Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Shanshan returns to Cloud City with Wen Ze after her interviews, openly flirting with him on the plane. He repeatedly tells her he is not interested, but she clings to his hand and falls asleep holding it.
• After landing, Shanshan refuses to go home, insisting Wen Ze still needs her care. She gives him her address—his own home—and kisses him when he tries to explain they are not suited to each other.
• Wen Ze, overwhelmed by her persistent advances, knocks her unconscious and calls her family. Her brother, Su Chen, learns what happened, warns her to stay safe, but ultimately indulges her pursuit.
• Shanshan goes to Wen Ze’s home despite a sign barring her. When he ignores and blocks her messages, she gets help climbing over the wall.
• She lands in the yard near two aggressive German Shepherds. Wen Ze rushes out and drives them away. Once he sees she is safe, he scolds her, then comforts her when she breaks down crying.
• Wen Ze offers to buy her a meal. Shanshan asks him to carry her, secretly pleased that the visit has brought them closer.

Character developments and interactions

• Shanshan is bold, stubborn, and determined to win Wen Ze over, treating his rejections as challenges. Her bravado gives way to genuine fear when she encounters the dogs, though she quickly turns Wen Ze’s concern into an opportunity for closeness.
• Wen Ze maintains that they are incompatible and tries to push her away, yet his actions reveal concern and suppressed affection: he avoids hurting her, calls her family after knocking her out, and rushes to protect her.
• Su Chen is protective but indulgent, trusting Wen Ze’s character and letting his sister pursue him.
• Shanshan and Wen Ze’s relationship is defined by playful, forceful pursuit on her part and reluctant resistance mixed with tenderness on his.

Significant themes

• Persistence versus boundaries: Shanshan refuses to accept Wen Ze’s rejection, creating both comic tension and serious moments of risk.
• Affection beneath denial: Wen Ze’s protective actions suggest feelings he will not admit.
• Romantic comedy through escalation: Flirtation, a stolen kiss, and a reckless break-in repeatedly turn rejection into chaotic intimacy.

Plot points

• Susan becomes a regular visitor at Wen Ze’s home after his German Shepherds are put away. His relatives send tonics to help him regain his strength and, implicitly, encourage him and Susan to have a child. Susan makes them into soups, leaving Wen Ze with frequent nosebleeds.
• Worried that Wen Ze’s two-week leave will end before their relationship advances, Susan devises a plan to make him come to her. She stays away and, after taking something that makes her feverish and unwell, checks into a hotel.
• When Susan’s brother says she never came home, Wen Ze tracks her to the hotel and rushes to help. Susan refuses the hospital and tries to persuade him to stay with her. He resists at first, insisting she face the consequences of her actions, but eventually gives in to her advances.
• Afterward, Wen Ze presents Susan with his property and personal documents and says they will register their marriage. Susan is thrilled, and they hurry to the registration office. She keeps the marriage certificate, teasing Wen Ze that she fears he might regret marrying her.

Character developments and interactions

• Susan is impatient and determined to secure a future with Wen Ze before he leaves. Her scheme works, but the scene also shows how intensely she wants his commitment. Once married, she is triumphant and playful.
• Wen Ze initially tries to maintain distance and control, but his worry when Susan is missing reveals how much he cares. His decision to marry her suggests he is accepting responsibility—and perhaps acting from deeper affection, though he still frames it as duty.
• Their relationship shifts from flirtation and resistance to physical intimacy and marriage. They trade teasing challenges throughout, with Susan pushing forward and Wen Ze wavering before ultimately choosing to commit.

Significant themes

• Persistence and commitment: Susan pursues the relationship relentlessly, while Wen Ze’s concern and eventual marriage offer a clear commitment.
• Care versus control: Wen Ze’s alarm at Susan’s condition drives him to intervene, while Susan resists his attempts to direct her choices.
• Romantic comedy and power reversal: The story plays the characters’ stubbornness for humor; Susan sees the marriage as her victory, while Wen Ze affectionately accepts his “fierce” new wife.
• Responsibility and consent: Wen Ze presents marriage as taking responsibility, but the chapter also depicts Susan deliberately making herself ill to pressure him and his eventual sexual response after initially refusing.

Plot and events

• Susan and Wen Ze secretly marry. To protect her from his enemies, Wen Ze keeps the marriage private and transfers to Cloud City so he can be closer to her, though his duties still keep him away for long stretches. Susan makes their home comfortable and fills her time with her own career.
• After Susan moves out, Su Chen feels the emptiness of the house and begins staying late at work or going to bars. Susan encourages him to date, but he assures her he will manage their mother when she leaves the hospital.
• A year later, Susan’s mother is discharged and learns about the marriage. She initially scolds Su Chen for not telling her, then relents after discovering he gave Susan a substantial share of the family company. Later, she visits to help Susan during pregnancy, claiming that a new boyfriend—not Su Chen—bought her many expensive things. Susan again warns her to keep her identity secret.
• Su Chen starts seeing Qin Yue, a wealthy family’s daughter recently returned from abroad. He brings her as his date to the launch of Tang Lin’s new game. The event also shows Tang Lin and Han Feng now openly accepted as a couple.
• Afterward, Qin Yue asks Su Chen to walk by the sea. They hold hands, then chase down a thief who stole someone’s bag. Qin Yue catches and kicks the thief; when she pretends her foot hurts, Su Chen carries her home on his back.

Character developments and relationships

• Susan and Wen Ze are devoted newlyweds. Their affection helps them endure Wen Ze’s dangerous work and frequent absences; Susan is especially unhappy when he must leave again.
• Su Chen begins to confront his loneliness and cautiously gives romance a chance with Qin Yue.
• Qin Yue is sweet and refined in manner but also athletic and bold. Her quick action against the thief impresses Su Chen, while her playful request to be carried brings them closer. She privately resolves to hold on to him.
• Susan’s mother appears less controlling than before, accepts that Susan is married, and helps during her pregnancy, though Susan remains wary of her revealing the marriage.
• Tang Lin and Han Feng are established as a couple and are treated with growing acceptance.

Themes and interactions

The chapter emphasizes love expressed through commitment and care: Wen Ze sacrifices career convenience to protect Susan, Su Chen supports his sister, and Susan urges her brother to build a life of his own. Privacy and protection remain important because Wen Ze’s work puts Susan at risk. The closing seaside scene suggests a hopeful new romance, while Qin Yue’s rescue of the victim shows that her gentle image conceals courage and capability.

Plot points and events

• Tang Shiba wakes with a headache and learns from her system that they have transmigrated into an ancient setting. They can return only by completing a novel-based mission.
• Shiba discovers she has a mild concussion but is otherwise healthy. When Tang Xuan, her new eldest brother, enters and orders her to apologize to their cousin Ouyang Xuan, Shiba insults him and then knocks him down in a fight.
• General Tang and Madam Song initially refuse to believe their daughter could have beaten her military-officer brother. They enter Shiba’s room and urge her, as usual, to give in to Ouyang.
• The system explains the mission: expose Ouyang Xuan’s real nature and prevent the General’s household from being executed. In the novel’s original events, Ouyang frames the family, has Shiba sold to a brothel, and is later celebrated as a heroine.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba is newly arrived in this world but quickly shows she is bold, combative, and unwilling to accept the family’s unfair treatment. Her unusual agility surprises Tang Xuan.
• Tang Xuan is arrogant and expects his younger sister to submit; after being defeated, he vows revenge.
• General Tang and Madam Song are shown to favor Ouyang’s feelings over Shiba’s, routinely expecting their daughter to accommodate her cousin.
• Ouyang Xuan has not appeared directly yet, but the system’s account reveals her as manipulative and dangerous.

Character interactions

• Shiba and Tang Xuan’s first encounter escalates from his demand that she apologize to a physical fight, ending with him carried away.
• Shiba challenges her parents’ familiar demand that she “give way” to Ouyang, while their disbelief about the fight underscores how little they understand her.
• The system guides Shiba through the new situation and mission, sharing her outrage at Ouyang’s apparent crimes.

Significant themes

• Unfair favoritism and family neglect: Shiba’s wishes and belongings have repeatedly been sacrificed to appease Ouyang.
• Reputation versus truth: Ouyang’s alleged crimes are concealed behind a heroic public image, while the Tang family faces ruin.
• Agency and reversal: Shiba’s sudden strength and refusal to submit signal a break from the original owner’s victimization.
• The chapter ends with the system wondering whether this Ouyang Xuan is connected to someone they already know.

Plot points

• Tang Shiba learns that her mission ends when everyone’s disappointment reaches 100 percent. Eager to return to her modern life, she decides to stir up trouble.
• After her parents blame her for clashing with her cousin Ouyang Xuan, Shiba pretends to be seriously injured and says Xuan punched her and left her at risk of drowning.
• Her maid, Chunjuan, backs up the story. Shiba’s parents dismiss it, accuse her of lying, and order her confined without dinner.
• Shiba refuses to accept the punishment. She bribes the servants guarding her room, then heads with Chunjuan to confront her family at Ouyang Xuan’s residence.
• There, Shiba discovers her mother comforting Xuan. Her unspoken thoughts—revealing that the servants rescued Xuan first while Shiba swallowed pond water—are somehow heard by everyone present.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba is bold, irreverent, and focused on completing the mission rather than repairing family ties. She uses performance, manipulation, and money to get around obstacles.
• Chunjuan remains loyal to Shiba, supports her account of events, and accompanies her despite the risk.
• General Tang and Madam Song side with Ouyang Xuan and punish Shiba without investigating her injuries. Madam Song shows some guilt, but remains preoccupied with Xuan.
• Ouyang Xuan appears to be feigning illness, reinforcing Shiba’s view that she acts innocent while manipulating the family.
• The system provides mission guidance and gossip, while trying to prevent Shiba from acting in ways that could make her situation worse.

Significant themes

• Favoritism and family neglect: Shiba feels treated as an outsider in her own household, especially when her parents prioritize Xuan.
• Truth versus appearances: The family accepts Xuan’s presumed innocence and rejects Shiba’s account without checking what happened.
• Agency and rebellion: Shiba refuses to submit quietly, using humor and audacity to reclaim control.
• Performance and manipulation: Shiba knowingly plays up her injuries, while Xuan is described as pretending to be sick, blurring the line between genuine grievance and strategic deception.

Plot points and events

• After Tang Shiba pushes Ouyang Xuan into the water, General Tang and Madam Song assume Shiba is at fault and demand that she apologize. Shiba insists Xuan nearly drowned her and refuses.
• General Tang threatens to send Shiba to the army camp. Instead of backing down, she grabs Xuan by the hair and slaps her twice, then evades the adults trying to intervene.
• General Tang orders Shiba confined to her courtyard and calls for a physician after Xuan faints. As Shiba leaves, her system detects an energy fluctuation and suspects Xuan may have acquired a new system, despite the system previously devouring hers.
• Tang Xuan later confronts Shiba for hurting Xuan. He alternates between scolding and offering to buy Shiba a dress if she will stop opposing their cousin. Shiba rejects his offer and shuts him out; he vows to make her kneel and beg the next day.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba is defiant, irreverent, and unwilling to accept the family’s biased treatment. She openly retaliates against Xuan and shows no deference to her father or brother. Her private thoughts reveal that she is aware of the household’s disastrous future.
• Ouyang Xuan is exposed as an apparent target of renewed system activity, though the cause remains uncertain. She is also shocked by Shiba’s changed behavior.
• General Tang and Madam Song continue to favor and protect Xuan, judging Shiba before hearing her side.
• Tang Xuan is unsettled by Shiba’s sudden change and tries both threats and persuasion to control her, but neither works.

Character interactions

• Shiba clashes with her parents over the demanded apology, then physically attacks Xuan in front of them.
• Xuan’s fainting prompts Madam Song to focus on her care, while General Tang punishes Shiba.
• Tang Xuan confronts Shiba, but she mocks his concern, rejects his bribe, and ends the conversation by closing the door on him.

Significant themes

• Family favoritism and injustice: Shiba is blamed without being heard, while Xuan receives immediate sympathy and protection.
• Defiance and changing identity: Shiba’s boldness alarms relatives who remember her as fearful and obedient.
• Hidden supernatural forces: The unexplained voice and suspected systems suggest that more than one character may be connected to the chapter’s system-driven events.
• Consequences and looming conflict: Shiba’s family relationships deteriorate, and Tang Xuan’s threat foreshadows further confrontation.

Plot points

• Tang Shiba wakes hungry and learns from her system that its increased power accidentally caused their time travel. Ouyang Xuan and Si Wuyu also arrived, but the system cannot locate Si Wuyu.
• The system reveals that Ouyang Xuan has bound herself to a fortune system: she must steal the General’s Residence’s fortune to survive. A second, “wild” system has drained much of her remaining life, making failure fatal.
• Ouyang Xuan, now frightened of Tang Shiba, shifts her attention to Tang Shiba’s eldest brother, Tang Xuan. At breakfast, she hints that the family has neglected her and uses tears to persuade Tang Cheng to send Shiba to the Military Camp.
• Shiba accepts the decision without pleading, then warns in her thoughts that Ouyang Xuan may marry Tang Xuan, take control of the household, and bring the Tang family to ruin.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba remains bold, hungry, and irreverent. She is unbothered by being sent away and openly challenges her family’s assumptions.
• Ouyang Xuan is revealed as desperate and vulnerable beneath her practiced sorrow, but still manipulative and focused on securing influence through Tang Xuan.
• Tang Xuan is embarrassed when Shiba exposes his affection for Ouyang Xuan, and frustrated by her criticism of him.
• Tang Cheng and Madam Song begin to realize that Shiba’s thoughts are audible to them, complicating their judgments of both daughters.

Character interactions and themes

• The family’s breakfast becomes a contest of persuasion: Ouyang Xuan appeals to sympathy, while Shiba counters with bluntness and refuses to play along.
• Tang Shiba’s private thoughts expose tensions the family cannot openly address; Tang Xuan discovers that he can hear them but finds himself unable to say so.
• The chapter explores family loyalty versus favoritism, manipulation and hidden motives, and fate and survival, as Ouyang Xuan’s supernatural bargains threaten both her life and the Tang household.

Plot points and events

• General Tang gives Tang Shiba one last chance to avoid military-camp training: she must apologize to Ouyang Xuan and have the apology accepted. Shiba agrees, but predicts Xuan will faint when she sees her.
• Shiba returns to the front hall and approaches Xuan. As expected, Xuan rolls her eyes back and faints before Shiba can apologize. Shiba leaves for the camp, convinced her prediction was right; Tang Xuan resents her for doubting his sister’s faint.
• At the military camp, Tang Cheng has the soldiers put on shirts so their bare chests won’t upset Shiba. Shiba is disappointed, then follows orders without complaint.
• Shiba tells a soldier that her cousin is jealous of her family and savings, and that her parents take the cousin’s side. The story spreads through camp, damaging the soldiers’ opinion of Tang Cheng.
• When Tang Cheng confronts Shiba, he overhears her thoughts: Ouyang Xuan plans to make a move on Shiba’s eldest brother at the Princess’s Residence, where he and Xuan are visiting with Madam Song. He is shocked and initially thinks Shiba is slandering Xuan.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba remains irreverent and mischievous, using gossip to manipulate how others see her situation. She obeys her father outwardly but openly mocks his favoritism in her thoughts.
• Tang Cheng tries to protect and indulge his daughter, yet assumes the best of Ouyang Xuan and misunderstands Shiba. Hearing Shiba’s thoughts raises his alarm, though he is still reluctant to believe them.
• Ouyang Xuan continues to present herself as fragile, fainting at Shiba’s approach. Shiba’s thoughts suggest Xuan has more ambitious plans than the original storyline implied.
• Chunjuan shows strong affection for Shiba and wants to accompany her to camp; Shiba refuses, joking that someone must guard their courtyard.
• The soldiers begin to question Tang Cheng’s fairness after hearing Shiba’s account, while Tang Xuan’s anger at Shiba reinforces the family’s divided loyalties.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Xuan’s fainting may be strategic, while Shiba’s careless jokes reveal serious suspicions.
• Family loyalty and favoritism: Tang Cheng believes he is protecting Shiba, but his defense of Xuan makes Shiba feel overlooked.
• Rumor and reputation: Shiba’s story quickly changes how the soldiers view their general.
• Foreshadowing and altered fate: With Ouyang Xuan’s presence, events appear to be diverging from the original storyline, and her plan at the Princess’s Residence threatens the family’s reputation.

Plot and events

• General Tang reprimands Tang Shiba for airing family affairs at the barracks. Shiba’s inner thoughts reveal that her eldest brother, Tang Xuan, is in danger of being drugged by their cousin Ouyang Xuan.
• When Tang Cheng threatens to punish her, Shiba challenges him to an arm-wrestling match. She wins by biting his wrist, forcing him to honor his promise to take her back.
• Shiba asks to stop at the Princess’s Residence, hoping to witness the scandal. There, Tang Cheng learns from the departing guests that Tang Xuan and Ouyang Xuan were caught together during the Elder Princess’s Flower-Viewing Banquet.
• Before the Elder Princess, Ouyang claims Tang Xuan dragged her away and forced himself on her. Shiba’s thoughts contradict this: she believes Ouyang drugged herself and arranged for witnesses to find them, intending to ruin Tang Xuan’s reputation and gain access to his family’s fortune.
• Tang Cheng accepts Shiba’s account but must deal with the public scandal. When the Elder Princess warns that marrying Ouyang could implicate the Tang family in her family’s criminal case, Tang Cheng offers to take responsibility and have Tang Xuan marry her—then serve permanently at the border. Tang Xuan is horrified because this would end his ambitions for a career in the capital.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba proves mischievous, calculating, and fearless, using humor and a dirty trick to escape punishment. Her knowledge of events drives the chapter’s revelations.
• Tang Cheng is initially furious with Shiba, but her warning makes him investigate. He faces a painful choice between protecting his niece and preserving his son’s future and the family’s standing.
• Tang Xuan is confused and reluctant to believe Ouyang could deceive him. He is devastated when his father offers to sacrifice his military and political prospects.
• Ouyang Xuan presents herself as a victim, while Shiba’s thoughts portray her as the architect of the scandal.
• The soldiers defend Shiba to Tang Cheng, while the Elder Princess confronts him and demands accountability.

Significant themes

• Truth versus appearances: Ouyang’s tearful account conflicts with Shiba’s version, leaving Tang Xuan caught between love and suspicion.
• Family duty and sacrifice: Tang Cheng tries to protect his niece and preserve the family, even at the cost of his son’s ambitions.
• Reputation and political consequences: A private scandal at the banquet threatens the Tang family’s standing and Tang Xuan’s future in government.
• Cunning and power: Shiba’s irreverence and Ouyang’s alleged scheme show how manipulation can shape events more than formal authority.

Plot points and events

• The Grand Princess accepts General Tang’s request and orders Tang Xuan and Ouyang Xuan to marry quickly. Tang Xuan is stunned: he has gained the woman he loves but believes the marriage will cost him his chance to earn military merit.
• Tang Shiba’s inner thoughts reveal that Ouyang Xuan plans to spread a damaging story about the day’s events to ruin Tang Xuan’s reputation. Ouyang Xuan’s system advises her to do so, unaware that Melon System has hacked it and copied their plans.
• When Tang Xuan asks whether Ouyang Xuan was forced, she cries and claims her actions were for him and the general’s household. He chooses to trust her once more.
• Ouyang Xuan asks to go shopping. Tang Shiba suspects this is a pretext for spreading rumors, so Madam Song accompanies her. Tang Shiba slips away, while Tang Xuan and General Tang secretly follow the women.
• Ouyang Xuan tries to take Madam Song to South Wind House, apparently to shake her off. General Tang intervenes before they enter, and Ouyang Xuan must return home, postponing her plan.
• Tang Shiba enters South Wind House herself, supposedly to look for Si Wuyu, but someone grabs her and demands to know why she is there so late.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Xuan is devastated by the sudden marriage arrangement and fearful of losing his military ambitions. Despite evidence that Ouyang Xuan may be plotting against him, he remains emotionally attached and gives her another chance.
• Ouyang Xuan continues to deceive Tang Xuan with tears and a fabricated excuse, while coordinating with her system to damage his reputation. Her failed attempt to separate Madam Song from the group shows her schemes are being closely watched.
• Tang Shiba is amused by Tang Xuan’s distress and uses her ability to expose Ouyang Xuan’s intentions. She and Melon System quietly work to gather evidence, though her curiosity and impulsiveness lead her into South Wind House.
• General Tang and Madam Song act protectively toward their family. General Tang follows Ouyang Xuan to prevent trouble, while Madam Song is curious about South Wind House and mildly disappointed not to enter.
• Melon System has secretly compromised Ouyang Xuan’s system, giving Tang Shiba an advantage. Its joking rivalry with Tang Shiba adds comic relief.

Significant themes

• Deception and misplaced trust: Ouyang Xuan’s performance contrasts with Tang Xuan’s sincere faith in her.
• Family loyalty and protection: Tang Cheng and Madam Song take precautions as they learn of possible danger.
• Scheming versus exposure: Ouyang Xuan’s plans are repeatedly undermined by Tang Shiba’s foresight and Melon System’s surveillance.
• Comedy amid intrigue: The systems’ banter, Tang Xuan’s melodramatic despair, and the mistaken assumptions surrounding South Wind House lighten the chapter’s escalating schemes.

Plot points and events

• Tang Xuan confronts Tang Shiba outside South Wind House and orders her home, worried about her reputation. She throws him over her shoulder, humiliating him in front of the crowd, but eventually leaves when she remembers Si Wuyu is still missing.
• Back at the residence, Tang Shiba refuses to explain herself to her brother. She overhears that Ouyang Xuan may be out spreading rumors and slips out over the wall to investigate.
• Tang Xuan follows Ouyang Xuan after catching her sneaking back through the residence’s rear gate. This confirms Tang Shiba’s suspicion that Ouyang has been plotting something.
• The next morning, rumors spread that Tang Xuan behaved scandalously with his cousin at the eldest princess’s flower-viewing banquet. A crowd gathers outside the General’s Residence, apparently hired by Ouyang Xuan to shame him.
• Despite Tang Shiba’s warning that the crowd will attack him, Tang Xuan opens the gate—and is immediately struck by a rotten egg.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba remains fearless, irreverent, and physically formidable, openly teasing Tang Xuan while acting on her suspicions. Her thoughts also reveal her concern that Si Wuyu has not appeared.
• Tang Xuan is embarrassed and angered by his sister’s treatment, but her predictions gradually unsettle him. He begins investigating Ouyang Xuan instead of dismissing Tang Shiba outright.
• Ouyang Xuan is portrayed as secretive and potentially malicious, apparently arranging people to spread or amplify damaging rumors.
• Tang Cheng and Madam Song are anxious about the scandal and try to restrain Tang Xuan, though they insist they believe he is innocent.
• Tang Shiba’s clashes with Tang Xuan mix sibling affection and antagonism: she mocks and overpowers him, while he tries to protect her reputation and authority.

Significant themes

• Reputation and public shame: Rumors turn a private misunderstanding into a public scandal.
• Family loyalty and conflict: Tang Xuan’s protectiveness clashes with Tang Shiba’s independence and contempt for his authority.
• Suspicion and hidden schemes: Tang Shiba’s inner observations guide the family toward Ouyang Xuan’s apparent plot, while others struggle to trust them.
• Comic reversal: Tang Xuan’s attempts to control events repeatedly backfire, culminating in the egg attack.

Plot points and events

• Tang Xuan returns home after being pelted with eggs by an angry crowd, but claims they were thrown by accident. Tang Shiba laughs at him and hints that Ouyang Xuan is responsible for the trouble—and plans to make things worse.
• Tang Shiba’s family can hear her thoughts, though they cannot speak normally and keep blurting out “quack.” Through her thoughts, they learn Ouyang Xuan is also targeting General Tang, but Shiba leaves before explaining further.
• General Tang initially refuses to report the crowd to the authorities, worried that an investigation might expose Ouyang Xuan. Tang Xuan and Madam Song also want to protect her, despite the accusations.
• Shiba sends her maid Chunjuan to act. Soon, officials arrive and arrest people who accepted money to stir up trouble. The arrested crowd identifies the person who paid them, but Tang Xuan takes the blame, claiming they had reason to curse him. The official recognizes the family is concealing someone and leaves without pursuing it.
• Embarrassed and eager to leave the capital, Tang Xuan asks his mother to arrange his wedding so he can depart for the frontier. Shiba’s thoughts reveal that Ouyang Xuan has no intention of marrying him: she is seeking a powerful protector so she can break off the engagement and present herself as a wronged, virtuous woman.
• Shiba rushes off to witness Ouyang Xuan’s next move.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Xuan remains devoted to Ouyang Xuan and accepts public blame to protect her, even as evidence mounts that she is manipulating him. He decides to leave for the frontier.
• Madam Song and General Tang prioritize protecting Ouyang Xuan’s reputation over reporting the attack or confronting the accusations. Madam Song comforts Tang Xuan, who believes he has suffered for Ouyang Xuan.
• Tang Shiba mocks her brother’s self-deception and quietly arranges for the authorities to disrupt the paid crowd. Her irreverent attitude contrasts with the family’s willingness to shield Ouyang Xuan.
• Lord Cao sees through the family’s attempt to protect someone, but treats the matter as their internal business and withdraws.

Significant themes

• Self-deception and misplaced loyalty: Tang Xuan and his parents defend Ouyang Xuan despite her apparent betrayal.
• Reputation and social maneuvering: Ouyang Xuan is portrayed as seeking influence and shaping the scandal to cast herself as virtuous while ruining Tang Xuan’s standing.
• Family complicity versus accountability: The Tangs’ instinct to conceal the truth contrasts with Shiba’s intervention through the authorities.
• Comic irony: The family’s inability to speak normally—only “quacking”—compounds the farcical tension as they struggle to understand Shiba’s warnings.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Shiba’s brother, Tang Xuan, insists on accompanying her. She agrees once he offers to pay, and they head to the lake in a lavish boat.
• Tang Shiba activates “gossip sharing,” making her private thoughts audible to nearby officials. Her gossip reveals that Ouyang Xuan has arranged an attack on Prime Minister Su, intending to rescue him afterward and gain his support.
• Tang Xuan recognizes Ouyang Xuan and wants to warn the officials, but Tang Shiba silences him and threatens to throw him overboard.
• The assassin, disguised among the performers, boards Prime Minister Su’s boat and drives people into the water. Su fights back, while Tang Shiba hurls Tang Xuan toward the boat. He accidentally collides with the assassin, who attacks him, and Su kills her.
• The officials secure the shore and detain everyone from the lake. Ouyang Xuan realizes her plan has failed. Tang Xuan is questioned, identifies himself as General Tang’s son, and eventually points to Ouyang Xuan’s boat as the one he was thrown from.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba is quick-witted, playful, and forceful. She shifts from dismissing Tang Xuan as a burden to welcoming him once he offers money, then uses him—quite literally—to disrupt the attack.
• Tang Xuan is eager to join his sister but is repeatedly frightened and outmaneuvered. Despite knowing martial arts, he panics during the fight and forgets his training. His accidental collision nevertheless helps expose the plot.
• Prime Minister Su appears composed and perceptive. He understands the warning embedded in the gossip, prepares for the threat, and kills the assassin.
• Ouyang Xuan is revealed as the planner of a staged rescue intended to win Su’s favor. Her scheme collapses, leaving her anxious and exposed.

Significant themes

• Gossip as power: Tang Shiba’s thoughts become an involuntary warning system, allowing hidden schemes to be uncovered.
• Appearance versus reality: Ouyang Xuan’s planned “rescue” disguises an attack, while the officials’ respectable public images contrast with the rumors about their private eccentricities.
• Comedy amid danger: Tang Shiba’s teasing, Tang Xuan’s panic, and the absurdity of his accidental intervention keep the assassination attempt comic as well as suspenseful.
• Unintended consequences: Tang Shiba’s impulsive throw turns Tang Xuan into an unexpected obstacle to the assassin and draws attention to Ouyang Xuan’s boat.

Character interactions

• Tang Shiba and Tang Xuan’s sibling bond is affectionate but combative: she bullies and teases him, while he complains and obeys when threatened.
• The audible gossip alerts Prime Minister Su and the surrounding officials, who quietly coordinate to protect him.
• Tang Xuan’s collision with the assassin leads directly to Su’s intervention; afterward, Tang Xuan’s identification of Ouyang Xuan’s boat may connect her to the failed plot.

• The prime minister identifies Tang Shiba as his rescuer. After Tang Xuan falsely points to Ouyang Xuan, the prime minister recognizes that her frail appearance makes the claim implausible. Tang Xuan corrects himself, and Tang Shiba is brought over. Ouyang Xuan is startled that Tang Shiba seems to have no system yet is apparently strong enough to throw Tang Xuan.
• Tang Shiba’s presence unsettles the officials. Her inner thoughts reach the others, and one official reacts so dramatically that he jumps into the river. The group hastily claims he was rushing home for dinner. Tang Xuan, meanwhile, admires his sister’s intimidating effect and even imagines taking her to war.
• Ouyang Xuan tries to block Tang Shiba’s reward. When the prime minister asks Tang Shiba what she wants, Ouyang Xuan insists her cousin is too frail to have saved anyone. She then deliberately falls into the lake, prompting Tang Xuan to jump in after her. The disruption ends the questioning; the prime minister orders them rescued and tells Tang Shiba she can later visit his residence to claim a reward. Tang Shiba has already decided she wants a large sum of silver—around eighty to a hundred thousand taels.
• Back at the General’s Residence, conflicting accounts cause trouble. Tang Shiba tells her father, Tang Cheng, that Ouyang Xuan and Tang Xuan nearly drowned, and her thoughts accuse Ouyang Xuan of hiring assassins and dragging Tang Xuan into the water to protect herself. A servant’s report instead says Tang Xuan saved the prime minister from assassins and later nearly drowned while rescuing Ouyang Xuan. Tang Cheng, realizing Tang Shiba’s story was unreliable, orders her confined to the rear courtyard for two days.
• Tang Shiba resists the punishment. She protests that she had nothing to do with the near-drowning and worries confinement will prevent her from collecting her reward. The servants report that she beat them rather than obey, so Tang Cheng storms off to confront her as she enjoys the household gossip.
  Character developments and relationships: Tang Shiba remains bold, irreverent, and focused on money, while her concealed strength impresses Tang Xuan and the prime minister’s party. Ouyang Xuan becomes increasingly anxious about Tang Shiba gaining influence and acts manipulatively to prevent it. Tang Xuan continues to protect Ouyang Xuan, even at risk to himself. Tang Cheng’s concern for his children turns to suspicion and anger when the stories conflict.
  Themes: The chapter plays comic misunderstandings against real schemes and danger. It also highlights the gap between appearances and ability, the pursuit of patronage and social power, and Tang Shiba’s practical preference for a concrete cash reward over status.

Plot and key events

• Tang Cheng learns through Tang Shiba’s thoughts that Xiaocui, a longtime servant, has been secretly licking his cups, pastries, and other belongings. Disgusted, he vomits repeatedly.
• Madam Song confronts Xiaocui, slaps her, and forces a confession. Xiaocui is dismissed that night. Tang Cheng is also blamed for encouraging her attachment by seeking her out.
• Madam Song, disgusted and angry, throws Tang Cheng out of their room and makes him sleep elsewhere.
• The next day, Tang Cheng tries to stop Tang Shiba from going to the prime minister’s residence to collect a reward for saving him. He argues that Tang Xuan deserves the credit.
• Tang Shiba rejects the family’s attempt to involve her in helping Tang Xuan. When Tang Xuan criticizes her, she grabs his ear, threatens to burn his collection of illustrated books, and warns the family not to stop her.
• Ouyang Xuan considers pursuing a mission to seduce Tang Cheng, believing his separation from Madam Song makes him vulnerable, but doubts it will go smoothly because Tang Shiba is present.
• At the prime minister’s residence, the prime minister greets Tang Shiba warmly. Her inner thoughts suggest that he has been involved with a prince and is several months pregnant, shocking him.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Cheng is humiliated by Xiaocui’s behavior and anxious about Tang Shiba’s ominous prediction of future romantic troubles. He apologizes to Madam Song but is still banished from their room.
• Madam Song takes decisive action against Xiaocui and remains furious with Tang Cheng, revealing both her jealousy and disgust.
• Tang Shiba grows increasingly impatient with her family’s evasions and demands. She asserts her independence through threats and force, then leaves despite their objections.
• Tang Xuan tries to defend his mother and seek Tang Shiba’s help, but is silenced and intimidated by her.
• Ouyang Xuan continues planning a seduction mission, while recognizing that Tang Shiba’s presence may disrupt it.
• The prime minister welcomes Tang Shiba but is alarmed by her private thoughts, which expose a secret relationship and pregnancy.

Significant themes

• Secrets exposed through inner thoughts: Tang Shiba’s unspoken observations repeatedly reveal hidden behavior and private scandals.
• Family conflict and accountability: Tang Shiba refuses to help relatives who avoid acknowledging their own choices.
• Jealousy and romantic complications: Xiaocui’s infatuation, Madam Song’s anger, Ouyang Xuan’s mission, and the prime minister’s concealed relationship all point to further turmoil.
• Comic shock and embarrassment: Disgust, threats, and unexpected revelations drive the chapter’s humor.

Plot points and events

• Susan is stunned by Tang Shiba’s claim that she may be pregnant with a powerful man’s child. Eager to confirm it, she promptly pays Tang Shiba 500 taels.
• Tang Shiba learns that Ouyang Xuan intends to stage a rescue involving Tang Cheng and a woman, then spread rumors that the general keeps a mistress. Tang Shiba decides to disrupt the plan.
• She pays beggars to circulate a different rumor: that Tang Cheng’s niece is arranging a mistress for him. A crowd gathers at the Good Fortune Teahouse, expecting to witness the staged encounter.
• As Tang Cheng arrives, several people begin fake domestic fights, hoping to be rescued by him and become his mistress. The ruse spirals into a chaotic street-wide brawl, with women grabbing at Tang Cheng and even trying to steal his purse.
• Tang Cheng struggles to control the crowd. When he hears that his wife is approaching with soldiers, he finally spins free of the women—only to realize she may have witnessed the scene.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba is quick-thinking, mischievous, and happy to turn Ouyang Xuan’s scheme into an absurd spectacle. She enjoys teasing her father through her inner thoughts.
• Tang Cheng is righteous and protective, but overwhelmed by the crowd. His confidence returns when he escapes the women, though he worries that his wife will misunderstand what happened.
• Ouyang Xuan remains hidden nearby, watching her carefully arranged plan collapse into chaos.
• Tang Cheng and his wife are already on strained terms because of the earlier Xiao Cui incident. His fear that she has seen the crowd’s advances raises the prospect of another misunderstanding.
• The townspeople, after hearing Tang Shiba’s narration as though it were a divine voice, treat her account as a prediction and turn the staged scene into a collective scramble for Tang Cheng’s attention.

Significant themes

• Schemes backfiring: Tang Shiba’s counter-rumor derails Ouyang Xuan’s attempt to manipulate Tang Cheng’s reputation.
• Gossip and public perception: Rumors rapidly shape what the crowd expects to see—and how they behave.
• Comedy through escalation: A planned rescue becomes an uncontrollable street brawl, while Tang Cheng’s “romantic luck” is portrayed as a humiliating ordeal.
• Family tension and misunderstanding: The episode ends with Tang Cheng anxious that his wife will misread the chaos.

Key plot points and events

• Soldiers surround Tang Cheng after a staged street scandal involving women. He insists he is innocent, while Tang Shiba’s private thoughts reveal that Ouyang Xuan engineered the scheme. Madam Song, now wary after earlier plots came true, takes Tang Cheng home rather than argue in public.
• Ouyang Xuan learns that beggars exposed her plan because they overheard her arrangements. When they denounce her as an evil spirit and predict she will die young, she loses her composure and threatens them.
• The family’s disappointment in Ouyang Xuan rises: Madam Song’s reaches 50 percent and Tang Cheng’s 30 percent, though Tang Xuan’s remains unchanged. Shiba decides to press her eldest brother’s situation by seeking help from the chancellor.
• At home, Madam Song proposes sending Ouyang Xuan to the country estate. Tang Cheng instead suggests securing an imperial marriage decree so Ouyang Xuan must marry Tang Xuan. Madam Song agrees to give her one more chance.
• Shiba arrives at the chancellor’s residence while the chancellor is with the Second Prince, Li Xiao. Shiba’s thoughts reveal the chancellor is pregnant, information Li Xiao overhears. The chancellor realizes he knows, but does not discuss it yet.
• Shiba asks the chancellor to help obtain an imperial marriage decree for her eldest brother.

Character developments and interactions

• Madam Song grows more cautious and decisive, increasingly willing to protect her household from Ouyang Xuan.
• Tang Cheng remains torn between his duty to his niece and concern for his family. He tries to resolve the conflict through an imperial marriage decree.
• Ouyang Xuan becomes increasingly frantic as her schemes fail; her angry outburst undermines the elegance and self-control she tries to project.
• Tang Shiba continues using her hidden knowledge and blunt inner commentary to expose plots and move the family’s plans forward. Her casual boldness also wins the chancellor’s unexpected fondness.
• The chancellor and Li Xiao face a new tension: Li Xiao discovers her pregnancy, while she has been keeping it from him and does not want to give up her position or independence.

Significant themes

• Deception and exposure: Ouyang Xuan’s schemes repeatedly unravel when others discover them in advance.
• Family loyalty versus protection: Tang Cheng’s affection for his niece conflicts with his responsibility to his wife and household.
• Power and autonomy: The chancellor’s pregnancy raises questions about whether she can preserve her political role and independence.
• Consequences of manipulation: Ouyang Xuan’s plots increasingly damage her reputation and weaken her family’s trust.

Key plot points and events

• Ouyang Xuan worries that her aunt may suspect her of wrongdoing. Her system falsely reassures her, though it can do little beyond concealing evidence.
• An imperial decree orders Ouyang Xuan and Tang Xuan to marry within ten days, then leave for the border the day after the wedding.
• The Tang family initially celebrates, but Tang Shiba’s thoughts warn that Ouyang Xuan may still find a way to make the household pay. Shiba openly mocks the match and hints that Ouyang Xuan could escape it.
• Ouyang Xuan invites Shiba to visit them at the border. Shiba refuses, saying the conditions are dangerous, then jokes that she will take over the residence once the couple leaves.
• Tang Cheng has dismissed the residence’s burly workers to protect his wife from Ouyang Xuan’s schemes. Shiba also wonders where the coachman has gone.
• Ouyang Xuan becomes furious when Shiba teases her, and faints after Tang Xuan tells her to be more tolerant of Shiba.
• Shiba turns her attention to finding Si Wuyu, suspecting he may have been reborn into a noble or royal family, and considers visiting the palace.
• She overhears that Ouyang Xuan has used her modern knowledge to attract a wastrel whose father, Lord Yang, heads the Ministry of Justice and is Tang Cheng’s sworn enemy. Shiba’s thoughts suggest Lord Yang once loved Tang Cheng’s wife, prompting alarm and uncertainty among the family.

Character developments and interactions

• Ouyang Xuan briefly loses her composure at the marriage decree but quickly recovers; she remains hostile toward Shiba and appears to be plotting around the forced marriage.
• Tang Shiba stays irreverent and provocative, using jokes and inner commentary to unsettle Ouyang Xuan and expose secrets. Her search for Si Wuyu becomes a new focus.
• Tang Xuan shows hurt at Shiba’s disdain, still considers himself devoted to her as a brother, but does not comfort Ouyang Xuan when she faints.
• Tang Cheng welcomes the decree but remains protective of his wife, dismissing potentially dangerous workers from the residence.
• The chapter ends with the family reacting to the revelation about Lord Yang and Tang Cheng’s wife, suggesting an unexplained past connection.

Significant themes

• Family loyalty and resentment: Tang Xuan’s appeals to sibling bonds clash with Shiba’s refusal to indulge sentimental expectations.
• Power and coercion: The imperial decree forces a marriage and a dangerous border posting, but Shiba implies that official orders may not control Ouyang Xuan’s actions.
• Secrets and suspicion: Hidden motives—Ouyang Xuan’s schemes, the system’s limits, and the possible history between Lord Yang and Tang Cheng’s wife—drive tension.
• Comic contrast: Shiba’s irreverent thoughts and teasing puncture the family’s formal reactions and turn serious events into dark comedy.

Plot points and events

• Tang Shiba’s thoughts reveal that Lord Yang is notorious for snoring, grinding his teeth, sleepwalking, and supposedly stripping in his sleep. The gossip turns to a more serious danger: Ouyang Xuan may be working with Yang Jinzhou to frame Tang Cheng’s subordinates for treason or plant evidence at the General’s Residence.
• Tang Shiba follows Yang Jinzhou to his residence, hoping for gossip. A crowd of curious neighbors gathers after she announces that he is streaking.
• Yang Jinzhou, who is deliberately cultivating rumors about his masculinity, comes outside in his underpants pretending to sleepwalk. The crowd is too nervous to approach, and Tang Shiba leaves when the servants come out.
• Tang Xuan finds Tang Shiba near the Yang Residence and scolds her for staying out late. He explains that the household had been searching for her after Chunjuan feared she was missing. Tang Shiba remains unrepentant.
• The next morning, Ouyang Xuan arrives and asks to speak with Tang Shiba. The system reveals that Ouyang Xuan wants Tang Shiba to attend a meeting in her place. Tang Shiba suspects a plot to damage her reputation and take her fortune, and is eager to confront it.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba is bold, mischievous, and drawn to gossip and danger; even Tang Xuan’s anger does not make her reflect. She quickly turns Ouyang Xuan’s request into a new opportunity for trouble.
• Tang Xuan is protective of Tang Shiba, furious that she went out alone, and worried about her safety and future marriage prospects.
• Madam Song is shaken by the possibility that Ouyang Xuan and her family intend to betray the Tang household, especially after the family once helped them.
• Yang Jinzhou is shown as vain and calculating: his “sleepwalking” performance is a deliberate attempt to bolster his reputation.
• The system tries to warn Tang Shiba and explain what is happening, but she prefers the entertainment and dismisses its cautions.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and misplaced trust: The Tang family’s past kindness toward the Ouyang family may be repaid with a scheme against them.
• Reputation and rumor: Yang Jinzhou manipulates gossip to boast about himself, while the crowd’s curiosity helps sustain his legend.
• Comedy and danger: Tang Shiba’s irreverent humor and love of spectacle contrast with the serious threat of a political frame-up.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Shiba agrees to go shopping with Ouyang Xuan, but suspects Ouyang is setting a trap. Ouyang sends Tang to a teahouse while she supposedly runs an errand, leaving the maid Chunmei with her.
• In the private room, Chunmei secretly adds a drug to Tang’s tea. Tang spots the powder, mocks Chunmei’s excuse that it is milk tea, then forces Chunmei to drink the drugged tea herself.
• Young Master Yang arrives, expecting to meet a woman named Nian Xuan. Drugged and disoriented, Chunmei clings to him, and he willingly takes advantage of the situation.
• Ouyang Xuan arrives with Chunjuan, apparently intending to catch Tang in a compromising position. Chunjuan instead finds Yang with Chunmei and attacks him. A crowd gathers, and Ouyang tearfully claims that her cousin was caught secretly meeting a man.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba remains sharp-eyed and irreverent. She sees through the attempted poisoning and turns the scheme against Chunmei, while quietly directing events from the sidelines.
• Chunmei is nervous and conflicted: she feels touched when Tang shows concern for her, yet continues with Ouyang’s plan out of fear. After taking the drug, she becomes entangled with Yang.
• Ouyang Xuan presents herself as innocent and concerned, but appears to be orchestrating a public scandal against Tang.
• Chunjuan fiercely attacks Yang, believing he has harmed her mistress. Her loyalty and impulsiveness make her an unwitting participant in the confrontation.
• Young Master Yang quickly reveals his opportunistic nature, deciding to exploit Chunmei’s drugged state for his own amusement.

Significant themes

• Deception and counterplots: Ouyang’s attempt to frame Tang is undermined when Tang detects the drug and the plan ensnares Chunmei instead.
• Appearance versus reality: Ouyang’s concern and Yang’s courteous manner conceal their motives, while Tang’s playful behavior masks her control of the situation.
• Loyalty and manipulation: The maids’ actions reflect their fear and devotion to their mistresses, even when they do not understand the full scheme.
• Comic irony: The drugging plot backfires, and Ouyang’s intended public accusation lands on the wrong people.