Chapter Summaries

At the Xie Family dinner, Dong Xuebin was thanked for his help with Xie Ran’s wedding and the family planned his child’s hundred-day banquet. On his flight back to northern Shaanxi, he unexpectedly found himself seated across from Fang Wenping, and they immediately began arguing.

• Dong Xuebin’s relatives recognized how much he had done for the Xie Family, and Xie Ran toasted him in gratitude.
• The family discussed Xie Ran’s engagement and began planning Dong Xuebin’s child’s hundred-day banquet with Luan Xiaoping.
• Dong Xuebin left for the airport by taxi after Xie Ran saw him off.
• Dong Xuebin boarded his flight and discovered Fang Wenping seated across from him.
• Dong Xuebin confronted Fang Wenping for ignoring his calls, and the flight attendants and an air marshal intervened before the pair fastened their seat belts.

Dong Xuebin drove Fang Wenping from the airport, then deliberately took her to a deserted forest road to confront her over her cold, demanding behavior. He restrained her with his belt and began spanking her, leaving Fang Wenping struggling against him in the car.

• Dong Xuebin carried Fang Wenping's suitcase from the plane and drove her to her new home while she slept in the passenger seat.
• Dong Xuebin drove Fang Wenping into a remote wooded area and refused to take her back, prompting an argument between them.
• After Fang Wenping ignored him and tried to sleep, Dong Xuebin bound her wrists with his belt and grabbed her hair.
• Dong Xuebin said he would teach Fang Wenping a lesson, then struck her butt twice as she cried out.

Dong Xuebin restrained Fang Wenping in the Land Rover and discovered that she responded eagerly to his rough treatment. The encounter continued as Xiao Dongnan called again, and Fang Wenping ignored the phone.

• Dong Xuebin spanked and pinched Fang Wenping, who showed no resistance and appeared increasingly aroused.
• Dong Xuebin tied Fang Wenping's hands and raised leg with his belt and stocking, then kissed her as she responded eagerly.
• Dong Xuebin undressed and questioned Fang Wenping about whether she liked being hit; she repeatedly said yes and promised not to hold it against him later.
• Xiao Dongnan called Fang Wenping again, but she ignored the call while Dong Xuebin continued the encounter.

After the encounter in the Small Woods, Dong Xuebin drove Fang Wenping home and tended to her injuries. Fang Wenping remained unusually subdued, and the chapter ended with Dong Xuebin restraining her with his belt while applying ointment to her wounds.

• Dong Xuebin untied Fang Wenping, helped her recover, and drove her back to her residential complex.
• Dong Xuebin carried Fang Wenping's suitcase upstairs and stayed at her home while she showered.
• After Dong Xuebin showered, he found Fang Wenping applying ointment to her injuries and took over despite her protests.
• When Fang Wenping tried to sleep without treating her wounds, Dong Xuebin fastened his belt around her neck and pulled her out from under the covers.
• Dong Xuebin applied ointment to Fang Wenping's scrapes and bruises while she remained subdued, then felt increasingly aroused by her behavior.

Dong Xuebin dominated Fang Wenping in bed, making her crawl and obey his commands before tormenting her for another hour. The chapter ended with Fang Wenping exhausted and trembling as Dong Xuebin finally stopped.

• Dong Xuebin fastened a belt around Fang Wenping's neck and made her crawl over to him.
• Fang Wenping fetched Dong Xuebin's cigarettes and stayed on her stomach beside him while he smoked.
• Fang Wenping asked permission to use the bathroom and later to get back onto the bed, obeying Dong Xuebin's instructions.
• Dong Xuebin pulled Fang Wenping toward him by the belt and resumed tormenting her.
• After an hour, Dong Xuebin stopped when Fang Wenping was visibly drained and trembling.

After spending the night with Fang Wenping, Dong Xuebin helped her get ready for work and made breakfast before they parted separately. He watched from the window as Xiao Dongnan tried to give Fang Wenping roses and a ride, but she rejected him and drove away alone.

• Su Yan called Dong Xuebin about the morning meeting, and he told her to delay it while he made his way back.
• Dong Xuebin woke Fang Wenping, removed his belt from around her neck, and apologized as she got ready for work.
• Dong Xuebin made breakfast while Fang Wenping showered, and they ate together before she left first.
• Dong Xuebin tidied Fang Wenping's bedroom and saw Xiao Dongnan approach her with roses and offer her a ride.
• Fang Wenping rebuffed Xiao Dongnan, told him to mind his own business, and drove away in her Land Rover.

Dong Xuebin returned to Jiaolin County and felt confident about his work and the coming ancient-tomb discovery. While reading the newspapers, he found that villagers had already unearthed a corroded bronze-mirror-like artifact on Qingluan Mountain, earlier than the timeline he remembered.

• Dong Xuebin watched Xiao Dongnan leave Fang Wenping's residential complex, then took a bus back to Jiaolin County.
• Dong Xuebin met Meng Hanmei, postponed the morning meeting until the afternoon, and heard that renovations to the County Party Committee Compound were progressing smoothly.
• Dong Xuebin relaxed in his office, confident that his investment work would boost Jiaolin County's economy and that the ancient tomb would secure its County-level City nomination.
• Dong Xuebin read a newspaper report that villagers had found a corroded artifact resembling a bronze mirror on Qingluan Mountain and reported it to the Jiaolin County Bureau of Culture.
• Dong Xuebin realized the artifact had been discovered ahead of the timeline he remembered and concluded that his actions had changed history.

Dong Xuebin learned that villagers had unearthed a bronze mirror on Qingluan Mountain and convened Jiaolin County’s Standing Committee to investigate its significance. The mirror’s authenticity and age remained unconfirmed, and the committee members showed little concern as the discussion ended.

• Dong Xuebin summoned Su Yan and instructed him to report discoveries like the Qingluan Mountain antique immediately.
• Dong Xuebin ordered a one o’clock Standing Committee meeting and invited Wu Guoquan, Xiao Cheng, and Director Liu to attend as observers.
• Dong Xuebin opened the meeting by distributing newspaper reports about the villagers’ discovery and asking Wu Guoquan for details.
• Wu Guoquan and Director Liu explained that the bronze mirror’s authenticity and age had not been confirmed, though staff suspected it might date to the Han dynasty.
• Zhang Dongfang and Xu Zhuang remarked on the possible age of the mirror, while the committee members treated the find as a minor matter.

Dong Xuebin pushed Jiaolin County to protect the Bronze Mirror’s discovery site on Qingluan Mountain, convinced the genuine Han Dynasty relic confirmed the ancient tomb he had learned about from the Future Newspaper. The chapter ended with him confident that securing the tomb would guarantee his promotion to deputy department-level rank.

• Dong Xuebin rejected Zhang Dongfang’s slower proposal and ordered an immediate Cultural Relics Protection Team to seal off the relevant area of Qingluan Mountain, with himself in charge.
• Dong Xuebin warned county officials that they would be held accountable for any failures to protect the cultural relics.
• Dean Liu brought out the Bronze Mirror, and Dong Xuebin inspected it closely and confirmed it was genuine and extremely old.
• Dong Xuebin ordered the Bureau of Culture, County Cultural Center, and Public Security Bureau to send personnel to Qingluan Mountain that day.
• Dong Xuebin smiled, certain that the Bronze Mirror confirmed the Han Dynasty Ancient Tomb and that his deputy department-level promotion was assured.

Dong Xuebin tried to speed up the investigation of a possible Han Dynasty tomb on Qingluan Mountain by asking expert Mu Zhengzhong to appraise a bronze mirror. He also pushed county officials to strengthen the protection team and prepare for a cautious excavation.

• After the Standing Committee meeting, Dong Xuebin decided the Cultural Center’s appraisal process would take too long and sought an outside expert.
• Dong Xuebin called Mu Zhengzhong, who agreed to examine photos of the bronze mirror and promised an answer within an hour.
• Dong Xuebin sent Mu Zhengzhong photographs of the mirror from every angle.
• Su Yan brought Dong Xuebin the protection team roster, and he objected that too few staff had been assigned.
• Dong Xuebin ordered Chang Lin to increase the Public Security Bureau’s team to at least five officers.
• Dong Xuebin told Su Yan to have the Bureau of Culture send all available staff, set up rotating shifts and a field command post, and begin cautious excavation around Qingluan Mountain.

Dong Xuebin ordered a larger Cultural Relics Protection Work Team to secure Qingluan Mountain, confident that it concealed an important tomb. After examining the Bronze Mirror and the mountain’s location, Mu Zhengzhong and veteran archaeologists judged the site potentially extraordinary and hurried to Jiaolin County, leaving Dong Xuebin to arrange protection and await their arrival.

• Su Yan presented a 23-person protection team list, and Dong Xuebin ordered the team to secure Qingluan Mountain and remain assigned there.
• Team members and county officials questioned the deployment, while Zhang Dongfang urged Dong Xuebin to reconsider the added manpower.
• Mu Zhengzhong asked Dong Xuebin for Qingluan Mountain’s location and details after examining the Bronze Mirror.
• Mu Zhengzhong and other archaeologists concluded that the mirror and the mountain suggested a potentially major tomb discovery, and they planned to arrive that night.
• Dong Xuebin told Su Yan to arrange airport transport and instructed the cultural department to protect the site without excavating until professional archaeologists arrived.

Dong Xuebin persuaded Zhang Dongfang to protect Qingluan Mountain after explaining that it might contain a Han dynasty imperial tomb complex. He then proposed reviving Jiaolin County’s failed application for county-level city status, and Zhang agreed to prepare the documents.

• Dong Xuebin told Zhang Dongfang that Mu Zhengzhong and archaeologists were coming to inspect the Bronze Mirrors.
• Dong Xuebin said he suspected Qingluan Mountain held a Han dynasty imperial tomb complex and explained why the site needed strict protection.
• Zhang Dongfang accepted the need to protect the area and cooperate with Dong Xuebin.
• Dong Xuebin proposed reapplying for county-level city status, citing the possible discovery’s cultural heritage value.
• Zhang Dongfang clenched his fists and agreed to prepare the application documents.

Dong Xuebin and Zhang Dongfang traveled to Qingluan Mountain to inspect a possible Han Dynasty imperial tomb, which Zhang believed could help Jiaolin County qualify to become a county-level city. The site had been secured, but Qingbei Village Party Secretary Xiao Cheng warned that the mountain straddled the border with a neighboring county, which might contest ownership of the tomb.

• Dong Xuebin proposed applying again for county-level city status if the suspected imperial tomb transformed Jiaolin County's prospects, and Zhang Dongfang embraced the idea.
• Zhang Dongfang gathered additional county staff, then accompanied Dong Xuebin to Qingluan Mountain to inspect the site.
• Xiao Cheng met the leaders and reported that the Cultural Relics Protection Team had cordoned off the area and begun setting up equipment.
• Dong Xuebin and the others ate at Xiao Cheng's home before planning to climb the mountain, and Dong considered giving the capable village secretary more responsibility.
• Xiao Cheng warned that Qingluan Mountain crossed into a neighboring county and that its unclear boundary could lead the county to claim the tomb.

Dong Xuebin went ahead to the Qingluan Mountain excavation site, where workers had set up a camp around the place the Bronze Mirror was found. He waited with Zhang Dongfang for Mu Zhengzhong and the experts, who arrived that night and began examining the artifact.

• Zhang Dongfang became exhausted on the climb, so Dong Xuebin continued alone after Xiao Cheng gave him directions.
• Dong Xuebin reached the site, thanked the workers and villagers, and told Director Liu to pay the villagers fairly.
• Dong Xuebin inspected the spot where the Bronze Mirror had been unearthed and explained to Zhang Dongfang that professionals would need to excavate carefully to confirm an ancient tomb.
• Mu Zhengzhong arrived with Teacher Chu and Teacher Meng, and Dong Xuebin introduced them to Zhang Dongfang.
• Teacher Chu opened the box containing the Bronze Mirror, and the three experts examined it before exchanging firm nods.

Dong Xuebin and the archaeological specialists investigated Qingluan Mountain and uncovered a corroded sword with distinctive patterns. Mu Zhengzhong concluded that an intact Han Dynasty emperor’s tomb and nearby burial tombs lay beneath the mountain, and recommended sealing off the area and bringing in the national Archaeological Team.

• Teacher Chu questioned Xiao Cheng about Qingluan Mountain’s history and studied the mountain with Teacher Meng and Mu Zhengzhong before beginning an excavation.
• Dong Xuebin arranged for searchlights and ordered Su Yan to organize accommodations and supplies for the work team.
• Teacher Chu uncovered a corroded sword, and Mu Zhengzhong recognized its patterns from reference materials.
• Mu Zhengzhong told Dong Xuebin and Zhang Dongfang that the site was almost certainly a Han Dynasty emperor’s tomb with intact nearby burial chambers.
• Mu Zhengzhong recommended sealing off all of Qingluan Mountain and having Teacher Chu contact the national Archaeological Team.

Dong Xuebin headed to Qingluan Mountain after learning that seven cultural relics had been unearthed, but Yanbei County police arrived and tried to seize the excavation site and relics. The chapter ended with Dong Xuebin reaching the site as the confrontation escalated.

• Su Yan told Dong Xuebin that seven cultural relics had been unearthed and that Mu Zhengzhong, Teacher Chu, and Teacher Meng were surveying the tomb complex.
• Dong Xuebin set out for Qingluan Mountain and heard an argument as he neared the excavation site.
• Yanbei County police surrounded the Jiaolin County staff, ordered them to leave, and smashed their tent and searchlights.
• The Yanbei County lead officer tried to take the cultural relics, and a Yanbei County officer struck a Jiaolin County officer who intervened.
• Mu Zhengzhong sent someone to fetch Dong Xuebin, but Dong Xuebin had already arrived and surveyed the wrecked site with a faint smile.

Dong Xuebin arrived at Qingluan Mountain and confronted Yanbei County officers who had smashed Jiaolin County’s equipment while claiming the site as their own. After the officers could not produce identification, Dong attacked them, and Jiaolin County’s people joined the brawl.

• Jiaolin County staff told Dong Xuebin that Yanbei County officers had beaten them, smashed their equipment, and claimed the cultural relics and land.
• Dong helped a fallen Jiaolin County officer, then challenged Sun Chenggong over the damage and the officers’ claim to the site.
• Dong secretly stole the Yanbei County officers’ work IDs, leaving them unable to prove they were police officers.
• Dong kicked Sun Chenggong and struck other Yanbei County officers when they insisted on taking over the site.
• Jiaolin County officers and Bureau of Culture staff joined Dong in beating the Yanbei County group.

Dong Xuebin led Jiaolin County’s people in defeating Yanbei County’s police after they attacked the mountain site, smashed equipment, and threatened them with a gun. When Yanbei County’s leaders and reinforcements arrived, Sun Chenggong blamed Dong, leaving the counties’ confrontation poised to escalate.

• Dong Xuebin knocked the gun from a Yanbei County officer’s hand with a pebble, and Jiaolin County’s people beat the officer and subdued the rest.
• Jiaolin County’s people repaired what they could while Dong apologized to the archaeological teachers and promised stronger protection for the ancient tomb.
• Teacher Chu explained that an archaeological team and excavation equipment were expected soon, with military protection possible after the tomb’s value was confirmed.
• Yanbei County reinforcements arrived and found their officers injured and the site in disarray.
• Sun Chenggong accused Dong Xuebin of leading an attack, and Yang Gang and the other Yanbei County officials were stunned by the claim.

Dong Xuebin turned Yanbei County’s confrontation over the ancient tomb into a dispute over its officers’ attack on Jiaolin County staff. With provincial Culture Hall Director Xiao Dongnan present, Yanbei County’s officials had to face the fallout, while Yang Gang realized his officers had taken the beating for nothing.

• Yang Gang and the Yanbei County group erupted in anger after Dong Xuebin’s side subdued their officers, and both groups nearly fought.
• Xiao Dongnan, Su Yan, Zhang Dongfang, Chang Lin, and provincial Culture Hall staff arrived, and Xiao ordered the groups to separate.
• Dong Xuebin claimed the Yanbei County officers were fake police and tomb robbers who had attacked Jiaolin County staff and tried to steal cultural relics.
• Yang Gang insisted the beaten men belonged to Yanbei County’s Public Security Bureau, while Dong Xuebin accused them of trespassing, violence, and firing guns.
• Sun Chenggong said the officers had lost all their identification, and Yang Gang cursed him as he realized Yanbei County could do nothing about the incident.

Yanbei County and Jiaolin County fought over an ancient tomb, prompting provincial officials and Baohong City Secretary Qian Litao to intervene. After both counties presented maps and officials checked the site, the tomb appeared to lie directly on their shared boundary, leaving its ownership unresolved.

• Yanbei County officials treated injured police officers after the clash, while Xiao Dongnan met Teachers Chu, Mu Zhengzhong, and Meng and confirmed that the tomb was almost certainly part of the Imperial Tomb Complex.
• Qian Litao heard that Yanbei County and Jiaolin County had fought over the tomb and hurried to Qingluan Mountain.
• Yang Gang sent Yanbei County staff into the excavation area, where Zhang Dongfang argued that they were interfering with the provincial department’s work.
• Qian Litao arrived, heard both sides’ accounts, and recognized that Yanbei County’s officers had escalated the clash by smashing equipment, failing to show identification, and threatening people with guns.
• Yang Gang and Dong Xuebin each used a map to claim the tomb for their county, but verification by Qian Litao and Xiao Dongnan placed it directly on the boundary line.