Chapter Summaries

Prince Qi’s rebellion collapsed as Cen Li rejected his promises and urged him to surrender, while Prince Qi chose to fight rather than take his own life. At the Ma Residence, Ma Shunde realized his delayed intelligence had helped bring the crisis to this point and feared both the emperor and Prince Qi would punish him.

• Xie Zhenqing ordered the Divine Strategy Army to cut down fleeing Lin'an Guard soldiers and restore discipline as Prince Qi’s forces lost morale.
• Cen Li received Prince Qi’s magical appeal to switch sides in exchange for high office and rewards, but questioned his claims and refused.
• Cen Li urged Prince Qi to stop and offered to find him poisoned wine, warning that the approaching troops would soon surround them.
• Prince Qi rejected the offer and declared that he would rather die in battle than take his own life.
• Ma Shunde reviewed secret messages about the rebellion and wept over his delayed response, blaming his hesitation for worsening the crisis.
• Ma Shunde feared that both the emperor and Prince Qi would hold him responsible, despite his claim that he had served the emperor faithfully.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Ma Shunde, fearing execution regardless of which faction wins the succession struggle, decides to create further chaos so that no single ruler can safely eliminate him.
• He forges a secret letter in Prince Qi’s handwriting, making it appear that Prince Shu aided Prince Qi’s attempted coup in exchange for an Iron-Capped hereditary princely title. Ma intends to frighten Prince Shu into rebellion.
• He also plans to provoke the former Prince Lu, now Prince Ninghe, by revealing the truth behind his mother’s death and reigniting his old ambitions.
• Ma believes that if Prince Qi, Prince Shu, Prince Ninghe, the Imperial Grandson, and other princes all raise troops, the dynasty will descend into civil war, giving him a chance to survive—or allowing him to drag the entire realm down if he must die.
• The feng shui formation established by Zhou Yao strengthens Ma’s vitality and sharpens his mind, helping him devise this desperate plan. Zhou realizes that the formation, while beneficial to the sick, has also intensified Ma’s selfish will to survive.
• Ma orders secret letters sent throughout the empire. Shortly afterward, imperial agents arrive with orders to arrest him for delaying and concealing military intelligence.
• Rather than submit, Ma draws his sword and kills the arresting eunuchs and palace attendants. He then declares that “within ten steps, there is no imperial authority,” embracing armed resistance.
• Ma escapes while proclaiming that Prince Qi has invaded the palace, forged an edict, and stolen the military tally. He orders his forces to execute traitors and rescue the emperor, attempting to cast himself as a defender of the throne.

Character developments

• Ma Shunde transforms from a frightened, cornered eunuch into a ruthless conspirator. His fear of death overcomes all loyalty, leading him to manipulate princes, forge evidence, and deliberately incite rebellion.
• His survival instinct becomes almost fanatical. He is willing to sacrifice the imperial family, the court, and the entire dynasty rather than accept execution.
• Zhou Yao remains cautious about interfering in human affairs because of restrictions on the Demon Race. Her connection to Ma’s formation allows her to perceive the consequences of her actions and recognize how it has empowered his selfishness.
• Prince Qi, Prince Shu, and Prince Ninghe are not directly present, but Ma’s schemes exploit their ambitions, fears, and grievances.
• The arresting eunuchs initially possess institutional authority and confidence, but Ma’s sudden violence reverses the power dynamic.

Significant themes

• Survival versus loyalty: Ma’s supposed lifelong service to the emperor collapses when his own life is threatened.
• The corrupting power of fear: Fear drives Ma from anxiety into calculated treason and mass manipulation.
• Political chaos and false evidence: Forged documents and carefully targeted revelations can turn latent rivalries into open rebellion.
• Authority and proximity: The statement “within ten steps, there is no imperial authority” emphasizes how official power can become meaningless when confronted by immediate physical force.
• Unintended consequences: Zhou Yao’s beneficial formation becomes dangerous when placed in the hands of a selfish person, demonstrating that tools and powers depend on the character of those who use them.
• The collapse of order: Ma’s plan suggests that once the imperial princes begin fighting, the dynasty may be unable to restore stability, regardless of who wins the initial conflict.

Character interactions

• Ma interacts indirectly with the princes through forged letters and carefully designed provocations, manipulating each according to their known weaknesses.
• Zhou Yao observes Ma from above and reflects on how her formation has affected him, creating a moral link between her actions and his transformation.
• Ma’s confrontation with the imperial arresting party marks the chapter’s central direct conflict: the officials invoke imperial authority, while Ma rejects it through violence and declares his own immediate power.
• By publicly blaming Prince Qi and calling for the emperor’s rescue, Ma attempts to reshape his rebellion into an act of loyalty and recruit others to his cause.

Chapter Summary: “Everyone Dies Together”

Key Plot Points and Events

• News of rebellion spreads through the camp, triggering a violent clash between Ma Shunde’s Imperial Riders and forces occupying the Imperial City Office. Both sides exchange arrows and spears as Ma Shunde calls on the riders to defend the Emperor.
• At Prince Ninghe’s Residence, the prince anxiously listens to the distant fighting. Having been politically isolated and demoted, he feels powerless and bitter about his uncertain fate.
• A servant, Little An, secretly delivers a letter from the Imperial City Office. It reveals that the Emperor is trapped in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, while Prince Qi is attacking it and is reportedly close to breaking through. The Emperor has issued an oral decree ordering the princes and the Divine Strategy Army to raise troops and execute Prince Qi.
• Realizing that inaction could lead to disaster, Prince Ninghe immediately summons his guards and rides out to act.
• Prince Shu, meanwhile, reflects on the political crisis and concludes that refusing to participate will only lead to death. After learning that Prince Qi has allegedly allied with demons and trapped the Emperor, he openly accepts the decree and heads for the military camp to lead the Royal Relief Army.
• At the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Prince Qi’s forces discover an underground arched culvert and investigate the water-control sluice connected to the palace’s drainage system. Their plan is to manipulate the water flowing into the palace.
• Xie Zhenqing, Prince Qi’s crucial ally and strategist, has not returned. Although Prince Qi briefly suspects that he may have abandoned him, he rejects the thought and decides to proceed without him.
• Prince Qi resolves to unleash the Water Demons and flood the area, even if doing so damages the capital and harms everyone involved. His attitude is summarized by the chapter’s central idea: if he must lose, everyone will suffer and die together.

Character Developments

• Prince Ninghe is shown as physically weakened, emotionally isolated, and deeply resentful of the political schemes surrounding his birth and status. However, the Emperor’s decree forces him out of passivity, and he chooses to take action despite his uncertainty.
• Prince Shu moves from contemplation to decisiveness. He recognizes that political neutrality is impossible and commits himself openly to the imperial side by leading the Royal Relief Army.
• Prince Qi becomes increasingly desperate and ruthless. With his army scattered, morale weakened, and Xie Zhenqing absent, he abandons hopes of a clean victory and embraces a destructive strategy that may devastate the capital.
• Xie Zhenqing remains absent but continues to influence events through the plans he previously devised. His absence creates uncertainty and intensifies Prince Qi’s pressure.
• Ma Shunde emerges as a forceful defender of the imperial cause, successfully rallying the Imperial Riders against the rebels.

Significant Themes

• Political survival and forced allegiance: The princes cannot remain neutral; each must choose a side as the imperial succession crisis becomes open warfare.
• Powerlessness versus action: Ninghe’s helplessness contrasts with Shu’s decision to act and Qi’s desperate attempt to seize control.
• Betrayal and suspicion: The characters question one another’s loyalties, particularly Prince Qi’s doubts about Xie Zhenqing’s absence and Ninghe’s uncertainty about the conspiracies surrounding his family.
• Destruction as a weapon: Prince Qi is willing to sacrifice the capital and its inhabitants rather than surrender, reflecting the theme that political conflict can turn into collective ruin.
• Fate and inevitability: Prince Shu’s reflections suggest that those who do not struggle for power may simply be condemned by it. The chapter portrays the court’s crisis as a situation where every choice carries the possibility of death.

Character Interactions

• Ma Shunde rallies his Imperial Riders against the rebel forces, creating the chapter’s opening confrontation.
• Little An serves as the link between the Imperial City Office and Prince Ninghe, delivering the secret decree that changes Ninghe’s course.
• Prince Ninghe consults indirectly with his guards and orders them to escort him into action.
• Prince Shu’s guards question his thoughts, and he eventually explains the decree and commands them to prepare for war.
• Prince Qi receives reports from a Demon General about the culvert, sluice, and Xie Zhenqing’s absence. Their exchange reveals both the tactical plan and Qi’s growing desperation.

Chapter Summary: “Seeming Lost in Thought”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Prince Qi’s Divine Strategy Army launches a surprise assault on the dam during the night.
• The attackers swiftly slaughter the guards, overcome the defenses, and seize the tower room.
• A wounded guard declares that the emperor has branded Prince Qi a traitor and ordered his execution, but Prince Qi dismisses him and commands that the dam be opened.
• The dam bursts, unleashing a massive flood that sweeps away houses and an approaching force of more than a thousand imperial soldiers.
• Seeing the destruction, Prince Qi declares that he has repaid the emperor’s earlier actions. He openly announces his intention to seize the throne, then leads his army toward the palace.
• At the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Zeng Nianzhen organizes the emperor’s remaining defenses. The guards consist largely of the sons of nobles and hereditary officials, many frightened but determined to protect the emperor.
• The Imperial Grandson, Su Ziji, arrives at the palace in an ornate carriage accompanied by guards.
• Su Ziji faces the emperor, his grandfather, in a tense and silent confrontation.
• When Eunuch Meng Lin approaches on the emperor’s orders, Gao Ze blocks him with armed crossbowmen. Su Ziji recognizes Meng Lin and asks why the emperor sent him, causing Meng Lin to realize that the situation is even more dangerous than expected.

Character Developments

• Prince Qi fully embraces rebellion. His decision to destroy the dam shows that he is willing to cause widespread civilian and military casualties to achieve power. He becomes increasingly confident and ruthless, openly claiming that the throne will ultimately be his.
• The Divine Strategy Army proves highly disciplined and capable, executing a coordinated assault despite being heavily outnumbered.
• Zeng Nianzhen emerges as a composed military commander, maintaining order among his barbarian troops even after they suffer losses and become bloodthirsty.
• The imperial guards are portrayed as privileged young heirs forced into genuine danger. Although many are visibly afraid, they stand firm out of loyalty, duty, and honor.
• Su Ziji appears calm and contemplative rather than openly emotional. His familiarity with the palace contrasts with his changed position, suggesting that he is reconsidering his relationship with the imperial family and the political crisis.
• The emperor remains outwardly controlled and authoritative, but his reliance on palace defenses and tense interaction with Su Ziji reveal the precariousness of his position.
• Eunuch Meng Lin becomes visibly frightened when Gao Ze prevents him from approaching, recognizing that Su Ziji and his supporters may no longer obey the emperor unquestioningly.
• Gao Ze acts as a vigilant protector of Su Ziji, immediately treating even a trusted palace eunuch as a potential threat.

Significant Themes

• Power and rebellion: Prince Qi’s attack marks the transformation of a political struggle into open civil war.
• Ruthlessness versus conscience: The dam can be opened easily, but doing so requires abandoning all concern for the lives downstream. The chapter emphasizes that the true barrier is morality, not ability.
• The collapse of imperial authority: The emperor’s proclamation against Prince Qi cannot stop him, and the imperial army is destroyed by the flood almost immediately.
• Duty and sacrifice: The young noble guards embody loyalty to the state, even when they are terrified and face almost certain death.
• Family conflict and succession: Prince Qi, the emperor, and Su Ziji are connected by blood but divided by competing claims, loyalties, and ambitions.
• Transformation of familiar places: Su Ziji sees the palace as both familiar and strangely altered, reflecting how political upheaval changes personal relationships and perceptions.

Character Interactions

• Prince Qi commands the Divine Strategy Army with cold confidence, while his soldiers respond with absolute obedience.
• The wounded palace guard confronts Prince Qi by invoking the emperor’s authority, but Prince Qi rejects both the accusation and the emperor’s legitimacy.
• Zeng Nianzhen surveys the imperial defenders and recognizes them as the “bulwark of the state,” contrasting their disciplined loyalty with the destructive forces approaching the palace.
• The emperor and Su Ziji silently assess one another, their encounter carrying the tension of a familial and political confrontation.
• Meng Lin attempts to approach Su Ziji under the emperor’s orders, but Gao Ze stops him at crossbow point.
• Su Ziji remains outwardly polite and composed while questioning Meng Lin, but Meng Lin’s fear suggests that this exchange may be the beginning of a decisive break between Su Ziji and the emperor.

Chapter Summary: “Zeng Nianzhen Truly Understands Warfare”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Meng Lin reads an imperial edict condemning Su Ziji for rebellion and urging him to surrender. Su refuses to kneel, recognizing that any possibility of reconciliation has already disappeared.
• The edict portrays Su as an ungrateful subject and rebellious grandson, emphasizing the Emperor’s supposed generosity toward him. Su dismisses the speech with cold indifference.
• Meng Lin suddenly launches an assassination attempt against Su. Zeng Nianzhen intercepts the attack with his saber, while Gao Ze assists in disrupting the assassin’s movement.
• Su orders the army to fire. Zeng Nianzhen immediately commands volleys of crossbow bolts, forcing Meng Lin to retreat among the guards.
• A large-scale battle erupts outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Su’s black-armored troops overwhelm the Emperor’s smaller force of imperial guards.
• Zeng Nianzhen demonstrates superior military judgment by ordering crossbows to fire upward. The bolts rain down on the guards from above, creating an effective three-dimensional attack and inflicting heavy casualties.
• The imperial guards retreat into the hall, but Su’s forces continue advancing. Imperial Feather Guards and Divine Martial Guards arrive, yet they are unable to reverse the battle.
• Su orders that anyone inside or outside the hall carrying a weapon be killed. His soldiers storm the hall while he advances calmly toward the Emperor.
• The Emperor refuses to flee, partly out of pride and partly because he has nowhere left to retreat. He realizes that his carefully controlled imperial forces have been defeated and suspects betrayal within the palace administration.
• The chapter ends with Su standing before the Emperor. The Emperor, once authoritative, appears defeated and powerless as Su’s army suppresses the final resistance.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji fully embraces his revolutionary position. He no longer seeks legitimacy or reconciliation and acts decisively, ruthlessly, and with absolute confidence.
• Zeng Nianzhen proves himself an exceptional military commander. His use of elevated crossbow fire reveals tactical intelligence and turns the palace battle decisively in Su’s favor.
• Meng Lin shifts from an official delivering imperial condemnation to a desperate assassin. His failed attack highlights both his personal danger and the Emperor’s increasingly desperate situation.
• The Emperor is stripped of his former majesty. Though he attempts to maintain dignity and defiance, his inability to command events exposes the collapse of his authority.
• The imperial guards are shown as courageous but overwhelmed. Their loyalty and willingness to die cannot compensate for their inferior numbers, equipment, and tactical position.
• Zhao Bingzhong remains near the Emperor, but Su’s silent acknowledgment of him creates suspicion regarding his loyalty or possible involvement in the palace’s military failure.

Significant Themes

• The collapse of political legitimacy: The imperial edict invokes loyalty, filial piety, and heavenly authority, but these ideals lose force once the Emperor can no longer enforce them.
• Power over ceremony: Su’s refusal to kneel demonstrates that military control, rather than ritual or legal declarations, determines who holds authority.
• Military strategy and discipline: Coordinated formations, crossbow tactics, and disciplined commands allow Su’s smaller organized force to dominate the palace defenders.
• The transformation of authority: The Emperor’s “celestial might” depends on his power. Once surrounded and defeated, he appears not as an invincible ruler but as a weakened, isolated old man.
• Irreversible conflict: Meng Lin’s speech and assassination attempt eliminate any remaining possibility of compromise, turning the confrontation into a struggle to the death.
• The human cost of rebellion: The battle emphasizes the brutality of power transfer, with elite young guards dying in large numbers despite their loyalty.

Character Interactions

• Meng Lin publicly challenges Su through the imperial edict, while Su responds with contempt rather than submission.
• Zeng Nianzhen and Gao Ze cooperate to block Meng Lin’s assassination attempt.
• Su relies on Zeng’s judgment, immediately approving his command to fire and allowing his tactical skill to shape the battle.
• The Emperor and Su finally confront one another directly. The Emperor demands Su’s purpose, but Su refuses to answer and instead orders the execution of all armed resistance.
• Su exchanges a silent glance with Zhao Bingzhong, suggesting unresolved suspicion and political tension.
• The final contrast between Su’s controlled advance and the Emperor’s defeated expression marks the transfer of power from the old regime to the rebel prince.

Chapter Summary: “Gate-Calling Emperor”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Ziji confronts the Emperor after taking control of the palace. The Emperor attempts to justify the Crown Prince’s execution, claiming he was deceived by corrupt officials and later honored the Crown Prince posthumously.
• The Emperor reminds Su Ziji that he rescued him from obscurity, raised him to imperial status, and entrusted him with the succession. He condemns Su Ziji’s palace coup as rebellious and damaging to the dynasty’s reputation.
• He urges Su Ziji to abandon the confrontation and blame the current crisis on Prince Qi’s rebellion, suggesting that the throne can still be peacefully transferred later.
• Su Ziji rejects the Emperor’s appeal, recognizing it as self-serving manipulation. He reflects that his outsider perspective prevents him from being emotionally bound by the political and familial loyalties of this world.
• Consort Xu, who is pregnant, begs the Emperor for protection. Su Ziji responds by recalling the Emperor’s destruction of the Crown Prince’s household, exposing the hypocrisy of his sudden concern for mercy.
• Rather than harming the palace women, Su Ziji orders all of them to be relocated, preserves the ranks of titled consorts, grants proper status to untitled attendants and pregnant women, and appoints Zhao Bingzhong to oversee their safety.
• After removing the soldiers from the hall, Su Ziji begins a pointed historical analogy. He describes a young emperor who disastrously led an army, was captured by northern invaders, and was later restored through a coup that deposed his replacement ruler.
• Su Ziji asks why such a disastrous “Gate-Calling Emperor” still retained the loyalty of ministers, generals, eunuchs, and palace attendants. The question clearly parallels the Emperor’s own potential fate and leaves Zhao Bingzhong shocked.
• Su Ziji then softens his tone, praising the Emperor as fundamentally different: a capable ruler who stabilized Great Zheng, expanded its territory, subdued local chieftains, and created an age of prosperity.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji demonstrates emotional control, political intelligence, and moral clarity. He refuses to be swayed by the Emperor’s claims of paternal benevolence and recognizes the difference between genuine justice and political rhetoric.
• He also reveals that, despite his coup, he is not seeking indiscriminate cruelty. His protection of the palace women and unborn children presents him as measured and administrative rather than purely vengeful.
• The Emperor shifts between indignation, self-justification, fear, and pleading. He tries to reclaim moral authority by emphasizing his past achievements and supposed kindness, but his hypocrisy becomes obvious when contrasted with his treatment of the Crown Prince.
• Zhao Bingzhong remains observant and obedient, but Su Ziji’s historical comparison deeply unsettles him. He begins to recognize the larger political implications of the confrontation.
• Consort Xu appears vulnerable and desperate, embodying the danger faced by the palace inhabitants during the power struggle.

Significant Themes

• Power and legitimacy: The Emperor argues that past achievements and the act of choosing an heir give him continued authority, while Su Ziji challenges the idea that political power excuses past crimes.
• Hypocrisy and selective mercy: The Emperor demands compassion for his pregnant consort while having previously shown none toward the Crown Prince’s family.
• History as political warning: Su Ziji uses the story of the “Gate-Calling Emperor” to suggest that rulers who lose legitimacy may still be supported by court factions, but their restoration can produce chaos and bloodshed.
• Justice versus vengeance: Su Ziji condemns the Emperor’s crimes without indiscriminately punishing everyone in the palace, showing that justice can involve protection and order rather than simple retaliation.
• Outsider perspective: Su Ziji believes his lack of deep cultural and dynastic conditioning allows him to see through emotional manipulation more clearly than those raised within the imperial system.
• The fragility of political loyalty: The chapter questions why officials continue to support rulers who have already brought disaster, implying that loyalty often follows power, habit, or factional interest rather than virtue.

Character Interactions

• Su Ziji and the Emperor: Their exchange is the chapter’s central conflict. The Emperor appeals to family, gratitude, history, and fear, while Su Ziji answers with silence, moral logic, and historical parallels.
• Su Ziji and Consort Xu: Her plea for protection prompts Su Ziji to expose the Emperor’s double standard. Although he does not comfort her directly, his orders ensure her safety and preserve her status.
• Su Ziji and Zhao Bingzhong: Su Ziji entrusts Zhao Bingzhong with protecting and relocating the palace women, establishing practical cooperation while reminding him of his authority.
• Su Ziji and the absent Crown Prince: Though dead, the Crown Prince remains central to the confrontation. His execution serves as the moral basis for Su Ziji’s refusal to forgive the Emperor.
• Su Ziji and the Emperor through history: By recounting the Gate-Calling Emperor’s downfall, Su Ziji indirectly warns the Emperor that rulers can be deposed, restored, and judged by the consequences of their decisions.

Chapter Summary: “Died by Drinking Poisoned Wine”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Emperor acknowledges that Prince Qi’s rebellion, Prince Shu’s weakness, and the Imperial Grandson’s abilities have left Su Ziji as the only person capable of preserving the dynasty.
• Su Ziji demands that the Emperor issue an edict transferring the throne to him. The Emperor refuses, declaring that he would rather die than legitimize Su Ziji’s succession.
• The Emperor admits that he ordered the deaths of Su Ziji’s father, the former Crown Prince, and everyone in the Eastern Palace. He argues that these actions were necessary to protect the state and insists that, as sovereign, he had the right to do so.
• Su Ziji counters by recounting how the Retired Emperor successfully eliminated political opposition after reclaiming the throne, arguing that decisive violence—not moral reputation or legal legitimacy—is what secures power.
• Su Ziji reveals a portrait of the Crown Prince, making clear that his campaign is motivated by revenge for his father’s murder. He bitterly asks the Emperor what the heart of an innocent child tasted like, referring to the Emperor’s consumption of the Crown Prince’s heart.
• A poisoned wine pot is brought in. Although eunuch Gao Ze offers to administer it, Su Ziji insists on doing so himself so that his servants will not bear the crime of poisoning the Emperor.
• At the last moment, the Emperor asks whether the woman close to him knew about the revenge plot. Su Ziji assures him that she did not.
• Realizing that Su Ziji will not delay, the Emperor writes a blood-sealed succession edict naming the Imperial Grandson as the next ruler and ordering him to suppress the rebellion.
• Zhao Bingzhong takes the poisoned cup from Su Ziji and urges the Emperor to drink it himself. The Emperor accepts, drains the cup, and dies almost immediately, bleeding from the eyes.
• Su Ziji orders the official proclamation: the Emperor died after Prince Qi forced his way into the palace, and before dying, he passed the throne to Su Ziji and commanded him to restore order.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji fully embraces ruthless political calculation. He has moved beyond merely seeking justice and now understands that power must be secured through decisive action, controlled narratives, and the elimination of threats.
• His personal hatred for the Emperor is revealed as profound but controlled. He refuses to let emotion interfere with political necessity, even taking responsibility for the poisoning himself.
• The Emperor is shown as both politically perceptive and morally self-justifying. He recognizes Su Ziji’s abilities but remains convinced that his past crimes—including killing the Crown Prince—were necessary acts of statecraft.
• In his final moments, the Emperor shows a trace of tenderness and regret when he asks whether the woman involved knew of the plot. His willingness to write the succession edict suggests that, despite his defiance, he ultimately accepts Su Ziji’s victory.
• Gao Ze remains loyal to Su Ziji but is still intimidated by the Emperor’s authority. His fear highlights the lasting power of imperial majesty.
• Zhao Bingzhong demonstrates loyalty and courage by taking responsibility for the final act and ensuring that the Emperor drinks the poison.

Significant Themes

• Power versus morality: The chapter argues that political legitimacy and moral righteousness matter less than the ability to control institutions, alliances, and public narratives.
• Revenge and justice: Su Ziji frames his revenge as both personal retribution and political correction, but his actions show how easily justice becomes indistinguishable from calculated violence.
• The burden of rulership: The Emperor claims that cruelty was necessary to preserve the state, while Su Ziji accepts that ruling requires unforgiving decisions.
• Historical reputation versus practical power: Both men recognize that later generations may judge them, but neither allows fear of infamy to determine present action.
• Cycles of violence: The Emperor killed the Crown Prince to secure the throne; Su Ziji now kills the Emperor to reclaim it, repeating the same brutal logic of dynastic succession.
• Control of the official narrative: Su Ziji immediately constructs a public explanation for the Emperor’s death, turning an act of poisoning into an apparently voluntary imperial decision made amid rebellion.

Character Interactions

• Su Ziji and the Emperor: Their confrontation is the chapter’s central conflict. They speak as grandfather and grandson, ruler and subject, and political rivals, combining personal betrayal with an intellectual struggle over how power should be exercised.
• Su Ziji and Gao Ze: Su Ziji protects Gao Ze by refusing to let him administer the poison, emphasizing both his authority and his willingness to bear the consequences himself.
• Su Ziji and Zhao Bingzhong: Zhao’s intervention reinforces his devotion to Su Ziji and shifts the final responsibility onto the Emperor, who chooses to drink voluntarily.
• The Emperor and the Crown Prince’s memory: The portrait transforms the absent Crown Prince into a silent presence, forcing the Emperor to confront the human cost of his past actions.

The empress awoke from a dream of the emperor and learned that he had died, then ordered the Imperial Grandson to take command and ascend the throne before the emperor’s bier. In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, officials and guards received the late emperor’s and empress’s decrees and proclaimed the Imperial Grandson emperor.

• The empress dreamed that the emperor comforted her, but the dream dissolved as a eunuch summoned him away.
• Yu Han told the empress that the emperor had died and that the Imperial Grandson had entered the palace.
• The empress ordered the guards and officials to obey the Imperial Grandson, ascend the throne before the emperor’s bier, and suppress Prince Qi’s rebellion.
• Yu Han delivered the empress’s edict to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, where Zhao Bingzhong read the late emperor’s decree commanding the Imperial Grandson to take the throne.
• Yu Han read the empress’s decree, and the officials and Imperial Guard Corps knelt and proclaimed the Imperial Grandson emperor.

After the late emperor’s death, Su Ziji took the throne and issued orders to secure the capital and suppress Prince Qi’s rebellion. Prince Qi fought his way into the palace and, seeing the emperor’s bier, realized his father was gone.

• Su Ziji accepted the late emperor’s decree and appointed Zhao Bingzhong, Yu Han, Gao Ze, Zeng Nianzhen, Xu Jinzhi, Bi Xin, and Lu Fengyun to secure the palace and defeat Prince Qi.
• Su Ziji discussed the rebellion with Lu Fengyun, then read the empress’s decree and began writing a reply.
• A section of the defenses collapsed, and Prince Qi’s men fought their way to Su Ziji’s position.
• Su Ziji allowed Prince Qi to enter alone after his weapons were removed and he was searched.
• Prince Qi saw the late emperor and sighed, “Father, you’ve gone...”

Chapter Summary: “Only Left to Sigh by the Railing”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Prince Qi is captured after launching a rebellion, which involved collusion with the Demon Race. Su Ziji arrives at the decisive moment with secretly assembled armored troops, defeating the rebellion and outmaneuvering both Prince Qi and the late emperor.
• Prince Qi recognizes that Su Ziji’s victory was not merely fate or the “Heaven’s Mandate,” but the result of careful human planning and political manipulation.
• The two discuss how history is written. Su Ziji reveals his intention to control both official histories and unofficial accounts by manufacturing a broad network of apparently independent evidence. He plans to make future generations accept his preferred version of events while suppressing records unfavorable to him.
• Su Ziji states that anyone who resists this narrative—including upright ministers—can be killed and discredited through fabricated historical records.
• Prince Qi accepts defeat and asks that his family and followers be treated leniently. Su Ziji agrees to exile Prince Qi, reduce his wife and heir to commoners, preserve their livelihood, and possibly grant a future descendant a marquisate.
• Prince Qi requests a sword and commits suicide. Before dying, he warns Su Ziji that the Demon Race cannot be trusted and that followers of the Brahma Way should not remain in court for long.
• In his final chant, Prince Qi recalls a dream of a Demon Kingdom and laments that his twenty-one years of effort were ultimately futile.
• After his death, star-like fragments of light rise from his blood. Su Ziji’s Yellow Cloud Aura absorbs them, and he concludes that Prince Qi possessed part of the Heaven’s Mandate, which has now been severed.
• Su Ziji, believing he has reached the final stage of his rise, prepares to pay respects to the Empress.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji is revealed as an exceptionally calculating political strategist. He does not merely defeat his enemies militarily; he intends to control how future generations understand the conflict. Despite his ruthless methods, he presents himself as a ruler committed to stability, dynastic continuity, and protecting innocent relatives.
• Prince Qi shifts from defeated rebel to resigned, dignified final opponent. He acknowledges Su Ziji’s superiority, accepts responsibility for the rebellion, and tries to protect his family and followers. His final warnings show that he remains perceptive and politically concerned even at the point of death.
• Prince Qi’s death confirms that his rebellion was connected to a deeper supernatural destiny. His dream and the fragments of Heaven’s Mandate suggest that he was not simply an ordinary political challenger.

Significant Themes

• Control of history and truth: Su Ziji argues that political power includes the ability to determine how the past is recorded. Evidence, archives, private letters, and seemingly independent testimonies can all be arranged to create an “official” truth.
• Fate versus human design: The chapter repeatedly contrasts Heaven’s Mandate with deliberate planning. Su Ziji claims divine legitimacy, but Prince Qi recognizes that human strategy brought about the outcome.
• Legitimacy and ruthless governance: Su Ziji believes rebellion must be punished to establish precedent, yet he also emphasizes humane treatment of widows, orphans, and innocent descendants.
• Family and dynastic continuity: Both men discuss the imperial clan’s obligations and the importance of setting examples for future generations.
• Failed ideals and tragic resignation: Prince Qi’s final poem portrays his rebellion as the collapse of a grand dream. His image of the “trapped dragon” and sighing by the railing reflects ambition defeated by fate and reality.
• Supernatural succession: The absorption of Prince Qi’s Mandate suggests that political victory is also a transfer of metaphysical authority.

Important Character Interactions

• Su Ziji and Prince Qi: Their conversation is calm, respectful, and intellectually charged despite their opposition. Prince Qi admires Su Ziji’s strategic brilliance, while Su Ziji treats him as a defeated but still valuable political figure.
• Prince Qi and his family: Though accepting his own death, Prince Qi pleads for leniency toward his wife, son, and collateral relatives, revealing his remaining sense of responsibility.
• Prince Qi and Su Ziji’s future court: His final warning about the Demon Race and the Brahma Way foreshadows possible threats or conflicts in Su Ziji’s reign.
• Su Ziji and Heaven’s Mandate: By absorbing the supernatural remnants after Prince Qi’s death, Su Ziji symbolically and literally claims the destiny that once supported his rival.

Chapter Summary: “Grant the Throne to Fu’er”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After fighting through the night, the Imperial Grandson, Su Ziji, visits the Empress in the Hall of Auspicious Fortune.
• He formally reports that Prince Qi murdered the late Emperor and that Prince Qi has been defeated.
• Su Ziji asks the Empress to advise him on:
  • The late Emperor’s posthumous title and temple name.
  • The imperial title to grant his deceased father, Fu’er, since Su Ziji is about to inherit the throne.
• Su Ziji declares that he will immediately confer an imperial title upon his father, arguing that a son inheriting his father’s position is proper according to Heaven and earthly principle.
• The Empress urges him to ascend the throne without delay, warning that political instability could allow his rivals to act.
• Although Prince Qi is dead, his surviving followers remain dangerous, while Prince Shu has considerable prestige and popular support. The Empress also warns of supernatural disasters, foreign threats, and unrest throughout the realm.
• Su Ziji assures her that the imperial seals are in his possession and reveals that the late Emperor left an edict. The Emperor’s body has been placed in a coffin at the Hall of Literary Splendor.
• The Empress advises Su Ziji to simplify the succession ceremony by gathering the officials and ascending the throne at the mourning hall.
• She agrees to support him, greatly reducing the possibility that anyone can challenge his accession.
• The Empress then raises the issue of Su Ziji’s relationship with Princess Xinping. She claims Xinping is pregnant and advises Su Ziji to give her a new identity and formally take her as a consort before her pregnancy becomes visible.
• Su Ziji is stunned because he believes he and Xinping have never been intimate, suggesting that Xinping may have fabricated the pregnancy to secure political protection.
• Outside the palace, Su Ziji encounters Bu Hui, who has waited for him in tears after suffering a nightmare about the palace attack, her father’s death, and Su Ziji disappearing.
• He comforts her, embraces her, and assures her that he is safe and has always been there.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji emerges as the de facto ruler. He is decisive, politically confident, and determined to secure the throne quickly, while also showing filial devotion by planning to honor his father with an imperial title.
• His confidence contrasts with the Empress’s caution. Su Ziji does not regard Prince Shu or other rivals as serious threats, believing his political abilities and possession of the imperial seals make victory nearly certain.
• The Empress shifts from grief and exhaustion to active political leadership. She recognizes that Su Ziji’s succession is possible but warns him not to underestimate rivals or delay his coronation.
• The Empress also acts as a strategist in arranging Su Ziji’s relationship with Xinping, using the alleged pregnancy to strengthen his political position.
• Bu Hui is shown as emotionally vulnerable after the night’s violence. Her nightmare reveals her fear of losing Su Ziji, while her reunion with him deepens the emotional bond between them.
• Princess Xinping becomes a source of intrigue. Her alleged pregnancy appears politically significant and may represent a deliberate attempt to secure marriage, protection, or influence.

Significant Themes

• Succession and legitimacy: The chapter centers on the transfer of imperial power and the importance of ritual, official recognition, imperial seals, and ancestral titles.
• Political instability: Even after Prince Qi’s death, the realm remains vulnerable because of surviving factions, rival princes, border enemies, and supernatural disturbances.
• Filial duty and dynastic continuity: Su Ziji’s insistence on granting his father an imperial title reflects the belief that dynastic inheritance carries both political and moral obligations.
• Power versus appearances: The alleged pregnancy, formal titles, and public ceremonies show how personal relationships and private claims can be transformed into political tools.
• Trauma and emotional refuge: Bu Hui’s nightmare and Su Ziji’s reassurance emphasize the personal cost of palace violence and the comfort found in intimate bonds.
• Fate and supernatural influence: References to dragons, divine manifestations, demonic calamities, and “reverse dreams” suggest that political events are intertwined with omens and supernatural forces.

Character Interactions

• Su Ziji and the Empress: Their conversation combines ceremony, strategy, and mutual dependence. Su Ziji seeks her approval and political support, while she counsels caution and helps arrange his accession.
• Su Ziji and his deceased father: Though Fu’er is absent, Su Ziji’s promise to grant him an imperial title reveals loyalty and reinforces the legitimacy of his own claim.
• The Empress and Xinping: The Empress appears to have accepted Xinping’s claim of pregnancy and intends to use it to facilitate Xinping’s formal incorporation into Su Ziji’s household.
• Su Ziji and Bu Hui: Their reunion is tender and emotionally intimate. Bu Hui confesses her fear of losing him, and Su Ziji comforts her with physical affection and assurances of his continued presence.
• Su Ziji and Xinping: Their relationship is suddenly thrown into confusion by the pregnancy revelation. Su Ziji’s shock suggests he suspects that Xinping has concealed or misrepresented something important.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Ziji reflects on the difficulty of balancing love, marriage, and political responsibility. He compares his situation to Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu, who loved both Yin Lihua and Guo Shengtong but ultimately suffered because affection, ambition, and dynastic politics became entangled.
• He worries about Xinping’s future and whether his heart can accommodate additional relationships beyond Bu Hui. Despite these concerns, he reaffirms that marrying Bu Hui was a choice he will never regret.
• Su Ziji and Bu Hui share an affectionate kiss and discuss a jade pendant brought by Princess Consort Qi. The pendant once belonged to the former Crown Prince and was later kept by Prince Qi, who instructed his wife to show it to Su Ziji if anything happened to him.
• Su gives the pendant to Bu Hui, recognizing its importance as a relic of her birth father and the Crown Prince bloodline.
• Su nearly reveals the truth about Bu Hui’s origins and the secrets he has been keeping, but Bu Hui stops him. She trusts that he has his reasons and insists that he need not tell her before he is ready.
• Their conversation becomes emotional when Su jokingly suggests that wealth and status might lead him to replace her. Bu Hui tearfully admits that, if abandoned, she would return to the study and wait forever for him.
• Su recalls the dangers surrounding their marriage: his discovery as a descendant of the Former Wei imperial clan, Bu Hui’s identity as a Zheng Dynasty princess, and the assassination attempt connected to those secrets.
• He tells Bu Hui that, before the late Emperor’s coffin and Prince Qi’s corpse, he prayed that her descendants would live in an era of peace. His political choices are deeply influenced by his love for her and concern for her bloodline.
• Su concludes that Princess Consort Qi will not be punished for Prince Qi’s death. He agrees to meet her and allow her to see Prince Qi one last time.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji: Becomes increasingly aware that his personal loyalties and love for Bu Hui influence his political decisions. Though burdened by secrets and uncertainty about the future, he remains committed to protecting Bu Hui and her descendants. His tenderness and guilt are especially evident in his reassurance that he will not abandon her.
• Ye Buhui: Shows deep trust and emotional dependence on Su Ziji. Although she fears being replaced now that he is powerful, she refuses to pressure him into revealing dangerous secrets. Her willingness to wait for him demonstrates both devotion and vulnerability.
• Princess Consort Qi: Though she appears only indirectly, her actions reveal grief, fear, and a desire to preserve Prince Qi’s wishes and legacy. Bringing the jade pendant is both an act of trust and a plea for recognition.
• Prince Qi: Through the pendant and his final instructions, he remains a presence after death, linking Su Ziji to the former Crown Prince’s legacy and Bu Hui’s hidden heritage.

Significant Themes

• Love versus political duty: Su Ziji’s affection for Bu Hui shapes his decisions about succession, legitimacy, and punishment.
• Marriage as loyalty and responsibility: Su believes that once married, one must genuinely love and protect one’s spouse, making the idea of a large harem emotionally troubling to him.
• Trust and secrecy: Bu Hui accepts Su’s silence because she trusts his intentions, while Su struggles with the knowledge he cannot yet share.
• Dynastic legitimacy and bloodline: The jade pendant, Bu Hui’s ancestry, and the competing imperial lineages underline the political importance of family origins.
• Fear of abandonment: Bu Hui’s tears and promise to wait for Su reveal her anxiety that power may change him.
• Hope for future peace: Su’s prayer that Bu Hui’s descendants will know peace expresses his deepest aspiration: that the next generation will escape the wars and political turmoil of the past.

Important Character Interactions

• Su and Bu Hui exchange a tender kiss, then discuss the jade pendant and its connection to her father.
• Su attempts to explain his hidden motives, but Bu Hui interrupts and reassures him that she trusts him.
• Their teasing turns into a painful discussion of abandonment, ending with mutual apologies and renewed emotional commitment.
• Su tells Bu Hui about his prayer before the late Emperor’s coffin, revealing how closely his political ambitions are tied to her future.
• Su ultimately decides to receive Princess Consort Qi and let her see Prince Qi, combining compassion with political judgment.

Su Ziji reassured Princess Consort Qi that her son would be spared, but she revealed she had already taken poison and died beside Prince Qi. The empress then presented the official account of the emperor’s death to three commanders, who accepted the Imperial Grandson’s succession as the palace gates opened.

• Su Ziji told Princess Consort Qi that Prince Qi would be stripped of his title but spared, and that their son could eventually inherit a title.
• Princess Consort Qi revealed she had drunk poison, asked to see Prince Qi, and died beside him while Ye Buhui and Su Ziji watched.
• Sang Chengqi received the empress’s summons and entered the palace with Qian Lu and Zhao Benxiang, the commanders of the Black-Armored Guards and Qimen Guards.
• The empress announced that Prince Qi had rebelled, the emperor had taken poisoned wine, and Prince Qi had killed himself; the commanders saw the emperor and Prince Qi’s bodies.
• A eunuch read the emperor’s final edict naming the Imperial Grandson as successor, and the three commanders kowtowed to him.
• The empress ordered the palace gates opened, and the command passed onward as the gates opened one after another.

Chapter Summary: “I Plead The Same”

Key Plot Points and Events

• News spreads that Prince Qi has rebelled, the Emperor has died, and the Imperial Grandson is to inherit the throne immediately before the late Emperor’s coffin.
• Senior officials—including Zhao Xu, Qian Wei, Cui Zhaoqian, Xie Zhi, and others—enter the palace under heavy guard.
• The palace is filled with executions. Eunuchs, court ladies, soldiers, and others accused of rebellion or failing to protect the Emperor are beheaded without trial.
• Qian Wei protests the lack of judicial proceedings, but Gao Ze justifies the killings as necessary during a national crisis. Zhao Xu stops Qian Wei from pursuing the argument.
• The officials enter the mourning hall, where the Emperor’s coffin lies surrounded by incense and lamps. The young Imperial Grandson and the Empress are present.
• The Empress produces an alleged deathbed edict, written in blood, declaring that Prince Qi assassinated the Emperor and ordering the Imperial Grandson’s succession.
• Zhao Xu and the other ministers recognize the suspicious and coercive circumstances surrounding the edict, but the palace guards and eunuchs make opposition dangerous.
• The Empress calls for the Imperial Grandson to ascend the throne immediately. Zhao Xu agrees, followed by three other cabinet ministers.
• Qian Wei remains silent, studying the bloody edict and appearing ready to challenge the proceedings. However, he notices the surrounding eunuchs and armed guards, whose killing intent pressures him into submission.

Character Developments

• Zhao Xu demonstrates political realism and caution. Though troubled by the suspicious edict and the executions, he prioritizes stability and recognizes that resistance could lead to widespread bloodshed.
• Qian Wei emerges as the most morally resistant minister. He objects to executions without trial and hesitates to endorse the succession, but the threatening military presence leaves him intimidated and isolated.
• The Imperial Grandson, Su Ziji, is presented as a solemn and youthful successor. Although visibly grieving, he appears to possess authority and has already secured control of the palace forces.
• The Empress acts decisively to manage the succession, presenting the deathbed edict and framing the immediate enthronement as necessary for national stability. Her grief appears controlled and possibly politically calculated.
• Gao Ze openly supports harsh measures, arguing that extraordinary disorder requires extraordinary punishment.
• Hu Huai’an, once powerful, is reduced to a bloodied prisoner and executed, emphasizing how quickly political fortunes have changed.
• Xie Zhi is shaken by the execution of a familiar fourth-rank eunuch, deepening his awareness of the purge’s brutality.

Significant Themes

• Political power and coercion: The new regime’s authority is established through executions, armed surveillance, and fear rather than transparent legal process.
• Stability versus justice: The ministers must choose between questioning the suspicious succession and preventing further chaos. Zhao Xu favors stability, while Qian Wei represents legal and moral objections.
• Truth manipulated by power: The bloody edict provides an official explanation for the Emperor’s death, but the ministers sense that it may be fabricated or politically arranged.
• The fragility of status: Hu Huai’an’s rapid fall from influential eunuch to condemned prisoner illustrates how unstable court power can be.
• Obedience under threat: The ministers’ public agreement does not necessarily reflect their beliefs; their words are shaped by the guards and eunuchs surrounding them.
• The birth of a new regime: The Imperial Grandson’s succession marks a decisive political transition, achieved through emergency measures and the suppression of dissent.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Xu warns Qian Wei to maintain decorum, then prevents him from openly challenging the palace executions.
• Gao Ze dismisses Qian Wei’s legal objections and defends immediate executions as essential to restoring order.
• The ministers collectively mourn before the coffin, though Zhao Xu reminds Qian Wei that political responsibilities take precedence over grief.
• The Empress hands Zhao Xu the deathbed edict and asks him to arrange the Imperial Grandson’s accession.
• Zhao Xu and most of the Grand Secretariat publicly endorse the succession, repeating that they “plead the same.”
• Qian Wei’s hesitation creates the chapter’s central tension: he appears prepared to resist, but the threatening presence of Zhao Eunuch, the lead eunuchs, and the armed guards places him under overwhelming pressure.

Chapter Summary: The Weight of the Realm

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qian Wei is forced to decide whether to challenge the Imperial Grandson’s succession. He recognizes numerous troubling circumstances surrounding the late Emperor’s death, including the Crown Prince’s reported death, Prince Qi’s rebellion, the Emperor’s suspicious final days, and the blood edict transferring the throne.
• Despite his doubts, Qian Wei chooses not to object, concluding that the stability of the realm must take priority over exposing possible crimes within the imperial family. His decision prevents further turmoil among the officials and princes.
• Zhao Xu warns Qian Wei that senior ministers must control their emotions and act patiently, since every word or silence can affect the entire country. Qian Wei regrets his hesitation and realizes that his political ambitions—particularly any hope of becoming Chief Minister—are likely over.
• Gao Ze presents the late Emperor’s final blood edict. Zhao Xu reads it before the assembled officials. The edict declares that the Emperor’s health has failed, names the Imperial Grandson as his successor, and commands him to suppress the rebels and restore peace.
• The officials accept the edict, and the Imperial Grandson is immediately enthroned as Emperor Su Ziji before the late Emperor’s burial. The court performs the formal rites and swears loyalty to the new ruler.
• During the new Emperor’s first court session, Zhao Xu reflects on the late Emperor’s achievements, his difficult rise to power, his successful defense of the realm, and his later descent into suspicion and disorder. Zhao concludes that although the Emperor’s reputation will be damaged by the palace coups and family conflict, his accomplishments were still substantial.
• Zhao Xu also considers the rumors that the late Emperor killed the Crown Prince in an attempt to prolong his own life. He wonders whether the Crown Prince might have been unable to withstand the burden of rule, but recognizes that the Emperor’s selfishness and arbitrary decisions ultimately caused the present catastrophe.
• Despite his worries about Su Ziji’s youth, Zhao Xu acknowledges the new Emperor’s intelligence, talent, and experience among ordinary people. He resolves to continue serving and support the young sovereign until his death.

Character Developments

• Qian Wei moves from moral hesitation to reluctant acceptance. He remains troubled by the apparent injustice surrounding the succession but places national stability above personal conviction and family safety. His regret and bitterness reveal the emotional cost of serving the state.
• Zhao Xu emerges as a pragmatic, burdened statesman. He restrains Qian Wei, accepts the succession for the sake of order, and privately mourns both the late Emperor and the damage done to the dynasty. His reflections show renewed loyalty and a willingness to sacrifice himself for the realm.
• Su Ziji transitions from Imperial Grandson to Emperor. Although he publicly grieves and appears sorrowful, his calm, controlled expression suggests firm resolve and awareness of his new power. The ministers remain uncertain whether he can truly bear the responsibilities of rule.
• The late Emperor is portrayed as both an accomplished ruler and a tragic, flawed figure: he stabilized the country and governed diligently, but in old age became suspicious, possessive, and willing to endanger the dynasty to preserve his life and authority.

Significant Themes

• The realm versus individual justice: Qian Wei and Zhao Xu must suppress their doubts because exposing the truth could trigger rebellion and civil war.
• The burdens of rulership: The throne is presented as a weight that requires talent, endurance, and sacrifice rather than merely legitimacy or bloodline.
• Political necessity versus moral truth: The blood edict may be questionable, but it is accepted because the empire requires an undisputed ruler.
• The cycle of achievement and decline: The late Emperor’s heroic efforts to pacify the realm are contrasted with his old-age paranoia and destructive family conflicts.
• Duty and sacrifice: Both Qian Wei and Zhao Xu surrender personal interests, ambitions, and perhaps justice itself in order to preserve national stability.
• Historical reputation: Zhao Xu recognizes that the late Emperor’s accomplishments may be remembered alongside the shame of palace coups and familial bloodshed.

Character Interactions

• Qian Wei and Zhao Xu: Zhao Xu reprimands Qian Wei for hesitating and urges him to act with patience and responsibility. Their exchange reveals both their shared concern for the realm and their different emotional responses to the succession.
• Qian Wei and the Imperial Grandson: The Imperial Grandson’s cold, unwavering demeanor intimidates Qian Wei and convinces him that opposing the succession could lead to severe bloodshed.
• Zhao Xu and the Imperial Grandson: Zhao Xu formally guides him through the succession rites, helps him ascend the throne, and silently accepts the duty of supporting him despite lingering doubts.
• The officials and the new Emperor: The officials collectively validate the succession by accepting the blood edict, performing the rituals, and proclaiming Su Ziji emperor. Their unified response symbolizes the restoration of political order, even though private uncertainty remains.

Chapter Summary: “It’s You”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• During his first court session, Su Ziji formally establishes his new reign and addresses the legitimacy of his succession.
• Chief Minister Zhao Xu proposes honoring the late emperor, and Su Ziji strongly supports giving him an exalted posthumous title and dignified burial. This helps dispel rumors that Su Ziji resented or was responsible for the emperor’s death.
• Su Ziji announces several major political decisions:
  • The Crown Prince will be posthumously honored as emperor and enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
  • The Crown Princess will become Empress.
  • Su Ziji’s birth mother will also be elevated to Empress, though he deliberately mentions the Crown Princess first, demonstrating propriety and respect.
  • A new reign title will be selected for the following year.
• He orders an investigation into families and individuals who helped him while he lived among the common people, particularly the Ye and Su families, promising to reward their loyalty.
• He commands the rebel forces and palace guards to return to their camps and prohibits military movement without imperial authorization.
• The ministers acknowledge his decisions and acclaim him as emperor.
• Elsewhere, Xie Zhenqing flees after Prince Qi’s defeat. He suffers a severe backlash from the loss of Dragon Aura and learns through supernatural means that Prince Qi committed suicide.
• Xie blames Prince Qi for ruining the conspiracy and attempts to escape toward the North Canal.
• Before he can leave, Xie realizes he has been trapped in an illusion or mysterious domain. The landscape transforms into a dark, desolate world filled with unnatural silence.
• Lightning reveals a gigantic dragon coiled across the sky. Xie recognizes it and exclaims that the dragon has returned despite supposedly having died.

2. Character Developments

• Su Ziji reveals himself as a calm, politically astute ruler. He understands that successful succession requires more than military victory: it also demands ritual legitimacy, respect for tradition, and careful management of public perception.
• His treatment of the Crown Princess before his own mother shows restraint, filial affection, and awareness of courtly propriety.
• Su Ziji also demonstrates gratitude and emotional depth by remembering those who helped him during his years among the people.
• Zhao Xu becomes reassured that Su Ziji is not a bitter or illegitimate usurper. He recognizes him as a potentially wise and capable emperor.
• Xie Zhenqing suffers a major setback. His plan has collapsed because of Prince Qi’s defeat and suicide, and the backlash damages his vitality.
• Xie’s normally confident and hidden position is overturned when he realizes that he himself is being watched and manipulated. His fear and uncertainty suggest that he has encountered an enemy or power beyond his control.
• Prince Qi, though absent from the scene, is characterized through Xie’s condemnation as cowardly and incompetent for taking his own life and destroying the broader scheme.

3. Significant Themes

• Legitimacy and political continuity: Su Ziji’s first priority is to preserve the appearance and reality of lawful succession through posthumous honors, ancestral rites, and a new reign title.
• Ritual as political power: Ceremonies, titles, burial, and ancestral enshrinement are presented as essential tools for stabilizing the dynasty and winning acceptance.
• Good governance: Su Ziji’s measured policies reflect the ideal of a ruler who neither overreaches nor neglects necessary action.
• Loyalty and gratitude: His intention to reward those who helped him emphasizes the moral obligations between ruler and subject.
• The collapse of hidden schemes: Xie Zhenqing’s failed plot shows how supernatural and political calculations can be disrupted by unexpected human choices.
• Reversal of power: Xie, accustomed to operating from the shadows, becomes the one observed and trapped. The appearance of the dragon signals a dramatic shift in the balance of power.
• Human authority versus supernatural forces: Su Ziji consolidates earthly rule while Xie encounters a mysterious dragon, suggesting that the future conflict will involve both imperial politics and powerful supernatural entities.

4. Character Interactions

• Su Ziji and Zhao Xu: Zhao Xu presents the need to honor the late emperor, and Su Ziji immediately endorses the proposal, earning the minister’s confidence.
• Su Ziji and the court officials: Su Ziji lays out his political program with calm authority, and the ministers respond with unanimous praise and submission.
• Su Ziji and his family legacy: Though not physically interacting with them, he honors the late emperor, the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, and his birth mother, carefully balancing dynastic duty with personal loyalty.
• Xie Zhenqing and Prince Qi: Their relationship is revealed through Xie’s furious reaction to Prince Qi’s suicide. Xie sees Prince Qi as the failed instrument responsible for the collapse of their undertaking.
• Xie Zhenqing and the dragon: The chapter ends with their confrontation. Xie recognizes the dragon as an old or supposedly dead adversary, while the dragon’s unexplained return places Xie in immediate danger.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Young Dragon leaves the Capital City, while Su Ziji watches its departure from below.
• In the Western Pavilion, Su Ziji and his advisors plan the government’s affairs during the twenty-one-day mourning period for the late Emperor.
• The court discusses the suspicious inaction of Prince Shu and Prince Ninghe during the recent conflict. Prince Ninghe is demoted two ranks and reduced to the title Duke Ninghe, while the court postpones harsher action against Prince Shu.
• Ma Shunde, the former Inner Superintendent who resisted arrest, is reported executed.
• Covert agents discover that Prince Shu has vanished from his residence for an entire day and night and is not observing the required mourning rites. Su Ziji orders Prince Shu and Duke Ninghe to enter the palace and pay respects before the late Emperor’s spirit, intending to expose Prince Shu if he refuses or has fled.
• Su Ziji also orders surveillance of the Kingdom of Ying because Cao Yiyan had appeared during the Capital’s battle.
• As the storm intensifies, Su Ziji transforms into a True Dragon, though he is puzzled that the thunder continues even after the Young Dragon has departed.
• The scene shifts to a confrontation involving Xie Zhenqing and a mysterious young woman. Xie invokes the “Grudge of Ten Thousand Monsters,” creating a vast black marsh filled with skeletal hands and binding chains.
• Xie accuses the woman of disregarding him and declares that they will perish together. He leads her to a preserved reef bearing an inscription signed “Ao Wangxi,” forcing her to confront their shared past.
• Memories reveal that the woman once accompanied an emperor who promised to unify the realm, establish a new divine order, and help her pass through the Dragon Gate to become a True Dragon named Ao Wangxi.

Character Developments

• Su Ziji demonstrates confidence and political control after securing the throne. He balances caution with decisive action, choosing to demote Duke Ninghe while using a summons to test Prince Shu’s loyalty.
• Su Ziji’s transformation into a True Dragon confirms his growing power and suggests that the divine vessel has substantially advanced his cultivation.
• Prince Shu becomes increasingly suspicious through his unexplained absence and failure to observe mourning rites, implying possible rebellion or flight.
• Duke Ninghe is portrayed as politically cautious rather than openly rebellious, but his nighttime mobilization still earns punishment.
• Ma Shunde’s execution marks the collapse of a once-powerful court official whose influence disappeared after the change of regime.
• Xie Zhenqing is revealed as consumed by resentment and old grief. His apparent madness and willingness to die suggest that his hatred has been sustained for centuries.
• The young woman/Ao Wangxi appears emotionally overwhelmed by memories of the past, despite her initially detached demeanor. The inscription and recollections reveal a deep, tragic bond with the former emperor or Dragon Lord.

Significant Themes

• Political consolidation after a regime change: Su Ziji must secure his new rule while managing rival princes, court officials, mourning rituals, and possible foreign intervention.
• Loyalty and treachery: Prince Shu’s absence, Duke Ninghe’s hesitation, and Ma Shunde’s resistance all reflect the dangers facing a newly established ruler.
• Power and transformation: The divine vessel and Su Ziji’s True Dragon form symbolize his movement toward supreme authority.
• Resentment and unresolved history: Xie Zhenqing’s ritual embodies the destructive persistence of hatred and the inability to escape past betrayal.
• Memory versus loss: The preserved inscription and Ao Wangxi’s recollections contrast past promises and companionship with the present emptiness and estrangement.
• Sacrifice and divine legitimacy: The former emperor’s plans to unify the realm, control religious forces, and establish divine authority echo Su Ziji’s own ambitions.

Character Interactions

• Su Ziji and his ministers: Lu Fengyun presents the mourning arrangements, while Wen Xunpeng urges severe punishment and Jian Qu argues for political stability. Cen Rubai supports measured punishment, allowing Su Ziji to make a compromise decision.
• Su Ziji and the eunuchs: Zhao Bingzhong reports intelligence from the Imperial City Office, while Gao Ze delivers the news of Ma Shunde’s execution and Prince Shu’s disappearance. Their reports enable Su Ziji’s calculated response.
• Su Ziji and the princes: Through the summons to the late Emperor’s spirit, Su Ziji places Prince Shu and Duke Ninghe under direct scrutiny and tests their loyalty.
• Xie Zhenqing and the young woman: Their confrontation is driven by accusation, grief, and shared history. Xie forces her to remember the place and the promises connected to Ao Wangxi, while she acknowledges that the resentment he carries originated from her actions.
• Ao Wangxi and her past companion: The memories show a former relationship built on travel, political ambition, and promises of transformation—now reduced to painful recollection and separation.

Chapter Summary: “A Great Dream”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xie Zhenqing enters the Yellow Springs, where the sound of water evokes an ancient memory: the origin and journey of a Shell Maiden.
• The Shell Maiden begins as an ordinary shell but gains spiritual awareness, grows in wisdom, and journeys upstream through many dangers to reach the Dragon Palace.
• At the Dragon Palace, she is confronted by the resentment of demons and former followers who accuse their Great King of abandoning them, the Dragon Palace, and the entire Demon Race.
• Xie initially embodies this accumulated resentment and challenges the Shell Maiden, refusing to accept that he is merely a part of her.
• The Shell Maiden reveals that she is actually Ao Wangxi, the original Dragon Lord. Her incarnations were scattered across the mortal world to preserve various aspects of herself and await the Dragon Lord’s return.
• Xie’s form breaks apart, revealing a black-dressed female figure: another incarnation of Ao Wangxi, shaped by centuries of hardship, war, and resentment.
• The two aspects confront one another. The black-dressed incarnation rejects reintegration, arguing that she suffered and struggled independently after the Dragon Lord’s departure, while Ao Wangxi could not understand her pain.
• Ao Wangxi explains that the Demon Race’s decline was tied to the absence of the supreme figure who had suppressed or overshadowed the world’s fortunes. His return is the reason demons have begun to reappear.
• The black-dressed incarnation finally merges back into Ao Wangxi. Ao Wangxi regains the memories of all her incarnations, including the Demon Race’s suffering, Great Zheng, the Dragon Palaces, the Divine Strategy Army, and other major events.
• She remembers Yin Guandao’s persecution of one of her incarnations and vows to settle the matter later.
• The chapter ends with Ao Wangxi singing about her long separation and reunion with the person she awaited. As her song rises, the black waters of the Yellow Springs gradually disappear.

Character Developments

• Ao Wangxi: Regains all of her scattered memories and incarnations, becoming whole again. She acknowledges past mistakes but refuses to regret following the Dragon Lord. Her gentle exterior now contains a clear determination to punish those who harmed her incarnations.
• Xie Zhenqing / the resentful incarnation: Begins as a defiant, hostile embodiment of accumulated resentment. He struggles against the idea that he is merely part of Ao Wangxi, but ultimately loses his separate form and returns to her.
• The black-dressed incarnation: Represents the hardships, anger, and survival of the Demon Race after Ao Wangxi’s departure. She has developed an identity distinct from the original Ao Wangxi and resents being reclaimed, but eventually accepts reunification.
• The Demon Race: Their history is shown as one of abandonment, decline, and repeated calamity. Their anger toward their former ruler is genuine, even though their survival was connected to forces beyond her control.

Significant Themes

• Identity and fragmentation: The chapter explores whether separate incarnations, memories, and experiences can still be considered one person.
• Resentment versus reconciliation: Centuries of suffering create a powerful opposing self, but understanding and shared origin eventually overcome hatred.
• Memory and recovery: Reintegrating the incarnations allows Ao Wangxi to recover the truth of her past and understand the consequences of her choices.
• Regret and acceptance: Ao Wangxi admits that mistakes were made, but she would still choose the same path. The chapter distinguishes acknowledging error from repenting one’s fundamental choices.
• The decline and survival of the Demon Race: The fate of an entire race is tied to the rise and fall of powerful figures, highlighting the burdens of leadership and the consequences of absence.
• Love, destiny, and reunion: Ao Wangxi’s long wait for the Dragon Lord is portrayed as both a source of suffering and a devotion she willingly embraces.

Important Character Interactions

• Xie Zhenqing and the Shell Maiden/Ao Wangxi: Their confrontation externalizes the conflict between resentment and the original self. Xie accuses Ao Wangxi of abandonment, while she tries to dissolve his pain and reclaim him.
• Ao Wangxi and the black-dressed incarnation: Their argument is the chapter’s central interaction. The black-dressed figure insists that her suffering made her fundamentally different, while Ao Wangxi argues that they remain one person and that the Dragon Lord’s return explains the Demon Race’s recent revival.
• The Demon Race and their former Great King: Through their cries and accusations, the demons express both devotion and betrayal, revealing the emotional cost of their ruler’s departure.
• Ao Wangxi and the absent Dragon Lord: Though he never directly appears, his influence dominates the chapter. Ao Wangxi’s choices, the Demon Race’s fate, and her final song all center on waiting for and reuniting with him.

Chapter Summary: “Unresolved Grief”

Key Plot Points and Events

• During a terrifying storm, with thunder, lightning, and oppressive celestial energy filling the sky, Bu Hui is informed that the Empress Dowager has granted Zhou Yi the title of Consort Zhen.
• Zhou Yi, formerly known as Princess Xinping, arrives to pay her respects. Her sudden transformation from princess to her nephew’s consort causes unease and highlights the complicated, ruthless nature of the imperial family.
• Bu Hui receives Xinping with outward kindness, telling her that they should get along despite the unusual circumstances of her entry into the palace.
• As thunder shakes the palace, the Little Fox becomes frightened and remains safely in Bu Hui’s arms. The creature experiences a powerful, inexplicable wave of melancholy, regret, and familiarity.
• Zhou Yao arrives during the storm and addresses Bu Hui with insufficient formality, creating a brief but tense atmosphere. Bu Hui silently suppresses the resulting conflict.
• Zhou Yao sees Bu Hui holding the Little Fox and is overwhelmed by memories of the past. The scene reminds her of her former relationship with Bu Hui and of identities and bonds that have been altered by time, suffering, and reincarnation.
• The chapter ends with Zhou Yao reflecting on the enduring power of the Fox Marriage Oath and wondering whether formal imperial investiture might awaken forgotten memories—or deepen the tragedy of their reunion.

Character Developments

• Bu Hui has become more composed, restrained, and authoritative. Once outspoken and impulsive, she now possesses the dignity and subtle power of a future empress, though she remains capable of compassion toward Xinping and the Little Fox.
• Xinping/Zhou Yi appears embarrassed and vulnerable as she enters the palace under a politically humiliating arrangement. Her former confidence has been tempered by her new circumstances.
• Zhou Yao appears changed from the person Xinping once knew. She is more beautiful, enigmatic, and formidable, suggesting that her experiences—or another identity within her—have transformed her.
• The Little Fox reacts not only to the storm but to a deeper, spiritual disturbance. Its unexplained grief and sense of déjà vu suggest buried memories or unresolved karmic ties.
• Zhou Yao’s reflections reveal that Hu Xiyan, Zhou Yao, and the Little Fox’s past identities are connected, but the effects of suffering and separation have obscured their former relationships.

Significant Themes

• Unresolved grief and lost memories: The characters are haunted by bonds from the past that they cannot fully remember or recover.
• Identity and reincarnation: The chapter questions whether a person remains the same across bodies, incarnations, and fragmented identities.
• Political power and imperial hierarchy: Xinping’s new title demonstrates how royal status can be manipulated, while Zhou Yao’s slight breach of etiquette exposes the strict structure of palace relationships.
• Fate, karma, and enduring vows: The Fox Marriage Oath represents a bond powerful enough to survive centuries, even when memory and identity have deteriorated.
• Transformation through suffering: Bu Hui’s maturation and Zhou Yao’s altered nature show how hardship reshapes people, sometimes making them nearly unrecognizable.
• Heavenly judgment or supernatural consequence: The violent storm and oppressive celestial aura suggest that the heavens may be reacting to the events or the hidden karmic forces surrounding the characters.

Character Interactions

• Bu Hui and Xinping: Their exchange is outwardly courteous but politically charged. Bu Hui offers acceptance, while Xinping remains ashamed and uncertain.
• Bu Hui and the Little Fox: Bu Hui gently comforts the frightened creature, reinforcing their emotional closeness and mutual sense of safety.
• Bu Hui and Zhou Yao: Their meeting is restrained and tense. Zhou Yao’s informal address challenges Bu Hui’s authority, but Bu Hui avoids open confrontation, demonstrating her newfound control.
• Zhou Yao and Xinping: Zhou Yao greets Xinping calmly, while Xinping studies her with unease, sensing that the woman before her is no longer the Zhou Yao she once knew.
• Zhou Yao and the Little Fox: Seeing the Little Fox in Bu Hui’s arms triggers Zhou Yao’s memories of the past and intensifies her sorrow over how their former bonds have changed.
• The three women together: Bu Hui, Xinping, and Zhou Yao form a tense triangle shaped by imperial politics, past familiarity, rivalry, and concealed identities.

Eunuch Tu arrived at Prince Ninghe's Residence with Imperial Riders to deliver an imperial decree, while Prince Ninghe feared the new emperor had discovered his nighttime activities. The decree's contents remained unknown as Prince Ninghe bowed to receive it.

• Servants and a Fourth Rank official watched thirty Imperial Riders escort Eunuch Tu toward Prince Ninghe's Residence.
• Eunuch Tu surveyed the deserted residence and ordered the Imperial Riders to knock.
• Eunuch Tu waited in the rain until Prince Ninghe opened the gate, looking haggard and changed.
• Prince Ninghe worried that the new emperor knew he had gone out at night, then bowed and declared that he respectfully awaited the decree.