Chapter Summaries

After Zhu Ying’s guards captured an assassin leader, Zhu Ying learned that the Northern Yuan and a Black Market bounty had targeted him, then implicated the Shen Family and asked the court to investigate. Zhu Yuanzhang heard the accusation and, already enraged by the Shen Family’s past actions against Zhu Ying, prepared to act.

• Liu Lei tortured the captured assassin leader until he revealed that he belonged to the Northern Yuan Scout Cavalry Command and that a Black Market in Songjiang Prefecture offered one hundred thousand gold for Zhu Ying’s head.
• Zhu Ying ordered Liu Lei to keep the assassin alive and send him to the Imperial Guard, while asking Zhu Yuanzhang to investigate the Shen Family as the suspected mastermind.
• Zhu Ying told Lan Yu and the others that the Shen Family had framed him in the past, and they accompanied him to the palace to demand action.
• Zhu Ying explained to Lin Fu that he was using the assassination attempt to give the court a reason to investigate and possibly destroy the Shen Family.
• Lan Yu, Xu Huizu, Chang Mao, and Fu Youde reported the assassination and Zhu Ying’s suspicions to Zhu Yuanzhang, who recalled the Shen Family’s past harm to his grandson and grew intent on protecting him.

After Zhu Ying was targeted by assassins, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the Imperial Guard and palace Imperial Guards to seize the Shen Family. Jiang Yan arrested the family and their servants, while Shen Wansan realized the raid was connected to the Marquis of Victory.

• Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Jiang Yan to arrest the Shen Family and Guo Zhen to ensure no one escaped, saying the family would face severe punishment if responsible for the attack on Zhu Ying.
• Zhu Biao warned Zhu Yuanzhang to consider the effects on the Shen Family's workers, while Zhu Yuanzhang declared that Zhu Ying was his grandson and vowed to punish the family if guilty.
• Guo Zhen led a thousand Imperial Guards to surround the Shen Family estate as Jiang Yan arrived with Imperial Guard men.
• Shen Wansan feared the family's bounty on Zhu Ying had been exposed as his children gathered in the inner hall.
• Jiang Yan ordered the arrest of Shen Wansan, his descendants, and the estate's servants, then directed that the Shen Family's direct descendants be held separately.
• Jiang Yan arranged for the Marquis of Victory to be told that the Shen Family had been taken into custody, leaving Shen Wansan despairing.

After the Shen Family was arrested, Shen Rong confessed to its crimes against Zhu Ying, and Zhu Biao and Zhu Yuanzhang approved severe punishment. Zhu Ying learned that his marriage to Xu Miaojin and Mu Ya had been granted, while Zhu Yuanzhang heard that the investigation into Zhu Ying’s past was progressing.

• Jiang Yan and Guo Zhen arranged for the entire Shen Family, including Shen Wansan, to be arrested and held for questioning.
• An Imperial Guard officer told Zhu Ying that the Shen Family had been apprehended; Xu Miaojin and Mu Ya then assured him that Zhu Yuanzhang had granted their marriage.
• Shen Rong confessed that the Shen Family had arranged attacks on Zhu Ying and his household, tried to send him to Daning as a penal soldier, and attempted to threaten him into making peace.
• Zhu Biao called for the Shen Family’s three generations to be exterminated, and Zhu Yuanzhang approved; Zhu Biao proposed delaying the executions until after the imperial examinations and Zhu Ying’s wedding while seizing the family’s property.
• Jiang Yan reported leads in the investigation into Zhu Ying’s past, including former palace attendants and a portrait of the grandmother who had raised him in Northern Peace; Zhu Yuanzhang promised Jiang Yan continued command of the Imperial Guard after Zhu Biao’s future accession.

After the Shen Family confessed to its role in the assassination attempt, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao planned to seize its wealth while Lü Ben prepared to resist the court. Zhu Ying gained new treasures, including Lifespan Pills and an alchemy inheritance, then appeared at court, where Zhu Biao asked how he had identified the Shen Family.

• Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao discussed taking the Shen Family's fortune and raising Zhu Ying's wedding standards at its expense.
• Lü Ben ordered his five hundred dead warriors to lie low and prepared a secret contingency in case the court arrested him.
• Zhu Ying opened four treasure chests and received smokeless gunpowder and penicillin methods, Lifespan Pills, and an alchemy inheritance.
• Zhu Ying assigned Lifespan Pills to his family, absorbed the alchemy inheritance, and instructed Liu Lei to prepare an alchemy room and obtain ingredients.
• Zhu Ying drilled his guards, then went to court with a hundred armed escorts and assured Zhu Yuanzhang he was unharmed.
• Zhu Biao asked Zhu Ying how he had guessed the Shen Family was behind the assassination, and Zhu Ying cited intuition and the unusually large reward.

Zhu Ying learned that Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao had confirmed the Shen Family’s crimes and would destroy the family after the imperial examinations, while preparing Zhu Ying’s wedding and explaining his promotion to Duke. At the Imperial Guard prison, Zhu Ying rejected Shen Wansan’s offer of hidden wealth, revealed that Steward Shen had disclosed the treasure vaults, and left Shen Wansan devastated as Jiang Yan sought Zhu Ying’s favor.

• Zhu Ying identified Northern Yuan and the Shen Family as the likely parties behind the assassination attempt, and Zhu Biao confirmed that the Shen Family had hired the assassins.
• Zhu Yuanzhang told Zhu Ying that the Shen Family would be punished after the imperial examinations, invited him to visit Shen Wansan, and explained that his promotion to Duke rewarded his achievement at Fenglangjuxu.
• Jiang Yan escorted Zhu Ying through the Imperial Guard prison to meet Shen Wansan, who offered his hidden fortune in exchange for preserving one branch of his family.
• Zhu Ying rejected Shen Wansan’s bargain and revealed that Steward Shen had disclosed the locations of the treasure vaults in exchange for protecting his grandsons.
• Zhu Ying told Shen Wansan that the Shen Family would be exterminated and its wealth confiscated, then asked Jiang Yan to keep Shen Wansan alive until the family’s punishment.
• Jiang Yan flattered Zhu Ying and promised his support, then celebrated that the Imperial Eldest Grandson had a good impression of him.

Jiang Yan and Zhu Ying secured the Black Guard’s future while Zhu Ying revealed his ambition to build a state beyond Ming. As Joseon’s Princess Li Qingchen arrived at court to meet Zhu Ying, the chapter ended with her paying respects to Zhu Yuanzhang.

• Jiang Yan reassured an Imperial Guard agent that Zhu Ying’s rise would protect their position and secure the Guard’s future.
• Officials proclaimed that the Shen Family would be exterminated after the imperial examinations and its assets confiscated.
• Ma He delivered Zhu Di’s gifts and letter to Zhu Ying, and Zhu Ying accepted his apology and ended their dispute.
• Zhu Ying ordered the Black Guard to keep recruiting and to cultivate craftsmen, then told Liu Lei he intended to establish a nation beyond Ming.
• Zheng Yi returned from Joseon with tribute and Princess Li Qingchen, while the Shen Family’s businesses were taken over by the Crown Prince and Ministry of Revenue.
• Li Qingchen entered Fengtian Hall and paid her respects to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Li Qingchen entered Zhu Ying’s household as a Joseon concubine, and Zhu Yuanzhang set the wedding for two days later, with himself and Zhu Biao presiding. As the wedding began, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao arrived and promised to reward Lin Fu with a noble title for caring for Zhu Ying.

• Zhu Ying accepted the imperial order to take Li Qingchen into his household, and Li Qingchen’s fear of him turned to anticipation when she saw him.
• Zhu Yuanzhang chose the day after tomorrow for Zhu Ying’s wedding and declared that he and Zhu Biao would preside while the court officials attended.
• Zhu Yuanzhang praised Joseon’s tribute, and he and Zhu Biao discussed Zhu Ying’s children and awaited the return of Imperial Guard investigators looking into the past.
• Li Qingchen arrived at the Marquis of Victory’s Residence and offered tea to Liu Yu’er, who welcomed her into the household.
• On the wedding day, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao arrived at the residence and thanked Lin Fu for raising Zhu Ying, promising to grant him a noble title.

Zhu Ying married Xu Miaojin and Mu Ya while Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao attended, then received a promotion to Duke of Wu and lavish rewards. Days later, the Imperial Guard returned with portraits from Beiping, and Zhu Biao recognized his mother's trusted nanny.

• Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao attended Zhu Ying's wedding, where he married Xu Miaojin and Mu Ya.
• Zhu Yuanzhang promoted Zhu Ying to Duke of Wu and decreed that both brides would be honored as equal wives.
• Zhu Ying accepted the imperial rewards and resolved that he would save Zhu Biao if his grave illness came to pass.
• Several days later, Jiang Yan reported that the Imperial Guard had returned from Beiping with portraits.
• Zhu Biao recognized the elderly woman in a portrait as Nanny Ma, his mother's trusted personal nanny.
• Zhu Yuanzhang asked whether Nanny Ma had been the one who cared for Zhu Ying.

Zhu Yuanzhang gathered former servants of Empress Ma to learn how his grandson Zhu Xiongying survived and became Zhu Ying. Imperial Physician Chen confirmed Zhu Ying’s identity and explained why he had concealed it, leaving Zhu Yuanzhang demanding to know why Chen had finally chosen to speak.

• An Imperial Guard reported that Nanny Ma had settled in Beiping with young Zhu Ying, and that Imperial Physician Chen and former palace servants had maintained ties with her.
• The Imperial Guard brought Chen Yi and four former palace servants to Wenyuan Pavilion, where Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao questioned them in private.
• Chen Yi confirmed that Marquis Zhu Ying was the long-lost Imperial Eldest Grandson, Zhu Xiongying, and said he had been alive all along.
• Zhu Yuanzhang accused Chen Yi of deceiving the emperor, but Chen argued that Empress Ma had ordered him to keep Xiongying’s identity secret because Yingtian was dangerous and the smallpox outbreak might have been deliberate.
• Chen Yi admitted that he had watched over Xiongying in Daning, while Zhu Biao thanked him for his years of care.
• Zhu Yuanzhang asked why Chen Yi was revealing the truth now after keeping it secret for so long.

Chen Yi revealed how Zhu Xiongying survived, left the imperial mausoleum, and grew up in Beiping under Empress Ma’s orders. Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao learned the truth of the miracle and the years of secrecy, while Chen Yi recounted Zhu Xiongying’s rise to fame; Er Hu remained missing.

• Chen Yi explained that Empress Ma had ordered him to keep Zhu Xiongying’s survival secret unless Zhu Yuanzhang discovered him and sought the truth.
• Chen Yi and five witnesses testified that golden light had appeared around Zhu Xiongying and restored his faint pulse after he seemed dead.
• Chen Yi recounted how Empress Ma arranged for Er Hu to open a tunnel from the Filial Mausoleum and sent Chen Yi and Nanny Ma to take Zhu Xiongying to Beiping.
• Chen Yi said the Imperial Guards who escorted them killed themselves to protect the secret, and Zhu Yuanzhang approved of Er Hu’s actions while hoping to see him again.
• Chen Yi revealed that Zhu Xiongying woke after about twenty days with no memories of Yingtian, then grew up safely with Nanny Ma in Beiping.
• Chen Yi told Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao that Zhu Xiongying had become the Ming Dynasty’s Marquis of Victory, captured the Northern Yuan emperor and officials, and destroyed Northern Yuan.

Chen Yi revealed the truth about Zhu Ying’s survival, prompting Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao to prepare to restore his identity and grant him a royal title. At the Duke of Wu’s residence, Zhu Ying continued training Zhu Wenxi, who struggled with archery.

• Chen Yi explained how Empress Ma and the palace servants had protected Zhu Ying, and Zhu Biao bowed to thank them for their care and secrecy.
• Zhu Biao promised protection for the five palace servants’ families and said Zhu Ying would honor Nanny Ma as an elder and descendant.
• Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao planned to announce Zhu Ying’s identity at court after his rest, while Zhu Yuanzhang vowed to destroy the Lü Family despite the lack of proof tying them to the smallpox incident.
• Chen Yi agreed to testify and revealed that Empress Ma had left an identity-restoration edict and jade pendants as proof; Zhu Yuanzhang ordered a prince’s robe, royal seal, and preparations from the Imperial Clan Court.
• Zhu Yuanzhang insisted Zhu Ying should receive a king’s title, and he and Zhu Biao wept as they remembered Empress Ma’s final days.
• Liu Lei and Xiao Han celebrated the new Duke of Wu plaque at Zhu Ying’s residence, while Zhu Ying let Zhu Wenxi postpone martial training after he failed to hit the target.

After discovering that his jade pendant resembled an imperial identity token, Zhu Ying suspected he might descend from Zhu Wenzheng and decided to ask Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao after his wedding leave. He returned to court as its leading military official, unaware that Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao planned to reveal his true identity that day.

• Liu Lei showed Zhu Ying drawings of similar jade pendants and explained that Zhu Ying's pendant was an imperial family identity token.
• Zhu Ying and his wives discussed the possibility that he was descended from the imperial family, while Xu Miaojin and Mu Ya said Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao had to tell him the truth themselves.
• After ten days of wedding leave, Zhu Ying returned to court and spoke with Lan Yu and Chang Mao, who predicted that Lu Ben would soon face trouble.
• Lu Ben entered court grimly, believing Zhu Yuanzhang intended to kill him and resolving not to wait passively for his fate.
• Lan Yu and Chang Mao placed Zhu Ying at the head of the military officials, while Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao eagerly anticipated revealing that Zhu Ying was still alive and restoring him to his identity.

Zhu Yuanzhang announced to the court that his eldest grandson was still alive, shocking the officials and making Zhu Ying suspect that he might be Zhu Xiongying. He summoned Chen Yi and former palace servants to reveal what had happened, leaving the court waiting for their account.

• Lu Ben reported that eighty-five candidates had qualified for the palace examination, and Zhu Yuanzhang ordered it held the next day.
• Chen Jing reported that the Northern Frontier regions had redrawn their administrative seats, and the court continued through its reports.
• Zhu Yuanzhang recalled losing the Empress and his grandson in the fifteenth year of the Hongwu Era, then declared that his grandson was still alive.
• Lan Yu and Chang Mao celebrated the news while Lu Ben feared Zhu Yuanzhang would move against him, and Zhu Ying began connecting the clues to his own identity.
• Zhu Biao called for witnesses, and Chen Yi and former palace servants entered the hall as Zhu Ying recognized Chen Yi.

Chen Yi presented Empress Ma’s final decree, which revealed that Zhu Ying was Zhu Xiongying, the Imperial Eldest Grandson who had survived a faked death. The court learned how Empress Ma had arranged his escape and return, leaving Zhu Ying recognized as the long-lost heir.

• Chen Yi told Zhu Yuanzhang and the court that he had come to fulfill Empress Ma’s final wish and presented her decree.
• Zhu Yuanzhang appointed six senior ministers to open and verify the decree, and Han Yike began reading it aloud.
• The decree stated that Smallpox had been a man-made calamity and that Empress Ma had ordered Nanny Ma and Chen Yi to protect her grandson by faking his death and taking him away from Yingtian.
• Han Yike read that the grandson had been renamed Zhu Ying and that a bite mark and burial jade pendants could prove his identity.
• The officials realized that Zhu Ying was Zhu Xiongying, and the court and Huai West generals reacted with shock, joy, and regret.

Zhu Ying learned that he was Zhu Xiongying, the Ming Dynasty's Imperial Eldest Grandson, and accepted his return to the family after hearing Empress Ma's final decree. He accused the Lü Family of causing the smallpox outbreak that killed him, and Zhu Biao revealed that Lu Ben's plots had been uncovered.

• Han Yike read Empress Ma's decree, which revealed Zhu Ying's identity and expressed her hopes for his return and well-being.
• Zhu Ying wept as the decree stirred grief and longing, while Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao confirmed the decree's authenticity.
• Zhu Ying presented his Yu character jade pendant, and the court recognized him as the Imperial Eldest Grandson.
• Zhu Ying reasoned that the Lü Family had a motive to arrange the smallpox outbreak, and he demanded an explanation from Lu Ben.
• Zhu Yuanzhang declared that the Lü Family had wanted Zhu Ying dead, and Zhu Biao produced Lu Ben's dead soldiers and military accomplices as evidence of his treason.

Jiang Yan exposed Lu Ben’s failed rebellion, and Lu Ben confessed that the Lü Family had caused the deaths of Zhu Xiongying’s mother, grandmother, and others. After Zhu Ying punished Lu Ben, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao confirmed his identity as Zhu Xiongying, but Zhu Ying said he still lacked the memories needed to call them family.

• Jiang Yan reported that Lu Ben’s accomplices and the Lü Family had been arrested for plotting rebellion.
• Lu Ben admitted that his family had infected Zhu Xiongying and Ma Xiuying with smallpox and had caused Chang clan’s fatal labor complications.
• Zhu Ying seized Lu Ben and crushed both his hands, then ordered the guards to keep him alive for later punishment.
• Zhu Yuanzhang told Zhu Ying that he was truly his grandson, Zhu Xiongying, and Zhu Ying acknowledged the revelation but said he could not yet call Zhu Yuanzhang Grandfather or Zhu Biao Father.
• Zhu Ying promised to recover his lost memories and said that, for now, he was still Zhu Ying.

Zhu Ying was formally recognized as Zhu Xiongying and invested as Prince Yuhuai, while Zhu Yuanzhang ordered an investigation into the Lü Family and appointed Liu Jing Acting Minister of Rites. After the court dispersed, Zhu Ying asked Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao how they had discovered his identity.

• Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao welcomed Zhu Ying as their grandson and promised to wait for him to recover his memories.
• Yun Qi proclaimed Zhu Xiongying's investiture as Prince Yuhuai, and Zhu Ying accepted the decree.
• Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Shen Jin to investigate the Lü Family's crimes and appointed Liu Jing Acting Minister of Rites to oversee the palace examination.
• Zhu Yuanzhang assigned Liu Jing to monitor former associates of Lu Ben and said he would decide the border army's deployment with Zhu Ying.
• Lan Yu told the Huai West generals that he had kept Zhu Ying's identity secret to expose Lu Ben, then led them toward the Lü Family estate and prison.
• After the court officials left, Zhu Ying asked Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao when they had learned he was Zhu Xiongying, and Zhu Biao explained that Zhu Yunteng had recognized him first.

Zhu Ying learned how his family had confirmed his identity and discovered why Xu Miaojin and Mu Ya had married him. Zhu Biao decided to strip the Lu clan’s three sons of their imperial status, while Zhu Ying agreed to return to the Eastern Palace and later acknowledge his ancestry.

• Zhu Biao explained that Lan Yu and Chang Mao had dug up Zhu Ying’s grave and verified his identity through his jade pendant, while Zhu Yuanzhang had recognized his bite mark.
• Zhu Yuanzhang revealed that Xu Miaojin had bitten Zhu Ying as a child and that she and Mu Ya had loved him since they were young and had recognized him when they met again.
• Zhu Yuanzhang explained that Golden Light had saved Zhu Ying from smallpox, and Zhu Biao and Zhu Yuanzhang discussed the Lu clan’s abuse of Zhu Yunteng and their family.
• Zhu Biao decided to strip the Lu clan’s three sons of their imperial status and send them away from the Eastern Palace, and he invited Zhu Ying to return there with him.
• Zhu Yuanzhang ordered preparations for Zhu Ying to acknowledge his ancestry and return to the clan, then rewarded Jiang Yan and the Imperial Guards who had verified Zhu Ying’s identity.

An imperial edict revealed to Liu Yu'er and the Zhu Ying Residence that Zhu Ying was the long-lost Imperial Eldest Grandson, Zhu Xiongying, and named him Prince Yuhuai. The household celebrated the revelation while Liu Yu'er accepted her new status as Princess Consort and waited for Zhu Ying to return.

• Lin Fu welcomed the imperial envoys, who arrived with gifts and an edict while Zhu Ying was away in the palace.
• The eunuch proclaimed that Zhu Xiongying had been found and granted him the title of Prince Yuhuai, with his residence and guards elevated to princely status.
• The eunuch told Liu Yu'er that Zhu Ying was the Imperial Eldest Grandson Zhu Xiongying, and Xu Miaojin and Mu Ya confirmed it.
• Lin Fu, Xiao Han, the guards, Liu Yu'er, Zhu Wenxi, and Li Qingchen reacted with shock and excitement as they understood Zhu Ying's identity and its consequences.
• Liu Yu'er thanked the Emperor and received the edict, while the eunuch told her she could address the Emperor as Imperial Grandfather and the Crown Prince as Father.

Liu Yu'er received the imperial rewards for Zhu Ying's restored status, while news spread that Zhu Ying was the Imperial Eldest Grandson. In the Heavenly Prison, Lan Yu led the Huai West generals in brutal revenge on the Lü Family and told Shen Wansan that Zhu Ying was his grandnephew and the Crown Prince's legitimate eldest son.

• Liu Yu'er accepted the decree reorganizing Zhu Ying's personal guards as Wang Guards and revealing the plaque for Prince Yuhuai's Mansion.
• Liu Yu'er learned that Xu Miaojin and Mu Ya had recognized Zhu Ying as Zhu Xiongying from childhood and accepted them as family.
• Citizens in Yingtian heard that Zhu Ying was the Imperial Eldest Grandson, and the news spread through the city.
• Lan Yu and the Huai West generals entered the Heavenly Prison and beat Lu Ben's sons in revenge for the Lü Family's crimes.
• Lan Yu told the prison guards to torment the Lü Family and then rejected Shen Wansan's plea for help.
• Lan Yu revealed to Shen Wansan that Zhu Ying was his grandnephew, Zhu Xiongying, and the Crown Prince's legitimate eldest son.