Chapter Summaries

Su Qiao and Feng Han confronted County Vice-Magistrate Zhou and his family after Madam Zhou tried to arrange a marriage with Su Qiao. Su Qiao offered to spare them if they kept quiet, promising Zhou Tianyou would return within one or two years.

• County Vice-Magistrate Zhou and Madam Zhou begged Feng Han to spare their family after learning Su Qiao was his woman.
• Su Qiao asked whether County Vice-Magistrate Zhou was one of Feng Han's people, and Feng Han said he had spared him before because he had not been involved in the coal mine trouble.
• Su Qiao considered what to do and proposed either killing the Zhou Family or taking Zhou Tianyou hostage.
• Madam Zhou regretted targeting Su Qiao and explained that she had planned to use her to advance her husband's and son's futures.
• Su Qiao promised the Zhou Family would remain safe if they obeyed and stayed silent, and said Zhou Tianyou would return within one or two years.

Su Qiao forced Zhou Tianyou to leave with Yuan Wu, warning him that his family’s safety depended on their obedience. After Feng Han took Su Qiao with him to the other residence, her family questioned how she had become a County Princess and what her relationship with the Overlord was.

• Su Qiao secretly misled Zhou Tong and his wife about how long Zhou Tianyou would be gone, while 444 wondered why she had given them a one-to-two-year deadline.
• Zhou Tianyou agreed to go, and Su Qiao warned him that his parents and younger sister would be in danger if they disobeyed or tried anything.
• Feng Han sent Yuan Wu to take Zhou Tianyou away, and Su Qiao dismissed County Vice-Magistrate Zhou, Madam Zhou, and the Su Family.
• Su Qiao gave Feng Han two Qi-Boosting Pills and sent him to the other residence, agreeing to join him after speaking with her grandfather.
• Su Yaohui, his wife, and Grandpa questioned Su Qiao about becoming a County Princess and her relationship with Feng Han.

Su Qiao told her grandfather Feng Han’s identity and reassured him that she would not marry anyone else. After Feng Han fell asleep on the carriage ride home, Su Qiao carried him into the manor and settled him on a couch.

• Su Qiao pulled her grandfather aside and revealed Feng Han’s identity, securing his promise to keep the news secret and stop opposing him.
• Su Qiao massaged Feng Han’s head in the carriage and reassured him that she would not marry someone else.
• Feng Han fell asleep after Su Qiao covered his eyes and comforted him.
• Su Qiao carried Feng Han into the manor and placed him on a couch while Yuan Wu and Little Gui watched in surprise.

Su Qiao arranged for Feng Han to recover safely and ordered Yuan Wu to keep watch on Zhou Tong and his wife. After Feng Han woke, the two shared a meal and discussed his plan to leave the next day, with Su Qiao urging him to settle his affairs quickly.

• Su Qiao told Little Gui to prepare hot water and light food for Feng Han, then ordered Yuan Wu to have Zhou Tong and his wife watched and killed if they acted against Feng Han's plans.
• Su Qiao stayed by Feng Han's bed while he slept until evening.
• Feng Han woke feeling refreshed, and Su Qiao arranged for him to bathe and eat.
• Feng Han and Su Qiao took turns feeding each other porridge before drinking tea together.
• Feng Han said he had to return the next day, and Su Qiao urged him to finish his affairs quickly instead of bringing her along.

Feng Han revealed that he was the son of the former Empress and recounted how the Emperor destroyed his maternal family. Su Qiao discussed how his grandfather could have seized power, leaving Feng Han’s revenge against the Emperor unresolved.

• Su Qiao asked Feng Han whether he was a Prince or the son of a court official, and Feng Han questioned why she had not shown curiosity about him before.
• Feng Han said his mother was the former Empress and that, after she died in childbirth twenty-three years earlier, the Emperor accused her family of treason and executed them.
• Feng Han explained that his maternal grandfather, the Great General of the West, commanded eight hundred thousand soldiers and had feared surrendering his military authority would doom the Jiang Family.
• Su Qiao said Feng Han’s grandfather should have placed the Emperor under house arrest and forced him to pass on the throne.
• Feng Han admitted he wanted the Emperor to watch the empire and the people he loved fall, while Su Qiao argued that his grandfather should have usurped the throne.

Feng Han told Su Qiao how his mother saved him from the emperor’s plot, how he survived in the mountains, and why he infiltrated the palace to seek revenge. He planned to act when he returned to the capital, while Su Qiao stayed behind to protect the Su family from becoming his weakness.

• Su Qiao questioned whether Feng Han’s maternal grandfather could have seized the Murong name, and Feng Han said the man had been upright and blindly loyal.
• Feng Han explained that his mother replaced him with a stillborn baby and secretly smuggled him out when the emperor plotted against her and her unborn son.
• Feng Han said the current Empress pursued him and his protectors, until the wet nurse hid him in a mountain cave and drew the pursuers away.
• Feng Han recalled meeting Xiaobai in the cave, later discovering the wet nurse’s letter, and infiltrating the palace under the identity of a dead young eunuch to build power for revenge.
• Feng Han told Su Qiao he would make his move after returning and wished to take her with him, but she chose to stay because the Su family could become a weakness for them.

Su Qiao and Feng Han confessed their feelings before parting for the night, and Feng Han left urgently to deal with a serious situation. Su Qiao returned home to find the Su family waiting for her.

• Feng Han told Su Qiao he had long been drawn to her and admitted he had been upset when she put the Su family first.
• Su Qiao said Feng Han mattered more to her than the Su family, making him overjoyed.
• Feng Han insisted Su Qiao return home to protect her reputation, then saw her carriage off and hoped they would reunite soon.
• Feng Han ordered Little Gui to prepare the horses and rode away with five men in black after learning the situation elsewhere was serious.
• Su Qiao asked Little Four to monitor what was happening, then returned home to find the Su family waiting without questioning her.

After Su Qiao’s wind-powered water wheels spread through the region, she learned that Xia Xiaodie was trapped in an abusive marriage and chose not to rescue her. Five peaceful days later, 444 warned Su Qiao that her man had launched a rebellion and the palace was in chaos, so she rushed to alert her family.

• Su Qiao submitted the wind-powered water wheel plans to the imperial court and arranged for wheels to be built and sent to nearby villages, prompting officials to teach their construction.
• Xia Xiaodie’s husband beat and abused her, and Su Qiao learned that his injury left him unable to perform as a man and that he had tortured his previous wife and maids to death.
• Su Qiao decided not to help Xia Xiaodie because she feared Xia Xiaodie would blame and betray her.
• After five peaceful days, 444 told Su Qiao that the emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince were surrounded in Qingyuan Hall while the other members of the imperial family had been captured.
• Su Qiao learned that her man had secretly brought a hundred thousand troops into the capital and had another hundred thousand lying in ambush outside it.
• Su Qiao grabbed a backpack, ran to the main house, and pounded on the door to wake the old man.

Su Qiao hid her family in a concealed underground room and prepared to defend their home as a violent upheaval spread through the capital. By dawn, the palace and Guyin Temple fighting had ended, and Yuan Wu found Su Qiao safe in Willow Tree Village.

• Su Qiao warned Old Master Su to hide the household in the underground room, then scattered Poison Powder around the courtyard walls.
• Yuan Wu arrived with men in black, and Su Qiao gave him Poison Powder and Antidote Pills before sending him away with her knife.
• Intruders attacked the Su Family home, but Su Qiao and five men Yuan Wu left nearby killed or poisoned them.
• The palace and the Guyin Temple compound descended into fighting, which ended as dawn approached.
• Yuan Wu returned to find Su Qiao unharmed, and she told him to remove the corpses without alerting the villagers.

Su Qiao reassured her family after the attack and told them to stay home, while Yuan Wu’s men praised her skills and kept her background secret. Five days later, news of the Crown Prince’s failed rebellion reached the regions, leaving the fate of the royal family clearer but more reports still arriving.

• Su Qiao returned her knife to Yuan Wu, fetched detoxifying powder, and went to call the others from the Underground Room.
• Yuan Wu’s men discussed Su Qiao’s swordsmanship and poison, and Yuan Wu warned them not to discuss their master’s wife.
• Su Qiao reassured the old man that the danger had passed and told everyone to stay home without explaining what had happened.
• Five days later, news spread that the Crown Prince had rebelled, the Emperor had been gravely wounded, and the throne had passed to his five-year-old son.
• Reports said the Crown Prince’s men had killed one Prince and poisoned another, while the returning First Prince had helped prevent the Emperor and Princes from being killed.
• More news continued to arrive from the capital over the following days.

News from the capital revealed that the First Prince had become Regent and would soon marry his betrothed Princess Consort, while Su Qiao realized he had used her printing technique and dictionary. The Su Family wondered whether the Regent was the Overlord they knew, and Su Qiao worried that he had given up becoming Emperor without telling her.

• News reached Willow Tree Village that the Emperor had executed the Crown Prince and the Zhang Family, spared the Empress, and appointed the First Prince Regent.
• The First Prince introduced a printing technique and a dictionary that Su Qiao and her father-in-law had developed, and announced his coming marriage.
• The Su Family recognized that the printing technique and dictionary had come from Su Qiao and asked who the First Prince was.
• Su Qiao wondered why he had become Regent instead of Emperor and worried that he might regret it.
• Zhou Lihua and the rest of the Su Family questioned whether the Regent First Prince was the Overlord they knew, who they had believed was a eunuch.

Su Qiao confirmed that the Regent was the man she would marry, and her family reacted with excitement at the prospect of gaining power and status. Old Master Su and Su Qiao warned everyone to stay humble and cautious, just as visitors from above arrived at the courtyard.

• Su Qiao confirmed that the man was the Regent, and Zhou Lihua and Su Yaohui celebrated the news.
• Old Master Su cautioned the family against assuming that the Regent’s favor would guarantee their prosperity.
• Su Qiao explained that the Empress’s maternal family had been destroyed in part because of their arrogance and misconduct.
• Old Master Su told the family to watch their words and actions, and Su Qiao warned them not to accept gifts carelessly.
• Someone shouted that visitors from above had arrived, and Old Master Su hurried outside.

Feng Han arrived at the Su Family with a grand procession and gifts to formally propose to Su Qiao. He revealed his intention to complete the proposal that day and marry her the next day.

• Zhuzi told Zhou Lihua that officials had arrived with many gift chests to propose to the Su Family.
• Su Qiao recognized the procession as Feng Han's and told Old Master Su to prepare an incense table to receive the Imperial Decree.
• Feng Han arrived as Prince Rui and told Old Master Su and the villagers to rise.
• Feng Han greeted Su Qiao and announced that he had come to propose.
• Su Qiao teased Feng Han about proposing after saying they would marry soon, and he suggested marrying the next day.

Feng Han arranged for Su Qiao to receive the title Princess Anning and an imperial marriage decree betrothing her to Prince Rui. After discussing why he had not become Emperor, Su Qiao agreed to go with him to the capital.

• Little Gui read three Imperial Decrees: Su Qiao became Princess Anning, Su Yaohui was promoted to Doctor of Calligraphy, and Su Qiao was betrothed to Prince Rui.
• The villagers were shocked to learn that Prince Rui, whom they had met before, held authority over the imperial government.
• Su Qiao asked Feng Han whether he had refused the throne because of her, and Feng Han left the question unanswered.
• Feng Han told Su Qiao that the Retired Emperor could no longer get up and was being cared for by the woman he loved.
• Feng Han asked Su Qiao to come to the capital with him, and she agreed.

Su Qiao agreed to travel to the capital with Feng Han and her parents, where she built a new life through teaching, business, and agricultural improvements. The chapter ended with Su Qiao and Feng Han holding a lavish wedding in the capital the following year.

• Feng Han and Su Qiao agreed to leave for the capital together and spent time talking at the separate estate.
• Su Qiao agreed with Feng Han to have Zhou Tianyou released after County Vice-Magistrate Zhou and Madam Zhou came to see them off.
• Su Qiao and Feng Han traveled to the capital with her parents and Little Haozi, and Su Qiao taught her family various skills.
• Su Qiao opened a Su's Department Store, bought land, and developed agricultural crops for Tianyuan Kingdom.
• Su Qiao and Feng Han held a lavish wedding in the capital at the end of the following year.

The chapter recounted how Su Qiao and Feng Han’s family and friends prospered after their marriage. A year later, Feng Han joined Su Qiao in her bath at Prince Rui’s Estate, leaving her exasperated by his excuse that he was saving water.

• Su Qiao learned that Su Yitian had married Zhou Tianyou and accepted their relationship after 444 confirmed his growing affection and respect for her.
• Su Yihe expanded Su's Department Store nationwide, Zhou Tianyou's business grew, and County Vice-Magistrate Zhou became a prefect.
• Su Yichen became the dynasty’s Prime Minister, while Little Haozi became a Great General and guarded the western frontier.
• The Su family and their relatives prospered through their factories and construction businesses.
• A year later, Feng Han entered while Su Qiao was preparing to bathe, and he joined her, claiming he was saving water.

Su Qiao told Feng Han she did not regret having no children and supported Su Yihao choosing his own path, even if it took him to the frontier. After Su Qiao escaped their bath, Feng Han helped dress her and recalled her childhood dream of being waited on.

• Feng Han asked Su Qiao whether she resented him for not giving her a child, and she said she did not want children.
• Su Qiao said Su Yihao could choose his own future, while Feng Han suggested Yuan Wu and Yuan Liu teach him.
• Feng Han joined Su Qiao in the bath, but she splashed him and got out before he could prolong things.
• Feng Han stopped Su Qiao from going out in her silk robe and helped her put on proper clothes.
• Feng Han reminded Su Qiao of her childhood wish to be served and pampered.

Su Qiao and Feng Han shared twenty-four happy years before Feng Han became gravely ill with stomach cancer and a severe cold. After Feng Han died, Su Qiao arranged family letters and asked that they be buried together before leaving the world herself.

• Feng Han helped Su Qiao dress and took her to eat, teasing her with affectionate talk about her belly.
• Feng Han fell ill at forty-nine, and Su Qiao could only manage his stomach cancer with medicine because the era lacked medical equipment.
• Feng Han told Su Qiao he feared dying and leaving her alone, and Su Qiao reassured him that no one could bully her.
• Feng Han died while holding Su Qiao's hand, and she sat beside his bed for half an hour.
• Su Qiao wrote four letters to her relatives, asked Yuan Wu, Yuan Liu, and Little Gui to bury her with Feng Han, then withdrew her soul.

Su Qiao woke on her wedding night as the newly made Imperial Consort of the Black Obsidian Nation, weak from a drug that had left her unable to move. As she and Emperor Jin Canghan stared at each other, he asked how she had woken up, leaving his intentions uncertain.

• Su Qiao woke in Jin Canghan’s arms and learned from 444 that she was his new Imperial Consort on their wedding night.
• Su Qiao realized she had been drugged to leave her limbs weak, while 444 suspected Jin Canghan was also drugged or had drunk too much.
• Su Qiao considered kicking Jin Canghan away and decided to stall until the Reinforcement Agent took effect.
• 444 urged Su Qiao to provoke Jin Canghan, but she threatened it into silence.
• Jin Canghan, still holding Su Qiao, asked how she had woken up and wondered whether to release her or follow convention.

Su Qiao struggled against Jin Canghan as he acted dazed and affectionate, apparently under the influence of the wine. After she fell asleep, she woke a few hours later to find that he had disappeared.

• Jin Canghan stared at Su Qiao and told her she was beautiful and that he liked her.
• Su Qiao tried to push Jin Canghan away, but he tightened his hold and kissed her.
• Su Qiao struggled against Jin Canghan and complained to Xiao Si that her strength was too weak to stop him.
• Jin Canghan sat dazed above Su Qiao while faint footsteps moved away from the doorway.
• Su Qiao fell asleep, then woke two or three hours later with her energy restored and found Jin Canghan gone.