Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan, a ten-year-old princess of Great Xia, remembers a previous life in which the dynasty fell seven years later. After the new emperor tried to trade her to the invading ruler, she leapt from the city wall.
• She was reborn in the modern era, became a teacher, then died saving someone and returned to her childhood in Great Xia with her memories intact.
• Jiang Nuan now has the Gossip System, Guagua, which reveals people’s secrets but offers little else. Unbeknownst to her, Emperor Jiang Yunsheng and Chief Eunuch Wang can hear her thoughts.
• The emperor overhears Jiang Nuan predict the dynasty’s fall and call him a “scumbag dad.” He is further unsettled when he realizes she has foretold his death in six years, but an inexplicable force prevents him from questioning her directly.
• Guagua reveals that a maid and a palace guard are secretly together in the usually empty Merit Assessment Hall. Jiang Yunsheng, whose reaction suggests the affair may implicate him personally, orders the procession there.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan is blunt, pragmatic, and largely indifferent to her absent father. Her painful memories make her wary of the future, but her thoughts also show a child’s appetites and curiosity—especially for roast chicken and gossip.
• Jiang Yunsheng shifts from disbelief to alarm as he hears Jiang Nuan’s predictions and discovers he can hear her unspoken thoughts. His composure falters, though he tries to maintain imperial authority.
• Wang Dehai quickly grasps what is happening and works to cover the emperor’s awkward remarks, while growing increasingly nervous about what Jiang Nuan might reveal.
• Guagua acts as Jiang Nuan’s cheerful companion and source of scandalous information.

Significant themes

• Fate and foreknowledge: Jiang Nuan’s memories warn of Great Xia’s collapse and the emperor’s death, raising the possibility that events might change.
• Power and family neglect: The emperor barely recognizes his daughter, highlighting her low status and emotional distance from him.
• Comedy through dramatic irony: Jiang Nuan speaks carelessly in her thoughts while the emperor and eunuch silently react to every revelation.
• Gossip as power: Private secrets become politically dangerous once Jiang Nuan’s system exposes them.

Character interactions

• Jiang Nuan’s dismissive inner commentary contrasts with the emperor’s attempts to question and control the situation.
• Jiang Yunsheng and Wang Dehai share the burden of hearing her thoughts, though the emperor resents that the eunuch can hear them too.
• Guagua encourages Jiang Nuan to pursue gossip, and the revelation at the Merit Assessment Hall prompts Jiang Yunsheng to investigate immediately.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Yunsheng surrounds the Merit Assessment Hall to catch Attendant An and her lover in an affair. Jiang Nuan’s thoughts confirm the rendezvous and lead him straight to the study, where guards discover the pair together.
• Jiang Yunsheng orders Jiang Yi to deal with the offenders. Jiang Nuan recognizes him as a renowned imperial martial artist and privately learns that he will eventually be killed by a subordinate.
• Back in the Hall of Diligent Governance, Jiang Yunsheng struggles to process Jiang Nuan’s predictions: he will die in six years, and Great Xia will fall in seven. Jiang Nuan, meanwhile, is absorbed in the roast chicken he has ordered for her.
• Her thoughts reveal that she has been chronically underfed and poorly clothed, and fears she may starve. Jiang Yunsheng orders an investigation into her treatment.
• Jiang Nuan’s “gossip system” describes Wang Dehai’s humble origins, rise in the palace, and tragic future: after the capital falls, he will lead a failed defense and take his own life. Jiang Yunsheng then summons several palace staff, whose names Jiang Nuan recognizes as people who have bullied her.

Character developments

• Jiang Yunsheng grows increasingly convinced that Jiang Nuan’s unspoken thoughts reveal the truth. His concern shifts from testing her predictions to confronting his own daughter’s neglect and the threats to the dynasty.
• Jiang Nuan remains playful and food-focused, but her memories expose her deprivation and vulnerability. She also shows admiration for Jiang Yi and sympathy for Wang Dehai.
• Wang Dehai is revealed as clever, loyal, and deeply devoted to the palace. Learning his bleak future unsettles him, while Jiang Yunsheng’s view of him improves.
• Jiang Yi is briefly shown as a formidable, trusted figure who reacts subtly to Jiang Nuan’s knowledge of his fate.

Significant themes

• Foreknowledge and fate: Jiang Nuan’s thoughts reveal future deaths and political collapse, forcing others to confront events that have not yet happened.
• Neglect and justice: The Ninth Princess’s status contrasts sharply with her hunger and lack of warm clothing; Jiang Yunsheng begins to investigate those responsible.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Wang Dehai’s future resistance highlights the devotion of palace servants amid the dynasty’s downfall.
• Comic contrast: Serious scandals and national dangers repeatedly collide with Jiang Nuan’s enthusiastic attention to food and gossip.

Character interactions

• Jiang Yunsheng acts on Jiang Nuan’s thoughts to expose the affair, while Wang Dehai tries to shield her from the scene.
• Jiang Yunsheng orders roast chicken for Jiang Nuan, then reacts angrily when he learns she has been going hungry.
• Jiang Nuan’s praise and tragic gossip about Wang Dehai change how Jiang Yunsheng regards him.
• The chapter ends with Jiang Yunsheng summoning staff connected to Jiang Nuan’s mistreatment, setting up a confrontation.

Plot points and events

• Emperor Jiang Yunsheng summons the empress, Xiao Xiao, and palace staff after investigating how poorly Princess Jiang Nuan has been treated.
• Xiao Xiao learns that Nuan has been neglected and mistreated by the servants in her household. She accepts responsibility as empress, though she says she never intended to harm the girl.
• Nuan’s thoughts reveal that she believes Xiao Xiao disliked her because Nuan’s supposed birth mother, Concubine Liu, had once been Xiao Xiao’s maid and had betrayed her.
• Guagua reveals the truth: Xiao Xiao is Nuan’s birth mother. Concubine Liu arranged a baby switch, but her own baby was stillborn after she induced premature labor; Liu died, while Nuan was passed off as her child.
• Xiao Xiao overhears the revelation and is visibly shaken. She orders severe punishment for the servants who mistreated Nuan, but when Nuan silently questions whether the proposed punishment is excessive, the emperor and empress let Nuan decide what should happen to them.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan remains wary of her father and assumes his concern is about authority rather than compassion. Despite her own suffering, she feels protective of Xiao Xiao and uneasy about harsh punishment.
• Xiao Xiao shifts from regret over neglecting Nuan to shock and grief at learning Nuan is her daughter. She feels guilty for the years of hardship Nuan endured.
• Jiang Yunsheng takes action to address Nuan’s mistreatment, though Nuan remains skeptical of his motives. He and Xiao Xiao ultimately defer the servants’ fate to her.
• Guagua provides the crucial secret that reframes Nuan’s identity and her relationship with the empress.

Themes

• Hidden identity and family bonds: Nuan’s presumed parentage is false, and the truth transforms her relationship with Xiao Xiao.
• Neglect and responsibility: Xiao Xiao did not order Nuan’s mistreatment, but her inattention allowed it to happen.
• Justice versus mercy: The adults favor extreme punishment, while Nuan’s reaction reflects compassion and discomfort with collective vengeance.
• Appearance versus reality: Xiao Xiao’s outwardly gentle presence conceals strength, while the palace’s formal authority has failed to protect Nuan.

Character interactions

• Jiang Yunsheng confronts Xiao Xiao with evidence of Nuan’s mistreatment; Xiao Xiao accepts responsibility and condemns the servants.
• Nuan silently praises Xiao Xiao while speaking aloud only formally, and Xiao Xiao realizes she can hear Nuan’s thoughts.
• Guagua’s revelation is heard by Xiao Xiao, who struggles to conceal her reaction.
• When Xiao Xiao orders the servants’ execution, Nuan’s discomfort leads both rulers to give her the final say.

Key plot points

• Jiang Nuan asks Guagua to expose the officials’ crimes. The worst, Liu Yu, is revealed to have poisoned a rival, stolen palace workers’ allowances, and caused many deaths.
• Asked to decide their punishment, Jiang Nuan recommends executing the guilty officials and sending their direct relatives to farm in the northern outskirts with only basic provisions. Jiang Yunsheng approves and has the prisoners taken away.
• Jiang Yunsheng grants Jiang Nuan the lavish Hibiscus Pavilion, replacing the dilapidated Listening to Rain Pavilion.
• Jiang Nuan’s departing thoughts warn that Jiang Yunsheng will die of illness in six years and Great Xia will fall a year later.
• After Jiang Nuan leaves, Jiang Yunsheng and Empress Xiao Xiao discuss her predictions. Unable to explain why he can hear Jiang Nuan’s thoughts, Jiang Yunsheng calls her a heaven-sent blessing rather than a threat.
• Xiao Xiao investigates the events surrounding Jiang Nuan’s birth and confirms that Concubine Liu was responsible for wrongdoing. In anger, she executes many people.
• The other consorts, noticing Jiang Nuan’s sudden favor and new residence, begin scheming to claim her as their daughter. Jiang Nuan remains unaware and sleeps peacefully.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan shows firm judgment: she rejects pity for the corrupt officials but chooses a punishment she considers proportionate. She remains candid in her private thoughts and is still unaware that her parents can hear them.
• Jiang Yunsheng trusts Jiang Nuan’s judgment and offers her support and security. Though deeply unsettled by the predicted future, he resolves to wait for more information rather than confront her.
• Xiao Xiao shifts from guilt and concern to determined protection. Fearing for Jiang Nuan’s safety, she offers to sacrifice her position and family wealth, then feels reassured by the emperor’s response and begins investigating her daughter’s past.
• The court’s consorts react opportunistically to Jiang Nuan’s newfound status, setting up future rivalry.

Significant themes

• Justice and responsibility: Jiang Nuan balances punishment with restraint, while making the officials’ families answer for benefits they received.
• Parental guilt and protection: Xiao Xiao confronts years of neglect and becomes resolute about safeguarding Jiang Nuan.
• Power and political intrigue: Jiang Nuan’s favor at court immediately prompts competition among the consorts.
• Foreknowledge and uncertainty: The warning about the dynasty’s future haunts Jiang Yunsheng, but the mysterious limits on hearing Jiang Nuan’s thoughts prevent him from discussing it openly.

Key plot points and events

• After waking from a nap, Jiang Nuan learns that Consorts Shu and De are waiting to see her. Guagua explains that the consorts—and others in the palace—are competing to take custody of her after the emperor showed her favor.
• Before she can meet them, Eunuch Wang summons her to the Hall of Diligent Governance. Emperor Jiang Yunsheng is discussing the threat of northern Hu raids with three officials: Revenue Minister Qiu Rongri, War Minister Yan Hongxiong, and General Mao Qiantao.
• The officials unexpectedly hear Jiang Nuan’s unspoken thoughts, including Guagua’s account of their private debate. Guagua reveals that the Hu will raid dozens of villages in five days, killing 110,000 people. A later campaign will win at great cost: half the imperial army will be lost, and Mao Qiantao’s son, Mao Zhonglin, will die.
• Determined to prevent the tragedy, Jiang Nuan asks Guagua to gather the attack’s details. Guagua places them in a note, then—at Jiang Nuan’s suggestion—slips it into the book Jiang Yunsheng is reading.
• After Jiang Nuan leaves, the emperor finds the note. Convinced of its value, he orders the ministers to prepare countermeasures and sends secret commands north.
• Jiang Nuan returns to find not only Consorts Shu and De still waiting, but also Consorts Xian and Liang and several other consorts.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan moves from enjoying palace gossip to taking responsibility for preventing the coming massacre, despite doubting that others would believe her.
• Jiang Yunsheng increasingly trusts his daughter’s unexplained knowledge and acts decisively on the warning, though he cannot tell her he hears her thoughts.
• Mao Qiantao is visibly shaken by the prediction of his son’s death.
• The three ministers shift from skepticism about Jiang Nuan’s presence to belief in her extraordinary abilities.

Significant themes

• Foreknowledge and responsibility: Knowing about future suffering compels Jiang Nuan to act.
• Trust and the supernatural: The listeners must accept impossible information because it proves accurate and specific.
• War’s human cost: The predicted raid and costly retaliation highlight the devastation faced by civilians and soldiers.
• Power and favor: Jiang Nuan’s growing importance makes her the focus of competition among the consorts.

Character interactions

• Jiang Nuan uses Guagua as both a source of gossip and a partner in gathering and delivering intelligence.
• Jiang Yunsheng and the ministers listen to her unspoken thoughts, while she remains unaware that they can hear her.
• The emperor and ministers respond to the warning with coordinated military preparations.
• The consorts’ continued presence sets up a likely contest for Jiang Nuan’s custody.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan visits the harem consorts, who compete to win her favor by offering gifts. Consort Shu starts with a jade bracelet, then gives her ten gold ingots; Consort Liang outdoes her with twenty, and the others add more. Jiang Nuan accepts the wealth with delight.
• Her private thoughts reveal that she has received an enormous fortune—gold, silver, pearls, jewelry—and believes she can now live comfortably.
• When Emperor Jiang Yunsheng and Empress Xiao Xiao arrive, Consort Zhen asks to raise Jiang Nuan. Jiang Nuan’s inner voice exposes Consort Zhen’s past cruelty: she neglected and deliberately sickened her frail son, the Thirteenth Prince, to pursue favor and another pregnancy. Consort Zhen’s guilty reaction alarms the others.
• Consort Wen then asks to raise Jiang Nuan. Jiang Nuan’s inner voice reveals that Wen’s aloof persona is an act: she is actually lively, loves gossip, and secretly mingles with palace maids to hear rumors.
• Jiang Nuan finds Wen’s hidden personality amusing and wishes she could share gossip with her. Wen welcomes the prospect. The other consorts are about to make their own bids when Guagua’s next remark stops them; the chapter ends on a cliffhanger.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan is openly thrilled by wealth and increasingly discerning about whom she trusts to raise her. Her candid inner thoughts unintentionally expose secrets and shape the consorts’ behavior.
• Consort Shu and Consort Liang compete to impress Jiang Nuan through increasingly extravagant gifts. The other consorts follow suit to protect their standing.
• Consort Zhen presents herself as a sincere candidate to care for Jiang Nuan, but the revelations about her son’s death expose her as dangerous and leave her isolated.
• Consort Wen emerges as a comic contrast: outwardly reserved, but privately a cheerful gossip enthusiast. Jiang Nuan’s interest suggests the two may form an unlikely bond.
• The emperor and empress arrive as the consorts’ competition shifts from gift-giving to seeking permission to raise Jiang Nuan. The emperor’s favor toward Jiang Nuan is clear, while the empress’s position remains uncertain.

Significant themes

• Power and competition: The consorts use gifts and bids for Jiang Nuan’s care to compete for influence and status.
• Appearances versus reality: Jiang Nuan’s inner voice uncovers the gap between Consort Zhen’s tenderness and her history, and between Consort Wen’s cool façade and her playful nature.
• Truth as unintended leverage: Jiang Nuan’s private thoughts expose hidden motives and alter the balance of power, even though she does not mean to speak aloud.
• Affection and self-interest: The chapter leaves open whether the women’s offers come from genuine care or personal ambition.

Key plot points

• Guagua reveals that the Empress has discovered Jiang Nuan is her daughter. After their meeting the previous day, Xiao Xiao investigated the circumstances of the birth and punished everyone involved in the infant swap by having them executed.
• Xiao Xiao tearfully embraces Jiang Nuan and apologizes for failing her. Jiang Nuan, long accustomed to being alone, is moved to tears at finally having a mother.
• Jiang Yunsheng dismisses the other consorts. Consort Zhen, who had plotted against an imperial child, is taken away to be executed.
• Xiao Xiao showers Jiang Nuan with treasures, while Jiang Yunsheng gives her a token allowing her to choose three items from his private treasury.
• Jiang Nuan privately plans to use her growing stash to escape the coming collapse of Great Xia with Xiao Xiao, the Crown Prince, and the Fourth Prince. Her thoughts reveal that the Crown Prince is destined to be deposed and die in prison in three years.
• Jiang Nuan hopes to select valuable, unmarked treasures to fund the escape. The treasury disappoints her: the best items bear imperial marks, and the dynasty’s poor harvests and disasters have reduced its wealth. She chooses three items worth about fifty thousand taels.
• Guagua searches for another source of treasure and discovers the lost hoard of the previous dynasty. The chapter ends with Jiang Nuan and another listener reacting in shock.

Character development and interactions

• Jiang Nuan allows herself to feel the comfort of Xiao Xiao’s embrace, while still thinking practically about survival and preparing for her family’s future.
• Xiao Xiao shifts from grieving her lost daughter to actively protecting and supporting her. Hearing Jiang Nuan’s thoughts, she resolves to prepare for the dangers ahead and values her children above the throne.
• Jiang Yunsheng is touched by Jiang Nuan’s affection but grows irritated when he realizes she intends to use his gift to finance an escape that excludes him. He also secretly plans to thwart her choice of valuable unmarked items.
• Guagua shares the family reunion’s emotion, then enthusiastically helps Jiang Nuan by locating the hidden treasure.
• The consorts’ earlier rivalry gives way to a brief audience for the reunion; Consort Zhen’s fate underscores the consequences of plotting against the imperial family.

Significant themes

• Family and belonging: Jiang Nuan’s reunion with her birth mother gives her a sense of connection she has long lacked.
• Protection amid political danger: Xiao Xiao’s priorities shift toward safeguarding her children from the future Jiang Nuan foresees.
• Love, loyalty, and exclusion: Jiang Nuan wants to save her family, but her plan omits Jiang Yunsheng, revealing both her distrust and his comic hurt.
• Wealth and survival: Treasures and careful planning become practical tools for escaping a dangerous future, while the hidden hoard promises to change Jiang Nuan’s prospects.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Yunsheng gives Jiang Nuan a small jade lion while secretly hoping she will reveal the location of the previous dynasty’s hidden treasure. His interest is sharpened by the kingdom’s depleted treasury.
• Through her thoughts and Guagua’s replies, Jiang Nuan learns that the treasure is hidden in a secret chamber inside the Hibiscus Pavilion—and that night she sets out to find it.
• Jiang Yunsheng intercepts her, claiming he is searching for a former-dynasty secret passage to protect the palace. He and Eunuch Wang listen as Jiang Nuan’s thoughts reveal how to open it.
• The guards uncover the passage. Guagua then inadvertently reveals that a hollow brick farther inside conceals a chamber. Eunuch Wang explores and returns with the discovery: the chamber contains a dozen chests of gold and silver.
• Jiang Nuan realizes the treasure she hoped to claim has been found by her father, who pointedly asks why she looks unhappy.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan is excited by the prospect of claiming the treasure, but her eagerness and unfiltered thoughts repeatedly give away its location. Her confidence that her father will never find it turns to bafflement, then disappointment.
• Jiang Yunsheng presents himself as a concerned ruler while opportunistically using the information he overhears to locate the treasure. His poverty and desire to make up for neglecting Jiang Nuan add context to his behavior, though his final remark shows his teasing, self-serving humor.
• Guagua enthusiastically guides Jiang Nuan but unintentionally exposes every crucial clue.
• Eunuch Wang, who can hear Jiang Nuan’s thoughts, acts on the information and leads the search. He seems uncomfortable about helping deprive her of the treasure, but carries out his duties.

Significant themes

• Dramatic irony and overheard thoughts: Jiang Nuan believes her secrets are safe, while the people around her quietly benefit from them.
• Greed and competing claims: Jiang Nuan and the cash-strapped emperor both want the hidden wealth.
• Comic miscommunication and reversal: Every attempt to keep the treasure secret only helps the searchers find it, ending with Jiang Nuan’s hopes dashed and Jiang Yunsheng teasing her.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan is disappointed that the hidden treasure has been confiscated, but Emperor Jiang Yunsheng gives her two small pouches of gold. Her mood immediately improves.
• Jiang Yunsheng enjoys teasing and carrying his daughter, and is touched by her unusual boldness and by the affection he feels for her.
• Exhausted, Jiang Nuan falls asleep in her father’s arms. He carries her to bed, then decides she will attend court with him the next morning.
• Jiang Nuan wakes to discover that court attendance was not a dream. Though annoyed at losing sleep, she goes with her father and dozes in his arms on the way.
• At court, Jiang Yunsheng seats her on a stool beside the Dragon Throne. Some conservative ministers disapprove, but the emperor has brought her hoping her private thoughts will reveal why Great Xia collapsed soon after his death.
• Three ministers who previously heard Jiang Nuan’s thoughts already take them seriously: their observations have largely confirmed her warnings. A minor official of the Subordinate Sixth Rank is the first to step forward to report.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan remains irreverent and money-minded, but her curiosity about court is mixed with practical complaints about sleep and growing taller. She begins forming a warmer impression of her father after seeing his kindness and handsome appearance.
• Emperor Jiang Yunsheng grows more openly affectionate and playful toward Jiang Nuan. He also treats her as a potential source of insight into the court’s hidden problems.
• Guagua continues to encourage Jiang Nuan with exaggerated praise, while gently withholding the inconvenient fact that the gold was originally hers.
• The three informed ministers have shifted from skepticism toward substantial belief in Jiang Nuan’s thoughts.

Significant themes

• Family affection in an imperial household: Jiang Nuan’s candidness contrasts with the fear and formality that characterize the emperor’s relationships with his other children.
• Power, trust, and political uncertainty: The emperor uses Jiang Nuan’s unusual knowledge to investigate weaknesses in his government.
• Humor amid palace life: Jiang Nuan’s modern sensibilities, complaints about work and sleep, and blunt inner commentary undercut the solemnity of court.

Character interactions

• Jiang Yunsheng teases, carries, and rewards Jiang Nuan, while she privately criticizes him and then softens once she receives gold.
• Jiang Nuan and Guagua trade flattering remarks and discuss the surprise of her court summons.
• At court, the emperor positions Jiang Nuan beside him despite ministerial disapproval; the three ministers who trust her remain quiet, while a lower-ranking official finally speaks.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan attends court for the first time, though she privately hopes the ministers will object so she can avoid the exhausting routine.
• Her unspoken thoughts are heard by everyone in the hall. The ministers are stunned; some faint, and imperial physicians revive them while guards quietly manage the disruption.
• Jiang Nuan’s system, Guagua, also speaks aloud in everyone’s minds, deepening the court’s confusion.
• Jiang Nuan reveals that Great Xia will fall in seven years and recalls several ministers dying gruesome deaths. The ministers realize her thoughts may provide genuine knowledge of the future.
• To distract Jiang Nuan from her fear of ghosts, Guagua offers to share court gossip. Jiang Nuan chooses Xun Rongchang, the official who first objected to her attending court.
• Guagua reveals that the imposing Xun is actually a crybaby who is dominated by his wife and runs to her whenever something upsets him.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan remains candid and irreverent in her thoughts: she dislikes court, worries about the ministers’ fates, and is easily frightened. She chooses gossip as a distraction.
• Guagua acts as Jiang Nuan’s companion and confidant, reassuring her and entertaining her with gossip.
• The ministers shift from opposing Jiang Nuan’s presence to being alarmed by her mind-reading phenomenon and the prospect of their deaths. They struggle to hide their reactions while listening to her thoughts.
• Xun Rongchang goes from publicly opposing the princess’s attendance to becoming the first subject of the court’s involuntary gossip session.

Significant themes

• Private thoughts versus public conduct: The court hears what Jiang Nuan would never say aloud, exposing the contrast between official decorum and her honest inner voice.
• Fate and foreknowledge: Her prediction of the empire’s fall and the ministers’ deaths raises the possibility that the future can be known—or perhaps changed.
• Comedy amid danger: The ministers’ terror and the looming collapse of Great Xia are undercut by Jiang Nuan’s casual humor and the absurd revelation about Xun’s private life.

Key plot points and events

• In court, Jiang Nuan’s mysterious inner voice reveals that Minister Xun Rongchang is a secret crybaby. His wife has discovered his hidden savings and is waiting at home with a washboard.
• Jiang Nuan eagerly wants to sneak out of the palace to witness the confrontation. Emperor Jiang Yunsheng decides he may accompany her, claiming it is for her sake.
• A minister laughs while imagining Xun’s humiliation. Under the emperor’s stern questioning, he claims he owns an estate near the Capital Outskirts and offers it to house the ten thousand displaced people.
• The emperor uses the offer to prompt the other ministers to donate money. One by one, they make dramatic claims of poverty while pledging silver.
• Jiang Nuan recognizes that several ministers are pretending to be poor, despite having substantial wealth—and future confiscations will prove it. She likens their performances to award-winning acting.
• After the refugees’ settlement is assigned to Qiu Rongri and court is dismissed, Jiang Nuan is thrilled to go watch the domestic drama. Xun Rongchang is immediately surrounded by curious colleagues.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan is playful, curious, and delighted by gossip, but her thoughts also help uncover a practical solution to the refugee crisis.
• Jiang Yunsheng indulges his daughter and relies on her fortunate influence; he turns Minister Zhang’s offer into a broader fundraising opportunity.
• Xun Rongchang is embarrassed by his secret being exposed and dreads becoming the subject of a spectacle.
• Minister Zhang sacrifices his estate to avoid explaining his laughter and losing the emperor’s favor, then becomes the example that pressures his colleagues to donate.
• The ministers publicly portray themselves as impoverished and generous, while Jiang Nuan’s thoughts expose their hypocrisy. Their interest in Xun’s private troubles also shows how quickly court gossip spreads.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Ministers perform humility and generosity while concealing their wealth.
• Gossip and private life: Xun’s hidden vulnerability contrasts with his imposing public image.
• Power and pressure: The emperor turns one official’s offer into an expectation for the entire court.
• Humor amid governance: Comic intrigue and Jiang Nuan’s irreverent perspective unfold alongside the serious task of sheltering ten thousand displaced people.

Plot points and events

• Xun Rongchang’s friends, superior, and several ministers insist on accompanying him home, apparently eager for gossip. He gives up trying to turn them away.
• Jiang Nuan schemes to sneak out and watch the gathering, but her father, Jiang Yunsheng, catches on and decides to take her out of the palace himself.
• At the Xun residence, Madam Xun waits for her husband with a large washboard, apparently expecting him to kneel on it. When Xun Rongchang arrives with a crowd of officials, she freezes and tries to explain the washboard away as a laundry tool.
• Jiang Nuan’s audible inner commentary points out the washboard’s obvious kneeling marks, exposing the couple’s private dynamic to everyone.
• Xun Rongchang stops pretending, throws himself into his wife’s arms, and explains the unusual situation. Madam Xun accepts it and comforts him. The ministers, intrigued by Jiang Nuan’s remarks about the couple, stay to hear more gossip.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan is mischievous, curious, and delighted by gossip. Her commentary repeatedly reveals details others would prefer to keep private.
• Jiang Yunsheng is affectionate and perceptive: he catches Jiang Nuan plotting, then takes her out rather than letting her sneak away. He quietly signals the ministers not to interrupt them.
• Xun Rongchang goes from reluctantly tolerating his unexpected entourage to openly seeking comfort from his wife once his secret is exposed.
• Madam Xun is caught off guard but quickly adapts, covering for herself before ultimately consoling her husband.
• Xun Rongchang’s friends and the officials move from curiosity to amusement, teasing him and observing the couple’s unconventional relationship.

Significant themes

• Gossip and public exposure: Jiang Nuan’s commentary turns private behavior into public entertainment.
• Playful family affection: Jiang Yunsheng’s teasing and care show a warm bond with his daughter.
• Reversed expectations: Xun Rongchang appears to occupy the more vulnerable, “delicate” role in his marriage, amusing the onlookers.
• Social embarrassment: The washboard and its telltale marks make it impossible for the couple to preserve appearances.

Key plot points and events

• Xun Rongchang, a mild-mannered official, is publicly revealed to be a crybaby while clinging tearfully to his wife, Madam Xun.
• Jiang Nuan’s inner-voice companion, Guagua, reveals that Xun and Madam Xun had promised to remain faithful to one another—and that they would eventually divorce after a woman appeared claiming Xun had fathered her ten-year-old son.
• The woman arrives with the boy, Kang’er, and says Xun assaulted her while drunk ten years earlier. The boy strongly resembles Xun, lending her story apparent weight.
• Xun insists he has no memory of the woman or the child. He recalls getting blackout drunk after passing the xiucai examination, but cannot confirm what happened that night.
• Madam Xun orders their written marriage agreement brought, along with writing materials, apparently preparing to act on its terms. Guagua confirms that the couple will divorce despite Xun’s attempts to save the marriage. The chapter ends as Xun notices something strange in Guagua’s wording.

Character developments and interactions

• Xun Rongchang shifts from a seemingly devoted, respectable husband to a man under suspicion. He is bewildered and frightened, unable to defend himself because of his memory gap.
• Madam Xun moves from affectionate support to controlled, cold resolve. Though shaken, she weighs the evidence and prepares to uphold the agreement they made.
• Jiang Nuan is initially confused by the accusation and follows the unfolding “gossip” with concern.
• Guagua reveals the future divorce but hints that the apparent scandal may not be what it seems.
• The woman and Kang’er arrive pleading for acknowledgment; the child’s resemblance to Xun convinces onlookers, while the woman’s account remains unverified.

Significant themes

• Trust and fidelity: A marriage built on mutual devotion is threatened by a possible betrayal.
• Appearance versus truth: Xun’s respectable image and the boy’s resemblance both shape judgment, but neither settles what happened.
• Memory and uncertainty: Xun’s blackout leaves him unable to prove his innocence or guilt.
• Written promises and consequences: The couple’s agreement gives Madam Xun a clear course of action when their trust is shaken.

Plot points

• Xun Rongchang’s apparent scandal is revealed to be a misunderstanding: the woman claiming he fathered her son Kang’er is trying to extort him.
• Through Guagua’s explanation, Jiang Nuan learns that Kang’er is actually the child of Xun Rongchang’s elder brother, Xun Yu. He is twelve, not ten, but looks younger because he has been underfed.
• Xun Rongchang notices the woman’s satisfaction at the prospect of his divorce and recognizes her as one of Xun Yu’s former lovers. He exposes the age discrepancy and threatens to have Kang’er’s bone age examined—bluffing about an Imperial Physician’s ability to do so.
• He orders the woman and Kang’er taken to the magistrate for falsely accusing a court official. With the truth established, the watching officials depart, and Xun Rongchang hopes to reconcile with his wife and move past the dispute.
• Jiang Nuan then persuades her father to stay out and visit a busy street. She enjoys the vendors and buys a phoenix-shaped sugar painting, but her thoughts turn to a future invasion that will devastate the capital. The chapter ends with a fleeting, unexplained sense that something has surfaced in her memory and slipped away.

Character developments and interactions

• Xun Rongchang shifts from despair to relief and indignation. He decisively dismantles the false accusation, using quick thinking to protect his reputation and family.
• Jiang Nuan helps clear up the crisis through her access to Guagua’s explanation. Her delight at the couple’s reconciliation contrasts with her growing sadness about the capital’s future.
• Madam Xun shows a brief flicker of guilt as the truth emerges.
• The woman performs a show of self-sacrifice and maternal devotion, but her reaction to the possible divorce reveals her motives; she panics when Xun Rongchang exposes her lie.
• Kang’er clings to the woman and fears being separated from her, though he is identified as Xun Yu’s son rather than Xun Rongchang’s.
• Jiang Nuan and her father, Jiang Yunsheng, share a lighter outing after the tense confrontation; he indulges her request to stay out longer.

Significant themes

• Truth versus deception: Guagua’s knowledge and Xun Rongchang’s reasoning expose a carefully constructed lie.
• Family, reputation, and justice: The false claim threatens a marriage and public standing, while the resolution restores clarity but sends the perpetrators to face legal consequences.
• Enjoyment shadowed by foreknowledge: Jiang Nuan’s cheerful market visit is undercut by her awareness of the coming invasion and destruction.
• Uncertain memory: The chapter closes on Jiang Nuan’s fleeting impression that she has nearly recalled something important.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Yunsheng brings Jiang Nuan to see the starving refugees displaced by a snow disaster. The sight shocks her and makes her confront how much worse famine, war, drought, and floods could become.
• Jiang Nuan decides she wants to help change the world, though she doubts whether she is capable. Guagua encourages her, and she regains her confidence, joking that her mission will be “Miracle Nuan Nuan.”
• She chooses to begin by improving refugee relief. Watching the distribution lines, she spots well-fed impostors taking grain meant for the starving.
• Jiang Nuan decides to expose them by putting sand in the porridge. Jiang Yunsheng worries this could provoke a riot but chooses to let her try and quietly prepares to support her.
• A guard carries out the plan. Refugees see the sand, and a woman and other agitators loudly denounce the officials. The crowd grows angry and appears close to rioting.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan moves from sheltered contentment to a sense of responsibility for suffering beyond her family. Guagua’s faith in her helps her commit to taking action.
• Jiang Yunsheng shows both concern and trust: he recognizes the danger of her plan but respects her determination and is willing to bear the consequences.
• Guagua acts as Jiang Nuan’s unwavering emotional support and partner in her ambition.
• The guard reluctantly follows the order, fearing the refugees’ reaction and doubting Jiang Nuan’s judgment.

Significant themes

• Compassion and social responsibility: Witnessing hardship changes Jiang Nuan’s priorities.
• Idealism versus practical risk: Her desire to help meets the real danger of provoking unrest.
• Courage and self-belief: Support from Guagua helps Jiang Nuan move past self-doubt.
• Exploitation and injustice: Better-off people steal relief supplies from those who truly need them, while agitators exploit the crowd’s anger.

Character interactions

• Jiang Yunsheng gives Jiang Nuan space to reflect, then silently supports her initiative despite his fears.
• Jiang Nuan seeks reassurance from Guagua, whose confidence strengthens their sense of partnership.
• Jiang Nuan’s plan puts the guard in conflict between obedience and his doubts.
• The woman and other loud voices turn the refugees against the officials, setting the stage for a confrontation.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Yunsheng stops the porridge-line riot by having a genuine refugee drink a bowl of sandy porridge in front of the crowd. He announces that future porridge will also contain sand, exposing people who are pretending to be refugees: genuine refugees drink it, while impostors hesitate, vomit, or try to flee.
• Jiang Nuan privately suggests mixing sand into the relief rice to deter theft and make stolen grain easy to identify. Jiang Yunsheng recognizes the value of her idea and plans to put it into practice. He also decides to secretly reward her with a set of gold zodiac animals.
• That evening, the number of people seeking porridge has fallen by about a tenth. Jiang Yunsheng is furious at the extent of the fraud.
• Back at the palace, Jiang Nuan discovers that Empress Xiao Xiao has cooked a meal for her. She is deeply moved by the chance to share a homemade meal with her mother, something she had envied other children for having.
• Crown Prince Jiang Chengze returns from accompanying Chancellor Chi Hengji to inspect villages threatened by avalanches. He meets Jiang Nuan for the first time, and she cheerfully tells him that their mother cooked a whole table of food. He appears to regret arriving early.

Character development and interactions

• Jiang Nuan shows sharp judgment and compassion for genuine refugees, while taking a firm stance against people abusing disaster relief. Her inner thoughts help her father solve the crisis, though she does not know he is acting on them. She also reveals a tender, vulnerable side through her joy at receiving food lovingly prepared by her mother.
• Jiang Yunsheng proves capable of using a public demonstration and strict enforcement to expose fraud. He listens to Jiang Nuan’s unspoken advice, admires her insight, and wants to reward her as a father.
• Xiao Xiao expresses affection through caring acts. She cooks for Jiang Nuan and responds warmly to the child’s happiness, tightening her hold when she senses how much the moment means to her.
• Jiang Chengze arrives with a tender demeanor toward his mother and new little sister. His first meeting with Jiang Nuan begins warmly, though her enthusiastic mention of their mother’s cooking leaves him awkwardly apprehensive.

Significant themes

• Justice and misuse of aid: The chapter contrasts the desperation of genuine refugees with the greed of those exploiting relief efforts.
• Family affection and belonging: Jiang Nuan’s happiness at sharing her mother’s cooking highlights the emotional value of ordinary family care.
• Hidden insight and trust: Jiang Nuan’s private thoughts guide Jiang Yunsheng’s decisions, strengthening their connection even though she does not know he can hear them.

Plot points and events

• At a family meal, Jiang Chengze tries to spare himself from eating more of Empress Mother Xiao Xiao’s cooking. Jiang Nuan tastes a dish and privately describes it as “heavy”; Jiang Chengze realizes he can hear her thoughts, and Xiao Xiao soon discovers that her food is disastrously over-seasoned.
• Xiao Xiao stops the meal and apologizes to Jiang Chengze for making him endure her cooking for years. Jiang Nuan then asks about their cryptic exchange, but Xiao Xiao keeps the explanation vague.
• Xiao Xiao asks Jiang Nuan to call her “Mama,” and Jiang Chengze asks to be called “Brother.” Jiang Nuan agrees, and the emotional reunion overwhelms Xiao Xiao, who had once believed her baby was stillborn.
• Xiao Xiao considers restoring Jiang Nuan’s originally chosen name, Jiang Xianzhi, but changes her mind because someone else has already used it. Jiang Nuan is conflicted about changing the name she has carried for three lifetimes, so Xiao Xiao lets her keep “Jiang Nuan” and suggests asking the emperor to grant her a title instead.
• Jiang Nuan embraces Xiao Xiao, moved by the motherly love she has never known. Jiang Chengze offers her his hot-spring estate as a gift, and the three share a family embrace.
• Jiang Yunsheng arrives and teases them. His presence makes Jiang Chengze tense, prompting Jiang Nuan to reflect that the emperor and the Crown Prince lack a warm father-son relationship.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan grows closer to Xiao Xiao and Jiang Chengze, accepting affectionate family names and expressing her gratitude through an emotional embrace. Her inner thoughts also reveal foreknowledge of Jiang Chengze’s eventual death at Jiang Yunsheng’s hands.
• Xiao Xiao shows tenderness and consideration, prioritizing Jiang Nuan’s wishes about her name. Her joy at having her daughter back is mixed with grief and resentment over the years lost.
• Jiang Chengze discovers he can hear Jiang Nuan’s thoughts and accepts the revelation quickly. He is relieved that his sister’s comments exposed the truth about Xiao Xiao’s cooking, and he seeks closeness with Jiang Nuan while remaining visibly intimidated by his father.
• Jiang Yunsheng appears relaxed and teasing, but the contrast between his easy manner and Jiang Chengze’s stiffness highlights their strained relationship.

Significant themes

• Reunited family and belonging: The new “Mama” and “Brother” forms of address help the characters affirm their restored bonds.
• Love and respect for personal choice: Xiao Xiao offers Jiang Nuan a new name but accepts her hesitation rather than imposing one.
• Hidden truths and comic revelation: Jiang Nuan’s unspoken thoughts expose both the terrible food and, more consequentially, her unusual connection to others.
• The distance between parent and child: The affectionate reunion contrasts sharply with Jiang Chengze’s formal, fearful relationship with Jiang Yunsheng.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan’s inner voice reveals that, in the original future, Crown Prince Jiang Chengze is deposed and dies in prison after his father, Jiang Yunsheng, becomes seriously ill and leaves him untreated.
• Guagua explains the chain of events: Jiang Yunsheng’s illness is actually a poison from the Southern Frontier. Deceived by self-serving advisers, he turns to alchemists’ elixirs, which worsen his health and temperament. He then believes false accusations that Jiang Chengze is plotting to seize the throne.
• Jiang Nuan notes that alchemists’ elixirs contain toxic heavy metals, but also realizes that alchemists’ knowledge could be valuable if used productively.
• Jiang Chengze suggests summoning a group of alchemists who have recently arrived in the capital. Jiang Yunsheng initially orders their arrest, but Jiang Nuan persuades him to put them in her care.
• Jiang Nuan recalls that alchemical knowledge could lead to gunpowder, a powerful weapon that might strengthen Great Xia and help it defeat its enemies. Jiang Yunsheng becomes enthusiastic about the prospect.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Chengze is shaken by the revelation that his father will one day have him deposed and effectively left to die. He quickly turns his concern into a practical suggestion by bringing the visiting alchemists to the emperor’s attention.
• Jiang Yunsheng is forced to confront the possibility that his future choices will destroy his relationship with his son and destabilize the dynasty. Forewarned, he reacts against the alchemists rather than trusting them—and then shifts from wanting to punish them to recognizing their potential.
• Jiang Nuan remains cheerful and candid, unaware that her family can hear her thoughts. She tries to prevent the tragedy by securing the alchemists for useful work, while her grand ambition to spread Great Xia’s influence is comically inspired by her past-life struggles with English.
• The family acts on Jiang Nuan’s unspoken knowledge while she assumes Jiang Yunsheng agrees simply because he thinks she wants the alchemists as playmates.

Significant themes

• Foreknowledge and changing fate: The family’s knowledge of the future gives them a chance to prevent Jiang Chengze’s death and avert Jiang Yunsheng’s disastrous decisions.
• Trust, deception, and family bonds: False accusations and manipulation are shown to turn father and son against each other; honesty and shared concern now offer a chance to preserve their relationship.
• Knowledge as a tool for the state: Alchemists are both dangerous frauds and potential sources of useful discoveries. The chapter suggests that their skills should be redirected rather than discarded.
• Comic contrast: Jiang Nuan’s casual inner commentary, Jiang Yunsheng’s sudden imperial ambitions, and his mistaken explanation for her request keep the serious revelations playful.

Key plot points and events

• After Xiao Xiao’s cooking leaves the family hungry, Jiang Yunsheng orders a proper meal from the Imperial Kitchen. Jiang Nuan happily appreciates the food.
• Jiang Nuan remembers that officials had opposed her attending court, but she is too tired to pursue the matter and hopes they will keep objecting. The next morning, she mistakenly gets up early on a rest day, then goes back to sleep.
• Later, Jiang Yunsheng summons Jiang Nuan to the imperial garden, where he has gathered several alchemists to demonstrate their supposed supernatural abilities. Influential officials and their wives have already been impressed by the alchemists’ performances.
• An alchemist named Zhang claims to have an immortal’s blessing and demonstrates retrieving a stone from boiling oil. The onlookers praise him and seek his favor. Jiang Nuan privately dismisses the feat as a trick and says she could do it too.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan remains playful, food-loving, and strongly protective of her sleep. Though she has forgotten her court dispute, she is ready to expose the alchemists’ fraud. Their hostile attention suggests her thoughts may threaten them.
• Jiang Yunsheng acts quickly because Jiang Nuan’s earlier words stirred his desire to unify the realm. He trusts her judgment despite the impressive display, believing she can recognize what others cannot.
• The alchemists are confident in their influence and resent Jiang Nuan’s silent accusation that they are frauds. Their demonstration wins the officials’ admiration.
• The officials and their wives are largely convinced by the alchemists and hope that cultivating their favor will bring personal advantage.
• Jiang Nuan’s family exchanges no major confrontation here, but the opening meal reinforces the contrast between Xiao Xiao’s cooking and the Imperial Kitchen’s food.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus truth: The alchemists’ dramatic “miracle” persuades the crowd, while Jiang Nuan sees it as deception.
• Trust and judgment: Jiang Yunsheng trusts his daughter’s insight even when others are swayed by spectacle.
• Self-interest and influence: Officials’ eagerness to court the alchemists is tied partly to hopes of advancement.
• Comic everyday concerns: Jiang Nuan’s fixation on food, rest, and growing properly contrasts with the court’s ambitions and the alchemists’ grand claims.

Key plot points and events

• Fangshi Zhang angrily challenges Jiang Nuan after mistaking her disdain for an insult. He is startled when her thoughts seem to speak aloud, revealing that he and the other fangshi can hear her inner voice.
• Jiang Nuan demonstrates that the “boiling oil” is a trick: the oil is cold, with borax making it bubble. She retrieves the stone from the pot without being burned, exposing the deception.
• Officials test the oil themselves and realize they have been swindled. They accuse the fangshi of deceiving the emperor and demand severe punishment.
• Jiang Nuan asks to take the fangshi into her care so they can make things to repay their crimes. Emperor Jiang Yunsheng agrees, warning that they will be executed if they fail to work.
• The fangshi are relieved to be spared, while the officials who lost money have to accept that they may not get it back. The chapter ends by hinting that many more swindlers remain outside the palace.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan proves observant and fearless, using her knowledge of the trick to expose the fangshi. Though she calls them talented, her concern is practical: she wants to put them to useful work rather than waste their abilities.
• Jiang Yunsheng uses the threat of execution to pressure the fangshi, but has already decided to spare them. He wants them working on a project tied to gunpowder, knowledge he learned from Jiang Nuan’s thoughts.
• Fangshi Zhang and his companions go from offended confidence to panic when they realize Jiang Nuan has exposed their method—and that they may be punished for it. They gratefully accept forced labor as an alternative to death.
• The ministers move from reverence for the fangshi to anger and humiliation once the deception is proven. One official, who had considered giving up his fortune and office to become a fangshi’s disciple, is especially disillusioned.
• Jiang Yunsheng and Eunuch Wang desperately try to stop Jiang Nuan from reaching into the pot, but she acts before they can intervene.

Significant themes

• Exposure of fraud: A simple test dismantles the fangshi’s manufactured “miracle” and the authority they built around it.
• Knowledge and power: Jiang Nuan’s insight shifts the balance between the swindlers, officials, and emperor.
• Justice and pragmatism: Rather than simply execute the guilty, Jiang Yunsheng and Jiang Nuan turn them toward useful work—though the fangshi remain under threat.
• Public belief and embarrassment: The officials’ outrage is mixed with shame at having trusted the deception and lost money.