When Shao Qimin saw Xuan Lie and Jun Qiluo together, he deliberately mentioned that he would soon be marrying Jun Qiluo. Xuan Lie was heartbroken, and Jun Qiluo turned away, though she didn’t blame Shao Qimin. After all, the truth couldn’t be hidden forever, and Xuan Lie would have to find out eventually. Jun Qiluo’s father returned home, and she felt both joy and guilt. She blamed herself for causing her father’s troubles and the loss of the Jun family’s business, but her father didn’t hold it against her. Her second sister personally sewed a wedding dress for Jun Qiluo, and the sisters were happy that she was marrying Shao Qimin, as they had grown up together and Shao Qimin had always treated her well.
Soon, the day of Jun Qiluo and Shao Qimin’s wedding arrived. As Jun Qiluo looked at the wedding dress, she recalled the promises Xuan Lie had once made to her. To her surprise, Xuan Lie appeared behind her. He embraced her, insisting that she didn’t truly want to marry Shao Qimin. Jun Qiluo broke free from his hold, picked up the wedding dress, and went to change.
By then, Shao Qimin’s wedding sedan had been waiting outside the residence for a long time. Jun Qiluo’s younger sisters came to hurry her along. When they entered the room, they found their sister already dressed in her wedding gown, sitting on the bed. They helped her out, and everything went smoothly until the ceremony was complete. Just as Shao Qimin was about to lift the veil, the bride impatiently lifted it herself. To his shock, Shao Qimin discovered that the bride was not Jun Qiluo but Qingkou. In Qingkou’s mind, Shao Qimin was always meant to be her consort, and now, according to their understanding, the marriage was finally complete. However, Shao Qimin was furious, feeling that all his efforts had been in vain.
Unbeknownst to everyone, Jun Qiluo had been knocked out by Xuan Lie and taken elsewhere. When Jun Qiluo woke up, she was furious. Xuan Lie comforted her, and after she calmed down, she explained the reason for her marriage to Shao Qimin: it was the King’s order. The King had never fully trusted the Jun family and had long suspected them of disloyalty. If Xuan Lie interfered with her marriage to Shao Qimin, it could lead to the downfall of the Jun family. Xuan Lie vowed to stand by Jun Qiluo and promised to find a solution. The next day, they returned home together, only to discover that the person who had married Shao Qimin was Qingkou. Xuan Lie was also unaware of this. Qingkou had arranged for He Jiyao to keep an eye on Jun Qiluo and Shao Qimin. When Jun Qiluo disappeared, Qingkou decided to take her place, believing that as long as Shao Qimin was hers, nothing else mattered.
With things having reached this point, they had no choice but to find a way forward. Jun Qiluo and Shao Qimin had to remain married, or it would be considered defying the King’s decree. For now, they could only pretend to be a couple. As the critical period of peace negotiations between the north and south approached, Xuan Lie asked Jun Qiluo for help in allowing Qingkou to stay at the Jun residence temporarily. He promised to find a way to take them away as soon as possible. Jun Qiluo agreed.
Meanwhile, the youngest sister remembered that she had to pick up Luo Qi from jail and rushed to the prison. By the time she arrived, Luo Qi had been waiting for a long time and had even been mistaken for a beggar. The youngest sister comforted him, saying that he wouldn’t have to worry anymore and that by following her, he would have both money and a wife.
Luo Qi became a long-term laborer for the Jun family, and Xuan Lie asked him to find a way to let him stay at the residence as well. Luo Qi, understanding Xuan Lie’s intentions, brought him before the third sister, claiming that Xuan Lie was his fellow villager and hoping the Jun family would take him in too. Luo Qi and Xuan Lie put on a performance in front of the third sister and even prepared a contract stating that if they were dismissed without cause, the Jun family would have to pay a hefty sum. Luo Qi did this to ensure they could stay in the Jun residence. The kind-hearted third sister, moved by their sincerity, agreed and pressed her fingerprint on the contract. In this way, Xuan Lie and his companions seamlessly moved into the Jun residence.
