night, Kudi Liuli couldn't sleep, unable to believe that the people she trusted most had all been hiding things from her. The more Kudi Liuli thought about it, the sadder she became. Pei Xingjian sat on the rooftop playing the flute to comfort her, but Kudi Liuli stubbornly covered her ears, refusing to listen.

Early the next morning, Zhuo Jinniang had Minister Lin gather all the embroiderers for the needle worship ceremony. She proudly declared herself An's only disciple, stating that the golden needle was An's legacy and rightfully hers to inherit. Zhuo Jinniang even proclaimed herself the new generation's best embroiderer under heaven. Kudi Liuli publicly challenged her, questioning Zhuo Jinniang's lack of skill, deeming her unworthy of the imperial golden needle and the title of best embroiderer under heaven.

She openly challenged Zhuo Jinniang, who, enraged, ordered Kudi Liuli to be dragged away. Kudi Liuli sought Minister Lin to preside over justice. Minister Lin, knowing that Kudi Liuli was deeply favored by Li Zhi and Cairen Wu, immediately decided to let Kudi Liuli and Zhuo Jinniang compete. The competition was set for three days later, divided into three parts: dyeing, embroidery, and making.

The palace concubines would serve as judges, and if Kudi Liuli's skills were found lacking, she would be punished for two offenses. Zhuo Jinniang gritted her teeth in anger, verbally lashing out at Kudi Liuli. Kudi Liuli retorted sharply, and Zhuo Jinniang threatened to make Kudi Liuli lose badly. Deng Qiniang came to Pei Xingjian for help, reporting Kudi Liuli's actions to him, worried that Zhuo Jinniang might take the opportunity to retaliate against Kudi Liuli.

Pei Xingjian told Deng Qiniang to keep a close eye on Kudi Liuli and report back to him immediately if anything unexpected happened. Kudi Liuli dyed fabric first. She tried using shellac many times, but the dyed red cloth had a dull color. Kudi Liuli finally discovered that all the shellac she had received was damp, so she went to the material room to get new supplies.

The attendant lied, claiming that the Warehouse had no shellac, that the last remaining batch had all been taken by her, and that new stock would not arrive for a long time. Deng Qiniang saw this scene and knew Zhuo Jinniang was playing tricks behind the scenes. She had personally seen shellac in Zhuo Jinniang's room, so she took shellac from the attendant under Zhuo Jinniang's name.

She wanted to give it to Kudi Liuli, but Kudi Liuli did not appreciate it at all. Kudi Liuli remembered her mother using garden balsam to dye her nails during her lifetime. Inspired, she went to the Eastern Palace to ask the Crown Prince for grapes. The Crown Prince was not there, so Retinue Wang gave her grapes. Kudi Liuli then modulated the grape juice to a red color. Today was the first round of the competition.

Minister Lin specifically invited the Two concubines to judge. Kudi Liuli, worried that Zhuo Jinniang might play tricks, suggested a blind selection of the fabrics they had dyed. The Two concubines both agreed to this suggestion. Li Shimin had a persistent high fever. Cairen Wu sent someone to inform Li Zhi. Li Zhi was sparring with Pei Xingjian but rushed to visit Li Shimin without a word. Retinue Wang reported Kudi Liuli and Zhuo Jinniang's competition to him.

Li Zhi asked Retinue Wang to convey a message to Kudi Liuli, telling her to compete freely and promising to ensure fairness for her. Pei Xingjian volunteered to deliver the message for Li Zhi. Pei Xingjian walked to the entrance of the Wardrobe Service and saw the Two concubines emerging, repeatedly praising the dyed red cloth for being like the morning glow. Pei Xingjian hurried in to check and learned that Kudi Liuli's dyed red cloth had won.

Zhuo Jinniang gritted her teeth in anger. Kudi Liuli publicly exposed Zhuo Jinniang's collusion with the attendant in the material warehouse, using damp shellac for her dyeing. Kudi Liuli had to use grape juice to dye the fabric. Minister Lin highly praised Kudi Liuli's approach and reminded Zhuo Jinniang to prepare well for the next round, or she would suffer an embarrassing loss. Zhuo Jinniang was furious, cursing at Kudi Liuli, and Pei Xingjian saw it all.

Episode 31 Recap

Kudi Liuli warned Zhuo Jinniang not to put all her energy into plotting against others, or she would never win. Zhuo Jinniang gnashed her teeth in anger. Pei Xingjian heard the quarrel between Zhuo Jinniang and Kudi Liuli, and quickly called Kudi Liuli aside, advising her not to confront Zhuo Jinniang, lest she bring about a fatal disaster. Pei Xingjian had official business and needed to leave the capital for a period, so he couldn't protect Kudi Liuli.

Kudi Liuli didn't listen at all. Li Shimin's health was deteriorating. He was sometimes clear-headed and sometimes confused. He woke up vaguely after three days of deep sleep. Consort Yang asked Physician Zong for details about Li Shimin's illness, learning that he was critically ill and Physician Zong could do nothing to save him. Consort Yang forbade him from mentioning this in front of others.

Li Ming and Consort Yang discussed getting rid of Cairen Wu and Li Zhi as soon as possible, otherwise it would delay their important plans. The master refined the blazing elixir and sent it to Li Shimin, also instructing Li Shimin to consult an oracle on tomorrow night's auspicious day. Li Shimin struggled to come to the main hall.

The master, with his disciples, performed rituals here in a serious manner, repeatedly claiming that the gods had written the divination result on a slip of paper, which read "Tang Dynasty after three generations, Female Lord Wu". Li Shimin was immediately stunned. The master fanned the flames, advising Li Shimin to quickly eradicate all concubines surnamed Wu in the harem, to prevent chaos in the imperial court.

In fact, this was carefully arranged by Li Ming, intending to make Li Shimin wary of Cairen Wu. Cairen Wu had someone find Silver elixir grass and asked Chamberlain Gao to deliver it to Li Shimin to refresh his mind. Chamberlain Gao asked her to deliver it personally to Li Shimin tomorrow. Cairen Wu just wanted to send it sooner. Chamberlain Gao then called Cairen Wu aside and told her everything about Li Shimin consulting the master for divination.

Cairen Wu immediately sought Li Zhi to discuss countermeasures. Li Zhi firmly believed that Li Shimin would not believe such demagogic words, but Cairen Wu dared not be Careless. Li Shimin had bestowed many gold and silver jewels upon her in the past two days, indicating his guilt towards her. Cairen Wu concluded that Li Shimin would take her life before his own demise.

Li Zhi wanted to go and explain to Li Shimin, exposing the master's absurd words, but Cairen Wu and Pei Xingjian desperately stopped him. Pei Xingjian reconsidered and came up with a temporary plan. The imperial concubines presented a second task, asking Zhuo Jinniang and Kudi Liuli each to make a skirt to match a red shawl, specifically requesting it to be simple. Zhuo Jinniang was at a loss for ideas and asked Deng Qiniang about Kudi Liuli's creativity.

Deng Qiniang knew nothing, and Suffer a severe scolding from Zhuo Jinniang. Kudi Liuli saw Deng Qiniang crying and running out, feeling deeply empathetic. Li Shimin's health was getting worse; he was in a deep sleep all day, occasionally waking up. Cairen Wu brought an elixir from a hermit, instructing Li Shimin to take it daily on time. Chamberlain Gao had already sent people to carefully inspect it, and it was made from precious medicinal ingredients.

Li Shimin suddenly noticed Cairen Wu's arm was injured and pressed her for the reason. Cairen Wu had to admit that the hermit needed the fresh blood of a noble women as a medicinal guide. She did not hesitate to cut her arm and draw blood to refine the elixir for Li Shimin. Li Shimin was deeply moved.

Zhuo Jinniang felt that Deng Qiniang was unreliable, so she sent Bi to monitor Kudi Liuli's every move, and also told her to look through Kudi Liuli's sewing box, hoping to find Kudi Liuli's dress patterns. As a result, she found nothing. Bi discovered that Kudi Liuli had been leaving early and returning late recently, and often worked overtime.

Zhuo Jinniang concluded that Kudi Liuli would make the dress elaborate and luxurious, so she discarded her previous design patterns and started anew. Deng Qiniang came to talk with Kudi Liuli overnight. Kudi Liuli was wary of her. Deng Qiniang clearly stated that Zhuo Jinniang no longer trusted her. She was just curious about where Kudi Liuli went every day, leaving early and returning late, and was very curious about the dress she designed.

Kudi Liuli was worried that Zhuo Jinniang would play tricks again. She hid in the Mortuary every day to make clothes, and she only made a simple white dress. However, she deliberately acted very busy, just to mislead Zhuo Jinniang. Zhuo Jinniang would then make a more elaborate and luxurious dress, which would violate the imperial concubines' requirements, leading to more effort with less effect, and ultimately no success. Deng Qiniang couldn't help but admire Kudi Liuli's brilliant foresight.

Li Shimin took the elixir sent by Cairen Wu for several days in a row, and his condition gradually improved. He was in a great mood and immediately sent Chamberlain Gao to doubly reward Cairen Wu. Cairen Wu had already made up her mind to Enter the monastic life. She ignored Chamberlain Gao and also asked Yuliu to bring scissors to cut her hair and become a nun.

Episode 32 Recap

Despite Yuliu's bitter pleas, Cairen Wu's mind was made up. She picked up scissors and cut off all her beautiful hair. Immediately afterwards, Cairen Wu came to Li Shimin to confess her 'crime'. She claimed that in order to concoct an elixir, she had once made a solemn vow that as long as Li Shimin's condition improved, she would become a nun, eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures for the rest of her life.

Li Shimin fell into deep self-reproach, feeling that he owed her too much. Li Zhi brought Pei Xingjian to see Cairen Wu late at night. Cairen Wu shut them out. Li Zhi knew that Cairen Wu was not asleep and wanted to go in to comfort her. Pei Xingjian advised Li Zhi not to go in and to let Cairen Wu have some peace alone.

Li Zhi felt sorry for Cairen Wu and instructed Yuliu to take good care of her. Cairen Wu watched Li Zhi's retreating figure, her heart filled with mixed emotions, and aggrieved tears flowed incessantly. Zhuo Jinniang was eager to win. She worked day and night to make the dress, using all her skills and every needle technique she knew to embroider auspicious flowers all over the dress. She also made sure Bi kept an eye on Kudi Liuli's movements.

Upon learning that Kudi Liuli had gone to sleep, Zhuo Jinniang looked at the magnificent dress she had meticulously embroidered, beaming with joy, firmly believing that she would win against Kudi Liuli tomorrow. Early the next morning, Bi came to call Zhuo Jinniang and found her asleep, leaning on the embroidery frame. She quickly woke her up. Zhuo Jinniang told Bi to pack the dress she had embroidered for the competition.

Kudi Liuli ironed the white dress she had made early in the morning. Bi saw that sample dress from afar. Although it was simply made, when paired with a red shawl, it instantly shimmered with brilliant radiance, making Bi break out in a cold sweat for Zhuo Jinniang. Pei Xingjian and Mo Kun were ordered to go on an errand. They passed by the Wardrobe Service.

Pei Xingjian came to bid Kudi Liuli farewell and also revealed that Cairen Wu was going to become a nun. Kudi Liuli was stunned. Cairen Wu came to bid Li Shimin farewell early in the morning, planning to become a nun at Ganye Temple.

Li Shimin couldn't bear it, but seeing that Cairen Wu had already cut off all her beautiful hair and expressed her determination to practice asceticism, Li Shimin told Cairen Wu to meditate and practice in the Hall of Xianchi, and only become a nun a hundred years later. Cairen Wu knelt down to thank him for his great favor.

Li Ming saw this scene and gritted his teeth in anger, not expecting Cairen Wu to use such a method to save her life. He secretly swore in his heart that he would kill Cairen Wu once he ascended the throne. Kudi Liuli sighed repeatedly about Cairen Wu becoming a nun.

Suddenly, Abu brought people to seal the doors and windows of her bedroom, forbidding Kudi Liuli from participating in the competition, so as not to involve everyone in the Wardrobe Service. Kudi Liuli cried out in alarm. The Two concubines arrived at the Wardrobe Service on time. Kudi Liuli was late. Zhuo Jinniang spoke a lot of bad things about Kudi Liuli and suggested disqualifying her from the competition.

Minister Lin was very displeased and insisted on finding Kudi Liuli to compete together. Zhuo Jinniang had no choice but to send Bi to find her. Bi quickly returned, falsely claiming that Kudi Liuli was not there. The concubines became impatient and ruled on the spot that Zhuo Jinniang had won. Afterwards, Minister Lin clearly stated that Kudi Liuli had won the first round with the sunrise-red shawl she dyed and wove, and insisted on holding a third round.

The Two concubines then asked them both to embroider a dragon robe. Cairen Wu came to bid farewell to Li Zhi, clearly stating that Li Shimin's lifespan was nearing its end, and reminding Li Zhi to be careful everywhere and never let Li Ming succeed. Li Zhi's heart was torn, and he promised to bring Cairen Wu back from Ganye Temple after he ascended the throne in the future. Cairen Wu felt warmth in her heart.

Kudi Liuli learned that Cairen Wu would begin her secluded practice today, so she ran to the Hall of Xianchi in one breath. Yuliu happened to be looking for her. Kudi Liuli saw Cairen Wu holding Buddhist beads and wearing a black robe, and she was heartbroken, tears streaming down her face. Cairen Wu advised her to also come to the Hall of Xianchi for secluded practice, and then find an opportunity to send her out of the palace.

Kudi Liuli was determined to defeat Zhuo Jinniang, reclaim her mother's golden needle, and clear her mother's name. Cairen Wu no longer insisted and promised to pray for her daily. Kudi Liuli gave Cairen Wu a handmade embroidered purse as a souvenir, and then knelt to bid her farewell. Kudi Liuli took out the dress she had made by hand to display. The Two concubines repeatedly praised the luxurious dress embroidered by Zhuo Jinniang, but still preferred Kudi Liuli's simple white dress.

Episode 33 Recap

The Two concubines praised Kudi Liuli's white Gauze skirt profusely, thinking it matched the red shawl even better. Zhuo Jinniang was furious and relentlessly questioned Kudi Liuli about the reason for her absence from the competition. Kudi Liuli knew she had already lost this round, and even if she revealed that Bi had locked her up, Zhuo Jinniang would find various excuses to clear herself of suspicion.

Kudi Liuli deliberately answered evasively, detailing her ideas and creativity for making the white dress. Zhuo Jinniang quickly interrupted her, forcing her to explain the reason for her absence. Kudi Liuli lied, claiming she only got inspiration last night and rushed to make the dress overnight, resulting in her oversleeping and missing today's competition. Zhuo Jinniang immediately exposed Kudi Liuli's lie. The Two concubines no longer pursued the matter, telling them both to focus on preparing the embroidered dragon robe.

Minister Lin specially prepared a private embroidery room for Kudi Liuli, allowing her to focus on embroidering the dragon robe. Zhuo Jinniang was enraged. She vowed to strive for perfection this time and definitely defeat Kudi Liuli. While Kudi Liuli was not in her room, Zhuo Jinniang secretly came to the embroidery room to investigate, discovering that Kudi Liuli was using a needlework technique she had never seen before, and the dragon was embroidered so vividly.

Zhuo Jinniang concluded that she was bound to lose this time and decided to deal a harsh blow to Kudi Liuli. She secretly hid by the door. Kudi Liuli pushed the door open and was knocked unconscious by Zhuo Jinniang on the spot. In a blink of an eye, two days passed. Bi had not seen Zhuo Jinniang, nor had she seen Kudi Liuli.

Bi wanted to send food to Zhuo Jinniang, so she asked Deng Qiniang, but Deng Qiniang also did not know their whereabouts. It turned out that Zhuo Jinniang had locked Kudi Liuli in the secret room of the Wardrobe Service, forcing Kudi Liuli to finish embroidering the dragon robe. Kudi Liuli flatly refused. Zhuo Jinniang then brought up An's matter to threaten her.

Kudi Liuli, with a flash of inspiration, agreed to finish embroidering the dragon robe and sent Zhuo Jinniang out to prepare food. Deng Qiniang quickly discovered Zhuo Jinniang's movements and quietly followed her to the secret room. Seeing Zhuo Jinniang carrying a food box in to deliver food to Kudi Liuli, Deng Qiniang immediately understood everything. After Kudi Liuli finished eating, she began to embroider the dragon robe. Zhuo Jinniang carefully observed her needlework, finding it strangely familiar.

Kudi Liuli's demeanor and appearance were identical to An's. She was terrified and forced herself to calm down. Li Shimin was critically ill, falling into a coma all day long. Even the physicians were powerless. Li Ming believed that Chamberlain Gao had tipped off Cairen Wu, who then found an elixir that allowed Li Shimin to briefly recover for a few days, giving her a chance to shave her head and become a nun, thus narrowly escaping.

Chamberlain Gao repeatedly defended himself. Deng Qiniang secretly came to the secret room under the cover of darkness, intending to rescue Kudi Liuli. Kudi Liuli knew that Zhuo Jinniang still wanted to use her to embroider the dragon robe and win the title of the best embroiderer under heaven, so she would not harm her for now. Deng Qiniang, entrusted by Pei Xingjian, could not stand idly by.

Kudi Liuli asked her to find something that would allow her to defeat Zhuo Jinniang. Li Ming wanted Li Shimin to depose Li Zhi, but Li Shimin was already unconscious. He did not want to see Li Zhi ascend the throne, so he intended to frame Li Zhi for regicide and usurpation, and then replace him as the new ruler. Consort Yang encouraged Li Ming to proceed, promising to help him with all her might.

When Chamberlain Gao went to the latrine, he was strangled to death on the spot. Li Ming called Chamberlain Pan, promising to make him the chief eunuch, and threatening that Chamberlain Gao would not live past today, simply because he supported Cairen Wu and Li Zhi. A palace maid reported the news of Chamberlain Gao's accidental death. Chamberlain Pan trembled with fear. Consort Yang immediately ordered Chamberlain Pan to become the chief eunuch.

Li Ming handed him a packet of poison, instructing him to poison Li Shimin and then frame Li Zhi. Chamberlain Pan fell to his knees, begging for mercy. Li Ming threatened and intimidated him, saying he would send him to the underworld to accompany Chamberlain Gao. Chamberlain Pan weighed his options repeatedly before reluctantly agreeing. Deng Qiniang timely delivered a packet of phosphorus powder to Kudi Liuli, giving her many instructions before hastily leaving.

Zhuo Jinniang then brought food to Kudi Liuli, urging her to finish embroidering the dragon's eyes as soon as possible, otherwise she would miss tomorrow's competition. Kudi Liuli feigned that the light was too dim to see clearly.

Episode 34 Recap

Kudi Liuli sent Zhuo Jinniang out to find a light to illuminate the secret room. She took the opportunity to sprinkle a lot of phosphorus powder on the dragon robe, then lied that the secret room was too dark and asked Zhuo Jinniang to take it to the candlelight to look. Zhuo Jinniang blew hard to remove the phosphorus powder, which quickly ignited upon contact with fire, burning the dragon robe on the spot.

Kudi Liuli admitted she had sprinkled phosphorus powder on the dragon robe, wanting to destroy it and completely shatter Zhuo Jinniang's dream. Unexpectedly, Zhuo Jinniang was already prepared. She had learned needlework from Kudi Liuli and had already embroidered a dragon robe. Moreover, Bi had long discovered Deng Qiniang coming to the secret room to find Kudi Liuli, so Zhuo Jinniang guessed that Kudi Liuli would tamper with the dragon robe.

She secretly swapped the two dragon robes while Kudi Liuli was unprepared. Zhuo Jinniang proudly declared that she would make Kudi Liuli witness her becoming the best embroiderer under heaven. She embroidered the dragon's eyes overnight. Kudi Liuli was instantly stunned and fell ill from excessive grief. Li Zhi came to see Li Shimin and offered to feed him medicine. Chamberlain Pan wanted to poison the medicine bowl but eventually gave up.

Li Ming sent Pubanu to urge Chamberlain Pan to implement the plan as soon as possible, warning that otherwise, he would die an unnatural death like Chamberlain Gao. Chamberlain Pan decided to poison Li Shimin's herbal medicine ahead of schedule and then frame Li Zhi. Zhuo Jinniang presented the dragon robe to the Two concubines for inspection. Both of them highly praised Zhuo Jinniang's garment-making skills. Kudi Liuli had a persistent high fever, and Deng Qiniang meticulously cared for her.

Her companions called Deng Qiniang to attend Zhuo Jinniang's ceremony to worship the golden needle, but Deng Qiniang, not wanting Kudi Liuli to be sad, quickly found an excuse to avoid it. Minister Lin brought the embroiderers to congratulate Zhuo Jinniang. Zhuo Jinniang forced Deng Qiniang to fetch Kudi Liuli to witness her great day. Kudi Liuli struggled to get up and attend Zhuo Jinniang's ceremony to worship the golden needle.

She publicly questioned Zhuo Jinniang, demanding that she swear a poisonous oath in front of the patriarch to admit that she had embroidered that dragon robe. Zhuo Jinniang was at a loss for words, and the embroiderers began to murmur. Zhuo Jinniang insisted that the Two concubines had judged that dragon robe to be superior.

Kudi Liuli publicly exposed Zhuo Jinniang for having confined her in a secret room for several days, forcing her to finish embroidering the dragon robe, and then forcibly taking credit for her work. Kudi Liuli wanted to take everyone to the secret room to verify the truth, but Zhuo Jinniang resorted to all sorts of sophistry. Seeing this, Deng Qiniang rushed to the Eastern Palace to seek help from Li Zhi.

Pei Xingjian happened to return from his duties, and without a word, he went to find Li Zhi. Li Zhi was with Li Shimin. Retinue Wang, realizing the urgency of the matter, quickly went in to report. Minister Lin also felt that something was amiss; Zhuo Jinniang and Kudi Liuli had both been missing for several days, and the stitching technique of Zhuo Jinniang's dragon robe was different from her usual style.

Zhuo Jinniang threatened and intimidated Minister Lin, even bringing up Consort Yang and Li Ming to threaten her. Minister Lin had no choice but to persuade Kudi Liuli to accept the outcome, as the Two concubines had already proclaimed Zhuo Jinniang the "best embroiderer under heaven," and no one was allowed to question it from then on. Zhuo Jinniang had Bi preside over the ceremony to worship the golden needle and intended to take her as a disciple.

Kudi Liuli firmly refused to kneel and worship. Zhuo Jinniang ordered someone to press her to the ground. Kudi Liuli was unyielding. Zhuo Jinniang ordered her to be beaten thirty times with a stick. Kudi Liuli was beaten until her skin was torn and she vomited blood. Deng Qiniang advised her to yield to Zhuo Jinniang, but Kudi Liuli resolutely refused to bow her head.

Zhuo Jinniang ordered the beating to continue, and Deng Qiniang knelt down to plead with Zhuo Jinniang. Li Shimin finally woke up. Consort Yang personally fed him ginseng soup. The concubines and imperial princes of the harem were all present. Pei Xingjian could only wait patiently. He waited for a long time but did not see Li Zhi come out. Retinue Wang, summoning his courage, went in to inform Li Zhi. Li Zhi told Pei Xingjian to continue waiting outside.

Pei Xingjian could not wait any longer and went directly to the Wardrobe Service. Zhuo Jinniang was about to hit Kudi Liuli ten more times with the stick when Pei Xingjian arrived just in time. He lied that Li Zhi wanted to see Kudi Liuli. Zhuo Jinniang did not believe him at all because, from that day on, all imperial princes and concubines had to attend the Emperor.

Pei Xingjian then lied that Kudi Liuli was needed to make a mink fur dragon robe for Li Shimin. Minister Lin weighed her options and agreed to let Pei Xingjian take Kudi Liuli away. Pei Xingjian took Kudi Liuli to the Mortuary to recover from her injuries. Sun Decheng personally decocted medicine for her. Deng Qiniang brought Kudi Liuli's changed clothes and a wooden box from under the bed.

Pei Xingjian discovered a pair of male and female clay figurines inside the wooden box. Kudi Liuli finally woke up. Pei Xingjian tried to feed her medicine, but Kudi Liuli smashed the medicine bowl and forcibly drove Pei Xingjian away.

Episode 35 Recap

Li Zhi came to visit Li Shimin every day, personally feeding him soup and water. Li Ming saw all of this. The physician sent a chamberlain with herbal medicine. Li Ming deliberately blocked Chamberlain Pan, covering for Chamberlain Pan to poison the herbal medicine bowl. Chamberlain Pan trembled and dared not put it in.

Li Ming mistakenly thought he had succeeded and urged him to quickly bring the herbal medicine to Li Zhi, watching with his own eyes as Li Zhi fed Li Shimin spoon by spoon. After Li Zhi left, Li Ming impatiently rushed to Li Shimin's eyes. He saw him safe and sound and couldn't help but be stunned. Li Shimin used the excuse of being tired and drove all of them out.

Li Ming then realized that Chamberlain Pan had not poisoned it at all. He severely lectured him, threatening to kill him and send him to the underworld. Chamberlain Pan made an excuse that the poison, having been ground into powder for too long, would affect its efficacy. Li Ming told Puba Nu to bring poison to him every other day, forcing Chamberlain Pan to find an opportunity to act as soon as possible.

Shun asked Deng Qiniang to change medicine for Kudi Liuli. Pei Xingjian was worried, waiting patiently in the courtyard. He told Shun to loudly remind Deng Qiniang to first wipe clean the previous day's medicine and also gave many instructions. Deng Qiniang followed them one by one. Kudi Liuli had been delirious due to high fever, talking all about the golden needle. She swore she never wanted to see Pei Xingjian again. Deng Qiniang saw this and felt anxious.

Pei Xingjian then realized that the golden needle was Kudi Liuli's deep-seated problem and also began to question if he had done something wrong. Sun Decheng advised him not to take it to heart, saying that Kudi Liuli was not a person who held grudges. Puba Nu came on time to deliver medicine to Chamberlain Pan. He specifically brought one of his father's fingers as a threat. Chamberlain Pan was so scared that he cried uncontrollably.

Puba Nu urged him to poison quickly, otherwise next time he would send his father's head. Chamberlain Pan felt that Puba Nu was merely a chess piece in Li Ming's hands. He believed that once Li Ming's wish was fulfilled and he became emperor, he would also kill Puba Nu to silence him. Puba Nu didn't say anything, but he also had lingering fears about Li Ming's ruthlessness and cunning.

Li Zhi first came to the Mortuary early in the morning. He wanted to see Kudi Liuli before going to accompany Li Shimin. Pei Xingjian advised him not to go to a place like the Mortuary and reminded him to be wary of Chamberlain Pan everywhere. Chamberlain Pan suddenly sent someone to inform Li Zhi, telling him to go visit Li Shimin while he was still awake. Pei Xingjian was suspicious.

Li Zhi dared not delay and hurried to visit Li Shimin. Chamberlain Pan suddenly stopped him at the palace gate and revealed Li Ming's plot to frame him for regicide and usurpation of power, detailing everything. Li Zhi was half-believing, half-doubting. Pei Xingjian was ordered to go out on an errand. Before leaving, he came to bid farewell to Mo Kun.

He suddenly saw Puba Nu galloping wildly on horseback through the imperial palace, trying to force his way out of the palace gate. As a result, he was stopped by the guards, who forced him to produce his waist tag. Puba Nu felt uncomfortable all over. He resisted desperately. As a result, he was surrounded by the guards. He injured a guard and tried to force his way out.

Pei Xingjian arrived in time, knocked Puba Nu to the ground, and took Puba Nu back to report to Li Zhi. Li Zhi and Li Ming came to see Li Shimin one after another. Li Shimin wanted to drink the herbal medicine and rest as soon as possible. Li Ming asked Chamberlain Pan to bring the herbal medicine. Li Zhi remembered what Chamberlain Pan had said.

He used the excuse that Copy scriptures had made his hands shake too much and asked Li Ming to feed Li Shimin the medicine. Li Ming deliberately knocked the medicine bowl over. Pei Xingjian arrested Puba Nu and interrogated him. Puba Nu falsely claimed that his headache had recurred and he needed to leave the palace to see a doctor, claiming his waist tag is lost.

Pei Xingjian noticed that he looked flustered and was sweating profusely, pressing him hard for the reason. Li Ming suddenly arrived to stop Pei Xingjian and forcibly took Puba Nu away.

Episode 36 Recap

Li Ming saw Pabanu's miserable state, worse than death, and guessed that he hadn't taken that pill. As soon as he went out, he punched and kicked Pabanu, and casually threw him a few pills, forcing him to take them. Pabanu was in unbearable pain and swallowed them on the spot. From the beginning of the martial arts competition, Li Ming had used Pabanu to test these pills. He didn't expect the drug's effects to be so potent and addictive.

Li Ming was secretly pleased, thinking of keeping the pills for later, for a great purpose. Li Ming discovered that Pabanu was already useless, so he sent people to find others to replace him. Li Ming came to Consort Yang for help. He had personally watched Li Zhi about to feed the poisoned medicinal soup to Li Shimin.

Unexpectedly, at the last moment, Li Zhi made an excuse that his hands were trembling from too much Copy scriptures, and asked him to feed the medicine to Li Shimin. Fortunately, he overturned the medicine bowl in time, preventing their plan from being exposed. Li Ming and Consort Yang discussed the next plan, wanting to first contact some trusted ministers, then create a fake imperial will. As soon as Li Shimin passed away, they could implement their plan.

Pabanu heard that Doctor Heng from Hengtai Medical Clinic had excellent medical skills, so he came to him for an antidote. He found a long queue of people seeking medical advice and treatment at the clinic. Pabanu suddenly saw Pei Xingjian coming out of Hengtai Medical Clinic. He rushed into the clinic, drove all the patients away, and threatened Doctor Heng to reveal the purpose of Pei Xingjian's visit.

Doctor Heng, under duress, had no choice but to admit that Pei Xingjian had prescribed medicine for a young lady. That lady's injuries were severe, possibly suffering from sepsis. Doctor Heng casually took Pabanu's pulse, and he was terrified and flustered. Pabanu had no choice but to take out the pills Li Ming had given him. Doctor Heng recognized at a glance that these were addictive poisons.

Once taken, one would become addicted, and if the medication was stopped abruptly, there would be a life-threatening danger. Pabanu hated Li Ming to the bone. Kudi Liuli felt that life was meaningless, and she had been melancholy. Pei Xingjian personally decocted medicine and asked Shun to deliver it to Kudi Liuli. Shun painstakingly persuaded Kudi Liuli, encouraging her to cheer up as soon as possible. Only then did Kudi Liuli agree to drink the medicine.

Pei Xingjian had been waiting outside. Mo Kun rushed to inform Pei Xingjian that Li Shimin suddenly wanted to summon Li Zhi, and also called Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang together. Pei Xingjian dared not delay and immediately rushed over. Li Shimin knew his days were numbered. He issued an imperial decree, ordering Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang to assist Li Zhi. Li Shimin gave Li Zhi countless admonitions, hoping he would protect the Tang empire well.

Li Zhi took each one to heart. Li Ming heard that Li Shimin had publicly appointed two regents. He decided to take a desperate risk, trying to get Li Zhi to command troops at Xuanwu Gate. This would create evidence of his rebellion, forcing Li Shimin to depose Li Zhi. Pabanu was addicted to the pills.

He tried to force himself to quit the poison, but he couldn't stand the torment of that agonizing pain, so he had to come to Li Ming for more pills. The guards desperately tried to stop him, but Pabanu was out of control. He knocked the guards unconscious and rampaged through the palace. Li Ming ordered Pabanu to be captured. Pabanu kept claiming that he knew Pei Xingjian's secret.

Only then did Li Ming take out the pills and give them to him to take. Pabanu gradually calmed down and reported to Li Ming about Pei Xingjian's visit to Hengtai Medical Clinic to get medicine. Kudi Liuli avoided seeing Pei Xingjian. Pei Xingjian was worried about her injuries but dared not go in to visit her. He had no choice but to come to Da Ci'en Temple to pray for her.

Eleven years ago, Pei Xingjian had altered Kudi Liuli's fortune slip. Now, he also wanted to go through fire and water for her, hoping the Bodhisattva would bless Kudi Liuli with safety and good health. Finally, Pei Xingjian also prayed for a protective charm for her. Pei Xingjian came to see Kudi Liuli. Through the crack in the door, he saw her limping in the room and almost falling. He rushed in and showed concern for her.

Kudi Liuli didn't want to see him. Pei Xingjian took out the protective charm and gave it to her, and he recounted the scene at Da Ci'en Temple eleven years ago. Kudi Liuli never expected that Pei Xingjian was also there at that time. She had no choice but to accept the protective charm. Pabanu reported to Li Ming and Consort Yang about Pei Xingjian buying medicine for the lady.

Li Ming immediately decided to have Pabanu give these addictive poisonous pills to Pei Xingjian, so that his young lady would become addicted and wish she were dead. Then Pei Xingjian would have no time to assist Li Zhi. Kudi Liuli had drunk the medicinal soup for three consecutive days, and her injuries gradually improved. Pei Xingjian came to the clinic to thank Doctor Heng.

Doctor Heng, under duress from Pabanu, sold the addictive pills to Pei Xingjian, claiming repeatedly that these pills could strengthen muscles and bones. Pei Xingjian believed it to be true and quickly took them back to Shun. Shun came to deliver the pills to Kudi Liuli. Kudi Liuli took them on the spot and promised to richly reward Shun after her recovery. Shun only asked her to forget the past unpleasantness.

Pei Xingjian saw this scene from outside the window and felt deeply relieved. From that day on, Kudi Liuli began to get addicted to those pills. She would be full of energy after taking the pills, but listless if she didn't. Li Ming learned that Pei Xingjian was coming to get the medicine more and more frequently. He felt that the opportunity to close the net had arrived, so he had Pabanu cut off Pei Xingjian's supply of pills.

Kudi Liuli searched everywhere for the pills but found nothing. She cried out in distress. Shun and Sun Decheng tried their best to persuade her, but it was no use. Shun had no choice but to go find Pei Xingjian. Pei Xingjian discovered that Kudi Liuli's symptoms were exactly the same as Pabanu's. He immediately realized that he had been tricked. He rushed to Hengtai Medical Clinic to find Doctor Heng, but found that he had already fled. Pei Xingjian was instantly stunned.

Episode 37 Recap

Li Ming was overjoyed to learn that Puba Nu personally sent Dr. Heng out of Chang'an. He planned to wait for Pei Xingjian to proactively come to him for the pill, and then exchange it for the military power in Pei Xingjian's hands, thus leaving Li Zhi isolated and helpless. Puba Nu revealed that Pei Xingjian's lady was a palace maid who had recently been flogged.

Li Ming sent someone to inform Consort Yang, asking her to thoroughly investigate who this palace maid was. Consort Yang sent people to conduct a thorough search throughout the palace and finally discovered that Xiaodouzi from the Wardrobe Service had been flogged. Consort Yang was greatly perplexed but still sent people to the Mortuary to apprehend Kudi Liuli, who was recuperating from her injuries. Pei Xingjian suspected that the pill from Hengtai Medical Clinic was supplied by Puba Nu.

He intercepted Puba Nu halfway and persistently questioned the origin of the pill. Puba Nu, with an innocent look, told Pei Xingjian to find the person he should ask. Pei Xingjian came to see Kudi Liuli, only to realize that she had disappeared. Sun Decheng and Shun searched everywhere to no avail. Consort Yang sent people to apprehend Kudi Liuli and ordered her clothes to be completely removed to verify her identity. Kudi Liuli resisted desperately.

Consort Yang had already discovered her background: she entered the palace at seven, worked On duty at the Mortuary disguised as a man, and later was beaten due to a conflict with Zhuo Jinniang over the title of best embroiderer under heaven. Consort Yang relentlessly questioned where she learned her garment-making skills, but Kudi Liuli avoided answering. Consort Yang sent someone to change her into female attire and made her take the pill left by Li Ming.

Consort Yang looked at Kudi Liuli in female attire and felt she looked familiar. Consort Yang racked her brain, recalling that she had once appeared in Cairen Wu's room, intending to use this to frame Cairen Wu and Li Zhi. Kudi Liuli, not wanting to Involve them, had no choice but to reveal her life experience and experiences. Consort Yang harbored a deep hatred for An.

That year, An presumptuously sewed the ceremonial robe of the empress, which prevented Consort Yang from being crowned empress. Kudi Liuli exposed in front of Consort Yang that Zhuo Jinniang, in order to curry favor with Consort Yang, made the ceremonial robe of the empress and ultimately framed her mother. She stayed in the palace precisely to seek justice for her mother.

Consort Yang asked Kudi Liuli to work for her, promising to get rid of Zhuo Jinniang and avenge her mother. Kudi Liuli flatly refused. Consort Yang ordered Kudi Liuli to be taken away, saying they would discuss it again when she felt unwell after the drug wore off. Pei Xingjian searched everywhere for Kudi Liuli but couldn't find her, so he had no choice but to ask Mo Kun to help search for her at Li Ming's Cao's mansion.

Mo Kun sent people to keep an eye on Li Ming's residence and discovered they were secretly transporting armor, guessing they were about to rebel. Pei Xingjian dared not delay and immediately returned to the palace to report to Li Zhi. Unexpectedly, Li Ming was chatting intensely with Li Zhi. Seeing this, Li Ming quickly found an excuse to leave.

He deliberately dropped the purse Kudi Liuli carried with her on the ground and hinted to Pei Xingjian to choose carefully between a stunning beauty and Li Zhi. Pei Xingjian guessed that Kudi Liuli was in his mansion, and he had already seen through Kudi Liuli's Female identity. After much deliberation, Pei Xingjian kept the matter of Li Ming transporting armor a secret.

Consort Yang forced Kudi Liuli to embroider a dragon robe for Li Zhi and then tried to hide it in Li Zhi's Eastern Palace. Kudi Liuli saw that Consort Yang wanted to frame Li Zhi for plotting rebellion and usurping the throne. She resolutely refused. Consort Yang had no choice but to show her hand: they wanted to use Pei Xingjian to frame Li Zhi. Kudi Liuli was so angry she gnashed her teeth.

Consort Yang threatened to no longer give her the pill, making her taste a life worse than death. Eager to save someone, Pei Xingjian bit the bullet and came to negotiate with Li Ming. Li Ming had been waiting for a long time. As soon as they met, he exposed the truth that Kudi Liuli was a stunning woman. Pei Xingjian did not want to listen to his rambling and asked him to state his true purpose.

Li Ming asked Pei Xingjian to switch allegiance and join him, and he would then fulfill his dream of being with Kudi Liuli. Pei Xingjian resolutely refused. Li Ming threatened to expose Kudi Liuli's identity as the daughter of the criminal An, stating that Kudi Liuli could not escape punishment for her crime. Pei Xingjian wanted to personally see Kudi Liuli safe and sound before discussing further. Li Ming promised to let them meet tonight.

Consort Yang sent the palace maid Dan Qing to persuade Kudi Liuli and brought a pill to tempt her. Kudi Liuli, unable to bear the pain, reluctantly agreed to Consort Yang's conditions. Consort Yang asked Kudi Liuli to write a note and personally hand it to Pei Xingjian, promising to give her the antidote after the matter was done.

Unexpectedly, Consort Yang actually asked Kudi Liuli to write, "Tomorrow at noon, Prince Cao Li Ming will lead troops to Xuanwu Gate." Kudi Liuli knew the severe consequences this note would bring. She dared not write it. If Pei Xingjian and Li Zhi believed this lie, they would lead troops to Xuanwu Gate to suppress it. At that time, Consort Yang and Li Ming would frame Li Zhi with the crime of rebellion.

Episode 38 Recap

Consort Yang framed Pei Xingjian for giving those addictive pills to Shun, asking Shun to give them to Kudi Liuli. Kudi Liuli pretended to believe it and wrote the note as requested. That night, Consort Yang brought Kudi Liuli to Cao's mansion. Pei Xingjian arrived shortly after. Li Ming sent someone to call Kudi Liuli. Consort Yang was not at ease, so she carefully checked the note Kudi Liuli had written, finding no abnormalities.

Consort Yang reminded Kudi Liuli to secretly hand the note to Pei Xingjian, so he would believe the matter was real. As soon as Pei Xingjian saw Kudi Liuli, he rushed over to ask about her well-being. Kudi Liuli ignored him. Li Ming asked Kudi Liuli to persuade Pei Xingjian to change allegiance. Pei Xingjian repeatedly apologized to Kudi Liuli, saying he didn't know Doctor Heng had given poison. Kudi Liuli was furious, recounting Pei Xingjian's actions one by one.

Pei Xingjian swore to help her cure her illness at all costs. Kudi Liuli completely refused, grabbing Pei Xingjian by the collar, yelling at him, regretting not seeing his true colors back then. Kudi Liuli, while Li Ming was not paying attention, handed the note to Pei Xingjian, then uttered harsh words, saying she would have nothing more to do with Pei Xingjian from then on, and left without looking back.

Li Ming couldn't help but secretly smile, advising Pei Xingjian to make a good choice. Pei Xingjian only wanted Kudi Liuli, begging Li Ming to provide an antidote to save her. Li Ming repeatedly claimed he wouldn't keep useless people and wouldn't make a losing deal. Pei Xingjian promised to help him with all his might, only asking him to conceal Kudi Liuli's identity. If anything happened to Kudi Liuli, Pei Xingjian would be a useless chess piece.

Li Ming agreed to his request. Pei Xingjian went out and opened the note, learning that Li Ming intended to lead troops to Xuanwumen tomorrow. He immediately rode to the Eastern Palace to report. Li Ming personally saw Kudi Liuli hand the note to Pei Xingjian. He was overjoyed, concluding that Pei Xingjian and Li Zhi would believe what was written on the note.

Consort Yang urged Kudi Liuli to work overtime that night to finish the embroidered dragon robe, which would further confirm Li Zhi's crime of plotting usurpation. Kudi Liuli claimed it was impossible to finish it in one night. She had once made a four-claw python robe for Li Zhi; by merely embroidering an extra claw, it would become a five-claw dragon robe.

Consort Yang and Li Ming couldn't think of a better solution at the moment, so they sent people overnight to fetch the four-claw python robe. Pei Xingjian handed the note to Li Zhi. Li Zhi decided to dispatch troops to Xuanwumen at noon tomorrow. The more Pei Xingjian thought about it, the more he felt something was off, suspecting Kudi Liuli had a hidden meaning. He repeatedly examined the note. Kudi Liuli deliberately stalled, spending the entire night.

While embroidering dragon claws, she continuously ordered Dan Qing to do various tasks. Finally, she embroidered a "bean" character as a secret code on the hem, as she always did. Consort Yang questioned Dan Qing in detail about Kudi Liuli embroidering the dragon robe. Finding no abnormalities, she had Dan Qing follow Kudi Liuli to deliver the dragon robe to the Eastern Palace. Retinue Wang saw Kudi Liuli and was eager to inquire about her condition.

Kudi Liuli claimed she didn't have long to live, put down the python robe, and left. Retinue Wang handed the python robe to Li Zhi. Li Zhi felt that the "bean" was somewhat different from usual but didn't think much of it and quickly put it on to try. Consort Yang came to see Li Shimin early in the morning. He was still unconscious.

Consort Yang handed the fake last will to Chamberlain Pan, instructing him to publicly read this fake will once Li Shimin passed away, after Li Zhi was captured leading troops to Xuanwumen. Chamberlain Pan trembled with fear. Consort Yang also made him frame Chamberlain Gao, claiming he was ordered by Li Zhi to secretly poison Li Shimin's medicine for a long time. The more Chamberlain Pan thought about it, the more frightened he became.

He tried to leave but was stopped by guards. Sun Decheng and Shun disguised themselves as vegetable farmers delivering food to Cao's mansion but were recognized by the gate guards. Both were thrown into the dungeon, confined in the same cell as Kudi Liuli. A palace maid brought Kudi Liuli a pill. Kudi Liuli threw the pill aside, preferring to die rather than touch the poison again.

Kudi Liuli then fully recounted to Sun Decheng and Shun how Li Ming framed Li Zhi. Kudi Liuli admitted that she had secretly taken off her hairpin beforehand to make a mark on the note, and while embroidering the "bean" character, she deliberately embroidered the dot to resemble a dragon claw, hoping Li Zhi would understand her hint. Consort Yang sent people to monitor Li Zhi.

Learning that he was now wearing the five-claw dragon robe embroidered by Kudi Liuli, she was secretly pleased. Li Zhi made careful arrangements, dispatching Pei Xingjian to lead the Eastern Palace Imperial Guard to attack Xuanwumen. Li Ming gathered the heavily armed troops he usually maintained. They were ready to go, prepared to capture Li Zhi at any moment.

When Li Ming learned that Li Zhi and Pei Xingjian had already led troops toward Xuanwumen, he gave an order, sending heavily armed troops to Xuanwumen to capture the traitor Li Zhi, promising substantial rewards to everyone upon success. The soldiers shouted slogans and set off in formation. Pubanu knocked out the palace maid delivering food and found four portions of food in the food box. He poisoned two of them and gave the poisoned dishes to two jailers.

Pubanu searched around and found that only Kudi Liuli and two others were imprisoned in the dungeon. He opened Kudi Liuli's cell door and urgently questioned her about the whereabouts of the fourth prisoner. Sun Decheng hurled abuses at him. Pubanu repeatedly claimed that he, too, had been poisoned by Li Ming, and the poison had deeply penetrated his bones. This time, he was entrusted by Pei Xingjian. Pei Xingjian suspected there was a master poison maker behind Li Ming, confined within the dungeon, and Pei Xingjian sent him to the dungeon to find that person.

Episode 39 Recap

Kudi Liuli was deeply convinced by Pubanu's words. She had often heard thudding sounds in the dungeon these past two days and suspected it was the master poison maker. Li Ming led heavy troops to Xuanwu Gate, shouting loudly for Li Zhi to come out and surrender below the city gate tower, repeatedly claiming that Li Zhi was leading troops at Xuanwu Gate, attempting to usurp the throne. Unexpectedly, Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang appeared on the city gate tower.

They had received a secret report last night, learning that Li Ming would lead troops to Xuanwu Gate at noon today, so they specifically came here to wait. Pei Xingjian and Li Zhi successively led people to the outside of Xuanwu Gate to Arrest Li Ming and report back to Li Shimin.

Li Ming was greatly surprised, insisting that Li Zhi intended to rebel and claiming that Li Shimin had already discovered Li Zhi's true colors and wanted to pass the throne to him. Li Zhi did not believe him and Argued with reason with Li Ming.

Li Ming and Li Zhi each stuck to their own story, and Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang found it difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood, so they decided to take both of them back for Li Shimin's imperial judgment. Dan Qing received a letter carried by a flying pigeon, learning that Li Ming had already led troops to Xuanwu Gate, and told Consort Yang to act as soon as possible.

Consort Yang ordered Chamberlain Pan to feed Li Shimin poison, and Chamberlain Pan was so scared he trembled like chaff. A palace maid rushed to report that Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang were rushing back to the palace with Li Ming and Li Zhi. Consort Yang was stunned; she had already fed Li Shimin the poison pill. Pubanu, Kudi Liuli, Sun Decheng, and Shun searched everywhere in the dungeon, finally finding an imprisoned old man.

Pubanu eagerly asked the old man for an antidote. The old man claimed he was imprisoned here by Li Ming to make poison and had never made an antidote. Li Zhi and Li Ming's party rushed back to the imperial palace. Consort Yang publicly read the fake will, framing Li Zhi with the crime of rebellion, intending to depose him from his position as Crown Prince and have Li Ming succeed him to the throne.

Li Zhi did not believe her, insisting on personally meeting Li Shimin. Consort Yang threatened him with an imperial edict, ordered Li Zhi to be Arrested, and announced that Li Shimin had already passed away. Consort Yang pointed out that Li Zhi had bribed Chamberlain Gao to poison Li Shimin, and Li Shimin had long seen through Li Zhi's true colors, which was why he had modified the imperial edict despite his severe illness. Changsun Wuji publicly raised doubts.

Consort Yang asked Chamberlain Pan to step forward and accuse Li Zhi. Chamberlain Pan trembled all over with fear, wishing only to follow Li Shimin in death. Changsun Wuji did not believe Consort Yang's one-sided story and insisted on finding out the truth. Pubanu pressed the old man relentlessly, but he was helpless. Kudi Liuli appealed to the old man with reason and emotion and even quoted her mother's words to persuade him.

When the old man learned that Kudi Liuli's mother was An, he was moved to tears. He was once the king of medicine in the imperial palace and had a deep Friendship with An. Both of them were tired of palace life. After An left, the king of medicine also wanted to leave but was imprisoned by Li Ming to make poison.

When Sun Decheng learned that the old man was the king of medicine, he was too excited to speak. The king of medicine revealed that Li Ming would use the poison he developed to kill Li Shimin today, but he had secretly replaced the poison with a calming medicine. Kudi Liuli dared not delay and immediately called Sun Decheng and Shun to report to Li Zhi.

Kudi Liuli publicly exposed the entire process of Li Ming and Consort Yang poisoning Li Shimin and framing Li Zhi. Consort Yang was furious with shame and ordered Kudi Liuli to be driven out. Li Zhi stepped forward to support Kudi Liuli and led the civil and military officials, Kudi Liuli, and others to see Li Shimin. Kudi Liuli took Li Shimin's pulse and found that he still had a pulse.

After the calming medicine's effect wore off, Li Shimin finally woke up. Consort Yang and Li Ming were dumbfounded with shock. Changsun Wuji reported to Li Shimin about Consort Yang forging the imperial edict and framing Li Zhi. Li Shimin took the will and read it from beginning to end, trembling with rage.

Consort Yang tried every possible excuse; she accused Li Zhi of rebellion, mistakenly believing Li Shimin had passed away, so she forged an imperial edict to teach Li Zhi a lesson. Li Shimin had long seen through her malicious intentions and scoffed at her. Consort Yang made a dying struggle; she accused Li Zhi of wearing a five-clawed dragon robe and having long intended to usurp the throne.

Li Zhi took off his outer cloak, revealing a four-clawed python robe underneath. Consort Yang and Li Ming were instantly speechless. It turned out that Pei Xingjian discovered the words "It's a trap" left by Kudi Liuli on that note. Li Zhi and Pei Xingjian noticed that the python robe had an extra dragon claw and immediately guessed Consort Yang's malicious intentions. So Li Zhi changed into a four-clawed python robe.

Li Ming knew the situation was lost and secretly slipped out to send a signal arrow to the hidden provincial troops outside, but was caught red-handed by Pei Xingjian. When Li Shimin learned that Li Ming had sent a signal to the provincial troops intending to rebel, he gnashed his teeth in rage.

Episode 40 Recap

Pei Xingjian had already captured all of Li Ming's private army. Li Ming, who originally intended to make a final stand, was now completely dumbfounded. Consort Yang, overwhelmed by anxiety, immediately vomited blood. She repeatedly pleaded for Li Ming, taking full responsibility and claiming it was all her own planning.

Consort Yang knew she was seriously ill and did not have much time left, so she resorted to this plan out of concern that Li Zhi would make things difficult for Li Ming after his ascension. Consort Yang begged Li Shimin to show leniency towards Li Ming. Li Shimin was already furious and ordered Consort Yang and Li Ming to be separately confined. He dispatched Li Zhi to thoroughly investigate the matter, forbidding anyone from spreading this royal scandal.

With everything settled, Kudi Liuli let out a sigh of relief, then collapsed due to exhaustion. Li Zhi immediately picked her up and left. At the same time, he sent for two physicians to treat Kudi Liuli. The physicians were also helpless. Li Zhi forced them to tell the truth. The physicians revealed that Kudi Liuli was of female identity, and therefore they dared not administer medication rashly. Li Zhi was stunned.

After dealing with Li Ming's private army, Pei Xingjian came to report to Li Zhi. He admitted that Kudi Liuli was of female identity and only asked the physicians to treat Kudi Liuli first. He explained the hidden circumstances in detail to Li Zhi. Upon learning that Kudi Liuli was a girl, Li Zhi not only did not blame her but also wanted to clear her mother's name. Li Zhi sent Pei Xingjian and Retinue Wang to handle separate matters.

Li Zhi stayed by Kudi Liuli's side constantly, taking meticulous care of her, and gradually developed feelings of affection for her. Li Zhi learned from the physicians that Kudi Liuli had bravely resisted taking poison, which led to her physical exhaustion. The physicians could only temporarily control her condition with herbal medicine, but could not completely cure it. Pei Xingjian found the king of medicine to help.

The king of medicine needed Cliff dichrocephala to make an antidote, and Pei Xingjian volunteered to gather the herb. Puba Nu suddenly died because the medication had been stopped for too long. Li Zhi and Pei Xingjian, upon hearing this, couldn't help but worry for Kudi Liuli. The king of medicine also broke into a sweat for Kudi Liuli. Pei Xingjian again requested to gather the herb, and Li Zhi placed all his hopes on him.

Retinue Wang saw Li Zhi's deep affection for Kudi Liuli and couldn't help but feel happy for Li Zhi. From then on, he could legitimately dote on Kudi Liuli. Li Zhi couldn't help but recall the first time he met Kudi Liuli, feeling a mix of emotions. Pei Xingjian was going to the mountains to gather herbs. Before his departure, he came to bid farewell to the unconscious Kudi Liuli.

Just as Pei Xingjian was about to leave, Kudi Liuli suddenly woke up. She tightly grasped Pei Xingjian's hand. Pei Xingjian repeatedly apologized to her. Kudi Liuli believed this was the best outcome: Li Zhi and Pei Xingjian were both well, and the Great Tang empire was also well. Pei Xingjian swore to find the Cliff dichrocephala at all costs to cure her. Kudi Liuli thanked Pei Xingjian for everything he had done for her.

Pei Xingjian gave his personal jade pendant to Kudi Liuli, telling her to wait patiently, and also returned Kudi Liuli's sachet to her. Finally, Pei Xingjian couldn't help but kiss Kudi Liuli, and the two reluctantly parted. In the name of the Crown Prince, Li Zhi drastically reorganized the Wardrobe Service, vindicating the unjust case from eleven years ago and clearing An of suspicion.

He immediately imprisoned Zhuo Jinniang and Minister Lin on the spot and appointed Deng Qiniang to temporarily manage the Wardrobe Service. Zhuo Jinniang was stunned, as she had always believed An's daughter was dead, never expecting it to be Kudi Liuli. An Silang and Ni were both surprised and delighted to learn that the Crown Prince was re-examining An's unjust case from that year and that Kudi Liuli was recuperating in the palace.

Consort Yang died from a severe illness after failed treatment. Li Shimin asked Li Zhi to give Li Ming another chance. Li Zhi agreed to spare Li Ming's life, hoping only that he would repent and return to the right path. Li Shimin thanked him for his benevolence and finally felt at ease entrusting the empire to Li Zhi.

Episode 41 Recap

Retinue Wang reported Kudi Liuli's condition to Li Zhi, learning that the poison had already invaded her heart and lungs, and that she would have to continue taking the poison pills to temporarily save her life. Li Zhi was extremely anxious and could only place his hopes on Pei Xingjian. Pei Xingjian rode quickly, traveling day and night to the cliff to collect medicine. Sun Decheng and Shun came to see Kudi Liuli.

Retinue Wang tried every means to stop them, but Sun Decheng insisted on seeing her to be relieved. Retinue Wang had no choice but to admit that Li Zhi had already moved Kudi Liuli to the harem sleeping quarters to recuperate, and also revealed Li Zhi's deep affection for Kudi Liuli. If she wasn't sick now, she would have already been granted the title of concubine. Sun Decheng and Shun were immediately stunned.

They both knew that Pei Xingjian and Kudi Liuli were in love, and couldn't help but worry for Pei Xingjian. In her coma, Kudi Liuli kept calling Pei Xingjian's name. The palace maids and Retinue Wang were startled to hear it. Li Zhi came to visit Kudi Liuli and inquired about her Life experience from Retinue Wang, learning that Kudi Yenzhong, Kudi Liuli's father, had been idle at home for many years.

Li Zhi wanted to arrange an official position for Kudi Yenzhong, so he could legitimately bring Kudi Liuli into the palace as a concubine. Kudi Liuli groggily called Pei Xingjian's name, and Li Zhi was instantly stunned. Retinue Wang knelt down in fright, repeatedly explaining that Pei Xingjian had visited Kudi Liuli before leaving the palace to find medicine.

Li Zhi saw a jade pendant hanging on Kudi Liuli's chest, recognized it at a glance as one Pei Xingjian carried with him, and snatched it off. Retinue Wang suddenly remembered that when Pei Xingjian was injured, he called out his beloved's name, "Yu". Li Zhi concluded that Kudi Liuli was "Yu". Pei Xingjian finally arrived at that towering cliff. It started raining heavily.

Pei Xingjian was eager to save a life; undeterred by the dangers, he risked his life to climb the cliff little by little. Just as the Cliff dichrocephala was within reach, Pei Xingjian exerted all his strength to climb up. The large rock he held onto on the cliff suddenly loosened, and Pei Xingjian fell from the cliff. Li Zhi came to see Li Shimin early in the morning.

He learned from the physician that Li Shimin had slept well yesterday and also eaten bird's nest. Li Zhi approached Li Shimin and discovered that he had passed away. The funeral bell rang in the palace, and the news of Li Shimin's passing quickly spread throughout Chang'an. Shortly after, Li Zhi ascended the throne and became emperor. Cairen Wu told Yuliu to pack their belongings; they were going to Ganye Temple to become nuns. A month passed in a flash.

Pei Xingjian returned, covered in wounds and dust. He immediately brought the Cliff dichrocephala for Kudi Liuli, only to find the place deserted. Pei Xingjian hurried to find someone and saw Retinue Wang in the distance. Retinue Wang sent someone to hand the Cliff dichrocephala to the old pharmacist. He was curious about Pei Xingjian's experiences over the past month. Pei Xingjian briefly recounted how he fell off the cliff and was saved.

He was eager to know Kudi Liuli's whereabouts and learned that Li Zhi had sent Kudi Liuli to the harem sleeping quarters to recuperate, and that she would be enfeoffed as a concubine after her recovery. Pei Xingjian was very sad and found it inconvenient to visit, so he stayed with the old pharmacist to prepare the antidote. Kudi Liuli took the old pharmacist's antidote, and her condition immediately improved. Li Zhi was very happy.

Pei Xingjian requested an audience with Li Zhi, but Li Zhi had Retinue Wang dismiss him, promising to see him another time. Pei Xingjian had no choice but to leave dejectedly. Kudi Liuli took the old pharmacist's antidote for several days and finally woke up after several months in a coma. Li Zhi rushed to visit upon hearing the news, unexpectedly finding Sun Decheng and Shun chatting with Kudi Liuli in the room.

Li Zhi dismissed them both with a few words. He tightly held Kudi Liuli's hand, repeatedly thanking her. Kudi Liuli desperately dodged, attributing all credit to Pei Xingjian, and asked Li Zhi to reward him for his contributions. Li Zhi promised to help clarify her mother's injustice. Kudi Liuli knelt to thank Li Zhi for his great kindness, insisting on going to Ganye Temple to become a nun with Cairen Wu.

Li Zhi had previously promised to bring Cairen Wu back to the palace after his ascension, telling her to wait patiently for Cairen Wu to return. Kudi Liuli wanted to return to On duty at the Wardrobe Service. Li Zhi immediately understood Kudi Liuli's true intentions and agreed to let her return to the Wardrobe Service.

It turned out that Kudi Liuli had already learned from Sun Decheng that Li Zhi wanted to make her a concubine, and she had decided to stay away from Li Zhi. Li Zhi drank to drown his sorrows due to heartbreak. A pigeon suddenly flew into the room.

Li Zhi recognized it at a glance as "Bao Er", the one he and Cairen Wu had saved together, and couldn't help but think of Cairen Wu, who was now a nun at Ganye Temple.

Episode 42 Recap

Li Zhi received a letter from Cairen Wu via the pigeon "Bao Er". Cairen Wu encouraged Li Zhi to be a good emperor and promised to help him with all her might. Li Zhi was filled with mixed emotions, feeling that Cairen Wu understood him best, but his heart only held Kudi Liuli. Li Zhi was in a dilemma, unsure how to face the feelings between Pei Xingjian and Kudi Liuli.

Pei Xingjian was melancholic all day, and at night, he played the flute on the palace wall to express his longing for Kudi Liuli. At the same time, Kudi Liuli also tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She took out the pair of clay figurines and couldn't help but recall scene after scene of her past with Pei Xingjian.

Not long after, Li Zhi issued an imperial edict to clear An's name, sentencing Zhuo Jinniang and Minister Lin to immediate execution. Kudi Liuli brought Deng Qiniang to the prison to see them off. Zhuo Jinniang struggled fiercely; she didn't want to die, as her dream of becoming the best embroiderer under heaven had not yet been realized.

Zhuo Jinniang knelt on the ground, admitting her mistakes to Kudi Liuli, begging her to plead with Li Zhi and promising to serve Kudi Liuli like an ox or a horse. Kudi Liuli ignored her, only wanting to avenge her mother's tragic death. Zhuo Jinniang begged Deng Qiniang to save her life. Deng Qiniang condemned Zhuo Jinniang for her many evil deeds, stating she was powerless to help. Zhuo Jinniang then cursed at her.

The execution time arrived, and the jailers escorted Zhuo Jinniang and Minister Lin to the execution ground. Kudi Liuli, with Deng Qiniang, left without looking back. " "" After much consideration, Li Zhi finally agreed to summon Pei Xingjian. Li Zhi intended to reward him and Kudi Liuli for their merits, as long as it wasn't an imperial marriage decree. Pei Xingjian was stunned.

Li Zhi explained that Kudi Liuli had voluntarily requested to return to the Wardrobe Service to continue her duties. Pei Xingjian also willingly offered his service to Li Zhi. Li Zhi transferred Pei Xingjian away from the imperial palace, appointing him as the Prefect of Chang'an, promising to transfer him to the Ministry of Personnel after a few years of training. Li Zhi, feigning tiredness, asked Retinue Wang to escort Pei Xingjian out of the palace.

Retinue Wang asked Pei Xingjian for the token used to enter the palace. Pei Xingjian knelt to thank Li Zhi and then left. Li Zhi watched Pei Xingjian's receding figure, his heart a mixture of emotions. He couldn't help but recall Cairen Wu's instructions to him via pigeon, advising him to temporarily set aside matters concerning Kudi Liuli and Pei Xingjian. Li Zhi put away Pei Xingjian's jade pendant. Retinue Wang escorted Pei Xingjian out of the palace gate.

Pei Xingjian asked him to deliver a message to Kudi Liuli. Retinue Wang advised him to give up early. Pei Xingjian suppressed his longing for Kudi Liuli and reluctantly left the imperial palace, wondering when the two of them would be able to meet again. Five years passed in a blink of an eye. After his mourning period ended, Li Zhi brought Cairen Wu back to the imperial palace, elevating her to Zhaoyi Wu.

It was mid-summer, and Li Zhi brought Zhaoyi Wu and others to Wannian Palace to escape the heat, specially bringing Kudi Liuli along to relax. Li Zhi woke up early to find that Zhaoyi Wu was already awake. He learned from a palace maid that Zhaoyi Wu had gone to see "Bao Er". Due to continuous rain, "Bao Er" had to be kept in a cage, which made Zhaoyi Wu feel very distressed.

Pei Xingjian heard that Kudi Liuli had accompanied them to Wannian Palace, so he waited outside the palace every day in the rain, insisting on seeing Li Zhi. Retinue Wang had no choice but to report to Zhaoyi Wu. Zhaoyi Wu sent Yuliu to give "Bao Er" to Pei Xingjian, creating an opportunity for him to meet Kudi Liuli.

Li Zhi was very concerned about Kudi Liuli and had Retinue Wang persuade her to go out for a stroll to clear her mind. Kudi Liuli not only refused to go out but also proactively suggested moving to the dressing tower on the mountaintop. Zhaoyi Wu falsely claimed that "Bao Er" had disappeared. She reported it to Li Zhi immediately.

Pei Xingjian promptly returned "Bao Er", and Zhaoyi Wu was overjoyed, softly reminding Pei Xingjian to act cautiously and not to make any rash moves even if he saw Kudi Liuli. The rain grew heavier. Zhaoyi Wu begged Li Zhi to allow Pei Xingjian to stay in Wannian Palace for the night and leave when the rain subsided tomorrow. Li Zhi reluctantly agreed. Retinue Wang was ordered to deliver painting supplies to Kudi Liuli.

Li Zhi sent someone to inform Retinue Wang to return quickly. The eunuch inadvertently revealed the news that Pei Xingjian had come to see Li Zhi. Kudi Liuli showed no emotion on her face, but her heart was surging with excitement. Pei Xingjian learned from the eunuch that Kudi Liuli was staying in the dressing tower on the mountaintop. Seeing the faint light from the tower in the distance, Pei Xingjian was filled with mixed emotions.

Episode 43 Recap

Outside, lightning flashed and thunder roared, with wind and rain lashing down. Kudi Liuli's heart was filled with mixed emotions. Deng Qiniang saw the lights on at Kudi Liuli's residence at the foot of the mountain and guessed that Pei Xingjian was staying there tonight. Pei Xingjian looked up at the flickering lights of the dressing tower on the mountain. He and Kudi Liuli gazed at each other from afar in this way.

Due to the continuous strong winds and heavy rains for several days, the floodwaters from the mountain rushed down directly to the foot of the mountain. Kudi Liuli quickly called everyone to beat iron basins to warn the people down the mountain. She was intent on going down the mountain to save Pei Xingjian. Deng Qiniang desperately tried to stop her. Kudi Liuli descended the mountain through the heavy rain. Suddenly, her foot slipped, and she almost fell.

Fortunately, Pei Xingjian arrived in time to catch her. The two excitedly embraced tightly. Seeing this scene, Deng Qiniang advised Pei Xingjian to take Kudi Liuli and leave for a distant land. Zhaoyi and Li Zhi woke up in a daze and found that the mountain flood had already entered the bedchamber. Li Zhi learned that Pei Xingjian was not in his room and concluded that he had eloped with Kudi Liuli. Unexpectedly, Pei Xingjian rushed to the rescue.

Kudi Liuli lit charcoal on the mountain to guide them. Li Zhi was deeply moved and quickly moved Zhaoyi and his entourage up the mountain. The flood was surging fiercely. Pei Xingjian held Li Zhi's hand tightly, personally Escorting him up the mountain. After Li Zhi safely escaped danger, he pondered repeatedly and decided to let go of Kudi Liuli. Li Zhi specifically called Kudi Liuli to reward her for her merits.

Kudi Liuli had no worries about food or clothing and needed no rewards. Li Zhi had long guessed she would say this, and he felt particularly lost. He couldn't help but recall the scene of the three of them enjoying drinks and conversation in the Eastern Palace, but now, things had changed, and people were no longer the same.

Li Zhi clearly felt that both Pei Xingjian and Kudi Liuli treated him with more formality as subjects to a ruler and less as friends. Li Zhi hesitated and decided to withdraw the rewards for Kudi Liuli. Kudi Liuli firmly refused to comply. Li Zhi had no choice but to agree to let her leave the palace to see the person she loved most. Kudi Liuli was overjoyed and quickly knelt to express her gratitude.

Li Zhi regretted that he could not protect Kudi Liuli in the future. He bestowed upon her many gold and silver ornaments and gave her countless admonitions and instructions, hoping for her safety and happiness. Zhaoyi, hearing this from outside the door, revealed a knowing smile and then quietly slipped away. Finally, Li Zhi returned the jade pendant to Kudi Liuli. Kudi Liuli came to bid farewell to Zhaoyi. Zhaoyi wished her and Pei Xingjian happiness.

The palace maids and eunuchs all thanked Kudi Liuli for saving their lives. Li Zhi stood on the terrace of the grand hall, watching Kudi Liuli's retreating figure. His heart was filled with mixed emotions. He regretted that the three of them could never return to the past. Li Zhi sincerely wished Kudi Liuli and Pei Xingjian a happy life. Kudi Liuli walked out of the imperial palace and saw Pei Xingjian waiting for her in the distance.

The two couldn't help but embrace affectionately. Pei Xingjian swore to marry her, never to be separated for an entire lifetime. Kudi Liuli gladly agreed. Pei Xingjian claimed to be the notorious rare jinx of Chang'an city and worried that their path of love would not be so smooth. Kudi Liuli only wanted to be with him and was not afraid of any hardship. Pei Xingjian took Kudi Liuli to meet Su Dingfang and his wife.

Su Dingfang was also happy for them and promised to help them arrange the wedding. Madam Yu asked Kudi Liuli to stay at her house first to avoid unnecessary trouble. Kudi Liuli wanted to stay at her uncle Silang's house. Su Dingfang had no choice but to tell the truth of the matter: Pei Xingjian's deceased wife, Lu Qiniang, was brutally forced to death by the Pei clan and Hedong Mansion. Kudi Liuli was immediately stunned.

It turned out that Pei Xingjian's grandfather and great-grandfather were bosom friends. The great-grandfather bestowed noble titles and land upon the Pei family. Linhai Princess married into the Pei family of Hedong Mansion. She wanted to exclusively control Pei Xingjian's ancestral property. After Pei Xingjian married Lu Qiniang, Linhai Princess outwardly recognized Lu Qiniang as her adopted daughter and let her manage the Pei family's accounts, but she secretly manipulated things behind the scenes, then accused Lu Qiniang of mismanagement.

Lu Qiniang died of depression. Linhai Princess then spread rumors everywhere that Pei Xingjian was a rare jinx, causing him to be unable to remarry for many years. Linhai Princess learned that Pei Xingjian had taken a girl to Su Dingfang's house and guessed he went to Su Dingfang for support. Linhai Princess decided to target Kudi Liuli. She absolutely could not let Pei Xingjian marry successfully. Kudi Liuli learned the truth of the matter, and she was not afraid. Madam Yu immediately decided to recognize Kudi Liuli as her goddaughter and marry her off gloriously. Kudi Liuli was deeply grateful to her.

Episode 44 Recap

Pei Xingjian personally went to report the news of his marriage to Linhai Princess. The wife of Prince Hedong Pei Ruzhuo stopped him, lying that the Princess was taking a nap. Pei Xingjian was anxious to enter the palace to see Li Zhi, so he asked her to help convey the message. Madam Pei Ruzhuo heard that Kudi Liuli was the daughter of Kudi Yenzhong, and that Shanhu was Kudi Liuli's half-sister.

She then remembered that Pei Ruzhuo and Pei Yan both wanted to marry Kudi Yenzhong's daughter as a concubine, and therefore concluded that both of them had their eyes on Kudi Liuli. Madam Yu sent someone to send Kudi Liuli back to see her Uncle An Silang. Kudi Liuli didn't want to cause trouble, so she wore a veil and returned to the familiar Ruyi Dyeing Shop.

An Silang and Ni were both very happy, and Kudi Liuli was even more overjoyed, eagerly recounting her hard-won marriage with Pei Xingjian. Kudi Liuli was worried that Linhai Princess would take the opportunity to retaliate against An Silang, which is why she quietly returned home. Shanhu was strolling on the street and inadvertently saw Kudi Liuli leaving in a luxurious carriage from General Su's mansion. She was very puzzled.

Pei Xingjian sent his guard A-cheng to deliberately lie in front of Kudi Liuli's carriage, feigning an accident, and took the opportunity to take Kudi Liuli away. He rode a horse and took Kudi Liuli to the riverside. The two confessed their longing for each other and had endless sweet nothings to say. Pei Xingjian revealed that Empress Wang and Concubine Shu were colluding to scheme against Zhaoyi Wu.

Li Zhi wanted to depose the Empress and make Zhaoyi Wu the Empress. Kudi Liuli thought this was a good thing, but Pei Xingjian couldn't help but feel worried for Li Zhi. Kudi Yenzhong learned that Kudi Liuli had left the palace. He quietly went to see An Silang. He had prepared a banquet early, wanting to wait for Kudi Liuli to come home for the Winter Solstice. Kudi Liuli was late in appearing, and Shanhu couldn't help but complain.

Kudi Wuniang came uninvited. As soon as she entered the door, she started to pick a fight, condemning Kudi Yenzhong for teasing her, claiming that the Commandant's Mansion and Hedong Mansion had their eyes on Kudi Liuli, not Shanhu, in the past. Kudi Yenzhong quickly smiled and spoke pleasantries. Just then, Kudi Liuli arrived at Kudi's Mansion through the snow. She gave all the gold, silver, and jewels bestowed by Li Zhi to Kudi Yenzhong.

Kudi Yenzhong and Kudi Wuniang warmly welcomed her back. Kudi Wuniang advised Kudi Liuli to carefully consider this marriage, so as not to offend Linhai Princess. Kudi Yenzhong, however, dismissed it, fully supporting Kudi Liuli marrying Pei Xingjian, and stated that he had placed An's ancestral tablet in the position of the main wife. Kudi Liuli was very satisfied, and she and her family happily spent the Winter Solstice together. Madam Pei Ruzhuo came to see Kudi Liuli.

She handed over the title deed to a luxurious mansion given to her by Linhai Princess. Madam Pei Ruzhuo kept saying that Linhai Princess had previously given a larger house to Lu Qiniang. She praised Kudi Liuli and Lu Qiniang for looking very similar, which is why Pei Xingjian was willing to marry her. Kudi Liuli knew the Princess's insidious cunning well, so she could only accept the title deed, worried that the Princess would continuously make moves.

Finally, Madam Pei Ruzhuo also revealed that Shanhu was going to marry Pei Ruzhuo as a concubine. She promised to treat Shanhu well. Kudi Liuli saw that she wanted to use Shanhu to restrain or deal with her. Linhai Princess personally summoned Shanhu. She applied both kindness and intimidation to her, and before leaving, gave her a task. Today is the seventh day of the first lunar month, Rensheng Festival. Kudi Liuli accompanied Madam Yu in cutting Rensheng figures.

She cut a Rensheng figure that closely resembled herself. Madam Yu sent someone to deliver it to Pei Xingjian. Unexpectedly, Pei Xingjian sent A-cheng with a golden foil Rensheng figure. Madam Yu couldn't help but tease Kudi Liuli and Pei Xingjian. Su Dingfang and Pei Xingjian made a bet. If Pei Xingjian won, Su Dingfang would agree to Pei Xingjian taking Kudi Liuli to celebrate the Lantern Festival.

Episode 45 Recap

Su Dingfang had previously selected more than a dozen girls and had them put on the same clothes and identical masks as Kudi Liuli. If Pei Xingjian could find Kudi Liuli among them, Su Dingfang would agree to let the two of them go admire the lanterns together. In a flash, it was the Lantern Festival. Chang'an City was bustling with activity, with every household hanging lanterns and decorations.

On the streets, there were opera performances, acrobatics, and dragon dances, and people lingered among the various flower lanterns, reluctant to leave. Su Dingfang and his wife took Kudi Liuli and the girls to the streets. From a distance, Su Dingfang saw someone who looked like Pei Xingjian pull a masked girl and walk away. He quickly rushed over to remove the man's mask, recognizing him as A'cheng, Pei Xingjian's guard.

Su Dingfang then realized one girl was missing and understood that he had fallen for Pei Xingjian's 'lure the tiger out of its mountain lair' trick. He immediately told the girls to remove their masks, and sure enough, Kudi Liuli was gone. Pei Xingjian pulled Kudi Liuli and ran all the way to the city gate tower. Both were extremely excited. Kudi Liuli truthfully reported the Linhai Princess's actions to him.

After careful consideration, Pei Xingjian decided to accept the large mansion sent by the Linhai Princess. He wanted to find some reliable maidservants for Kudi Liuli and vowed to let her live a carefree life from now on. The crowds admiring lanterns on the street were bustling, but Pei Xingjian and Kudi Liuli seemed to be in their own world. Their eyes only held each other as they admired the brilliant fireworks, and they couldn't help but embrace passionately.

The day after tomorrow was the big day for Pei Xingjian and Kudi Liuli's wedding. They had everything ready, but they lacked two trustworthy maidservants. Kudi Liuli came to An Silang for help, and An Silang readily agreed. Kudi Liuli also took out a list of Pei Xingjian's residences and shops in Luoyang, asking An Silang to investigate their details, as these had always been managed entirely by the Linhai Princess.

Kudi Liuli brought her dowry to Kudi's Mansion; she was to be married from there. Kudi Yenzhong was overjoyed and casually mentioned that Shanhu was to marry Ruzhuo as a concubine. Kudi Liuli guessed that this was a plot orchestrated by the Linhai Princess and Lady Pei, and she found it inconvenient to object. She merely reminded Shanhu to be wary of the open strife and veiled struggles among prominent families.

Shanhu, intent on marrying into a wealthy family, was completely unconcerned. Cao enthusiastically recommended maidservants Chun and Tao to Kudi Liuli. Kudi Liuli immediately saw that both of them had been trained by influential families and guessed that they had been sent by the Hedong Mansion to monitor her. Kudi Liuli flatly refused. An Silang brought Ni and Xiaotan to see Kudi Liuli.

Kudi Liuli didn't want to Aggrieved Ni by making her a maidservant, but Ni was willing to stay by her side and serve her. When the Linhai Princess learned that Kudi Liuli had rejected the maidservants she had chosen, she flew into a rage and severely reprimanded Lady Pei. Lady Pei pushed all the blame onto Shanhu. The Linhai Princess then conceived a plan, intending to use Shanhu against Kudi Liuli.

Today was the wedding day of Kudi Liuli and Pei Xingjian. Kudi Liuli started dressing up early in the morning, specifically putting on the buyao her mother had left her. Her heart was filled with mixed emotions. Ni helped her with her makeup. Pei Xingjian arrived with the wedding procession, drumming and gonging to pick up Kudi Liuli. He deliberately had A'cheng change into a bright red wedding gown and carry two large geese.

As soon as A'cheng entered, he was chased and beaten by the bridesmaids. They mistook A'cheng for the groom and intended to properly punish him according to custom. A'cheng was besieged by the girls and cried out in dismay, while Pei Xingjian watched with a smile. Pei Xingjian took advantage of the chaos to go to the embroidery room on the second floor. A'cheng followed him.

Pei Xingjian handed one of the geese to the bridesmaids and then eagerly entered the room to pick up Kudi Liuli. Kudi Liuli and Pei Xingjian's eyes met, full of deep affection. Pei Xingjian took Kudi Liuli home to get married. Sun Decheng and Shun came to offer Congratulations, also bringing an oral decree from Li Zhi and Zhaoyi, congratulating them on being a perfect match made in heaven.

Sun Decheng was filled with emotion seeing the little girl from in the past finally getting married. He gave Kudi Liuli countless admonitions and blessings, wishing her and Pei Xingjian a harmonious union for a hundred years. Sun Decheng had to return to the palace to report. Kudi Liuli performed a kneeling salutation to him. Afterwards, Pei Xingjian and Kudi Liuli completed their wedding ceremony amidst the blessings of their relatives and friends.

The two lovers, having overcome countless difficulties, finally became husband and wife. They entered the bridal chamber. The next morning, Pei Xingjian took his newlywed wife Kudi Liuli boating on the river, writing beautiful verses about their lifelong love. End of the play