Chapter Summaries

On Lunar New Year's Eve, Zhu Ying hosted a lively reunion feast for his guards while Zhu Yuanzhang endured a somber imperial family banquet. Memories of Zhu Xiongying deepened Zhu Yuanzhang's loneliness, and he entered Cining Palace alone.

• Mu Ya and Xu Miaojin noticed that Zhu Ying and Zhu Wenxi resembled Zhu Xiongying, then wondered whether it was more than coincidence.
• Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao welcomed the ministers to a state banquet, but Zhu Yuanzhang said the officials only wanted to return home to their families.
• Zhu Ying held a lively Lunar New Year's Eve feast at Zhu Manor, welcomed Kong Yi and his family, and gave each of his personal guards at least twenty taels of silver.
• Kong Yi used the gathering to teach his son, Kong Gongjian, that military life was purer than the deceptions of officialdom.
• At the imperial family banquet, Zhu Yuanzhang found everyone subdued and left after asking Zhu Biao to oversee the gathering.
• Zhu Yuanzhang recalled Lunar New Year's Eves with Zhu Xiongying, then entered Cining Palace alone.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao remembered the family members they had lost, while Lan Yu became convinced that Zhu Ying was Zhu Xiongying and gathered Huai West generals to welcome him. Zhu Ying attended Lan Yu’s banquet suspicious of his motives and began to suspect Lan Yu wanted to win him over to support Zhu Yunteng.

• Zhu Yuanzhang visited the memorial tablets of his wife and Zhu Xiongying, and Zhu Biao joined him to offer incense and comfort him.
• Lan Yu told Mu clan that he believed Zhu Ying was Zhu Xiongying, saying he and Chang Mao had found the coffin in the Filial Mausoleum empty.
• Lan Yu gathered the Huai West generals at his residence and told them to treat Zhu Ying warmly, while Chang Mao promised they would understand the reason later.
• Lan Yu personally welcomed Zhu Ying, who arrived with wine, and brought him into the residence where the Huai West generals had assembled.
• Lan Yu, Chang Mao, and the generals apologized to Zhu Ying over wine, and Lan Yu said Zhu Yunteng had urged them to make amends because Zhu Ying resembled Wen Xi.
• Zhu Ying wondered whether Lan Yu was trying to win his support for Zhu Yunteng.

Lan Yu told Zhu Biao that he suspected Zhu Ying was Zhu Xiongying and confessed that he had dug up Xiongying’s grave to verify it. Zhu Biao’s hope turned to fury as Lan Yu revealed his crime.

• After Lan Yu gave Zhu Ying a jade pendant matching his grandmother’s, Zhu Ying wondered whether his parents had ties to Yingtian and decided to investigate his origins.
• Lan Yu and Chang Mao concluded that Zhu Ying was likely Xiongying and went to the Eastern Palace to tell Zhu Biao.
• Lan Yu asked Zhu Biao to dismiss the attendants, then said Zhu Yunteng had identified Zhu Ying as Zhu Xiongying.
• Zhu Biao rejected the claim at first, but became eager to hear how Lan Yu had verified it.
• Lan Yu confessed that he had gone to the Filial Mausoleum and dug open Xiongying’s grave, provoking Zhu Biao’s fury.

Lan Yu told Zhu Biao that Xiongying's coffin was empty and argued that Zhu Ying was the supposedly deceased prince, perhaps saved and sent away by Empress Ma. Zhu Biao began to believe him but demanded concrete proof, and Lan Yu promised to investigate while asking Zhu Biao to search the old records in Yingtian.

• Zhu Biao furiously confronted Lan Yu after learning that he had entered the Filial Mausoleum and opened Xiongying's grave, but agreed to hear his explanation.
• Lan Yu revealed that Xiongying's coffin held no remains, though the burial objects remained except for two jade pieces, leading him to suspect that Xiongying had survived and been removed from the tomb.
• Lan Yu argued that Empress Ma might have faked Xiongying's death and sent him away, citing Zhu Ying's age, appearance, unknown origins, and resemblance to Xiongying and Wen Xi.
• Chang Mao admitted that he and Chang Sen had helped Lan Yu enter the Filial Mausoleum, while Lan Yu showed Zhu Biao a design of the missing jade pieces and said Zhu Ying had recognized their imitation.
• Zhu Biao said Lan Yu's claims still lacked proof, and Lan Yu promised to investigate Zhu Ying's grandmother and household records in Beiping while asking Zhu Biao to secretly examine the old case files in Yingtian.

Zhu Biao believed Lan Yu’s claim that Zhu Ying might be Zhu Xiongying and vowed to investigate the prince’s disappearance and the old smallpox incident. Zhu Yuanzhang dreamed of young Zhu Xiongying before waking as the vision vanished.

• Zhu Biao agreed to investigate whether Zhu Ying was Zhu Xiongying and uncover the truth behind the smallpox incident, while Lan Yu urged him to protect Xiongying from hidden threats.
• Lu clan brought lunch to the Eastern Palace and grew wary after Lan Yu and Chang Mao left; Zhu Biao told her to take Zhu Yunwen to her family home while Zhu Yunteng would visit his great-uncle.
• Zhu Biao considered the two jade pendants as a way to confirm Zhu Ying’s identity and wondered whether Xiongying had lost his memories.
• Lan Yu and Chang Mao took Zhu Yunteng to Lan Yu’s residence for a New Year family gathering, while Yun Yu stayed behind at Lu clan’s order.
• Zhu Yuanzhang dreamed that young Zhu Xiongying complained about Xu Miaojin’s bite and joked about marrying her and Ya’er, but the boy vanished when Zhu Yuanzhang reached for him, waking him.

After dreaming of Zhu Xiongying, Zhu Yuanzhang connected Zhu Ying’s age, southern accent, resemblance to Xiongying, and bite mark, and ordered Jiang Yan to investigate Zhu Ying’s family and secretly inspect Xiongying’s tomb. Meanwhile, Lan Yu and Chang Mao told Zhu Yunteng that they had found new evidence and that Zhu Biao knew of their efforts to prove Zhu Ying’s identity.

• Zhu Yuanzhang woke from a dream of Zhu Xiongying and began to suspect that Zhu Ying was his grandson.
• Zhu Yuanzhang summoned Jiang Yan and questioned him about Zhu Ying’s southern accent and origins.
• Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Jiang Yan to investigate Zhu Ying’s parents and grandmother, then secretly check whether Zhu Xiongying’s remains were in the Filial Mausoleum.
• Jiang Yan realized Zhu Yuanzhang suspected Zhu Ying was Xiongying, and Zhu Yuanzhang told him to keep the investigation from Zhu Biao until the facts were clear.
• At the Duke of Liang’s Residence, Lan Yu and Chang Mao told Zhu Yunteng they had found more evidence and that Zhu Biao knew about their visit to the Filial Mausoleum.

Lan Yu and Chang Mao learned that Lu clan had spent years abusing Zhu Yunteng and urged him to reclaim his confidence as the Crown Prince's Legitimate Son. Lan Yu suggested Lu clan might also have caused Zhu Yunteng's mother's difficult childbirth and harmed Zhu Xiongying, leaving Zhu Yunteng furious and determined to oppose her.

• Lan Yu told Zhu Yunteng that the Crown Prince believed Zhu Xiongying was alive and would investigate his brother's past.
• Chang Mao warned Lan Yu not to accuse Lu clan before the Crown Prince until Zhu Xiongying returned.
• Zhu Yunteng confessed that Lu clan had kept him from studying, withheld his allowances, and mistreated him for years.
• Lan Yu and Chang Mao reassured Zhu Yunteng that his mother's death in childbirth was not his fault and reminded him of his status as the Crown Prince's Legitimate Son.
• Lan Yu speculated that Lu clan had caused the difficult childbirth and harmed Zhu Xiongying, and Zhu Yunteng vowed to make her pay.

Lan Yu encouraged Zhu Yunteng to use his status as the Eastern Palace’s Legitimate Son and promised him twenty guards to counter the Lü clan. Meanwhile, the Lü clan and Lu Ben worried over Zhu Yunteng, court rumors, and Lan Yu’s alliance with Zhu Ying, while Zhu Ying examined the jade pendants Lan Yu had given him.

• Lan Yu convinced Zhu Yunteng that his status meant the Lü clan could not bully him if he stood firm, and Zhu Yunteng resolved to protect his sisters and prepare for his elder brother’s return.
• Zhu Yunteng asked Lan Yu for guards, and Lan Yu promised him twenty battle-hardened men from his personal guard.
• The Lü clan told Lu Ben that Lan Yu and Chang Mao had met the Crown Prince, and Lu Ben warned that rumors suggested the Crown Prince might appoint a new Crown Princess Consort.
• Lu Ben told the Lü clan to watch Zhu Yunteng and voiced concern that Lan Yu had begun associating with Zhu Ying; the Lü clan suggested killing Zhu Yunteng, but Lu Ben rejected acting recklessly.
• Liu Lei reported that the secret chamber beneath Zhu Ying’s residence was progressing ahead of schedule, and Zhu Ying told him to coordinate with Uncle Lin while he studied the jade pendants.

Zhu Ying ordered the Black Guard to investigate the origins of his jade pendant while Jiang Yan secretly opened Zhu Xiongying’s tomb and found no remains. Zhu Yuanzhang learned the coffin was empty, but Jiang Yan reported that two jade pieces the Emperor remembered were missing.

• Zhu Ying compared his jade pendant with Lan Yu’s, suspected they came from the same source, and ordered Xiao Han to have the Black Guard investigate it discreetly.
• Jiang Yan led ten trusted Imperial Guards into the Filial Mausoleum and secretly opened Zhu Xiongying’s coffin.
• Jiang Yan found no remains in the coffin, though the burial robe and burial objects were still there, and ordered his men to keep the discovery secret before restoring the tomb.
• Jiang Yan hurried to Cining Palace and told Zhu Yuanzhang that the coffin contained no remains and showed him the burial garments and an inventory of its contents.
• Zhu Yuanzhang asked whether the coffin held two jade pieces engraved with “Yu” and “Huai,” but Jiang Yan said neither appeared in the inventory.

After learning that Zhu Xiongying’s remains were missing from his tomb, Zhu Yuanzhang became convinced that Zhu Ying was his long-lost grandson. He ordered Jiang Yan to uncover why Empress Ma had sent Xiongying away and prepared to summon Zhu Ying to the palace.

• Jiang Yan reported that only two jade items were missing from Zhu Xiongying’s tomb and argued that the prince was still alive, not taken by grave robbers.
• Jiang Yan deduced that Empress Ma had sent Xiongying out of Yingtian to protect him after discovering that he had survived Smallpox and remained in danger.
• Zhu Yuanzhang explained that Zhu Ying’s bite mark, eyes, and daughter Wen Xi’s resemblance to Xiongying had convinced him of their connection.
• Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Jiang Yan to investigate the Smallpox outbreak, the people who sent Xiongying away, and Empress Ma’s former attendants, while keeping the discovery secret.
• After Jiang Yan withdrew, Zhu Yuanzhang thanked Empress Ma at her memorial tablet, rejoiced that Xiongying was alive, and told Yun Qi to summon Zhu Ying to the palace the next morning.

The narrator took a day off because unbearable pain from recurring cervical spondylosis and period symptoms had flared up again. The chapter left the narrator resting from work.

• The narrator said the pain had become unbearable.
• The narrator explained that the condition flared up two or three times a month and had become an occupational hazard.
• The narrator used a leave slip to take the day off.

Zhu Yuanzhang summoned Zhu Ying to the palace, privately convinced that the Marquis of Victory was his long-lost eldest grandson, Zhu Xiongying. He urged Zhu Ying to remain in Yingtian and stop charging at the front in battle, while Zhu Ying agreed without revealing his own confidence that he could live for centuries.

• Zhu Yuanzhang arranged to summon Zhu Ying near noon so they could share a meal, and spent the night excited at the thought of seeing his grandson.
• Zhu Ying practiced archery at his residence, promised his personal guards a hunting trip, and allowed most of them to take turns visiting their families.
• A palace eunuch delivered Zhu Yuanzhang’s summons, and Zhu Ying traveled to Wenyuan Pavilion expecting that the matter might involve a war.
• Zhu Yuanzhang welcomed Zhu Ying warmly and said he would wait for the Crown Prince before discussing the supposed matter.
• Zhu Ying said he hoped to return to Daning to train the troops, but Zhu Yuanzhang urged him to stay in Yingtian and lectured him for repeatedly leading attacks from the front.
• Zhu Ying promised not to personally charge into battle again, and Zhu Yuanzhang told him he wanted him to live to a hundred.

Zhu Ying advised Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao on recognizing Yi Seong-gye’s new regime in Goryeo, and the court decided to grant it the name Joseon. Zhu Yuanzhang also arranged for Yi Seong-gye’s princess to become Zhu Ying’s concubine, then discussed the fractured Northern Yuan and the relative calm ahead on the frontier.

• Zhu Biao arrived and read a memorial reporting that Yi Seong-gye had seized power in Goryeo and sought Ming recognition, a state name, and a marriage alliance.
• Zhu Ying explained that Yi Seong-gye wanted legitimacy and argued that Ming should recognize his rule for now, since the dynasty lacked just cause to conquer Goryeo.
• Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao agreed to grant Yi Seong-gye a state name and make his country a Ming tributary state, while deciding that the princess would become Zhu Ying’s concubine.
• Zhu Yuanzhang chose the name Joseon, issued an imperial edict, and ordered Zhu Ying to lead elite troops to intimidate the new state and bring the princess back.
• Zhu Yuanzhang showed Zhu Ying intelligence about the Northern Yuan’s division into the Tatars, Oirats, and Uriankhai, and Zhu Ying predicted years of conflict among them and less danger to Ming’s northern frontier.

Zhu Ying returned from the Northern Expedition after securing a period of peace for the Northern Frontier, while Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao separately suspected he might be Zhu Xiongying. Xu Miaojin and Mu Ya stopped Zhu Ying’s carriage and confirmed a bite mark on his arm, leaving him puzzled about why it mattered.

• Zhu Ying said the Northern Yuan defeat would give the Northern Frontier several years of peace, and Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao warned him not to charge recklessly into battle.
• Zhu Yuanzhang asked about Lan Yu’s apology, then reminded Zhu Ying to attend court and settle the names and garrisons of his units.
• After Zhu Ying left, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao each privately considered telling the other that Zhu Ying might be Zhu Xiongying, but decided to wait for confirmation.
• Guo Zhen reported that Xu Miaojin and Mu Ya had entered the palace and gone toward Zhu Ying, and the two women soon blocked his carriage.
• Xu Miaojin and Mu Ya pulled back Zhu Ying’s sleeve, saw a healed bite mark on his arm, and reacted with excitement before apologizing.
• Zhu Ying departed and wondered whether the women had stopped him specifically to inspect the bite mark.

Zhu Ying wondered whether he had grown up in Yingtian and Xu Miaojin and Mu Ya recognized him, while the two women resolved to help him recover his memories and pursue him. Zhu Yunteng returned to the Eastern Palace with Lan Yu’s guards, newly confident and prepared to challenge the Lu clan’s influence.

• Zhu Ying suspected that Yingtian might be his ancestral home after Xu Miaojin and Mu Ya recognized the bite mark on his hand.
• Xu Miaojin and Mu Ya agreed to help Zhu Ying regain his memories, and both refused to give up on marrying him despite his wife and children.
• Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao realized that Xu Miaojin and Mu Ya had feelings for Zhu Ying and approved of their potential marriages to him.
• Lan Yu assigned twenty guards to Zhu Yunteng, who returned to the Eastern Palace standing tall and determined to assert himself.
• Li Li announced that he would serve as Zhu Yunteng’s chief guard, while the Golden Guard marveled at Zhu Yunteng’s transformation.

After returning to the Eastern Palace transformed by his time with Lan Yu, Zhu Yunteng asserted his status by punishing Lu Dong and the palace maids who had oppressed him. He sent their bodies to Lu clan’s palace and waited in his chambers for her response, while the palace servants feared that the Eastern Palace was about to change.

• Zhu Yunteng entered the Eastern Palace with Li Li and twenty guards, who surrendered their weapons but brought clubs instead.
• Lu Dong ordered Zhu Yunteng to pay his respects to Lu clan and threatened him when he refused.
• Zhu Yunteng asked Li Li to explain the palace rules, then ordered the guards to break the other maids’ limbs and beat Lu Dong to death.
• Zhu Yunteng told the eunuchs to carry Lu Dong’s corpse and the injured maids to Lu clan’s palace and say that he awaited her explanation in his chambers.
• The eunuchs discussed Zhu Yunteng’s changed temperament and warned one another not to provoke him.

After killing Lu Dong, Zhu Yunteng confronted Lu clan and used palace law and his status as a Legitimate Son to force her to back down. He pretended to let the matter end, then decided to secretly report Lu clan’s past abuses to Imperial Grandfather and had Li Li propose watching her closely.

• Lu clan learned that Zhu Yunteng’s guards had beaten Lu Dong to death and went to his palace to confront him.
• Zhu Yunteng rejected Lu clan’s claim to be his adoptive mother and reminded her that a concubine could not adopt a Legitimate Son.
• When Lu clan’s servants failed to bow, Zhu Yunteng ordered his guards to enforce palace law, and the servants knelt before him.
• Zhu Yunteng threatened to tell Zhu Biao and Imperial Grandfather about Lu clan’s past deeds, frightening her into asking that the dispute end.
• After Lu clan left, Zhu Yunteng revealed that he planned to report her to Imperial Grandfather and agreed to consider Li Li’s proposal to keep her under watch.

Zhu Yunteng launched his first counterattack against the Lu clan, securing her palace and going to the imperial palace to seek an audience with Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao. He left the chapter kneeling before them and begging for justice.

• Li Li advised Zhu Yunteng to act decisively, and Zhu Yunteng ordered him to seal the Lu clan's palace while he sought an audience with Zhu Yuanzhang.
• Zhu Yunteng told Yun Yu to stay with Li Li, then went to the imperial palace with ten guards and ordered the Golden Guard to restrict movement in the Eastern Palace.
• The Lu clan discussed Zhu Yunteng's threat with her nanny and planned to summon her father, but Li Li arrived and confined her to her palace.
• Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao summoned Zhu Yunteng into Wenyuan Pavilion and praised his newfound confidence.
• Zhu Yunteng knelt before Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao and begged them to uphold justice for him.

Zhu Yunteng accused the Lu clan of abusing and suppressing him for years, and Zhu Yuanzhang believed him while Zhu Biao recognized his own failure to notice. Zhu Yuanzhang sent Jiang Yan and a hundred Imperial Guards to investigate the Eastern Palace, leaving Zhu Biao’s trust in the Lu clan broken and the possibility of her involvement in past deaths under scrutiny.

• Zhu Yunteng told Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao that the Lu clan had beaten and berated him, kept him from the Imperial Academy, and made him appear unworthy.
• Zhu Biao recalled dismissing Zhu Yunteng’s earlier complaints, while Zhu Yuanzhang concluded that the Lu clan had suppressed him to promote Zhu Yunwen.
• Zhu Biao tried to confront the Lu clan, but Zhu Yuanzhang stopped him and explained that her control of the Eastern Palace had kept reports from reaching him.
• Zhu Yuanzhang summoned Jiang Yan and ordered him to send a hundred Imperial Guards into the Eastern Palace to investigate the Lu clan’s treatment of Zhu Yunteng.
• Zhu Yunteng revealed that he had stationed ten guards outside the Lu clan’s hall to prevent her from leaving, and Zhu Yuanzhang praised and pardoned him.

After Zhu Yuanzhang ordered an investigation, Jiang Yan led the Imperial Guard into the Eastern Palace to search its residences and question Zhu Biao’s consorts. Lu clan was confined, her attendants were taken away, and Zhu Yunwen was left panicked as the investigation spread through the palace.

• Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Jiang Yan to investigate the Eastern Palace and told Zhu Yunteng and Zhu Biao to wait with him.
• Jiang Yan presented Zhu Yuanzhang’s command plaque at the Eastern Palace gates, and Chen Qing ordered the Golden Guards to stand aside.
• The Imperial Guard entered the Eastern Palace and reached Lu clan’s residence, where Li Li and his guards had kept her confined.
• Jiang Yan told Lu clan that the Emperor and Crown Prince had authorized the operation, confined her to her bedchamber, and ordered her attendants taken away.
• Matron Lin tried to kill herself, but Jiang Yan ordered the Imperial Guard to save her and take her into custody.
• Jiang Yan sealed Lu clan’s doors and sent the Imperial Guard to question the other consorts, while Zhu Yunwen panicked outside her chambers.