Peony went outside the city to gather peonies and returned only after nightfall, when she unintentionally witnessed Jiang Changyang, the Flower-Bird Envoy, killing Xu Zuping, the dean of the Imperial College. Traumatized and soaked by the rain, she caught a cold and remained bedridden for three days, frequently haunted by nightmares. In her dreams, Jiang Changyang appeared as a relentless killer, mercilessly slaying Xu Zuping.
Peony decided to visit her cousin Wen Qing, who worked at the Imperial College. She mentioned having met Dean Xu once and expressed her wish to pay her respects. Li Xing accompanied Peony inside, where she was surprised by the number of people showing their respect to the late dean. Jiang Changyang, the culprit, attended the mourning ceremony on behalf of the emperor, weeping bitterly. However, Peony couldn’t erase the memory of Jiang’s merciless demeanor that rainy night, and her suspicions were evident.
Peony discovered that Jiang Changyang was once a student of Dean Xu. However, after becoming close to the emperor and being manipulated by him, Jiang became estranged from the dean. Peony recalled that Jiang had helped her secure a divorce in Luoyang, and revealing the truth about the dean’s death might provoke Jiang’s wrath. She decided to stay silent. Yet, her fear of Jiang persisted. She resolved to save enough money to move out of Jiang’s estate and avoided him whenever possible, even timing her visits to care for the Qiongtai Yulu plants during his absence. Even Chuanyu, her assistant, noticed her efforts to avoid Jiang.
Jiang Changyang sought out Peony and presented a piece of fabric he found on that rainy night. Peony firmly denied any connection.
On the day of Dean Xu’s mourning, Jiang noticed He Weifang, prompting him to ask Chuanyu to investigate. He learned that Li Xing, the registrar of the Imperial College, was He Weifang’s cousin from her maternal aunt’s family. He Weifang quickly explained that she was just a commoner trying to make a living. Jiang appeared to believe her but left with words that carried an undertone of threat.
Not long after, Peony’s shop, Hua Man Zhu, opened for business and immediately became bustling with customers. Sheng Yi suggested using the earnings to redeem Peony’s mother’s belongings from Yunniang, handing them back to Peony.
Meanwhile, Liu Chang volunteered to manage the waterworks but was denied by Prince Ning. Later, Liu discovered that Prince Ning hadn’t even read his proposal, ordering it to be burned like trash. This deepened Liu’s dissatisfaction and further strained his relationship with Lady Ji’an.
Lady Ji’an arranged for Liu to take a leave of absence without consulting him, planning a trip to Mount Li. Liu, unable to refuse, feigned a need to work late and used it as an excuse to skip dinner with her. Instead, he drowned his sorrows at a tavern across from Peony’s shop. Watching her welcome customers, he was flooded with memories of her as his wife.
As Liu left the tavern, he encountered a male customer harassing Peony. He deliberately bumped into the man, helping Peony escape, but this angered the assailant. Discovering Liu was only a sixth-rank official, the man became arrogant, and his men beat Liu severely.
The fight ended when the attackers found Liu’s Ning Palace token and realized he was under Prince Ning’s protection. Terrified, they knelt and apologized. Liu refused to exploit his position, angrily ordering them to leave.
Peony offered Liu medicine and reminded him to leave to avoid disrupting her business. Liu lamented that Peony was the only one who treated him as his true self, Liu Zishu, regardless of his official status.
Peony shared her experiences in Luoyang with Sheng Yi and Zhu Fu. Sheng Yi sympathized with her struggles, while Zhu Fu admired her bravery in securing a divorce, calling her a true heroine.
