Episode 18

A new clerk, Zhang Wenyuan, arrives in Yuncheng, and Song Jiang kindly lends him money. On his way, he meets Yan Po and her daughter, Yan Xijiao, a talented singer who secretly admires him. Xijiao, determined to win Song Jiang, lures him to a tavern and publicly declares her love. To protect her reputation, Song Jiang reluctantly agrees to take her and her mother to the Wulong Courtyard as concubines. Though he cannot marry her, he preserves her honor by making them sworn siblings. Despite initial resistance, Xijiao complies, and they share an intimate night before Song Jiang departs for work.