Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Suspicion”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After defeating Lin Yuqing, Su Ziji examines the rewards from the battle and realizes that one of the event’s “seeds” represents a severed portion of the Kingdom of Lin’s Heaven’s Mandate. He concludes that Lin Yuqing may have originally carried part of his fallen kingdom’s destiny and might have restored it if Su Ziji had not intervened.
• Su Ziji confirms this suspicion, gaining a major increase in the Coiling Dragon Heart Method and raising his Heaven’s Mandate from six to seven. The method also absorbs Lin Yuqing’s “Revenge Seed,” strengthening his Words of Bewitchment and granting the ability Ten-Li Reach.
• Ten-Li Reach allows Su Ziji to influence people’s minds from up to ten li away, though it can only be used once every ten days. Satisfied, he immediately rides away.
• Observing from a tree, Cen Rubai and Zeng Nianzhen recognize that the battle has ended. They conclude that Lin Yuqing, despite his extraordinary swordsmanship, failed to reach the pinnacle and died without accomplishing his final objective.
• Cen Rubai decides to retrieve Lin Yuqing’s body out of respect for their relationship as host and guest. Zeng Nianzhen warns that authorities may arrive and offers to take him to the nearest town, carrying him away at great speed.
• Meanwhile, Young Marquis Fang arrives at the scene of the attempted assassination in the Capital City. The area is under heavy military lockdown, with yamen runners, soldiers, Imperial Guards, and Imperial City Office personnel examining the carnage.
• Fang enters the tavern and finds Princess Xinping safe but unwilling to leave. She is waiting anxiously for Su Ziji, who rode alone after Lin Yuqing and has not returned.
• At Xinping’s request, Fang dispatches two trusted men and ten elite soldiers to find Su Ziji and bring him back safely.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji: Becomes more powerful after absorbing the seeds connected to Lin Yuqing. His Heaven’s Mandate increases, and his new long-range bewitchment ability expands his strategic options. His reflection on Lin Yuqing also shows a degree of sympathy and melancholy toward the man he defeated.
• Lin Yuqing: His death is framed as tragic and incomplete. Despite years of preparation, exceptional talents, and powerful swordsmanship, he fails to achieve revenge or restore his kingdom.
• Cen Rubai: Demonstrates loyalty and a sense of honor by choosing to recover Lin Yuqing’s body rather than abandon it to the authorities.
• Zeng Nianzhen: Though outwardly apathetic and focused on drinking, he proves dependable by helping Cen Rubai escape before the authorities arrive.
• Princess Xinping: Her concern for Su Ziji reveals growing emotional attachment and guilt. She worries that her actions indirectly caused him to pursue Lin Yuqing and fears for his safety.
• Young Marquis Fang: Shows unusually strong concern for Su Ziji. His immediate decision to send elite men suggests that his relationship with Su Ziji is deeper or more significant than their brief acquaintance would imply.

Significant Themes

• Fate and national destiny: Lin Yuqing’s connection to the Kingdom of Lin’s Heaven’s Mandate suggests that individual struggles are tied to the rise and fall of nations.
• The cost of revenge: Lin Yuqing’s lifelong endurance and final battle ultimately achieve little, emphasizing the destructive and futile nature of revenge.
• Friendship and loyalty: Cen Rubai’s decision to recover Lin Yuqing’s body and Zeng Nianzhen’s assistance show that bonds can persist even amid conflict and tragedy.
• Growing suspicion: Princess Xinping begins questioning why Fang cares so much about Su Ziji, hinting at hidden identities, political ties, or deeper connections.
• Power and consequence: Su Ziji’s newly enhanced abilities reflect his rapid rise, while the large-scale military response shows the political consequences of an assassination attempt against royalty.

Character Interactions

• Su Ziji and Lin Yuqing: Their conflict ends with Lin Yuqing’s death and Su Ziji gaining both power and insight into Lin Yuqing’s hidden connection to his lost kingdom.
• Cen Rubai and Zeng Nianzhen: Their exchange highlights contrasting personalities—Cen’s honor and sentiment against Zeng’s casual, seemingly indifferent attitude—while also revealing their mutual trust.
• Princess Xinping and Young Marquis Fang: Xinping orders Fang to search for Su Ziji, and Fang responds with immediate seriousness. His reaction makes Xinping suspect that he values Su Ziji for reasons beyond ordinary friendship or concern for her.
• Princess Xinping and Su Ziji: Though Su Ziji is absent, Xinping’s anxiety, guilt, and refusal to leave reveal how strongly she has begun to care about him.

Chapter Summary: “Its Blood Darkened Heaven and Earth”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Ziji returns to the ancient tavern from another direction and throws an oilcloth-wrapped package to Princess Xinping, presenting it as an apology gift.
• The package contains the severed, bloodied head of Lin Yuqing. Princess Xinping is horrified, recognizes the head, and faints. Young Marquis Fang catches her and later confirms Lin Yuqing’s identity.
• Su Ziji explains that several powerful families—including the Zhang, Zhao, and Sun Estates, as well as the Duke of Wei’s and Duke An’s residences—joined forces against Lin Yuqing’s faction. Lin Yuqing’s men were massacred, while Lin Yuqing himself escaped toward a riverboat that had been prepared for him. He was ultimately killed there.
• Fang realizes the incident is politically serious because the Kingdom of Lin had smuggled military crossbows near the capital. He resolves to report the matter to the emperor.
• Su Ziji reunites with Ye Buhui, confirms that she is unharmed, and leaves with her. Princess Xinping wakes soon afterward, furious that Su Ziji frightened her, and vows to complain to her mother consort.
• In the imperial palace, an alchemist and Zhao Eunuch supervise a second bloodline examination connected to Su Ziji’s ancestry. The result is delayed, apparently because the storm and changing heavenly conditions interfere with the test.
• The jade dish eventually reveals the image of a wounded dragon. The alchemist interprets it as the omen of “a dragon battling in the wild, its blood darkening heaven and earth,” confirming Su Ziji’s imperial bloodline.
• The storm clears, sunlight breaks through, and a rainbow appears. Zhao Eunuch regards the scene as a favorable omen but remains cautious, personally ensuring that the jade dish is not tampered with as they carry the result to the emperor.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji demonstrates both ruthlessness and a deliberately provocative sense of humor by giving Princess Xinping Lin Yuqing’s head as an “apology.” His actions also establish him as a dangerous and capable political player.
• Princess Xinping is shown to be proud and quick-tempered but also easily shaken by the gruesome sight. Her anger at Su Ziji deepens after he leaves without apologizing properly.
• Young Marquis Fang Zhen reacts with more composure than Princess Xinping. He recognizes Lin Yuqing as a former friend and feels sorrow, while also understanding the larger diplomatic implications of the conflict.
• Ye Buhui appears concerned about the distress Su Ziji caused Princess Xinping, but her main role in the chapter is as Su Ziji’s safe and cherished companion.
• Zhao Eunuch reveals a personal hope that Su Ziji truly descends from the former Crown Prince. Although cautious and politically responsible, he is relieved when the test confirms the imperial lineage.
• The alchemist is characterized as mysterious, intimidating, and highly knowledgeable about supernatural signs and the effects of heavenly changes.

Significant Themes

• Political violence and succession struggles: The killing of Lin Yuqing reflects the brutal conflict surrounding the imperial succession and the competing interests of powerful families.
• Imperial legitimacy: The bloodline test provides supernatural confirmation of Su Ziji’s connection to the former Crown Prince, strengthening his political position.
• Heavenly omens and destiny: The wounded dragon, clearing storm, sunlight, and rainbow suggest that heaven recognizes Su Ziji’s imperial heritage, though his path will involve bloodshed and struggle.
• Public authority versus hidden manipulation: The officials carefully supervise the examination because even a tiny suspicion of fraud could affect the empire’s future.
• The cost of power: Lin Yuqing’s death and the image of the wounded dragon emphasize that claims to authority are secured through conflict, sacrifice, and violence.

Character Interactions

• Su Ziji deliberately frightens Princess Xinping, while Fang Zhen acts as her protector and later questions Su Ziji about Lin Yuqing’s death.
• Fang and Su Ziji discuss the massacre and the diplomatic danger posed by the smuggled military crossbows.
• Su Ziji checks on Ye Buhui after the violence, and the two leave together, highlighting their close relationship.
• Zhao Eunuch and the alchemist maintain a cautious professional distance while jointly supervising the bloodline test, each watching for possible interference from the other.

Chapter 383 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Heavenly Thunder tribulation at Coiling Dragon Lake ends, leaving the surviving demon soldiers, the little dragon, and the foxes of Green Hill severely exhausted and injured.
• The little dragon appears badly wounded, with many scales lost and blood covering its body, but its vital essence remains unharmed. It needs only rest to recover.
• Green Hill suffers significant losses. Two young foxes die, while the surviving young foxes lose the spiritual energy they had painstakingly gathered for future cultivation. The adult foxes are also seriously injured after shielding the weaker members.
• Big Fox interprets the tribulation as both punishment and an opportunity caused by a change in the Heavenly Secret. He believes it signals the appearance of a fated benefactor connected to the fox clan.
• Ai Ying, the least injured fox, is ordered to leave Green Hill and find the girl previously mentioned, investigating whether she has already located the clan’s destined benefactor.
• In the Imperial Palace, Eunuch Zhao learns that a murder has been committed openly in the capital. He orders Fang Zhen to ensure the perpetrators are captured but avoids directly involving himself in the matter because Lin Yuqing’s connection could expose sensitive political affairs.
• Eunuch Zhao then brings the jade plate and its accompanying alchemist to the Imperial Study.
• The Emperor questions an official from Eternal Peace Palace about the Empress’s health, appetite, sleeping habits, incense, and tea. His concern reveals that his relationship with the Empress is gradually improving.
• The Emperor examines Su Ziji’s Court Examination essay. He notices that Su’s handwriting is more hurried and less elegant than before, suggesting emotional unrest, but judges the essay itself to be outstanding.
• The Emperor asks the chief examiner for his opinion, receives praise for the essay’s “spirit and resonance,” and comments only that the handwriting is regrettably imperfect. He dismisses the examiner without announcing the final result.

Character Developments

• Big Fox: Demonstrates leadership and resilience after the tribulation. Rather than dwelling solely on the clan’s losses, he interprets the disaster as a possible turning point and acts quickly to investigate the omen.
• Ai Ying: Is entrusted with an important mission, indicating that she is capable, relatively healthy, and trusted to represent Green Hill outside its territory.
• The little dragon: Survives the tribulation despite its horrific appearance. Its injuries are physical rather than fundamental, confirming its continued strength and importance.
• Eunuch Zhao: Shows political caution and competence. He responds to the murder but deliberately pushes the investigation back onto the proper authorities to avoid exposing deeper connections involving Lin Yuqing.
• The Emperor: Reveals a softer, more attentive side when discussing the Empress, while remaining controlled and unreadable with officials. His reaction to Su Ziji’s essay suggests he can distinguish between literary quality and personal displeasure.
• Su Ziji: His altered handwriting hints at emotional disturbance or inner pressure, though his intellectual ability remains exceptional.

Significant Themes

• Disaster as opportunity: The Heavenly Tribulation brings death and suffering but may also announce a destined alliance or transformation for Green Hill.
• Sacrifice and communal survival: The adult foxes protect the young at great personal cost, emphasizing duty toward the vulnerable.
• Political concealment and danger: Eunuch Zhao’s hesitation over Lin Yuqing shows how a seemingly ordinary crime may connect to larger political secrets.
• Public judgment versus private emotion: The Emperor evaluates Su Ziji’s essay objectively despite his personal reaction to the author’s earlier work.
• Renewed relationships: The Emperor’s detailed concern for the Empress’s health reflects a gradual thawing of their relationship.
• Signs and fate: The rainbow, Heavenly Thunder, jade plate, and fox clan’s interpretation all reinforce the chapter’s focus on omens and hidden connections.

Character Interactions

• Big Fox and the Green Hill foxes: He acknowledges their losses, consoles them, and assigns Ai Ying the mission to locate the fated benefactor.
• Eunuch Zhao and the junior eunuch: The junior eunuch reports the capital murder, while Eunuch Zhao gives cautious instructions and limits his own involvement.
• Eunuch Zhao and the alchemist: The alchemist’s curious glance contributes to Eunuch Zhao’s decision to avoid discussing the sensitive murder investigation further.
• The Emperor and the Empress’s female official: The Emperor patiently questions her about the Empress, revealing personal concern and affection.
• The Emperor and the grand scholar: Their exchange centers on Su Ziji’s essay. The scholar offers restrained praise, while the Emperor provides a measured assessment before dismissing him.
• The Emperor and Su Ziji: Though Su Ziji is absent, the Emperor’s close reading of his handwriting and essay shows an ongoing intellectual and emotional interest in him.

Chapter Summary: “Top Scorer”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Emperor receives the alchemist’s report and jade plate confirming that Su Ziji unquestionably possesses the Former Crown Prince’s bloodline. The test’s image shows a small dragon injured amid thunder and lightning, easing one of the Emperor’s suspicions while raising others.
• The Emperor orders the alchemist to record the bloodline test in the secret archives.
• He learns that Su Ziji’s wife was attacked while traveling to a chess match, and that Princess Xinping was frightened during the incident. Eunuch Zhao confirms the attack and says an investigation is underway.
• Reviewing Su Ziji’s Court Examination essay, the Emperor recognizes its exceptional literary quality and declares that no other candidate can surpass it. He personally appoints Su Ziji as the cohort’s Top Scorer.
• While attempting to mark the paper with the character “Ji,” the Emperor experiences a sudden feeling of disgust and instead writes “A,” signaling the highest rank. His reaction suggests unresolved hostility or discomfort toward Su Ziji.
• The Emperor sends the examination paper to the Empress through a female official.
• At Eternal Peace Palace, the Empress learns that Su Ziji has become Top Scorer, but she is disappointed that the Emperor has granted him no noble title.
• She interprets this omission as proof that the Emperor’s earlier promises and apparent regret were insincere.
• The Emperor then arrives at Eternal Peace Palace with several attendants. Despite their long-standing estrangement, the Empress prepares to receive him according to court etiquette.

Character Developments

• The Emperor: Becomes increasingly suspicious and conflicted about Su Ziji. He acknowledges Su Ziji’s remarkable talent and rewards him publicly, yet his physical revulsion and hesitation reveal lingering resentment, fear, or guilt connected to Su Ziji’s bloodline and identity.
• Su Ziji: Though absent from the chapter, he rises decisively in status by becoming the Top Scorer of the Court Examination. His essay establishes him as an extraordinary scholar, while his bloodline is officially confirmed and secretly archived.
• The Empress: Her initial interest in Su Ziji appears tied to hopes that the Emperor would recognize or elevate him. His appointment as Top Scorer does not satisfy her; she wants a title and sees the Emperor’s refusal as another personal betrayal. Her bitterness and disillusionment become more pronounced.
• Eunuch Zhao: Acts as the Emperor’s trusted aide, relaying information, assisting with palace procedures, and observing the Emperor’s unstable emotions.
• The female official and Zhaoxia: Both show concern for the Empress’s fragile emotional and physical condition. The female official expects the news about Su Ziji to please her, while Zhaoxia warns her to speak carefully.

Significant Themes

• Power and recognition: Su Ziji’s talent earns him the highest academic honor, but official recognition remains limited by political considerations surrounding his bloodline.
• Bloodline and legitimacy: The secret confirmation of Su Ziji’s ancestry suggests that his origins may have major political consequences.
• Appearance versus reality: The palace maintains formal courtesy despite deep resentment between the Emperor and Empress. Public honors and ceremonial behavior conceal private anger and mistrust.
• Betrayal and disillusionment: The Empress feels deceived by the Emperor’s apparent change of heart and realizes that his actions have not matched her hopes.
• Control and suspicion: The Emperor rewards Su Ziji while simultaneously scrutinizing him, showing how political authority can turn achievement into another source of suspicion.

Character Interactions

• The Emperor questions the alchemist about Su Ziji’s bloodline test and orders the result hidden in the secret files.
• He discusses the attack on Su Ziji’s wife with Eunuch Zhao, revealing concern about the incident and its possible implications.
• The Emperor evaluates Su Ziji’s essay and indirectly communicates his decision through the character he writes on the paper.
• The female official delivers the paper to the Empress, expecting her to be pleased, but the Empress reacts with anger over the lack of a title.
• The Emperor’s arrival forces the Empress to resume the outwardly respectful relationship expected of them, despite her renewed resentment and emotional exhaustion.

Chapter Summary: “Lowering Her Head with a Smile”

Key plot points and events

• The Emperor visits the Empress during a light spring rain, bringing her several varieties of newly presented tea because he knows she enjoys it.
• Although the Empress greets him politely, her flawless smile and silence reveal that she is upset. Once they are alone, she confronts him for granting Su Ziji—Fu’er’s son and the Emperor’s grandson—only the title of Top Scorer instead of a higher imperial status.
• The Emperor explains that Su Ziji has already been entered into the imperial register but is too young to be confined to palace life or given excessive prominence. Because imperial identities attract political factions and ministerial manipulation, he plans to send Su Ziji to Shunan Prefecture to gain experience.
• He promises that after Su Ziji returns, he will grant him an official status, both rewarding his accomplishments and silencing political critics. The Empress accepts his reasoning and apologizes for misjudging him.
• The conversation becomes nostalgic as they recall their younger years, including the Emperor’s poetry, the Empress grinding ink beside him, and the same low table where he once composed Spring Scenery of Shanglin.
• As the Emperor leaves, he recalls a moment twenty years earlier when the Empress waited for him and greeted him by lowering her head with a smile. The memory emphasizes how much time has passed and how their relationship has changed.
• After his departure, the Empress’s polite smile disappears. She rejects the new teas and returns to her aged tea, then retreats into solitary memories.
• Her reminiscence is interrupted when Zhaoxia reports that Princess Xinping has been attacked and rendered unconscious by an assassination attempt outside the palace.

Character developments

• The Empress: Initially controlled and outwardly respectful, she reveals deep disappointment and maternal concern for Su Ziji. After understanding the Emperor’s political strategy, she reconciles with him outwardly, but her later return to an expressionless face shows that her smile was partly a mask. Her memories also reveal her nostalgia, emotional weariness, and lingering attachment to the past.
• The Emperor: He presents himself as affectionate and attentive, bringing tea and personally comforting the Empress. He is politically cautious, balancing family interests against the dangers of giving an imperial descendant too much influence too soon. His nostalgic reflections reveal regret and awareness of aging.
• Su Ziji: Though absent, he becomes central to the discussion. His entry into the imperial family and planned assignment to Shunan mark the beginning of his political and personal development.
• Princess Xinping: Her attempted assassination introduces an urgent new crisis and suggests that danger is spreading around the imperial family.
• The Empress and Emperor’s relationship: Their interaction shifts from restrained tension to reconciliation and shared nostalgia, but the Empress’s private reaction suggests unresolved emotional distance beneath their courteous intimacy.

Significant themes

• Public appearances versus private feelings: The Empress’s perfect smile conceals anger and sadness, while the Emperor’s formal imperial identity gives way to the more intimate language of a husband speaking to his wife.
• Duty versus personal desire: The Emperor cannot simply favor his grandson; he must consider political factions, ministerial reactions, and the responsibilities attached to imperial status.
• The burdens of imperial identity: Su Ziji’s royal lineage offers privilege but also attracts scrutiny, manipulation, and restrictions.
• Time, memory, and aging: The couple’s recollection of their youth contrasts with their present weariness, suggesting that past affection survives mainly through memory.
• Emotional isolation: Despite their moment of warmth, the Empress is left alone in the desolate hall, where her composed public persona falls away.
• Political danger: The assassination attempt against Princess Xinping foreshadows increasing threats to the imperial household.

Important character interactions

• The Emperor reassures and comforts the Empress, physically helping her rise, wiping away her tear, and explaining his plans for Su Ziji.
• The Empress challenges the Emperor’s decision but ultimately accepts his reasoning and apologizes.
• Their shared recollections of youth briefly restore intimacy and warmth between them.
• Zhaoxia breaks the Empress’s nostalgic solitude with news of Princess Xinping’s assassination attempt, abruptly shifting the chapter from quiet reminiscence to impending crisis.

Chapter Summary — “Better Not”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A princess is attacked in the capital, a rare and politically serious incident. The investigation links the event to the escape of Lin Yuqing, a hostage from the Kingdom of Lin.
• The Empress orders Yu Han to investigate Lin Yuqing’s whereabouts and arrange his interception and death if necessary.
• Concerned about Princess Xinping’s growing closeness to Su Ziji, the Empress also instructs Yu Han to monitor their relationship. She hopes to prevent any scandal that could damage Su Ziji, especially since the Emperor has not yet granted him recognized status.
• In Fragrance Palace, Consort Wu reprimands Xinping for leaving the palace despite warnings. Xinping insists that she was not frightened unconscious by the assassins, but by Su Ziji, who threw a severed head in front of her.
• Consort Wu offers to punish Su Ziji by stripping him of his academic honors. Xinping initially considers it but ultimately refuses, realizing that doing so might alienate Fang Zhen, whose attitude toward Su Ziji suggests the young man is important.
• Xinping instead asks Consort Wu to investigate Su Ziji’s background. Consort Wu agrees and orders his records brought to her.
• Xinping promises to remain in the palace or her residence while the capital is unstable. Consort Wu’s review of Su Ziji’s records makes her recognize his extraordinary talent and begin considering the complications created by his existing marriage.

Character Developments

• The Empress reveals her continued hatred of anyone connected to Fu’er’s death and shows that she suspects Su Ziji is seeking revenge for Fu’er’s household. Her protectiveness toward Su Ziji makes her willing to manipulate Xinping’s reputation and monitor their relationship.
• Yu Han continues to gain the Empress’s trust and authority, becoming one of her principal agents in handling sensitive matters.
• Princess Xinping remains impulsive and dramatic but demonstrates growing political awareness. Though she wants revenge against Su Ziji, she restrains herself when she realizes punishing him could damage her relationship with Fang Zhen. Her curiosity about Su Ziji deepens into a desire to investigate him.
• Consort Wu shifts from treating Su Ziji as a convenient distraction for Xinping to recognizing him as a highly capable and potentially valuable figure. His marriage creates a new obstacle to her hopes concerning her daughter.

Significant Themes

• Political surveillance and manipulation: The imperial women use investigations, reputation, and social relationships as tools of power.
• Revenge and hidden motives: Su Ziji’s actions are connected to the unresolved tragedy of Fu’er’s family, while Lin Yuqing’s escape suggests a wider political conspiracy.
• The danger of reputation: A scandal involving Xinping could harm Su Ziji, while Xinping’s complaint could potentially destroy his academic standing.
• Growing political maturity: Xinping begins to distinguish between personal anger and consequences, choosing not to act rashly.
• Marriage and social constraints: Su Ziji’s existing marriage complicates Consort Wu’s hopes and limits the ways Xinping’s attachment might develop.

Important Character Interactions

• The Empress and Yu Han: She gives him orders concerning Lin Yuqing and Su Ziji, demonstrating her confidence in his loyalty and ability.
• Consort Wu and Xinping: Their exchange mixes maternal reprimand, comfort, and political calculation. Consort Wu offers punishment, while Xinping unexpectedly refuses.
• Xinping and Su Ziji: Although they are not directly together in the chapter, their encounter with the severed head leaves Xinping frightened, furious, and increasingly preoccupied with him.
• Consort Wu and Su Ziji: Through his records, Consort Wu reassesses him as an exceptional young talent whose marriage may complicate her daughter’s attachment.

Chapter Summary: Jiawu’s Carefree Life

Key Plot Points and Events

• Consort Wu learns that Su Ziji, newly named the emperor’s Top Scorer, is married to a plain countrywoman who may still be a virgin. The princess is deeply interested in Su Ziji, so the nanny suggests annulling or bypassing the marriage and arranging a more suitable remarriage for his wife.
• Consort Wu is receptive but cautious, insisting that the matter be investigated before any action is taken.
• Zhou Yao secretly returns to the Zhou Residence after witnessing the day’s violent duel. Her enhanced hearing and mysterious new abilities continue to develop.
• The household discusses Su Ziji’s exceptional achievement as the seventeen-year-old Top Scorer. Zhou Yao is visibly affected by the news, recalling his remarkable swordsmanship.
• The mysterious woman inhabiting Zhou Yao’s mind teases her about possibly falling for Su Ziji. Zhou Yao admits she is uncertain, though her emotions remain tied to Shao Sen, someone she has lost.
• Zhou Yao plays the zither, expressing her grief and unresolved attachment through music. She nearly cries as memories of Shao Sen overwhelm her.
• The mysterious woman comforts her, praises her rapidly improving Zither Art, and teaches her a piece titled “Jiawu’s Carefree Life,” symbolizing an ideal age of peace and prosperity.
• The music evokes reflections on whether a truly lasting golden age or perfectly wise ruler can exist.
• A mysterious fox-like figure suddenly crosses the rooftop, interrupting the music and hinting at another unusual presence or development.

Character Developments

• Consort Wu reveals herself as politically calculating but protective of Princess Xinping. She is willing to manipulate Su Ziji’s marriage for her daughter’s sake, yet she remains careful enough to demand an investigation.
• The nanny attempts to redeem her earlier cowardice during the assassination attempt by flattering Consort Wu and encouraging the removal of Su Ziji’s wife.
• Zhou Yao is emotionally conflicted. She is intrigued by Su Ziji but still mourns Shao Sen and cannot yet determine whether she is ready to move on. Her heightened senses and musical talent continue to grow.
• The mysterious female voice acts as both mentor and confidante. She teasingly probes Zhou Yao’s feelings, consoles her grief, recognizes her genuine musical talent, and guides her toward emotional healing.
• Su Ziji, though absent from the chapter, gains importance through his success as the youngest Top Scorer and through the admiration of both the court and Zhou Yao.
• Shao Sen remains a painful memory for Zhou Yao; his name has become taboo in the Zhou household, emphasizing his absence and her unresolved sorrow.

Significant Themes

• Love, grief, and moving on: Zhou Yao’s music reveals that she cannot yet forget Shao Sen, even as a possible new attraction toward Su Ziji emerges.
• Political marriage and social hierarchy: Consort Wu’s discussion treats marriage as something that can be rearranged for status, power, and royal convenience.
• Talent versus age and birth: Su Ziji’s success demonstrates that extraordinary ability can overcome youth and social expectations, while the treatment of his wife exposes the importance placed on class and appearance.
• Music as emotional expression: Zhou Yao’s zither playing communicates feelings she cannot openly confess. Her sincere emotions directly strengthen her musical ability.
• The ideal versus reality: “Jiawu’s Carefree Life” evokes a peaceful golden age, while Zhou Yao questions whether such perfection can truly exist.
• Mystery and hidden forces: Zhou Yao’s supernatural connection, enhanced abilities, the earlier duel, and the strange fox-like figure suggest deeper secrets unfolding around her.

Character Interactions

• Consort Wu and the nanny discuss Su Ziji’s marriage and the possibility of replacing his current wife with Princess Xinping.
• Zhou Yao questions the maids about the announcement of Su Ziji’s success, revealing her personal interest.
• The mysterious voice playfully challenges Zhou Yao about her feelings for Su Ziji, while Zhou Yao responds with uncertainty and grief.
• The voice later shifts from teasing to comfort, praising Zhou Yao’s musical growth and teaching her a new composition.
• Their intimate mental dialogue shows a developing relationship of trust, guidance, and emotional dependence.

Chapter Summary: “Can Only Make Fox Noises”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A white-furred Qingqiu fox, later revealed to be Zhang, flees through the Capital City after encountering a terrifying Great Demon hidden within the Zhou Residence. Zhang suspects the demon may be connected to powerful human officials.
• While traveling through the city, Zhang overhears various secrets and notices that the city’s oppressive aura is weaker around Peach Blossom Alley. She follows the secret scent marking the area as Qingqiu fox territory and locates Little Fox’s residence.
• Zhang infiltrates the flower hall, but upon entering the courtyard discovers that she can no longer speak human language and is limited to ordinary fox noises.
• Inside, Su Ziji and Fang Zhen discuss the aftermath of Lin Yuqing’s death. Fang Zhen reports that the massacre’s corpses shocked even the soldiers sent to inspect them.
• Fang Zhen offers Su Ziji the land and property deeds to Xingyue Restaurant, one of Lin Yuqing’s confiscated businesses. Su Ziji initially refuses, believing he has not earned it, but accepts after Fang Zhen explains that it is only a small portion of the seized assets.
• Fang Zhen departs, privately worrying about the dangers surrounding Lin Yuqing’s hidden wealth and the possibility that someone is secretly absorbing his remaining network.
• Su Ziji examines the deeds and recognizes that the restaurant is a valuable property, with a good location, multiple courtyards, and numerous guest rooms.

Character Developments

• Zhang: Demonstrates caution, curiosity, and fear after encountering the Great Demon. Though suspicious of Little Fox’s decision to claim territory in the Capital, she risks entering the area to find her. Her inability to speak human language inside the residence leaves her vulnerable and highlights the supernatural restrictions surrounding Little Fox.
• Su Ziji: Shows humility and reluctance to profit from Lin Yuqing’s downfall, initially refusing the restaurant. However, he accepts when Fang Zhen frames it as a reasonable share. His growing influence is evident: Fang Zhen regards him as a potentially formidable future figure, possibly stronger than several princes.
• Fang Zhen: Acts diplomatically and cautiously. He gives Su Ziji the restaurant partly to avoid creating resentment or a dangerous political enemy. His anxiety about the Imperial punishment that could follow further mistakes reveals the pressure he faces.
• Lu Fengyun: Continues serving Su Ziji efficiently, handling the property documents and assisting with administrative matters.
• Little Fox: Though absent from the direct conversation, her growing confidence is emphasized by the fact that she treats a residence in the Capital as her own territory despite the dangers.

Significant Themes

• Hidden power and danger: The Capital is portrayed as filled with concealed demons, political conspiracies, and powerful factions. Even apparently ordinary residences may hide terrifying beings.
• Political caution and alliance-building: Fang Zhen’s gift is less an act of generosity than a calculated effort to maintain good relations with Su Ziji.
• The consequences of Lin Yuqing’s downfall: His death has triggered a struggle over his properties and influence, with officials and hidden forces competing to seize what remains.
• Human and supernatural worlds overlapping: Zhang’s movements through the Capital reveal a city where demons, fox spirits, officials, and ordinary people coexist under layers of secrecy.
• Growing status and ambition: Su Ziji’s increasing foundation and potential make him someone powerful figures must carefully cultivate rather than oppose.

Character Interactions

• Zhang and the Great Demon: Their brief encounter terrifies Zhang and confirms that immense supernatural forces are concealed within elite human households.
• Zhang and Little Fox: Zhang is concerned by Little Fox’s apparent boldness in claiming territory in the Capital, viewing her as talented but inexperienced.
• Su Ziji and Fang Zhen: Their chess game and discussion combine cordiality with political calculation. Fang Zhen offers the restaurant to secure Su Ziji’s goodwill, while Su Ziji’s acceptance reassures him that no resentment has formed.
• Su Ziji and Lu Fengyun: Su Ziji relies on Lu Fengyun to manage the property documents, showing the practical structure developing around his household.

Chapter Summary: “Golden Olive”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Ziji gives Lu Fengyun control of the newly acquired restaurant. He instructs him to:
  • Recruit trustworthy staff and skilled chefs.
  • Reopen the restaurant within ten days.
  • Send thirty percent of the monthly profits to Ye Buhui for her own arrangements.
  • Reinvest the remaining profits into the business, while reporting only major investments.
• Lu Fengyun accepts confidently, impressed by Su Ziji’s growing fortune and apparent rise in status. He privately believes that Su Ziji’s transformation may be connected to personally killing Lin Yuqing.
• After everyone leaves, Su Ziji and Ye Buhui spend time alone. Su reflects on the difference between Lu Fengyun’s conditional loyalty and Ye Buhui’s longstanding support, recognizing her as true family and someone he is determined to protect.
• Su comforts Ye Buhui over missing the chess tournament, reminding her that another will be held next year and encouraging her to spend time with Princess Xinping and Zhou Yao.
• Little Fox interrupts their private moment by forcing herself between them. Ye Buhui interprets the fox’s behavior as fear caused by the morning’s thunderstorm and suggests allowing her to sleep with them.
• That night, Fox secretly enters the bedroom after sensing a powerful aura. She discovers a hidden space filled with glowing Golden Olives, each radiating extraordinary spiritual energy.
• Fox realizes that Little Fox has been pretending to seek comfort from the married couple only to gain access to the olives. She angrily—but eagerly—joins Little Fox in eating them.
• Fox determines that one Golden Olive is more valuable than a single spiritual-energy infusion from Green Hill Blessed Land, making the olives an exceedingly precious cultivation resource.
• The olives begin disappearing, prompting both foxes to eat as quickly as possible. Fox manages to consume only three before the supply vanishes, leaving her devastated.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji: Demonstrates increasing wealth, authority, and strategic competence. Despite his growing power, he remains wary of advisers whose loyalty depends on his continued success. His feelings for Ye Buhui deepen into a quiet, familial trust.
• Lu Fengyun: Becomes more devoted and ambitious as Su Ziji’s adviser. He is eager to prove himself by reopening the restaurant quickly and successfully.
• Ye Buhui: Remains Su Ziji’s emotional refuge and trusted companion. She is gentle and understanding, particularly toward Little Fox, and helps ease Su’s concerns about her disappointment.
• Little Fox: Reveals her clever, opportunistic nature. Her apparent fear and desire for affection are largely a ruse to gain access to the Golden Olives.
• Fox: Initially judgmental of Little Fox’s shameless behavior, but immediately abandons her principles once she discovers the olives. Her greed and panic emphasize the extraordinary value of the resource.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and trust: The chapter contrasts loyalty based on admiration or self-interest with the deeper, unconditional support associated with family.
• Power and transformation: Su Ziji’s rising fortune and changing physiognomy suggest that his recent actions and achievements are altering his destiny and status.
• Material wealth versus spiritual wealth: The restaurant represents financial growth, while the Golden Olives represent an even rarer form of spiritual and cultivation power.
• Domestic intimacy and comic relief: Su Ziji and Ye Buhui’s quiet relationship is balanced by the foxes’ mischievous and absurd behavior.
• Opportunity and greed: Fox’s frantic consumption of the olives shows how quickly rational restraint disappears when a rare opportunity appears.

Character Interactions

• Su Ziji and Lu Fengyun interact as master and adviser, with Su delegating authority and Lu eagerly accepting responsibility.
• Su Ziji and Ye Buhui share a tender, trusting exchange that highlights their relationship as both romantic and familial.
• Little Fox humorously disrupts their intimacy by inserting herself between them.
• Ye Buhui treats Little Fox affectionately, while Su Ziji tolerates the fox’s presence for her sake.
• Fox observes Little Fox from outside, judges her behavior, then joins her in devouring the Golden Olives once their value becomes clear.

Key plot points and events

• Little Fox meets another fox in the courtyard. They discuss the Golden Olives, whose spiritual energy may be valuable to their clan, and whether Su Ziji is the benefactor the clan has been waiting for.
• Little Fox explains why it has not returned to Green Hill: it was hunted, brought to the capital, and later captured by a powerful Water Demon seeking Emperor Shizu’s treasure. The other fox agrees that staying in the capital—and hidden at Su’s residence—is probably safest.
• Little Fox suggests that receiving the Golden Olives may carry an obligation. The other fox realizes Little Fox has been eating them alone, and the two tumble into a playful fight.
• Meanwhile, Su Ziji dreams of the Dragon Palace. A rainbow-like force draws him and the Golden Seal toward the sky; a white-scaled Young Dragon rises with them. In the clouds, shrine-like visions appear, and Su hears prayers from people seeking protection, health, safe childbirth, and good harvests.
• A traveling official, Qi Hongxin, and his family take shelter in a countryside shrine during heavy rain. His son complains that Qi has never been promoted despite years of service. Qi reprimands him, while his wife defends Qi’s honest work and urges their son to respect his father and control his resentment.
• After praying before the shrine’s statue, Qi’s wife witnesses it glow and hears indistinct prayers. The brief supernatural display astonishes the family and unsettles even the usually composed Qi.

Character developments and interactions

• Little Fox is cautious and increasingly aware that its unusual access to spiritual power may create duties toward its clan. Its exchange with the visiting fox mixes practical concern with comic jealousy.
• The visiting fox is initially angry that Little Fox has not reported its discovery, but softens after hearing about the Water Demon and the dangers in the capital.
• Su Ziji is drawn into a deeper connection with the Dragon Palace and the Golden Seal. The prayers he hears expose him to the hopes and hardships of ordinary people.
• Qi Hongxin remains modest and dutiful despite stalled advancement. He suppresses his disappointment and insists that serving the people matters more than promotion.
• Qi Hongxin’s wife supports her husband and teaches their son to value his character and service rather than status. The son’s frustration gives way to an admission of fault.

Significant themes

• Duty and reciprocity: Little Fox wonders what the clan may owe in return for the Golden Olives.
• Power and responsibility: Su’s experience of human prayers suggests that spiritual authority is closely tied to people’s needs.
• Faith and divine signs: The shrine’s glow turns private prayer into an apparent supernatural response.
• Integrity versus ambition: Qi’s family weighs advancement against honest public service, with Qi and his wife emphasizing duty over rank.

Key plot points

• Zhou Yao awakens in a strange, star-filled void and witnesses bursts of light forming a vast golden dragon. She hears what seems to be two dragons calling together, though only one is visible at first.
• The mysterious presence within her reacts strongly, declaring that the Demon Order has appeared and that demons throughout the land may soon sense it. It is shocked that a princess might inherit the Dragon Lord’s authority, then stops itself before revealing more.
• The dragon phantom fades; Zhou Yao glimpses two dragons separating and flying away together. She begins to fall and the vision ends without explaining what it means.
• At Prince Qi’s residence, the prince is already troubled by political uncertainty and the unexplained destruction of Lin Yuqing’s covert network. He knows he is not responsible and does not know whether Prince Shu is involved.
• A trusted aide, Mr. Chu, arrives urgently and is struck in the head by Prince Qi’s jade pillow when the prince wakes in a rage. Once Prince Qi calms down, he orders the night attendants beaten and tells Mr. Chu to deliver his news. The excerpt ends before the report is revealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Yao is bewildered but inquisitive: she questions the mysterious presence about the dragon and the Demon Order. It refuses to explain, keeping her in the dark about the significance of the vision.
• The mysterious presence displays an intense mix of awe, hope, fear, and anger. Its outburst suggests a personal stake in the Dragon Lord’s authority, though it conceals its own ambitions.
• Prince Qi is shown as volatile and dangerous, with a history of lethal cruelty toward those under his power. His aide’s careful silence and deference reveal how thoroughly his household fears him.
• Mr. Chu remains composed and loyal despite being injured, adapting his response to avoid worsening Prince Qi’s anger.

Significant themes

• Omen and hidden power: The dragon vision and Demon Order hint at supernatural forces entering the political world.
• Secrecy and uncertainty: Zhou Yao receives no explanation, while Prince Qi cannot identify the force attacking the covert network.
• Power and fear: Prince Qi’s authority is maintained through violence, and the succession struggle leaves even princes vulnerable.
• Foreshadowing: The possible two dragons and the question of who may inherit the Dragon Lord’s authority suggest a larger conflict still to come.

Chapter Summary: “Encountering a Dragon (2)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mr. Chu informs Prince Qi that Dragon Lord Su has awakened and that the young dragon of Coiling Dragon Lake has begun receiving the authority and recognition associated with the ancient Dragon Lord.
• This authority is currently less than one-tenth of its former strength, but it may allow Su Ziji to influence wind, rain, drought, and flood, potentially affecting the agricultural foundation of the Great Wei court.
• Prince Qi is shocked because neither the imperial court nor most of the Demon Race has supported Su Ziji. The young dragon has remained inside the Water Palace and has not been officially enfeoffed, worshipped, or aided by human forces, making its sudden recognition by Heaven inexplicable.
• Alchemist Mr. Shen arrives and explains that the original plan to eliminate the young dragon must be carried out immediately. Once Su Ziji has awakened as Dragon Lord, killing it will be much more difficult.
• Shen advises Prince Qi to go personally to Coiling Dragon Lake. Doing so may allow him not only to destroy Su Ziji but also to seize the Heavenly Favor attached to the emerging Dragon Lord.
• Tempted by this opportunity, Prince Qi decides to ask the Emperor for permission to leave the capital.
• In the Imperial Palace, another alchemist refines a Fujiwara Pill, a medicine made with Demon Cores that replenishes qi and benefits mortals, especially children. He explains that such discoveries have elevated alchemists from obscure practitioners to respected imperial figures.
• During the explanation, the pearl held in the mouth of a jade dragon statue suddenly falls out, despite being carved from the same piece of jade. The alchemist recognizes the statue as a representation of the former Dragon Lord and begins divining the meaning of this ominous event.

Character Developments

• Prince Qi becomes increasingly alarmed and frustrated. His confidence in controlling the situation is shaken by Su Ziji’s unexpected rise, but his ambition over Heavenly Favor ultimately outweighs his caution.
• Mr. Chu remains a cautious adviser, understanding Prince Qi’s volatile temper and avoiding interruption while he is agitated.
• Mr. Shen emerges as a strategic and opportunistic adviser. Rather than viewing Su Ziji’s awakening only as a threat, he presents it as a chance for Prince Qi to gain enormous power.
• The Imperial Palace alchemist is shown to be knowledgeable, ambitious, and aware of the significance of supernatural omens. Though stern and intimidating, he displays a gentler side toward his two adopted disciples.
• Su Ziji does not appear directly, but his status changes dramatically: he is no longer merely a mysterious young dragon but a potential successor to the ancient Dragon Lord.

Significant Themes

• Heavenly mandate and political power: The authority of the Dragon Lord can directly affect agriculture and national stability, making supernatural recognition inseparable from imperial rule.
• Ambition and opportunism: Prince Qi views the danger surrounding Su Ziji as a possible route to obtaining greater Heavenly Favor and political power.
• The unpredictability of fate: Su Ziji’s rise occurs despite lacking official support, allies, or visible action, suggesting that destiny may operate beyond human planning.
• Omens and supernatural legitimacy: The falling pearl from the jade dragon statue signals that the Dragon Lord’s awakening may be affecting the wider spiritual and political order.
• Knowledge and institutional power: Alchemy is presented as a developing discipline whose practical results allow its practitioners to gain influence within the imperial court.

Character Interactions

• Prince Qi and Mr. Chu: Chu delivers the alarming news and explains its implications, while Qi reacts with disbelief, anger, and repeated questioning.
• Prince Qi and Mr. Shen: Shen gives Qi a direct strategic recommendation: act immediately and personally confront Su Ziji. His suggestion transforms Qi’s fear into ambition.
• The alchemist and his disciples: The master instructs the two young disciples about the Fujiwara Pill and the growing importance of alchemy. Their respectful fear contrasts with his limited but noticeable affection for them.
• The alchemist and the jade dragon statue: The unexplained fall of the pearl prompts him to interpret the event as a potentially significant omen connected to the awakening Dragon Lord.

Chapter Summary: “Encountering the Dragon” (Part 2)

Key Plot Points and Events

• While refining pills in Dragon Lord Hall, Huo True Person witnesses the supernatural phenomenon “Dragon Spitting a Jade Pearl.”
• He interprets it through divination as a sign that the Dragon Lord has awakened, Heaven has recognized the new ruler, and the demons once again have a sovereign.
• Believing the matter threatens the realm, Huo abandons his pill refining and rushes to inform the Emperor in the middle of the night.
• The chief eunuch initially refuses to disturb the Emperor, arguing that court will begin in roughly an hour and a half. Huo insists that delaying could lead to disaster and warns that the eunuch will bear responsibility if he refuses.
• Reluctantly, the eunuch reports Huo’s request. The Emperor, aware that no one would wake him without a serious reason, orders Huo brought before him.
• Huo privately explains the omen to the Emperor. The Emperor dismisses the attendants so they can discuss the matter confidentially.
• The Emperor is particularly alarmed by the revelation that the Dragon Maiden may have become the Dragon Lord. Huo explains that among demons, gender does not determine succession; strength and inheritance of the Water Palace do.
• Before the conversation can end, the chief eunuch reports that Lord Yu and Liu True Person are also seeking an audience.
• Recognizing that their arrival may be connected to the omen, the Emperor orders the eunuch to summon Luo Pei immediately and decides to address the matter collectively.

Character Developments

• Huo True Person is shown to be highly perceptive, urgent, and willing to risk offending powerful people when he believes the realm is in danger. His normally controlled behavior gives way to anxiety after witnessing the omen.
• The chief eunuch is cautious and politically aware. Though irritated by Huo’s threatening manner, he ultimately acts responsibly because he fears both the consequences of ignoring the warning and Huo’s unsettling certainty.
• The Emperor appears calm and restrained, but the Dragon Lord’s awakening visibly disturbs him. His reaction reveals that he considers the event a serious political and supernatural threat.
• The chapter also hints that the Dragon Maiden’s status has changed dramatically: she may no longer be an insignificant young figure but the newly recognized ruler of the demons.

Significant Themes

• Heavenly recognition and legitimacy: The omen suggests that supernatural authority has been formally granted to the new Dragon Lord.
• The danger of delayed action: Huo’s insistence that the Emperor be awakened emphasizes that extraordinary threats cannot always wait for normal political procedures.
• Power over gender and tradition: The possibility of a female Dragon Lord challenges human assumptions about inheritance and rulership.
• Political caution and responsibility: The eunuch’s hesitation reflects the risks of acting on uncertain information, while the Emperor’s response shows the necessity of gathering all relevant figures before deciding how to proceed.
• The return of supernatural order: The statement that “all demons once more have a master” implies a major shift in the balance of power between the human and demonic realms.

Character Interactions

• Huo and the chief eunuch clash over whether the Emperor should be disturbed. Huo uses threats and appeals to responsibility, while the eunuch defends palace protocol and his own safety.
• The eunuch’s younger attendant encourages him to report Huo’s request rather than risk responsibility for suppressing important information.
• Huo and the Emperor speak privately after the Emperor orders the attendants out. Huo delivers the omen, while the Emperor questions whether the Dragon Maiden could truly have become Dragon Lord.
• The Emperor then takes command of the situation, ordering the summoning of Luo Pei after learning that Lord Yu and Liu True Person are already waiting at the palace gates.

Chapter Summary: “An Edict Does Not Extend to the Former Dynasty”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After successfully controlling the floods, Luo Pei returns home from completing the necessary administrative work. Although he has received the Emperor’s praise, Prince Shu begins sending him frequent gifts.
• Luo Pei recognizes these gifts as politically motivated. Prince Shu ignored him during the dangerous flood-control campaign but now seeks his favor after his success, making Luo Pei wary of hidden intentions.
• That night, Luo Pei writes formal regulations based on the lessons of the flood-control effort, demonstrating his diligence and commitment to improving state administration.
• Before dawn, the Emperor urgently summons Luo Pei to the palace. Luo Pei initially assumes the summons concerns the floods, perhaps because a dam has failed.
• At the palace, he discovers that the discussion concerns the Dragon Maiden, who has become the new Dragon Lord and possesses the Demon Order.
• Liu Zhan argues that the Dragon Maiden should be killed immediately. Another Daoist argues that she should instead be granted official investiture by Great Zheng, allowing the court to control the Dragon Race and Demon Race.
• The Daoist explains that Great Zheng’s imperial edicts cannot easily affect deities invested by a former dynasty. The Dragon Lord’s authority came from the Former Wei, and the current dynasty’s decrees would lose much of their power when applied to her.
• Yu Qianzhi proposes waiting until the Dragon Maiden and the demons weaken each other, allowing the court to benefit afterward.
• The Emperor remains undecided and postpones the matter as the time for court arrives.
• Outside, ministers and 233 Tribute Scholars wait for the Emperor. Metropolitan Champion Su Ziji stands at the front among the scholars.

Character Developments

• Luo Pei is shown as conscientious, politically cautious, and deeply committed to public service. His work on flood-control regulations reflects both practical intelligence and a desire to preserve useful lessons for future governance.
• He becomes increasingly alert to political manipulation, particularly Prince Shu’s sudden generosity. His unease suggests that he understands the dangers of becoming entangled in factional struggles.
• Luo Pei’s knowledge expands as he learns that imperial authority has limits when dealing with divine beings connected to a previous dynasty.
• Luo Shenshi is attentive and capable, efficiently preparing Luo Pei for the emergency summons and personally helping him dress and eat before leaving.
• The Emperor appears exhausted, troubled, and indecisive. His bloodshot eyes and dark expression reveal the pressure surrounding the Dragon Maiden crisis.
• Liu Zhan takes a hard-line position, favoring immediate destruction of the Dragon Maiden rather than compromise.
• The unnamed Daoist is knowledgeable about the relationship between dynastic authority, Heaven’s Mandate, divine investiture, and the Dragon Lord’s status. He advocates political control through investiture.
• Yu Qianzhi adopts a cautious, opportunistic strategy, preferring to let the demons weaken each other before the court intervenes.
• Su Ziji appears at the end as the leading Tribute Scholar, establishing his prominent position as the new Metropolitan Champion.

Significant Themes

• Political suspicion and opportunism: Prince Shu’s gifts reveal how political favor often follows success rather than loyalty or genuine support.
• Limits of imperial power: The chapter challenges the idea that “all under Heaven” is automatically subject to the current emperor’s authority. Divine beings tied to a former dynasty may remain beyond the reach of later imperial edicts.
• Dynastic legitimacy and Heaven’s Mandate: Authority is not merely administrative; it is connected to cosmic legitimacy. Each dynasty possesses its own mandate, and that mandate does not necessarily extend backward into the realm of a previous dynasty.
• Governance versus force: The court debates whether to destroy the Dragon Maiden, control her through official recognition, or wait for the demons to weaken themselves. The discussion reflects competing approaches to rule: coercion, incorporation, and strategic nonintervention.
• Duty and political danger: Luo Pei’s honest public service earns him recognition but also draws him into conflicts among princes, the court, and supernatural powers.
• Human bureaucracy confronting the supernatural: Officials attempt to manage dragons and demons through familiar tools—edicts, investiture, military force, and political strategy—but discover that divine authority does not obey ordinary administrative rules.

Character Interactions

• Luo Pei and Fu Zimo: Fu Zimo delivers Prince Shu’s seasonal gifts. Luo Pei responds politely but recognizes the gesture as politically calculated.
• Luo Pei and Luo Shenshi: She notices his unease, supports him emotionally, and efficiently prepares him for the Emperor’s urgent summons.
• Luo Pei and the Emperor: The Emperor orders him to listen rather than immediately participate, positioning Luo Pei as an informed observer of the court’s supernatural crisis.
• Liu Zhan and the unnamed Daoist: They argue sharply over whether the Dragon Maiden should be killed or granted investiture. Their dispute centers on the effectiveness and legitimacy of dynastic authority.
• Yu Qianzhi with Liu Zhan and the Daoist: Yu attempts to mediate but ultimately offers a third strategy: allowing the opposing demons to exhaust one another.
• The Emperor and his advisers: The Emperor listens to all sides but remains unable to decide, emphasizing the uncertainty and high stakes of the Dragon Maiden’s rise.

Chapter Summary: Please Grant Father Emperor’s Permission

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tribute Scholars gather at court after the examination results. Su Ziji, dressed in the simple red robes of a seventh-rank official, stands out because of his striking appearance and upright bearing. His success and First Class Presented Scholar status make others envious.
• Su Ziji remains distracted by the supernatural events of the previous night: the appearance of a second fox and the strange celestial omens surrounding the Dragon Maiden, including dragon-shaped clouds over the capital.
• Court begins late, suggesting that the Emperor and his Daoist advisers may have noticed the unusual phenomena. Su Ziji worries that he may somehow be suspected.
• The Emperor reflects on Huo Wuyong’s advice regarding the Dragon Maiden. Rather than killing her at great cost and risking Demon Race interference, he considers granting her an imperial investiture. This would bind her to Great Zheng’s divine system and allow her to restrain demons through the Demon Order.
• The Emperor, increasingly weary of war and concerned about the princes’ ambitions, hopes to maintain control without creating opportunities for them to expand their power.
• When the Emperor asks whether anyone has further business, Prince Qi unexpectedly requests permission to leave the capital and inspect locust disasters in West Sea, Guangling, and Hanfu Provinces.
• The mention of Guangling Province immediately alarms the Emperor because Coiling Dragon Lake—and the Dragon Maiden—are located there. He suspects Prince Qi has learned about the Dragon Maiden through hidden alchemists, spies, or collusion with the Demon Race.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji: His remarkable appearance and academic success distinguish him from the other scholars, but he is emotionally preoccupied and uneasy. His thoughts remain fixed on the Dragon Maiden and the strange phenomena linked to him.
• The Emperor: He appears outwardly calm and fair, but internally becomes increasingly suspicious and calculating. He favors solutions that preserve imperial control while avoiding war, and he is particularly sensitive to signs that the princes may possess independent intelligence networks.
• Prince Qi: Presents himself as a dutiful and compassionate son eager to help with disaster relief. However, his choice of Guangling Province suggests a hidden motive, likely connected to the Dragon Maiden. His confidence briefly increases when the Emperor responds without anger.
• Huo Wuyong: Though absent from court, his strategic advice strongly influences the Emperor. His lack of sectarian backing makes the Emperor trust him more than Liu Zhan, whose loyalty is tied to the powerful Yin Temple Sect.
• The Dragon Maiden: Her transformation into a Dragon Lord makes her a major political and supernatural concern. She is no longer merely a creature to be eliminated but a potential imperial deity and weapon against the Demon Race.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus true status: Simple official robes cannot conceal Su Ziji’s exceptional presence, while the princes’ polite words conceal political ambitions.
• Political suspicion and surveillance: The Emperor believes information is constantly being gathered throughout the capital and immediately questions how Prince Qi learned about the Dragon Maiden.
• Power through control rather than destruction: The Emperor considers incorporation and investiture more effective than killing the Dragon Maiden, turning a threat into an instrument of the state.
• Family rivalry and imperial authority: The princes’ ambitions force the Emperor to balance them against one another while preventing any from gaining excessive influence.
• Supernatural omens and political consequences: The dragon-shaped clouds and other strange signs blur the boundary between heavenly phenomena and court politics.

Important Character Interactions

• Su Ziji and the other scholars: Their presence highlights his superiority and causes resentment, though he ignores them because of his private concerns.
• The Emperor and Huo Wuyong: Huo’s earlier counsel continues to shape the Emperor’s thinking, reinforcing the Emperor’s trust in him over Liu Zhan.
• The Emperor and Prince Qi: Prince Qi’s request initially appears filial and responsible, but the Emperor quickly interprets it as a calculated attempt to reach Guangling Province and investigate or interfere with the Dragon Maiden.

Key plot points and events

• The emperor refuses Prince Qi’s request to inspect the locust-stricken provinces, citing his lack of experience in flood control and disaster relief. He instead appoints Luo Pei, who previously handled flood recovery, as imperial commissioner.
• In the same decree, the emperor orders the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to prepare a title for the Dragon Maiden of Coiling Dragon Lake, recognizing her service to the court.
• Prince Qi tries to press his case further, but the emperor shuts him down sharply. An official changes the subject by proposing that the results of the Imperial Examination be announced.
• The grand secretary reads the rankings. Su Ziji is named First Class Top Scorer. He enters the hall, thanks the emperor according to ceremony, and takes his place among the officials.
• Su Ziji notices Prince Qi scrutinizing him and senses that the prince has extraordinary martial ability.

Character developments and interactions

• The emperor acts cautiously and decisively: he blocks Prince Qi’s proposal, assigns the mission to Luo Pei, and rewards the Dragon Maiden, while avoiding immediate confrontation over suspicions about Prince Qi’s possible ties to sorcerers or the Demon Race.
• Prince Qi is frustrated by losing the opportunity and stung by his father’s public rebuke. He recognizes that he might have acted the same way even with more information.
• Prince Shu is pleased by Prince Qi’s setback but grows more wary of his elder brother’s influence, resolving to strengthen his own position.
• Luo Pei accepts a second appointment as imperial commissioner.
• Su Ziji feels anxious about whether interference affected his examination essay, then relieved and proud when named Top Scorer. He remains observant, assessing Prince Qi’s unusual martial skill.
• An official aligned with Prince Qi helps ease the awkward moment by prompting the examination announcement.

Significant themes

• Power and succession: Princes compete for influence, and the emperor balances them while guarding against threats to the throne.
• Restraint and political risk: The emperor delays acting on suspicions until he has evidence, while Prince Qi’s ambition makes him vulnerable to embarrassment.
• Recognition and merit: Luo Pei’s record earns him another appointment, and the Dragon Maiden’s service receives official acknowledgment.
• Ceremony and status: Court ritual governs even the announcement of examination results, marking Su Ziji’s transition from candidate to ranked scholar.

Chapter Summary: “The More It Proved He Was a Lackey”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Ziji appears before the emperor as the newly named Top Scorer. His presence and bearing strongly remind Princes Qi and Shu of the deceased Crown Prince, unsettling both men.
• Prince Lu, less familiar with the former Crown Prince, is instead impressed by Su Ziji’s striking appearance and dignified manner.
• The emperor formally honors the four highest-ranking candidates. Rong Yongxin, the Palace Examination Second-Class First, is ordered to announce the results.
• The rankings of all 233 candidates are proclaimed: three receive First Class, seventy receive Presented Scholar status in the Second Class, and 160 receive Associate Presented Scholar status in the Third Class.
• Su Ziji receives the official gold-dusted admission notice, recognizing that he has truly crossed from ordinary scholar into the ranks of officials and changed his family’s social standing.
• Su Ziji, the Second Laureate, and the Third Laureate are dressed in red Top Scorer robes and given palace flowers for the ceremonial parade.
• While admiring his ceremonial attire, Su Ziji thinks fondly of Ye Buhui and wonders whether she knows of his success. He imagines her admiring him in the Top Scorer’s robes.
• His supernatural system converts the Top Scorer title into a “Human Path Seed,” which is absorbed by the Coiling Dragon Heart Method, increasing it by 2,000 points and eleven levels.
• The three First Class candidates prepare to parade from the Imperial Palace to the Great Ming Gate. Su Ziji worries that his poor health may make the walk difficult.
• Meanwhile, Princes Qi and Shu leave the court deeply troubled by Su Ziji’s resemblance to the Crown Prince. Prince Lu follows them, confused and excluded from their silent tension.
• Prince Qi mocks the public parade of successful scholars, viewing it as ridiculous and politically revealing.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji: Reaches the height of scholarly achievement and officially enters the world of government service. He remains calm under hostile scrutiny and accepts both his honor and supernatural advancement without visible excitement. His thoughts of Ye Buhui reveal a softer, more personal side beneath his composure.
• Prince Qi: Becomes visibly disturbed by Su Ziji’s resemblance to the dead Crown Prince. His contempt for scholar-official culture also reveals his cynical view of bureaucratic morality.
• Prince Shu: Shares Prince Qi’s unease and silently recognizes the danger posed by Su Ziji’s bearing.
• Prince Lu: Displays curiosity rather than fear, impressed by Su Ziji’s elegance but unaware of the deeper political associations troubling the other princes.
• Rong Yongxin: Shows controlled excitement and ceremonial discipline as he announces the rankings.
• Ye Buhui: Does not appear directly, but Su Ziji’s desire to share his success with her emphasizes her emotional importance to him.

Significant Themes

• Social transformation through achievement: The official notice, rather than merely passing the examinations, marks Su Ziji’s true transition from common scholar to recognized official.
• Appearance, bearing, and political memory: Su Ziji’s resemblance to the Crown Prince lies not in facial features but in his presence and authority, suggesting that charisma can revive old fears and political memories.
• Public honor versus private emotion: The elaborate robes, flowers, notices, and parade celebrate Su Ziji publicly, while privately he worries about his health and longs for Ye Buhui’s approval.
• Civil bureaucracy and political cynicism: Prince Qi dismisses ideals such as incorruptibility and hatred of evil as traits of useful bureaucratic “lackeys,” reflecting the princes’ disdain for scholar-official power.
• Fate and supernatural advancement: Su Ziji’s scholarly title has literal metaphysical value, becoming a Human Path Seed that strengthens his cultivation.

Important Character Interactions

• Su Ziji’s appearance silently unsettles Princes Qi and Shu, who recognize echoes of the Crown Prince in him.
• Prince Lu observes Su Ziji with admiration but is shut out of the older princes’ shared unease.
• The emperor publicly acknowledges the four highest-ranking candidates, while Rong Yongxin serves as the announcer of the broader results.
• Su Ziji’s imagined interaction with Ye Buhui—her supposedly admiring reaction to his ceremonial robes—provides an intimate contrast to the political attention surrounding him.
• After leaving the palace, Princes Qi and Shu share an unspoken sense of distress, while their mutual discomfort makes them temporarily sympathetic to one another and hostile toward the oblivious Prince Lu.

Chapter Summary: “Recruiting Him Early”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Prince Qi and Prince Shu leave the palace after encountering Su Ziji. Prince Qi, who had previously dismissed Su as an unworthy political rival, is shaken by Su’s imposing presence and resemblance to the late Crown Prince.
• Prince Qi realizes that Su may possess the same dangerous authority and natural command that once made the Crown Prince a threat to the Emperor. For the first time, he thinks Su Ziji may need to be eliminated.
• The memory of the Crown Prince’s downfall affects both Prince Qi and Prince Shu. They recall how overwhelmingly powerful he had seemed and acknowledge that the Emperor did not simply depose him—the Crown Prince was gradually worn down and destroyed.
• Prince Qi invites Prince Shu to his residence to discuss matters, but Prince Shu declines, mentioning the approaching anniversary of the Crown Prince’s death. Prince Qi then returns home, while Prince Lu jokingly decides to follow and observe the situation.
• Su Ziji participates in the ceremonial parade of the new Presented Scholars. Because the scholars must walk rather than ride horses, the procession moves slowly, allowing the crowds to stare at and praise them.
• Su feels uncomfortable under the intense public attention, while the Second and Third Laureates openly enjoy their newfound fame.
• During the parade, Su sees Ye Buhui, the Wild Daoist, and others watching from a tavern. Ye calls out to him as “Hubby,” and Su smiles and waves back, creating excitement among the spectators.
• Prince Lu watches the parade from another tavern with Gui Junxi. He asks about Su’s age and character, especially because Su is remarkably young—only seventeen.
• Gui Junxi uses mystical observations of “noble aura” to assess the future potential of the Presented Scholars. He concludes that Su’s aura is fundamentally different: Su already possesses the destiny and bearing of a marquis or earl before receiving office.
• Gui Junxi advises Prince Lu to recruit Su early, suggesting that Su could become an invaluable political ally. Prince Lu responds with sudden laughter, leaving his intentions unclear.

2. Character Developments

• Prince Qi: His attitude toward Su changes dramatically. His former contempt becomes fear, and he begins considering Su a potential existential threat. Su’s resemblance to the Crown Prince forces Prince Qi to confront old political trauma.
• Prince Shu: He is also deeply affected by memories of the Crown Prince. His refusal to meet Prince Qi suggests caution and perhaps a desire to avoid becoming entangled in immediate political scheming.
• Prince Lu: He remains playful and apparently detached, but his close attention to Su reveals serious political interest. His laughter at Gui Junxi’s recommendation may indicate amusement, surprise, or a hidden plan to recruit Su.
• Su Ziji: He becomes a celebrated public figure after placing first in the imperial examination. Although he is uncomfortable with the spectacle, he responds warmly to Ye Buhui and appears increasingly capable of balancing public dignity with private affection.
• Gui Junxi: He demonstrates his supernatural or metaphysical ability to judge people’s destinies and recognizes Su as an exceptionally rare figure with the potential to become a major historical power.
• Ye Buhui: She openly celebrates Su’s success and affectionately calls out to him in public, strengthening the impression of their intimate relationship.

3. Significant Themes

• Political threat and inherited power: Su’s natural authority evokes the late Crown Prince, showing how charisma and bearing can be perceived as dangerous even before a person acquires formal power.
• The Emperor’s suppression of rivals: The Crown Prince’s fate serves as a warning that political power may destroy those who appear too capable or influential.
• Destiny versus status: Su has no title yet, but Gui Junxi believes he already possesses the aura of a marquis or earl. The chapter suggests that true political potential exists independently of official rank or birth.
• Youth and exceptional talent: Su’s age makes his achievement even more remarkable, attracting both admiration from the public and concern from the princes.
• Public reputation versus private identity: Su is treated as a spectacle during the parade, yet his genuine emotional connection with Ye Buhui briefly cuts through the public ceremony.
• Early alliance-building: Gui Junxi’s advice to recruit Su reflects the importance of identifying and securing talented figures before they become powerful or align with rivals.

4. Character Interactions

• Prince Qi and Prince Shu: Their shared recollection of the Crown Prince reveals their mutual fear and the lingering influence of the past. Prince Qi attempts to draw Prince Shu into political discussion, but Prince Shu avoids him.
• Prince Lu and Gui Junxi: Prince Lu tests Gui Junxi’s opinion of Su. Gui provides a detailed assessment of Su’s rare destiny and encourages Prince Lu to win his loyalty early.
• Su Ziji and Ye Buhui: Their exchange during the parade is affectionate and spontaneous. Ye’s public greeting and Su’s smile and wave show their closeness despite the surrounding crowd.
• Su Ziji and the public: The spectators admire and scrutinize him as the Top Scorer, turning his ceremonial procession into a display of celebrity and political significance.
• Prince Qi and Su Ziji: Though they barely interact directly, Su’s presence profoundly alters Prince Qi’s perception of him, transforming him from an insignificant scholar into a possible enemy.

Key plot points and events

• Prince Lu learns that Su Ziji is the late crown prince’s son and recognizes the political opportunity in his success as this year’s Top Scorer.
• Unable to bring Su Ziji onto his own side, Prince Lu plans to use him as a pawn to disrupt the balance between the more powerful Prince Qi and Prince Shu. He orders a congratulatory gift sent to the Su Residence, hoping to earn Su’s goodwill.
• At Fragrance Palace, Consort Wu oversees gifts for her daughter, Princess Xinping. She considers arranging a marriage between Xinping and Su Ziji, believing his talent and status would make him a suitable match.
• The emperor visits Consort Wu for a meal. She carefully creates a warm, restful atmosphere, then steers the conversation toward Xinping and the Imperial Examinations.
• Consort Wu asks about the young Top Scorer. The emperor confirms Su Ziji is only seventeen, setting up her likely proposal.

Character developments and interactions

• Prince Lu shifts from accepting Gui Junxi’s advice to formulating his own scheme. He sees Su Ziji as leverage in a political contest and treats the congratulatory gift as a strategic gesture.
• Gui Junxi believes Prince Lu is simply following his suggestion and does not realize the deeper plan.
• Consort Wu appears affectionate and attentive as a mother, while also proving politically astute. She hopes to advance Xinping’s prospects through marriage and skillfully times her approach to the emperor.
• The emperor is initially burdened by state affairs, but Consort Wu’s considerate hospitality eases his mood. He speaks fondly of Xinping and acknowledges the Top Scorer’s youth.
• Xinping, though absent, is portrayed as lively and stubborn. After surviving an assassination attempt, she has become more cautious, and her mother remains protective of her.

Significant themes

• Court politics and strategic alliances: Su Ziji’s achievement makes him valuable to rival factions, each seeking to shape his future.
• Power through influence: Prince Lu uses favors to cultivate goodwill, while Consort Wu uses tact and timing to influence the emperor.
• Family affection and political ambition: Consort Wu’s genuine love for Xinping is intertwined with her plans for her daughter’s marriage.
• The performance of intimacy: Consort Wu maintains imperial favor by balancing deference with the comforting warmth of home.

Chapter Summary: “Suspicion”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Consort Wu praises the newly crowned Top Scorer, Su Ziji, and subtly suggests him as a possible husband for Princess Xinping.
• The Emperor initially treats her comments as harmless, but becomes furious when he realizes she is asking him to arrange a marriage between Xinping and Su Ziji.
• He rebukes Consort Wu for interfering in outer-court affairs and for failing to discipline Xinping. He confines her to Fragrance Palace for half a month.
• After leaving, the Emperor becomes suspicious of the apparent coincidence: Su Ziji’s hidden Crown Prince Bloodline, Xinping’s encounter with him, and Consort Wu’s sudden interest in him.
• He concludes that someone may be manipulating events, most likely Prince Qi, whose intelligence network and political influence are rapidly expanding.
• The Emperor fears that a scandal involving Su Ziji and his aunt, Princess Xinping, could permanently destroy Su’s reputation and prevent him from reclaiming his true identity.
• A violent thunderstorm mirrors the Emperor’s growing unease and paranoia.
• Feeling threatened by his advancing age and his sons’ growing power, the Emperor reasserts his authority and orders Su Ziji sent away from the capital as soon as possible.
• He initially plans to assign Su Ziji alone to Shunan Prefecture as a Circuit Inspector, but Zhao Eunuch points out that doing so would look suspicious.
• The Emperor therefore orders the Ministry of Personnel to assign posts to the Second Laureate and Third Laureate as well, while the other successful scholars follow the normal process.

Character Developments

• The Emperor: Becomes increasingly angry, suspicious, and insecure. His fear that Prince Qi and other political forces are working against him exposes his anxiety over aging and losing control. Despite his paranoia, he remains politically astute and quickly creates a plausible official explanation for Su Ziji’s exile.
• Consort Wu: Reveals her desire to secure Su Ziji as Xinping’s husband, either out of personal ambition or concern for her daughter’s future. Her willingness to discuss the matter openly leads to punishment and makes her vulnerable to manipulation.
• Princess Xinping: Though absent, she is portrayed as unruly, socially active, and careless in matters involving young men. Her reputation makes her an ideal target for a scandal.
• Su Ziji: Does not appear directly, but his exceptional talent and concealed royal bloodline make him the center of the Emperor’s political fears. His promising future is threatened by the Emperor’s decision to remove him from the capital.
• Prince Qi: Also absent, but increasingly portrayed as a powerful and dangerous rival with an extensive intelligence network and possible influence within the imperial harem.
• Zhao Eunuch: Demonstrates caution and political awareness by warning the Emperor that singling out Su Ziji would reveal his intentions.

Significant Themes

• Political suspicion and manipulation: Ordinary personal events may conceal schemes by rival factions.
• Power and aging: The Emperor’s fear of growing old reflects the instability of authority and the threat posed by ambitious heirs.
• Reputation and scandal: Rumors involving family morality, especially between an aunt and nephew, could destroy Su Ziji’s career and identity.
• Public obedience versus private opposition: The Emperor realizes that ministers may appear loyal while secretly preparing to support a new ruler.
• Royal authority versus moral order: The Emperor considers violations of familial and hierarchical bonds more dangerous than many conventional crimes.
• Appearance and concealment: The Emperor must disguise his real motive for exiling Su Ziji by granting similar appointments to the other top scholars.

Character Interactions

• Consort Wu attempts to steer the Emperor toward arranging Xinping’s marriage to Su Ziji, but the Emperor interprets this as improper interference.
• The Emperor harshly reprimands and punishes Consort Wu, blaming her for failing to control Xinping.
• The Emperor internally connects Consort Wu, Xinping, Su Ziji, and Prince Qi in a possible political conspiracy.
• Zhao Eunuch acts as a moderating adviser, preventing the Emperor from making an order that would expose his suspicion.