Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• At a banquet in Riverside Tower, Imperial Grandson Su Ziji reflects on history, impermanence, and how future generations will remember the present. His thoughts echo Confucius and Chen Zi’ang’s poem about the loneliness of contemplating time and history.
• Because of his royal status, Su’s food and wine are tested by eunuchs, reminding him that even as Imperial Grandson he lacks personal freedom.
• Prefect Xu praises Su’s sense of duty and presents him with several ledgers documenting grain deliveries and storage. He claims the records will help Su investigate the granary case.
• The presentation shocks many officials. Their unease suggests that the ledgers contain evidence of corruption or implicate powerful figures. Prefect Xu appears to be making a sudden move that may expose or distance himself from the other officials.
• Su reads the ledgers and orders Zhang Dai, the Vice Imperial Commissioner, to examine them. Zhang discovers information he had previously been unable to access.
• The records provoke Zhang’s suppressed grief and indignation. Overwhelmed, he announces that he will leave the banquet to begin investigating the case.
• Su stops him and reprimands him for acting independently, emphasizing that he is the primary commissioner and that all investigations must follow his overall coordination.
• Zhang suspects that Su may be using “the grand scheme” and “rules” to build a political faction and protect corrupt officials. He angrily challenges the idealistic language, wondering whether it truly serves “rats in the wall and foxes in the mound.”
• Although Zhang acknowledges Su’s superior authority, he insists that he has also received an imperial decree to investigate first. He vows to uncover the truth and leaves the banquet in anger.

Character developments

• Su Ziji: Presents himself as reflective, composed, and politically controlled. He remains calm while receiving the ledgers but becomes openly angry when Zhang attempts to leave. His insistence on coordination suggests a desire to control the investigation, though his true motives remain uncertain.
• Zhang Dai: His upright, uncompromising nature becomes clear. The evidence awakens long-suppressed pain over the corruption and injustice he has faced. His grief turns into suspicion and defiance when he believes Su may be protecting corrupt officials.
• Prefect Xu: Appears outwardly loyal and humble, but his delivery of the ledgers is a calculated political maneuver. His triumphant expression after Su confronts Zhang suggests that he may be deliberately exploiting their conflict.
• Jiang Shen and Cao Zhi: Serve as observant witnesses. They are shocked by the internal dispute between the two commissioners and recognize that the investigation is already politically dangerous.
• The local officials: Their changing expressions and unease reveal fear that the ledgers may expose their misconduct or threaten their alliances.

Significant themes

• The passage of time and historical memory: Su’s reflections on the past emphasize that every present generation eventually becomes part of history.
• Duty versus political manipulation: The chapter repeatedly invokes official responsibility, the “grand scheme,” and procedural rules, but these ideals may be used either sincerely or as tools of factional politics.
• Integrity and corruption: Zhang’s distress reflects the moral burden of confronting entrenched wrongdoing while being surrounded by officials who may be compromised.
• Isolation and lack of trust: Su and Zhang occupy the same mission but remain emotionally and politically distant. Their inability to trust one another threatens the investigation.
• Power and constrained freedom: Su’s tested food symbolizes the restrictions of royal life, while Zhang’s forced obedience shows how even principled officials are limited by hierarchy and imperial authority.

Character interactions

• Su and Prefect Xu: Xu flatters Su and presents the ledgers as a gesture of service, but his actions appear politically calculated.
• Su and Zhang Dai: Their formally distant relationship erupts into open conflict. Su demands obedience and coordination; Zhang responds with respect for rank but refuses to surrender his independent commitment to justice.
• Zhang and Prefect Xu: Zhang’s suspicion intensifies when he notices Xu’s satisfied reaction to the confrontation, leading him to believe Xu may be manipulating the dispute.
• Su, Jiang Shen, and Cao Zhi: The two accompanying officials silently observe the confrontation, realizing that the greatest obstacle may come from within the investigative commission itself.

Chapter Summary: “Severing Ties with Zhang Dai”

Key Plot Points and Events

• During a gathering of officials, Zhang Dai publicly clashes with Imperial Grandson Su Ziji. Zhang’s provocative behavior humiliates Su Ziji and causes him to lose his temper.
• Su Ziji storms out, while Zhang Dai also departs, leaving the officials confused and unwilling to pursue either man.
• Prefect Xu reveals that he had deliberately tried to provoke Zhang Dai, hoping the Imperial Grandson would compromise. Zhang’s unexpectedly aggressive response disrupts the plan.
• Outside, Su Ziji appears furious but quickly shifts into thoughtful calculation. His aides, Jiang Shen and Cao Zhi, are unsettled by his behavior but remain silent.
• Back aboard his vessel, Su Ziji explains to Wen Xunpeng that the confrontation has benefited him. By appearing to sever relations with Zhang Dai, he reduces the blame that may fall on him for the imperial undertaking.
• Su Ziji concludes that Zhang Dai is probably not directly controlled by the Emperor; rather, the Emperor is exploiting Zhang Dai’s naturally reckless and abrasive personality.
• Wen Xunpeng then reports troubling intelligence: Su Ziji’s fellow townsmen and schoolmates, Yu Lü and Fang Xi, have allied themselves with a supposed righteous scholar without properly verifying his identity.
• Su Ziji worries that their actions may be attributed to him, yet he cannot openly intervene without revealing that he understands the Emperor’s scheme.
• He sets aside his personal concern and turns to a larger political plan: using accusations of collusion with the Demon Race to create turmoil in the capital.
• Su Ziji and Wen Xunpeng plan to have people connected to Prince Shu’s Residence make minor accusations against Prince Qi’s Residence first. These small charges will gradually lead the Emperor to uncover more serious evidence, making the eventual case appear genuine and incontrovertible.
• Su Ziji approves the plan, declaring that the capital must be thrown into chaos before great achievements can be accomplished.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji: Demonstrates political adaptability and strategic intelligence. He transforms apparent anger into a calculated advantage, using the quarrel with Zhang Dai to distance himself from imperial responsibility. Although he is troubled by Yu Lü and Fang Xi’s naivety, he prioritizes the larger political struggle.
• Zhang Dai: Reinforced as blunt, arrogant, and socially aggressive. His uncontrolled confrontation unintentionally helps Su Ziji by making Zhang appear solely responsible for the rupture.
• Prefect Xu: Revealed to be manipulating the situation behind the scenes. His attempt to provoke Zhang Dai backfires, leaving him worried about the consequences.
• Wen Xunpeng: Acts as Su Ziji’s trusted strategist and subordinate. He accurately interprets the confrontation and develops the plan to use gradual accusations against Prince Qi’s Residence.
• Jiang Shen and Cao Zhi: Become increasingly wary of Su Ziji’s unusual conduct. Cao Zhi especially senses that Su’s outburst may have been deliberate or strategically useful, but is too frightened to investigate further.
• Yu Lü and Fang Xi: Are portrayed as overly trusting and politically inexperienced after placing their faith in an unfamiliar “righteous scholar.”

Significant Themes

• Political manipulation and misdirection: Public conflict is used to create a false impression of hostility while serving a deeper strategic purpose.
• Appearances versus reality: Su Ziji’s apparent rage conceals careful calculation, while Zhang Dai’s seemingly spontaneous behavior becomes politically useful.
• The burden of association: Su Ziji cannot easily distance himself from Yu Lü and Fang Xi because their actions may be linked to him.
• Loyalty and trust: The chapter contrasts Su Ziji’s caution with Yu Lü and Fang Xi’s reckless faith in strangers.
• Chaos as a tool of power: Su Ziji views disorder in the capital not as a threat but as a necessary condition for advancing his plans.
• Imperial schemes and counter-schemes: The Emperor attempts to shift responsibility onto Su Ziji, while Su responds by manipulating public perception and forcing the Emperor’s own machinery against his rivals.

Character Interactions

• Su Ziji and Zhang Dai: Their public confrontation creates the appearance of a decisive break, benefiting Su Ziji politically.
• Prefect Xu and Xu Yu: Xu Yu notices his master’s unusual reaction, prompting Prefect Xu to explain the failed provocation.
• Su Ziji, Jiang Shen, and Cao Zhi: His aides observe his stormy departure with confusion and fear, choosing not to question him.
• Su Ziji and Wen Xunpeng: Their private discussion reveals the true meaning behind the confrontation and establishes the next stage of the political plot.
• Su Ziji and Yu Lü/Fang Xi: Though absent, they remain emotionally significant to him as fellow townsmen and schoolmates whose poor judgment complicates his plans.
• Su Ziji and the Emperor: Their indirect struggle forms the chapter’s central conflict: the Emperor tries to make Su bear responsibility, while Su works to redirect blame and reshape the political battlefield.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xunpeng reports to Su Ziji and withdraws. Alone, Su reflects on the danger of breaking with Zhang Dai, fearing the emperor may suspect that he has detected a larger conspiracy.
• Su concludes that the situations involving Yu Lü and Fang Xi cannot be handled too directly. Both men are bound by righteousness and duty, as was Zhang Dai, who accepted the emperor’s offer because it fulfilled his own needs.
• Su questions whether anyone can truly escape the pressures of the world, then recalls the mysterious young woman who claims to be the Dragon Lord. Her assistance may have transformed his chances of success from roughly fifty percent to near certainty, making him wonder whether Heaven’s Mandate favors him.
• The scene shifts to Capital City, where a violent storm conceals a young girl riding a giant eagle toward Prince Qi’s Residence. She intends to carry out the emperor’s plan: plant members of the Demon Race inside the residence so that Prince Qi can be framed and rendered unable to clear his name.
• The girl appears to converse with another version of herself. Their faces begin to merge, suggesting a supernatural dual identity or internal fusion. The girl later regains control, discovers that she is crying, wipes away her tears, and continues toward her destination.
• At Prince Qi’s Residence, she discovers that demonic forces are already present. Strange qi rises from within the estate, concealed beneath protective red radiance, and she detects the presence of at least one powerful Demon General.

2. Character Developments

• Su Ziji shows increasing strategic caution and emotional fatigue. He understands that political maneuvering is constrained by loyalty, righteousness, and personal need, and he recognizes that even potentially useful allies cannot simply be forced to abandon their principles.
• Su also reveals growing dependence on—and curiosity about—the Dragon Lord’s support. He begins to interpret her intervention as evidence that fate or Heaven’s Mandate may be aligned with him.
• The Dragon Lord’s daughter/young girl is portrayed as powerful, politically aware, and dutiful. She accepts that personal affection alone is insufficient and believes she must accomplish great deeds to preserve her relationship with the emperor.
• Her apparent merging with another self exposes inner conflict and vulnerability. Despite her supernatural abilities, she experiences grief, confusion, or divided loyalties, symbolized by her tears in the storm.
• The discovery at Prince Qi’s Residence demonstrates that the situation is more dangerous and complicated than expected: the demons are not merely tools she must plant but may already be operating independently.

3. Significant Themes

• Political loyalty versus personal judgment: Characters such as Zhang Dai, Yu Lü, and Fang Xi are trapped by ideals of righteousness and service, illustrating how rulers can use moral duty to compel obedience.
• The limits of individual agency: Su recognizes that few people can transcend the systems and obligations governing them; even those who understand the truth may be unable to act freely.
• Fate and the Mandate of Heaven: Su wonders whether the Dragon Lord’s aid indicates that Heaven favors him, linking political success to supernatural destiny.
• Identity and internal division: The girl’s dual conversation and merging faces suggest the instability of self, conflicting identities, or the coexistence of different wills within one body.
• Power concealed beneath appearances: The storm hides the girl’s movement, while the red light conceals demonic qi within Prince Qi’s estate. Both political conspiracies and supernatural forces operate beneath an apparently orderly surface.
• Changing times and historical continuity: The girl reflects that Capital City has remained structurally unchanged even as generations of people have come and gone, emphasizing the persistence of institutions amid human change.

4. Character Interactions

• Su Ziji and Wen Xunpeng: Their brief exchange establishes that Su has finished giving instructions, while Wen’s obedience highlights Su’s authority.
• Su Ziji and Zhang Dai: Though Zhang is absent, Su’s reflections reveal their political rupture and Su’s recognition that Zhang acted from a mixture of awareness, duty, and personal necessity.
• Su Ziji and Yu Lü/Fang Xi: Su sympathizes with their inability to act freely and refuses to blame them for choosing righteousness over his interests.
• The young girl and her other self: Their self-questioning dialogue reveals a divided consciousness or intertwined identities. The apparent fusion creates tension between autonomy and surrender.
• The girl and the emperor: She acts according to the emperor’s plan, hoping her success will earn merit and strengthen their bond, showing both loyalty and emotional dependence.
• The girl and Prince Qi’s faction: She approaches their residence intending to frame them with demons, but the discovery of an existing Demon General suggests that Prince Qi’s household may already be involved in a larger supernatural conspiracy.

A girl discovered that Prince Qi’s Residence housed the Divine Strategy Army and a Demon King, but stopped before entering their range. Prince Qi welcomed the resurrected Demon Generals and declared that his great undertaking was nearly assured, while Zhao Buwei feared he would be killed after Prince Qi succeeded.

• The girl sensed Demon Generals and a Demon King at Prince Qi’s Residence, then halted before the Demon King could detect her.
• Prince Qi waited as the rockery shifted and the Divine Strategy Army emerged into the courtyard.
• A Thousand-Household Commander and the Hundred-Household Officers saluted Prince Qi using an old military rite.
• Prince Qi greeted the Demon Generals and said his great undertaking was as good as done.
• Zhao Buwei noticed Zhang Bolai was absent and feared that Prince Qi would eventually have him killed.

Chapter Summary: “My Bloodline”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Prince Qi publicly declares his intention to rebuild the Divine Strategy Army, beginning with the guards of his household and estates. The Demon General of the Divine Strategy Army supports him by bowing and pledging allegiance.
• Xie Zhenqing observes the scene and realizes that Prince Qi’s alliance has fulfilled the conditions necessary for the Golden Seal and Tiger Tally to begin returning to him. Although the treasures remain translucent and incomplete, their reappearance indicates that his power and authority are gradually being restored.
• Xie reflects on his past failures: his attempt to unite the Demon Race, his cooperation with Ji Zicheng, the destruction of the Divine Strategy Army, and the Heavenly Retribution and seals that followed. He is determined never again to depend entirely on human rulers or suffer the same fate.
• He believes that once he obtains an official investiture and completes the restoration of his authority, he will transcend the limitations imposed by Heaven and escape the “cage” that has restrained him.
• A thunderstorm erupts immediately after Prince Qi’s agreement with the Demon General, making Prince Qi briefly wonder whether Heaven is condemning their alliance. He ultimately decides that there is no turning back and orders everyone inside to discuss their plans.
• Xie senses something unusual nearby, though he cannot identify it. In another residence, a mysterious young woman—apparently the original Dragon King or first True Dragon—withdraws from the vicinity and conceals her presence.
• The woman realizes that the Divine Strategy Army has reappeared and that someone possesses a True Dragon bloodline connected to her own. She is shocked to discover that her authority and bloodline appear to have been divided or reproduced.
• Determined to investigate without alerting the unknown inheritor, she decides to proceed indirectly. She travels on a Giant Eagle to Xinping’s Princess Manor, intending to seek help from Xinping.
• The chapter ends as she arrives at the manor and knocks on its side gate.

Character Developments

• Xie Zhenqing is revealed to be far more ambitious and powerful than his current appearance suggests. His recovered Golden Seal and Tiger Tally indicate that he is reclaiming the authority of the Divine Strategy Army and moving toward a major resurgence. His reflections also show his resentment toward Heaven, humans, and the fate that repeatedly obstructed him.
• Prince Qi demonstrates his willingness to cooperate with demons and take significant political risks. Despite his fear that Heaven may punish him, he accepts the alliance and focuses on rebuilding his military power.
• The mysterious Dragon woman shifts from detached observation to alarm and determination. She learns that her bloodline and authority may have been divided and resolves to uncover who is responsible, while carefully avoiding direct confrontation.
• Zhao Buwei remains attentive to Xie Zhenqing and notices his suspicious reaction, suggesting that he may be monitoring Xie closely.
• Xinping is not yet present, but her wealth, favored status, and possible political knowledge establish her as an important future ally.

Significant Themes

• Restoration of lost power: The return of the Golden Seal, Tiger Tally, and Divine Strategy Army symbolizes the revival of old forces and authorities.
• Heaven versus individual will: Xie believes Heaven has unfairly favored humans and suppressed demons, while the thunderstorm raises the possibility that Heaven is reacting to the new alliance.
• Bloodline and inheritance: The Dragon woman’s discovery that her True Dragon bloodline has been divided introduces questions about identity, legitimacy, and the mysterious transmission of power.
• Manipulation and hidden fate: Both Xie and the Dragon woman suspect that unseen forces have shaped their destinies. The chapter emphasizes that even dragons, demons, and powerful rulers may be caught in a larger scheme.
• Political alliances and betrayal: Xie’s history with Ji Zicheng demonstrates the danger of relying on human partners, while Prince Qi’s current alliance with the Demon General begins a new and potentially unstable political order.

Character Interactions

• Prince Qi and the Demon General: Their public alliance forms the chapter’s central political event, with the Demon General’s submission validating Prince Qi’s plan to revive the Divine Strategy Army.
• Xie Zhenqing and Prince Qi’s faction: Xie quietly benefits from their agreement, using it to restore his own authority while concealing his true intentions.
• Xie Zhenqing and Zhao Buwei: Zhao notices Xie’s unease and questions him, but Xie dismisses his concern, keeping his suspicions private.
• The Dragon woman and the unseen inheritor of her bloodline: Though they do not meet directly, she senses the other’s existence and views it as a threat and mystery requiring investigation.
• The Dragon woman and Xinping: The chapter ends with the Dragon woman seeking contact with Xinping, setting up a future alliance or exchange of information.

Zhou Yao hid in Princess Xinping’s manor to evade a fiend that had been stealing her authority, then advised Xinping on how to pursue the Imperial Grandson. After leaving, Zhou Yao headed toward Prince Qi’s Residence, where Xie Zhenqing remained puzzled that he had sensed nothing.

• Zhou Yao arrived at Princess Xinping’s manor and concealed herself from a searching force by relying on the residence’s imperial protection.
• Zhou Yao urged Princess Xinping to stop waiting passively for the Imperial Grandson and told her a story about Duke Lu helping his daughter marry a former household servant.
• Princess Xinping asked Zhou Yao who she was waiting for, and Zhou Yao reflected that the emperor’s affection for her had faded with distance.
• Zhou Yao left the manor and headed toward Prince Qi’s Residence.
• At Prince Qi’s Residence, Xie Zhenqing questioned whether he had imagined sensing something after Prince Qi rewarded the commanders.

Chapter Summary: “A Hint of the Unreal”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhou Yao leaves Princess Xinping’s manor during a drizzle, declining an umbrella so her visit will appear ordinary. Because she is a respectable woman with a prior connection to the princess, the watchers around the manor do not suspect anything.
• As she departs in an unremarkable ox cart, Zhou Yao reflects on how dramatically Princess Xinping has changed. The princess, once spoiled and wildly favored by the emperor, now isolates herself and sees almost no one, though nobles remain cautious and eager to maintain ties with her because her imperial favor might return.
• Zhou Yao recalls a tragic past involving a “fox” who died after leaving without saying goodbye. A green fox had once reported the death to a dragon lady, who regretted their separation and entered death seclusion in a futile attempt to find him. This memory reveals a history of lost affection, missed chances, and grief beneath the characters’ current identities and actions.
• The Wild Daoist, acting on orders from his master, secretly picks Zhou Yao up. He recognizes her as the daughter of the Zhou family and wonders whether her family is already aligned with their faction. He also reflects that both Zhou Yao and Xinping are dangerously alluring, unlike the more politically suitable Imperial Grandson’s consort.
• Zhou Yao confirms the secret code and tells him to proceed. Their destination is Prince Shu’s Residence.
• At the residence, Manager Zhang appears as a kind and considerate official. He protects servants from working needlessly in the rain and arranges ginger soup and food for them. The servants admire him, unaware of his deeper involvement in political intrigue.
• The Wild Daoist identifies Manager Zhang as the target. Zhang was compromised by Prince Qi through an affair, a falsely claimed pregnancy, and subsequent blackmail. His initial small acts of embezzlement grew into serious crimes, forcing him to become one of Prince Qi’s hidden agents.
• The plan is to use Zhang to trigger an investigation by the Imperial City Office. The resulting clues will lead from Prince Shu’s Residence to Prince Qi, the Demon Race, military figures, and ministers. The evidence will remain suggestive rather than conclusive, creating suspicion throughout the court without allowing anyone to fully prove or disprove the accusations.
• Zhou Yao recognizes this as one of the emperor’s increasingly sophisticated political strategies. The Wild Daoist concludes that the larger political “game of chess” is only beginning.

Character Developments

• Zhou Yao is shown as composed, perceptive, and politically involved. She has moved beyond merely observing events and is now an active participant in a covert operation. Her emotional reflections also reveal lingering sadness and a complicated connection to the past.
• Princess Xinping has transformed from a spoiled, heavily favored princess into a withdrawn and guarded woman. Despite her isolation, she remains politically significant because of her blood relationship to the emperor and her apparent closeness to the Imperial Grandson.
• The Wild Daoist demonstrates loyalty and strategic awareness. Although he is briefly distracted by Zhou Yao’s beauty and uncertain of her family’s allegiance, he quickly resumes his professional role and explains the political scheme with precision.
• Manager Zhang appears compassionate and generous, but his personal history shows how an outwardly decent person can be gradually corrupted through temptation, guilt, blackmail, and escalating wrongdoing.
• The Emperor is characterized indirectly as a politically ruthless and increasingly sophisticated strategist. His methods rely not only on evidence, but also on uncertainty and suspicion.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: Zhang seems kind but is secretly compromised; Zhou Yao’s ordinary ox cart conceals a covert mission; and seemingly weak or withdrawn figures such as Xinping may still possess political importance.
• Manipulation and entrapment: The chapter emphasizes how minor mistakes can become major crimes when someone is “dragged into the water.” Personal weaknesses, relationships, and guilt are weaponized to control people.
• Suspicion as a political weapon: Rather than producing undeniable proof, the plan creates incomplete, ambiguous clues. This forces the emperor and officials to suspect a broad conspiracy while preventing them from confidently resolving it.
• Loss, regret, and separation: Zhou Yao’s memories of the fox and dragon lady reveal the emotional cost of missed opportunities and irreversible choices. The past continues to shape the characters’ present identities.
• The hidden nature of power: Political struggles occur through secret messages, disguised movements, compromised officials, and carefully planted clues rather than open confrontation.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhou Yao and the maid: Their brief exchange establishes Zhou Yao’s discreet departure and the normal appearance of her visit.
• Zhou Yao and the Wild Daoist: Their conversation confirms the mission and shows mutual professionalism. Zhou Yao gives direct orders, while the Daoist provides intelligence about the target and the broader strategy.
• Manager Zhang and the servants: Zhang’s considerate treatment earns their trust and admiration, making his secret corruption more ironic and demonstrating how public virtue can conceal private compromise.
• Zhou Yao and the memory of the dragon lady and fox: Though not a present interaction, the remembered exchange exposes the emotional history behind Zhou Yao’s thoughts and links the current political intrigue to older themes of love, death, and regret.
• Prince Qi and Manager Zhang: Their relationship is one of coercive manipulation. Prince Qi exploits Zhang’s affair and supposed child, gradually forcing him into increasingly serious crimes and making him a disposable tool in the larger political struggle.

Chapter Summary: “Tai Chi Fist Made Clear”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Zhou arrives at a tavern to meet merchants who supply Prince Shu’s Residence. Before entering, he secretly exchanges a letter with an ordinary-looking man in a staged collision, completing a covert mission.
• Though outwardly calm, Zhang Zhou is exhausted and frightened. He realizes he has been trapped in a dangerous conspiracy and can no longer withdraw without risking execution or severe punishment.
• He reflects on why he did not report the plot earlier: doing so would likely have killed him and endangered Qiu and their child, Zhu’er. He now plans to secure a new identity for Zhu’er so the boy can escape the dangers surrounding them.
• Having abandoned his former honesty, Zhang Zhou now accepts bribes and uses his position for personal gain. At dinner, several merchants flatter him and secretly give him hundreds of taels in silver notes.
• Zhang refuses the suggestion of inviting singing girls, fearing that such conduct could expose him when he returns to the residence.
• Unbeknownst to Zhang and the merchants, Zhou Yao and the Wild Daoist are concealed in the adjoining room, observing the gathering.
• The Wild Daoist explains that the merchants possess indirect connections to military officers, nobles, the palace bureaucracy, and Prince Qi’s network. None of these people are consciously conspiring, but their associations can be manipulated to appear suspicious.
• He compares this strategy to “Tai Chi Fist”: a seemingly formless and harmless arrangement that becomes frightening when examined closely. The goal is to create enough evidence and suspicion that the Emperor will order investigations and isolate key figures.
• The Wild Daoist reveals that people from Prince Qi’s Residence are drinking in the neighboring room, completing the appearance of a hidden network linking Prince Qi to rebellion and the Demon Race.
• Zhou Yao understands that the plan is not necessarily to provoke mass executions, but to force the Emperor to investigate and remove or replace several important officials, especially with the Empress’s support.
• The chapter ends as the Wild Daoist prepares to act by snapping a piece of jade in two.

Character Developments

• Zhang Zhou: Becomes increasingly cynical and morally compromised. Once capable and honest, he now believes survival justifies corruption and profiteering. His concern for Qiu and Zhu’er reveals that his criminal actions are driven partly by paternal and familial responsibility.
• Zhou Yao: Demonstrates sharp political judgment and a strong understanding of palace power structures. She initially doubts the significance of the merchants but quickly grasps how their connections can be used to create an apparent conspiracy.
• The Wild Daoist: Reveals himself as a sophisticated strategist. He relies not on direct evidence but on carefully arranged associations, exploiting the Emperor’s need to preserve order and investigate possible treason.
• The Emperor: Though absent, he is characterized as an experienced ruler who values stability and procedure. His likely response is not immediate panic, but suspicion, isolation, and investigation.
• Qiu and Zhu’er: Remain offstage but are central to Zhang Zhou’s motivations. Zhang’s decisions are shaped by his desire to protect them from political retaliation.

Significant Themes

• Entrapment and survival: Zhang Zhou believes that once a person is caught in political intrigue, withdrawing safely is nearly impossible.
• Moral compromise: Fear and self-preservation transform Zhang from an honest steward into someone willing to accept bribes and exploit his position.
• Appearance versus reality: The merchants are not truly part of a unified conspiracy, yet their scattered connections can be made to look like one.
• Political suspicion as a weapon: The Wild Daoist’s strategy depends on creating uncertainty rather than proving guilt. In a treason investigation, even innocent associations can become dangerous.
• The fragility of power and order: The Emperor’s authority depends on controlling perceptions and maintaining rules. The conspirators exploit this by making the political structure appear unstable.
• Family loyalty: Zhang’s willingness to risk corruption and danger is ultimately tied to protecting Qiu and Zhu’er.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhang Zhou and the unnamed courier: Their brief collision allows them to exchange a letter without attracting attention.
• Zhang Zhou and the merchants: The merchants flatter, drink with, and bribe him to secure access to Prince Shu’s Residence. Zhang responds with practiced authority and growing satisfaction.
• Zhou Yao and the Wild Daoist: Their discussion clarifies the larger political scheme. Zhou Yao questions the plan, while the Wild Daoist explains how minor connections can be woven into an apparently vast conspiracy.
• The Wild Daoist and the absent political factions: By positioning merchants tied to various officials near people from Prince Qi’s Residence, he manufactures the appearance of coordination among the court, military, nobility, and princes.
• Zhou Yao and the political strategy: Her eventual agreement shows that she recognizes the plan’s purpose: not necessarily immediate destruction, but forced investigations and strategic replacements.

At a drinking party, Zhang Zhou entertained merchants with gossip about nobles, then unexpectedly began revealing a secret about the Crown Prince’s death. His companions tried to silence him, but he continued speaking, while men in the adjoining room listened.

• Zhang Zhou drank with merchants, who praised him and asked for stories about aristocrats in the Capital City.
• Zhang Zhou described Marquis Weijian’s affair with his daughter-in-law, leaving the merchants shocked.
• A sudden buzz in Zhang Zhou’s head led him to announce that the Crown Prince’s death had not been as simple as it seemed.
• Men in the adjoining room stopped their drinking game and listened after hearing Zhang Zhou mention the Crown Prince’s death.
• The merchants urged Zhang Zhou to drink and change the subject, but he dismissed their caution and continued shouting.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• In a tavern, several Shang merchants are flattering Steward Zhang of Prince Shu’s Residence while men from Prince Qi’s Residence listen from the neighboring room.
• The men from Prince Qi’s household mock Prince Shu and his steward, implying that Prince Shu’s supposed discipline and reputation are undeserved.
• Zhang Zhou, apparently drunk and encouraged by the hidden schemers, begins loudly revealing an outrageous “secret”: he claims that the former Crown Prince was killed so the Emperor could use his heart to create an immortality elixir.
• He further alleges that the Emperor’s twenty-year extension of life is expiring and that the Emperor now intends to take the Imperial Grandson’s heart as a replacement ingredient.
• The shocking declaration terrifies everyone who hears it. The Shang merchants flee the tavern in panic, while the men from Prince Qi’s Residence also escape, with Master Yang running first.
• Once left alone, Zhang Zhou regains his senses and realizes what he has said. He panics, denies responsibility, blames ghosts and spirits, and is so frightened that he wets himself.
• Behind a screen, Wild Daoist and Zhou Yao reveal that the entire incident was deliberately staged. Wild Daoist arranged for the rumor to spread through the capital and intends to ensure that Prince Qi’s men are blamed for circulating it.
• The pair leave unseen, taking advantage of their concealment and the confusion in the tavern.
• At an Imperial City Office outpost in Wuxi Alley, Ma Shunde is already furious over a separate conflict involving Hu Huai’an and worries that he is losing the Emperor’s trust.
• A subordinate suddenly arrives with news of an enormous emergency, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Zhang Zhou is portrayed as reckless while intoxicated but utterly cowardly once sober. His uncontrolled outburst makes him a useful pawn in Wild Daoist and Zhou Yao’s scheme.
• Wild Daoist demonstrates careful planning and political cunning. He does not necessarily need the rumor to be believed; he only needs a credible source and a convenient group to blame.
• Zhou Yao shows growing understanding of the political implications of the plot and reflects on whether a similar strategy may have been used against the Emperor in the past.
• Master Yang and Prince Qi’s men are revealed to be easily frightened and politically vulnerable. Their eagerness to flee may make them appear responsible for spreading the rumor.
• Ma Shunde is increasingly insecure and resentful. He believes Hu Huai’an has benefited from the removal of Zhao and fears that his own influence with the Emperor is declining.

Significant Themes

• Political rumor and manipulation: A fabricated or explosive secret can destabilize the capital even before its truth is established.
• Blame and scapegoating: Wild Daoist’s plan relies on associating the rumor with Prince Qi’s faction, potentially turning political rivals against one another.
• Fear as a weapon: The rumor succeeds because it is horrifying enough to cause witnesses to flee and behave suspiciously.
• Power and imperial secrecy: The alleged murder of the former Crown Prince and the Emperor’s pursuit of immortality reflect the dangers of hidden imperial crimes and unchecked authority.
• Loss of control: Zhang Zhou’s drunken speech demonstrates how a single careless statement can have consequences far beyond the speaker’s intentions.

Important Character Interactions

• The Shang merchants flatter Zhang Zhou while Prince Qi’s men listen and mock him and Prince Shu.
• Zhang Zhou’s public “revelation” terrifies both groups, causing them to abandon the tavern.
• Wild Daoist explains the scheme to Zhou Yao, emphasizing that the rumor’s source and the identity of those who spread it matter more than its truth.
• Ma Shunde vents his anger over Hu Huai’an and his declining position before receiving urgent news from a subordinate.

Chapter Summary: “Rebellion Against All Morality Has Gone This Far”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A Banner Officer bursts into Supervisor Ma Shunde’s private gathering, interrupting the singing and dancing to report a serious incident.
• In a tavern, someone has publicly claimed that the former crown prince was not executed for rebellion, but was secretly killed so that his heart could be used to create an immortality pill.
• The accusation becomes even more dangerous because it was allegedly made by Steward Zhang, a servant from Prince Shu’s residence—not by an ignorant commoner.
• Ma Shunde initially reacts with outrage, striking the Banner Officer and denouncing the statement as treasonous slander against the emperor.
• However, the report causes him to reconsider several suspicious facts:
  • The emperor’s secret pill-refining institution, the Jade Works Bureau, has received large quantities of charcoal, utensils, medicines, and precious materials.
  • The Bureau maintains contact with powerful religious or cultivation sects.
  • The emperor suffered a severe illness twenty years earlier, around the time of the crown prince’s death.
• Ma Shunde begins to fear that the horrifying rumor may be true: the emperor may have sacrificed both the crown prince and the Imperial Grandson in an attempt to gain longevity.
• Terrified that the rumor could spread or implicate him, Ma Shunde orders the entire tavern seized. He commands his men to arrest everyone present and mobilizes three hundred Imperial Riders.
• Despite the rain and the nighttime curfew, Ma Shunde personally leads a force out of the Imperial City Office to suppress the incident.
• Their urgent ride through the city alarms witnesses, who infer that a major political crisis or upheaval is underway.

Character Developments

• Ma Shunde shifts from authoritarian confidence to concealed panic. His initial anger is partly genuine, but the rumor awakens doubts based on secrets he has encountered within the palace.
• His experience as a palace official allows him to hide fear behind ritual loyalty and accusations of treason. He repeatedly declares that an insult to the monarch requires the death of the monarch’s subjects, using righteous outrage to mask his uncertainty.
• His decision to arrest everyone involved reveals both his political instinct and his desperation to contain information before it reaches the public or exposes the imperial court.
• The Banner Officer is frightened and submissive, unwilling even to repeat the accusation aloud. His fear emphasizes the danger of speaking against the emperor.
• Steward Zhang, though not directly present, becomes an important offstage figure. His connection to Prince Shu gives credibility and political weight to the scandalous claim.

Significant Themes

• The corruption of absolute power: The chapter raises the possibility that imperial authority is sustained through murder, secret experimentation, and the sacrifice of the ruler’s own family.
• Truth versus official ideology: Publicly, the crown prince was condemned as a rebel; privately, his death may have served a hidden purpose. The chapter questions whether official history is merely manufactured propaganda.
• Fear and self-preservation: Palace officials survive by suppressing their own thoughts. Even entertaining forbidden ideas is portrayed as dangerous.
• Political repression: The authorities respond to potentially true allegations not by investigating them, but by arresting everyone who heard or repeated them.
• The grotesque pursuit of immortality: The idea of refining pills from imperial blood and hearts presents longevity as an extreme violation of morality, family bonds, and the natural order.
• The fragility of imperial stability: A single statement in a tavern is treated as capable of causing a major upheaval, showing how unstable the political system is beneath its rigid authority.

Character Interactions

• The Banner Officer approaches Ma Shunde with extreme deference, while Ma Shunde uses threats and intimidation to force him to speak.
• After hearing the accusation, Ma Shunde both punishes the officer for repeating it and demands further details, demonstrating the conflict between official outrage and private curiosity.
• Ma Shunde’s internal reasoning connects Prince Shu’s political influence with the secret operations of the imperial court, suggesting that rival princes may possess knowledge capable of threatening the emperor.
• His orders to his subordinates are abrupt and increasingly urgent, turning a private report into a large-scale military operation.
• The frightened city residents observe the Imperial City Office’s forces but wisely avoid interference, reinforcing the atmosphere of terror surrounding the authorities.

Ma Shunde ordered a citywide lockdown after most witnesses to a restaurant incident escaped, while Liang Yuyin visited the disgraced Yang Min and learned a terrifying rumor about the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the Imperial Grandson. The chapter ended with Liang Yuyin and Yang Min shaken by the claim that the Emperor planned to sacrifice the Imperial Grandson to extend his life.

• Ma Shunde discovered that most people at the restaurant had fled and ordered the city gates closed and the streets searched.
• Liang Yuyin visited Yang Min, who was preparing to leave the Capital City with his family after being dismissed from office.
• Liang Yuyin gave Yang Min a hundred-tael banknote and urged him to endure, suggesting his fortunes might change.
• Yang Min told Liang Yuyin a rumor that the Emperor had used the Crown Prince's heart to make an elixir and gain years of life.
• Yang Min said the Emperor planned to sacrifice the Imperial Grandson in the same way, leaving both men pale with terror.

Chapter Summary: “All People Have Become Mere Grass”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liang Yuyin hears a shocking rumor suggesting that the Emperor’s actions toward the former Crown Prince’s family were driven by an utterly immoral and taboo motive—apparently involving the Crown Princess or another close imperial relative.
• The rumor explains several long-standing mysteries: the Crown Prince’s death, the destruction of his residence, the Imperial Grandson’s sudden elevation as heir, and the Emperor’s immediate hostility toward him.
• Liang Yuyin realizes that scattered rumors and suspicious details from the past now fit together. Though horrified and initially unwilling to believe it, he begins to suspect the accusation may be true.
• As he leaves, Imperial Riders seal the capital, imposing a martial lockdown and preventing anyone from leaving. This official response makes the rumor seem even more credible.
• The narrative then reveals that Cao Yiyan, a major enemy of the Zheng dynasty, has been hiding openly in the capital. With Liu Danai and Zhong Cui, he discusses the rumor’s political value.
• Cao Yiyan orders his followers to spread the accusation throughout the realm, hoping to destroy the Emperor’s legitimacy and turn the people and officials against him.
• Zhong Cui warns that the rumor may be a deliberate frame-up originating from Prince Shu’s Residence and that an imperial investigation could expose their connections there. Cao Yiyan nevertheless chooses to exploit the rumor, ordering his agents to sever contact with Prince Shu’s faction and withdraw most of their forces.
• Cao Yiyan refuses to flee. He intends to remain in the capital and watch the imperial family destroy itself through suspicion and infighting.

Character Developments

• Liang Yuyin undergoes a profound moral and emotional crisis. His Confucian faith in the proper relationship between sovereign, minister, father, and son is shaken as he considers that the Emperor may be a monstrous tyrant.
• He moves from disbelief to reluctant suspicion, recognizing that the Emperor’s behavior toward the Crown Prince and Imperial Grandson makes sense under the rumor’s implications.
• Cao Yiyan becomes increasingly confident and fanatical. He sees the scandal as the opportunity he has awaited to overthrow the Zheng dynasty and is willing to sacrifice former allies for a greater political advantage.
• Zhong Cui serves as the cautious and analytical counterweight to Cao Yiyan, recognizing the rumor’s suspicious timing and the danger of an imperial investigation.
• Liu Danai functions as Cao Yiyan’s obedient agent, carrying out orders to spread the rumor and reorganize their forces.

Significant Themes

• Legitimacy and public belief: Political power depends not only on armies and wealth but also on the people’s belief that a ruler is rightful.
• The collapse of moral order: The alleged imperial crime violates the Confucian structure of family and government, threatening the foundations of the entire bureaucracy.
• Rumor as a political weapon: Whether true or fabricated, the accusation can destroy the Emperor’s reputation and mobilize opposition.
• Tyranny and dehumanization: Cao Yiyan argues that an immortal or near-immortal Emperor would treat ordinary people as disposable “grass and straw,” reducing officials and subjects to slaves.
• Crisis revealing hidden truths: Once people consider the impossible explanation, previously disconnected events suddenly appear coherent.
• Internal destruction: Cao Yiyan hopes the dynasty will collapse not through direct conquest but through imperial paranoia, scandal, and members of the ruling family turning against one another.

Character Interactions

• Liang Yuyin and Yang Min: Yang Min reveals the rumor, leaving Liang Yuyin stunned and morally shaken.
• Liang Yuyin and the driver: The driver notices Liang’s disorientation and soaked clothing, briefly grounding him in the immediate reality of the lockdown.
• Cao Yiyan and Liu Danai: Cao orders Liu to spread the rumor, cut ties with Prince Shu’s Residence, and withdraw their elite forces.
• Cao Yiyan and Zhong Cui: Zhong challenges Cao’s enthusiasm by warning that the rumor may be a trap and could expose their network. Cao dismisses the danger because the scandal offers a chance to destroy the dynasty.
• Cao Yiyan and his followers: His rhetoric frames the rumor as proof that the Emperor has lost all moral legitimacy and that Heaven is now favoring their cause.

Chapter Summary: “Eyes Filled with Terror”

Key Plot Points and Events

• On a stormy night, Qian Wei arrives urgently at the secluded Zhao Estate, pounding on the gate despite the late hour.
• The retainers initially refuse him, but quickly admit him once they recognize him as a frequent visitor and likely future Chief Minister.
• Qian Wei is brought to Prime Minister Zhao Xu, who has withdrawn from public life after a previous political incident.
• Zhao Xu is alarmed by Qian Wei’s visibly shaken state and assumes that some catastrophe involving the Emperor or Imperial Grandson has occurred.
• Qian Wei reveals that he has heard a terrifying rumor: the former Crown Prince did not die by suicide or rebellion, as officially claimed.
• According to the rumor, the Crown Prince was allegedly murdered by the Emperor, who supposedly took his heart to refine pills.
• The Imperial City Office has reacted swiftly, sending out Imperial Riders and sealing the city gates, suggesting that the authorities consider the accusation extremely dangerous.
• Qian Wei fears the rumor could trigger a massive political upheaval and asks Zhao Xu whether the Emperor could truly have committed such an atrocity.

Character Developments

• Qian Wei is shown abandoning his usual composure. He arrives soaked, disheveled, pale, and nearly overcome with fear, emphasizing the rumor’s horrifying implications.
• Though he is on the verge of becoming Chief Minister, Qian Wei struggles to maintain the dignity and calm expected of such a position. His emotional reaction also shows his deep concern for the court and the potential consequences of the accusation.
• Zhao Xu remains outwardly controlled and attempts to steady Qian Wei by making him sit, wipe his face, and behave with proper official bearing.
• Despite his seclusion and physical frailty, Zhao Xu quickly recognizes the seriousness of the situation and accurately anticipates that it may involve the Imperial Grandson or a threat to the imperial succession.
• Zhao Xu’s own composure begins to weaken as Qian Wei explains the rumor, revealing that he is deeply frightened by its implications.

Significant Themes

• Political secrecy and dangerous truth: The chapter centers on a forbidden version of history that directly challenges the official account of the Crown Prince’s death.
• Fear of imperial power: The possibility that the Emperor murdered his own son demonstrates the terrifying reach of imperial authority and the danger of speaking against it.
• Rumor as a political weapon: A statement made publicly in a tavern immediately provokes an official crackdown, showing how quickly rumors can destabilize the court.
• Burden of office: Both men are expected to remain calm and dignified, yet the enormity of the revelation overwhelms even experienced statesmen.
• Uncertainty and suppressed history: The chapter raises doubts about whether the Crown Prince truly rebelled and whether the official narrative has concealed a much darker truth.

Character Interactions

• The retainers treat Qian Wei with deference, recognizing his close relationship with Zhao Xu and his rising political status.
• Zhao Xu reprimands Qian Wei gently for appearing disheveled and panicked, using etiquette and composure to calm him.
• Qian Wei’s fear gradually infects Zhao Xu, shifting their interaction from reassurance to shared dread.
• Their conversation ends with Qian Wei seeking Zhao Xu’s judgment, while Zhao Xu is left confronting the horrifying possibility that the Emperor was responsible for the Crown Prince’s death.

Chapter Summary: “The Faith Was Ruined”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qian Wei tells Senior Grand Secretary Zhao Xu a shocking rumor: the emperor allegedly dug out his son’s heart to refine pills and prolong his life.
• Zhao Xu is devastated because the rumor attacks the moral foundation of imperial legitimacy. If true, the emperor has violated both human ethics and Heaven’s principles.
• The revelation causes Zhao Xu to suffer a severe physical reaction. He nearly collapses from a heart attack, but Qian Wei retrieves emergency medicine from a hidden compartment and helps him recover.
• Zhao Xu recognizes that the rumor is more damaging than a military defeat because it could destroy officials’ and the people’s reverence for the emperor. Even a small loss of loyalty across the empire could destabilize the dynasty.
• He begins connecting the rumor to earlier political events: the crown prince’s alleged rebellion, the emperor’s sudden promotion of the Imperial Grandson, and the emperor’s subsequent hostility toward him.
• Zhao Xu and Qian Wei discuss who may have spread the rumor. They dismiss Prince Shu and Prince Qi as unlikely sources because the accusation could lead to execution and collective punishment.
• They consider whether the Imperial Grandson might be responsible, but both reject the idea as improbable. They believe he lacks the influence, information, and recklessness necessary to expose such a dangerous secret.
• The chapter ends with Zhao Xu insisting that the Imperial Grandson could not be so politically foolish, even as both men fear that the rumor may intensify the conflict between the emperor and his grandson.

Character Development

• Zhao Xu: Initially a powerful and composed statesman, he is shaken physically and spiritually by the rumor. His reaction reveals how deeply he has invested in the dynasty’s moral legitimacy. He begins confronting truths he previously refused to consider, becoming more suspicious of the emperor’s past actions.
• Qian Wei: Though frantic and distressed, Qian Wei demonstrates loyalty and quick thinking by saving Zhao Xu from collapse. His willingness to report the rumor immediately marks him as a serious and responsible official rather than someone merely spreading gossip.
• The Imperial Grandson: He does not appear directly, but his character is debated. Zhao Xu and Qian Wei view him as educated and politically intelligent, making them reluctant to believe he would launch such a destructive attack against the emperor.
• The Emperor: He remains offstage, but the rumor portrays him as potentially monstrous and illegitimate. His earlier actions are reinterpreted in light of the accusation.

Significant Themes

• The collapse of political faith: The chapter emphasizes that imperial authority depends not only on Heaven’s Mandate but also on moral conduct. If the ruler is seen as fundamentally inhuman, reverence and obedience begin to disappear.
• Rumor as a political weapon: Even an unverified claim can destabilize an entire dynasty if it exposes or reinforces existing suspicions.
• Loyalty and collective belief: Zhao Xu reflects that a small loss of loyalty from millions of people can become an enormous political crisis.
• Truth versus political survival: Zhao Xu fears that discovering the truth may be as dangerous as believing the rumor. Exposing the emperor could destroy the relationship between the emperor and Imperial Grandson and leave no possibility of reconciliation.
• The burden of statecraft: As a senior official, Zhao Xu understands that personal morality, public confidence, and the survival of the dynasty are inseparable.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Xu and Qian Wei: Their exchange moves from alarm to political analysis. Qian Wei’s urgent report nearly harms Zhao Xu physically, but Zhao Xu ultimately praises him for bringing the information quickly.
• Zhao Xu and the Imperial Grandson: Though they do not meet, Zhao Xu mentally weighs the grandson’s motives and abilities, revealing both concern for him and disbelief that he could have initiated the rumor.
• Zhao Xu and the emperor: Their relationship is indirect but central. Zhao Xu’s former confidence in the emperor is replaced by fear, doubt, and moral revulsion as he considers whether the emperor’s past actions conceal a terrible truth.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Imperial Grandson remains under suspicion for the failed imperial commission, but the Emperor cannot easily depose him because the position is of immense political importance and several other powerful figures—Prince Shu and Prince Qi—are also suspected.
• Zhao Xu and Qian Wei decide that their immediate priority is suppressing rumors that the Emperor intends to prolong his life by consuming his own son’s heart.
• Zhao Xu orders severe measures:
  • Rumor-spreaders are to be selected as examples and executed without trial.
  • Provincial graduates who spread the rumors will lose their academic status and be barred from the examinations for life.
  • Officials will be stripped of office and permanently dismissed.
  • Secret investigations will identify those deliberately undermining the Great Zheng court.
• Qian Wei leaves to enforce these orders, while Zhao Xu remains behind, physically weakened and emotionally devastated by the crisis.
• Ma Shunde reports the rumor’s spread to the Emperor after the Imperial City Office seals city gates, blocks roads, and arrests suspected disseminators.
• The Emperor reacts violently, condemning Ma Shunde’s efforts as incompetent and striking him with a jade cup.
• Hu Huai’an arrives to calm and medicate the Emperor, whose frailty and illness are increasingly evident.

Character Developments

• Zhao Xu is shown as ruthless and willing to sacrifice innocent people to preserve imperial stability. Despite his harsh commands, he is visibly shaken by the rumor and recognizes its potentially catastrophic effect on the dynasty.
• Qian Wei demonstrates loyalty and eagerness to act, admiring Zhao Xu’s severity. However, he also appears focused on immediate political survival rather than the moral consequences of the punishments.
• The Imperial Grandson remains politically vulnerable but protected by his status, reputation, and the presence of multiple suspects. His position is precarious, though he is not yet the main target.
• The Emperor is revealed as physically deteriorating, paranoid, and increasingly savage under pressure. His obsession with suppressing the rumor exposes both his fear and the truth’s potential danger.
• Ma Shunde acts quickly to contain the crisis but becomes a scapegoat for its spread. He is terrified of the Emperor and submits completely, even after being injured.
• Hu Huai’an serves as a practical caretaker, attempting to preserve the Emperor’s failing health while ignoring Ma Shunde’s humiliation.

Significant Themes

• Political control through terror: The court responds to dangerous information with executions, purges, and collective punishment rather than investigation or justice.
• The collapse of imperial legitimacy: The rumor threatens the foundational idea that the Emperor is both ruler and father. If the Emperor truly sacrifices his son for immortality, his moral authority—and the loyalty of officials, scholars, and generals—may collapse.
• Fear versus sincere loyalty: Although subjects may continue obeying the Emperor outwardly, the chapter questions whether genuine reverence can survive such monstrous accusations.
• Mortality and the abuse of power: The Emperor’s desperate desire for longevity drives him toward violating the most basic human and familial principles.
• Rumors as political weapons: The truth of the accusation matters less than its ability to destabilize the court and turn influential groups against the throne.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Xu and Qian Wei: They cooperate in suppressing the rumors, with Zhao Xu providing the strategy and authority while Qian Wei eagerly carries it out.
• Qian Wei and Zhao Xu: Qian Wei witnesses Zhao Xu’s sudden physical and emotional decline, realizing how deeply the crisis has affected him.
• Ma Shunde and the Emperor: Ma Shunde reports the situation submissively, but the Emperor responds with rage and violence, blaming him for failing to prevent the rumor’s spread.
• Hu Huai’an and the Emperor: Hu Huai’an acts as the Emperor’s caretaker, administering medicine and helping him recover from his emotional outburst.
• The Emperor and the wider court: Though not directly present together, the Emperor’s rumored actions create a profound crisis of trust among officials, scholars, and military leaders, threatening the entire imperial order.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After a night of spreading rumors, the emperor interrogates Ma Shunde about the investigation.
• Ma Shunde reports that the rumors were first circulated by Zhang Zhou, a steward in Prince Shu’s residence. He is still investigating whether Zhang acted independently or was backed by someone else.
• The emperor suspects the Imperial Grandson, but reports from the Crown Grandson’s Residence and the Imperial Grandson’s journey show no evidence of involvement. Hu Huai’an reasons that the Imperial Grandson would have nothing to gain from creating such turmoil.
• The emperor considers other possible culprits, including Prince Qi and Prince Shu, but refuses to believe his sons would be foolish enough to expose such a dangerous secret.
• He orders the city gates sealed, the Imperial City Office’s intelligence network mobilized, and rumor-spreaders executed. Prince Shu is placed under temporary confinement for failing to control his household.
• Zhao Xu and Qian Wei have already ordered armed patrols through Shuntian Prefecture. The emperor approves their response but worries that the rumors may spread among court officials and into the inner palace.
• He orders Hu Huai’an to ensure the empress and other palace women do not hear the rumors, threatening severe punishment for anyone who spreads them.
• Dissatisfied with Ma Shunde, the emperor recalls Zhao Bingzhong to court, implying that Zhao may reclaim his former influence or command of the Imperial City Office.
• Ma Shunde realizes he is being discarded. He leaves the hall devastated, with blood on his forehead and tears in his eyes.
• Alone, the emperor reflects on the seriousness of the leaked secret and wonders who has attacked him so precisely, asking, “Who stabbed Me with this knife?”

Character Developments

• The Emperor: His physical decline and emotional instability become increasingly evident. Though still issuing harsh, decisive orders, he is plagued by suspicion, fear, and helplessness. He recognizes that someone has exploited a deeply guarded secret to undermine him.
• Hu Huai’an: He displays great caution and political instinct, mirroring the emperor’s emotions to avoid becoming a target. He also privately evaluates the emperor’s declining health and correctly understands that the Imperial Grandson is unlikely to be responsible.
• Ma Shunde: His fall from power becomes unmistakable. Once proud as head of the Imperial City Office, he is reduced to frightened submission and realizes the emperor may replace him with Zhao Bingzhong.
• The Imperial Grandson: Though absent, he becomes a central object of suspicion. The chapter indirectly strengthens the impression that he is politically intelligent enough not to initiate a crisis with no clear benefit.
• Zhao Bingzhong: His recall signals a possible restoration of his former status and influence.
• Prince Shu: He is punished by association with Zhang Zhou, despite the emperor not yet knowing whether he personally participated in the rumor campaign.

Significant Themes

• Political suspicion and paranoia: The emperor cannot determine who leaked the secret and suspects even family members and close servants.
• The fragility of power: Ma Shunde’s rapid collapse shows how dependent court officials and eunuchs are on imperial favor.
• Information as a weapon: The rumors function like a carefully aimed “knife,” threatening the emperor’s authority more effectively than open rebellion.
• Appearance versus reality: Hu Huai’an survives by carefully controlling his expression, while the emperor’s outward authority conceals physical weakness and inner fear.
• Decline and replacement: The emperor’s worsening health and decision to recall Zhao Bingzhong suggest shifting power within the palace.

Character Interactions

• The emperor interrogates Ma Shunde, who responds with fear and repeated submission.
• Hu Huai’an reports surveillance results and cautiously offers political reasoning about the Imperial Grandson’s lack of motive.
• The emperor issues orders through Hu Huai’an and Ma Shunde, while implicitly comparing their abilities.
• Zhao Xu and Qian Wei’s independent actions earn the emperor’s approval and contrast with Ma Shunde’s perceived incompetence.
• The emperor’s recall of Zhao Bingzhong humiliates Ma Shunde and signals a change in the emperor’s inner circle.

Chapter Summary: You and I Are Sworn Enemies

Key Plot Points and Events

• The emperor learns that secrets surrounding a past incident have been exposed. He becomes suspicious that Prince Shu may have secretly investigated him years earlier, even when the prince was still a teenager.
• Grand Eunuch Hu Huai’an is sent to the empress’s palace before dawn under the pretext of delivering rare tribute melons from overseas.
• Hu observes that the empress’s attendants appear unaware of the rumors spreading outside the palace. Relieved, he assumes the empress has not yet learned the truth and believes his mission will proceed safely.
• The empress receives Hu with her usual cold, distant manner. She accepts the emperor’s “concern” and the tribute without revealing any reaction, convincing Hu that nothing is amiss.
• After Hu leaves, the empress dismisses her attendants and privately breaks down. She realizes that the emperor had sacrificed their son to preserve his own life and may now intend to sacrifice her grandson, the Imperial Grandson, as well.
• Furious and devastated, she vows never to reconcile with the emperor.
• Once her attendants return, the empress learns that Princess Xinping and Princess Ningping have requested audiences. Ningping seeks help because her husband has been assigned to an external post, leaving them separated and childless after five years of marriage.
• The empress agrees to consider having Ningping’s husband transferred back to the capital.
• She also begins to view Princess Xinping—and especially her mother, Consort Wu—as potential political allies who could support the Imperial Grandson’s future accession.

Character Developments

• The Emperor: His confidence and sense of control weaken as he realizes the exposure of old secrets may indicate that Prince Shu has long been more perceptive and calculating than he believed. His fear of betrayal grows.
• Hu Huai’an: He remains loyal to the emperor and believes his diplomatic visit has succeeded. His relief comes from misreading the empress’s controlled behavior as ignorance rather than concealed rage.
• The Empress: She undergoes the chapter’s most dramatic emotional transformation. Initially outwardly composed and cold, she privately learns the truth about her son’s death and the threat to her grandson. Her grief hardens into hatred and political determination.
• Princess Ningping: Her request reveals personal dissatisfaction and loneliness caused by her husband’s distant posting and their lack of children.
• Princess Xinping and Consort Wu: Though they do not appear directly, they become important in the empress’s political calculations. Their favor and influence may be useful in protecting the Imperial Grandson.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: The empress’s calm, formal behavior deceives Hu Huai’an, while her genuine emotions remain hidden until she is alone.
• Political manipulation and suspicion: The emperor’s rule depends on balancing factions and suppressing potential power networks, but his methods have created distrust and hidden resentment.
• Sacrifice for power and longevity: The emperor is portrayed as willing to sacrifice even his own family to preserve his life and authority.
• Maternal grief becoming political resolve: The empress’s sorrow over her son’s fate transforms into a determination to protect her grandson and oppose the emperor.
• Power through alliances: The empress recognizes that maintaining the Imperial Grandson’s position will require cooperation with influential figures in the inner palace.

Character Interactions

• Emperor and Hu Huai’an: The emperor entrusts Hu with the deceptive delivery mission, while Hu attempts to protect himself by carrying it out smoothly.
• Hu Huai’an and the empress: Their exchange is formally polite but emotionally cold. Hu interprets the empress’s aloofness as normal indifference, failing to recognize that she is concealing her true reaction.
• The empress and her attendants: She carefully maintains composure in front of them, then dismisses them so she can process the revelation privately.
• The empress and Princess Ningping: The empress shows willingness to assist Ningping with her marital separation, potentially strengthening her relationship with Princess Xinping and Consort Wu.
• The empress and the absent emperor: Though they do not meet, the empress’s discovery creates an irrevocable personal and political break: she now regards him as an enemy who destroyed their son and threatens their grandson.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After leaving the Empress’s palace, Chief Eunuch Hu Huai’an travels to Six-Cart Alley to visit his godfather, Zhao Bingzhong, who has been removed from office.
• Hu reflects on his failure to secure lasting imperial favor. He realizes that pleasing the Emperor is not enough; a chief eunuch must also manage affairs skillfully.
• Zhao Bingzhong has spent the night contemplating rumors that the Crown Prince was killed so that the Emperor could use his heart to prolong his own life.
• By connecting this rumor with the Crown Prince’s hurried burial, the extermination of those involved in handling the corpse, and the earlier death of former Chief Eunuch Xu Zhong, Zhao becomes convinced that the story is true.
• Zhao concludes that everyone connected to the Crown Prince’s death—including himself, Ma Shunde, and Hu Huai’an—is likely in danger. He therefore declares that he will obey only the Empress and the Imperial Grandson.
• The young eunuch who brought the Empress’s message displays a movement technique associated with Cold Defier, revealing that the Empress still has hidden supporters and resources.
• Hu Huai’an arrives with an imperial decree restoring Zhao Bingzhong to service. Zhao reacts with overwhelming gratitude, kneeling, weeping, and praising the Emperor’s mercy.
• Hu presents himself as a devoted godson, bringing Zhao large quantities of tribute fruits and medicinal ingredients while claiming that he has always trusted Zhao’s eventual restoration.
• Zhao outwardly accepts Hu’s affection but inwardly sees through his performance. After Hu leaves, Zhao drops the emotional facade and orders his followers to prepare for a major operation.
• He plans to enter the palace immediately to thank the Emperor, investigate how many people are following Hu Huai’an, and mobilize his own network.

Character Developments

• Hu Huai’an: Becomes more politically cautious and self-aware, recognizing that his advancement is not secure. He demonstrates considerable skill at flattery, gift-giving, and concealing his motives, but Zhao’s strange, pitying gaze makes him uneasy.
• Zhao Bingzhong: Moves from despair to determined resistance. He understands the lethal political secret surrounding the Crown Prince and recognizes that imperial restoration may be a trap or merely a temporary reprieve. His apparent gratitude is revealed to be a calculated performance.
• Ma Shunde: Though absent, he is contrasted with Zhao as someone focused mainly on immediate gain and lacking Zhao’s broader understanding of the danger.
• Xu Zhong: Through Zhao’s memories, he emerges as a tragic example of a powerful and trusted eunuch who was ultimately sacrificed by the Emperor despite years of loyalty.
• The Empress: Her influence remains active despite her apparent vulnerability, supported by hidden agents connected to Cold Defier.
• The Emperor: His restoration of Zhao appears generous on the surface, but the chapter presents his rule as ruthless, suspicious, and possibly driven by a horrifying secret.

Significant Themes

• Imperial favor as both reward and threat: Being restored to power does not guarantee safety; proximity to the Emperor may instead make Zhao more vulnerable.
• The expendability of servants: Even the Emperor’s most loyal and trusted eunuchs can be discarded once they become liabilities.
• Political performance and deception: Characters survive by acting—Hu performs filial devotion, while Zhao performs gratitude and obedience.
• Knowledge as a burden: Zhao’s deeper understanding of the Crown Prince’s death gives him insight but also leaves him more hopeless than those who remain ignorant.
• The contrast between appearance and reality: A modest residence may conceal a powerful strategist, tears may conceal cold calculation, and imperial grace may conceal danger.
• Hidden resistance: The Empress’s connection to Cold Defier suggests that opposition to the Emperor is still organized and active.

Character Interactions

• Hu Huai’an and Zhao Bingzhong: Their reunion is outwardly affectionate, with Hu calling Zhao “godfather” and offering gifts. Beneath this, both distrust one another: Hu searches for signs of resentment, while Zhao recognizes Hu’s political calculation.
• Zhao Bingzhong and the Empress’s messenger: The young eunuch silently delivers the Empress’s message and reveals his Cold Defier training, reassuring Zhao that the Empress still possesses loyal allies.
• Hu Huai’an and the Emperor: Hu delivers the Emperor’s oral decree restoring Zhao, carefully presenting the order as proof of the Emperor’s enduring favor.
• Zhao Bingzhong and the Emperor: Zhao’s public reaction is one of tearful devotion, but privately he intends to investigate, organize allies, and prepare for a major confrontation.
• Zhao Bingzhong and his followers: Once Hu leaves, Zhao resumes command, assigning surveillance and mobilization tasks that show he is preparing for imminent political danger.

Chapter Summary: “Does it Look Very Familiar?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• An imperial decree arrives at Prince Shu’s residence in a modest ox cart, accompanied by only a few guards and eunuchs—an intentionally cold and humiliating display.
• The emperor orders Prince Shu placed under temporary house arrest because rumors about extracting hearts for longevity are deemed rebellious and treasonous. Prince Shu is accused of failing to govern his household.
• The announcing eunuch behaves unusually sternly and disrespectfully, signaling the emperor’s extreme displeasure and possibly attempting to distance himself from Prince Shu.
• Enraged and shocked, Prince Shu destroys the incense table with his ceremonial sword and insists that he knew nothing about the rumors. He believes someone has deliberately framed him.
• Prince Shu’s strategists suspect the emperor’s anger is excessive for a mere rumor and may indicate that the accusations have struck close to a hidden truth or guilty conscience.
• In private, Prince Shu and strategist Ma Youliang discuss the danger of the situation. They conclude that the plot was carefully planned and likely involved a determined agent and additional conspirators within the residence.
• Prince Shu recognizes that the pattern feels familiar: whenever he and Prince Qi become embroiled in conflict or scandal, the Imperial Grandson seems to benefit.

Character Developments

• Prince Shu: Initially stunned, then furious and desperate to prove his innocence. His reaction demonstrates genuine shock, but he also realizes that the emperor’s suspicion may be impossible to dispel. He begins connecting the current crisis to a broader pattern of repeated political manipulation.
• Ma Youliang: Remains loyal and analytical. He publicly supports Prince Shu’s angry reaction as evidence of innocence, while privately recognizing the seriousness of the emperor’s response and urging an investigation.
• The Emperor: Though absent, he exerts overwhelming influence through the decree. His unusually severe reaction suggests deep anger, fear, or a guilty conscience connected to the rumors.
• The Eunuch: His formerly deferential attitude disappears, showing how completely imperial favor has shifted against Prince Shu.
• The Imperial Grandson: Does not appear directly, but is increasingly positioned as the likely beneficiary of the princes’ misfortunes.

Significant Themes

• Political suspicion and entrapment: Once the emperor suspects Prince Shu, even explanations may appear to be protests from a guilty man.
• The danger of rumors: Unverified stories can become politically lethal when endorsed by imperial authority.
• Power and shifting allegiance: Palace officials immediately adjust their behavior according to the emperor’s apparent will.
• Hidden guilt and buried secrets: The emperor’s disproportionate rage raises the possibility that the rumors touch upon concealed events from the former crown prince’s death.
• Recurring political patterns: Prince Shu realizes that setbacks repeatedly strike both major princes while the Imperial Grandson gains advantage, suggesting deliberate manipulation rather than coincidence.

Character Interactions

• The eunuch formally delivers the decree but treats Prince Shu with unusual coldness, emphasizing the loss of imperial favor.
• Prince Shu lashes out at his attendants and rejects assistance after nearly collapsing, then publicly declares that he has been framed.
• Ma Youliang reassures Prince Shu that his furious reaction helps establish his innocence, but also warns that the conspiracy is extensive.
• Their private conversation shifts from immediate defense to deeper suspicion, as Prince Shu prompts Ma Youliang to recognize the familiar pattern behind the crisis.