Chapter Summaries

Franz was rescued when the Great Xia First Legion attacked the Auxiliary Corps, then left to confront the people who had schemed against him. Meanwhile, Claire asked Director Smith to provide a stronger power line for her magazine office.

• The Royal First Legion attacked the Auxiliary Corps with artillery and infantry, forcing them to retreat and collapse.
• Franz recognized the Empire's army was saving him, refused to join the counterattack, and later asked where its main force was before leaving to settle accounts with his old connections.
• The Legion Commander revealed that he had arranged the affair to protect Franz from danger, but believed Franz was still headed for disaster.
• Director Smith discovered Claire had found his hidden gold vouchers, and Claire asked him to run an industrial power line to her magazine office.

Claire secured access to an industrial power line for her magazine office and pushed the team to prepare its first issue for Monday. She also made Princess Gwen attend weekend tutoring and planned to draw readers with a sensational story about Qin, leaving him uneasy about becoming the magazine’s cover subject.

• Director Smith initially refused Claire’s request to change the power dispatch, then found an industrial power line that passed the magazine office and let her use it.
• Claire brought Princess Gwen to the magazine office, threatened her with a wooden ruler, and assigned her a year’s worth of weekend tutoring.
• Claire ordered her new employees to finish the magazine’s first issue for distribution by Monday morning.
• Qin read Claire’s headline about himself meeting a mysterious woman late at night and objected to appearing in a photograph.
• Claire told Qin she would use photography tricks to make the cover eye-catching and said the goal was to sell the magazine.

Claire launched Times Magazine as a gossip and entertainment publication, using a blurry photo of Qin and herself to fuel rumors about his secret girlfriend. After printing its first issue, the magazine reached newsstands, where its sensational cover caught Old Jack’s attention.

• Claire had Gwen photograph her and Qin, then chose a blurry picture that concealed their identities while hinting at a future announcement about their relationship.
• Claire told the Times Magazine editor to publish the speculative gossip article, explaining that entertainment gossip would help the magazine survive before it expanded into other publications.
• The editor approved the sample issue despite worrying that its rumors might get him arrested, and Claire reassured him that she had influential people to protect them.
• Claire printed ten thousand copies and distributed them across Pulan City’s five districts.
• Old Jack received thirty copies at his newsstand, became engrossed in the magazine’s story about Qin, and Director Smith asked him for a copy.

Director Smith feared his daughter Claire’s magazine cover would ruin his career, but Emperor Derek promoted him to the first Minister of Electricity at the Grand Court Assembly. Smith left the palace dazed as officials congratulated him on the promotion.

• Director Smith read Times Entertainment Magazine and panicked when he saw Claire’s blurry photograph of First Imperial Prince Qin on the cover.
• Count Little Jefferies and a palace attendant congratulated Smith, and the attendant led him to a ministerial seat at the assembly.
• Derek placed the magazine before the Emperor, while Smith worried that Claire’s actions would cost him his position.
• Derek elevated the Department of Electricity to the Ministry of Electricity and appointed Smith its first minister.
• Officials gathered around Smith after the assembly to congratulate him, with Academic Faction members praising his promotion as a breakthrough.

Minister Smith visited Claire’s booming magazine agency, relieved that it had not been shut down over its rumors about the imperial family. When a Ministry of Electricity repair team appeared after the power failed, he suspected his senior brother was secretly using ministry resources, while Claire let him believe it.

• Smith left work early and visited Times Entertainment Magazine, where a crowd of workers rushed to print extra copies as sales surged.
• Claire explained that Charlie was the eldest Imperial Prince’s cousin, convincing Smith that the imperial family had tolerated the magazine because of Charlie’s connections.
• Smith inspected the agency but found only minor problems before the power suddenly went out.
• A repair team wearing Ministry of Electricity uniforms arrived, bewildering Smith because he had not known the team was stationed there.
• Smith blamed his senior brother for sending the team, and Claire agreed while urging her father to go home.

Minister Smith grew suspicious of Charlie Perez’s identity and asked Count Little Jefferies to investigate him. Count Little Jefferies agreed confidently, leaving Smith’s concern over his daughter’s boyfriend unresolved.

• Minister Smith noticed unusual security features in Claire’s car and concluded that Charlie’s identity might be more complicated than it seemed.
• Minister Smith told Mrs. Smith he would find someone reliable to investigate Charlie, and she urged him to act before banishing him to the floor for the night.
• Minister Smith arranged a private meeting with Count Little Jefferies, leaving his secretary downstairs and asking the count for help.
• Minister Smith named his daughter’s boyfriend, Charlie Perez, as the person to investigate, and Count Little Jefferies agreed to uncover his background.

After Count Little Jefferies ordered an investigation into Smith's prospective son-in-law, First-Class Secret Agent James tracked down information about Charlie Perez and went to surveil the magazine office. He was caught by a waiting team and taken to the Investigation Department for interrogation.

• Count Little Jefferies ordered the Jefferies Family's secret agents to investigate Smith's prospective son-in-law.
• James searched Hadley University's archives and checked with a contact at the civil affairs department, learning the target was Charlie Perez and that his file was genuine.
• James watched the magazine office from a pancake stall and asked its owner about Charlie Perez.
• The stall owner alerted nearby investigators, who watched James approach the office's back entrance.
• James vaulted over the wall and was seized by seven or eight burly men, then taken to the Investigation Department's interrogation room.

James was captured after realizing that Charlie Perez was the Imperial Prince, and Count Little Jefferies learned that James’s investigation had implicated his household. Director Peter warned the Count not to reveal the Prince’s secret, leaving the Count to accept the warning and send Peter away with cigars.

• James realized Charlie Perez was the Imperial Prince and told his captors that his investigation had been accidental and could be verified with Count Little Jefferies.
• An agent ordered James watched without torture and reported the matter to the director.
• Count Little Jefferies grew worried when James failed to return, and Director Peter arrived to question him about the investigation.
• Peter told Count Little Jefferies that James had investigated the Imperial Prince and asked him to explain the matter to His Majesty.
• Count Little Jefferies tried to blame Minister Smith, then gave Peter twenty boxes of cigars after Peter warned him to preserve the Prince’s secret.

Minister Smith deduced that Charlie was First Imperial Prince Qin and told Mrs. Smith, while Qin received news that Haman had launched a revolt in the Lionheart Kingdom. Qin approved sending Haman weapons and offered to sell him heavy artillery and warships in exchange for something of equal value.

• Smith inferred from Count Little Jefferies's reaction that Charlie was connected to the Perez Family and returned home to tell Mrs. Smith that their daughter might marry into the royal family.
• Mrs. Smith realized Charlie was First Imperial Prince Qin, and Minister Smith told her they should pretend not to know.
• Qin said goodbye to Claire and took Carlisle home for the night outside the palace.
• A palace attendant brought Qin a telegram reporting Haman's revolt in the Lionheart Kingdom and his request for support.
• Qin agreed to gift Haman weapons and offer heavy artillery and warships for a suitable exchange, then sent his proposal to his father for review.

Claire launched Times Story Club after Times Entertainment Magazine became a major success, while rival magazines rushed to copy the idea. Story Club finally appeared at newsstands and captivated readers, leaving them eager for its next issue.

• Derek approved Qin's plan to manipulate events in a small Western country as practice.
• Claire built Times Entertainment Magazine's sales past one hundred thousand copies and planned a new publication called Story Club.
• Claire added a request for reader feedback to Times Entertainment Magazine, and readers sent in letters.
• Rival publishers released similar story magazines before Claire launched Story Club, but she stayed calm and focused on polishing its content.
• Times Story Club appeared beside Times Entertainment Magazine at newsstands, and customers bought copies out of trust in the publisher.
• John became absorbed in Story Club at work, and his supervisor later read it and wondered whether the serialized story would continue.

Claire and Qin planned to use Haman’s uprising in the Lionheart Kingdom to spread pro-industrial ideas and establish the International Industrial Party. Claire began organizing a magazine series about the revolt, but Senior Frank doubted they could publish it.

• Claire told Qin about the Story Club magazine’s success, and Qin said he had sent an officer corps to aid Haman’s uprising.
• Haman recounted how he killed a knight and the noble’s retainers with Great Xia-made weapons, destroyed his factory machinery, and fled with his men before building an army.
• Claire proposed publishing Haman’s story to shape public opinion, and Qin agreed that the magazine could also support a political party aligned with Great Xia.
• Claire and Qin planned to use the series’ profits to aid the poor and establish the International Industrial Party.
• Claire asked Senior Frank to report on the workers’ uprising, but he objected that the story lacked reliable evidence and might not be approved for publication.

Claire had Frank write a Times Special Issue portraying Haman as a hero of freedom, and the Great Xia Empire circulated it through government offices before releasing it more widely. The Lionheart Ambassador protested, but a diplomat refused to promise action and hinted that the Minister of Electricity was connected to Times Magazine.

• Claire ordered Frank to write a tragic, stirring account of Haman's revolt, and Frank drafted the Times Special Issue using materials from the Ninth Investigation Department.
• An examiner from the Investigation Department approved the issue, and Times Magazine printed it through the night.
• The Great Xia Empire distributed the special issue to government offices and then expanded its public circulation.
• Minister Smith read the issue, recognized the conflict between capitalists and aristocrats, and suspected Haman had powerful backing.
• The Lionheart Ambassador protested the magazine and demanded to know who was behind it, but the diplomat cited freedom of speech and denied official support.
• The diplomat privately told the Lionheart Ambassador that he had heard the Minister of Electricity was connected to Times Magazine.

The Lionheart Ambassador tried to determine whether Claire’s article in Times Magazine reflected a political threat or merely a financial problem. After meeting Smith, he left a huge check for the minister’s household, while Smith was left unsure what to do with it.

• The Lionheart Ambassador reviewed Smith’s files and worried that Claire’s article might signal a political problem, so he prepared gifts and requested an official meeting.
• Smith welcomed the ambassador and apologized for the trouble his daughter had caused the Lionheart Kingdom.
• The Lionheart Ambassador offered to donate one hundred thousand Gold Coins to Times Magazine, but Smith refused to accept the money on Claire’s behalf.
• The ambassador discussed the Lionheart Kingdom’s hardships with Smith and concluded that the minister seemed principled, though he might be pretending.
• The Lionheart Ambassador left an enormous check for Smith’s household, and Smith stared at the bribe in surprise.

The Lionheart Ambassador tried to pressure Claire into stopping Times Magazine’s reporting, but she refused and rejected his offer of money. After his campaign of commercial attacks hurt the magazine, photographs exposing the Lionheart Kingdom’s army reached Claire, while Qin toured the Royal Air Force and its expanding network of military airfields.

• The Lionheart Ambassador visited Times Magazine, offered Claire two hundred thousand Gold Coins to stop its reporting, and warned her not to underestimate the Lionheart Kingdom.
• Claire dismissed the Ambassador and maintained that Times Magazine’s stories about Haman and the Lionheart Kingdom were not false.
• The Ambassador reported back to his government, then used newspapers, staff poaching, distributor concessions, and supply disruptions to attack Times Magazine.
• The attacks hurt Times Magazine’s sales channels, but Claire received photographs from the Western Continent and asked Frank to assess them.
• Frank recognized that the photographs showing the Lionheart Kingdom’s army committing atrocities could fuel the magazine’s counterattack.
• Qin toured the Royal Air Force, whose improved aircraft were delivering materials quickly as the Empire began building military airfields, prioritizing the route from the colonies to the Imperial Capital.

Qin visited the Royal Air Force, inspected its new Hound Fighter Jet, and agreed to support its expansion and airfield network. Derek explained how the air force could also help Qin build influence, and Qin sought comfort with Claire before asking about the Times special edition.

• Qin examined the Hound Fighter Jet and was talked out of taking it for a flight because it had no escape measures.
• The air force explained its shortage of airfields and how temporary bases had enabled a Hound Mod-1 Aircraft to complete sea takeoffs and landings and deliver a letter.
• Qin promised to help improve the route from the Imperial Capital to the New Continent and took the air force's proposal to Derek.
• Derek told Qin that he had approved the air force's expansion and assigned Qin to coordinate its supporting infrastructure.
• Qin went to Claire for comfort, then asked how the photos he had sent had turned out; Claire said the Times special edition had gone into another print run.

After Times Magazine’s exposé inflamed public opinion in Great Xia, the Lionheart Ambassador staged a gunshot to disperse protesters and urged his government to assert the Kingdom’s standing. King chose to crush Haman’s rebellion and sent Prince Charlie to Great Xia as an envoy, leaving Charlie resigned to a dangerous journey.

• Qin praised the special issue of Times Magazine, which used Haman’s photographs and Frank’s writing to portray the royal army’s cruelty and the civilians’ suffering.
• The Lionheart Ambassador’s military attaché staged a gunshot outside the embassy, prompting peace officers to disperse the crowd.
• The Lionheart Ambassador reported his view that the Lionheart Kingdom needed to demonstrate strength and earn respect from Great Xia.
• King convened a meeting, where Prince Charlie proposed crushing Haman’s Rebel Army and sending a senior envoy to Great Xia.
• King appointed Prince Charlie as the envoy, and Charlie accepted while demanding benefits and naming people he disliked to accompany him.

Derek arranged a private royal outing to inspect the new city Dagu had built in Pulan City, bringing Qin and Claire along. Claire entrusted Times Magazine to Frank for the weekend and joined Qin’s family, while Dagu and Good waited at the inspection site without knowing the full itinerary.

• Derek read Lionheart Kingdom’s resolution, judged its power struggle with Qin a distant concern, and turned his attention to Dagu’s new city.
• Derek invited Qin, Claire, and others on a private two-day outing to inspect the city, while Dagu prepared to accompany him.
• Claire handed Frank final authority over the magazine issue so she could take the weekend off, then packed for the outing.
• Claire’s parents seemed to recognize Qin’s identity and approved of her going with him; Claire and Qin set off together.
• The convoy picked up Claire and Qin, while Dagu summoned Good to the inspection site, where Good sensed an unusual security presence but learned nothing about the Emperor’s plans.

Derek visited the new residential district with his family, where Good showed them the home prepared for Qin and Solon. Derek rewarded Good with a lifetime baronetcy and decided his family would stay there for the night, while Qin reflected on the need for a stable path of advancement for the Empire’s elites.

• Mayor Dagu welcomed Derek and stopped the internal guards from laying out a red carpet, and Derek approved of the district’s orderly new housing.
• Derek met Good and, after learning of his work, ordered an attendant to add him to that year’s ennoblement list as a baronet.
• Good showed Qin, Claire, and the others the renovated building, explaining that Solon had bought two first-floor apartments and Qin could choose a unit on the upper floors.
• Qin reflected on Good’s struggle for status and the danger of a society that blocked advancement, while Derek admired the home without noticing Qin’s thoughts.
• Derek decided that his family would stay in the building that night to experience ordinary life.

Derek and the imperial family toured the new city, where Good offered to finance Dagu’s proposed supermarket after Derek endorsed the idea. After lunch at a modest restaurant, the family visited the new park, sharing an afternoon of ordinary life together.

• Derek toured the new city with his family while Good eagerly attended them, hoping to secure a lasting title for his descendants.
• Dagu showed Derek a planned supermarket, and Good offered to invest in it after Derek warned that the venture might lose money.
• Derek’s party stopped at a newly opened restaurant, where the Imperial Guards checked the kitchen and sampled the food before serving it.
• Derek noticed Tiona struggled with the farmhouse meal and had the dishes they brought along served to her.
• After lunch, Derek and his family visited the newly completed park to experience commoner life.

Derek and his family spent a peaceful day fishing and talking about family while Qin worried that Franz might provoke a crisis. Meanwhile, Franz grew bolder in exploiting his connections and began running gambling houses, setting himself up to face consequences.

• Good bought the restaurant for His Majesty’s sake after its owner chose the gold coins over keeping the business.
• Gwen played with the hounds while Derek and Qin fished, and Claire told Tiona she planned to wear her meaningful jewelry at the wedding.
• Derek caught another fish, and Qin voiced his fear that Franz might go too far and leave them no choice but to kill him.
• After returning from the New Continent, Franz abandoned his slave-farming plans and used his ties to Qin to enrich himself through grain hoarding, usury, and gambling houses.
• Franz’s schemes grew increasingly brazen, and he decided it was time to collect on the fattened fish.