Gu Ting Ye requests for leniency for his family from the Emperor but generates displeasure in court. With the death of his older brother, Gu Ting Ye inherits the title of Marquis. Ming Lan is granted a title too! Just as the couple expected a slight reprieve, the evil stepmother hatches a plan to reintroduce an old flame into the picture. Man Niang reappears and bargains with Gu Ting Ye to be named a concubine by withholding the whereabouts of their son. What happens between them? Listen to find out

Gu Ting Ye still refuses to assist his brother and cousins for their involvement in the previous coup and is in a stalemate with his brother Gu Ting Yu. After learning about the truth of his health, Gu Ting Yu makes hard decision and decides to come clean to his brother for all of their family's previous ill deeds. He grants Gu Ting Ye the title of Marquis for the promise that he will take care of his wife and daughter. Gu Ting Ye, finally relents and agrees to save his brother and cousins from jail.

Tensions within the Gu Family escalate as 1) the 4th and 5th aunt first try to blackmail Ming Lan into helping their sons, 2) Gu Ting Ye's younger brother is taken in for questioning and 3) a stalemate occurs between Gu Ting Ye and his older brother on conditions to help the family.

Elsewhere, the Empress Dowager is furious that Gu Ting Ye devised a trick to take the Imperial Seal from her for the Emperor

Ming Lan is summoned to the Palace an unexpectedly is forced to greet the Empress Dowager. She's able to avoid a dangerous trap by finding a clever solution to the Empress Dowager's intended gifts. Qi Heng is now favored by the Empress Dowager and begins to investigate families from the failed coup. Two of Gu Ting Ye's cousins are thrown in jail and the families coming begging for help. Does Gu Ting Ye agree?

Ming Lan is out inspecting the new farmsteads that were gifted to her husband. During her audit, it becomes pretty obvious that the overseers have been lying on their accounts. Ming Lan outwits one overseer but needs Gu Ting Ye's assistance on another. Who knew managing lands was so difficult? Her actions are reported back to the Capital and various factions begin to take notice.

Goaded by words from Chang Mo Mo, servants engage in a full blown food fight in the kitchen while Ming Lan and Gu Ting Ye have esteemed guests over. While the purpose was to help Ming Lan against a combative Nanny Lai, the result is that all of these problematic servants can be removed with a plausible excuse. Ming Lan enjoys a well earned victory against her stepmother-in-law!

With the gaggle of new servants in her household, it is now teeming with "spies" that report her every
movement to her stepmother-in-law. Not only does she get a passive aggressive visit from her stepmother using intel gained from these servants, Ming Lan's reputation is also being sullied by this stepmother. How will Ming Lan fight back to regain peace in her household?

The newlyweds Ming Lan and Gu Ting Ye head back to the Sheng family to meet the family and are introduced to Aunt Kang, Madame Wang's sister. She can't stand that Ming Lan married so well and already starts to plot against her. Elsewhere, Ming Lan's new stepmother-in-law also sends her troops to control Ming Lan's new home in the form of servants. Ming Lan though, trained well by her grandmother, shows the new staff who's really in charge.

It's the first day after Gu Ting Ye and Ming Lan's wedding! Ming Lan is now officially a wife! Unfortunately that means that she also has to deal with new enemies, namely the rest of the Gu family. She is quickly summoned to meet the older ladies of the Gu family and has to deal with a tricky task. Luckily for Ming Lan, Gu Ting Ye has her back. The newlyweds also head back to the Sheng family to greet Ming Lan's family.