Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• Shen Shixu learns that the Heavenly Fragrance House is losing customers to a newer, cheaper restaurant, Ten-Mile Home. He can’t solve the problem, but leaves the worried waiter a larger tip.
• Shen Zexi arrives after selecting several household guards. He approves Shen Shixu’s decision to hire Xu Qing as their cook, though he is surprised by her age and impressed to learn she developed her skills herself.
• Shen Zexi reports that news has spread about the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity’s family mistreating their biological daughter while favoring the girl raised in her place.
• Shen Shixu guesses that the person who revealed the family’s scandal was the earl’s married sister, Xu Jingshi. Shen Zexi confirms it: Xu Jingshi confronted her brother after discovering he intended to let his daughter sever ties with the family. She broke two of his ribs and badly scratched the adopted daughter’s face.
• Xu Qing realizes her aunt acted on her behalf. She recalls that Xu Jingshi had sent her gifts over the years, though Xu Zhen took them away. Xu Qing had considered seeking refuge with her aunt but held back, fearing she would burden her aunt’s family.
• Jiang Bin explains the bitter history between Xu Jingshi and her brother: the earl forced her to marry Sun Xiushan, then a rising military officer, for his own career. Though Xu Jingshi initially resisted, Sun proved considerate and faithful, and the two eventually fell in love.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Qing is moved by her aunt’s support and begins to understand that someone in her family had cared for her all along.
• Xu Jingshi emerges as a fiercely protective figure who is willing to confront her own brother to defend Xu Qing.
• Shen Shixu shows quiet generosity toward the struggling waiter and correctly identifies Xu Jingshi as the source of the scandal.
• Shen Zexi shares the gossip and responds with disbelief when he realizes Xu Qing is personally involved.
• Jiang Bin adds context that explains Xu Jingshi’s long-standing resentment toward her brother and the strength of her marriage to Sun Xiushan.

Significant themes

• Family loyalty and betrayal: Xu Jingshi’s actions contrast sharply with the earl’s neglect and mistreatment of his biological daughter.
• Compassion and gratitude: Small acts of care—Xu Jingshi’s gifts and Shen Shixu’s tip—matter in a world where people often face hardship.
• Agency and injustice: Xu Jingshi’s forced marriage and Xu Qing’s mistreatment show how powerful family members can control others’ lives; both women’s stories also point toward resistance.
• Love built on respect: Sun Xiushan’s faithful, considerate treatment of Xu Jingshi allows affection to grow despite their marriage’s coercive beginning.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Bin reassures Xu Qing that her aunt Xu Jingshi and uncle Sun Xiushan are unlikely to face consequences for beating the Earl of Everlasting Prosperity. The earl’s household is already declining, and the scandal over the real and fake daughters will further disgrace it.
• As predicted, a memorial reaches the emperor. He removes the earl from his official post, though he leaves the title intact. The aristocracy shuns the family, and the Yan family breaks off its marriage arrangement with them; Yan Weixuan’s father is also fined a year’s salary.
• The household soon runs out of money. The earl sells Xu Zhen into prostitution, then loses what remains gambling. He is crippled by debt collectors and dies; his wife later drowns during a fit of madness. Xu Jingshi arranges their remains out of regard for her former sibling bond.
• At the Eastern Palace, Xiao Yuanqi, Xiao Jinyi, and Meng Jiyao discuss founding a Girls’ School. They worry that conservative officials will block the plan. When Xiao Jinyi leaves for Shen Shixu’s housewarming banquet, Yuanqi urges him to ask Shen for advice.
• At the banquet, Xiao Jinyi raises the school proposal openly with Shen Shixu, asking how to win officials’ support. The guests are surprised, and Xu Qing is thrilled by the possibility of attending.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Jingshi’s marriage to Sun Xiushan is described as mutually supportive: she has grown from a sheltered young woman into someone capable of fighting.
• The earl’s greed and poor judgment bring about his family’s ruin, while Xu Jingshi’s actions show lingering compassion despite the family’s treatment of her.
• Xiao Jinyi initially hesitates to involve Shen Shixu, but agrees after recalling that Shen had previously considered the idea of a girls’ school. At the banquet, Shen treats him warmly, while Xiao Jinyi shows no hesitation about raising the matter in front of the group.
• An Chengyu is uncomfortable with the unusually quiet meal and lacks refined table manners; Shen Shixu notices he has eaten little and serves him soup.
• Xu Qing’s excitement reflects her long-standing desire to study, previously rejected because she was a girl.

Significant themes

• Women’s education and social barriers: The school proposal challenges convention, while Xu Qing’s experience illustrates the limits placed on girls’ learning.
• Consequences of arrogance and misrule: The earl’s household loses status, wealth, and ultimately its members through scandal, bad choices, and the emperor’s disfavor.
• Family bonds and compassion: Despite the harm tied to her former family, Xu Jingshi honors her connection to the earl by overseeing his and his wife’s remains.

Key plot points

• Shen Shixu suggests a gradual strategy for establishing a Girls’ School: combine the Four Books and Five Classics with traditional arts, practical household skills, and the Six Arts and Eight Refinements. This would make the school more acceptable to officials while giving noblewomen a reason to attend and families a chance to build connections.
• Xiao Jinyi carries the proposal to Crown Prince Xiao Yuanqi. The idea gives Yuanqi a workable plan, and he enlists Empress Lin’s support.
• Empress Lin enthusiastically endorses the school, recruits influential supporters and teachers, and involves Princess Kangning and the Empress Dowager. Both women agree to help.
• An estate outside the city is converted into the school. After more than a month, it is ready, and invitations are sent to noble households. The officials who had dismissed the proposal reconsider when they see who is behind it.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Shixu demonstrates practical political insight and advocates women’s education, while modestly resisting a reward for his advice.
• Xiao Jinyi values fairness and friendship, insisting Shen be rewarded with a fine brush from Yuanqi’s collection. He supports his brother’s project but flees when his mother raises marriage.
• Xiao Yuanqi turns Shen’s suggestion into a concrete plan and works with his family to build support. He quietly protects Jinyi from their mother’s matchmaking pressure, knowing Jinyi already has someone in mind.
• Empress Lin emerges as a committed supporter of women’s independence and education. She also worries about Jinyi’s romantic future.
• Princess Kangning, shaped by her experience with Jiang Xingbang, backs the school as a way for women to become more self-reliant. The Empress Dowager’s approval gives the project further authority.

Significant themes

• Women’s education and agency: The school offers women opportunities beyond the confines of the inner quarters.
• Pragmatic reform: Change is advanced gradually, using familiar subjects and social incentives to win resistance over.
• Family support and influence: The royal women’s endorsement helps make the project politically credible.
• Affection and obligation: Jinyi’s effort to reward Shen reflects fairness and care, while family members show warmth through teasing, protection, and concern.

Key plot points

• Noble families unanimously agree to send their daughters to Girls’ School, treating it as an opportunity they can abandon if it fails. The young women are delighted and eager to go.
• Common women also receive invitations, offering free tuition, meals, and lodging so they can learn to read and acquire practical skills. Some leave impoverished homes to pursue greater independence.
• Three days after enrollment begins, the school’s students officially start their new lives.
• After a journey of more than a month, Prince Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi arrive in the Capital. Xiao Lie anxiously rehearses how to explain their relationship to his family, while Bai Lixi is so nervous that he nearly turns back.
• At court, Shen Shixu’s system, 011, reveals that Xiao Lie has returned with his beloved: the Holy Son of the Southern Border. Its gossip recounts how the two went from rivals to friends, then became entangled after a Passion Gu affected them both.

Character developments and interactions

• The noble families approach the school cautiously, while the young women welcome the chance to study. Common women are drawn by the prospect of skills, literacy, and a measure of security and dignity.
• Xiao Lie is excited to return home but worried about explaining his relationship; Bai Lixi’s nerves make their arrival tense.
• Shen Shixu and the court are bored until 011’s revelation grabs everyone’s attention. Even Emperor Wu’an, who had been dozing, listens in.
• Emperor Wu’an is shocked to learn that Xiao Lie loves a man. Crown Prince Xiao Jinyi, who has been watching his father’s reaction, fears that the Emperor may oppose his own feelings for a man.
• Xiao Lie and the Holy Son’s history shifts from an argument and a promised duel to mutual aid, friendship, and ultimately intimacy. The Passion Gu incident is presented as the turning point in their relationship.

Significant themes

• Women’s education and independence: The school offers women from different social classes knowledge, practical skills, and new possibilities.
• Love and social acceptance: The court’s reaction to Xiao Lie’s same-sex relationship foreshadows possible resistance and raises Xiao Jinyi’s fears.
• Chance and changing relationships: Rivalry and adversity bring Xiao Lie and the Holy Son closer, though their intimacy begins under extraordinary circumstances.

Key plot points

• Emperor Wu’an and the court learn that the Carefree Prince, Xiao Lie, and Bai Lixi, the Southern Border’s Holy Son, have been together for over two years.
• Yiyi explains how their relationship began: after a Gu-related incident led Xiao Lie to take advantage of Bai Lixi, Xiao Lie offered to take responsibility, but Bai Lixi refused to marry without love. Xiao Lie then stayed to care for him, and their mutual attraction gradually became affection.
• The court recalls Xiao Lie’s rebellious history, including defying the late emperor to protect Wu’an’s claim to the throne. His return makes the ministers wary.
• Wu’an tells the Empress Dowager that Xiao Lie is returning with a male beloved. She reveals she already knew about Bai Lixi from Xiao Lie’s letters and welcomes him.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu’an moves from amused curiosity about the couple to nervousness about his mother’s reaction, then relief when she accepts the relationship.
• Xiao Lie’s guilt-driven care for Bai Lixi developed into genuine love; Bai Lixi likewise came to value Xiao Lie’s thoughtfulness, looks, and shared boldness.
• The Empress Dowager shows open-minded affection, saying her children’s happiness matters more than convention. She also urges Wu’an not to control Jinyi and Yuanqi too tightly.
• The ministers’ memories of Xiao Lie’s defiance lead them to resolve to keep their families out of his way.

Significant themes

• Love can grow from an awkward beginning through care, respect, and shared qualities.
• Personal happiness matters more than social expectations or conventional arrangements.
• Parental love also means allowing children freedom to choose their own lives.

Key plot points and events

• Emperor Wu’an summons the Empress, Princess Kangning, and Xiao Yuanqi to Cikang Palace to welcome Xiao Lie, who has returned after years away with Bai Lixi, his future consort.
• Princess Kangning is delighted to see her youngest brother and eagerly asks about his relationship. The family also discusses Shen Shixu: his remarkable inner thoughts have become familiar to them, and his work has helped solve several criminal cases.
• Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi arrive to find the family chatting warmly. The room falls quiet when they enter, but Princess Kangning quickly breaks the tension by greeting Bai Lixi warmly and taking his hand.
• Kangning teases Xiao Lie about supposedly pestering Bai Lixi into loving him, then questions Bai Lixi about his family and whether he has an unmarried sister for her son.
• Emperor Wu’an and Empress Lin affectionately inspect Xiao Lie and usher him toward the Empress Dowager, who tenderly touches her long-absent son’s face—then jokes that he has grown uglier.

Character developments

• Xiao Lie is nervous about returning home, but his family’s playful welcome begins to ease his apprehension.
• Bai Lixi, accustomed to others avoiding physical contact because of his gu arts, is startled when Kangning takes his hand. He sees Xiao Lie’s family as unusually fearless and welcoming.
• Princess Kangning shows her lively, teasing nature while immediately embracing Bai Lixi as family.
• The Empress Dowager reveals her affection for Xiao Lie through a tender gesture and teasing remark.
• Shen Shixu’s reputation continues to grow: his insight and investigative skill have made a strong impression on the imperial family.

Significant themes

• Family reunion and acceptance: Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi are welcomed into a warm, close-knit family.
• Affection expressed through teasing: Jokes and playful banter soften the awkwardness of reunion.
• Overcoming fear and prejudice: Kangning’s casual touch challenges the distance others usually maintain from Bai Lixi.
• The value of talent and service: The family praises Shen Shixu not only for his unusual thoughts but also for his practical achievements.

Character interactions

• Kangning affectionately needles Xiao Lie while warmly questioning Bai Lixi about their relationship and family.
• Bai Lixi quietly accepts Kangning’s friendly attention, surprised by her openness.
• Emperor Wu’an and Empress Lin inspect Xiao Lie with fond approval, then guide him to his mother.
• The Empress Dowager welcomes Xiao Lie with tenderness disguised by a joke.

Key plot points

• Xiao Lie reunites with his family, but the Empress Dowager greets him by saying he has gotten uglier. His complaints about the family’s teasing make Bai Lixi laugh.
• Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi realize the family already knows they are lovers, though neither remembers telling them. Princess Kangning points out that Xiao Jinyi and Xiao Yuanqi were supposed to explain how the family learned Xiao Lie was outside the capital.
• Xiao Yuanqi reveals he stayed quiet on the journey as payback for Xiao Lie once calling him a nag. Xiao Lie recalls the old disagreement, when Yuanqi spent the night before his departure anxiously giving him safety advice.
• Xiao Jinyi explains that Shen Shixu uncovered the news. Impressed, Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi ask to meet him; Xiao Jinyi agrees to arrange an introduction.
• Meanwhile, Shen Shixu, left without home-cooked meals since Xu Qing moved to the newly opened girls’ school, goes looking for lunch. Hearing that Ten-Mile Home is offering a promotion and a courtesan’s performance, he changes course and heads there.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Lie is affectionate but easily riled by his family’s jokes. He also shows curiosity and admiration when he hears of Shen Shixu’s unusual abilities.
• Bai Lixi starts out nervous about meeting Xiao Lie’s family, but relaxes and laughs at their teasing. He is intrigued by Shen Shixu and may share his knowledge of Gu insects with him.
• Xiao Yuanqi reveals a playful, long-held grudge against Xiao Lie, disguising his resentment as obedience. Their exchange recalls that his original nagging came from genuine concern for his uncle.
• Xiao Jinyi serves as the quiet, reliable source of information and offers to arrange the meeting.
• Shen Shixu’s brief storyline introduces his practical problem—finding somewhere to eat—and draws him toward Ten-Mile Home.

Significant themes

• Family affection expressed through teasing: The reunion is warm, but care comes out as jokes, complaints, and old grudges rather than sentimental declarations.
• Misunderstandings and indirect communication: Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi are surprised their relationship is known, while the family’s knowledge comes through Shen Shixu’s extraordinary abilities.
• Change and opportunity: The newly opened girls’ school alters Xu Qing’s routine, while Ten-Mile Home’s promotion shows the lively competition among businesses.

Key plot points

• Shen Shixu visits Ten-Mile Home, a fashionable restaurant, but arrives during a disturbance: a drunk grabs and harasses Shaoyao, its featured courtesan.
• The onlookers refuse to help. Shen intervenes, restraining the drunk and freeing Shaoyao.
• The restaurant’s owner, Alebrang, thanks Shen and offers him a private room and a free meal. Shen accepts rather than lose time going elsewhere.
• Ten-Mile Home impresses him with its refined decor, private rooms, music, and poetic dish names, but its food proves ordinary. He declines the complimentary grape wine because he must work.
• Shen returns to the Court of Judicial Review, works through case files until sunset, and later goes to bed. He is then summoned to investigate a murder.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Shixu shows practical courage by helping Shaoyao, while remaining measured and observant: he accepts Alebrang’s hospitality but is unimpressed by the restaurant’s reputation and avoids drinking before work.
• Shaoyao moves from fear and despair—after the men who praised her abandon her—to gratitude and an immediate attraction to her rescuer.
• Alebrang proves quick to reward Shen and keen to cultivate his friendship, recognizing him as a man of distinction.
• The crowd’s silence contrasts sharply with Shen’s decisive intervention, exposing the gap between their public admiration of Shaoyao and their willingness to protect her.

Significant themes

• Courage versus bystander indifference: Shen acts when others look away.
• The unreliability of praise and attention: Shaoyao learns that admiration does not guarantee support.
• Appearance and reputation versus substance: Ten-Mile Home’s elegant setting and elaborate dish names outshine its merely adequate food.
• Duty and restraint: Shen keeps his focus on his official work and avoids wine before his shift.

Plot points and events

• Shen Shixu is summoned to investigate a body found in a secluded alley. The victim is Guo Yongshun, the drunk who harassed the courtesan Shaoyao at Ten-Mile Home earlier that day.
• Shen orders Zhang Ming to question the restaurant staff. A waiter identifies the victim as a regular and recalls that he lived in Springwater Alley, though the address is uncertain.
• The coroner finds that Guo died from a severe cleaver-like wound across his back and had bruises, including a mark on his neck suggesting a struggle.
• Shen reveals that he caused the wound while subduing Guo at the restaurant. He suspects Guo was a petty thug: the bystanders’ fear of him explains why no one intervened when he attacked Shaoyao.
• Shen and his staff pursue the investigation through the night. By the time they reach the relevant residents and question them, dawn has arrived, and Shen misses morning court.
• Xiao Jinyi notices Shen’s absence and worries he may be ill, but cannot leave court to check on him.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Shixu is methodical and perceptive, tracing the link between the murder and the earlier assault while recognizing that his own actions may affect the investigation.
• Zhang Ming proves dependable, promptly questioning the restaurant and organizing a search of Springwater Alley. Shen praises his initiative.
• The waiter is initially terrified that officials have come to arrest the restaurant’s boss, then relaxes when Zhang Ming asks only for information. Zhang Ming’s courteous thanks pleasantly surprises him.
• Xiao Jinyi shows concern for Shen, underscoring their personal regard for one another.

Significant themes

• Fear and social power: Guo’s likely status as a persistent local bully silences bystanders, illustrating how ordinary people may fear habitual troublemakers as much as powerful figures.
• Justice and careful investigation: Shen distinguishes suspicion from proof and treats the murder’s connection to the assault as something that still needs to be established.
• The consequences of violence: Shen’s intervention against Guo becomes relevant evidence after Guo’s death, complicating the investigation.
• Courage and compassion: The contrast between Shen’s willingness to help Shaoyao and the crowd’s inaction highlights the cost of standing up for someone vulnerable.

Key plot points

• Xiao Jinyi learns Shen Shixu is not ill but has been summoned to the Court of Judicial Review. Reassured, he hurries there to find him.
• Shen receives the clerk’s report on Guo Yongshun, a habitual thief and bully whom the residents of Springwater Alley deeply resent.
• Guo’s past includes intimidating neighbors, abusing their generosity, and nearly driving the Tofu Beauty to suicide after inventing a scandal about her. He was briefly jailed, then later used his position as a gambling-den enforcer—and the protection of powerful backers—to terrorize the alley.
• His theft of money needed to save one resident’s elderly mother led to her death. The neighbors had to pool money for a cheap coffin.
• Shen concludes that Guo’s killer is likely someone from Springwater Alley who acted out of intense anger. Zhang Ming suspects the bereaved son; Jiang Bin doubts it, reasoning that the man has a family to consider and would be unlikely to act recklessly.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Shixu listens carefully to the residents’ history with Guo and begins narrowing the investigation toward a crime of passion.
• Xiao Jinyi shows deep concern for Shen and rushes to check on him; the narrative frames Shen as a precious person to him.
• Zhang Ming makes a straightforward, emotionally driven suspect theory, focusing on the son’s motive and expressed hatred.
• Jiang Bin offers a more cautious assessment, weighing the suspect’s responsibilities and temperament against the apparent motive.
• The residents’ accounts reveal how fear, failed justice, and Guo’s threats left ordinary people feeling powerless.

Significant themes

• Abuse of power and failed justice: Minor punishments and Guo’s powerful connections allow his cruelty to escalate.
• Resentment and revenge: Longstanding harm gives several residents a possible motive, making the murder difficult to attribute by motive alone.
• Community and vulnerability: Neighbors once tried to help Guo and later supported one another, but their solidarity could not protect them from intimidation or tragedy.
• Appearance versus motive: The most obvious suspect may not be the true killer; Shen’s inquiry requires looking beyond anger to a person’s circumstances.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Shixu and his companions head to Springwater Alley to investigate a final missing link in a murder case. Xiao Jinyi joins them after learning Shen was summoned to the Court of Judicial Review overnight.
• Shen explains that he already has a suspect in mind. Zhang Ming wrongly suspects an angry neighbor, but the man’s build and occupation make him an implausible killer; Jiang Bin correctly doubts that theory but has not yet pieced together the full case.
• On the walk, Xiao Jinyi compliments Shen’s maturity and the care he shows his junior colleagues. Shen, worried that his responsibilities might be making him look older, asks Xiao to judge his appearance.
• Shen jokes that he needs to remain handsome so he can find a wife. Xiao, who is secretly troubled by his feelings for Shen, becomes visibly upset.
• Xiao asks whether Shen could love a man. Shen says he has no objection to two men being together and could consider it if he truly loved the person. Xiao’s mood immediately brightens.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Shixu comes across as perceptive and demanding as a teacher, while also being playful and unaware of how strongly Xiao feels about him. He is open-minded about same-sex love but has not previously considered it for himself.
• Xiao Jinyi reveals his romantic interest indirectly, anxiously seeking reassurance that Shen might be open to loving a man. His emotions shift sharply with Shen’s words.
• Zhang Ming and Jiang Bin are shown as capable but still developing investigators: Zhang is empathetic yet prone to emotional conclusions, while Jiang is cautious but not yet thorough enough.
• Shen’s offer of a handkerchief gives Xiao a small comfort; Xiao keeps it rather than using it, treating it like a precious token. Meanwhile, Shen privately finds Xiao’s mercurial moods endearing, and system 011 grows uneasy at the prospect of someone else becoming important to its master.

Significant themes

• Unspoken love and vulnerability: Xiao’s indirect question exposes his fear of rejection and hope for reciprocity.
• Judgment and evidence: The murder investigation contrasts emotional suspicion with physical evidence and careful reasoning.
• Care and mentorship: Shen’s attention to his colleagues shows his sense of responsibility, even as he jokes about its effects on him.
• Changing perspectives: Shen is open to a possibility he had never considered, while Xiao’s hope changes the emotional tone between them.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Shixu and his companions go to Springwater Alley, suspecting the local butcher because the weapon used to kill Guo Yongshun was a pig-slaughtering knife—and Guo had previously wronged him.
• They find the butcher, Feng Dayong, holding a bloodstained knife. Rather than arrest him immediately, Shen asks to hear his story.
• Feng reveals that Guo raped his pregnant wife, Miao Qinqin. Overwhelmed by shame and despair, she left a note and hanged herself. Feng came home to find her dead, along with the unborn child.
• The chapter ends with Feng recounting the moment he discovered his wife’s body; the circumstances of Guo’s murder and Feng’s arrest remain unresolved.

Character developments

• Shen Shixu shows compassion and restraint, offering Feng a chance to explain while making clear that he must still answer for his actions. He also privately feels embarrassed by his affectionate thoughts about Xiao Jinyi.
• Xiao Jinyi quietly protects Shen and reveals a softer side through his visible happiness at Shen’s praise.
• Feng Dayong shifts from a threatening suspect to a grieving husband seeking justice. His anger and violence give way to grief when Shen promises to investigate his grievance.
• Jiang Bin is quick to defend Shen but also frightened when Feng charges at him.

Significant themes

• Justice versus revenge: Shen acknowledges Feng’s suffering while insisting that a genuine grievance does not erase responsibility for murder.
• The devastating consequences of sexual violence: Guo’s assault destroys Miao, her unborn child, and Feng’s family.
• Grief and despair: Feng’s account frames his vengeance as the response of a man shattered by loss.
• Tenderness amid tension: Shen and Xiao Jinyi’s understated affection contrasts with the chapter’s violence and tragedy.

Character interactions

• Shen approaches Feng calmly and asks about his wife, using the state of the courtyard to suggest she cared for the home.
• Feng’s grief erupts when he blames Guo for her death; Jiang demands evidence, provoking Feng to charge at him.
• Xiao Jinyi stays close to Shen and lets Jiang shelter behind him, while Shen stops the bailiffs from escalating the confrontation.
• Shen promises to pursue justice for Feng, but also warns that Feng must face consequences for what he has done.

Key plot points and events

• Feng Dayong finds his wife, Miao Qinqin, hanged and discovers her suicide note. It reveals that Guo Yongshun raped her, kicked her while she was pregnant, and caused her to lose the child through severe bleeding.
• Miao Qinqin, devastated by the assault and her child’s death, had been unable to seek help and eventually took her own life.
• After hearing the full story, Shen Shixu explains that the law would have sentenced Feng to imprisonment—not death—for killing Guo, given the circumstances. Feng reveals he has already swallowed arsenic and asks to be buried with his wife and child. He dies before help can be given.
• Shen arranges a joint grave for the couple and a small grave for their lost child. His men secretly leave Guo’s body at the Mass Burial Ground, and Shen chooses not to intervene.
• With the case settled, Shen goes shopping for clothes and encounters some intriguing gossip.

Character developments

• Feng Dayong is revealed as a devoted husband and grieving father. After avenging his family, he calmly accepts death and hopes for reunion with them.
• Miao Qinqin is shown to have been educated through a scholar’s kindness and to have endured extraordinary suffering while trying to protect her unborn child.
• Shen Shixu is deeply moved by the family’s tragedy but remains mindful of the law. His decision to overlook Guo’s degrading burial shows his sympathy and quiet tolerance.
• The constables and Xiao Jinyi, despite their different temperaments and experience, are visibly shaken by the story.

Significant themes

• Love, grief, and family: Feng and Miao’s devotion persists even after death, expressed through their shared burial.
• Violence and injustice: Guo’s abuse destroys a family, while the story underscores the severe consequences of cruelty.
• Law and compassion: Shen acknowledges legal rules but recognizes the moral difference between selfish murder and revenge prompted by grave harm.
• The vulnerability of the powerless: Miao’s isolation and inability to get help highlight how poverty and circumstance can leave victims without protection.

Character interactions

• Feng’s note makes his private grief known to Shen and the constables, changing their understanding of his revenge.
• The constables respond with tears and anger, while Shen offers a legal explanation and honors Feng’s final request.
• Shen’s men act on their outrage toward Guo, and Shen tacitly accepts their decision by not punishing them.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Shixu enters a clothing shop and finds Xiao Jiayi and Zhou Yan arguing over the same dress.
• Zhou Yan tries to intimidate Xiao Jiayi by invoking her brother, the notorious Zhou Yueran. Xiao Jiayi finds this boast amusing.
• Shen’s system, 011, reveals that Xiao Jiayi is Princess Huimin and Zhou Yan is the Chancellor’s granddaughter. Despite their quarrel, they will eventually become close sisters-in-law: Xiao Jiayi is destined to marry Zhou Yueran.
• 011 explains why: Zhou Yueran once saved Xiao Jiayi from a scheme by Consort Shu’s declining family, who intended to drug her and force her into a marriage with one of their own.
• Though Zhou Yueran rescued her and arranged medical care, witnesses mistook the rescue for a secret affair. To protect Xiao Jiayi’s reputation, the imperial family arranged their betrothal.

Character developments

• Xiao Jiayi/Princess Huimin is initially confident and amused by Zhou Yan’s posturing, but becomes shaken by learning that her maternal relatives would betray her.
• Zhou Yan begins as an arrogant rival but shows sympathy by steadying Xiao Jiayi after the revelation. She is also stunned that her wastrel brother will marry a princess.
• Shen Shixu watches the confrontation for entertainment, then quickly questions the unlikely marriage and asks 011 for the explanation.
• Zhou Yueran, though absent, is revealed to have acted bravely and resourcefully to save Xiao Jiayi.

Significant themes

• Appearances versus reality: Zhou Yueran’s reputation as a wastrel contrasts with his courageous actions.
• Family loyalty and betrayal: Xiao Jiayi’s maternal relatives seek to exploit her for their own status.
• Reputation and social pressure: A lifesaving rescue is misconstrued, forcing an imperial betrothal.
• Unexpected bonds: A petty dispute foreshadows the women’s eventual closeness.

Character interactions

• Xiao Jiayi and Zhou Yan’s argument turns into mutual shock when they learn each other’s identities and future connection.
• Zhou Yan shifts from threatening Xiao Jiayi to comforting her.
• Shen remains apart from the argument, listening to 011 and piecing together the truth behind the women’s future relationship.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Jiayi realizes 011’s warning is true: her maternal cousin invited her to stay with the Li family and may be involved in a plot against her.
• A future account describes Zhou Yueran and Princess Huimin’s marriage. Though they begin distant, Zhou Yan confronts her wastrel brother and helps him recognize his responsibilities. He reforms, enters the entertainment business, and becomes wealthy.
• Princess Huimin and Zhou Yan grow exceptionally close. They help arrange each other’s marriages, discipline each other’s husbands, and often send their own husbands out of their rooms. The husbands’ resulting companionship sparks a false rumor that they are lovers.
• After hearing this future, Princess Huimin and Zhou Yan stop fighting over a dress and leave together to talk.
• Shen Shixu visits Xiao Jinyi. Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi mistakenly assume Jinyi has a female sweetheart, then discover his visitor is Shen Shixu.
• Shixu learns the Li family plans to lure Princess Huimin to an estate during a spring outing and compromise her reputation. He proposes a countryside outing with Jinyi, intending to intervene and protect her.

Character developments

• Zhou Yan shifts from arguing with Princess Huimin to becoming her close ally and sister-in-law.
• Zhou Yueran eventually abandons his carefree habits and becomes a successful businessman after his sister’s intervention.
• Princess Huimin helps Zhou Yan find a suitable husband and becomes deeply devoted to her.
• Shen Shixu acts decisively once he learns of the Li family’s scheme, using Xiao Jinyi’s presence to safeguard Princess Huimin and prevent damaging rumors.
• Xiao Jinyi openly shows how happy he is to see Shixu, while Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi are surprised by their apparent romantic closeness.

Significant themes

• Family intervention can prompt personal change and strengthen marriages.
• Sisterly solidarity offers protection and support in a society where women’s reputations are vulnerable.
• Gossip can distort relationships, as shown by the rumor about the two husbands.
• Foreknowledge creates an opportunity to prevent exploitation and protect someone’s honor.

Character interactions

• Zhou Yan scolds her brother, while Princess Huimin later becomes her trusted confidante; the two also join forces to manage each other’s husbands.
• Zhou Yueran and the Sixth Prince bond after being repeatedly turned out of their wives’ rooms.
• Xiao Jinyi warmly welcomes Shixu, prompting Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi to spy and misread the situation.
• Shixu and Jinyi prepare to go on an outing together, with Shixu intending to use the trip to foil the Li family’s plan.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Jinyi realizes that schemes against the imperial family have become alarmingly frequent. Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi overhear his thoughts—and his concern about a plot targeting Xiao Jiayi.
• Shen Shixu notices the people outside Xiao Jinyi’s room and offers to leave, suggesting they visit Meng Mountain the next day instead. Xiao Jinyi agrees, though he wishes he could spend more time with him.
• After Shen leaves, Xiao Jinyi admits to Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi that he loves Shen Shixu. He asks them to keep it secret until Shen returns his feelings and he can tell his parents. Xiao Lie agrees to help prepare Emperor Wu’an for the relationship, while worrying Shen might be unfairly blamed.
• Xiao Jinyi insists that they find Xiao Jiayi and gather evidence before reporting the plot to the emperor. Reasoning that she likely went to the Splendid Garment Shop, he sends Mo Yu and Bai He to investigate.
• They find Xiao Jiayi with Zhou Yan. After hearing the details, the group is angered but relieved that she escaped harm. Xiao Jinyi asks whether she intends to follow the future course of events and marry Zhou Yueran, or choose someone else; she postpones answering while they deal with the immediate situation.
• The following day, Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi join the spring outing. Xiao Jinyi introduces them to Shen as his uncle and his uncle’s husband.

Character development and interactions

• Xiao Jinyi shows both strategic judgment and growing openness: he quickly devises a plan to protect Jiayi, and trusts Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi with his feelings for Shen. His protective actions soften Jiayi’s view of him; she sees that his cold exterior hides a caring brother.
• Xiao Lie supports Xiao Jinyi’s love despite understanding the risks, and offers to help ease the emperor into accepting it. He and Bai Lixi also assist in responding to the danger facing Jiayi.
• Shen Shixu remains unaware of Xiao Jinyi’s feelings. Meeting Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi’s affectionate partnership makes him feel a brief envy.
• Xiao Jiayi gains confidence in her brother and focuses first on resolving the plot against her rather than deciding whom she will marry.

Significant themes

• Rumor and reputation: Gossip is presented as a weapon as dangerous as physical violence.
• Family loyalty and protection: Xiao Jinyi and his relatives prioritize Jiayi’s safety and work together to shield one another.
• Love and acceptance: Xiao Jinyi’s relationship with Shen carries potential political and familial risks; Xiao Lie’s support offers a path toward acceptance.
• Evidence and justice: Xiao Jinyi insists on proving the conspiracy before confronting the emperor, recognizing that suspicion alone may not be enough to secure punishment.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Shixu joins Xiao Jinyi, Xiao Lie, and Bai Lixi for a spring outing at Meng Mountain.
• In the carriage, Xiao Jinyi serves Shen Shixu peanut pastries made especially for him. Xiao Lie jokes that Jinyi is treating him like a wife, embarrassing Shen and making the carriage awkward. Jinyi defuses the moment by reassuring Shen and encouraging him to try the pastries.
• At the mountain, Shen looks for Princess Huimin and the Li family but does not find them. He enjoys the lively spring scenery and joins Jinyi in flying an elaborate eagle-shaped kite that Jinyi had arranged for him.
• As Shen walks backward watching the kite, he accidentally backs into Jinyi’s arms. Both are flustered, though Shen is distracted by thoughts about Jinyi’s physique. The scene ends as someone’s voice interrupts them.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Jinyi shows thoughtful, practical affection: he brings Shen’s favorite pastries and obtains a fine kite specifically for him. He is shy when Shen thanks him and when they end up embracing.
• Shen Shixu is easily embarrassed by Xiao Lie’s teasing, but relaxes with Jinyi’s gentle reassurance. He openly enjoys the outing and the kite, while his thoughts reveal growing admiration—and physical attraction—toward Jinyi.
• Xiao Lie playfully teases the pair, then realizes he has made Shen uncomfortable and prompts Jinyi to smooth things over. Bai Lixi silently blames Xiao Lie for spoiling the mood.

Significant themes

• Affection expressed through small acts: Jinyi’s preparations show care more clearly than formal declarations.
• Romantic tension and embarrassment: teasing, shy gestures, and the accidental embrace suggest mutual attraction.
• Spring renewal and shared leisure: the fresh landscape and kite flying create a cheerful setting for the characters’ growing closeness.

Plot points and events

• While flying a kite with Xiao Jinyi, Shen Shixu realizes he has been leaning against him for a long time. Embarrassed, he pulls away and anxiously explains that he was lost in thought. Xiao Jinyi reassures him and suggests they keep flying the kite.
• Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi stage a supposedly accidental meeting with Xiao Jiayi beneath a banyan tree, where they learn she is accompanied by her younger cousin, Li Qianxiao. Xiao Lie invites them to join the group.
• Li Qianxiao refuses, despite Xiao Jiayi teasing her with the chance to meet Xiao Jinyi. She prioritizes her family’s plan: bringing Xiao Jiayi to their estate so Li Qianxiao’s older brother, Li Wenqian, can force a marriage.
• Xiao Jiayi follows her cousin to the estate and discovers Li Wenqian waiting instead of the promised friends. When he tries to touch her, she warns him of the consequences. He ignores her, and she suddenly becomes weak and collapses, apparently drugged.

Character developments

• Shen Shixu is attracted to Xiao Jinyi but is mortified by the possibility that his lingering in Xiao Jinyi’s arms might be misinterpreted. He tries to avoid further contact.
• Xiao Jinyi is patient and reassuring, concealing how much he wants Shen Shixu’s closeness.
• Xiao Jiayi gives Li Qianxiao a chance to back out, but recognizes her complicity when she refuses the invitation and leads her to the estate. She remains composed and asserts her royal authority when confronted by Li Wenqian.
• Li Qianxiao knowingly participates in her family’s scheme, choosing its interests over her desire to meet Xiao Jinyi.
• Li Wenqian reveals himself as entitled and deceptive, abandoning pretense once Xiao Jiayi sees through the setup.

Themes

• Romantic attraction complicated by embarrassment and unspoken feelings.
• Deception and manipulation disguised as chance or family hospitality.
• The abuse of trust and power, especially in a scheme targeting Xiao Jiayi.
• The contrast between Xiao Jinyi’s gentle reassurance and Li Wenqian’s threatening entitlement.

Character interactions

• Shen Shixu and Xiao Jinyi share a tender, awkward moment: Xiao Jinyi comforts him, while Shen Shixu misreads or hides the depth of his own attraction.
• Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi coordinate their staged encounter with Xiao Jiayi, but her cousin’s refusal to join them disrupts their plan to keep her away from the estate.
• Xiao Jiayi tests Li Qianxiao’s intentions and warns her family, then confronts Li Wenqian directly. His apparent poisoning or drugging of her ends the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Jiayi realizes the Li family has drugged her, despite her taking care not to eat or drink. She suspects Li Qianxiao carried the drug on her clothing or person.
• Jiayi warns Qianxiao that the family may be willing to sacrifice her too. Qianxiao insists she took an antidote, but Li Wenqian’s evasive reaction makes her doubt him.
• Jiayi secretly takes a pill from Bai Lixi, which helps counteract the drug. She keeps the Li cousins talking while waiting for Xiao Lie and the others.
• Li Wenqian admits the plan is to bring Jiayi under their control and use the resulting scandal to silence her: exposing it could damage the marriage prospects and reputations of other imperial princesses.
• Once she has learned enough, Jiayi reveals that Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi are nearby. The Li cousins’ scheme is exposed.
• Jiayi explains that she discovered the plot by reading Shen Shixu’s thoughts after unexpectedly meeting him at a clothing shop. The dress Qianxiao had once mentioned brought Jiayi there.
• Qianxiao apologizes, realizing that her casual remark had inadvertently led Jiayi to uncover the truth. Jiayi accepts no further engagement from the Li cousins and thanks Bai Lixi for the medicine.
• Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi later pretend to Shen Shixu that they simply happened upon Jiayi after a disagreement. Shen, who had come on the outing to protect her, is relieved to see her safe.

Character developments

• Xiao Jiayi stays composed under threat, uses her knowledge strategically, and refuses to let the Li family’s intimidation dictate her choices. She also shows concern for her female relatives’ futures.
• Li Qianxiao shifts from confidently defending her family to suspecting that they may have intended to use her too. Her guilt becomes clear when she apologizes to Jiayi.
• Li Wenqian reveals the family’s coercive plan and its reliance on social stigma to keep Jiayi silent.
• Xiao Lie is furious but restrains himself until the scheme is exposed.
• Shen Shixu’s role is unwitting but crucial: his thoughts alerted Jiayi to the danger, while he remains unaware of what happened.

Significant themes

• Turning a scheme against its makers: Jiayi gathers evidence and waits for help rather than reacting impulsively.
• Family loyalty versus self-interest: Qianxiao’s loyalty to the Li family conflicts with the possibility that they would sacrifice her as well.
• Reputation as a weapon: Li Wenqian intends to use the social consequences of scandal to silence Jiayi and threaten other princesses’ prospects.
• Chance and unintended consequences: A remembered dress and an accidental encounter lead to the plot’s discovery.

Character interactions

• Jiayi confronts Qianxiao and exposes the danger behind the family’s supposed loyalty.
• Li Wenqian tries to intimidate Jiayi by invoking the harm a scandal could cause her relatives.
• Jiayi confronts the Li cousins with Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi present, then declines Qianxiao’s attempt to take her hand.
• Jiayi thanks Bai Lixi for his medicine and privately resolves to repay Shen Shixu, whose thoughts helped save her.
• Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi conceal the full story from Shen Shixu, who is content simply to see Jiayi unharmed.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Jinyi realizes he became distracted by spending time with Shen Shixu and nearly neglected the reason for the outing: helping his younger sister. Since Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi handled the problem, he apologizes by treating everyone to lunch.
• At lunch, Xiao Jiayi notices Xiao Lie carefully preparing shrimp and fish for Bai Lixi. She envies the tenderness between them and begins wishing for a loving marriage of her own.
• She then sees Xiao Jinyi show similar consideration toward Shen Shixu and suspects that her usually aloof brother has fallen in love with him. Xiao Lie notices her observations and recognizes Xiao Jinyi’s feelings, though Shen Shixu remains unaware.
• The group continues exploring Meng Mountain. Bai Lixi later tells Shen Shixu about the Southern Border’s Gu-using tribes and explains that legends about the Golden Silkworm Gu exaggerate its powers.
• Seeing Shen Shixu’s genuine interest, Bai Lixi gives him a Beauty-Nourishing Gu and explains how to care for it. Shen Shixu gratefully accepts.

Character developments

• Xiao Jinyi shows a gentler, more attentive side around Shen Shixu, making his affection apparent to others.
• Xiao Jiayi shifts from resisting marriage to longing for it after witnessing Xiao Lie and Bai Lixi’s affection. Her suspicions about Xiao Jinyi also show her growing attentiveness to her family.
• Bai Lixi is usually stern, but treats Shen Shixu warmly because he likes him and considers Xiao Jinyi’s feelings.
• Xiao Lie reflects that love has softened his once sharp, defiant nature and made him more considerate.
• Shen Shixu remains oblivious to Xiao Jinyi’s feelings, while enthusiastically pursuing his curiosity about Gu insects.

Significant themes

• Love as transformation: Affection softens Xiao Lie and brings out Xiao Jinyi’s tenderness.
• Care expressed through actions: Preparing food and giving a prized Gu reveal characters’ feelings more clearly than declarations.
• Curiosity and generosity: Shen Shixu’s interest prompts Bai Lixi to share both knowledge and a personal gift.
• Longing for companionship: Seeing a loving relationship awakens Xiao Jiayi’s desire for marriage.

Character interactions

• Xiao Lie quietly cares for Bai Lixi by removing shells and fish bones, while Xiao Jinyi similarly tends to Shen Shixu.
• Xiao Jiayi watches both pairs and draws conclusions about romance; Xiao Lie understands what she has noticed.
• Bai Lixi patiently answers Shen Shixu’s questions, corrects his misconceptions, and gives him a Beauty-Nourishing Gu.
• Xiao Lie and Xiao Jinyi share a moment of silent understanding as Xiao Lie observes his friend’s happiness.