Chapter Summaries

Di Renjie reviewed the unresolved questions in the case while Viper and Jin Mulan argued over whether to abandon their plan. Viper came to kill Liu Jin, and Hu Jinghui, disguised as Viper, attacked Li Yuanfang after Liu Jin was killed.

• Di Renjie told Li Yuanfang that the case still hinged on identifying Fang Qian’s master, finding the list, and learning where the stolen treasury silver went, then assigned him to guard Liu Jin.
• At her hideout, Jin Mulan argued with Viper, who urged her to abandon the plan and then left to kill Liu Jin; she promised to give up if Viper died.
• Li Xiao watched Liu Jin from the shadows as Di Renjie’s instructions kept him from intervening, while Li Yuanfang guarded Liu Jin inside the room.
• A silver projectile flew through Liu Jin’s window and killed him, and Li Yuanfang spotted a figure outside and attacked with his chained blade.
• Hu Jinghui, disguised as Viper, evaded Li Yuanfang’s attack and fought him, then fired a Shadowless Needle at his shoulder; Li Yuanfang pretended to be poisoned and fell still.

Di Renjie investigated the poisoned Li Yuanfang, exposed clues that cast doubt on Hu Jinghui’s account of Viper, and arranged the next stage of his plan. Lu Dayou then reported that the missing villagers had been found dead in a cave on Xiaolianzi Mountain.

• Viper joined the guards in killing the fake Viper, and Di Renjie found Liu Jin dead from the same poison that had struck Li Yuanfang.
• Di Renjie saved Li Yuanfang, identified the handkerchief as Viper’s mark, and listened as Hu Jinghui claimed the assassin had been Viper.
• Hu Jinghui secretly searched Di Renjie’s room for evidence that Li Er was dead, but Di Renjie later found footprints and discovered they did not match the fake Viper’s shoes.
• Lu Dayou and the villagers cleared the blocked cave on Xiaolianzi Mountain and found bodies inside.
• Lu Dayou returned to report that many missing villagers had been found dead, and Di Renjie received the news with sorrow.

Di Renjie and his allies staged a trap in Youzhou after learning Li Er was alive, and Hu Jinghui was revealed as Viper when he tried to kill him. Hu Jinghui then claimed his surname was Viper and that he was a descendant of Empress Wang.

• Di Renjie ordered a journey to Xiaolianzi Village and secretly kept the supposedly dead Li Er hidden beneath his bed.
• After Di Renjie left Youzhou, Hu Jinghui told Jin Mulan that Li Er was alive and promised to kill him.
• Di Renjie and Li Xiao secretly returned to Youzhou and prepared a trap while Hu Jinghui pretended to oversee the guards.
• Hu Jinghui entered Di Renjie's residence in Viper's disguise and stabbed the hidden box, but Li Xiao wounded him and Li Yuanfang confronted him.
• Di Renjie removed Viper's mask and discovered Hu Jinghui beneath it.
• Hu Jinghui said his surname was Viper and revealed that he was a descendant of Empress Wang.

Di Renjie revealed how he had exposed Hu Jinghui as Viper, then let him go after Hu Jinghui promised to stop harming innocents. Hu Jinghui returned to Jin Mulan, rejected her rebellion, but agreed to stay with her without helping her cause.

• Hu Jinghui recounted his family’s persecution and explained how he rose through the ranks, while Di Renjie described the clues that exposed him as Viper.
• Di Renjie let Hu Jinghui leave after he promised not to aid criminals or harm the people, and Hu Jinghui vanished into the night.
• Di Renjie learned that Li Er had awakened but remained silent, and wondered who he really was.
• Hu Jinghui collapsed injured at Jin Mulan’s hiding place and told her that Di Renjie had let him return after his failed attempt to kill Li Er.
• Hu Jinghui condemned Jin Mulan’s ambitions and urged her to abandon the rebellion, but she refused and revealed that she had gathered allies and planned to seize Youzhou.
• Jin Mulan begged Hu Jinghui not to leave her, and he agreed to stay by her side but refused to act for her again.

Di Renjie uncovered that Li Er was Jieli Khan, who had fled a coup in the Göktürk realm, and learned that the Youzhou conspiracy was tied to the struggle for power there. After sending a memorial to the capital, Di Renjie set out with a small party to investigate the cave at Xiaolianzi Village.

• Di Renjie questioned Li Er and learned from Youzhou officials that he had been arrested as a suspected Göktürk spy after a sheepskin letter was found among his belongings.
• A court clerk found a ring bearing the same design as Li Er's tattoo, and Li Yuanfang identified it as the Göktürk Khan's Ring.
• Di Renjie confronted Li Er with the ring, and Li Er admitted that he was Jieli Khan and spoke Chinese.
• Jieli Khan told Di Renjie that his uncle Modu had staged a coup, hunted him down, and framed Shibi for his disappearance while plotting war against Great Zhou.
• Di Renjie sent a memorial requesting troops to help Jieli Khan return home and suppress the rebellion, then arranged for the Khan to remain disguised as a guard.
• Di Renjie, Jieli Khan, Li Yuanfang, Lu Dayou, and Li Xiao prepared to inspect the cave at Xiaolianzi Village while Baron Li followed with the Qianniu Guards.

Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang searched the tunnels beneath Xiaolianzi Mountain and uncovered hidden furnaces, stolen official silver, imprisoned villagers, and the missing Princess Yiyang. The chapter ended with Li Qingxia rescued and Lu Dayou reporting that the villagers were alive.

• Li Yuanfang found Di Renjie in a tunnel, and they joined Li Xiao and the guards to explore the caverns beneath Xiaolianzi Mountain.
• Di Renjie discovered iron-smelting furnaces and ordered the guards to search the mountain passages.
• Lu Dayou found imprisoned villagers and recognized Erwang, then ordered the soldiers to free them.
• Li Yuanfang and Di Renjie found a poisoned woman, official documents, stolen silver, and belongings from the Göktürk delegation.
• Li Qingxia revealed that she was Princess Yiyang and described her abduction before leaving the cavern with the group.
• Lu Dayou reported that the missing villagers had been found alive.

Wu Zetian approved Di Renjie's plan to help Jieli reclaim the Göktürks, and Di Renjie sent Jieli toward Changhua under escort. In Youzhou, Li Xiao reunited with Hu Jinghui while Li Qingxia remained at Xiaolianzi Mountain, preparing to return the next morning.

• Wu Zetian appointed Di Huaiying Grand Commander and Wang Huaizhen Deputy Grand Commander, approving aid for Jieli.
• Di Renjie told Jieli that Wang Huaizhen's troops awaited him in Changhua, and Jieli swore never to oppose Great Zhou before giving Di Renjie his Tiger-Head Flying Eagle Ring.
• Di Renjie secretly sent Jieli to Changhua, ordered Di Chun to conceal his departure, and prepared the East Flower Hall for Princess Yiyang.
• Li Xiao met Hu Jinghui at the Governor's Residence, warned him about Jin Mulan, and offered him a business token and century-old ginseng.
• Li Qingxia questioned Li Yuanfang at Xiaolianzi Mountain and learned that she would return to Youzhou the next morning.

Li Yuanfang returned Princess Li Qingxia and the recovered official silver to Youzhou, then was assigned to guard the princess as Di Renjie prepared to crush Jin Mulan’s rebellion. Di Renjie’s forces destroyed the rebel network across the city, leaving the Youzhou case on the verge of resolution.

• Li Yuanfang delivered the official silver to the treasury and escorted Li Qingxia to the Governor-General’s Office, where she asked Di Renjie to assign Li Yuanfang to protect her.
• Di Renjie explained that Li Yuanfang’s post was necessary to keep Li Qingxia safe while the case remained unresolved, and later told him to endure the princess’s difficult behavior for two more days.
• Yu Feng ordered the rebels to attack the prison, north gate, Governor-General’s Office, and other sites, while Li Xiao secretly reported the full plan to Di Renjie.
• Di Renjie’s forces surrounded Tianbao Silver Bank and captured Ma Wu, then Li Xiao led troops to attack the rebel hideouts across Youzhou.
• Li Xiao killed Yu Feng, and government forces wiped out the Flying Tiger Squad and other rebel groups at West Pass and the north gate.
• Di Renjie returned with Ma Wu under guard as reports confirmed the rebel army’s destruction, while Li Yuanfang kept Li Qingxia confined at the Governor-General’s Office.

After the Youzhou rebellion was crushed, Di Renjie reported the case’s outcome to Wu Zetian, who rewarded Li Xiao with a promotion to Carefree Marquis. The chapter ended with Jieli Khan and Wu Zetian swearing an oath of lasting peace between Great Zhou and the Göktürks.

• Di Renjie agreed to spare Hu Jinghui and Li Qingxia, allowing them to leave Great Zhou and travel west together.
• Di Renjie’s policies helped Youzhou recover, while Jieli Khan defeated the mutineers and reopened border markets with Great Zhou.
• An eunuch read Di Renjie’s memorial to Wu Zetian, reporting the rebellion’s defeat and requesting honors for Li Yuanfang, Li Xiao, Li Qingxia, and Hu Jinghui.
• Wu Zetian approved Di Renjie’s requests and promoted Li Xiao from Carefree Earl to Carefree Marquis.
• Di Renjie and Jieli Khan arrived in Chang'an, where Wu Zetian and Jieli swore an oath to end the war between their nations.

After the Youzhou case, Di Renjie burned the list of names and Li Xiao revealed that Li Qingxia belonged to the secret assassin group Serpent Spirit. Li Wan'er attended Wu Zetian’s banquet, and the chapter ended with Wu Zetian fainting after a ghost appeared in Baocheng Hall.

• Di Renjie told Wu Zetian that the list had burned with Jin Mulan, then later destroyed a second list to prevent another bloody storm.
• Li Xiao explained that Li Qingxia was part of Serpent Spirit, an assassin organization with seven great assassins and twenty-two branches.
• Li Xiao returned to Princess Tai'an's Residence, resumed her identity, and continued studying Daoist teachings and training in martial arts.
• Wu Zetian summoned Li Wan'er to a banquet, where she joined Princess Tai Ping and Crown Prince Li Xian.
• A blood-robed ghost appeared before Wu Zetian in Baocheng Hall, and she screamed and fainted.

Wu Zetian woke from a nightmare, then accused Imperial Physician Feng Chunlai of treason after finding a jade toad and ordered him executed. Meanwhile, Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang investigated reports of mass killings marked by Bloody Eagles, and Princess Tai'an arrived at the palace as Feng Chunlai pleaded for help.

• Wu Zetian woke from a vivid nightmare and summoned Imperial Physician Feng Chunlai, while Di Renjie discussed three reports of killings with Li Yuanfang.
• Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang noted that dozens of displaced people had been murdered across three circuits, with a Bloody Eagle left at each scene.
• Feng Chunlai found no physical illness in Wu Zetian, but she spotted a Green Jade Toad beside him and accused him of bringing a treasonous object into the palace.
• Wu Zetian ordered the guards to drag Feng Chunlai away to be hacked to pieces, despite his protests that he was innocent.
• Princess Tai'an arrived at Shangyang Palace, and Feng Chunlai broke free to beg her to save him.
• Princess Tai'an asked the guards why they were taking Feng Chunlai away after learning of Wu Zetian's execution order.

Princess Tai'an brought Feng Chunlai to treat Wu Zetian after the Emperor suddenly suffered a frightening fit. Di Renjie helped save her, and Li Wan'er uncovered evidence of poisoning, leaving Tai'an in charge of finding the culprits.

• Princess Tai'an stopped Feng Chunlai's execution and rushed him to Guanfeng Hall when an eunuch reported that Wu Zetian was gravely ill.
• Wu Zetian mistook Princess Tai'an for Li Xian and attacked her, but Feng Chunlai calmed the Emperor with a needle and Snow Toad powder.
• Feng Chunlai summoned Di Renjie, who used needles to make Wu Zetian expel black blood and recover from immediate danger.
• Li Wan'er ordered an investigation of the Emperor's food and possessions, then found purple powder in a bowl and ordered Shangyang Palace sealed.
• Wu Zetian learned of the poisoning and ordered an investigation, entrusting Princess Tai'an with the case.

Li Wan'er exposed the plot behind Wu Zetian’s haunting and poisoning, while Di Renjie suspected Princess Tai Ping had masterminded the attempt on the emperor’s life. In Wu Zetian’s bedchamber, she reflected on how gaining the throne had left her surrounded by enemies, then explained why she had killed Li Hong.

• Li Wan'er ordered Chunxiang detained and Wang Zhiyuan arrested, then questioned them about the calming medicine and the ghost-repelling device.
• Di Renjie told Li Yuanfang that Li Wan'er’s swift response suggested she had uncovered Princess Tai Ping’s role in the assassination attempt.
• Chunxiang confessed that Wang Zhiyuan had directed her, and she was executed; lightning later struck Wang Zhiyuan dead at the device outside Shangyang Palace.
• Wu Zetian questioned Li Wan'er about whether she knew the mastermind, then lamented that her rise to power had turned her family and friends into enemies.
• Li Wan'er asked why Wu Zetian had killed her sons Li Hong and Li Xian, and Wu Zetian said she had suspected Li Hong of harboring sinister intentions after he secretly collected Li Zhong’s body for burial.

Wu Zetian asked Li Wan'er how history would judge her and declared that there would only ever be one empress. Li Wan'er warned Princess Tai Ping with the message, then spent the next two years quietly building influence and an armed force through Big Dipper Pavilion.

• Wu Zetian told Li Wan'er why Li Xian had been executed, asked for her judgment, and said she would leave a wordless stele and hold a rite for the dead.
• Wu Zetian told Li Wan'er there would only ever be one empress, and Li Wan'er invited Princess Tai Ping to her residence.
• Li Wan'er relayed Wu Zetian's words to Princess Tai Ping, who realized their mother had seen through her scheme.
• Di Renjie solved the Blood-Drop Eagle Case, which led to a large-scale purge of the Inner Guard.
• Over two years, Li Wan'er placed Big Dipper Pavilion members in key posts and grew her martial-artist army to nearly ten thousand.

Princess Tai'an learned of Wang Xiaojie's defeat and went out in disguise. Meanwhile, Li Xiao fought the Serpent Spirit at Dayang Mountain, and Di Renjie learned from Ruyan that the group had withdrawn to a hidden old headquarters and had secret leaders.

• Youqin told Princess Tai'an that Zhao Wenhui's army had vanished and Wang Xiaojie had been defeated, so the Princess left her residence in disguise.
• Li Xiao killed more than a dozen purple-robed Serpent Spirit members at Dayang Mountain and defeated their leader, Xiao Mei, before continuing his travels.
• Di Renjie learned that Xiao Qingfang had emptied the Serpent Spirit's known halls and strongholds before his soldiers could arrest its members.
• Ruyan told Di Renjie that the Serpent Spirit had an abandoned old headquarters where Flash Spirit and a few others might be stationed.
• Ruyan identified herself as Transformation Spirit and Hu Jinghui as Sword Spirit, and explained that Hidden Spirit's identity was unknown even to Xiao Qingfang.

Li Xiao reunited with Di Renjie and reported on Serpent Spirit’s fortified headquarters as they investigated a threat to the Empress at Cold Light Temple. After Flash Spirit helped expose Serpent Spirit’s link to Yuan Tiangang, the Empress ordered an expedition, and Di Renjie sent Li Yuanfang ahead to scout Dayang Mountain.

• Li Xiao met Li Yuanfang, Ru Yan, and Di Renjie outside Luoyang and explained that Serpent Spirit’s headquarters was hidden in the mountains and protected by mechanisms.
• Di Renjie learned that an assassination attempt was expected during the Empress’s pilgrimage to Cold Light Temple, but the Empress refused to cancel her visit.
• At Cold Light Temple, Flash Spirit blocked an attack on the Empress, took Di Renjie hostage, and escaped with him; Di Renjie then uncovered Serpent Spirit’s connection to Yuan Tiangang.
• After learning Yuan Tiangang had been rescued, the Empress appointed Di Renjie commander-in-chief and ordered him to destroy Serpent Spirit.
• Di Renjie split the expedition, ordering Li Yuanfang to scout the mechanisms and defenses on Dayang Mountain while he and the others gathered troops in Liuzhou; he told Li Xiao to remain with the main force and guide it later.

Di Renjie investigated Qingyang Inn in Liuzhou and discovered that Xiao Mei, presumed dead, had reappeared there. Though she claimed Wu Xiang had rescued her, Di Renjie remained suspicious and asked her for information about Dayang Mountain’s snake lairs.

• Di Renjie agreed that Ru Yan would accompany Li Yuanfang to investigate Dayang Mountain, while Li Xiao would serve as a safeguard for the army’s route into Tuo Luo Land.
• Di Renjie arrived at Qingyang Inn to investigate Xiao Mei’s contact point and found that two guests had been murdered there.
• Li Xiao, Di Renjie, Di Chun, and the eight military commanders entered the inn, where Wu Xiang recognized Li Xiao and privately asked whether they had come to find someone.
• Wu Xiang revealed Xiao Mei, who removed her disguise and claimed she had survived her injuries and been rescued by him.
• Di Renjie appeared to accept Xiao Mei’s explanation but privately suspected her death had been staged, then asked her about the snake lairs in Dayang Mountain.

Xiao Mei gave Di Renjie a map of Serpent Spirit's snake dens, allowing him to plan an attack on the headquarters in Dayang Mountain. After the army entered the headquarters, Li Xiao and Xiao Mei triggered the Giant Stone Array, where they encountered Li Yuanfang.

• Xiao Mei revealed the locations of Serpent Spirit's snake dens and explained that Wu Xiang had killed the two men tracking her.
• Di Renjie reassured Prefect Wen Kai, then ordered him to muster troops for an attack on Serpent Spirit's headquarters.
• Di Renjie’s forces cleared Serpent Spirit's spies from Tuo Luo Land and found Li Yuanfang's belt buckle near a mechanism.
• Li Xiao, Xiao Mei, and four military commanders entered the headquarters to find a passage for the army.
• Xiao Mei triggered the Giant Stone Array, and Li Xiao led the others back to safety before the boulders fell.
• Li Yuanfang appeared in the passage with the fake Lu Cheng, and Li Xiao greeted him with delight.

Li Yuanfang, Li Xiao, Lu Cheng, Xiao Mei, and the Qianniu Guards seized the Serpent Spirit’s mechanism control room and opened a path for Di Renjie’s army. Xiao Qingfang used Ru Yan and Hui Wenzhong as hostages to force them to surrender, but Di Renjie’s arrival let Ru Yan break free, and Xiao Qingfang escaped wounded.

• Li Yuanfang and Li Xiao met Lu Cheng and learned that the mountain passages could be opened from the mechanism control room.
• Lu Cheng guided the group through the mountain caves, while Li Xiao and Li Yuanfang attacked the control room and Xiao Mei led the captains in from another route.
• Xiao Qingfang brought Ru Yan and Hui Wenzhong to the control room and threatened the group, forcing Li Yuanfang and the others to lay down their weapons.
• Di Renjie arrived with soldiers and shot Xiao Qingfang, allowing Ru Yan to seize her sword and strike back.
• Wounded and protected by her troops, Xiao Qingfang escaped as Li Yuanfang reunited with Di Renjie.

Di Renjie’s party breached the Serpent Spirit headquarters, but murders inside the mountain cave revealed that a hidden enemy had escaped with a mysterious item. After returning to Luoyang, Di Renjie reported that the case remained open while Wu Zetian learned that Phoenix had not found Xue Qinglin’s secret letter.

• Di Renjie ordered Li Yuanfang to open the headquarters’ mechanisms, then sent Li Xiao and the four military commanders to pursue Xiao Qingfang.
• Li Xiao’s search party found Xiao Qingfang and several purple-robed men dead, and Zhang Huan reported that Hui Wenzhong and his guards had also been murdered.
• Di Renjie concluded that a mysterious person killed Xiao Qingfang to seize an item from Yuan Tiangang and suspected the still-unseen Hidden Spirit.
• Di Renjie’s army returned to Luoyang, where he told Wu Zetian that the Serpent Spirit case remained unresolved and requested broad authority to act.
• Wu Zetian questioned Phoenix about Xue Qinglin’s secret letter, and Phoenix admitted she had not found it.