Chapter Summaries

The Female Soldier revealed how she had concealed the Courtesan’s crimes and switched the bodies, then died by suicide, leaving a letter that helped Shen Tang and Kang Shi piece together the mystery. Shen Tang blamed the Northern Desert for Jinli Commandery’s troubles and prepared for war, but an unfamiliar, immense aura appeared nearby as she sensed danger.

• The Female Soldier discovered that the Courtesan was a mole who had killed Zheng Yu, stayed silent out of fear, and secretly switched the bodies before the Sovereign’s inspection.
• The Courtesan told the Female Soldier that she blamed Shen Youli for separating her from her elder sister, while the Female Soldier refused to flee with her and later took her own life.
• Kang Shi read the Female Soldier’s letter, and Shen Tang suspected the Rebel Army had murdered the real Courtesan to frame her.
• Shen Tang identified the Northern Desert as the greater threat, planned to prepare for war, and asked Kang Shi to summon Gongxi Chou.
• Kang Shi explained that Xun Ding had gotten Gongxi Lai pregnant before marriage, and Shen Tang worried Gongxi Chou would kill him for it.
• Shen Tang sensed a huge aura that did not belong to Gongxi Chou, manifested the Kind Mother Sword, and rushed toward it.

Gu Chi extracted crucial memories from Chancellor Liu before Gong Cheng rescued her from the Ministry of Justice and escaped Shen Tang. Shen Tang learned that Northern Desert sleeper cells were supporting the rebellion in Kunzhou, while Gong Cheng and Chancellor Liu encountered Gongxi Chou in python form.

• Chancellor Liu endured the Ministry of Justice’s Soundless Torture until Gu Chi touched her forehead and forced memories from her mind.
• Gong Cheng broke into the prison to rescue Chancellor Liu, but Shen Tang arrived and stopped his escape with a sword strike.
• Gong Cheng teleported away with Chancellor Liu, and Gu Chi warned Shen Tang that pursuing them could lead into an ambush by Northern Desert assassins.
• Gu Chi told Shen Tang that Northern Desert sleeper cells were hidden in Jinli Commandery, so she agreed to focus on rooting them out before they reached Kunzhou.
• Gong Cheng and Chancellor Liu reappeared in a clearing, where he criticized her for exposing the Northern Desert’s involvement in Jinli Commandery.
• Gongxi Chou, transformed into a python, confronted Gong Cheng and Chancellor Liu after overhearing their conversation.

Gong Cheng tricked Gongxi Chou into revealing himself, then fought him with a Horned Eagle Martial Gall Totem. Their battle shook the mountains, drawing attention from a nearby relay station, where a young man recognized Gongxi Chou’s totem.

• Gong Cheng fabricated a story about a hunted man surnamed Jimò to test Gongxi Chou, then identified him as Gongxi Chou and said someone had hired him to kill him.
• Gongxi Chou transformed into human form, manifested the Twin Crescent Serpent Halberd, and confronted Gong Cheng.
• Gongxi Chou unleashed his serpent totem, but Gong Cheng summoned a Horned Eagle to counter it, leaving Gongxi Chou alarmed by his natural bane.
• At a relay station, a courier’s warhorse panicked as the distant battle shook the ground, and people rushed outside to see two giant Martial Gall Totems fighting among the mountains.
• A common-clothed young man and his brothers recognized the serpent totem as Gongxi Chou’s and saw that he appeared to be losing.

Retired caravan guards recognized Gongxi Chou as he fought Gong Cheng, and Gongxi Shaobai intervened after learning Gongxi Chou was his lost clan member. Gongxi Chou recognized Shaobai as his nephew, leaving Shaobai bewildered as the two faced Gong Cheng together.

• The caravan guards recognized Gongxi Chou and sent one of their number to alert the local Zhechong Mansion.
• Gongxi Shaobai learned from Uncle Lin Si that Gongxi Chou was his lost clan member and flew toward the battle despite Fang Yan's warning.
• Gongxi Shaobai interrupted Gongxi Chou and Gong Cheng's fight, and Gongxi Chou protected him when Gong Cheng attacked.
• Gongxi Chou and Shaobai realized they were uncle and nephew, while Uncle Lin Si recalled that their Life Lamps had been close together.
• Gongxi Chou called Shaobai his nephew and told him to stand back, and Shaobai asked whether Gongxi Chou was really his second uncle.

Gongxi Chou and Jimò Qiu escaped Gong Cheng’s attack, then recovered together as Gongxi Chou tried to settle into his new role as Jimò Qiu’s uncle. Jimò Qiu accepted him as family but began wondering whether his late teacher had been his father, while Gongxi Chou’s search for another nephew ended in disappointment.

• Gongxi Chou declared that he was Jimò Qiu’s second uncle, and Jimò Qiu accepted their family tie.
• Jimò Qiu revealed his High Priest’s robes and used a Word Spirit to escape Gong Cheng’s attack with Gongxi Chou and nearby Martial Gall Warriors.
• Gongxi Chou crashed into a mountain after the escape, and Jimò Qiu’s companions dug him out before he shed his skin to recover.
• Around the fire, Gongxi Chou asked whether Jimò Qiu and his elder brother had been well, leading Jimò Qiu to wonder whether his late teacher had been his father.
• Gongxi Chou promised to treat Jimò Qiu as his own, and Jimò Qiu agreed but struggled to call him second uncle.
• Gongxi Chou asked about Thirteen, then realized Shao Chong was not the nephew he had hoped to find.

Gongxi Chou reunited with his nephew Jimò Qiu and tried to persuade him and his companions to hide from their powerful enemies, but Jimò Qiu chose to face the world with them. Gongxi Chou agreed to join a faction and decided they would seek out Mama after dealing with Xun Ding.

• Gongxi Chou learned that Thirteenth was Gu Ren's sworn younger brother, while Shao Chong openly disliked Gongxi Chou and demanded more snake soup.
• Fang Yan asked about Gongxi Chou's enemy, and Gongxi Chou said he would protect Jimò Qiu; Shao Chong then declared that he and Shaobai would defeat Strange Hero Chou and claim his Fundoshi.
• Gongxi Chou proposed taking Jimò Qiu away to live in seclusion, but Lin Si Shu, Fang Yan, and Chao Lian refused to abandon him; Jimò Qiu calmed Gongxi Chou when bloodlust rose in him.
• Fang Yan urged Gongxi Chou to enter public service and use the secular world's power, and Jimò Qiu persuaded him that they could evade their enemies or trap them later.
• Jimò Qiu gave Gongxi Chou perforated pearls to braid into his hair, and Gongxi Chou decided they would find Mama after dealing with Xun Ding and Xun Yong'an.

Gongxi Chou told Jimò Qiu about his soulmate Mama and defended his aunt Gongxi Lai against criticism over her pregnancy by Xun Ding, prompting the group to head for Fengluo to learn the truth. Meanwhile, Shen Tang's forces purged Northern Desert agents and rebels across Kunzhou, while Chancellor Liu and Gong Cheng escaped; the chapter ended with Shen Tang considering an alliance with Gao Country to recover her losses and destroy the Northern Desert.

• Gongxi Chou praised Mama, explained that Gongxi Lai was his adopted younger sister, and insisted that Xun Ding was unfit to marry her.
• Lin Si Shu and Chao Lian questioned Gongxi Chou's assumptions about Xun Ding, but Fang Yan proposed that the group go to Fengluo and see what had happened for themselves.
• Shen Tang ordered the Seven Guards and Four Divisions to arrest Northern Desert agents and Kunzhou rebels, sealing cities and passes as the Ministry of Justice investigated their networks.
• Chancellor Liu and Gong Cheng discussed their losses while hiding from the patrols, and Gong Cheng left to attend to private matters despite Chancellor Liu's anger.
• After the turmoil lasted more than half a month, Shen Tang reviewed the financial damage from the official debt scam and asked whether Gao Country had replied to her letter.

Shen Tang punished the rebels and Northern Desert agents behind the Kunzhou uprising while tensions with Gao Country remained unresolved. At court, Xun Zhen and Jiang Sheng clashed over control of the profitable post-station system, and their argument escalated into a fight and a threat against Xun Zhen’s household.

• Shen Tang ordered the Court of State Ceremonies to monitor Wu Xian’s response and prepared to punish the captured rebels.
• Shen Tang executed 797 Rebel Army soldiers and their private troops, 261 Northern Desert sleeper agents, and 2,112 other involved people and relatives, then ordered the agents’ heads sent to the Northern Desert for one copper coin each.
• Gongshu Wu proposed turning the sleeper agents’ heads into rattan balls for soldiers to kick, and Qi Shan tried to rein him in.
• Xun Zhen demanded that the Ministry of Revenue take over the post stations’ civilian-business accounts, prompting Jiang Sheng to defend the Ministry of War’s authority.
• Jiang Sheng and Xun Zhen’s dispute escalated from insults to a physical altercation, and Jiang Sheng threatened that Xun Zhen’s household would suffer a bloody disaster.

Shen Tang learned that Gongxi Chou had returned to Fengluo and might endanger Xun Ding, so she rushed the royal entourage back toward the capital. Gongxi Chou arrived in Fengluo with his companions and, unable to attack Xun Ding inside the city, planned to beat him outside it the next day.

• A chaotic Court Session ended in a brawl between Ministry of War and Ministry of Revenue officials, and Jiang Sheng warned Shen Tang of a blood calamity at Xun Zhen's residence.
• Jiang Sheng clarified that Xun Ding would suffer the blood calamity, while a delayed Zhechong Mansion report revealed that Gongxi Chou had been badly injured in a fight with Gong Cheng.
• Shen Tang realized Gongxi Chou might be in Fengluo for Gongxi Lai's wedding and ordered the returning entourage to reach the capital in one day.
• Fang Yan, Shao Chong, Chao Lian, Jimò Qiu, Lin Si Shu, and Gongxi Chou explored Fengluo while searching for the Gu and Xun residences.
• Gongxi Chou said he could not attack Xun Ding in Fengluo and planned to drag him outside the city to beat him the next day.

Gongxi Chou and his companions reunited with Lin Feng in Fengluo, where Lin Si Shu discovered she was his niece and learned she had become the Lin Clan Leader. The group stayed at Lin Feng’s residence, and Gongxi Chou asked her about his former subordinates.

• A girl dropped a straw grasshopper onto Gongxi Chou, who recognized Lin Feng as his benefactor when she came over to retrieve it.
• Lin Feng invited Gongxi Chou and his companions to tea, and Gongxi Chou introduced Jimò Qiu as his eldest brother’s child.
• Lin Feng recognized Lin Si Shu as her Fourth Uncle after he introduced himself as Lin Chao, courtesy name Yanchao.
• Lin Feng told Lin Si Shu that she led this branch of the Lin Clan and explained that Shen Tang had provided her residence as repayment for confiscated clan property.
• Lin Feng settled Lin Si Shu and the others in her home, where Gongxi Chou climbed over the wall and asked whether she knew where his old subordinates were.

Gongxi Chou returned and learned how Gongxi Lai had managed his private army and prepared to marry Xun Ding. After beating Xun Ding, he accepted their marriage on the condition that Xun Ding support Gongxi Lai through childbirth, leaving Xun Ding wondering how easily he had gained Gongxi Chou’s approval.

• Gongxi Chou visited Yang Ying and learned that Gongxi Lai had reassigned his former soldiers to give them better prospects.
• Yang Ying explained that Gongxi Lai had planned to marry Xun Ding before becoming pregnant, and Gongxi Chou realized she had acted from her own wishes.
• Gongxi Chou summoned Xun Ding outside the city and beat him inside a formation, while Xun Ding insisted he was ready to face him.
• Gongxi Chou told Xun Ding that Gongxi Lai would decide where they lived and warned him not to expect her to serve his family.
• Gongxi Chou agreed to the marriage and asked Xun Ding to use a clan secret art to share some of Gongxi Lai’s pain during childbirth.

Gongxi Chou learned that Jimò Qiu might not be his nephew but his older brother, whose death he had never witnessed. Jimò Qiu suggested checking the Gongxi clan’s Life Lamps to prove their relationship, while Xun Ding took him to breakfast and a commotion erupted in the capital.

• Gongxi Chou warned Xun Ding to treat Gongxi Lai well and explained that the Gongxi Clan had ways to enforce its marriage rules.
• Xun Ding told Gongxi Chou that Big Brother’s Life Lamp had still been burning a month earlier, despite Gongxi Chou believing he had died two months ago.
• Jimò Qiu revealed that the Soul-Perching Tree Gongxi Chou found belonged to his teacher, Jimò Yu, and that he had been raised by him.
• Jimò Qiu explained that his age and sealed growth could mean he was Gongxi Chou’s older brother rather than his nephew, and suggested checking the Life Lamps to confirm their relationship.
• Xun Ding took Jimò Qiu to a breakfast shop, where a commotion broke out on the capital’s main road.

Jimò Qiu met Xun Ding in Fengluo and watched Shen Tang return to the capital, where he recognized her as someone who had once given him candy. After seeing Shen Tang, the red flower on Jimò Qiu’s staff grew hot and excited, signaling that something connected to it had begun with her.

• Xun Ding fussed over Jimò Qiu at a porridge shop and insisted on treating him as his future brother-in-law.
• Xun Ding took Jimò Qiu to a rooftop to watch Shen Tang’s procession pass through Fengluo.
• Shen Tang noticed Jimò Qiu’s resemblance to Gongxi Chou, while Jimò Qiu recognized her as the kind person who had given him three malt candies years earlier.
• Xun Ding took Jimò Qiu to a candy shop, but Jimò Qiu remained distracted by the procession.
• Jimò Qiu felt the red flower on his staff grow hot and told Xun Ding that it indicated everything had started with Shen Tang.

Xun Ding explained to Jimò Qiu why Gongxi Lai had to transfer her businesses before marrying him, then learned from Xun Zhen that Kang might soon face war with the Northern Desert and Gao Country. At court, Shen Tang received reports about Gao Country that would determine whether she fought one enemy at a time or faced a war on two fronts.

• Xun Ding took Jimò Qiu around Fengluo and explained that Gongxi Lai was arranging to transfer her businesses because laws barred officials’ family members from commerce.
• Xun Ding returned home and learned that Xun Zhen had come back from an inspection with troubling news.
• Xun Zhen told Xun Ding that war with the Northern Desert, and possibly Gao Country, was likely.
• Shen Tang read Wu Xian’s reply with anger, then received Luan Xin and his reports from Gao Country.
• Luan Xin’s reports would help Shen Tang decide whether to attack the Northern Desert first or prepare for war on two fronts.

Shen Tang learned that Wu Xian’s indecision over his heirs had helped cause the theft and destruction of her shipment, while Gao Country’s court remained mired in conflict. She also accepted displaced eunuchs into Kang Country’s inner court and visited Gongxi Lai and Gongxi Chou on the eve of Gongxi Lai’s wedding.

• Luan Xin explained that Wu Xian had grown complacent and was wavering over his Crown Prince, while his sons and courtiers competed for influence.
• Shen Tang learned that Gao Country had intercepted her shipment but lost its provisions and gold and silver amid a struggle involving Wu Xian’s sons, and she angrily blamed Wu Xian.
• Luan Xin told Shen Tang that the Crown Prince appeared to have found a capable adviser, and she later finished her memorials and left the palace to visit friends.
• Ning Yan explained that a displaced eunuch had once helped preserve Xingning’s remains, so Shen Tang accepted him and other vetted eunuchs into Kang Country’s inner court.
• Shen Tang visited Gongxi Lai and Gongxi Chou before Gongxi Lai’s wedding, and Gongxi Chou showed her the ceremonial clothes their parents had worn for their marriage pact.

Shen Tang reunited with Gongxi Chou, who complained about Gongxi Lai’s fiancé and tried to negotiate a commission for fighting Shen Tang’s coming war. Their joking turned serious when Gongxi Chou revealed that Shaobai might actually be his elder brother, Jimò Qiu, and warned Shen Tang not to endanger the Gongxi Clan’s High Priest; the chapter ended as a moonlit figure appeared before Shen Tang.

• Gongxi Chou warned Gongxi Lai about trusting Xun Yong'an, then sent her to try on her wedding dress before Shen Tang joined him for drinks.
• Shen Tang explained that she was selling spirit wine to cover the costs of her government and an approaching war, while Gongxi Chou bargained for a commission that Shen Tang cut to ten percent.
• Gongxi Chou told Shen Tang that Shaobai might be his elder brother, Jimò Qiu, and Shen Tang teased him about mistaking his nephew for his brother.
• Shen Tang asked whether Jimò Qiu could help her as High Priest, and Gongxi Chou warned that the High Priest must not be put in danger.
• After Shen Tang sobered herself while Gongxi Chou got drunk, moonlight formed into a person before her.

Shen Tang escorted the drunken Gongxi Chou back to Gongxi Lai’s residence, where he and Jimò Qiu confirmed they were brothers. On Gongxi Lai’s wedding day, Jimò Qiu activated a formation that made flowers bloom across the royal capital.

• Shen Tang walked Jimò Qiu and the sleeping Gongxi Chou back to Gongxi Lai’s residence and recalled giving Jimò Qiu maltose when he was young.
• Gongxi Chou revealed that his childhood name was A Nian and that his brother’s name should be A Yan, confirming that Jimò Qiu was his biological elder brother.
• Gongxi Lai prepared for her wedding while Yang Ying and the other guests delayed Xun Ding’s wedding party at the estate’s entrance.
• Jimò Qiu activated the Hundred Flowers Blooming formation as Xun Ding finally reached Gongxi Lai, and flowers began blooming across the royal capital.

Xun Ding and Gongxi Lai’s wedding procession dazzled the Capital, and Jimò Qiu sealed their marriage with a binding oath that linked their lives. The chapter left Xun Ding asking what would happen if he died first, while Shen Tang watched Jimò Qiu lie that it would not happen.

• Xun Zhen learned that the flowers and lanterns filling the Capital were a Word Spirit spectacle rather than an omen, then hurried to prepare for Xun Ding and Gongxi Lai’s arrival.
• Gongxi Chou’s elaborate wedding procession reached the Xun residence, scattering pearls and gold as masked performers danced beneath falling flower petals.
• Jimò Qiu and Shen Tang joined the wedding guests, and Jimò Qiu explained that he had once staged similar performances to earn money.
• Jimò Qiu had Xun Ding and Gongxi Lai swear an oath that marked their palms and bound them to loyalty, shared protection, and a life-linked contract.
• Xun Ding asked what would happen if he died before Gongxi Lai, and Shen Tang observed that Jimò Qiu’s reassuring answer was a lie.

At Xun Ding and Gongxi Lai’s wedding, the guests forced Xun Ding and Gongxi Chou into a long drinking contest while Shen Tang intervened in a tense exchange between Gu Chi and Xun Zhen. Qi Shan later told Qi Miao that Supervising Censor Zheng Yu had been killed by a Northern Desert sleeper agent, then returned home to find comfort in his elderly cat Su Shang and her kitten.

• Gongxi Lai stayed beside Xun Ding to toast the wedding guests, who kept inventing excuses to make him drink spirit wine.
• Gongxi Chou challenged Xun Ding to drink until they buried their past grievances, and Xun Ding accepted despite Gongxi Lai’s concern.
• Xun Zhen argued with Gu Chi about the Censorate’s scrutiny and their colleagues’ wedding revelry, while Gu Chi teased him about Bai Su; Shen Tang came over to ask what they were discussing.
• Qi Shan told Qi Miao that Zheng Yu had been killed by a Northern Desert sleeper agent, then warned her that good people did not live long in a world divided by conflict.
• Qi Shan returned home and found comfort in Su Shang, whose declining health worried him; the next morning, she brought a blue-eyed kitten to his bedside.

Qi Shan sent his Literary Qi Incarnation to Court Session while his true self took the elderly Su Shang to the Xinglin Physicians for treatment. At court, Shen Tang rallied Kang’s officials to prepare for war against the Northern Desert and ordered troops to assemble in Kunzhou.

• Qi Shan hurriedly prepared for court, then left his true self at home with Su Shang and sent his Literary Qi Incarnation in his place.
• Qin Li asked why Qi Shan had sent an incarnation, and Qi’s explanation that Su Shang was ill led officials to mistake the cat for a woman hidden in his household.
• Qi Shan’s incarnation explained that his true self had taken Su Shang to the Xinglin Physicians, while Qin Li and the other officials feared the cat might be near the end of its life.
• Shen Tang condemned the Northern Desert for attacking Zheng Yu and harming households in Jinli Commandery, then asked her officials where their courage was.
• Bai Su, Gongshu Wu, Xianyu Jian, and Wei Shou pledged their guards to the campaign, while Qian Yong was repeatedly beaten to the call to arms.
• Shen Tang ordered the Zhechong Mansions to conscript garrison troops and send them to Kunzhou to prepare for war.