Chapter Summaries

After Jiang Nuan followed Liu Ji and the others on a walk by the river, they encountered the fortune-teller Chen Wei, who saw Liu Ji’s imperial fate fading and Jiang Yunsheng’s fate growing stronger. Chen Wei could not read Jiang Nuan’s mysterious fate and, suspecting she was reborn, invited her to Heaven and Earth Mountain.

• Liu Ji led his companions out for a walk, and Jiang Nuan and Jiang Yunsheng followed them to the river.
• The group found Chen Wei lying by the river, and he offered to read their fortunes.
• Chen Wei saw signs of imperial fate in Liu Ji and the others, but said Liu Ji’s fate was fading.
• Jiang Nuan thought that Jiang Yunsheng had sent Han Xin to the frontier and would recruit Liu Ji’s talented companions.
• Chen Wei saw Jiang Yunsheng’s imperial fate recovering but could see only fog when he studied Jiang Nuan.
• After hearing Jiang Nuan wonder whether he had discovered she was reborn, Chen Wei invited her to Heaven and Earth Mountain.

Jiang Nuan received a jade pendant that would let her enter Heaven and Earth Mountain, while Chen Wei warned Liu Ji and his companions that their changed fates depended on whether they chose rebellion or service to Jiang Yunsheng. Jiang Yunsheng recruited them for Great Xia, and after Jiang Nuan recognized Lü Zhi’s overlooked talent, he decided she too should serve the realm.

• Chen Wei gave Jiang Nuan a jade pendant to help her reach Heaven and Earth Mountain, then told Liu Ji and his companions that their futures depended on the choices they made.
• Jiang Yunsheng persuaded Liu Ji and the others to serve him and sent them to different places across Great Xia so they would not gather again.
• Jiang Nuan learned that Lü Zhi had been forced into a miserable future as Liu Ji’s wife and thought her intelligence should be put to use building Great Xia.
• Jiang Yunsheng overheard Jiang Nuan and decided Lü Zhi would work for him instead of being confined to the inner courtyard.
• Great Xia expanded its territory and accelerated its Imperial Examinations as officials and students became increasingly needed.

Jiang Yunsheng gave Lü Zhi a chance to govern in Pei County, where she proved herself through hard work and talent. After learning that Great Xia’s steamships were ready, he considered holding the Feng and Shan sacrifices at Mount Tai, but Jiang Nuan’s warning about a future emperor’s disgraceful example changed his mind, and they prepared to leave for their next destination.

• Jiang Yunsheng assigned Lü Zhi work in Pei County, and she won people over with her abilities and tireless effort.
• Jiang Yunsheng received word from Capital City that the steamships were finished and that troops could sail to Japan.
• Jiang Yunsheng proposed holding the Feng and Shan sacrifices at Mount Tai after conquering Japan and expanding Great Xia’s territory.
• Jiang Nuan privately explained that a later emperor’s disgraceful Mount Tai sacrifice could tarnish the honor of the ritual, and Jiang Yunsheng abandoned the idea.
• Jiang Yunsheng told Jiang Nuan they would leave Pei County for their next destination the following day, and she agreed.

Jiang Nuan and her party encountered a runaway bride near Ran County, but Guagua revealed that she was part of a Jing Kingdom plot and carried a deadly poison. Jiang Nuan warned Jiang Yunsheng about the scent as they prepared to deal with the woman and her hidden accomplice.

• Jiang Nuan noticed a bridal-gowned woman begging for help, but Guagua warned her that the woman specialized in honey traps.
• Guagua revealed that agents from the Jing Kingdom had hired the woman to seduce Jiang Yunsheng and poisoned her with an osmanthus-scented toxin.
• Jiang Nuan ordered the guards to keep their distance after they noticed the scent, and Guagua identified the woman’s accomplice hiding behind a tree.
• Jiang Nuan told Jiang Yunsheng that the scent resembled a deadly poison she had heard about from Divine Healer Gu.

Jiang Nuan exposed a poisoned honey trap, and Jiang Yunsheng’s party killed the two conspirators before choosing to proceed to Ran County despite its dangers. After entering the Jing Kingdom’s heavily infiltrated base, they learned of a planned attack and discovered their inn food was unsafe.

• Jiang Nuan told the woman and her accomplice that they had been poisoned, and the pair turned against each other before guards killed them with arrows.
• Jiang Yunsheng rejected Jiang Nuan’s suggestion to bypass Ran County and ordered trusted Shadow Guards and nearby troops to prepare for the threat.
• Jiang Nuan and Jiang Yunsheng’s party reached Ran County, where Guagua reported that a Jing Kingdom agent was watching them and that assassins planned to attack the inn that night disguised as bandits.
• Jiang Nuan learned that many street vendors in Ran County were Jing Kingdom agents, then Guagua warned her not to eat the food served at the inn.

Jiang Nuan discovered that the innkeeper had contaminated the meal with saliva and wolfdog excrement, then stopped Jiang Yunsheng from eating it. After resting, she watched from hiding as Jing Kingdom assassins arrived, only to find Jiang Yunsheng waiting for them in the courtyard.

• Guagua told Jiang Nuan that the innkeeper had secretly adulterated the food, and she spotted him watching through a hole in a second-floor window.
• Jiang Nuan tipped over the table to keep Jiang Yunsheng from eating, and Jiang Yunsheng had Shadow Guards prepare a fresh meal instead.
• Jiang Nuan slept until Guagua warned her that the Jing Kingdom attackers would arrive within an hour.
• Black-clad assassins surrounded the inn and entered the courtyard, where their leader discovered Jiang Yunsheng already waiting.
• Jiang Nuan watched the ambush from a hidden corner while eating pastries.

Jiang Nuan watched as assassins and disguised soldiers attacked Jiang Yunsheng, using her invisibility to trip one of the men in black. Jiang Yunsheng’s forces captured the attackers and exposed them as agents of the Jing Kingdom, then he ordered Jiang Yi to kill them.

• Jiang Nuan activated advanced Invisibility to avoid a man in black, then tripped him twice as a prank.
• Jiang Yunsheng’s group defeated the men in black, and soldiers who appeared to arrest them attacked Jiang Yunsheng’s forces instead.
• One of the soldiers fired a signal flare to summon reinforcements, unaware that Jiang Yunsheng’s side had already subdued them.
• The reinforcements arrived and pinned the soldiers to the ground, revealing that they were not on the attackers’ side.
• Jiang Yunsheng identified the captured men as agents of the Jing Kingdom and ordered Jiang Yi to kill them.

Jiang Nuan learned that Ran County Magistrate Zhong Feiwen had secretly resisted Jing Kingdom's control for twenty years, despite appearing to be its puppet. After Jiang Yunsheng questioned him, Zhong revealed that he had identified the infiltrators and hidden their names in a notebook.

• Jiang Yunsheng brought the captured Ran County soldiers to the County Magistrate's Residence and demanded that the magistrate appear.
• Jiang Nuan learned from Guagua that Zhong Feiwen had been forced into serving as a figurehead while secretly building a team against Jing Kingdom.
• Jiang Yunsheng realized Zhong might be innocent and questioned him about the soldiers who had tried to arrest him instead of confronting the black-clad assassins.
• Zhong Feiwen explained that Jing Kingdom had controlled him for twenty years and that he had secretly identified its agents in Ran County.
• Jiang Yunsheng ordered Jiang Yi to retrieve the list hidden beneath Zhong Feiwen's bed, and Jiang Yi returned with a small notebook.

Jiang Yunsheng purged Jing Kingdom agents in Ran County, announced tax relief and a free school, and spared Zhong Feiwen in exchange for three years of good governance. Zhong Feiwen then enlisted Jiang Nuan’s help to staff the county, though she was left holding a pile of local specialties.

• Guagua revealed that Nie Wenshan was the sole innocent person on Zhong Feiwen’s traitor list, while Jiang Yunsheng and Zhong Feiwen realized the danger of the mistake.
• Jiang Yunsheng ordered the Shadow Guards to investigate and arrest the people on the list, and they brought the suspects to the square.
• Jiang Yunsheng had the suspects’ crimes and punishments announced, then ordered the execution of a Jing Kingdom agent who threatened retaliation.
• Jiang Yunsheng promised Ran County three years without taxes and a free school for children under fifteen, then gave Zhong Feiwen three years to govern well.
• Zhong Feiwen worked through the night, sought outside help, and Jiang Nuan found suitable people for the posts before he handed her local specialties.

Jiang Nuan continued her journey, collecting gifts and local specialties while building schools, and learned that her actions had prevented the floods and plague from her previous life. Back among her companions, she noticed that everyone was avoiding her and struggled to discover why.

• Jiang Nuan accepted gifts from people she met, sent local specialties to her family and friends, and exchanged letters and gifts with Chi Hengji.
• Jiang Nuan calculated that she had enough silver to build another school and spent the next six months traveling without major trouble.
• Jiang Nuan learned that the floods from her previous life had not occurred and that the plague had therefore been avoided.
• Jiang Nuan caught Eunuch Wang trying to avoid her, and he offered contradictory excuses before fleeing.
• Jiang Nuan questioned Qiuyue about why she and Chunhua were taking turns accompanying her, and Qiuyue claimed Chunhua and then she herself had love interests.
• Jiang Nuan saw that the guards were also avoiding her and making the same excuse about having diarrhea, leaving her certain that something was wrong.

Jiang Nuan noticed that everyone around her was avoiding her and tried to uncover why, while Guagua hid the reason to preserve a surprise. After spotting several familiar figures, Jiang Nuan realized something, but the chapter ended before she explained what she had figured out.

• Jiang Nuan asked Guagua whether it was really a Gossip System and why people had started acting strangely toward her.
• Guagua concealed that the others were avoiding Jiang Nuan to keep a surprise secret, and Jiang Nuan decided to investigate instead of returning to her room.
• Jiang Nuan chased a familiar figure and suspected it was her brother, but Guagua persuaded her she might be mistaken.
• Jiang Nuan spotted Fourth Brother and Brother Chi and wondered why they were there.
• Jiang Nuan slapped a pillar and announced that she had figured something out, making Guagua nervous.

Jiang Nuan felt lonely after believing her family and friends were hiding from her, but Guagua led her to a surprise birthday celebration by the pond. Reunited with everyone who had traveled from Capital City, she ended the evening surrounded by their affection and sharing food.

• Jiang Nuan wandered by the lake, missed her family and friends, and went to sleep without dinner.
• Guagua told Jiang Nuan that her brothers and friends were gathered by the pond, so she dressed and went to investigate.
• Jiang Nuan found the pond decorated for her birthday, where Xiao Xiao, Jiang Chengze, Jiang Yehua, and the others greeted her and made her cry with happiness.
• Jiang Nuan learned that her loved ones had traveled from Capital City to celebrate her first birthday with them, and she chatted warmly with each of them.
• Eunuch Wang and the guards admitted their earlier excuses had been made up, and Cen Xue invited Jiang Nuan to eat after learning she had skipped dinner.

Jiang Nuan celebrated her birthday, received a special necklace from Guagua, and went to the market, where she met Chen Mo of Heaven and Earth Mountain. She agreed to visit the mountain with him and brought Cen Xue along, leaving Chen Mo stunned when he sensed her mysterious destiny too.

• Cen Xue gave Jiang Nuan longevity noodles, and Jiang Nuan celebrated her birthday with friends before wishing for everyone's safety and happiness.
• After waking, Jiang Nuan received a necklace from Guagua and opened her birthday gifts.
• Jiang Nuan visited the market and set up beside a fortune-teller, who recognized her as someone whose destiny could not be read.
• Guagua identified the fortune-teller as Chen Mo, Chen Wei's junior fellow disciple, and Chen Mo invited Jiang Nuan to Heaven and Earth Mountain.
• Jiang Nuan showed Chen Mo the jade pendant Chen Wei had given her and agreed to visit the mountain with Cen Xue.
• When Cen Xue arrived, Chen Mo exclaimed that she also had a mysterious destiny.

Jiang Nuan and Cen Xue agreed to accompany Chen Mo to Heaven and Earth Mountain after he identified them as people with Mysterious Fate. While Chen Mo finished telling fortunes at his stall, Jiang Nuan advised a mother how to find a safe home for her baby daughter, and Chen Mo witnessed the girl’s fate change.

• Jiang Nuan explained why Chen Mo had invited her to his Master's Sect, and Cen Xue learned that she too might have Mysterious Fate.
• Cen Xue agreed to go with Jiang Nuan to Heaven and Earth Mountain, but Chen Mo returned to his fortune-telling stall to serve the waiting customers.
• Jiang Nuan offered readings to people at the back of Chen Mo's queue, and a woman asked about her baby daughter's future.
• Jiang Nuan warned the woman against three prospective adoptive families and told her to place the baby in a wooden basin on the river the next day.
• A kindhearted elderly couple adopted the baby, and Chen Mo saw that her fate had changed.

Jiang Nuan outshone Chen Mo at fortune-telling, then traveled with him and Cen Xue to Heaven and Earth Mountain. They reached the Heaven and Earth Gate, where a disciple welcomed them after Chen Mo explained they were the people with mysterious destinies.

• Jiang Nuan exposed a thug's secret affairs and warned that the five women and their companions were waiting at his house.
• Chen Mo admitted Jiang Nuan was the better fortune-teller as the customers flocked to her queue.
• Jiang Nuan, Cen Xue, and Chen Mo left the county town and walked through the woods to the long ladder leading up the mountain.
• Jiang Nuan and Cen Xue chatted about cultivation trials and spiritual roots as they climbed with Chen Mo.
• A gatekeeper mistook Cen Xue for Chen Mo's sister-in-law, but Chen Mo clarified that she and Jiang Nuan were the people with mysterious destinies.

Jiang Nuan and Cen Xue visited the Heaven and Earth Gate, where Qingxu Zi explained that their unusual fates were known as Mysterious Fate. He revealed that people could hear Jiang Nuan’s inner thoughts, and Cen Xue admitted she had known but had been unable to warn her.

• Chen Mo brought Jiang Nuan and Cen Xue into the Heaven and Earth Gate after confirming they both had Mysterious Fate.
• Jiang Nuan learned that Chen Mo’s youngest junior brother had repeatedly mistaken people whose fates he could not read for those with Mysterious Fate.
• Qingxu Zi explained that Mysterious Fate belonged to people reborn or transported from another world, and said the Heaven and Earth Gate monitored them and eliminated those who committed crimes.
• Jiang Nuan and Cen Xue discussed their actions with Guagua in their minds while Qingxu Zi listened in alarm.
• Qingxu Zi told Jiang Nuan that others could hear her inner thoughts, and Cen Xue confirmed she had always heard them but had been prevented from warning her.

Jiang Nuan learned that some people had been able to hear her thoughts because of a system bug, which Guagua fixed and compensated her for with a storage space. She decided to keep her discovery secret while testing who could still hear her, and later used her thoughts to expose county magistrate Bian Xingguo’s corruption, leaving Jiang Yunsheng to respond by arranging roast chicken for her.

• Qingxu Zi confirmed that some people could hear Jiang Nuan’s thoughts, and Guagua reported that the system bug had been fixed and gave her control over it and a one-thousand-cubic-meter storage space.
• Jiang Nuan left Heaven and Earth Mountain with Cen Xue and asked her not to tell anyone that Jiang Nuan knew about the thought-leak.
• The next day, Jiang Nuan joined Jiang Yunsheng’s meeting with Bian Xingguo and silently learned from Guagua that the magistrate had stolen tax revenue and sent it to his brother-in-law.
• Jiang Nuan deliberately thought about wanting roast chicken while Jiang Yunsheng listened, then stayed for a meal where he had roast chicken placed in front of her.

Jiang Nuan tested whether her family and companions could hear her thoughts, then became distressed that their affection might have started because of them. She withdrew to her room for several days, and Jiang Yehua failed to persuade her to come out.

• Jiang Nuan imagined that Jiang Chengze and Jiang Yehua might be having a forbidden romance, making the family at dinner lose their composure.
• Jiang Nuan left the meal and tested Yun Shining, An Yan, and the others, then concluded that people from foreign lands, commoners, and evildoers probably could not hear her thoughts.
• Jiang Nuan worried that her Imperial Father and family treated her well only because they heard her thoughts, and she shut herself in her room to avoid them.
• After Jiang Nuan refused food and company for a full day, Jiang Yehua knocked on her door with barbecue and urged her to see an Imperial Physician.
• Jiang Nuan told Jiang Yehua she was in a bad mood and would not open the door, so he returned to ask the others for advice.

Jiang Nuan shut everyone out after discovering they could hear her thoughts, believing they had only been kind to her to use her. Jiang Yehua and Cen Xue were chosen to speak with her, and she let them into her room, where they found her dejected.

• Jiang Yehua returned without Jiang Nuan, and the others went to her courtyard to ask why she was refusing to see them.
• Jiang Nuan ordered Spring flowers and autumn moon to send everyone away, so the group discussed what might have upset her.
• Chi Hengji and Cen Xue concluded that Jiang Nuan had learned they could hear her thoughts and likely felt their kindness was false.
• Chi Hengji advised sending Jiang Yehua and Cen Xue, whom Jiang Nuan trusted, to speak with her instead of approaching as a crowd.
• Cen Xue called through Jiang Nuan's door, and Jiang Nuan allowed her and Jiang Yehua to enter.
• Cen Xue urged Jiang Nuan to share her feelings, while Guagua felt relieved that they had reached her.

Jiang Nuan worked through her doubts about whether her family cared for her only because they could hear her thoughts, then demanded a reward for her help. Jiang Yunsheng proposed making her Crown Princess, but Jiang Nuan rejected the idea because she feared the workload.

• Jiang Yehua and Cen Xue reassured Jiang Nuan that they cared about her for who she was, and that hearing her thoughts had only helped them understand and support her.
• Jiang Nuan emerged from her room and demanded a reward from Jiang Yunsheng for all she had done.
• Jiang Yunsheng asked Jiang Nuan how she felt about becoming the Crown Princess, and Jiang Chengze and the others voiced their support.
• Jiang Nuan objected that becoming Crown Princess would leave her working all year without a day off.