Episode Summary
After being rescued by Wei Shao from outside the city, Xiao Qiao feigns severe illness to avoid being moved to a lesser courtyard, a scheme Wei Shao sees through but indulges. Zheng Chu Yu's attempt to oust Xiao Qiao backfires when Wei Shao takes the side courtyard himself. Amidst court pressure on Wei Shao to take concubines, he publicly declares his growing affection for Xiao Qiao and her worthiness as his wife, even leading her into the male-only study to solidify her position. Wei Shao stations troops in Pan Yi, causing concern for Yan Zhou and Liu Shan. Touched by Wei Shao's gestures, including carrying her over puddles and providing mourning clothes, Xiao Qiao has his shabby courtyard refurbished. In turn, Wei Shao decides to take her to meet his grandmother. Meanwhile, Xiao Tao tries to gather information about Wei Shao's preferences for Xiao Qiao, misleading Wei Liang into thinking she likes him.
Spoiler Alert
So, we pick up right after that intense cliffhanger where Wei Shao dramatically carries Xiao Qiao back to the city in a downpour. The poor girl is out cold, and you can just see the worry etched on Wei Shao's face as he holds her tighter. Meanwhile, Xiao Tao, ever the loyal sidekick, scrambles up and gives Wei Liang a piece of her mind, basically calling him heartless. In a rather surprising move, Wei Liang actually tries to shield Xiao Tao from the rain with his cloak, but she’s not having any of his "fake kindness."
When Xiao Qiao briefly wakes up, she sees Wei Shao super close and, understandably, snaps her eyes shut again. Her maids are all in a tizzy, rushing in with warm things. Gongsun Yang, ever the pragmatist, points out to Wei Shao that leaving Xiao Qiao stranded outside the city for days wasn't exactly a great look. If word got out, it would definitely tarnish Wei Shao's reputation. You could tell that hit a nerve with Wei Shao.
Good news, though – Xiao Qiao is mostly okay after a check-up and eventually comes to. Her maids, Xiao Zao and the crew, let her know that a certain Zheng Chu Yu has "graciously" arranged for her to stay in a side courtyard. Just then, Wei Shao pops in to see her. Instead of giving him an earful, Xiao Qiao plays it smart. She acts all understanding, saying he must have been through a lot, and then innocently asks where this side courtyard is. She lays it on thick with the coughing, looking pale and weak, even pretending to be unsteady on her feet. Wei Shao, seeing her in this state, immediately tells her to stay put in her current room. Sneaky Xiao Qiao! She wasn't that sick, but she knew if she got moved to a lesser courtyard after being left for dead outside the city, her status would plummet. So, a little strategic illness was in order.
Now, Zheng Chu Yu, who was clearly jealous and wanted Xiao Qiao out of the way, is in for a shock. She arranged the side courtyard for Xiao Qiao, but guess who ends up sleeping there that night? Wei Shao himself! When Zheng Chu Yu swans in the next morning with clothes, she finds out about the room swap and immediately runs to her aunt to stir up trouble. This, of course, makes the aunt even more furious with Xiao Qiao, thinking she's bullying her precious son.
Meanwhile, Wei Shao is moving forward with his big project: constructing the Yongning Canal. He stations three thousand elite soldiers in Pan Yi, partly to guard it from opportunists and partly as a show of force towards Yan Zhou. Gongsun Yang, however, voices his concerns. He’s worried that stationing troops there will make the Qiao family antsy and also reminds Wei Shao that this could make his relationship with Xiao Qiao even more difficult. But Wei Shao is pretty set in his ways, saying he made it clear when they married that Xiao Qiao was to be a Wei family wife, and frankly, he has bigger fish to fry right now.
Later, Wei Shao comes back and finds Xiao Qiao still hasn't moved out. He tries to hurry her along, but Xiao Qiao immediately starts her coughing act again, pretending to be all brave and ready to move her things to the side courtyard despite her "illness." Wei Shao, seeing her coughing and struggling, can't bring himself to force her out and relents, saying she can stay one more day. But as soon as he steps out, he notices the coughing has miraculously stopped. He realizes he's been played but just gives a wry smile and lets it go. No drama, just a silent acknowledgment of her little scheme.
Then we have Wei Dian, nagging Wei Shao again about taking concubines to produce an heir. He even recommends his own relatives, convinced that Wei Shao and Xiao Qiao's marriage is purely for political gain and that they'll never have children. Others jump on the bandwagon, ready to offer their own candidates. But Wei Shao shuts them all down, announcing publicly that he and Xiao Qiao have developed genuine feelings for each other and that she is worthy of being called "Nu Jun" (Lady). Gongsun Yang and others chime in, praising their deep affection and even mentioning how Wei Shao moved to the side courtyard for her. Wei Dian knows Wei Shao is just making excuses to reject his candidates and gets even more disgruntled.
Wei Shao then arranges for more people to look after Xiao Qiao and officially moves his own belongings to the side courtyard. Chun Niang thinks Xiao Qiao's luck has finally turned, but Xiao Qiao herself is more cautious, not wanting to just believe what everyone else says. Xiao Tao, ever resourceful, is also around, trying to make connections and ensure Xiao Qiao's future comfort.
News of Wei Shao stationing troops in Pan Yi reaches Liu Shan, who starts regretting not pushing Liu Yan to be more attentive to Xiao Qiao – if he had, they might have gained control of Pan Yi. Now, seizing it will be much harder. Liu Yan suggests sending more troops to Xiao Feng to put pressure on Pan Yi, an idea Liu Shan immediately approves and rushes off to implement.
A letter arrives from Yan Zhou, urging Xiao Qiao to have children with Wei Shao soon and also hoping Wei Shao will stop eyeing Yan Zhou. But Xiao Qiao knows things aren't that simple.
Back in the study, everyone is again pressuring Wei Shao to take concubines, worried that Xiao Qiao isn't fit to bear his children. Wei Shao, however, firmly rebukes them, praising Xiao Qiao's composure and courage. He orders them to never mention concubines again. And who should overhear this? Xiao Qiao, who had come to bring him red bean soup. Just as she's about to leave, she bumps into Xiao Tan, who then goes in to report to Wei Shao. Seizing the moment to show off their "loving" relationship, Wei Shao goes out personally to greet Xiao Qiao, takes her hand, and leads her into the study – a place women are usually forbidden to enter. Gongsun Yang takes the lead in bowing to her. Wei Shao even drapes his own cloak over her in front of everyone. The officials, getting the hint, quickly excuse themselves, leaving Xiao Qiao completely bewildered.
Once they're alone, Xiao Qiao explains she came to thank Wei Shao for his recent care and, now that she's recovered, to ask him to move back to his room. Wei Shao just coolly replies, "Got it."
That evening, as Wei Shao and Xiao Qiao are walking back together, they encounter a path wet from the rain. Without a word, Wei Shao simply lifts Xiao Qiao and carries her over the puddles. A genuine smile finally appears on Xiao Qiao's face. She thought she'd be moving to the side courtyard that day, but once again, it's Wei Shao who ends up there, making Xiao Qiao blush a little.
Xiao Tao teases that Wei Shao is getting quite used to carrying Xiao Qiao around now. Xiao Qiao gets embarrassed, remembering that he also carried her all the way back to the city that day. It dawns on her that she might have misjudged him; perhaps his earlier actions weren't intentionally cruel, yet she'd made him stay in the less comfortable courtyard for so long. Just then, Xiao Tan arrives with some plain-colored clothes – a thoughtful gesture from Wei Shao, who remembered Xiao Qiao is still in a mourning period.
The next day, Xiao Qiao brings clothes to Wei Shao. He, in turn, drapes the clothes over her and tells her to just take care of herself. After Wei Shao leaves, Xiao Qiao takes a peek into the side courtyard and sees that it really is quite shabby. The maids outside start gossiping about her, but Xiao Tao quickly shuts them down.
Feeling she should repay Wei Shao's kindness, Xiao Qiao initially thinks of having her own people clean his room. But then, thinking about all the gossips, she orders them to come back and clean it instead. Nice move, Xiao Qiao!
In a little side plot, Xiao Tao privately asks Wei Liang about his routine after military drills. Wei Liang is clueless and asks Wei Qu and others why she’d be asking about him. Wei Qu suggests that maybe the girl likes him, which makes Wei Liang quite pleased, thinking Xiao Tao has a crush on him. In reality, Xiao Tao is just gathering intel for Xiao Qiao about Wei Shao's preferences.
When Wei Shao returns to his room, he finds it completely refreshed. Upon hearing that Xiao Qiao personally supervised the redecoration, he immediately orders for her to be informed that he will take her to see his grandmother the next day.
The following morning, a very nervous Xiao Qiao meets Wei Shao. He starts walking quickly, and Xiao Qiao, in her long skirts, has to practically jog to keep up, getting out of breath. She hastily calls out to him, explaining that her legs are short and her skirt is long, making it hard to walk fast. Wei Shao, though verbally complaining about her being troublesome, tells her to go on ahead, boasting that even if he leaves a bit later, he can easily catch up. However, the moment Xiao Qiao disappears through the main gate, Wei Shao breaks into a sprint to follow her. Aww!
