We now know that Xie Mao is an official in the East Palace, the crown prince’s residence. He has instructions for his siblings. They must try to become relatives by marriage of Marquis Lu, Pei Ren. Pei Ren is a powerful general who even the emperor must be careful to dealing with. He has a daughter, Pei Yun, who has come to the northwest in secret. Making this connection is useful to Xie Mao and the East Palace due to the military might.
We also get some understanding of the political situation in the capital. The Empress is formidable. Her brother Zhen guogong used to be close to the Emperor, but died a few years ago. The Empress is also dying. Both pillars who supported the long-time Crown Prince will soon be no more, which is the reason for Xie Mao’s urgency.
Xie shi doesn’t give in easily and negotiates Xie Xian’s wedding with Gu Jiu, scheming for her dowry. Since she is sickly and will die early (which they will ensure), the dowry is in the Xie family’s control anyway.
Gu Jiu gives Jiang Yan a task – to get rid of a wavering and unfaithful maid without making it obvious. She promises to teach her how to read and write. Xie shi brings up the matter of Xie Xian marrying Gu Jiu to Gu daren. Gu daren wants to test him first. He also has higher hopes for Gu Jiu and wants to find a match for her in the capital.
Gu Jiu and Gu Ting find out about this matchmaking situation from Su Zheng. They scheme to lure Xie Xian into a brothel and make his presence there known to the entire city.
The siblings and Su Zheng sneak out to meet Doctor Xu who is in cahoots with Xie shi and was partly responsible for the original Gu Jiu’s death.
We learn a fact: the high-quality horses of the dynasty were wiped out a few years ago due to poisoning. The empire severely lacks horses and their supply is strictly controlled by the court.
Back to the story: Gu Jiu rips Doctor Xu off with a fake prescription that has his calligraphy and his seal. This is her first pot of gold. She lends Su Zheng some money.
When they return to the mansion, they discover Gu Yue and Xie Xian flirting. Gu Jiu finds a handkerchief that Gu Yue dropped, which she makes use of to frame Xie Xian later.
We are also introduced to Marquis Pingnan, Gu Zhili’s uncle, and his eldest son Gu Zhiwen in the capital. They discuss the danger of Xie Mao and Gu Zhili’s transfer to the capital.
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