Chapter Summaries

Su Qiao was accused of stealing a silver hairpin after Fang Qin and her Shop Assistant planted it in her bag. Su Qiao hid the hairpin in her Spatial Grid and agreed to go to the yamen, confident she could turn the accusation to her advantage.

• Su Qiao bought a red sandalwood hairpin and headed toward the small market.
• Fang Qin and the Shop Assistant blocked Su Qiao and accused her of stealing a silver hairpin from their shop.
• 444 warned Su Qiao that someone had secretly planted the hairpin in her cloth bag, and Su Qiao stored it in her Spatial Grid.
• Su Qiao challenged the Shop Assistant’s account and refused to let them search her.
• Su Qiao proposed going to the yamen, thinking she could earn some pocket money from the situation.

Su Qiao agreed to a body search at the county office after demanding compensation if the Silver Hairpin was not found. The search cleared her, leaving Fang Qin and her shop assistant facing Su Qiao’s challenge.

• Fang Qin had her subordinates surround Su Qiao and escorted her to Xiaoqiu Town’s county office.
• Su Qiao asked Magistrate Guo to order compensation if the Silver Hairpin was not found, and he agreed.
• Su Qiao introduced herself as Da Qiao and laid out the contents of her cloth bag for inspection.
• The shop assistant panicked when no Silver Hairpin appeared, and Fang Qin told him to be quiet.
• A female constable reported that no Silver Hairpin had been found, and Su Qiao asked Fang Qin whether she doubted the magistrate or the constables.

Su Qiao exposed the Shop Assistant’s false accusation, collected compensation from Fang Qin, and learned that Fang Qin had acted after seeing a portrait of Su Qiao’s mother. As Su Qiao considered her family’s safety and prepared to investigate the people pursuing them, she heard that someone had taken her man’s stall.

• Su Qiao challenged the Shop Assistant to search her, and Magistrate Guo ordered the Shop Assistant to receive fifty strokes for questioning his impartiality.
• Fang Qin admitted her assistant had acted foolishly and paid Su Qiao fifty taels in compensation.
• Su Qiao learned from Xiao Si that Fang Qin had arranged the scheme after seeing a portrait of Su Qiao’s mother.
• Su Qiao told Xiao Si to keep watching Fang Qin and planned to protect her family while investigating her mother’s background.
• Su Qiao hurried toward the small street by the bridge after hearing that someone had taken her man’s stall.

Su Qiao rescued Qi Jinghe from local thugs demanding protection money, then told him about selling a wolf and being cleared of a theft accusation. She gave him the silver she had received and showed him the red sandalwood hairpin she had bought for him.

• Su Qiao arrived at Qi Jinghe’s stall and kicked Third Brother Hong away from him.
• Su Qiao shattered a boulder with one punch, frightening Third Brother Hong and her underlings into surrendering their money.
• Su Qiao took the silver pouch and ordered Third Brother Hong and the others to leave.
• Su Qiao helped Qi Jinghe gather his goods and explained she had come to escort him home.
• Su Qiao told Qi Jinghe about selling a wolf, buying supplies for Yue'er, and being cleared of a theft accusation by the County Magistrate.
• Su Qiao handed Qi Jinghe the silver pouch and showed him the red sandalwood hairpin.

Su Qiao tried to persuade Qi Jinghe to stop running his stall, claiming she could support him and their son, while Qi Jinghe mistook her praise for mockery. The other stallholders backed Su Qiao and urged Qi Jinghe to stay at home.

• Su Qiao gave Qi Jinghe a finely carved wooden hairpin and promised to buy him more expensive gifts once she made a fortune.
• Su Qiao offered to hunt and gather medicinal herbs to support Qi Jinghe and their son instead of letting him continue setting up his stall.
• Qi Jinghe accused Su Qiao of being embarrassed by him, but she said she was worried that bad people on the street would covet his beauty.
• Su Qiao praised Qi Jinghe as handsome, prompting nearby stallholders to doubt her judgment and Qi Jinghe to accuse her of making fun of him.
• The stallholders urged Qi Jinghe to listen to Su Qiao and focus on the household.

Su Qiao tried to reassure Qi Jinghe that she supported his business, but he remained suspicious of her sudden kindness. Back home, Qi Jinghe guessed that she wanted his body and deliberately offered himself to her.

• Su Qiao praised Qi Jinghe in town and said she would rent him a shop once she had saved enough money.
• After leaving town, Qi Jinghe accused Su Qiao of pretending to be kind, and she said she wanted to spend her life with him.
• Su Qiao gave Little Yue'er paper, ink, and a brush, then taught him to write after dinner.
• Qi Jinghe came to Su Qiao's bedside and suggested she wanted his body, then lay down and offered himself to her.

Su Qiao tried to reassure Qi Jinghe that she had never teased other men and explained that Li Dabao had drugged him. When Qi Jinghe asked whether Yue'er was Li Dabao's child, Su Qiao prepared to reveal who Yue'er's father was, and he guessed Liu Jianfang.

• Qi Jinghe offered himself to Su Qiao, but she refused, saying they should both be willing.
• Qi Jinghe mocked Su Qiao for claiming she had never teased respectable married men, and she insisted she had no interest in them.
• Su Qiao said Li Dabao had drugged Qi Jinghe, making him suspect Yue'er was Li Dabao's child.
• Su Qiao assured Qi Jinghe that Li Dabao was not Yue'er's father, and he demanded to know who was.
• Su Qiao said she would tell Qi Jinghe the truth, and he guessed that Liu Jianfang was Yue'er's father.

Su Qiao told Qi Jinghe that Yue'er was their son, explaining that they had conceived him after getting drunk when she was sixteen. Qi Jinghe refused to believe her and instead tried to accept Yue'er as his own, then left in anger after demanding to know who Pan An was.

• Qi Jinghe threatened to kill Yue'er's mother, and Su Qiao stopped him and insisted that Yue'er was her child.
• Su Qiao explained that she and Qi Jinghe had been drunk when they conceived Yue'er, and apologized for forgetting and mistreating them afterward.
• Qi Jinghe doubted her story but said he would let the past go if she treated Yue'er as her own son.
• Qi Jinghe asked Su Qiao who Pan An was, believing he was a man who resembled him.
• Su Qiao did not understand the question, and Qi Jinghe angrily left the bed after accusing her of avoiding an answer.

Su Qiao remained puzzled by Qi Jinghe’s anger and spent several days tending to her family before meeting Liu Jianfang, who invited her to gamble. She went with him to Jiang Qiuyan’s gambling house, where Jiang reminded her to stay out of other people’s affairs.

• Su Qiao wondered who Qi Jinghe had accused her of talking about, and Xiao Si confirmed that no Pan An appeared in the plot.
• After Qi Jinghe gave her the cold shoulder, Su Qiao prepared mild nourishing medicine for Old Man Liu and Little Yue'er.
• Su Qiao ran into Liu Jianfang, who said he had made about ten liang on a trip and invited her to play a few rounds.
• Su Qiao accompanied Liu Jianfang to Jiang Qiuyan’s gambling house in Little Jiang Village.
• Jiang Qiuyan greeted Su Qiao and reminded her that she had said they should mind their own business.

Su Qiao went to a gambling den in Little Jiang Village with Liu Jianfang and won every round, while Qi Jinghe grew worried that she might harm Liu Jianfang over her possible connection to Yue'er. Qi Jinghe left home to bring Su Qiao back before she got into trouble.

• Jiang Qiuyan warned Su Qiao not to cause trouble at the gambling den, and Su Qiao promised she would behave.
• Qi Jinghe learned that Su Qiao had gone gambling with Liu Jianfang, and Old Man Liu reminded him that she had improved and had given him a hundred taels.
• Qi Jinghe suspected Liu Jianfang might be Yue'er's relative and worried Su Qiao could take revenge for Li Dabao's ruined knee.
• Old Man Liu urged Qi Jinghe to persuade Su Qiao to return patiently, and Qi Jinghe hurried to Little Jiang Village.
• At the gambling den, Su Qiao won every round while Liu Jianfang and the dealer watched in frustration.

Su Qiao won money at the gambling den while Liu Jianfang tried to provoke her, then beat a drunken woman who tried to claim Qi Jinghe. As Su Qiao left with Qi Jinghe, he asked whether she had come with Liu Jianfang intending to deal with her.

• Su Qiao denied cheating after the table runner accused her, and Jiang Qiuyan’s watchers confirmed she had done nothing wrong.
• Su Qiao collected her winnings and refused Liu Jianfang’s attempts to keep her gambling and provoke her.
• Su Qiao shoved and beat a drunken woman who reached for Qi Jinghe and offered to pay for him.
• Su Qiao took Qi Jinghe by the hand and left the gambling den with him.
• Qi Jinghe said he had heard Su Qiao came gambling with Liu Jianfang and asked if she had planned to deal with her.

Su Qiao suspected that someone was plotting to frame her and planned to investigate the generals who served the Great Su Dynasty twenty-one years earlier. She persuaded Qi Jinghe to study and practice martial arts with her and Little Yue'er, and the family began training together at home.

• Su Qiao explained that she had humored the woman’s schemes to keep the danger away from her family, while Qi Jinghe thought Liu Jianfang would not target him or Yue'er.
• Su Qiao asked 444 to investigate which generals had served the Great Su Dynasty twenty-one years earlier.
• Su Qiao convinced Qi Jinghe to learn to read and practice martial arts, and he agreed to become her student.
• Su Qiao gave Qi Jinghe her mother's sword and made Little Yue'er a wooden sword as the family began studying and training together.
• Qi Jinghe quickly finished several books and military texts, impressing Su Qiao with his memory and writing, while Little Yue'er promised to work harder too.

Su Qiao reassured Little Yue'er that he did not have to push himself to learn martial arts, but he insisted he wanted to grow strong enough to protect his family. Their happy household was disrupted when constables arrived to arrest Su Qiao for a man’s death, and she agreed to go with them.

• Su Qiao told Little Yue'er to build his knowledge and strength gradually and not force himself to learn if he disliked it.
• Little Yue'er said he wanted to train so he could protect himself, his family, and Su Qiao, and Su Qiao assured him he could always speak up if he wanted to stop.
• Qi Jinghe and Old Man Liu watched Su Qiao and Little Yue'er’s warm exchange.
• Four days later, constables entered the Qi Family’s courtyard and accused Su Qiao of publicly injuring a man who later died.
• Su Qiao explained that she had only taught the man a small lesson after he harassed her husband, but the constable told her to save her defense for court.
• Su Qiao agreed to go into custody after asking to speak with her family, while Old Man Liu held Little Yue'er in alarm.

Su Qiao was taken away after being accused of beating someone to death, and she told Qi Jinghe to hide with Little Yue'er and Old Man Liu while she dealt with the person targeting her. Qi Jinghe found the medicines and silver she had prepared, then hurried to get his family out of the village as rumors spread about her arrest.

• Su Qiao told Qi Jinghe to rent a house in town, stay hidden with Little Yue'er, and take the medicines under her bed for protection.
• Su Qiao reassured Qi Jinghe and Little Yue'er before leaving, saying she would return and intended to uncover who was targeting her.
• Qi Jinghe found nearly eighty bottles of labeled medicines and more than a hundred taels of silver in the chest, and realized Su Qiao had prepared for the possibility that she might not come back.
• Old Man Liu comforted Qi Jinghe, who decided they would leave by the mountain path so they could not be used to threaten Su Qiao.
• Villagers reacted to Su Qiao being taken away by spreading rumors that she had beaten someone to death.

Su Qiao stayed in the Xiaoqiu Town jail while investigating the people who framed her, and she faked a dramatic death after a constable delivered poisoned food. The constable then left to meet someone, and Little Four reported that the conspirators had made contact.

• Su Qiao asked Little Four to watch Liu Jianfang and Magistrate Guo, and learned they had reached town safely and were staying at the Peace Inn.
• A female constable brought Su Qiao poisoned food and warned her that her murder case was hopeless.
• Su Qiao ate the food while insisting she had been framed, then pretended the poison had killed her.
• The constable returned, saw Su Qiao apparently dead, and hurried away with the food container.
• Su Qiao got up, wiped the fake blood from her face, and Little Four told her the constable had made contact with someone.
• The constable went to a small alley in town.

Su Qiao and 444 discovered that Sheng Ling had ordered a woman’s death and planned to frame Prince Ying and the Little Prince. Sheng Ling returned to the capital, while 444 revealed that Empress Su Lan was searching for Su Qiao as a possible heir to the throne.

• A woman in green paid an accomplice to make a victim’s death look like suicide, and 444 followed her.
• The woman in green reported to Sheng Ling that the victim was dead, and Sheng Ling dismissed Prince Ying and the Little Prince as threats.
• Sheng Ling said the Su Family had no other women and hoped her own family would eventually claim the throne.
• Yun Niang urged Sheng Ling to leave before the Empress’s people found them, and Sheng Ling agreed to return to the capital that night.
• In prison, 444 told Su Qiao that Empress Su Lan had more than a dozen sons but no daughters and was searching for Su Qiao as a potential heir.

Su Qiao learned that her mother was a princess and famed Protector General, while the Sheng Family was plotting to replace the imperial dynasty. After escaping an attempt to frame her as a suicide, Su Qiao planned to investigate Sheng Ling and the Sheng Family and slipped out to reassure Qi Jinghe.

• Su Qiao learned that the Empress had driven her mother into hiding and that the Sheng Family intended to change dynasties.
• Su Qiao hypnotized the constable who entered her cell, took the silver pouch, and sent her away rather than expose Sheng Ling immediately.
• Su Qiao told 444 to investigate Sheng Ling, the Sheng Family, and Sheng Fengjun so she could uproot the family.
• Su Qiao learned that Qi Jinghe was still awake worrying about her and quietly escaped the cell to return to him.
• At Peace Inn, Qi Jinghe and his father worried over Su Qiao, and Qi Jinghe planned to bribe people to learn about her situation in the cell.

Qi Jinghe and Old Man Liu learned that Su Qiao was Yue'er’s biological mother and that she had been underage and drugged when he first met her. Su Qiao returned after escaping an attempt to poison her, then revealed that her mother had been a prince and the Protector General.

• Qi Jinghe told Old Man Liu that Su Qiao had said she was Yue'er’s biological mother and explained how Li Dabao had drugged him six years earlier.
• Old Man Liu realized Su Qiao had been only sixteen at the time, and Qi Jinghe said he did not blame her for what happened.
• Su Qiao climbed in through the window after sneaking out, and Qi Jinghe checked that she was unharmed.
• Su Qiao revealed that someone had put deadly poison in her food, but she had dealt with it.
• At Qi Jinghe and Old Man Liu’s insistence, Su Qiao disclosed that her mother’s surname was Su and that she had been a prince and the Protector General.

Su Qiao explained that the Empress had summoned her because she was the only eligible heir, while the Sheng Family wanted her dead to seize power. Qi Jinghe prepared to flee with her, but Su Qiao said she had a plan and left, while Old Man Liu worried about what her identity would mean for the family.

• Qi Jinghe urged Su Qiao to escape to Great Jin with him, fearing the Empress would kill her.
• Su Qiao reassured Qi Jinghe that the Empress likely wanted her to inherit the throne, but the Sheng Family was behind the attempt on her life.
• Su Qiao told Qi Jinghe to protect the family while she put her own plan into action.
• Su Qiao vaulted out through the window, and Qi Jinghe called after her to be careful.
• Old Man Liu asked Qi Jinghe what he thought about Su Qiao's identity and their future.

Qi Jinghe and Old Man Liu discussed Su Qiao’s possible return and worried about her taking other husbands. The next day, Su Qiao was brought to court over a man who had died days after their fight, and she questioned whether she could be blamed for his death.

• Old Man Liu urged Qi Jinghe to let go of past resentment, suggesting Su Qiao had kept her distance to protect the family.
• Qi Jinghe asked whether the Empress’s nineteen Lords meant Su Qiao might take other husbands, and Old Man Liu told him to accept it if it happened.
• Jailers brought Su Qiao to court alongside a corpse and the deceased man’s family.
• Su Qiao questioned how the man could have died three days after their fight and asked whether someone else might have killed him.
• The deceased man’s mother accused Su Qiao of killing him and tried to strike her, but Su Qiao dodged and denied that he had lost a bet to her.