Chapter Summaries

After His Majesty rejected the two counts’ proposal, rumors spread across the Empire about a noblewoman marrying into the imperial family. Mrs. Smith noticed that the Emperor’s comments left families like hers with a chance, while Director Smith failed to understand the political implications.

• Count Little Jefferies and Virut left the palace disappointed, then exchanged fake apologies and joked about Virut’s scandalous youth.
• News of the Emperor’s refusal spread, but nobles and the public continued speculating about which woman might marry into the imperial family.
• Director Smith brought home newspapers for his wife, who was following the royal marriage gossip closely.
• Mrs. Smith pointed out that the Emperor had rejected the great nobles without restricting public discussion and had said family background need not be overly demanding.
• Director Smith dismissed her interpretation, but Mrs. Smith concluded that families like theirs had a chance because they had respectable standing.

As Emperor’s signals stirred political maneuvering in the Empire, Angel Dagu audited officials in the City of Silver and received merchant Good. Dagu warned Good against relying on the colonies’ gray areas, while Good realized the Empire already knew about the Wolf Gang.

• Director Smith discussed the possibility of his daughter marrying First Imperial Prince Qin, while Mrs. Smith told him to wait for the Emperor’s intentions.
• Dagu investigated accounts in the City of Silver, arrested several people, and let the Governor’s Mansion’s less serious problems pass.
• Good sought an audience with Dagu because his Trading Company had hit a social and business barrier.
• Dagu asked Good about his difficulties and advised him to study, advance through proper channels, and avoid becoming accustomed to corrupt practices.
• Good left realizing Dagu already knew about the Wolf Gang and looked up at the dazzling sun.

Good decided to return to the homeland and seek protection for his company by joining forces with other Silver Gentlemen and gaining Dagu’s patronage. Dagu agreed to let them travel with him to the Imperial Capital, and he set off for Gemstone Port aboard Good’s ships.

• Dagu reflected on the Emperor’s intentions and began promoting people like Good as part of his broader political calculations.
• Good told Olyck that they would return to the homeland while their company was strong, despite the risks posed by hostile nobles and officials.
• Good coordinated with other Silver Gentlemen, and after half a month they agreed to advance and retreat together.
• Good asked Dagu to let the merchants of the City of Silver travel with him and offered him a share in their investments, but Dagu refused the money and accepted their overtures as a group.
• Good prepared ships for Dagu and the Silver Gentlemen, and Dagu set out for Gemstone Port, viewing the mature farms along the inland river.

Dagu traveled through a staged display of the harvest to inspect the Ganard Naval Command on His Majesty’s behalf. Commander Lawrence initially kept his distance, but the inspection went smoothly, and Dagu agreed to watch the Colonial Fleet train.

• Dagu photographed the harvest fields as landowners rode alongside the Angel’s vehicle and displayed dragon banners for him.
• Commander Lawrence debated whether to greet Dagu personally, then instructed his men to accommodate the inspection.
• Lawrence met Dagu at the Naval Command, where Dagu greeted him and resolved to judge the fleet by its conduct rather than take offense at Lawrence’s cool reception.
• Lawrence cooperated with Dagu’s requests, and the inspection found the fleet’s benefits and combat readiness satisfactory.
• Lawrence invited Dagu’s party to observe the Colonial Fleet’s training, and Dagu agreed to assess its strength for His Majesty.

Dagu watched the Colonial Fleet’s exercises and embraced the Empire’s strength, while Commander Lawrence promised the fleet was ready to fight. In the Imperial Capital, Derek and Tiona continued preparing to select a wife for Qin, with Derek applying stricter standards to candidates from officials’ families.

• Lawrence led the Colonial Fleet out to sea, where Dagu reflected on the Empire’s power and resolved to help preserve its strength.
• The fleet drilled in formations and sank its target ships with concentrated gunfire.
• Dagu praised the Colonial Fleet’s performance, and Lawrence vowed it would always be ready for battle.
• Dagu declined a warship escort at Gemstone Port and set off for home with his accompanying fleet.
• Tiona compared the long list of noble candidates for Qin with Derek’s list of fewer than ten candidates from officials’ families.
• Derek explained that his candidate standards were more exacting and that he was planning for the Crown Prince and Crown Princess’s future roles.

Derek and the Empress gave Qin a shortlist of fifteen potential Crown Princesses, leaving the final choice to him. At Hadley University, Qin used the name Charlie to join Jos and Haman in a student social activity organized by Claire.

• Derek and the Empress agreed to give Qin limited freedom by letting him choose from fifteen women.
• Jos and Haman discussed their differing hopes for their homeland as they studied mechanical engineering at Hadley University.
• Jos persuaded Haman to attend a lecture where Claire urged students to connect with ordinary people and learn about their lives.
• Haman signed up for Claire’s social activity and convinced Jos to join him.
• Qin introduced himself to Jos and Haman as Charlie and agreed to take part with them.
• Claire, an honor student who had finished her courses early, prepared the activity proposal for the school.

Qin joined Claire’s poverty-relief activity with Jos, Jemaine, and Haman, learning about Claire’s plans to help the poor and Haman’s wish to improve life in the Lionheart Kingdom. After revealing himself as Charlie Perez, Qin donated one thousand Gold Coins, leaving the others astonished by how differently he understood poverty.

• Jos shared a cake from his hometown with Qin, who suggested using less sugar for Great Xia tastes.
• Claire led the students toward their activity with a school security team accompanying them, and Jos arranged for his group to ride in her carriage.
• Jos asked whether poverty relief in the Imperial Capital mattered, and Claire explained why even small contributions could help poor families.
• Haman asked whether Claire would also help the people of the Lionheart Kingdom, and Claire encouraged him to organize and build strength to change his homeland.
• Qin offered Haman weapons through his family and identified himself as Charlie Perez, a member of the Empress’s maternal family.
• Claire invited Qin to join her Poverty Alleviation Foundation, and Qin donated one thousand Gold Coins, shocking everyone in the carriage.

Senior Claire organized a charity event for the poor, using her connections to arrange security and distributing black bread and Copper Coins. Qin questioned whether giving the security chief money was proper, but seeing the officers protect the event made him reconsider.

• Senior Claire recognized Charlie as a wealthy potential supporter after he offered a thousand Gold Coins for charity.
• Senior Claire arranged for the local security chief, Old Tom, and his officers to protect the charity event, then gave Old Tom a silver coin for tea.
• Qin questioned Senior Claire about giving the officers money, and she explained that it was a polite gesture for their extra work.
• Senior Claire and the students handed black bread and Copper Coins to people in need while Old Tom’s officers chased away hoodlums.
• Qin saw the officers protecting the event and began reconsidering whether the silver coin had been improper.

Claire led the students through exhausting charity work and made them eat the harsh food commoners endured, giving Qin a firsthand view of poverty in the Empire. Qin left determined to help his subjects, pledged a thousand Gold Coins to Claire, and asked to join her next event.

• Claire prepared meat broth and black bread for the students, while Old Tom and the security officers watched and discussed Qin's suspected ties to the Perez Family.
• Qin and the other students struggled to eat the food, but Qin realized commoners had far less to eat than he had imagined and grew more determined to help them.
• The students continued working through the afternoon, and Qin said the exhausting experience felt meaningful despite leaving him worn out.
• Qin promised Claire a thousand Gold Coins and asked her to invite him to another event, while Jos and Haman also agreed to join future efforts.

Qin bade farewell to Jos and Haman as they returned to the Lionheart Kingdom, promising Haman protection for his family if they ever needed asylum. Meanwhile, Dagu returned to the Great Xia Empire with Good and colonial representatives, while Good prepared to make a grand return to his homeland.

• Qin gave Jos and Haman farewell gifts and promised Haman that his family would be safe in Great Xia if they needed political asylum.
• Jos and Haman departed for the Lionheart Kingdom, and Haman wondered whether his homeland needed a saint like those in Great Xia.
• Dagu's fleet passed the returning Lionheart Kingdom students as it carried him and colonial representatives back to the homeland.
• Good watched officials defer to Dagu and became determined to gain the kind of authority Dagu commanded.
• Dagu gave Good his calling card and let him return home ahead of the imperial report, while Good arranged his money and supplies for a dignified homecoming.

Good returned to his hometown and reunited with his father, while Dagu returned to the Imperial Capital and reported his inspection findings to Derek. Derek discussed the officials and problems Dagu had encountered, leaving the matters of Brack’s return and other personnel arrangements to be resolved.

• Good spent lavishly in Digen Port, showed his calling card to deter local spies, and drove home in a newly purchased car.
• Good’s youngest brother mistook his arrival for a guest’s, and Good reunited with his father, who initially failed to recognize him.
• Dagu arrived at the Imperial Capital, greeted First Imperial Prince Qin, and noticed that Qin seemed changed after a year.
• Dagu met Derek and gave him a detailed account of his trip, including Robert’s capture and the conditions he had found.
• Derek assessed Governor Logue, Brack, and Lawrence, and said he would arrange a suitable position for Brack and address the other matters.

Derek planned to divide the New Continent Mining Group into regional districts as Brack prepared to return home. Meanwhile, Claire’s Perez Relief Association expanded its charitable work, and Qin struggled with his growing feelings for her as she sought school funding.

• Derek decided to split the New Continent Mining Group into separate districts and appoint different officials to manage them, clearing the way for Brack’s return.
• Claire used donations and student volunteers to operate the Relief Society, renamed it the Perez Relief Association to recognize Charlie’s support.
• Qin compared the noblewomen introduced to him by the Empress with Claire and worried that his family would reject her because she was not a noble.
• Claire noticed Qin was distracted, brought him along to meet the principal, and planned to secure school business as a steady source of funding for the association.

Claire and Qin secured Hadley University's printing work for the Relief Society by using Principal Delong's authorization and Claire's powerful connections to overcome the teacher in charge. After they left, the teacher confirmed Claire's identity and began plotting to retaliate through someone else.

• Principal Delong gave Claire a letter assigning the school's printing work to the Relief Society after she proposed taking over the outsourced jobs.
• Claire pulled Qin along to confront the teacher responsible for printing, who initially accused her of forging the principal's letter.
• Qin's imposing presence and Claire's references to Principal Delong and her father, the Director of the Department of Electricity, persuaded the teacher to hand over the next batch of printing work.
• After Claire and Qin left, the teacher checked Claire's identity and the Perez Relief Association, then decided to seek help from someone else to deal with her.

Claire transferred a printing order to a factory owner and explained to Qin why she had chosen to take a share rather than run the business herself. After Qin hesitated to trust her, Derek encouraged him to gain experience and pursue what he wanted, leaving Qin to face his fear of losing her.

• Claire gave a printing factory owner the order, demanded reliable quality and timely delivery, and warned him against cheating her.
• Claire told Qin she lacked the time and reliable people to run the business, and that taking a share would let her help more people.
• Claire asked Qin whether he trusted her, then told him to decide soon and invited him to Sunday's event.
• Derek met Qin at the tea shop and told him that his hesitation came from inexperience, not weakness.
• Derek urged Qin to face his fear of losing Claire and said he would support him while keeping him in check.

Derek arranged for Qin to return to Hadley University, where Qin confronted Franz Perez after Franz’s men attacked the Perez Relief Association office. Qin revealed his identity to Claire and declared that he intended to marry her.

• Derek told Qin to go, and Qin was taken back to Hadley University.
• Franz Perez confronted Claire at the Relief Association office, claiming Charlie had no connection to the Perez Family and trying to persuade her to talk privately.
• Claire refused Franz’s offer and threatened to report him for assaulting the student handling the documents.
• Qin arrived and reprimanded Franz, who realized Charlie was Qin’s assumed identity and begged for forgiveness.
• Qin ordered Franz to explain who had sent him and to follow Qin, then told Claire that he was the future ruler of the Empire and would be her husband.

After learning that Qin was the Imperial Prince, Claire remained calm, while Qin reassured her that his father would approve their marriage. Qin used Franz to punish the man who had set him up, then sent Franz to Digen Port to negotiate a new business venture, where Franz discovered he had arrived at the Special Investigation Department.

• Claire calmly accepted that her opinion and Qin's would not decide their marriage, and Qin said his father would agree to it.
• Qin ordered Franz to deal with the person who had instructed him, then report to the palace.
• Franz retaliated against the man who had leaked the information, ruining his career and marriage; the man later fled the Imperial Capital and reportedly drowned.
• After Qin judged Franz's trial successful, he gave him identification documents and sent him west to negotiate a business venture in Digen Port.
• Franz arrived at the address Qin provided and discovered that the building was the Special Investigation Department.

Franz arrived in Digen Port under the Crown Prince’s orders and persuaded the Special Investigation Office’s Director to let him use one of its money-making operations. He chose the Tool Mutes business for one year, leaving with the Director’s agreement to return it afterward.

• Franz presented his letter of introduction to the gatekeeper, who took him to the Director of the Special Investigation Office.
• Franz waited casually in the Director’s office and showed him the Crown Prince’s letter confirming his identity.
• The Director offered Franz a list of troublesome confiscated assets, but Franz rejected it as junk and implied that the Crown Prince wanted access to the Investigation Department’s profitable channels.
• The Director accepted Franz’s request and wrote out a list of the department’s money-making operations.
• Franz chose the Tool Mutes business to borrow for one year, and the Director agreed.

Franz exploited his Perez family connections and the Investigation Department to sell confiscated black Tool Mutes, making over ten thousand Gold Coins. Qin learned of his scheme, scolded him for acting alone, then ordered him to resume the business more carefully under Qin’s protection.

• Franz hired agents and clerks, forged customs papers, and used Perez family influence to register and sell confiscated Tool Mutes as slaves.
• Franz repeated the operation, gave the Investigation Department a share, and made more than ten thousand Gold Coins.
• Franz returned to the Imperial Capital and waited for Qin at the Relief Society, where Claire left them to speak.
• Qin confronted Franz after learning of his actions from the Investigation Department and warned that his plan to expand into smuggling was foolish.
• Qin told Franz to continue the small-scale business under Qin’s backing, act cautiously, and accept blame when necessary.

Qin gave Claire the ten thousand Gold Vouchers Franz had offered as a donation to the Relief Society, and the two discussed her ideals and the practical role of charity. Claire then asked Qin to meet her parents, leaving him nervous about making a good impression before their weekend visit.

• Qin returned to the Relief Society and handed Claire ten thousand Gold Vouchers from Franz as a donation.
• Claire explained that she wanted to save lives and used rational thinking to protect her work, while Qin considered the political uses of expanding the Relief Society.
• Claire told Qin to prepare to meet her parents, and he agreed to visit as an ordinary person rather than reveal his identity.
• Qin researched how to behave when visiting a family, then chose modest gifts and an unmarked carriage for the trip.
• Qin went to pick up Claire from school ahead of their visit to her home.

Director Smith bought a revolver to test the courage of Claire’s new boyfriend, while Qin nervously traveled with Claire to meet her parents. The chapter ended with Director Smith seeing them arrive hand in hand at the Smith residence.

• Director Smith bought a commemorative revolver, and an Investigation Department agent shut down the gun shop over incomplete registration information.
• Director Smith returned home with the unloaded revolver and told Mrs. Smith he doubted Claire had been deceived by her boyfriend.
• Qin grew nervous on the way to the Smith residence, while Claire reassured him and joked that they could reveal his identity.
• Qin and Claire arrived at the Smith residence holding hands, and Director Smith came into the courtyard to see them.