Chapter Summaries

Su Qiao reluctantly accepted the emperor’s appointment as an Imperial Sword-bearing Guard, then left the palace furious. Long Jingyuan ordered guards to watch and investigate her, and she was confronted by Prince Jin before the emperor interrupted them.

• Su Qiao accepted the imperial decree despite suspecting the appointment was meant to make her and the Su Marquis Manor targets, then refused Long Jingyuan’s offer to stay in the palace.
• After the ministers left, Long Jingyuan said he would insist Su Qiao remain and ordered hidden guards to watch her and investigate her.
• Prince Jin stopped Su Qiao and asked whether she was displeased with him, then said her face and pear-blossom scent seemed familiar.
• Su Qiao claimed she looked familiar because she was a fraternal twin of her second younger sister and tried to leave again.
• Long Jingyuan called out to Su Qiao and asked whether she had finished her assignment.

Long Jingyuan summoned Su Qiao to dine with him, but she remained resentful and avoided speaking to him. He ordered her to return to Su Marquis Manor and report back the next morning, leaving her to understand that the manor’s fate depended on her obedience.

• Prince Jin came to see Long Jingyuan and found him with Su Qiao, but Long Jingyuan dismissed him and told him to leave.
• Long Jingyuan ordered Su Qiao to dine with him, and she reluctantly followed despite wanting to avoid him.
• Su Qiao sat far from Long Jingyuan and ate silently while he and Eunuch Quan also kept quiet.
• Long Jingyuan told Su Qiao to return to Su Marquis Manor and come back at the hour of the Rabbit the next day.
• Su Qiao understood that Long Jingyuan was threatening Su Marquis Manor to stop her from running away.

Su Qiao resented being kept near Long Jingyuan, but he ordered extra hidden guards to stop her from fleeing. Her unexpected promotion and paintings brought the Su Manor sudden attention, while Su Qiao seethed in private and warned 444 that Long Jingyuan could still turn evil and destroy the world.

• Su Qiao left after accepting Long Jingyuan's order, and he told hidden guards to watch her and stop her from running.
• News spread that Long Jingyuan had promoted Su Qiao to Imperial Guard, stunning people who had dismissed the Su Manor as declining.
• People learned that Grand Tutor Xie had requested Su Qiao's paintings, and visitors flocked to the Su Manor until Su Qiao advised Marquis Su to shut the gates and keep a low profile.
• Su Qiao sent Bi Qiu and Xiao Wu away, drank three cups of cold water, and collapsed onto the couch.
• Su Qiao rejected 444's suggestion that they run away, warning that Long Jingyuan might turn evil and destroy the world.

Su Qiao struggled with her anger over the emperor’s harem and Consort Hui’s young son while weighing how to deal with Su Jingya and Prince Jin. She remained disguised as a man and considered leaving the emperor behind after stopping the pair.

• Su Qiao and 444 discussed the emperor’s consorts, his son with Consort Hui, and the upcoming selection of palace women, which enraged her.
• Su Qiao explained that Su Jingya had hypnotic abilities, medical knowledge, and strong luck, making her difficult to defeat directly.
• Su Qiao warned that Su Jingya might control the emperor if she entered the palace or encourage Prince Jin to rebel if she failed.
• 444 suggested that Su Qiao reveal she was a woman to the emperor, but she refused and said boys were safer in this era.
• Su Qiao considered traveling after dealing with Su Jingya and Prince Jin, joking that she might keep seven or eight handsome male consorts.

Su Qiao avoided her first day reporting for duty by pretending to collapse from exhaustion, leaving Marquis Su to apologize to Long Jingyuan. Long Jingyuan was furious that Su Qiao had disobeyed his order, and the chapter ended with the Emperor’s anger unresolved.

• Su Qiao stayed up cultivating and went back to sleep despite Bi Qiu and the other pages urging her to get ready for court.
• Marquis Su came to wake Su Qiao, but she handed him a box for Long Jingyuan and claimed she was too exhausted to report for duty.
• Su Qiao pretended to faint, and Bi Qiu and Xiao Wu helped her back into bed.
• Marquis Su agreed to request leave for Su Qiao and went to the Imperial Palace with the unopened box.
• Marquis Su apologized to Long Jingyuan for Su Qiao’s absence, and the Emperor reacted with fury.

Long Jingyuan spared Su Qiao punishment after Prince Jin argued that he was young and exhausted, but refused to let Prince Jin take Su Qiao’s painting. Later, a hidden guard reported that the estate where Su Qiao had lived burned down, and its poverty raised suspicions about his past.

• Prince Jin persuaded Long Jingyuan that Su Qiao’s disrespect was understandable because he had grown up without guidance and had exhausted himself drawing the designs.
• Prince Jin asked Long Jingyuan for Su Qiao’s fifth painting, but Long Jingyuan ordered it filed as an Imperial Examination answer sheet.
• Marquis Su returned home soaked with sweat and relieved that the Emperor had not pursued Su Qiao’s behavior.
• A hidden guard told Long Jingyuan that Su Qiao’s former estate had burned down a month earlier, killing everyone inside.
• The hidden guard explained that the estate was unusually remote and impoverished, prompting Eunuch Quan to suspect that Su Qiao’s background concealed something.

Long Jingyuan ordered an investigation into Su Qiao’s neglected background while Su Qiao tried to enjoy a quiet day and avoid him. The emperor summoned Su Qiao to the Qionglin Banquet, and Prince Jin arrived at the Su residence seeking his calligraphy, startling Su Jingya with praise of her brother’s achievements.

• Long Jingyuan noticed how badly Su Qiao had been treated and ordered a hidden guard to investigate further.
• Su Qiao slept until noon, ate lunch, practiced swordplay, and relaxed in the pavilion while 444 worried about her avoiding the emperor.
• Steward Quan delivered palace gifts and the emperor’s verbal decree ordering Su Qiao to attend the evening’s Qionglin Banquet.
• Prince Jin arrived at the Su residence and asked Su Jingya to lead him to Su Qiao so he could request a piece of calligraphy.
• Su Jingya recalled that she and Su Qiao had both transmigrated, turned pale, and told Xiao Chun to show Prince Jin the way to her brother.

Su Qiao attended the Qionglin Banquet, where the new graduates challenged her artistic reputation. Her dismissive answer silenced the hall and appeared to anger the Emperor.

• Prince Jin arrived at Su Qiao's Autumn Wind Pavilion, but she had already hidden and sent a servant to turn him away.
• Su Jingya locked herself in her room and worried that her transmigrated brother would ruin her plans.
• Su Qiao attended the Qionglin Banquet and sat quietly at the end of the hall, drawing attention from the Emperor and the guests.
• Bangyan challenged Su Qiao to demonstrate her calligraphy and painting skills, while the assembled guests watched with suspicion.
• Su Qiao said she was best at eating, drinking, and having fun, leaving the hall silent as the Emperor's expression darkened.

At the Qionglin Banquet, Su Qiao gave in to the new Jinshi's demands and displayed her calligraphy, impressing Grand Tutor Xie and Long Jingyuan. Grand Tutor Xie asked to keep the work, and Prince Jin arrived to protest that he had claimed it too quickly.

• The Second Place Scholar and other new Jinshi urged Su Qiao to show her calligraphy, and she reluctantly agreed.
• Su Qiao wrote bold, vigorous characters that drew admiration from the banquet guests.
• Grand Tutor Xie praised Su Qiao's calligraphy and asked her to give him the piece.
• Long Jingyuan admired the writing without suspecting Su Qiao's gender.
• Prince Jin arrived and complained that Grand Tutor Xie had claimed the calligraphy before he could.

At a palace banquet, Su Qiao’s calligraphy impressed the officials, while Prince Jin stayed by her side until Long Jingyuan summoned him away. Left alone, Su Qiao drank heavily and confided to Little Four that she was heartbroken because the man she had searched for had a child with another woman, and she believed her dream was ending.

• Grand Tutor Xie praised Su Qiao’s calligraphy, and the officials grew more cautious of her.
• Prince Jin asked Su Qiao where she had gone and then kept her company at the banquet.
• Long Jingyuan sent Quan De to summon Prince Jin away from Su Qiao.
• Su Qiao, already drunk, left the hall and reclined in a pavilion with a jug of wine.
• Su Qiao told Little Four that she felt heartbroken because the man she had found had a child with another woman.

Drunk and heartbroken over the emperor’s marriages and children, Su Qiao criticized the burdens and insincerity of imperial life without realizing Long Jingyuan was listening. The chapter left him silently hearing her say that true love should be free of status, wealth, and other interests.

• Su Qiao wondered whether she could accept the man she loved in another life after learning he had married another woman and had children.
• 444 blamed the Great Demon King for becoming an emperor and taking multiple wives.
• Long Jingyuan appeared behind Su Qiao, who mistook him for Little Four and complained about the dangers and burdens of being emperor.
• Su Qiao argued that imperial consorts pursued power and wealth rather than sincere affection.
• Su Qiao said true love meant choosing each other regardless of status or possessions, even if one person were a beggar, while Long Jingyuan and the palace attendants listened.

Drunk Su Qiao criticized Long Jingyuan and praised A-Han, then nearly fell as she tried to leave the pavilion. Long Jingyuan caught her and ordered his own carriage to take her back, while she continued to resist his support.

• Su Qiao said she would rather choose a beggar than an emperor and complained about the burdens of ruling and maintaining a harem.
• Su Qiao praised A-Han for preferring to roam the world with her, then curled up beside the wine jug and fell asleep.
• Long Jingyuan asked who A-Han was, but 444’s warning jolted Su Qiao awake before she could answer.
• Su Qiao staggered out of the pavilion and called for Bi Qiu to help her.
• Long Jingyuan caught Su Qiao when she nearly fell and ordered Eunuch Quan to send her back in his carriage.
• Su Qiao tried to push Long Jingyuan away and nearly fell again.

Long Jingyuan carried Su Qiao back to the palace and ordered an investigation into the midwife from the Su Marquis Manor. Troubled by his reaction to Su Qiao, he tried to bathe in ice water, but the palace maid Eunuch Quan sent in was quickly thrown out.

• Long Jingyuan carried the struggling Su Qiao into a sedan chair and ordered the eunuchs to take him back carefully.
• Prince Jin emerged from behind a tree after Long Jingyuan left and departed after pondering what he had seen.
• Long Jingyuan ordered a hidden guard to investigate the midwife from the Su Marquis Manor.
• Eunuch Quan offered Long Jingyuan food, then mistakenly suggested a palace maid when he noticed the Emperor's reaction.
• Long Jingyuan refused the palace maid and ordered a bath, so Eunuch Quan prepared ice water and secretly sent a maid in.
• A hidden guard hauled the palace maid out after Long Jingyuan kicked her away, and Eunuch Quan angrily dismissed her.

After a drunken night left Su Qiao unconscious, she returned to the palace as a first-rank Imperial Guard, unaware of what had happened and determined to thwart Su Jingya’s ambitions. She reported for duty before dawn and drew skeptical looks from the other guards, including Xie Ruida.

• Long Jingyuan refused Eunuch Quan’s offer to summon a physician and went outside to practice punches.
• Su Qiao returned to Su Manor and fell asleep, while Bi Qiu was brought back unconscious by the palace’s hidden guards.
• After waking with a hangover, Su Qiao sent the palace a request for leave and fended off Su Jingya’s probing about entering the palace.
• Su Qiao wore her Imperial Guard uniform and went to the palace before dawn after Marquis Su insisted she report for duty.
• Xie Ruida judged Su Qiao too weak to deserve her first-rank position and decided not to look after her.

Su Qiao followed Long Jingyuan and later served at the Imperial Study, where Consort Yue’s attempt to enter ended with Su Qiao’s hand scalded. The chapter ended as Long Jingyuan confronted the commotion and Consort Yue began pleading with him.

• Long Jingyuan ordered Su Qiao to follow him, and Xie Ruida urged her to stay alert.
• Su Qiao followed Xie Ruida through the day and prepared to change shifts near dusk.
• Consort Yue tried to force her way into the Imperial Study, and soup spilled onto the back of Su Qiao’s hand.
• Xie Ruida examined Su Qiao’s burn and told her to cool it, but Long Jingyuan appeared and demanded to know what had happened.
• Xie Ruida explained that Consort Yue had tried to enter the Imperial Study, and Consort Yue began pleading with Long Jingyuan.

Long Jingyuan punished Consort Yue for barging into the Imperial Study, then ordered Su Qiao’s hand treated and told him to stay inside. Su Qiao left anyway, and the next day he returned to the palace and wandered near the Training Ground, where the guards watched him with hostility.

• Long Jingyuan demoted Consort Yue to Talented Lady and confined her for six months.
• Long Jingyuan summoned an imperial physician to treat Su Qiao’s injured hand and told him to stay in the Imperial Study.
• Su Qiao ignored Long Jingyuan’s order and left, while Long Jingyuan remarked on his temper and rebuked Eunuch Quan for criticizing him.
• Marquis Su sent Su Qiao back to the Imperial Palace the next morning.
• Su Qiao ate with Xie Ruida, wandered near the Training Ground, and touched a sword as the training guards watched him with hostility.

Su Qiao faced the Imperial Guards’ mockery and a challenge from Liu Xingtang. She sent him flying with a single sword swing, leaving the guards stunned.

• The guards disparaged Su Qiao’s looks, ability, and place in the Imperial Palace.
• Liu Xingtang challenged Su Qiao to prove himself, while Xie Ruida tried to stop the confrontation.
• Su Qiao pretended to be sick and said she would ask His Majesty to let her retire, but the guards accused her of threatening them with his favor.
• Liu Xingtang charged at Su Qiao with his sword, and she knocked him into the muddy Training Ground with one swing.
• Liu Xingtang insisted he had not held back as the guards struggled to believe he had lost.

Su Qiao reluctantly sparred with Liu Xingtang and defeated him easily, then pretended the wind had made her ill so she could avoid further duties. Long Jingyuan and the others saw through her excuse as General Liu chased his defeated son around the Training Ground, and Long Jingyuan arrived.

• Liu Xingtang challenged Su Qiao to a spar, and Su Qiao tried to refuse before fighting back when he attacked.
• Su Qiao defeated Liu Xingtang and held her sword to his neck, impressing the watching guards with her martial arts.
• Su Qiao tossed her sword onto the weapon rack and claimed the wind had hurt her throat so she would need to rest.
• General Liu scolded and kicked Liu Xingtang for attacking Su Qiao, while Liu Xingtang ran away protesting.
• Long Jingyuan arrived at the Training Ground, and Su Qiao knelt with the guards.

Su Qiao went to the Ministry of Works to help Minister Tian build a wind-powered water wheel and enjoyed working away from Long Jingyuan. Long Jingyuan visited, praised her work, and asked what reward she wanted.

• Long Jingyuan ordered Su Qiao to assist Minister Tian in building a wind-powered water wheel as quickly as possible.
• Su Qiao eagerly went to the Ministry of Works and explained the blueprints and water-wheel construction to Minister Tian and the other officials.
• Su Qiao taught Minister Tian a measurement system and made a graduated wooden ruler.
• Long Jingyuan arrived at the Ministry of Works, examined the ruler, and asked Su Qiao what reward she wanted.

Long Jingyuan appointed Su Qiao to serve at his side, but she delayed reporting for duty by staying in the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War. When he asked for her ideas on droughts in the north and floods in the south, Su Qiao bargained for ten days off.

• Long Jingyuan promoted Su Qiao to the Imperial Inner Guard, and she thanked him reluctantly.
• Su Qiao stayed at the Ministry of Works while the water-powered windmill remained unfinished, then spent time at the Ministry of War before returning to the palace nearly two months later.
• Long Jingyuan caught Su Qiao dozing and teased her about drooling.
• Prince Jin and Prime Minister Chu urged Su Qiao to advise the court on northern droughts and southern floods, citing her supposed learning and wind-powered waterwheel.
• Long Jingyuan offered Su Qiao two days off for a good answer, and she demanded ten days instead.