Episode List Season 1 EP13~EP24

Episode13　Assigned to the Outer Court
After being dismissed from the inner court, Maomao is unexpectedly reinstated to palace life thanks to Jinshi’s intervention. Though doted on by the Three Beauties at Rokushoukan until her departure, this time Maomao returns to court of her own free will. However, her new role is not within the familiar inner court; instead, she is assigned to Jinshi’s residence in the outer court. Adjusting to a new environment and uncertain treatment, Maomao soon learns that Jinshi has a new challenge for her: he encourages her to take the test to become an official lady-in-waiting.

Episode14　The New Noble Consort
With the recent arrival of the Loulan Consort, the upper-ranked consorts in the inner court begin a formal education program to prepare her for palace life. Meanwhile, Maomao, having failed the lady-in-waiting exam, has taken on the role of maid to Jinshi. Thanks to recommendations from Consort Gyokuyou and Consort Rifa, Maomao is unexpectedly asked to serve as an instructor for the consorts. She prepares teaching materials from Rokushoukan and even delves into intimate matters for the consorts’ nightly training. However, as Maomao rests after one of her sessions, a strange noise outside her room catches her attention, sparking her unrelenting curiosity...

Episode15　Sliced Fish
Maomao becomes intrigued by a pipe she picked up during a small fire in the warehouse. Around the same time, Gaoshun approaches her for advice about a strange case: a bureaucrat fell into a coma after allegedly eating fugu (pufferfish), yet no fugu was found in the dish. To uncover the truth, Maomao visits the bureaucrat's home, accompanied by the gruff young military officer Basen. In the kitchen, she notices an unusual, out-of-season seaweed, reportedly one of the official’s favorite delicacies. Suspecting it might hold clues, Maomao discreetly takes some with her.

Episode16　Lead
"Perhaps you should all hold a tea gathering, like the old days," read the enigmatic will left by a master court metalsmith who died without passing down his secret techniques to his sons. At Jinshi’s request, Maomao begins investigating by visiting the family. She notes curious details: a locked cabinet, a glass goldfish bowl, three keepsakes left to each of the three brothers, and the peculiar layout of the workshop. Sensing a hidden message behind these clues, Maomao follows the late artisan's will and gathers the brothers to host a “tea gathering” together.

Episode17　Strolling the Streets
Jinshi, whose beauty alone could bring ruin to a kingdom, asks Maomao to disguise him as a commoner. She obliges, applying makeup to give him a sun-darkened look, binding his body to create a rougher silhouette, and dressing him in plain clothes. Once her task is complete, Maomao considers using her time off to visit her hometown. However, Suiren and Gaoshun persuade her to join the fun, and she ends up in a disguise of her own, accompanying Jinshi for a rare stroll through the bustling streets.

Episode18　The Strategist
After parting with Jinshi in town, Maomao returns home and is asked by Ramon to deliver medicine to an annex at Rokushoukan. There, she tends to an ailing courtesan, administering the medicine while reminiscing about Rokushoukan’s past and the women who lived there. Meanwhile, back at the inner court, Jinshi finds himself in conversation with Rakkan, a strategist with a persistent interest in both Jinshi and Maomao. Through their exchanges, Rakkan begins to perceive the nature of Jinshi’s feelings toward Maomao.

Episode19　Coincidence or Fate
Jinshi is deeply troubled after discovering that strategist Rakkan is Maomao’s father. Meanwhile, Maomao learns from Li Bai that ritual tools were stolen during the recent warehouse fire. Coupled with the recent death of Haoran from alcohol, the unexplained death of the ritual tool manager, and the coma of the bureaucrat poisoned by seaweed, Maomao senses a strange web of connections that can’t simply be coincidence. She consults Jinshi, and together they set out to re-investigate these intertwined events.

Episode20　Mandala Flower
After interrupting a ritual and sustaining serious injuries to save Jinshi, Maomao begins to piece together the connections between the recent incidents: the theft of ritual tools, the suspicious deaths of those managing the tools, and the sequence of disruptions surrounding the ceremony. As she investigates further, she realizes the extent of Jinshi’s involvement in the ritual—and uncovers the surprising participation of unlikely individuals, which leaves her with an eerie sense of dread. Amidst this, Maomao is shocked by the discovery of an impossible medicine, sparking even deeper suspicions.

Episode21　The Buyout Plan
With Consort Gyokuyou possibly pregnant again, Maomao is assigned as a food taster at the Jade Palace. After a visit to the medical office and an encounter with a rather dubious doctor, Maomao is summoned by Li Bai, who asks her advice about buying out Bai Ling, the courtesan from Rokushoukan she introduced him to. Rumors had been circulating that one of the Three Beauties might soon be bought out, and Li Bai, infatuated with Bai Ling, is anxious at the thought of losing her. In response, Maomao tells him, rather unexpectedly, to strip down.

Episode22　The Blue Rose
With Consort Gyokuyou’s pregnancy confirmed, Maomao enjoys a period of calm at the Jade Palace. One day, Jinshi approaches her with an unusual request: a blue rose is needed for the upcoming garden party. Realizing that this challenge was likely devised by Rakkan, Maomao, unwilling to back down, sets out to make the impossible bloom. As the party draws near, she struggles to coax the rose into flowering, but given the off-season, even buds refuse to appear, presenting a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.

Episode23　Balsam Flowers and Oxalis
Having successfully created the elusive blue rose, Maomao finally faces her true father, Rakkan. She challenges him to a game of xiangqi (Chinese chess) with a bold condition: if she wins, Rakkan must buy out one of the courtesans from Rokushoukan. As Jinshi and Gaoshun watch the tense match, Rakkan steadily gains the upper hand with a series of victories. However, Maomao has a trick up her sleeve—a “poisoned” drink she’s prepared as part of her strategy. The outcome hinges on whether her unusual tactics will outwit her strategist father.

Episode24　Jinshi and Maomao
After losing to Maomao, Rakkan must fulfill his promise to buy out a courtesan from Rokushoukan. As he reaches for Meimei’s hand among the gathered courtesans, a door opens, filling the room with the sound of singing. Meanwhile, Maomao is summoned to Jinshi’s residence, where he confides in her about Rakkan’s inner struggles, his fixation on her, and the complicated emotions tied to his father. Days later, under the moonlit night, Maomao can be seen gracefully dancing atop the city wall, her figure a hauntingly beautiful silhouette against the sky.