Chapter Summaries

Su Qiao rejected Li Sang’s objections to Li Ruo’s marriage and explained that Li Ruo had led her to become acquainted with Ye Lihan. She left Li Sang worried about what his niece had done and about Su Qiao’s growing connection with Prince Ye of Dongjin.

• Su Qiao suggested that Li Ruo marry into the imperial family and offered to let one of her future children take the Li surname, but Li Sang refused to settle the marriage question.
• Li Sang asked Su Qiao about her recent closeness with Ye Lihan and the gifts and clothes she had arranged for him.
• Su Qiao said she had noticed Ye Lihan because of Li Ruo and told Li Sang to ask his niece what had happened.
• Su Qiao ended the conversation and left, while Li Sang worried about Li Ruo’s involvement.

Su Qiao left Phoenix Palace without eating, while Li Sang grew jealous and angry. He summoned Li Ruo to question her about Mount Meng, and her confession made him realize her actions had ruined the Li family’s marriage plans with Prince Rui.

• Su Qiao refused to stay for lunch and left Phoenix Palace, dismissing Li Sang’s jealous question about Prince Ye.
• After Su Qiao left, Li Sang ordered Little Xuan to bring Li Ruo to the palace and investigate what had happened at Mount Meng.
• Li Ruo arrived expecting her uncle to approve her marriage to Ling'er, but Li Sang threw a teacup at her and demanded answers.
• Cornered by Li Sang’s questions, Li Ruo recounted the general outline of what had happened at Mount Meng.
• Li Sang realized Li Ruo’s actions had caused Prince Rui to reject a marriage alliance with the Li family, and he felt ashamed of what he had told Prince Rui.

Li Sang confronted Li Ruo about her role in the scandal involving Prince Rui and the incident with Huang Ling, but she denied responsibility and blamed others. Huang Ling arrived at Phoenix Palace and defended her to his father.

• Li Ruo begged Li Sang to save her and claimed others had forced her to join the gathering where she encountered Prince Rui.
• Li Sang rejected her excuses and accused her of deliberately targeting Ye Lihan and arranging what happened with Huang Ling.
• Li Ruo swore that she had not recognized or abducted Huang Ling, while Li Sang worried about Prince Rui learning of their family scandal.
• Huang Ling arrived at Phoenix Palace, helped Li Ruo up, and told Li Sang to blame him instead of her.

Li Sang agreed to Li Ruo and Huang Ling’s marriage to avoid arousing Prince Rui’s suspicions. Su Qiao returned early from a scholars’ gathering and became curious about the portrait Ye Lihan was hiding.

• Li Sang told Li Ruo to have her mother arrange a time to settle the marriage, and Huang Ling happily left with Li Ruo to fetch their Imperial Sister.
• Su Qiao returned to the palace and found Ye Lihan painting in the study.
• Ye Lihan hid his unfinished painting and invited Su Qiao to take a walk.
• 444 revealed that Ye Lihan had painted a person holding a bow and arrow, and Su Qiao confidently concluded that the portrait was of her.

Su Qiao joined Ye Lihan on a walk, while Ye Lihan struggled to hide his feelings for her. After Mu Rong summoned Su Qiao away, Ye Lihan objected to preparing extra food for her dinner visit, revealing his stingy habits despite his hidden wealth.

• Su Qiao noticed Ye Lihan's interest in her, unaware that he had been resisting his feelings because he planned to return to Dongjin.
• Ye Lihan remembered how he had failed to focus after Su Qiao went to a poetry gathering with Young Master Shang, and how his calligraphy and painting had turned into images of her.
• Mu Rong arrived with something to discuss, and Su Qiao left after telling Ye Lihan she would return for dinner.
• Su Qiao asked for extra dishes, but Ye Lihan refused and told Xiao Yuzi not to prepare more than one additional meat dish.
• Xiao Yuzi pointed out that Ye Lihan was wealthy, and Ye Lihan explained that he needed to economize to support his guards and private army.

Ye Lihan struggled with his feelings for Su Qiao and hid his portrait of her. Back at Prince Rui's Estate, Su Qiao planned to use the documents Mu Rong had gathered to undermine Shang Yu and divide her opponents.

• Xiao Yuzi insisted on preparing an elaborate meal for Prince Rui, frustrating Ye Lihan, then ran to the kitchen.
• Ye Lihan tried to convince himself Su Qiao should return to Eastern Jin, but retrieved her portrait from the trash and carefully stored it away.
• Mu Rong brought Su Qiao documents and account books containing secrets about powerful households.
• Su Qiao ordered Mu Rong to target the Shang Family first and replace several Little Emperor loyalists with Shang Yu's followers.
• Mu Rong memorized the officials' names and left to carry out Su Qiao's plan.

Su Qiao had Mu Jin order an extravagant meal from Xiangfu Restaurant after discovering Ye Lihan’s residence had barely any food, and she arranged for the cost to be charged to Ye Lihan. Before leaving, she promised to have meals sent to his residence and gave him a piece of black jade, which he rejected.

• Su Qiao complained about the meager lunch at Ye Lihan’s residence, while Xiao Yuzi explained that they had few ingredients.
• Su Qiao sent Mu Jin to Xiangfu Restaurant to order the best dishes and wine, telling him to charge the bill to Ye Lihan.
• Ye Lihan objected to paying, but Mu Jin went ahead and ordered the meal.
• After eating, Su Qiao told Xiao Yuzi that the kitchen would send meals to Ye Lihan’s residence each day.
• Su Qiao gave Ye Lihan a piece of black jade, but he tossed it onto the table and said he did not want it.

Ye Lihan bristled when Su Qiao gave him a black jade trinket, suspecting she was trying to placate or manipulate him. After Su Qiao left, he admitted to Xiao Yuzi that he feared her gifts and gestures concealed a scheme, and worried about That One in the Palace.

• Ye Lihan objected to the black jade trinket’s price and accused Su Qiao of treating him like a man who could be placated with gifts.
• Xiao Yuzi apologized for Ye Lihan’s drunken outburst and urged Su Qiao to leave him to rest.
• Su Qiao told Xiao Yuzi to look after Ye Lihan and contact her or Steward Li if anything happened, then returned to the prince’s residence with Mu Jin.
• Ye Lihan reproached Xiao Yuzi for stopping him from speaking, while Xiao Yuzi called him childish and pointed out how differently he acted around Su Qiao.
• Ye Lihan wondered why Xiao Yuzi had not let him return the gift and said he feared Su Qiao’s gifts, contract, and clothes were part of a scheme; he also worried about That One in the Palace.

Ye Lihan worried about his uncertain position in Huangming and whether he could keep the Imperial Uncle close as he prepared to return to Dongjin. Meanwhile, Su Qiao’s covert political maneuvering destabilized the court, and Huang Ying and Li Sang suspected the Imperial Uncle of opposing them.

• Ye Lihan questioned Xiao Yuzi about messages from Dongjin and dismissed him while awaiting news.
• Officials were arrested and sentenced for corruption and other crimes, while Su Qiao filled their vacant posts with people connected to Prime Minister Shang.
• After another official was arrested for withholding tax revenue, Huang Ying went to Phoenix Palace to discuss the upheaval with Li Sang.
• Huang Ying suspected the Imperial Uncle was secretly undermining her and pointed out that the Imperial Uncle had grown close to Ye Lihan.
• Li Sang rejected Huang Ying’s suspicion that the Imperial Uncle was devoted to him and said he only needed her obedience.

Huang Ying and Li Sang suspected Shang Quan or Imperial Uncle of placing officials in the court and discussed their plans to secure power. Li Sang decided to sound out Imperial Uncle, while Huang Ying stood ready to carry out their original plan.

• Huang Ying and Li Sang considered who had exposed the identities of the officials, and Huang Ying suspected Shang Quan because she had arranged most of their appointments.
• Huang Ying told Li Sang she planned to marry Shang Shuheng and make him her primary consort, while Li Sang urged her to postpone the marriage.
• Huang Ying asked whether Imperial Uncle would truly surrender power, and Li Sang admitted he was no longer sure of her intentions.
• Li Sang decided to test Imperial Uncle and said they would follow their original plan if he was responsible.
• Huang Ying reaffirmed that she had no reason to hesitate about overthrowing Imperial Uncle.

Huang Ying learned that the officials appointed as replacements were connected to Prime Minister Shang and confronted Shang Quan, who denied arranging it and blamed Prince Rui. Li Sang also ordered an investigation into Shang Shuheng.

• Huang Ying told Li Sang that someone was spreading news of her tax proposal and suspected the Imperial Uncle was behind it.
• Little Xuan reported that the replacement officials had numerous connections to Prime Minister Shang.
• Huang Ying hurried to summon Shang Quan, while Li Sang sent Little Xuan to investigate Shang Shuheng.
• Shang Quan denied wrongdoing when Huang Ying accused her and said Prince Rui was likely responsible.

Huang Ying and Prime Minister Shang questioned why Prince Rui had waited so long to pursue power, and feared he might have known about Huang Ying’s actions all along. Huang Ying sent Shu Heng a painting and a message, while Prince Rui’s estate remained peaceful.

• Huang Ying asked why Prince Rui had waited until she took personal control of the government to act, and Prime Minister Shang suggested his ambitions might have grown over time.
• Huang Ying feared Prince Rui had known about her efforts for the past two years and dismissed Prime Minister Shang so she could think.
• Huang Ying asked after Shu Heng and gave Prime Minister Shang a painting to deliver, along with a promise to visit him in a few days.
• Prime Minister Shang accepted the painting, while Prince Rui’s estate stayed quiet as Li Jue and the others welcomed his absence from the palace.

Ye Lihan grew suspicious of Su Qiao’s boating with Shang Shuheng and ordered a hidden guard to investigate her. At court, Su Qiao’s influence continued to overshadow Huang Ling, who confronted her father in anger after the session.

• Xiao Yuzi told Ye Lihan that Su Qiao had gone boating with Shang Shuheng again, and Ye Lihan insisted their contract was only a transaction.
• Ye Lihan ordered a hidden guard to watch Su Qiao and learn what she had been doing and whom she had met.
• Li Sang remained baffled by Su Qiao’s actions as officials continued to fall in court and Huang Ling grew increasingly hostile toward her.
• During court, ministers watched Su Qiao before responding to the Little Emperor, while Su Qiao listened calmly and left after the session.
• Huang Ling stormed into Phoenix Palace and complained to her father that the ministers treated her like a decoration.

Huang Ying told Li Sang she was willing to give up the throne, while Prime Minister Shang and Shang Shuheng discussed Prince Rui’s growing control over the court. Shang Shuheng revealed his admiration for Prince Rui, leaving their alliance and the court’s shifting power in focus.

• Huang Ying accused Prime Minister Shang of secretly siding with Imperial Uncle and told Li Sang she would give up the throne.
• Li Sang urged Huang Ying to calm down and promised to summon Prime Minister Shang and investigate.
• Prime Minister Shang told Shang Shuheng about the court turmoil and suspected Prince Rui had obtained her lost register and evidence against officials.
• Shang Shuheng praised Prince Rui’s abilities and revealed that they had met several times and gotten along well.

Prime Minister Shang and Shang Shuheng discussed Prince Rui’s political strength and his feelings for Li Sang, then agreed to remain neutral while watching events unfold. Shang Shuheng described his relationship with Prince Rui as an ordinary acquaintance, though his mother warned him to keep their interactions discreet.

• Shang Shuheng told Prime Minister Shang that Prince Rui held the advantage and that His Majesty’s side depended on Prince Rui’s trust.
• Prime Minister Shang wondered whether Prince Rui would truly give up on Li Sang, but Shang Shuheng believed time and Li Fengjun’s betrayal had weakened Prince Rui’s feelings.
• Shang Shuheng advised Prime Minister Shang that they should remain neutral and wait to see how events developed.
• Prime Minister Shang asked about Shang Shuheng’s relationship with Prince Rui, and he said they were only ordinary acquaintances after Prince Rui had saved him.
• Prime Minister Shang cautioned Shang Shuheng to limit their contact so His Majesty and the others would not become suspicious.

Li Sang struggled to understand Su Qiao’s changed feelings and summoned her to Phoenix Palace. She left him hurt and uncertain about whether his deception had driven her away.

• Li Sang wondered whether Su Qiao was trying to anger him or had truly changed her heart, and Little Xuan recognized that she no longer treated him as before.
• Li Sang asked Little Xuan to summon Su Qiao, who agreed to go because Ye Lihan remained distant toward her.
• Su Qiao arrived at Phoenix Palace and impatiently asked Li Sang whether he was unwell again.
• Li Sang complained that Su Qiao had changed so much he could barely recognize her, and wondered if his deception about Li Ruo and Huang Lan’s marriage was the cause.

Su Qiao pretended not to know why Li Sang was upset and reassured him that she supported Ling'er marrying Li Ruo. As Li Sang probed her about court affairs and Ying'er’s tax proposal, Su Qiao promised to remove anyone obstructing Ying'er’s takeover, leaving him nearly speechless.

• Li Sang blamed himself for nearly harming Aran and said Ling'er was determined to marry Li Ruo, but Su Qiao called the match ideal.
• Su Qiao dismissed the past incident as a minor youthful indiscretion and mentioned sneaking off to the Northwest Military Camp.
• Li Sang asked whether Su Qiao knew that Ying'er had advocated raising taxes, and Su Qiao pretended she had not heard about it.
• Li Sang asked Su Qiao to keep an eye on Ying'er as she handled political affairs, and Su Qiao promised to deal with anyone obstructing her.
• Li Sang nearly choked when he realized Su Qiao had described Ying'er's own people as obstacles.

Su Qiao explained that she was targeting corrupt officials allied with Prime Minister Shang and admitted she had met Shang Shuheng because she found him talented and attractive. Li Sang tried to hint at his jealousy and lamented his age, but Su Qiao bluntly agreed he was aging and told him to focus on his health.

• Li Sang asked whether Su Qiao was behind the officials’ recent troubles, and she admitted they had colluded with Prime Minister Shang and abused their power.
• Su Qiao reassured Li Sang that she would help establish an upright court for Ying'er, though he remained unconvinced.
• Li Sang asked why Su Qiao had been meeting Shang Shuheng, and she said she had initially met him after saving him and found him talented and handsome.
• Li Sang hinted that he was jealous and reminded Su Qiao of something she had once said, but she claimed she could not remember.
• Li Sang lamented that he was old and faded, and Su Qiao listed his wrinkles, dark circles, and poor appearance before urging him to prioritize his health.

Su Qiao visited Li Sang and used his declining appearance and health to urge him to rest, leaving him furious and doubting his looks. After she left, Li Sang took his anger out on Little Xuan and concluded that Su Qiao had betrayed him for someone else.

• Su Qiao told Li Sang that worry had aged him and urged him to rest so he could live to see his loved ones marry and have children.
• Li Sang insisted that his health was fine, then asked whether he really looked old after Su Qiao said he looked worse than a few years earlier.
• Su Qiao left, and Li Sang smashed a teacup before demanding that Little Xuan tell him how he looked.
• Li Sang slapped Little Xuan, kicked him over, and rejected the attendants’ claims that he looked more alluring than before.
• Li Sang suspected that Su Qiao had fallen out of love with him and taken a fancy to someone else, then declared that women could not be trusted.

Su Qiao decided to seize the throne so Ye Lihan could live safely in Huangming Kingdom, though she hoped to leave the work of ruling to him. Meanwhile, Ye Lihan went shopping and reluctantly ordered Xiao Yuzi to buy an expensive jade crown.

• Su Qiao learned through Xiao Si that Li Sang was furious after she deceived him and said the outcome was exactly what she wanted.
• Su Qiao told 444 she planned to take the throne for Ye Lihan’s sake, and agreed that she could hand him the administrative work afterward.
• Ye Lihan went into a jewelry shop with Xiao Yuzi and chose a Purple Gold Jade Crown for three thousand taels.
• Xiao Yuzi balked at the price, but Ye Lihan insisted on buying the crown despite regretting the expense.