My Destined Consort Recap, Plot, Synopsis

My Destined Consort Synopsis

Shen Jiangli, the pure and kind-hearted legitimate daughter of the Shen family. On her wedding night, she is schemed against and ends up consummating the marriage with the second young master Lu Jingming, not her intended groom. She is then falsely accused and confined to the ancestral hall.

While giving birth, she nearly dies but is rescued—only for her son Yanyan to be born with a chronic illness. The only cure lies in the hands of the Lu family, forcing Shen Jiangli to return to their household for the sake of her child.

Back in the Lu residence, she stands up to those who wronged her, uncovers the conspiracy behind her past suffering, and slowly clears the misunderstandings with Lu Jingming. With the adorable and clever Yanyan playing matchmaker, the once broken couple finds their way back to each other.

My Destined Consort Recap

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The Lord of Dongzhou had been ill for a long time and showed no signs of recovery. The First Madam began leading all the family members in a prayer ritual. There were already many members in the household, and now that they had gathered again, everyone was talking at once, full of nitpicking and discontent. Just as the First Madam and the Second Madam were arguing, a coffin suddenly fell out of nowhere into the courtyard.

With someone already sick in the household, the sudden appearance of a coffin infuriated the First Madam even more. Shen Jiangli pushed open the main doors and slowly walked in. Over the years, she had been kept in the mausoleum, with no place in the family at all. The First Madam questioned Shen Jiangli about the meaning of her visit today. The First Madam was usually harsh and cruel.

In the past, a maid was nearly tortured to death just for eating a little food during a ritual. Fortunately, Shen Jiangli’s medical skills were superb and she managed to bring the nearly suffocated maid back to life.

Today, she came to expose the First Madam’s schemes—using the blessing ritual for the lord as a pretense to force twenty-seven women who had given birth to sons to kneel in the courtyard for seven days straight, all to steal good fortune for herself in conceiving a child. Shen Jiangli’s revelation shocked the First Madam, who immediately accused her of lying and trying to harm her on purpose. Truly, she wouldn’t give up until reaching the Yellow River.

Shen Jiangli exposed her again, revealing that the First Madam had been trying every method to conceive. She had secretly placed a statue of the Child-Giving Guanyin next to the statue of the Medicine God and even set up a formation around the courtyard. This formation was filled with strong masculine energy and, if used correctly, could indeed aid in conception. The servants quickly found the items used for the formation. This time, the First Madam had no defense.

Her wet nurse, trying to protect her, committed suicide to atone, hoping the lord would show mercy. Shen Jiangli helped the Second Madam take the First Madam down a peg, earning merit. The Second Madam directly suggested to the lord that Shen Jiangli stay the night. Shen Jiangli was thus able to remain. Lu Jingming asked her what made her decide to return this time. Shen Jiangli calmly replied that she hoped Lu Jingming could give her the Lei Pill.

The Lei Pill was extremely important to the Lu family. Lu Jingming asked who she intended to save, but Shen Jiangli didn’t answer. She proposed to make a trade with him in exchange. Returning to her old residence, she was overcome with emotion at the sight of its decline. She remembered how, five years ago, she was heavily pregnant and alone, close to giving birth, yet the First Madam remained indifferent.

With no other choice, Shen Jiangli braved the storm and crawled all the way to the Dingfeng Pavilion. There, a young master with excellent medical skills saved her and brought both mother and child back from the brink of death. Shen Jiangli was not someone who sought revenge for every grievance, but nearly dying left her with lingering resentment. She vowed to reclaim everything she had lost, especially from those who had repeatedly harmed her in the past.

Shen Jiangli’s sudden return to the residence greatly surprised Lu Jingming, so he ordered his subordinates to investigate her life over the past few years. The subordinates reported truthfully that the old maid assigned to monitor Shen Jiangli at the mausoleum had not been diligent—she didn’t even know Shen Jiangli had returned home late at night, nor did she know anything about her current situation, let alone when she had learned the art of medicine.

From this, it seemed Shen Jiangli had not been living well all these years. Lu Jingming sighed, wondering if perhaps he had truly misunderstood her back then. The First Madam was furious after being exposed by Shen Jiangli and secretly vowed that as long as she remained in the residence, Shen Jiangli could not stay. Eager to get rid of her, the First Madam immediately ordered her people to find an assassin to take Shen Jiangli’s life in one strike.

But she had not anticipated that Lu Jingming was near Shen Jiangli’s courtyard at the time. When he saw something suspicious, he intervened immediately, saving Shen Jiangli’s life. However, the assassin committed suicide out of fear, and the matter was left unresolved. After hearing the whole situation, Lu Jingming felt the Lu residence was full of hidden dangers. Years ago, his mother had accused Shen Jiangli of poisoning someone, and he had sent her to guard the tombs.

When he had asked her if she was guilty, Shen Jiangli neither defended herself nor explained—she appeared completely hopeless. That was why he had no choice but to follow his mother’s wishes. Now, five years had passed, and upon reflection, the incident was full of inconsistencies. Shen Jiangli was the legitimate daughter of the Shen family and had been pure and kind at the time of their marriage—she should never have used such a despicable method as poisoning.

As for why she didn’t explain herself back then, Lu Jingming once overheard through a window that Shen Jiangli had grown weary of the constant scheming within the residence and wanted to use the opportunity to leave. Lu Jingming was injured while saving Shen Jiangli. When his mother heard about it, she rushed to confront Shen Jiangli and slapped her twice. In her eyes, no one mattered more than her precious son.

Shen Jiangli remained calm and composed, prompting Lu Jingming to step in once again to stop his mother, who finally backed down. Later, Shen Jiangli brought up the Lei Pill again. As a medicinal remedy used to save lives, she must have been facing a difficult situation, though she didn’t reveal what had happened. When Lu Jingming met her again, he asked her about it, but she still chose to keep it a secret.

She only said that once their transaction was complete, the agreement must be honored. After turning away from each other, they went their separate ways. Lu Jingming looked back at Shen Jiangli’s departing figure, feeling a sudden surge of emotion. He had once dreamed of a harmonious life with her, growing old together—but somehow, things had ended up like this. Shen Jiangli walked forward with determination, showing not a trace of sentimentality toward him.

Shen Jiangli moved back into the Lu residence. As the eldest son of the Lu family, Lu Jingming’s elder brother asked him what he intended to do. Lu Jingming did not object to Shen Jiangli’s return, and Shen Jiangli herself stated that this was the Lu family’s private affair and did not need outside interference.

In the past, Shen Jiangli had appeared indifferent to worldly matters, but now she had begun to fight back and would no longer suffer injustice in silence. Lu Jingming’s elder brother had long harbored resentment because Lu Jingming had once earned military honors. He feared Lu Jingming would one day surpass him. In response, Lu Jingming had chosen to keep a low profile and conceal his talents. That day, his elder brother deliberately invited him to admire a sword.

The moment Lu Jingming saw the sword’s scabbard, his expression changed dramatically. He quickly claimed that he had been indulging too much in feasting lately and could no longer distinguish quality. Afterward, the elder brother quietly told the First Madam that the sword had once belonged to Lu Jingming. During a battle, he had fallen into an enemy trap, and his army was nearly wiped out. The incident had left a deep emotional scar.

Shen Jiangli told Lu Jingming that only she could cure the chronic illness in his body. To ensure a peaceful and undisturbed treatment environment, she hoped Lu Jingming would restore her rightful status as soon as possible. This way, others would stop focusing on her every move and plotting to harm her. Lu Jingming agreed to her request without hesitation.

The next day, Lu Jingming summoned everyone in the residence to the courtyard and announced that since the Madam had returned, all household affairs would henceforth be handled by Shen Jiangli. As the master had spoken, everyone naturally obeyed. Lu Jingming still had to go out for military training, so he hurriedly left the residence. As a newcomer once more, Shen Jiangli needed to establish her authority.

She first declared that she would handle all matters fairly and would also present everyone with a generous gift. Back when she lived in the courtyard, she had suffered under several old maids, so now that she had returned, she intended to give them a warning. Shen Jiangli publicly summoned one of the old maids who had mistreated her. The old woman trembled with fear when she saw a chicken bone.

Back then, she had secretly swapped Shen Jiangli’s food for chicken bones and forced her to reassemble the entire chicken frame—such cruelty. Now, seeing the bones again, the old maid realized she was in for hardship. Shen Jiangli repaid cruelty with kindness in public, and everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief, becoming much more respectful toward her. After winning the hearts of the people, Shen Jiangli began planning her next move.

Her son was still ill, and she needed to quickly settle matters here so she could obtain Lei Pills to treat him. While handling official duties, Lu Jingming happened to pass by a courtyard and saw a clever little boy stuck in a dog hole, calling out for help. The child’s sweet and tender voice instantly won Lu Jingming’s affection. After being rescued, the boy ran back into the courtyard. From across the yard, Lu Jingming heard Shen Jiangli’s voice.

The boy called her "mother," and Lu Jingming was surprised—if he called Shen Jiangli "mother," did that mean the child had something to do with him? Shen Jiangli did not hide the truth and admitted that the boy, who was just over five years old, was her son. Given that five or six years had already passed, Lu Jingming could not be sure if the child’s birth had anything to do with him.

That night, Shen Jiangli performed acupuncture on Lu Jingming as promised. The process was painful, and she warned him to endure it. The child had a chronic condition and couldn’t sleep soundly at night. Shen Jiangli was deeply worried and decided to seek out Master Zhuge immediately to get the Lei Pills as soon as possible. She wrote a formal letter of visit and went to see him in person.

Master Zhuge had severe bad breath, and upon their first meeting, Shen Jiangli diagnosed him with gangrenous gingivitis. She said that with her prescribed medicine, it could be cured quickly. As she predicted, after taking the medicine, Master Zhuge’s symptoms greatly improved. He developed a high regard for Shen Jiangli and, upon learning that she wanted the design for a repeating crossbow, generously gave her a copy. Recently, Lu Jingming had been diligently training the Jinlin Guards.

To help her husband surpass his elder brother sooner, Shen Jiangli painstakingly gathered two large chests of gold, silver, and valuables to fund the creation of weapons. When Lu Jingming saw the exquisitely designed blueprint, he was overjoyed. With this design, many arrows could be fired simultaneously. Now that he also had the funds for manufacturing, he immediately made a plan to begin large-scale production.

When the First Madam heard that the second house’s young lady had returned, she, already at odds with Lu Jingming’s mother, immediately went to the Lu family patriarch and twisted the story to paint Shen Jiangli in a bad light. However, Lu Jingming’s mother was not someone to be trifled with, and as soon as the two women met, a war of words was inevitable.

The First Madam intended to introduce her nephew, Su Ruian, to Lu Jingming’s younger sister, Lu Qingqing. Su Ruian was locally well-regarded and carried himself with dignity. Lu Jingming’s mother agreed to let the two meet. Lu Qingqing took a strong liking to Su Ruian upon meeting him, and he, in turn, was very impressed with her. When their eyes met, both blushed unconsciously.

Su Ruian admired Lu Qingqing’s unique makeup and even remarked that beauty was a rare and natural gift. However, he didn’t know that Lu Qingqing’s cheek had been injured and was merely covered with flower petals.

Back then, Lu Qingqing’s facial injury seemed to have something to do with Shen Jiangli. Wang Danling had always disapproved of Shen Jiangli and deliberately went to Lu Qingqing to tell her that Shen Jiangli had returned from the ancestral tomb. She even claimed that Shen Jiangli was once again using seductive sorcery, as if she carried something unclean, and that her moving into the Lu residence would bring nothing good.

When Lu Qingqing stormed in furiously with a Taoist priest in tow, Shen Jiangli immediately understood what was going on. She reminded Lu Qingqing that she was not the one who caused her facial injury back then, but Lu Qingqing had been misled by Danling and simply refused to believe Shen Jiangli. The Taoist paced around the room, pretending to be someone sent by the Immortal Lord Wuliang, boasting of an indestructible body.

Just as he was about to perform a ritual on Shen Jiangli, Lu Jingming arrived in time to defuse the situation and help Shen Jiangli out of trouble. The Taoist still insisted that his findings were accurate. Shen Jiangli sneered and said that since he claimed to have an indestructible body, why not demonstrate it right then and there? The Taoist was brought to a pot of boiling oil. Seeing the oil bubbling and rolling, the crowd was horrified.

Yet the Taoist stuck his hand in and pulled it out completely unscathed. Shen Jiangli walked over with a cold smile and also put her hand in the pot. Lu Qingqing widened her eyes in shock—Shen Jiangli's hand was also unharmed. Shen Jiangli exposed the Taoist’s trick in front of everyone. The pot actually contained vinegar, which has a lower boiling point than oil, but since oil is lighter, it floated on top.

As a result, dipping one’s hand in wouldn’t cause any burns. A young servant, half-believing, also tested it and found it completely safe. The Taoist, unable to argue further, had no choice but to beg for mercy in disgrace. As the crowd dispersed, Lu Jingming advised Shen Jiangli to quietly look into Su Ruian’s character.

Su Ruian was a distant nephew of the First House, and since the First and Second Houses had always been at odds, Lu Jingming didn’t believe the First House would be so kind-hearted. He asked Shen Jiangli to investigate Su Ruian thoroughly. Lu Qingqing’s disfigurement was indeed tragic. When Shen Jiangli heard from a maid that someone knew who had harmed Lu Qingqing back then, she carefully had the culprit Ah Tai captured.

Bound tightly with ropes, Ah Tai was brought before Lu Jingming. Under a mix of coaxing and pressure from Shen Jiangli and Lu Jingming, Ah Tai finally confessed that it was all orchestrated by the First House. At the time, they couldn’t tolerate Lu Jingming and secretly ordered Ah Tai to harm him. When the plan failed, they shifted the blame onto Shen Jiangli, which led to Lu Qingqing being deceived.

Shen Jiangli also had her people investigate Su Ruian’s background thoroughly. It turned out he wasn’t some talented scholar from Jiangnan at all. He usually cheated in exams and even in chess matches. In everything he did, he relied on bribery and under-the-table dealings. He had no real skills or talent. After learning about Su Ruian’s cheating tactics, Shen Jiangli had her subordinates uncover the methods he used.

Once she had the evidence, she went straight to Lu Qingqing and told her everything she had found, encouraging her to go verify it for herself. Later, Shen Jiangli invited Su Ruian to a public chess match. As expected, he tried to cheat again. Lu Qingqing arrived in time to overhear Su Ruian’s arrogant and boastful talk, which was completely different from how he usually acted around her.

During the match, Su Ruian kept glancing at his friends nearby, hoping they would signal him with moves. However, those “helpers” had already been bribed by Shen Jiangli and didn’t give him any support, causing Su Ruian to reveal his true colors.

Shen Jiangli exposed Su Ruian’s petty tricks on the spot. Enraged and humiliated, he warned Shen Jiangli not to be too arrogant, claiming that he was the imperial son-in-law. Lu Jingming stepped out and sternly rebuked Su Ruian, telling him not to be delusional—there hadn’t even been a wedding yet, so where did the title of imperial son-in-law come from? Lu Qingqing directly declared that she had nothing to do with Su Ruian.

With Su Ruian’s true colors revealed, Lu Jingming immediately ordered his men to take him away. Thankfully, Shen Jiangli uncovered Su Ruian’s true nature in time. Otherwise, if he had married Lu Qingqing, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Lu Qingqing’s mother was chilled to the bone after hearing everything. This was clearly a trap set by the First House, aiming to turn her daughter into a laughingstock.

Even so, she still didn’t have a favorable impression of Shen Jiangli, thinking that Lu Qingqing would only be more heartbroken after learning the truth. Wang Danling, with ill intent, went to stir things up again with Lu Qingqing. At that moment, Shen Jiangli arrived. She wanted to confront Danling and personally clarify the truth.

Five years ago, during a lantern festival at the market, Lu Qingqing desperately wanted to attend, but her mother kept a strict watch over her, so she couldn’t leave the house. Seeing Lu Qingqing so depressed, Shen Jiangli suggested that she put on her clothes and take her sedan chair out for a bit of fun. On the way, Danling was assaulted by a thug. Fortunately, the authorities arrived just in time, and Lu Qingqing’s chastity was preserved.

However, she suffered a head injury, leaving a scar. Shen Jiangli stood under the blazing sun waiting for Lu Qingqing to open the door. She waited for a very long time until she eventually collapsed from exhaustion. Lu Jingming carried the unconscious Shen Jiangli back to the courtyard and even sent someone to call for Lu Qingqing. After Shen Jiangli regained consciousness, Lu Jingming brought the thug over and told Lu Qingqing the truth.

It turned out that the entire situation had been orchestrated by Danling, who had incited the thug to attack Shen Jiangli, but due to a twist of fate, Lu Qingqing was the one who got hurt. Lu Qingqing didn’t believe it. The thug mentioned that the young madam’s maid, Hexiang, had been present at the time. But Hexiang had been missing for many years—where could she be found? Shen Jiangli vowed to find Hexiang at all costs.

Knowing that Hexiang was devastated because of the scar on her face, Shen Jiangli personally sought out medicinal herbs to carefully craft a healing salve that could remove dead tissue and regenerate skin. She spent a long time preparing it. Lu Jingming witnessed Shen Jiangli’s kindness and meticulous care, realizing that he had indeed misunderstood her five years ago.

Wanting to make amends, he ordered his men to buy pastries and deliver them to Shen Jiangli, but she had already lost hope and refused to accept his gesture. At last, Shen Jiangli found Hexiang. Poor Hexiang had once worked for Danling, but after learning too many secrets, her mistress had her rendered deaf and mute. Danling thought she had covered all traces, but she was wrong. Shen Jiangli sought out Danling’s former tutor, who knew some sign language.

Through a few gestures, they were able to easily understand what Hexiang wanted to say. Upon hearing of Shen Jiangli’s method, Danling turned pale with fright.

With Lu Jingming’s support, Hexiang truthfully recounted the events of that year. Using knocks and gestures, she revealed everything that had happened. Hexiang explained that the thug, A’tai, had made a mistake and immediately reported to Wang Danling in a panic. At the time, Danling even laughed and said it didn’t matter—she could use the incident to stir up more trouble.

As a result, Danling deliberately sowed discord between Lu Qingqing and Shen Jiangli, eventually leading to Shen Jiangli being driven out of the household. After hearing Hexiang’s account, Lu Qingqing realized that she had misunderstood Shen Jiangli all these years and had even taken a villain for a friend. Heartbroken, she angrily called Danling a treacherous scoundrel. Danling glared fiercely at Shen Jiangli, warning her that they would meet again.

Although Lu Jingming was present, he refused to bring Danling to see the matriarch. Shen Jiangli was a bit angry, shot a glare at Lu Jingming, and walked away coldly. Filled with regret, Lu Qingqing asked Lu Jingming to take good care of Shen Jiangli, saying that it was their fault back then—they should never have banished her to guard the ancestral tomb without finding out the truth.

Lu Jingming immediately followed Shen Jiangli outside to comfort her, telling her not to worry. After all, Wang Danling was the only daughter of the First House, had a father with distinguished military service, and came from a wealthy maternal family. Naturally, they wouldn’t let their daughter be thrown into prison. The previous incident when she prayed for the Lu family patriarch’s recovery was an example—without solid evidence, they couldn’t act rashly.

What Lu Jingming said was very reasonable, and Shen Jiangli silently acknowledged her earlier impulsiveness. Shen Qilan, the youngest daughter of the Shen family, had grown into a fine young woman. Her mother was anxious to find her a good match. Upon learning that the Lu family would soon be holding a birthday banquet, she suggested that the Shen family’s eldest master bring Shen Qilan along. To help her appear more presentable, she even provided extra silver.

Although Shen Qilan was just a young woman, she didn’t aspire to marry into wealth and power. Seeing the caged bird at home unhappy, she took the initiative to open the cage and set it free. When she went out and saw a man bullying a respectable woman on the street, she wanted to intervene, but her maid quickly stopped her, telling her not to meddle. While shopping for jewelry, Shen Qilan ran into Danling.

Danling disliked Shen Jiangli and naturally treated her sister with the same disdain. Despite Shen Qilan’s warm attempt to befriend her, Danling remained indifferent and even handed her a hairpin that Shen Qilan thought was exquisite, treating her like a servant she was trying to get rid of. Shen Qilan had thought that her sister must be enjoying great fortune after marrying into the Lu family, but this encounter with her sister-in-law showed otherwise—their relationship was clearly strained.

Shen Qilan was overjoyed when she visited the Lu residence and saw her sister. She didn’t mention having just seen Danling. It happened to be the matriarch’s birthday banquet, and Shen Jiangli’s father also attended. Shen Jiangli still smiled when she saw her sister, but upon seeing her father, she felt a chill in her heart. She remembered how she had been banished to guard the tomb for five years, and her natal family never once came to see her.

When her father complained that she hadn’t returned to visit after coming back to the Lu family, Shen Jiangli retorted directly, saying she had thought he considered this daughter already dead.

One of Lu Jingming’s subordinates came to report that the iron mine they were transporting had been seized by the First House, so he hurried off, and Shen Jiangli followed him. The two shared a carriage, and along the way, Lu Jingming asked why she had spoken to her father that way earlier. Shen Jiangli honestly explained that because the concubine, Concubine Zou, was favored at home, her father had always been cold toward her and her mother.

Her mother had suffered a great deal of mistreatment. Just now, when she saw that Shen Qilan had bought so many pieces of jewelry, she realized that Concubine Zou must have once again been instigating her father. Since there was no affection left in that home, she no longer wished to be a burden in anyone’s eyes.

Upon meeting with the Lu family's eldest son, Lu Jingming promptly claimed that the iron mine was a property he was giving to Shen Jiangli. Her dowry had mysteriously disappeared when she first married into the Lu family, so now that she had returned, it was only right to compensate her. The eldest brother had no excuse, so he allowed it. After leaving with Shen Jiangli, Lu Jingming handed her the official mining permit, confirming all he had just said.

Shen Jiangli was overjoyed. Under the bright moonlight, the two took a stroll together. A flower vendor child suggested Lu Jingming buy some flowers, and he generously bought them all and gave them to Shen Jiangli. At the Lu residence, the Imperial Concubine’s birthday banquet was held, and all the nobility of East Prefecture came to celebrate. The third young master Lu Jingxing also arrived, accompanied by the third young madam Xiahou Yao.

The pair looked like a perfect match, like a golden boy and jade girl. They paid their respects to the Imperial Concubine and presented their gift. Everyone assumed it would be something exquisite, but to their surprise, it was a goat’s skull. Xiahou Yao explained that in her culture, this symbolized gratitude and respect. The Imperial Concubine wasn’t offended and said she liked it. Wang Danling arrived with her husband, offering an expensive red coral as a gift.

The Imperial Concubine accepted it with a smile. Finally, it was Lu Jingming’s turn. He approached gracefully with Shen Jiangli and presented an embroidery of a celestial crane. The First House people immediately burst into laughter, mocking the Second House for being stingy—how could they present just an embroidery at the matriarch’s birthday celebration? Embarrassed, the Imperial Concubine ordered her servants to take it away quickly.

Xiahou Yao, unable to stand it, stepped forward and asked if she could also admire the embroidery. When she flipped it over, everyone gasped—it turned out to be the long-lost double-sided embroidery. The front depicted a celestial crane symbolizing longevity and blessings, while the back showed peonies, praising the Imperial Concubine's wealth and generosity. Thanks to Xiahou Yao’s explanation, the Imperial Concubine beamed with joy, nearly having misunderstood her own son and daughter-in-law.

She even had someone send pearl cream to Shen Jiangli. The First House’s schemes failed once again. Despite presenting red coral, they didn’t gain favor, while someone else’s embroidery won the Imperial Concubine’s heart. That evening, everyone enjoyed the banquet together. Shen Qilan noticed Lu Jingming speaking kindly on her father’s behalf and suggested her father return the favor to the Lu family.

Her father, who always treated Shen Qilan like a precious jewel, went up to thank them but spoke harshly to Shen Jiangli, lacking any warmth. Shen Jiangli didn’t mind and, after a few cold words, turned and walked away. Though the Lu residence looked glorious on the surface, it was a mess behind the scenes.

Wang Danling was secretly trying to get close to Lu Jingming, and Shen Qilan was not idle either—she secretly met with the Lu family’s eldest son. The two had long been entangled in a secret affair. The only reason the eldest son had married Wang Danling was because of her powerful father. He hoped to use the Wang family’s influence to gain control of the Jinlin Guards sooner.

Wang Danling married the eldest son of the Lu family, but she had long coveted Lu Jingming. She originally planned to find a way to have Lu Jingming for herself as well, but now that Shen Jiangli had returned from Guling, her dreams were shattered. Seeing that Lu Jingming seemed to have rekindled his feelings for Shen Jiangli, Wang Danling’s jealousy burned fiercely. She had never liked Shen Jiangli, and now she became even more nitpicky and hostile.

Shen Jiangli completely fell out with Wang Danling and questioned whether she had realized that she still had no children—it was karma. Wang Danling flushed with anger; her inability to bear children had always been a sore spot. Now that Shen Jiangli had touched on that pain, Wang Danling jumped into the river right in front of her. The maid behind her immediately screamed, claiming that Shen Jiangli had pushed the Madam into the river!

Shen Jiangli had seen scenes like this before—she quickly jumped in as well, pretending to save her. Since Wang Danling liked to act, Shen Jiangli would play along. Now that Shen Jiangli was also in the water, more and more people gathered. Wang Danling, crying pitifully, accused Shen Jiangli of pushing her in.

Shen Jiangli refused to back down and exposed Wang Danling’s scheme on the spot, questioning why she was out here late at night with only the two of them present. Lu Jingming rushed over upon hearing the commotion. Shen Jiangli told him everything truthfully, and this time, Lu Jingming firmly stood by his wife.

He told his elder brother that it was Wang Danling who had invited him out for a chat that night, and when Shen Jiangli discovered them, misunderstandings arose. However, based on Shen Jiangli’s character, she would never go so far as to push Wang Danling into the river. In fact, before Wang Danling married into the Lu family, she had already taken a liking to Lu Jingming.

But at that time, the Lu family’s legitimate son seemed more likely to secure the noble title. Lu Jingming had always treated her lukewarmly, while the eldest son was extremely attentive. So Wang Danling chose the Lu family’s eldest son. Now that Shen Jiangli and Lu Jingming were in complete agreement, even a fool could see the truth.

The legitimate son of the Lu family naturally had doubts, but because he coveted the power of Wang Danling’s father, he could only continue to play dumb and insist on standing by Wang Danling. Lu Qingqing saw that her second brother and sister-in-law were once again being wronged and humiliated.

Remembering how she herself had been deceived by Wang Danling for so many years, she stood up and told their parents that it was Wang Danling who caused her disfigurement and nearly cost her innocence in a lowly part of town. Wang Danling realized that Lu Qingqing was about to retaliate and once again put on a pitiful act, claiming she had been misled by Shen Jiangli and that she had always cared about Lu Qingqing and never harbored ill intentions.

But Lu Qingqing couldn’t stand her false sincerity anymore and immediately exposed her—five years ago, it was Wang Danling who sent thugs to disgrace Shen Jiangli, but by coincidence, it was Lu Qingqing who happened to be in Shen Jiangli’s carriage that day, which led to the disaster. All the evidence pointed to Wang Danling’s disgraceful conduct. Minister Wang was so ashamed that his face turned red, afraid that the Lu family would issue a divorce on the spot.

But the legitimate son of the Lu family had never truly liked Wang Danling. Even knowing all these truths, so what? He wasn’t foolish enough to give up the power and influence that came with the Wang family. Wang Danling, who had always been arrogant and domineering, now found herself betrayed from all sides. She grew increasingly flustered.

As she walked out of the courtyard, she saw the eldest son and Shen Qilan behaving intimately, as if they had known each other for a long time. Wang Danling sneaked into her husband’s study and discovered that Shen Qilan had written him many love letters over time. It seemed their secret affair had been going on for quite a while.

Lu Jingxing and Yao Yao, having nothing to do, decided to visit Tingyuxuan. They found the scenery beautiful and the pavilions and towers exquisitely crafted. Lu Jingxing explained that this place had been specially built by Lu Jingming for his wife when he married his second sister-in-law. Back then, the couple had been very much in love, but due to a misunderstanding, they were driven out. Ever since Shen Jiangli left Tingyuxuan, Lu Jingming rarely came here.

Hearing that the two had once shared such deep affection, Yao Yao couldn’t help but worry that she and Lu Jingxing might also one day fall into a misunderstanding. Although their relationship had always been good, it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn't be stirred up by others in the future. When Lu Jingxing arrived at Tingyuxuan, he suddenly saw a young child in the courtyard.

The child was lively and bore a striking resemblance to Lu Jingming when he was young. Just as he was asking for the child’s name, Lu Jingming and Shen Jiangli rushed over, making the scene quite awkward. Yao Yao, ever quick-witted, immediately invited Shen Jiangli and Lu Jingming to join them for an outing. Shen Jiangli reminded Yao Yao not to reveal the child's existence for now, as this was the best way to protect him.

Yao Yao nodded, knowing well the tactics of the main branch of the family. Wang Danling had no children—if she found out that the second branch had a child this old, she would stop at nothing to cause harm. Lu Jingxing also understood the importance of this matter. Fortunately, he had always been upright and trustworthy and would surely keep the secret for his elder brother. Yao Yao and Shen Jiangli went up the mountain to gather mushrooms.

Shen Jiangli happened to see an old man who had just collected a large basket of lingzhi mushrooms—rare medicinal herbs. Shen Jiangli had long been seeking rare ingredients for medicine and eagerly went to gather them herself. Since Jingxing was still waiting to cook, she asked Yao Yao to return first. What Shen Jiangli didn’t expect was that this was yet another trap set by Wang Danling.

As soon as she stepped into the flower field the old man had mentioned, she triggered a deadly mechanism. A slight misstep would result in a rain of arrows piercing her heart. Shen Jiangli felt that there was no way out this time. When Lu Jingming saw Yao Yao return alone, he became worried and rushed off. Since Lu Jingming knew some martial arts, he quickly stepped on the mechanism himself, allowing Shen Jiangli to escape first.

The two of them finally escaped danger. On their way back, they stumbled upon a sea of flowers, surrounded by glowing fireflies dancing in the air. Looking at the serene Shen Jiangli by the campfire, Lu Jingming once again felt his heart stir. This was his wife, yet he had once believed slanderous words and caused her five years of suffering. Lu Jingming was filled with guilt and wanted to make it up to her.

The child, Yanyan, suddenly had a relapse of an old illness. Just moments ago, he had been happily playing, but he suddenly collapsed to the ground, convulsing uncontrollably. Shen Jiangli, distressed, immediately carried him to bed. Lu Jingming learned that the child was suffering from a parasitic disease, and only thunder pills could cure it. No wonder Shen Jiangli had demanded thunder pills in exchange when she first returned to the Lu family—it had been to treat the child.

Shen Jiangli couldn’t hold back her tears, seeing the child in so much pain. She wanted to go beg the Master of the Lu family for the medicine. Lu Jingming stopped her and urged her to stay calm. The repeating crossbows were still in the trial phase, and the main branch of the family was constantly watching their every move. If they found out about the child’s illness, they would definitely scheme even more viciously. After confirming that the child was indeed his own, Lu Jingming promised Shen Jiangli that he would find a way to cure their son.

The child's condition was becoming increasingly critical, but thunder pills were considered a treasured heirloom of the Lu family. In order to obtain them, Shen Jiangli was willing to take great risks. Upon hearing that the Master of the Lu family had suffered a relapse of his chronic illness, Shen Jiangli decided to personally diagnose him. Lu Jingming understood how serious the matter was—the old illness of the Lu patriarch had been difficult even to manage, let alone cure.

Shen Jiangli reassured him, saying she had been studying the condition during this time and was about sixty percent confident in her ability to treat it. Members from both the main and second branches of the family were eager to display their loyalty before the patriarch, all hoping to personally serve by his bedside. At that moment, Shen Jiangli arrived and requested a chance to diagnose him.

Concubine Shu, fearing her daughter-in-law might make a mistake and bring trouble upon them, refused Shen Jiangli’s request outright. The main branch, however, was eager to see the second branch in trouble and deliberately spoke up in support of Shen Jiangli. Fortunately, the old patriarch was still somewhat lucid and allowed her to take his pulse. Shen Jiangli administered a calming incense of her own making, which alleviated the patient’s head pain.

She then performed acupuncture, which helped relax his body. The Lu patriarch was delighted and wanted to reward her. When Shen Jiangli requested thunder pills, he did not grant it, only bestowing her with some cloth and gold and silver trinkets. Since Shen Jiangli's medical skills couldn't secure the thunder pills, Lu Jingming's repeating crossbow became their best hope. In order to improve its accuracy as soon as possible, Lu Jingming stayed up several nights in a row without rest.

Finally, through everyone's tireless efforts, the precision of the repeating crossbow improved. Shen Jiangli and Lu Jingming were overjoyed and eagerly awaited the envoy's arrival in Dongzhou the next day to showcase their invention. The main branch remained vigilant. Upon hearing that the second branch had enhanced the accuracy of the crossbow, they secretly sent someone to sabotage the materials Lu Jingming had prepared. On the day of the demonstration, the damage to the crossbow caught Lu Jingming off guard.

Luckily, he had prepared an alternative weapon—a repeating crossbow capable of firing five arrows at once, with level-ten accuracy, operable by just three young boys. Lu Jingming presented the weapon to his father, and the envoys' expressions changed dramatically. With such a powerful weapon, Dongzhou’s military strength would no longer be underestimated. Lu Jingming successfully redeemed Dongzhou's reputation, greatly pleasing the Lu patriarch, who personally awarded him the thunder pills and named him the Commander of the Golden Scale Guard.

Lu Jingming rushed back excitedly to deliver the thunder pills to Shen Jiangli. After the child took the medicine, his condition improved, and he was once again lively and energetic before everyone. At that moment, the agreement between Shen Jiangli and Lu Jingming had been fulfilled. According to their original deal, Shen Jiangli was to take the child and leave for Dingfeng Pavilion. She had already written a letter to her brother and planned to depart the next day.

Lu Jingming had bought a delicate hairpin to gift his wife, hiding it in his sleeve. When he returned and saw Shen Jiangli packing, learning that they were leaving the Lu residence, he felt deeply sorrowful. But the agreement had already been made. How could he find a way to keep his wife and child by his side? Lu Jingming knew that he could no longer live without them.

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