Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Emperor Zhao Huangpu visits the injured Zhu Xiaoru and is pained that she keeps apologizing, though he tries to hide his concern behind jokes.
• Zhu Xiaojiu confronts the emperor over the harm his involvement has brought the family. He reveals that the Zhu family is confined to its residence and the two Lords Li are detained there; he also says Xiaoru’s former love, Li Chenjing, is badly injured.
• Xiaoru asks her brother and Zhu Bafu to leave so she can speak privately with Zhao.
• She tells the emperor she cannot—and does not want to—enter his Inner Palace. She cites both her damaged reputation and her own reluctance.
• Zhao rejects her excuses and openly confesses that, although he once treated women as interchangeable, he now wants to belong only to her. He asks her to give their relationship a chance.
• Before Xiaoru can respond, her father rushes in after hearing she has awakened and finds Zhao sitting intimately beside her.

Character developments

• Zhao Huangpu shows genuine remorse and tenderness beneath his teasing manner. His feelings for Xiaoru have become exclusive, and he is willing to ask humbly rather than rely on his authority.
• Zhu Xiaoru speaks more directly than before: she sets a clear boundary about the Inner Palace and admits that her refusal is not just about reputation but also personal desire.
• Zhu Xiaojiu remains fiercely protective and openly distrustful of the emperor, though Zhu Bafu warns him that the emperor’s new authority makes such insolence risky.
• Zhu Bafu acts as a cautious mediator, trying to restrain Xiaojiu and avoid provoking the emperor.

Significant themes

• Love versus power: Zhao’s imperial status complicates his plea for a relationship, while Xiaoru insists on her own choice.
• Reputation and social expectations: Xiaoru fears the consequences of the public incident at Chengshou Temple, but her personal reluctance matters just as much.
• Family protection and political danger: The Zhu family’s confinement and the emperor’s authority make Xiaojiu’s anger understandable, but also dangerous.
• Accountability and change: Zhao acknowledges his former behavior and claims he has changed, though Xiaoru has not yet accepted his request.

Character interactions

• Zhao and Xiaojiu trade sharp remarks, with Xiaojiu accusing the emperor of bringing misfortune to the family and Zhao answering with teasing composure.
• Xiaoru’s decision to speak alone with Zhao heightens the romantic tension; he leans close and presses her to answer honestly.
• The intimate moment is abruptly interrupted by Xiaoru’s father, leaving Zhao’s confession unanswered.

Key plot points and events

• Zhu Bafu reunites with her father, Zhu Cong, and introduces him to the Emperor, Zhao Huangpu. Zhu Cong is so emotional that he struggles to greet the Emperor until Bafu reminds him that her mother will disapprove of his tears.
• Zhao Huangpu stays for a meal despite the family’s surprise. Bafu’s mother serves an ordinary home-cooked meal, making clear she is feeding her daughter, not honoring the Emperor.
• Bafu learns that Noble Consort Pan’s palace recently burned down, killing everyone inside. Xiaojiu explains that after Bafu was imprisoned, the Prime Minister’s faction seized control of the capital while the Emperor suspended court. Loyal forces led by Lord Longyang and Wei Chenmu then entered the city and helped the Emperor retake control, after which he sealed the Prime Minister’s residence and moved against the Pan family.
• The palace fire was officially blamed on an overturned oil lamp, but Bafu and her family doubt that story. Bafu suspects the Emperor ordered the deaths concealed as an accident to avoid the political and reputational consequences of openly executing the consort.
• Reflecting on the crisis, Bafu recognizes that the Emperor’s victory likely depended on an insider—perhaps Li Chenjing—coordinating the forces within the capital.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhu Bafu is reunited with her family but remains uneasy about the Emperor’s power and methods. She worries that, had his military plan failed, her own family might have become a target.
• Zhu Cong remains tender-hearted and easily moved, even after years away. His daughter’s teasing quickly reins him in, and he formally pays his respects to the Emperor.
• Zhao Huangpu is relaxed enough to insist on joining the family meal, but the account of the palace purge reveals a ruthless side beneath his public image.
• Bafu’s mother is fiercely protective of her daughter and openly hostile toward the Emperor, dismissing the meal as freeloading and criticizing the injustice Bafu suffered.
• Xiaojiu provides the family with the political background, including the Emperor’s return to power and the suspicious palace fire.

Significant themes

• Family loyalty and protection: Bafu’s parents prioritize her well-being over status or favor with the Emperor.
• Political power and ruthlessness: The Emperor’s restoration required force and decisive action, and the palace fire suggests the human cost of his methods.
• Public image versus private truth: The official explanation of the fire masks what likely happened, while the Emperor’s reputation shapes how the event is presented.
• Bafu’s growing distrust: Even as she recognizes the Emperor’s political skill, she fears that his pragmatism could one day threaten her family.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Zhu Xiaojiu criticizes Zhu Bafu for becoming excessively deferential toward the emperor. Their father reprimands him, and the emperor is revealed to have overheard the exchange.
• The emperor joins the family meal without ceremony and discusses urgent political issues with Zhu Bafu’s father, including settling troops, handling the frontier tribes, and deciding how to reward or punish powerful families.
• Zhu Bafu’s father recommends Li Chenjing—son of the former Prime Minister Li Xiangfan—as the next Chief Counselor of the Cabinet. The emperor says Li is also his preferred candidate, despite Li’s current confinement.
• Zhu Bafu’s mother asks permission to visit Li Chenjing, who once rescued her family. The emperor lends her his jade pendant to authorize the visit.
• Her mother then abruptly proposes Zhu Bafu’s marriage to Li Chenjing. Zhu Bafu chokes on her porridge in shock, while her mother treats the match as sensible and fated.

Character developments

• Zhu Bafu is wary of the emperor and careful to protect her family, apologizing for her brother’s disrespect. Her reaction to Li Chenjing’s name—and especially to her mother’s marriage proposal—suggests personal feelings or unease she does not express.
• Zhu Xiaojiu remains outspoken and defiant, openly accusing his sister and father of groveling before the emperor. He leaves rather than observe the emperor’s dining-room etiquette.
• The emperor appears calm and gracious, allowing Xiaojiu’s outburst to pass, engaging Zhu Bafu’s father in serious political discussion, and granting the mother access to Li. His knowing smile while responding to her requests hints at amusement or guarded intent.
• Zhu Bafu’s mother is bold and pragmatic, moving from a request to visit Li to proposing him as a husband for her daughter.
• Zhu Bafu’s father acts as a cautious court adviser, recommending Li for a key government post.

Significant themes

• Political power and etiquette: The family’s behavior reflects the risks of living under a newly restored emperor, while Xiaojiu resists the deference others consider necessary.
• Reconciliation and political necessity: The emperor’s willingness to reinstate Li Chenjing suggests that effective governance may require setting aside past grievances.
• Family loyalty and marriage: The mother views marriage as repayment for a family debt and perhaps a matter of destiny, while Zhu Bafu’s startled response shows the personal stakes behind the arrangement.

Character interactions

• Xiaojiu clashes with Zhu Bafu over her deference to the emperor, then challenges the emperor directly.
• The emperor and Zhu Bafu’s father discuss state affairs as the rest of the family listens.
• Zhu Bafu and the emperor exchange a small, awkward gesture when he offers her a handkerchief after she drops her spoon.
• Zhu Bafu’s mother negotiates with the emperor for permission to visit Li, then surprises both Zhu Bafu and the emperor by asking him to arrange their marriage.

• Key events: The Zhu family discusses whether Zhu Bafu (Xiaoru) could marry Young Master Li Xiaojing. Her father admires Li but worries that Bafu’s facial injuries would make the match unfair; her mother defends Li’s courage and criticizes her husband for being too harsh. The Emperor abruptly suggests that Bafu enter the Inner Palace and serve him, then privately threatens her in a joking but chilling tone.
  Back at the Zhu household, imperial gifts and daily visits from a physician make the Emperor’s intentions increasingly obvious. Bafu’s brother, Xiaojiu, says their father refused the proposal, citing Bafu’s appearance and traditional rules about women. The Emperor, however, gives the family one month to find her a husband; if she remains unmarried, he intends to take her into the palace.
• Character developments: Bafu is anxious about the Emperor’s attention and trusts that her father will resist pressure. Her father proves protective, though his remarks about her marriage prospects are painfully blunt. Her mother is outspoken in defending both Bafu and Li. Xiaojiu remains resentful of the Emperor’s influence and tries to warn his sister. The Emperor’s apparent generosity is revealed as a means of exerting pressure.
• Character interactions: The parents argue over whether Bafu should pursue Li, while Bafu is embarrassed by their discussion of her marriage. Xiaojiu teases and warns her as he urges her to drink milk meant to help her scars heal. The Emperor alternates between speaking to the family as ruler and making a private, threatening appeal to Bafu.
• Significant themes: The chapter explores how women’s appearance and reputation shape their marriage prospects, and how family loyalty can conflict with imperial authority. Its comic banter contrasts with the darker issue at the center: the Emperor is presenting coercion as benevolent responsibility.

Key plot points and events

• Zhu Bafu, recovering from her injuries, learns that her mother went to the Prime Minister’s Residence to ask Li Chenjing whether he would marry her.
• Li refused. Her mother assumes the refusal is sensible given the Zhu family’s precarious position and the emperor’s order: Zhu Bafu must marry within a month or enter the palace to serve him.
• Zhu Bafu tells herself Li’s decision was rational, but privately resents how bluntly he rejected her in front of her mother. She leaves the room and stares at the red wedding silks.
• Meanwhile, Li Chenjing’s residence has been sealed and heavily guarded by the emperor. Despite his injuries, Li tends to his wounds while Wei Chenmu helps.
• Wei urges Li to leave the capital before the emperor’s suspicion grows, noting that Li’s strategic contributions have gone unrewarded and that he remains under confinement. Li cautions him to watch his words, then advises him to return beyond the frontier soon.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhu Bafu is caught between accepting the practical logic of Li’s refusal and feeling hurt by its coldness. Her feelings are stronger and more complicated than she admits.
• Her mother acts decisively to find her a marriage, but her blunt commentary overlooks Bafu’s emotional reaction.
• Zhu Xiaojiu teases Bafu about her feelings and recognizes that she is upset even when she denies it.
• Li Chenjing remains guarded and politically cautious, prioritizing the emperor’s orders and the risks surrounding his position.
• Wei Chenmu openly worries about Li’s safety and urges him to escape the capital, while Li reins in his complaints.

Significant themes

• Love versus political expediency: Li’s refusal may be prudent, but it wounds Bafu.
• Power and insecurity: The emperor’s deadline, surveillance, and confinement show how personal lives are controlled by court politics.
• Pride and concealed feelings: Bafu insists the refusal makes sense, yet resents its bluntness; Li’s silence leaves his motives unclear.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Chenjing firmly decides not to wait for Zhu Bafu’s entry into the palace before leaving the capital, despite Wei Chenmu offering to accompany him whenever he chooses.
• Before he can depart, an Imperial Guards commander informs him that Emperor Zhao Huangpu has summoned both him and Wei Chenmu to Dongxu Mansion for the monthly Six Ministries Regular Meeting.
• At the meeting, Li realizes the emperor is using the gathering to obtain support for his proposed policies—granting a general amnesty, opening the granaries, and providing relief to surrounding regions—without appearing to rely directly on the Prime Minister’s Residence.
• Nian Youyu, now overseeing the Ministry of Revenue, protests that these measures will drain the treasury and eliminate tax income for a year. Li argues that helping the people will strengthen the emperor’s legitimacy and public support.
• Longyang insists that military pay must not be reduced, while Long Ang raises concerns about the continued presence of Wei Chenmu’s forces and the Wu Household’s troops near the capital.
• Emperor Zhao arrives and unexpectedly reveals that Zhu Bafu is present. She enters awkwardly in women’s clothing, having previously attended meetings disguised as a man.
• The officials are startled and embarrassed by her appearance. Long Ang teases her about her former boldness, while Nian Youyu objects to a woman attending the meeting.

Character Developments

• Li Chenjing appears resolute and emotionally guarded. He is determined to leave and refuses to prolong his wait, but he remains politically perceptive and skillfully defends the emperor’s policies.
• Wei Chenmu continues to show loyalty and patience toward Li, willing to wait for him despite the uncertain political situation.
• Zhao Huangpu demonstrates growing political confidence. He is actively balancing rival factions, placing his own allies in key ministries, and using Li’s ideas while avoiding the appearance of dependence on him.
• Nian Youyu is revealed as a practical, financially cautious minister. Though he understands the humanitarian purpose of the reforms, he worries about balancing the national budget.
• Longyang remains blunt and primarily concerned with protecting the army’s funding.
• Long Ang acts as a teasing but observant political participant, highlighting the unusual tension surrounding Zhu Bafu’s return.
• Zhu Bafu is visibly nervous and self-conscious in her true identity, contrasting sharply with the audacity she displayed while disguised as a man.

Significant Themes

• Political legitimacy and governance: The emperor’s reforms are intended not only to aid the people but also to win their support for his personal rule.
• Balancing power: Zhao Huangpu carefully manages the Prime Minister’s faction, the military, the Wu Household, and the ministries while consolidating authority.
• Public welfare versus fiscal responsibility: Li prioritizes immediate relief for the population, whereas Nian Youyu focuses on the long-term strain on the treasury.
• Gender and social expectations: Zhu Bafu’s presence exposes the officials’ discomfort with a woman participating in politics, despite having accepted her when they believed she was male.
• Personal loyalty versus political duty: Li’s desire to leave conflicts with his obligations to the emperor and the broader political struggle.

Character Interactions

• Li and Wei discuss when to leave, revealing Li’s impatience and Wei’s unwavering support.
• Li debates Nian Youyu over whether humanitarian spending is justified, with Li defending political goodwill as essential to stable rule.
• Longyang and Long Ang challenge the ministers over military funding and the continued presence of outside troops.
• Zhao Huangpu deliberately brings Zhu Bafu into the meeting, while Long Ang mocks her embarrassment and Nian Youyu demands that she leave, creating a comic but politically significant confrontation.

• The meeting reveals the emotional distance between Zhu Bafu and Li Chenjing. Zhu Bafu’s return in women’s clothing surprises the officials, but seeing Li after several days stirs memories and strong feelings in her. He pauses with his tea, apparently affected too, but neither speaks; Zhu lowers her gaze because she is self-conscious about her badly scarred face.
• The officials discuss Zhu’s recovery and the cost of her treatment. Long Ang remarks on how much her face has healed, while Nian Youyu jokes that rare medicinal herbs cost a fortune yet restored her only to her former appearance. Li Chenjing turns the criticism toward the Emperor’s spending, and the group banters over cutting Inner Palace expenses. The Emperor reluctantly agrees, while insisting that his Cat Quarters remain untouched and joking that he may become a monk.
• Wei Chenmu asks to leave the capital—and take Li with him. He says he wants to return to his homeland once Li has stabilized the capital, and asks the Emperor to let Li accompany him permanently. The request leaves the room tense. The Emperor sends everyone out so he can speak privately with Li; Wei waits outside while Zhu and the others await the outcome.
• Zhu’s exchange with Longyang offers a lighter counterpoint. Longyang bluntly criticizes her for showing her scarred face uncovered, but she brushes off his concern and says she is simply grateful to have survived. She then returns the red jade seal she had prepared for him.
  Character developments and themes: Zhu appears more composed and pragmatic about her injuries, though her reaction to Li reveals unresolved intimacy and vulnerability. Li’s silence suggests feelings or conflict he is not ready to express. Wei’s request puts their relationship and Li’s future in the balance. The chapter contrasts political responsibility and personal loyalty with teasing humor, while also touching on the costs of power, physical trauma, and Zhu’s complicated sense of self as she appears openly in women’s clothing.

Chapter 119 Summary

• Longyang and Zhu Bafu: Zhu Bafu returns the red jade seal to Longyang but insists that she will still honor the promise she made to him. Because of her injuries and confinement, however, she claims she can do little beyond embroidery, feeding birds, and staying in her room. Long Ang sarcastically suggests that her future value lies in influencing the Emperor through “pillow talk,” reminding everyone that the Emperor appears determined to take responsibility for her and may soon bring her into the Inner Palace.
• Pressure over Zhu Bafu’s marriage: Long Ang’s remarks silence Longyang and make the political reality clear: the Emperor’s intentions toward Zhu Bafu are no longer ambiguous, and Longyang must avoid appearing to compete with the Emperor. Long Ang forcibly takes Longyang away, warning him not to become the “fool” who pursues a woman favored by the Emperor. He argues that Zhu Bafu is merely resisting for now and will eventually submit once married. His deliberately loud comments ensure that Zhu Bafu hears the conversation.
• Zhu Bafu’s isolation: Left alone in the Side Hall, Zhu Bafu realizes that people are avoiding her because of her connection to the Emperor. She cannot leave without permission and waits for the Emperor and Li Chenjing to finish their discussion, sensing that they disagree over whether the Young Master should remain in the capital.
• Conversation with Wei Chenmu: Zhu Bafu asks Wei Chenmu whether the Emperor will allow the Young Master to leave. Wei admits that he does not know, but believes leaving the capital is the safest option. Because the Young Master is the former Prime Minister’s son, his presence keeps the suppressed Ministerial Faction politically dangerous. The Emperor therefore uses him while distrusting and monitoring him.
• Possible escape plan: Zhu Bafu infers that Wei Chenmu has already considered forcibly taking the Young Master away if permission is denied. She warns him that the Emperor will be on guard after the previous escape attempt involving the Frontier Iron Cavalry and the Wu Household. A second military breakout would be extremely dangerous. Zhu then hints that she has another way to persuade the Emperor to stop keeping the Young Master nearby, asking whether Wei dares to cooperate.
• Li Chenjing’s private doubts: After returning to the Prime Minister’s Residence, Li Chenjing bathes and reflects on the Emperor’s recent questions: whether he wants to leave the capital, whether he resents being confined, and what the Emperor told his father before sending him to the Imperial Mausoleum. These thoughts emphasize his uncertain position and the unresolved tension between loyalty, confinement, and possible departure.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Zhu Bafu becomes more politically perceptive and proactive. Rather than merely enduring her circumstances, she begins considering a strategy to secure the Young Master’s freedom.
• Longyang remains sympathetic to Zhu Bafu, but Long Ang forces him to recognize the danger of challenging the Emperor’s wishes.
• Long Ang acts as the pragmatic, politically cautious elder brother, prioritizing the Long family’s safety and status.
• Wei Chenmu is shown as loyal and prepared to take risks for the Young Master, though Zhu Bafu warns him against rash military action.
• Li Chenjing is portrayed in private as conflicted and uncertain, weighing the Emperor’s intentions and the possibility of leaving the capital.

Significant Themes

• Political power versus personal desire: The Emperor’s interest in Zhu Bafu limits the choices of everyone around her.
• Forced resignation and social expectations: Long Ang assumes marriage will eventually make Zhu Bafu accept her fate, highlighting the era’s restrictive attitudes toward women.
• Surveillance and distrust: The Emperor depends on Li Chenjing while simultaneously imprisoning and monitoring him because of his family background.
• Strategy over force: Zhu Bafu suggests that careful manipulation may succeed where military escape cannot.
• Isolation and vulnerability: Zhu Bafu’s injuries, confinement, and social avoidance leave her outwardly powerless, yet her growing political awareness gives her a new form of influence.

Chapter 249 Summary

• Key events: Li Chenjing reflects on the Emperor’s distrust of the Li Household: the Emperor needs him as a senior official but refuses to grant him equivalent authority. Their blunt exchange even included Li asking whether he would receive a salary. In the present, Li is bathing when a woman slips into his room with Wei Chenmu’s help. She proposes spending one night together so she can avoid entering the Inner Palace and the Emperor will agree to let Lord Li leave the capital. Li refuses to engage with her advances. When he calls her “Little Eight,” she abruptly stops and withdraws.
• Character developments: Li remains wary of being controlled or having others decide his future, yet his reaction to the woman is complicated: he is embarrassed and resistant, but eventually meets her gaze directly. The woman tries to mask her vulnerability with provocative confidence, offering what she calls a practical bargain. Li’s familiar nickname unsettles her, revealing the emotional weight of their shared past.
• Character interactions: The woman needles Li about his refusal and assumes he finds her repulsive because she is a woman. Li counters that she is the one trying to drive him from the capital, while he has been avoiding her to keep from irritating her. She compares him unfavorably to the “Young Master,” claiming the Young Master would welcome her regardless of her sex; Li’s response leaves her feeling rejected and furious.
• Significant themes: The chapter explores trust, autonomy, and political control, alongside gender and identity. The woman’s disguise and Li’s discomfort complicate their intimacy, while her comparison between Li and the Young Master exposes unresolved feelings and expectations.

Chapter 120 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhu Bafu, having been rejected after attempting to seduce Lord Li Chenjing, decides to leave and find another way to solve her personal problem. Although she wants Li’s help, she admits that her deeper motive was selfish: she wished to preserve a special place for her first love.
• As she prepares to leave through the back door, Li stops her. Still wet from bathing and improperly dressed, he declares that he is willing to “eat” her after all, objecting to her accusation that he was too cowardly to accept her.
• Li admits that he cannot pretend to be like the man Zhu Bafu truly desires, evidently referring to her “Young Master.” He knows she compares him unfavorably to that person but refuses to let her seek someone else.
• The two go to bed, but the situation becomes awkward rather than passionate. Neither is willing to initiate intimacy. Zhu expects Li to take the lead, while Li sits rigidly and struggles with his decision.
• Frustrated by his hesitation, Zhu mocks him as though he were praying before a meal and announces that she will leave. Just as she steps down from the bed, Li pulls her back and pins her down.
• Despite finally taking decisive action, Li still asks her to wait longer, leaving Zhu exasperated by his continued uncertainty.

Character Developments

• Zhu Bafu: She appears confident and sexually assertive, but her behavior is also driven by insecurity and lingering attachment to her first love. When Li hesitates, her bravado turns into sarcasm and irritation, revealing that rejection affects her deeply.
• Li Chenjing: He moves from apparent rejection to openly claiming that he will accept Zhu, showing jealousy and a desire not to lose her to someone else. However, he remains inexperienced, conflicted, and self-conscious because he knows he cannot become the man she truly wants.
• The absent “Young Master”: Though not present, he dominates the comparison between Zhu and Li. Zhu’s expectations of him make Li feel inadequate and prevent the encounter from becoming straightforwardly romantic.

Significant Themes

• Desire versus emotional attachment: Zhu seeks a practical solution, yet her feelings for her first love complicate her relationship with Li.
• Insecurity and comparison: Li’s hesitation stems from knowing he does not match Zhu’s idealized image of the Young Master.
• Role reversal and gender expectations: Zhu is usually bold and dominant, but her feminine clothing and Li’s serious demeanor make her uncertain. Li, despite appearing physically dominant, is emotionally hesitant.
• Romantic tension undermined by awkwardness: The scene deliberately contrasts sensual circumstances with uncomfortable pauses, sarcasm, and mutual uncertainty.
• Consent and emotional vulnerability: Both characters struggle to communicate what they truly want, especially as physical desire conflicts with emotional reservations.

Character Interactions

• Zhu initially provokes Li by implying that he lacks courage and attractiveness.
• Li responds by stopping her physically and verbally insisting that he is willing to accept her.
• Zhu’s sarcasm repeatedly breaks the romantic atmosphere, while Li’s silence and hesitation frustrate her.
• Their interaction ends in a physical reversal: Li finally restrains Zhu, but even then, he remains uncertain and asks her to wait.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

Li Chenjing continues “reviewing” erotic picture albums, which he studied to prepare for his night with the heroine because he fears lacking experience. Embarrassed but increasingly impatient, she interrupts his preparations and takes the initiative, seducing and overpowering him. She reassures him that he may treat her freely, and the two spend the night together. By dawn, she has already left, leaving Li Chenjing confused and wondering whether she intended their encounter to be purely physical. His wounds have reopened slightly, but he is otherwise healthy. After dressing, he orders Wei Chenmu to prepare a carriage and announces that he is going to the Zhu Residence to confront her and “settle accounts.”

Character developments

Li Chenjing’s usually aloof and self-controlled demeanor gives way to visible shyness, nervousness, and inexperience. His earnest effort to study erotic material shows how seriously he takes caring for her, while his later confusion reveals that he expected greater emotional or relational significance from the encounter. The heroine becomes bold and decisive, abandoning restraint and taking complete control when Li’s hesitation frustrates her. Although she claims to want only a practical exchange, her concern for his wound hints at underlying care. Wei Chenmu remains observant and wary, recognizing that the heroine’s actions have affected Li more deeply than he admits.

Significant themes

The chapter explores the contrast between emotional sincerity and a supposedly transactional relationship. It also reverses traditional gender roles: the heroine initiates and dominates the encounter, while the normally formidable male lead is inexperienced, embarrassed, and vulnerable. Miscommunication is central, as the heroine sees the event as a means to satisfy her needs, while Li interprets her concern and intimacy as potentially meaningful. The chapter also uses humor through Li’s serious “study” of erotic texts and the aftermath of his earnest preparation.

Character interactions

The heroine teases and challenges Li, asking whether he wants her to stop and interpreting his silent consent as permission to act freely. Their physical interaction reveals both her confidence and his trust, while her questions about his injury show tenderness beneath her aggressive behavior. The following morning, Wei Chenmu checks Li’s health and offers to treat his wound. Li’s embarrassment and sudden decision to visit the Zhu Residence suggest he is not merely angry but also seeking answers—and perhaps accountability for being seduced and then abandoned.

Key plot points and events

• Li Chenjing gives Wei Chenmu the Ministry of Personnel seal and orders him to take the Capital Suburb Iron Cavalry west after the expected reward edict. He must not return without confirmation from Li, even if summoned.
• Wei objects that Li is under house arrest and suggests taking him along. Li refuses: he never intended to flee, and Wei’s staying would put him in greater danger.
• Wei realizes Li could have protected himself from the political fallout but returned to the capital deliberately—implicitly for the person he cares about.
• Zhu Bafu is punished by her mother for staying out all night. Her father was so angry that he fainted, and her mother uses the whipping as a show of discipline.
• Her mother reveals that Wei had warned the family to say Zhu was asleep if palace officials came looking for her. She correctly guesses Zhu spent the night at the Prime Minister’s Residence.
• Zhu admits that she and the Young Master consummated their relationship, but says she—not he—described it as a one-night arrangement. Her mother misunderstands, assumes he has used and abandoned Zhu, and prepares to confront him.
• Zhu tries to stop her, but her sore legs give way. Someone grabs her by the elbow before she falls; the chapter ends without identifying the rescuer.

Character developments

• Li Chenjing shows resolve and loyalty: despite his confinement, he remains in the capital rather than escape, while arranging for Wei and the cavalry to leave for safety.
• Wei Chenmu recognizes the depth of Li’s commitment and his willingness to risk his own position.
• Zhu Bafu is embarrassed by her mother’s assumptions but stands by the fact that she initiated the arrangement herself.
• Zhu’s mother is protective and quick-tempered, determined to defend her daughter—even before understanding what actually happened.

Significant themes

• Trust and sacrifice: Li’s returned seal signals that the Emperor offers limited protection but still does not fully trust him; Li nevertheless chooses to stay.
• Loyalty amid political danger: Li and Wei’s decisions reflect competing needs to protect one another while navigating court power.
• Gender roles and reputation: Zhu’s mother worries about what a respectable daughter should do, while Zhu’s masculine public persona complicates expectations.
• Miscommunication and comic contrast: Zhu’s blunt confession is repeatedly misunderstood, turning a private relationship into a potential family confrontation.

Character interactions

• Li and Wei argue over whether Wei should remain with his confined master, ending with Wei understanding Li’s motive for staying.
• Zhu and her mother trade teasing, scolding, and increasingly confused explanations about Zhu’s night away.
• Zhu’s attempt to restrain her mother collapses when her legs give out, prompting an unidentified person to catch her.

Plot points

• Li Chenjing arrives at the Zhu residence and announces that, because he treated Zhu Bafu improperly the previous night, he has come to propose marriage.
• Zhu Bafu rejects the idea, insisting that their encounter was consensual and that he needn’t take responsibility. Her mother, however, welcomes the proposal and takes Li inside to discuss it, ordering Bafu to keep kneeling as punishment.
• Li explains that he lacks the family support, rank, and political standing to provide a proper marriage or protect the Zhu family from repercussions. He admits these are not the only reasons he previously refused Bafu’s proposal, but does not elaborate.
• After negotiating with him, Madam Zhu leaves looking pleased and gestures for Bafu to “settle” Li. Bafu suspects her mother doesn’t grasp the danger of becoming connected to the politically vulnerable Prime Minister’s household.
• Li tries to help Bafu up. She dodges him, then urges him to return home and leave the Capital before the Emperor’s hostility endangers them both. She offers to take the blame for their encounter and protect his reputation.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Chenjing acts decisively by proposing, despite the risks. He is courteous to Madam Zhu but remains focused on Bafu, and his vague reference to other reasons for his earlier refusal hints at deeper feelings or concerns.
• Zhu Bafu is pleased that Li has come to take responsibility, but quickly turns practical and pushes him away to protect him—and herself—from political danger. Her joking self-blame masks genuine concern.
• Madam Zhu eagerly accepts Li as a prospective son-in-law, viewing the proposal as a fortunate match while overlooking its political implications.
• Bafu and Li trade teasing accusations about who wronged whom, but their exchange also reveals a growing emotional bond: Li insists on responsibility, while Bafu insists he should escape the danger surrounding her family.

Significant themes

• Personal responsibility and consent: Li frames marriage as taking responsibility, while Bafu disputes that he owes her anything.
• Love versus political survival: Their potential relationship is shadowed by the Emperor’s suspicion and the Prime Minister’s family’s precarious position.
• Misunderstanding and emotional restraint: Both avoid directly stating what they feel; Bafu disguises concern with humor, while Li leaves important motives unspoken.
• Family expectations: Madam Zhu’s eagerness contrasts with Bafu’s awareness of the risks her mother overlooks.

Plot points

• Zhu Bafu urges Li Chenjing to leave the Capital, offering practical reasons and reminding him that she had promised Lord Wei to help him go.
• Li surprises her by kneeling and confessing that he does not want to leave or be separated from her. He says he tried to avoid her but cannot manage without her.
• Bafu objects that she is a woman, that she likes the more candid “Young Master” version of him rather than Lord Li, and that the Capital’s people now shun her. Li accepts each objection and insists he wants to stay.
• She asks why he rejected her mother’s marriage proposal. Li explains that he feared Bafu would marry him only to repay his debt for saving her family in Qingzhou.
• He now says he is willing to marry her even if gratitude is part of her reason. He offers to speak with her father and plans to seek the Emperor’s approval the next day.
• Their conversation turns teasingly intimate as Li checks whether her waist hurts after their night together and warns her not to overexert herself.

Character developments

• Li Chenjing drops his guarded, proud manner and speaks openly about his attachment to Bafu. He is willing to accept uncertainty—and even a marriage motivated partly by gratitude—rather than lose her.
• Zhu Bafu tries to protect Li by pushing him away, but his vulnerability and affection unsettle her. She realizes how strongly she responds to his “Young Master” manner and struggles to maintain her resistance.

Themes

• Love versus duty: Bafu sees herself as bound by promises and social circumstances, while Li chooses personal attachment over the safer option of leaving.
• Honesty and vulnerability: Li’s confession breaks through the careful distance he had maintained.
• Identity and affection: Bafu distinguishes between Lord Li and the candid Young Master, but Li insists that the side she loves is still part of him.
• Marriage and obligation: Their exchange raises whether a relationship can begin from gratitude and still become genuine.

Character interactions

• Li’s kneeling confession contrasts with Bafu’s angry, practical objections; his embrace and persistence make it difficult for her to keep him at a distance.
• Their teasing about their night together mixes embarrassment with signs that Li is already imagining a future with her.
• Li takes on the role of confronting her father and addressing the Emperor, while Bafu is left flustered by how easily his tenderness disarms her.

Plot points and events

• Li Chenjing meets Zhu Bafu’s father alone. Rather than being beaten for their relationship, he wins the older man over by sharing a game of Go; the family discipline rod goes unused.
• Li Chenjing quickly becomes a favored guest in the Zhu household. Zhu Xiaojiu privately challenges Zhu Bafu to consider whether she truly wants this relationship, warning that she may be repeating an old mistake or using Li Chenjing to avoid being sent to the palace.
• Zhu Bafu recognizes that Xiaojiu’s cynical interpretation resembles her own earlier intentions, but now feels uncomfortable with it. Li Chenjing overhears the exchange and watches for her answer.
• Before she can respond, an imperial summons takes Li Chenjing to the palace. He does not return, and Zhu Bafu is unable to visit because of her status as a woman and an official’s daughter.
• While waiting at the residence gates for news, Zhu Bafu is summoned to the palace by Longyang. He refuses to explain much, but accuses her of repeatedly targeting the politically weakened Prime Minister’s Residence and seeking revenge against anyone named Li.

Character developments

• Zhu Bafu is beginning to question her habit of treating Li Chenjing as a convenient escape from palace marriage. Her feelings seem more complicated than she has admitted, especially when Xiaojiu’s assessment stings and Li Chenjing hears it.
• Li Chenjing shows social tact and patience, winning over Zhu Bafu’s father through their shared interest in Go. His attentive reaction to Zhu Bafu’s hesitation suggests he is invested in what she will say about him.
• Zhu Xiaojiu remains blunt and protective, pressing his sister to make a clear-eyed choice rather than repeat past mistakes.
• Longyang appears hostile toward Zhu Bafu and suspects she is acting out of resentment toward the Li family.

Significant themes

• Genuine affection versus convenience: Zhu Bafu must confront whether her relationship with Li Chenjing is sincere or merely a means of avoiding another future.
• Reputation and gender constraints: Her restored female identity limits her freedom of movement and her ability to act in the political world.
• Political suspicion and power: Li Chenjing’s palace summons and Longyang’s accusations show how personal relationships are entangled with the Li family’s declining influence and court politics.
• Persuasion and social performance: Li Chenjing’s calm, thoughtful manner allows him to earn the Zhu family’s goodwill more effectively than confrontation could.

Character interactions

• Li Chenjing and Zhu Bafu’s father bond over Go, transforming a tense meeting into a friendly one.
• Zhu Xiaojiu confronts Zhu Bafu about her motives; she resists his teasing but is unsettled by the truth in his words.
• Li Chenjing overhears the conversation and waits for Zhu Bafu’s response, leaving their relationship at a moment of uncertainty.
• Longyang treats Zhu Bafu with suspicion as he escorts her toward the palace, framing her actions as possible revenge against the Li family.

Plot points

• Longyang confronts Zhu Bafu about Li Chenjing taking responsibility for the scar on her face, making a bitter remark that she is now “damaged goods.” Bafu is stunned by his anger and says little.
• Instead of taking her to the palace, Longyang’s convoy leaves the city and heads up Yuequan Mountain. He claims he means to silence her, and their argument escalates.
• Furious, Bafu jumps from the carriage and collides with a palace attendant carrying a lamp. Her skirt catches fire. Longyang stamps out the flames, tears away the burning fabric, and pulls her to safety.
• Bafu insists on going back to see the emperor. Longyang tells her the emperor is not at the palace but at the Suburban Imperial Villa. He carries her onto his horse and takes her there.
• At the villa, Longyang watches Bafu struggle to dismount and hears her thank him. He reacts awkwardly, then angrily refuses her gratitude and turns away.
• Bafu enters the grand hall, where Emperor Zhao Huangpu sits in the misty, lantern-lit setting, handling Li Chenjing’s Ministry of Personnel seal. His expression and intentions are unclear.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhu Bafu remains determined to see the emperor despite Longyang’s obstruction. Her anger leads to a reckless leap from the carriage, but she accepts Longyang’s help and offers him a sincere, if teasing, thanks.
• Longyang masks concern and jealousy with insults and irritation. He saves Bafu from the fire and brings her to the emperor, yet struggles to show care openly; her gratitude unsettles him.
• Bafu and Longyang trade sharp, comic barbs, shifting from confrontation to reluctant dependence when he rescues her and carries her to the villa.
• Zhao Huangpu is introduced in a deliberately enigmatic pose, while the seal associated with Li Chenjing hints at the political significance of the meeting.

Significant themes

• Care hidden beneath hostility: Longyang’s actions contradict his harsh words.
• Jealousy and emotional tension: His remarks about Li Chenjing and Bafu’s scar reveal that her connection to Li affects him.
• Agency and risk: Bafu refuses to be controlled, even when her choices endanger her.
• Ambiguity and intrigue: The emperor’s unexplained presence and possession of Li’s seal create suspense about the purpose of Bafu’s summons.

Key plot points and events

• Covered in ash and burned clothing, Xiaoru kneels before Emperor Zhao Huangpu. He leaves her waiting on the floor, then accuses her of using her relationship with the Young Master to retaliate against him for past grievances and his distrust.
• Xiaoru denies that the Young Master is responsible, saying she pursued him herself. She then asks the emperor to choose someone else for the Inner Palace because she believes she has lost the virtue expected of her.
• Zhao carries her to the Phoenix Head Pool, an imperial hot spring reserved for past empresses. He fixates on the marks left on her body and tries to scrub them away, insisting he will not care once they are gone. His rough efforts only leave more redness.
• When Zhao offers to hide her at the pool and dismisses her relationship with the Young Master as mere play, Xiaoru tells him she is serious and wants to stay with the Young Master.
• Xiaoru explains that life beside Zhao is exhausting: she is always calculating her usefulness, anticipating his plans, and fearing she will be discarded. She does not want the burden of the Empress’s role.
• Zhao realizes that, despite his feelings for her, Xiaoru sees him chiefly as her monarch, not as a friend or confidant.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiaoru openly asserts her choice and clarifies that her attachment to the Young Master is genuine. She reveals how deeply Zhao’s political scrutiny has worn her down.
• Zhao Huangpu responds to jealousy and hurt with controlling behavior, trying to erase the physical evidence of Xiaoru’s intimacy with someone else. His attempts to reframe the relationship as casual collapse when she plainly rejects that interpretation.
• Their encounter shifts from accusation and physical coercion to painful emotional honesty. Zhao’s affection conflicts with Xiaoru’s experience of him as a ruler who constantly evaluates and uses her.

Significant themes

• Power and intimacy: Zhao’s imperial authority shapes even his attempts at affection, making closeness feel coercive to Xiaoru.
• Emotional exhaustion and instrumentalization: Xiaoru feels valued chiefly for her usefulness in political schemes.
• Agency and genuine attachment: She chooses the Young Master and refuses to let Zhao define that relationship as a game.
• Unequal understanding: Zhao believes he has treated Xiaoru with unusual care, while she experiences their bond as strictly monarch and subject.

Key plot points

• Zhu Furu tells Li Chenjing that she wants to remain by his side as an ordinary, emotionally needy woman—not as someone valued for her usefulness. She does not realize that his insistence on finding her a special place reflects his growing feelings.
• Li, hurt and angry at her rejection, gives her an ultimatum: become his woman or resume living as a man and serve in the court. He declares that the Zhu family will have an eldest son, not an eldest daughter, restores her post as a fifth-rank Hanlin Academician, and forbids any possibility of marriage.
• Furu chooses the male role, asking in return that the confinement on the former Prime Minister’s Residence be lifted. Li angrily agrees. Overnight, he issues decrees ending the confinement and removing Furu’s women’s clothing and accessories, replacing them with a full wardrobe of men’s attire.
• The next morning, Furu enters court in official robes. The other officials keep their distance, wary of her role in provoking the emperor’s dramatic decree. At the palace gates, she meets Li, now dressed as a first-rank official, and treats him formally as a colleague. He grabs her hands and pulls her close before she can pass him.

Character developments and interactions

• Furu remains firm about her choice: she would rather serve as a man than become Li’s woman. Her calm, formal manner turns the emperor’s personal ultimatum into a practical bargain, securing the release of her family’s residence.
• Li reveals how possessive and emotionally invested he has become. Unable to accept that Furu does not want the role he offers, he tries to control her identity and future, while his reaction to her professional distance shows how painful he finds it.
• Their interaction shifts between intimate vulnerability, anger, and official formality. Furu calls Li “Lord Li” and addresses him as a superior, deliberately reinforcing distance; Li responds by physically stopping her from walking away.

Significant themes

• Love versus usefulness: Furu wants affection and the freedom to be imperfect, while Li’s attempt to give her a “special” place is shaped by his need to keep her near.
• Agency and coercion: Furu makes a choice, but only within the harsh options Li imposes. Her bargain shows her ability to maneuver within that power imbalance.
• Gender and identity: Li uses Furu’s disguise and official position to deny her a future as a woman, underscoring how gender roles can be imposed as instruments of control.
• Emotional distance: Furu’s formal “colleague” behavior contrasts with Li’s desire for closeness, leaving their relationship unresolved.

Plot points

• At court, Li Chenjing openly takes Zhu Bafu by the hand and flirts with her, despite their public roles as male officials. Zhu worries that their behavior will fuel gossip and provoke political trouble.
• Li says he is acting shamelessly because he fears the emperor has persuaded Zhu to distance herself from him. He leads her through the palace in full view of other officials, making her gradually less self-conscious.
• Zhu learns that Li has been appointed a first-rank Cabinet Elder but receives no salary. Alarmed by his precarious situation, she suggests he leave the capital with Lord Wei. He refuses and jokingly asks her to support him; she agrees.
• At morning court, Emperor Zhao Huangpu largely ignores Zhu, briefly addressing a memorial about welcoming the late emperor’s memorial tablet. Afterward, he summons the Cabinet to the Imperial Study, including Li.
• Zhu returns to her work compiling the Imperial Diaries. She finds the records of the emperor’s intimate life blank from the time she left the palace and realizes that pursuing advancement through flattery may put her in an uncomfortable position.

Character developments

• Li Chenjing becomes more openly affectionate and playful, using flirtation to reassure himself that Zhu will not push him away. His new high office does not bring financial security or freedom from the emperor’s control.
• Zhu Bafu remains wary of scandal and politics, but she is increasingly comfortable being seen with Li and agrees to care for him. She also recognizes how limited her prospects for promotion are.
• Emperor Zhao Huangpu keeps Zhu at a distance in public while retaining influence over both her work and Li’s position.

Themes

• Love under public scrutiny: Their private relationship conflicts with the expectations imposed on officials and their male disguises.
• Power and precarious status: Li’s prestigious rank is undercut by having no salary, while Zhu’s lower position leaves her little leverage.
• Intimacy and vulnerability: Li’s teasing reveals his fear of losing Zhu, while her willingness to support him marks growing commitment.
• Ambition versus personal cost: Zhu’s thoughts about promotion show that advancement may require compromising her comfort and boundaries.

Character interactions

• Li publicly holds Zhu’s hand and teases her; she scolds him but ultimately follows closely.
• Zhu urges Li to leave the capital because of his treatment and poverty; he turns the argument into a playful appeal for her to support him, and she agrees.
• Zhao’s formal distance from Zhu contrasts with his continued authority over her career and Li’s appointment.

• Key events: While worrying about her finances and considering dismissing household staff, Zhu Bafu is interrupted at the Imperial Academy by Emperor Zhao Huangpu. He orders her to record a decree elevating Lord Liu’s daughter to Consort Shun, praising her filial piety and decorum. Zhu recognizes the decree as a pointed contrast to her own conduct and implies that she will not conceal the new consort’s history. Their tense exchange turns to Zhu’s recent, conspicuously intimate encounter with Lord Li at the palace gates. When the emperor accuses her of entangling his senior official, Zhu jokes that she acted from admiration—or perhaps covetousness—and accepts that punishment may follow.
• Character developments: Zhu remains financially anxious, irreverent, and unwilling to hide behind convention; facing trouble, she chooses audacious humor over self-defense. Zhao Huangpu shifts from controlling her work to openly interrogating and provoking her, revealing how personally he takes her behavior with Lord Li.
• Interactions: Zhu and the emperor spar over historical accuracy, propriety, and her conduct toward Lord Li. The other Imperial Academy officials silently witness the confrontation, kneeling and avoiding involvement.
• Outcome and themes: Rather than dock Zhu’s salary, the emperor announces a “reward”: the Academy officials must spend an evening at Chunfen Pavilion, and Zhu must choose a woman to spend the night with. He demands that she learn what a man is supposed to desire—an order that exploits her male disguise and turns punishment into public humiliation. The chapter blends courtly authority and gender performance with sharp comedy, while highlighting Zhu’s precarious finances and the emperor’s jealousy or possessiveness.