Chapter Summaries

Jiang Nuan struggled to develop gunpowder and regretted losing the transmigration box her friend Qianqian had prepared. Guagua called on its system siblings to retrieve the box, while the Tycoon System stayed behind to observe Jiang Nuan and Guagua.

• Jiang Nuan asked Guagua to find a gunpowder formula among the Alchemists, but their furnace-explosion recipes used unsuitable and rare ingredients.
• Jiang Nuan wished she had Qianqian’s box of books, seeds, and supplies from the modern world, and Guagua offered to find a way to get it.
• Guagua asked its system siblings for help, and they sent the Tycoon System to investigate Jiang Nuan’s request.
• The Tycoon System delivered the box, and Jiang Nuan eagerly examined its books and seeds rather than fawning over the visitor.
• The Tycoon System pretended to leave, but after Jiang Nuan and Guagua casually said goodbye, it hid nearby to watch them longer.

Jiang Nuan spent 160,000 taels of silver to upgrade Guagua, who manifested as a little spirit. She then tasked the Alchemists with developing gunpowder, leaving them to fund the research themselves but promising prestige and titles for success.

• Jiang Nuan learned that Guagua needed 160,000 taels of silver to reach level three and chose to upgrade it.
• Guagua manifested as a blue-haired, green-eyed Little Spirit and embraced Jiang Nuan, while the Tycoon System secretly placed a mote of light on her.
• Jiang Nuan copied a gunpowder formula from the Guidebook for Time Travelers and explained the project to the Alchemists.
• Jiang Nuan told the Alchemists to fund the research with money they had gained through scams because she had spent her own funds upgrading Guagua.
• Jiang Nuan promised the Alchemists historical recognition and marquis titles with fiefs for major contributions, inspiring them to begin their work.

At court, Jiang Nuan uncovered the tragic story of An Laiyun’s switched-at-birth daughter and learned that the girl would survive a fire to become Great Xia’s richest businesswoman. Jiang Nuan, Jiang Yunsheng, and the ministers all began considering how to bring the talented heiress into their plans.

• Jiang Nuan complained about the early court session, and Jiang Yunsheng considered whether court should begin later.
• An Laiyun objected to Jiang Nuan attending court, prompting Jiang Nuan and Guagua to reveal that his youngest daughter had been switched at birth.
• Guagua showed how An Laiyun’s real daughter suffered abuse while the fake heiress manipulated the family against her.
• Jiang Nuan learned that the real heiress survived the fire, became Great Xia’s foremost businesswoman, and later donated thirty million taels to the nation.
• Jiang Nuan, Jiang Yunsheng, and the ministers considered recruiting or marrying into the wealthy heiress’s family.

Jiang Nuan’s advance warning helped Great Xia capture the Hu raiders and save southern villages, while her inner voice exposed a painful secret about Mao Qiantao’s family. After court, ministers crowded around An Laiyun to propose matches for his daughter, while Mao Qiantao left without answering their questions.

• Jiang Yunsheng ended the debate over Jiang Nuan’s attendance, and An Laiyun withdrew without opposing her.
• Mao Qiantao reported that Great Xia had ambushed and captured 53,600 Hu raiders, and Jiang Yunsheng praised the victory.
• Jiang Nuan’s inner voice revealed that Mao Zhonglin was Mao Qiantao’s only biological son and that the general’s other sons were born from an affair.
• The Imperial Physician gave Mao Qiantao a calming pill after Jiang Nuan noticed his anger.
• After court, ministers proposed their sons and grandsons as matches for An Laiyun’s daughter, but he refused them all.
• Other officials sought gossip from Mao Qiantao, but they stayed away when he looked ready to fight.

After overhearing An Yuxue threaten An Yan, An Laiyun refused to sign a Severance Letter and tried to make amends, but An Yan left the Minister's Residence anyway. Jiang Nuan learned that An Yan was headed for a cave and that she would become Great Xia's richest female merchant, so Guagua urged her to go find An Yan.

• An Laiyun went to An Yan's courtyard and overheard An Yuxue angrily blame An Yan for returning and threaten to make her life miserable.
• An Yan packed her few belongings and asked An Laiyun to sign a Severance Letter, but he refused and fled.
• An Laiyun ordered the steward to move An Yan into a better courtyard and furnish it, but the lilies delivered were flowers An Yan was allergic to.
• An Yan left ten signed Severance Letters behind and departed the Minister's Residence, planning to stay in a cave and find work.
• Guagua woke Jiang Nuan and urged her to pick up An Yan before she caught a chill and suffered a lingering illness.

Jiang Nuan rescued An Yan from a remote cave and brought her to a nearby estate to recover. After hearing An Yan’s thoughts, Jiang Nuan declared them sisters, then spent the next three days feeding her plain rice porridge.

• Jiang Nuan left the palace with guards and followed Guagua’s directions to a cave where she found An Yan feverish and unconscious.
• Jiang Nuan gave An Yan a fever-reducing pill, brought her to a nearby estate, and summoned a physician.
• An Yan woke and thanked Jiang Nuan, who asked her to stay and become her older sister; An Yan accepted.
• Jiang Nuan fed An Yan plain rice porridge, which reminded An Yan of painful memories and moved her to tears.
• Jiang Nuan kept serving An Yan plain rice porridge for three days until An Yan grew sick of it.

Jiang Nuan attended court and learned that her beloved Fourth Brother, Jiang Yehua, would return tomorrow, while she looked forward to welcoming him with new dishes. After court, Jiang Yunsheng delayed morning court so Jiang Nuan would no longer have to rise before dawn.

• An Yan woke feeling better and accepted Jiang Nuan as her younger sister, while Jiang Nuan left to attend court and told An Yan to wait for her.
• At court, Jiang Nuan silently criticized An Laiyun for favoring his adopted daughter and learned that Mao Qiantao had discovered his concubine’s affair.
• Jiang Nuan asked Guagua where her Fourth Brother was and learned that Jiang Yehua and the Fifth Prince would return from dealing with bandits the next day.
• Jiang Nuan decided to prepare dishes to welcome Jiang Yehua, then grew bored and wished court would end so she could visit An Yan.
• Jiang Yunsheng dismissed court and announced that morning court would begin later, delighting Jiang Nuan and silencing the ministers who wanted to object.

After Jiang Nuan visited An Yan, the sisters shared a meal and went shopping, where Jiang Nuan bought An Yan new clothes. Their outing ended when two men entered a shop and Guagua revealed their connection to Great General Mao.

• Jiang Nuan visited An Yan after court, praised her cooking, and secretly fed Guagua, whose appearance startled An Yan.
• Jiang Nuan gave An Yan a gold ingot and took her shopping, insisting that An Yan buy things for herself.
• Jiang Nuan bought An Yan a sea-green jacket and clothes, and An Yan emerged looking beautiful in her new outfit.
• A frivolous man entered the shop with a sapphire-blue-robed companion, and Guagua identified them as the children of Great General Mao's concubine and a guard.

An Yan and Jiang Nuan went with Mao Yonghong and Mao Yi to the General's Residence, where the brothers revealed their hostility and tried to have the women seized. Just as Jiang Nuan prepared to summon her Shadow Guards, Guagua told her Great General Mao would arrive in five seconds.

• Mao Yonghong threatened An Yan and Jiang Nuan, while Mao Yi questioned their family backgrounds and invited them to the General's Residence.
• An Yan agreed to go after sensing Jiang Nuan wanted to uncover gossip, and insisted Jiang Nuan accompany her.
• Mao Yonghong and Mao Yi brought the women to the General's Residence, where Steward Zhang ignored the brothers' questions about their father and mother.
• Mao Yonghong tried to assault An Yan, but she kicked him in the groin, prompting Mao Yi to order the servants to seize both women.
• Mao Yonghong threatened the women and their families, while Jiang Nuan prepared to call her Shadow Guards.
• Guagua told Jiang Nuan that Great General Mao would arrive in five seconds.

Jiang Nuan revealed her identity as the Ninth Princess after Mao Qiantao caught his sons threatening her family, and Mao Qiantao disowned the brothers by exposing their true parentage. As Mao Qiantao confronted his concubine and a Wei guard with evidence of their affair, Guagua hinted that the guard had even bigger secrets.

• Mao Qiantao kicked Mao Yonghong and Mao Yi after hearing them threaten Jiang Nuan and An Yan.
• Mao Qiantao addressed Jiang Nuan as the Ninth Princess, shocking Mao Yonghong and Mao Yi.
• Jiang Nuan reminded Mao Qiantao of the brothers' threat against her imperial family, and he declared that they were not his sons.
• Mao Yonghong pleaded with Mao Qiantao and then Jiang Nuan for forgiveness, while Jiang Nuan let Mao Qiantao continue settling his family affairs.
• Mao Qiantao brought in his concubine and a Wei guard, then presented a dudou and letters as evidence of their affair.
• Guagua told Jiang Nuan that the Wei guard had major gossip to reveal.

Jiang Nuan learned that Han Xingzhou had poisoned Mao Zhonglin and that the young general was trapped in a snowbound mountain with the poison flaring up. Guagua revealed that a female healer had rescued Mao Zhonglin and could cure him, leaving his survival and future romance assured.

• Guagua revealed that Han Xingzhou was a Goryeo native who had infiltrated Great General Mao's household to take revenge for his family's ruin.
• Jiang Nuan learned that Han Xingzhou had fathered two of Great General Mao's three children and wanted Mao Zhonglin gone so his own sons could inherit the residence.
• Guagua revealed that Han Xingzhou had poisoned Mao Zhonglin, who had already been exposed to the slow-acting poison for two months.
• Guagua said Mao Zhonglin was trapped in a snowbound mountain, where the poison had flared up and left his life hanging by a thread.
• Mao Qiantao tried to ask Jiang Nuan to save his son but found himself unable to speak, then recovered after he gave up.
• Guagua revealed that a female healer had rescued Mao Zhonglin and could cure his poison with a medicinal catalyst inherited by her family.

After Mao Qiantao learned that Mao Zhonglin had recovered and fallen for a female physician, he beat Han Xingzhou and confronted his unfaithful wife and her sons. Jiang Nuan warned Mao Qiantao that Han Xingzhou had framed him for colluding with an enemy country, and Mao ordered a search of the General's Residence.

• Mao Qiantao beat Han Xingzhou for poisoning Mao Zhonglin, while Mao Yi and his mother insisted Mao Yi and Mao Yonghong were Mao Qiantao's sons.
• Mao Qiantao whispered something to the woman and her sons, and all three were dragged away.
• Jiang Nuan realized Han Xingzhou had forged Mao Qiantao's handwriting and arranged to have him reported for colluding with an enemy country.
• Jiang Nuan urged Mao Qiantao to search his study, bedroom, and residence for evidence planted by Han Xingzhou.
• Mao Qiantao ordered Uncle Zhang, Zuo Yan, and You Yu to search the residence, and Han Xingzhou's composure cracked.

Mao Qiantao exposed Han Xingzhou’s plot to frame him for treason, destroyed the planted evidence, and cooperated with an official search that found nothing. After Han Xingzhou was taken away, Mao thanked Jiang Nuan with gold ingots, which she eagerly pocketed.

• Steward Zhang brought Mao Qiantao a box of forged letters, and Mao’s accusation revealed that Han Xingzhou had been using his real name and planting evidence.
• Mao opened the box, found letters imitating his handwriting and describing his military campaigns, then burned them and disposed of the other planted evidence.
• An officer arrived to investigate a treason accusation, and Mao allowed the soldiers to search the General’s Residence, where they found nothing.
• Han Xingzhou broke down and was taken away after Mao ordered the guards to remove him.
• Mao thanked Jiang Nuan for warning him by offering her gold ingots, and she stuffed them into her pockets.

Jiang Nuan shared her gold with An Yan, then helped her seek a shop to start a business, only to learn that its owner was Jiang Nuan’s Fourth Brother. Back at the palace, Jiang Nuan received two highly skilled martial maids from Jiang Yunsheng and came up with a new idea.

• Jiang Nuan gave An Yan half the gold ingots and encouraged her to invest in a business.
• An Yan proposed buying a poorly performing jewelry shop, but the shopkeeper said only its owner could decide whether to sell it.
• Jiang Nuan learned from Guagua that the shop’s owner was her Fourth Brother and promised An Yan she could obtain it.
• Jiang Yunsheng introduced Chunhua and Qiuyue as Jiang Nuan’s new martial-trained personal maids and insisted she take them when leaving the palace.
• Jiang Nuan returned to the Lotus Palace and suddenly came up with a brilliant idea after looking at Chunhua and Qiuyue.

Jiang Nuan recruited Chunhua and Qiuyue to use their quick hands to help her make a cream cake for her fourth brother, Jiang Yehua. After both guards enjoyed the test cakes, Jiang Nuan planned to make fresh ones the next day, but overslept and missed the chance to see her brother before court.

• Jiang Nuan brought Chunhua and Qiuyue to the kitchen and asked them to whip egg whites and cream for a cake she planned to make for Jiang Yehua.
• Chunhua quickly whipped the cream while Jiang Nuan prepared fruit and assembled three small cakes.
• Qiuyue refused her cake at first, but after Chunhua secretly praised it by eating hers, Qiuyue grabbed the spare and discovered she loved it.
• Jiang Nuan promised Chunhua and Qiuyue more cakes the next day and prepared the ingredients before leaving the kitchen.
• Jiang Nuan overslept the next morning and decided to visit Jiang Yehua after court instead.

Jiang Nuan discovered that Chancellor Chi Hengji had a rare genetic illness that would kill him young, but learned that a medical book in her transmigration treasure chest might hold a cure. She then remembered her Fourth Brother, Jiang Yehua, and began looking for him.

• Jiang Nuan admired Chi Hengji and thought he would die young, prompting officials to fear he might bring about Great Xia's downfall.
• Jiang Nuan clarified that Chi Hengji's death would leave Great Xia's court in chaos, and Jiang Yunsheng ordered the Imperial Physicians to examine him.
• The Imperial Physicians diagnosed Chi Hengji with a wind-cold illness, but Jiang Nuan recalled that he had a congenital illness they had missed.
• Guagua explained that Chi Hengji had a rare genetic disease and said a medical book in Jiang Nuan's treasure chest contained a treatment.
• Jiang Nuan resolved to find the treatment, then remembered Jiang Yehua and began searching for her Fourth Brother.

Jiang Nuan revealed that Jiang Ruihui would ruin Great Xia and be responsible for the deaths of his siblings and many ministers. Jiang Yunsheng ordered the Fifth Prince removed and summoned his teachers, Qu Weide and Han Yaou, whom Jiang Nuan recalled Jiang Ruihui would later execute on fabricated charges.

• Jiang Nuan recognized Jiang Ruihui and thought he would kill Fourth Brother and bring disaster upon the imperial family and Great Xia.
• Jiang Yunsheng and Jiang Yehua realized Jiang Nuan was accusing Jiang Ruihui, while the ministers grew hostile toward the Fifth Prince.
• Jiang Nuan thought Jiang Ruihui would become a disastrous emperor who favored eunuchs, obeyed his teachers, and surrendered to the enemy.
• Jiang Yunsheng ordered the unwell Jiang Ruihui taken away and called Qu Weide and Han Yaou forward.
• Jiang Nuan recalled that Jiang Ruihui would execute Qu Weide and Han Yaou on fabricated charges after becoming emperor.

Jiang Nuan learned why Jiang Ruihui resented his teachers and how Hu Junchen and Qiu Chenwei had once tried to recruit Jiang Yehua. Jiang Yunsheng appointed them as Jiang Yehua’s teachers, while Guagua revealed the Fourth Prince’s secret kindness to his siblings and his accidental following at court.

• Guagua explained that Jiang Ruihui blamed his teachers for teaching loyalty rather than helping him seize the throne, while Hu Junchen and Qiu Chenwei had secretly encouraged his ambitions.
• Guagua revealed that Hu Junchen and Qiu Chenwei had first approached Jiang Yehua, but he had ignored their hints and remained devoted to helping Jiang Chengze.
• Jiang Yunsheng appointed Hu Junchen and Qiu Chenwei as Jiang Yehua’s teachers, and both men eagerly accepted.
• Guagua revealed that Jiang Yehua had secretly helped his siblings, including funding grain for Jiang Chengze’s disaster relief, because he longed for family affection.
• Guagua explained that ministers mistook Jiang Yehua’s straightforward remarks and pensive expression for signs of plotting, unknowingly forming a substantial faction around him.

Jiang Nuan’s inner thoughts exposed the court factions backing Jiang Yehua and Jiang Ruihui, then revealed Deputy Minister of Revenue You Fengzhe’s extensive corruption. The chapter left Jiang Yunsheng poised to act after Guagua disclosed that You Fengzhe had hidden his stolen silver in Pure Brahma Temple.

• Jiang Yehua was stunned to learn that ministers secretly supported him as a potential heir, while Jiang Yunsheng realized he had misjudged his fourth son.
• Jiang Nuan noted that many ministers also backed Jiang Ruihui and recalled how enemy forces later hunted down officials who fled Capital City.
• Jiang Nuan asked Guagua to identify the court’s most corrupt official, and Guagua named Deputy Minister of Revenue You Fengzhe.
• Guagua revealed that You Fengzhe had embezzled disaster relief funds and military pay, and Jiang Yunsheng’s anger settled into a dangerous calm.
• Jiang Nuan asked where You Fengzhe had hidden his silver, and Guagua disclosed that it was stashed inside Pure Brahma Temple.

Jiang Nuan made cream cakes for Jiang Yehua and her family, then accepted several Capital City shop deeds from her fourth brother as an investment in her plans. She discovered that one deed belonged to a shop she had wanted and prepared to put her ideas into action.

• Guagua told Jiang Nuan that a downpour would keep them from going to Jingfan Temple, leaving time to find Chi Hengji's prescription and retrieve You Fengzhe's silver.
• Jiang Nuan introduced herself to Jiang Yehua and invited him to the Hibiscus Pavilion for a surprise.
• Jiang Nuan made cream cakes and sent them to her family, An Yan, Chunhua, and Qiuyue before sharing two with Jiang Yehua.
• Jiang Yehua praised the cake and gave Jiang Nuan several deeds to his Capital City shops as an investment.
• Jiang Nuan found that one deed belonged to the shop she and An Yan had wanted and resolved to put her plans into action.