Chapter Summaries

Li Sang and Huang Ying planned to kill Ye Lihan, blame Huang Qiao, and use the crisis to reclaim control of the court, but Ye Lihan’s move into Prince Rui’s Estate made their plans harder. The chapter left Li Sang exhausted by his daughter’s criticism and frustrated that tighter security had blocked their attempts, while Huang Ling continued causing trouble at the Li residence.

• Li Sang told Huang Ying that Ye Lihan had to die so they could blame Huang Qiao, gain the Eastern Jin Crown Prince’s support, and eliminate Huang Qiao.
• Huang Ying objected that they had alerted their enemies and criticized Li Sang’s methods after learning that Huang Qiao was helping Ye Lihan move into Prince Rui’s Estate.
• Li Sang rebuked Huang Ying, then dismissed her, feeling betrayed by Huang Qiao and unappreciated by his daughter.
• Huang Ying apologized and left Li Sang to rest.
• Su Qiao increased the guards after Ye Lihan moved into the estate, leaving Li Sang and Huang Ying unable to find an opportunity to act.
• Huang Ling caused repeated disturbances at the Li residence, further exasperating Li Sang.

Su Qiao heard that Li Ruo had caused chaos at Li Residence and ordered Mu Jin to make sure her next injury was more serious. Meanwhile, Li Sang sent Huang Ling back to Li Residence after she hid in the palace, and Su Qiao's presence at court left the ministers too afraid to speak freely.

• Mu Jin told Su Qiao that Li Ruo had injured a young attendant and fled to the palace, and Su Qiao ordered her to ensure Li Ruo could barely walk next time.
• Li Sang had Huang Ling brought back from the palace and ordered that the matter at Li Residence stay private.
• Huang Ling accused Li Sang of favoring her sister, then ran off after he slapped her and ordered her to return.
• Li Sang let Huang Ling go, exhausted and saddened by the state of his family.
• Su Qiao attended court, where the ministers watched her expression before speaking and the Little Emperor nearly lost his temper.

Su Qiao confronted Li Sang after court and made clear that she intended to marry Ye Lihan, while rejecting Li Sang’s accusations and reminders of their past. Li Sang was left devastated as Su Qiao walked away without looking back.

• Su Qiao encountered Li Sang outside the palace, and he questioned her plans to marry Ye Lihan, a prince of Dongjin.
• Su Qiao told Li Sang that she would marry Ye Lihan if she wanted him, even if he were the emperor of Dongjin.
• Li Sang accused Su Qiao of deceiving him, but she said she had once considered leaving with him and had lacked confidence that he could abandon his responsibilities.
• Su Qiao reminded Li Sang that she had supported his family’s rise to power and handled government and border affairs, then walked away from him.
• Li Sang asked Little Xuan whether Su Qiao truly no longer wanted him and lamented that she had fallen for Ye Lihan.

Li Sang fainted after realizing Su Qiao had rejected him, while Su Qiao returned to military training after three days at court. When Prime Minister Shang was imprisoned on serious charges, Shang Shuheng begged Su Qiao to save his mother and urged her to seize power, but she refused to rebel for him.

• Li Sang fainted, and his attendants reflected that he had brought his troubles with Su Qiao upon himself.
• After three days of court attendance, Su Qiao returned to the military camp to continue her training plan.
• Prime Minister Shang was charged with eighteen serious crimes and thrown into the death prison.
• Shang Shuheng secretly approached Su Qiao and begged her to save his imprisoned mother.
• Su Qiao refused to rebel for Shang Shuheng and told him to plead with Huang Ying instead.

After Huang Ying rejected Shang Shuheng’s plea for an audience, he left in regret and resentment. Three days later, Su Qiao learned that Shang Shuheng had attempted to assassinate Huang Ying and went to see the injured pair.

• Shang Shuheng went to the Imperial Study to beg Huang Ying, but she refused to see him.
• Huang Ying learned that Shang Shuheng had first gone to seek The King and ordered him to return to Yongfu Palace or face consequences.
• Shang Shuheng left after kneeling for more than two hours and blamed Huang Ying for humiliating him.
• Mu Jin told Su Qiao that Shang Shuheng had attempted to assassinate Huang Ying, who was only slightly injured while Shang Shuheng was hurt more seriously.
• Su Qiao told Ye Lihan she was going to see Huang Ying and Shang Shuheng.

Su Qiao visited the confined Shang Shuheng and rejected his claim that he had tried to help her, making clear that Ye Lihan was the only person she cared about. After she returned to her estate, she learned that Li Ruo had survived severe injuries but would be bedridden and unable to bear children.

• Su Qiao went to Yongfu Palace to see Shang Shuheng, who had been confined after attacking Huang Ying.
• Su Qiao scolded Shang Shuheng for his actions and told him she had never returned his feelings.
• Su Qiao said she would have protected Ye Lihan from entering the palace and declared him the only person she cared about.
• Su Qiao returned to her estate and learned that Li Ruo had survived after her Achilles tendons were severed and she was stabbed, but could no longer bear children.

Su Qiao arranged for Shang Shuheng to escape the Imperial Palace and settle with his family in Northwest Ruyang. After he departed, Ye Lihan reconciled with Su Qiao, while Li Sang and Huang Ying suspected Su Qiao had helped Shang Shuheng but had no proof.

• After Huang Ling fled the Imperial City, Li Sang fainted from worry over her children's troubles.
• Su Qiao ordered Mu Rong to rescue Shang Shuheng and arranged for him and his family to settle in Northwest Ruyang.
• Before leaving, Shang Shuheng urged Su Qiao to reclaim her throne and protect the people she cared about.
• Shang Shuheng left the Imperial City, and Su Qiao decided not to pursue his parting warning.
• Ye Lihan forgave Su Qiao after learning Shang Shuheng had left, and the two went into the mountains to gather herbs and hunt.
• Li Sang and Huang Ying suspected Su Qiao had arranged Shang Shuheng's escape, but they had no evidence.

After a week of searching for Huang Ling, Su Qiao learned that the Little Emperor’s forces had surrounded Prince Rui’s Estate and accused Ye Lihan of betraying the empire on her orders. She mobilized her army to surround the palace and officials’ estates, then rode toward Prince Rui’s Estate.

• The Little Emperor compensated the Li family while both sides continued searching unsuccessfully for Huang Ling, and Su Qiao focused on training her army.
• Mu Jin told Su Qiao that imperial troops had surrounded Prince Rui’s Estate to seize Ye Lihan for allegedly stealing the defense map and sending it to Eastern Jin.
• Su Qiao ordered her generals to surround the Imperial Palace and guard the city gates, while Mu Jin led twenty thousand soldiers to take control of the palace.
• Su Qiao ordered a female general to surround the officials’ estates and shoot anyone who resisted, then led troops toward Prince Rui’s Estate.

Su Qiao returned to Prince Rui's Estate and found Minister Li attacking it under the claim of an imperial order to arrest Ye Lihan. After confirming Ye Lihan was safe, Su Qiao confronted Minister Li for causing trouble and falsely using her name.

• Minister Li led soldiers to Prince Rui's Estate and demanded that Ye Lihan be handed over as a spy.
• Li Jue and Mu Rong challenged Minister Li's authority, but she ordered her soldiers to arrest Ye Lihan and kill him if he resisted.
• The soldiers and estate guards clashed while hidden guards protected Ye Lihan from joining the fight.
• Minister Li claimed the emperor had ordered Ye Lihan's execution, and Su Qiao hurled a blade at her, killing several soldiers.
• Su Qiao arrived, confirmed Ye Lihan was unharmed, and accused Minister Li of falsely using her name.

Su Qiao killed Minister Li and led troops to the Imperial Palace to support Mu Jin’s takeover, while leaving Ye Lihan under guard. After the palace fell under their control, Su Qiao confronted Li Sang and the Little Emperor, Huang Ying, and declared that she did not care if her actions were called rebellion.

• Su Qiao shot Minister Li dead and made the soldiers and officials choose between following her to the Imperial Palace or dying.
• Su Qiao gave Ye Lihan a token to command troops if he was threatened, then left Mu Rong and guards to protect him.
• Su Qiao led her forces to the Imperial Palace, where Mu Jin had already secured the checkpoints and confined the ministers in Jiaotai Hall.
• Li Sang and Huang Ying came out of Phoenix Palace under guard to confront Su Qiao.
• Su Qiao dismissed Li Sang’s accusations of rebellion and challenged anyone to oppose her.

Su Qiao exposed Li Sang’s scheme and humiliated him while Huang Ying watched. Meanwhile, Ye Lihan secretly left the Prince’s Residence with Xiao Yuzi, intending to return to Eastern Jin because his poisoned father was near death, and he departed without saying goodbye to Su Qiao.

• Su Qiao told Li Sang that the King had pretended to help him while he was being used as a chess piece to seize control of the government.
• Su Qiao mocked Li Sang’s appearance and rejected his claim that he had once been close to the King, leaving him furious as Huang Ying watched silently.
• Ye Lihan and Xiao Yuzi watched from behind a tree, and Xiao Yuzi repeated Su Qiao’s praise of Ye Lihan, making his ears burn.
• Ye Lihan decided to leave secretly without saying goodbye because he believed Su Qiao would stop him if she knew.
• Ye Lihan explained that his poisoned father in Eastern Jin might die soon, after which his younger brother, the Crown Prince, would ascend the throne.

Su Qiao confronted Huang Ying over her failures as ruler and her attempt to kill Ye Lihan, while Huang Ying blamed her humiliation on the circumstances of her accession to the throne. As Huang Ying prepared to give up the throne, Su Qiao dismissed her as no real opponent.

• Ye Lihan grabbed Xiao Yuzi and escaped into the Imperial Palace by leaping over the palace wall.
• Huang Ying asked Su Qiao whether she had never intended to let her rule, and Su Qiao accused her of misgoverning the country and plotting to kill Ye Lihan.
• Huang Ying declared she would give up the throne and told Li Sang that she had always felt humiliated by her position and wanted to prove she could rule without relying on anyone.
• Li Sang regretted his past greed and lamented that his son was missing and his daughter was now in this situation.
• Su Qiao told Huang Ying she had never considered her a real opponent and had treated her schemes like children's games.

Su Qiao confronted Li Sang and Huang Ying with the truth about their plot and said she had never wanted the throne. Huang Ying asked whether Su Qiao would kill them, while Li Sang begged her to spare his daughter and regretted the cost of his ambition.

• Su Qiao accused Li Sang of conspiring with the Eastern Jin Crown Prince to frame her and seize her military power, and criticized Huang Ying for making a dangerous alliance.
• Li Sang admitted that he had lost and realized Su Qiao had never been in love with him.
• Su Qiao revealed she had not wanted to become emperor and would have preferred a free life away from court affairs.
• Huang Ying asked whether Su Qiao intended to kill them and accepted that she might die.
• Li Sang begged Su Qiao to spare Huang Ying and mourned how his ambition had harmed his family.

After Huang Ying’s treason was exposed, Su Qiao rejected the ministers’ attempt to influence her punishment and agreed that she needed to ascend the throne soon. She then learned that Ye Lihan had secretly left for Eastern Jin with her token, leaving her to consider how to respond.

• Li Sang admitted his fault and begged Su Qiao to spare Ying'er, but Su Qiao ordered Mu Jin to take him and his daughter away.
• A minister urged Su Qiao to punish Huang Ying severely, but she told the ministers that her decision was hers alone.
• Grand Tutor Wen urged Su Qiao to ascend the throne quickly because of the danger from Eastern Jin, and she agreed.
• Mu Rong and Li Jue told Su Qiao that Ye Lihan had left the Imperial City with her token and a letter saying he had to return to Eastern Jin.
• Su Qiao realized Ye Lihan had planned his departure, while Mu Rong insisted that they needed to retrieve him and the token.

Su Qiao prepared to ascend the throne and ordered military measures against Eastern Jin after Ye Lihan’s token was lost. She planned to lead an expedition ten days later, leaving the story with ministers trying to dissuade her.

• Su Qiao declared the lost token temporarily invalid and set her enthronement for three days later, promoting Vice Minister Gu to Minister of Rites.
• Su Qiao ordered Grand Marshal Jiang He to secure the Dongzhou border and sent Mu Rong to bring three hundred thousand troops there.
• Su Qiao sent Mu Jin to Eastern Jin with an invitation for the Crown Prince, while Mu Jin’s real mission was to pursue Ye Lihan and help him.
• Su Qiao announced she would personally lead an expedition in ten days and assigned Grand Tutors Wen and Si to oversee the state in her absence.
• The ministers knelt and urged Su Qiao not to go to battle, but she ordered them to handle their duties.

Su Qiao prepared for war after learning Eastern Jin’s imperial family had been devastated by a palace coup, then discovered Prince Ye had taken the throne and renamed the country Rui. With Western Yu and Northern Yao threatening the borders, she sent forces to meet them and ordered an attack on Eastern Jin.

• Su Qiao arrived at the Dongzhou border, where General Wang reported that Eastern Jin’s emperor and princes had been killed in a palace coup, leaving only an infant prince.
• Su Qiao held her position and trained her troops while she considered the news.
• Mu Jin reported that Prince Ye had ascended the throne and renamed Eastern Jin Rui, angering Su Qiao.
• When Western Yu and Northern Yao showed signs of unrest, Su Qiao sent General Wang and the Grand Marshal to the northwestern border with her new weapons.
• Su Qiao ordered Mu Jin to prepare an attack on Eastern Jin because Prince Ye had not contacted her.

Su Qiao confronted Ye Lihan after the armies of Huangming and Dongjin faced off, and he admitted he had been wrong to leave without telling her. Since neither could give up the throne, Ye Lihan proposed moving their imperial capitals closer together, leaving Su Qiao to consider his solution.

• Huangming and Dongjin prepared to fight as Su Qiao and Ye Lihan met across a river at the border.
• Ye Lihan crossed the bridge and apologized to Su Qiao for secretly leaving to reclaim power.
• Su Qiao scolded Ye Lihan for risking his life without asking her for troops or protection.
• Su Qiao pointed out that neither of them could abdicate and rejected the idea of seeing each other only once a year.
• Ye Lihan proposed moving his imperial capital to Jizhou and Su Qiao's to Dongzhou.

Su Qiao and Ye Lihan agreed on a hundred-year truce and discussed how their empires would choose heirs. Their reconciliation and Huangming’s devastating weapons forced Northern Yao and Western Yu to retreat and submit, while news of the two emperors’ plans left their rulers furious.

• Su Qiao questioned Ye Lihan about their heirs, and he proposed adoption from their imperial clans if they had no children.
• Su Qiao and Ye Lihan agreed to a hundred-year truce between Eastern Jin and Huangming.
• Huangming’s forces detonated powerful weapons on the borders with Northern Yao and Western Yu, terrifying both armies.
• Northern Yao and Western Yu withdrew their troops and sent envoys to negotiate, but Huangming refused to accept their terms.
• The rulers of Northern Yao and Western Yu learned that Eastern Jin and Huangming had reconciled and planned a marriage alliance between their emperors.

Su Qiao demonstrated her newly invented hand grenades to Ye Lihan and the Dongjin soldiers, showing that Huangming’s weapons far outmatched theirs. She used the display to challenge Dongjin’s soldiers’ arrogance toward Huangming and its women soldiers.

• Mu Jin complained that Dongjin’s male soldiers mocked Huangming’s women soldiers while the armies camped across the river.
• Su Qiao brought hand grenades to the riverbank and had ten women soldiers throw them at the distant grassland and wooden dummies.
• Ye Lihan asked whether the grenades had caused the upheaval in Western Yu and Northern Yao, and Su Qiao explained that an even more destructive weapon was suited for underground ambushes.
• Su Qiao asked the stunned Dongjin soldiers whether Dongjin could still stand as Huangming’s equal and whether they still considered women inferior to men.

After officials in Eastern Jin accepted that a hundred-year truce with Huangming was wiser than the submission of Western Yu and Northern Yao, Su Qiao and Ye Lihan rode to Mount Li. Ye Lihan shared his plans to spend his fortune on Su Qiao and enjoy a comfortable life together, leaving the story with her bemused by his determination.

• Eastern Jin's officials and generals admitted they had been wrong after learning that Western Yu and Northern Yao had sworn allegiance to Huangming.
• Su Qiao and Ye Lihan left miscellaneous affairs to their aides and rode together toward Mount Li.
• Ye Lihan told Su Qiao about the hot springs and Summer Retreat Palace he had built at the mountain's foot.
• Ye Lihan said he wanted to spend his savings on Su Qiao and live comfortably with her for the rest of their lives.
• Ye Lihan refused to leave his fortune to their descendants, saying they could earn their own money.