Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan settles a group of Alchemists on a remote estate, then tries to find a useful task for them.
• She wants them to make gunpowder but knows little about it. Guagua, her Gossip System, cannot provide a formula unless it uncovers someone with relevant experience.
• Guagua finds that the Alchemists have never made gunpowder, though some have accidentally blown up their pill furnaces. Their experimental recipes are too impractical and use rare ingredients.
• Jiang Nuan recalls a box of books, seeds, and supplies her modern-world friend Qianqian had prepared for her. Guagua says it may be able to retrieve the box by asking its system “siblings.”
• The other systems distrust Guagua’s request and send the Tycoon System to investigate. After hearing Jiang Nuan only wants her old box, the Tycoon delivers it, surprised she does not ask for something more valuable.
• Jiang Nuan is delighted by the books and seeds—especially crops that could help prevent famine—rather than by the Tycoon System herself. The Tycoon, intrigued by their sincerity, decides to keep observing them.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan shifts from frustration over her lack of technical knowledge to hope that the Alchemists or her recovered resources can help. Her excitement centers on practical benefits for society, especially food security.
• Guagua reveals that, despite being a “newbie,” it is a second-generation system with a network of powerful system siblings. It is eager to help Jiang Nuan and firmly defends her when the others suspect she is exploiting it.
• The Tycoon System begins suspicious of Jiang Nuan and expects her to flatter or manipulate it. Jiang Nuan’s straightforward interest in the box, and her indifference to the Tycoon’s departure, begin to challenge that assumption.
• The group-chat systems tease and protectively caution Guagua, while the Tycoon tests Jiang Nuan’s intentions by dramatically announcing she is leaving.

Significant themes

• Resourcefulness and practical progress: Jiang Nuan looks for workable, scalable solutions rather than relying on impractical recipes.
• Good intentions and trust: Guagua trusts Jiang Nuan, while the Tycoon’s suspicion slowly gives way to curiosity.
• Public welfare: Jiang Nuan values the seeds and knowledge for their potential to reduce hunger, not merely for personal gain.
• Unexpected connections: Guagua’s hidden ties to other systems open up possibilities beyond its stated gossip-gathering role.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan learns that Guagua can manifest physically only after reaching system level three, which requires 160,000 taels in this world. Though upgrades offer no known new abilities, Jiang Nuan spends the money to help Guagua, whom she considers family.
• Guagua appears as a small, blue-haired, green-eyed spirit and tearfully embraces Jiang Nuan. The Tycoon System, watching them, concludes that both host and system are equally naïve, then secretly places a mote of light on Jiang Nuan.
• Jiang Nuan turns to the Guidebook for Time Travelers and copies a gunpowder formula herself to save energy. Her poor calligraphy makes the alchemists mistake it for a drawing.
• She explains that she wants them to develop controllable, powerful gunpowder, potentially for military use. The frightened alchemists agree to try.
• When they ask for research funds, Jiang Nuan admits she has none left after Guagua’s upgrade. She orders them to use the money they made through scams, presenting the project as their chance to redeem themselves.
• To motivate them, she promises to petition the emperor for honorary marquis titles and fiefs for those who make major contributions. The alchemists eagerly accept the challenge.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan’s willingness to spend her savings on Guagua shows how deeply she values their bond. She also demonstrates initiative and political pragmatism by directing the alchemists’ work and offering incentives.
• Guagua is moved by Jiang Nuan’s generosity and openly declares its affection for her.
• The Tycoon System’s initial suspicion turns to bemusement at the pair’s mutual sincerity; it quietly intervenes by placing a mysterious mote of light on Jiang Nuan.
• The alchemists shift from fear and reluctance to enthusiasm after Jiang Nuan reframes their research as a route to redemption, recognition, and status.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and found family: Jiang Nuan treats Guagua as family, prioritizing its happiness even at significant cost.
• Innovation and sacrifice: The gunpowder project could transform Great Xia, but it requires risks and resources.
• Motivation through recognition: Jiang Nuan uses the promise of lasting honor and social standing to encourage skilled people.
• Humor and humility: Her terrible handwriting and the alchemists’ tactful near-insult provide comic relief amid the serious project.

Plot points and events

• After securing her trunk in Guagua’s newly upgraded storage space, Jiang Nuan returns to the palace and is dragged to court before dawn.
• She privately complains that court starts far too early. Her thoughts reach the ministers, who sympathize with her, and Emperor Jiang Yunsheng considers whether a later start would make more sense.
• An Laiyun, the Minister of Rites, objects to a princess attending court, unaware of Jiang Nuan’s influence. When Jiang Nuan probes his secrets, Guagua reveals that An’s newborn daughter was secretly switched: the real daughter grew up poor and mistreated, while the false heiress was favored and repeatedly framed her.
• Guagua explains that the real heiress eventually set fire to the estate in despair. Though she survived and was adopted by a night watchman, she later became Great Xia’s leading businesswoman and donated thirty million taels to support the country during a foreign invasion. Great Xia nevertheless fell.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan is still irreverent and sleepy, but her sympathy for the real heiress quickly becomes admiration—and practical interest in recruiting her as a business partner.
• Jiang Yunsheng is receptive to Jiang Nuan’s complaints and is impressed by the heiress’s wealth and patriotism.
• An Laiyun initially rejects the revelations, but the strange experience leaves him shaken and unsure whether they are true.
• The real heiress emerges as resilient, resourceful, and deeply loyal to Great Xia despite severe childhood abuse.

Character interactions

• Jiang Nuan’s unspoken thoughts connect her with the ministers, prompting their sympathy and giving them access to Guagua’s revelations.
• Guagua’s animated reenactments make the heiress’s suffering vivid, upsetting the court.
• The heiress’s future generosity inspires both the emperor and ministers; they begin imagining how to bring her wealth and talent into their own orbit, even considering marriage alliances.

Significant themes

• Favoritism and injustice: The An family’s preference for the false heiress enables cruelty toward their own child.
• Resilience and self-made success: The real heiress rises from hardship to become a leading entrepreneur.
• Patriotism and sacrifice: She gives nearly her entire fortune to help defend Great Xia.
• Greed and opportunity: The court’s admiration is quickly mixed with hopes of gaining access to her wealth.

Key plot points and events

• Emperor Jiang Yunsheng delays the debate over whether Ninth Princess Jiang Nuan should attend court. The ministers drop their objections, while Nuan privately grumbles about losing sleep and missing other activities.
• Nuan turns her attention to gossip but, before she can expose anyone, Great General Mao Qiantao reports that the Hu People’s planned raid was defeated. Acting on information Nuan secretly provided, the court prepared an ambush, captured 53,600 raiders, and greatly reduced the damage to the southern villages.
• Nuan’s knowledge also prevented a disastrous campaign in which Mao’s son and most of Great Xia’s army would have died. A magical display shows the massacre that would have occurred without the warning, shocking the ministers who had previously opposed her.
• Nuan learns that Mao has only one biological son, Mao Zhonglin, whose injury has left him unable to father children. Mao’s two other supposed sons are actually the children of his concubine and a household guard. In the original future, Mao’s grief over his son’s death and the family scandal led to his own death.
• Mao is overwhelmed with anger when the truth reaches him, and the Imperial Physician gives him a calming pill. After court, ministers eagerly approach An Laiyun to propose matches with his daughter; he refuses, saying she is not considering marriage. Others want to question Mao about the scandal but are too intimidated by his strength.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan remains playful and eager for gossip, but her foreknowledge proves crucial to protecting civilians and preserving the army. She also shows concern when Mao appears unwell, despite having triggered his anger.
• Jiang Yunsheng continues to rely on Nuan’s inner voice and celebrates the successful defense, recognizing the scale of what she has accomplished.
• Mao Qiantao goes from relieved that Nuan is not exposing his private affairs to furious upon learning the truth about his household and the fate he narrowly avoided.
• An Laiyun avoids challenging Nuan in court and later firmly protects his daughter’s choice not to discuss marriage.
• The ministers shift from questioning Nuan’s place at court to feeling ashamed and impressed by her hidden contributions. Their curiosity about gossip persists, though Mao’s intimidating reputation keeps them at a distance.

Significant themes

• Foreknowledge and prevention: Nuan’s knowledge changes a catastrophic future, saving lives and protecting the state.
• Appearance versus truth: Mao’s household appears to include several sons, but the truth is painful and concealed.
• Power of gossip and private knowledge: Information can expose scandals, but it can also reveal dangers and shape political decisions.
• Changing attitudes: The ministers’ skepticism toward Nuan gives way to respect once they see the consequences of her actions.

Key plot points and events

• Although Minister An Laiyun doubts Jiang Nuan’s warnings, he investigates An Yuxue and An Yan himself.
• He overhears Yuxue drop her gentle façade and admit she resents An Yan’s return, threatening to make her life miserable unless she leaves.
• An Laiyun finds An Yan living in squalor and preparing to leave. She asks him to sign a Severance Letter, but he refuses, insisting she will always be his daughter.
• He orders her moved to a fine courtyard, but the lilies sent there are An Yuxue’s favorite—and An Yan is allergic to them. Unwilling to remain, An Yan leaves after placing ten signed Severance Letters where they can be found.
• With no money for an inn, An Yan plans to shelter in a cave. Guagua wakes Jiang Nuan and urges her to go find An Yan, warning that the future richest female merchant may become ill if left there.

Character developments

• An Laiyun shifts from disbelief toward remorse after witnessing Yuxue’s cruelty and An Yan’s poor living conditions. His belated attempts to make amends do not repair the damage.
• An Yuxue is revealed as calculating and resentful, sharply contradicting the considerate image she has maintained.
• An Yan has given up hope of winning her family’s affection. She asserts her independence and leaves rather than accept a superficial reconciliation.
• Jiang Nuan is prompted to act after learning An Yan’s future and immediate danger.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Yuxue’s public kindness hides her hostility.
• Neglect and belated remorse: An Laiyun recognizes An Yan’s suffering only after she has decided to leave.
• Self-respect and independence: An Yan chooses hardship over remaining in a home where she feels unwanted.
• The harm of favoritism: An Yan’s treatment reflects how the family’s preference for Yuxue has distorted their judgment.

Character interactions

• Yuxue threatens An Yan in private, while An Yan responds with sarcasm and insists she wants to leave.
• An Laiyun overhears them, then faces An Yan as she prepares to sever ties; she is cold, and he cannot explain himself.
• After An Yan departs, Guagua alerts Jiang Nuan and pushes her to intervene before An Yan falls ill.

Key plot points and events

• After hearing from Guagua that An Yan is in danger, Jiang Nuan leaves the palace. Her brother Jiang Chengze gives her an exit token and assigns guards to protect her.
• Guided to a remote cave at night, Jiang Nuan finds An Yan feverish and unconscious. She gives her medicine, has the guards carry her to a nearby estate, and calls a physician.
• Once An Yan wakes, Jiang Nuan impulsively offers her a place to stay and asks her to become her older sister. An Yan accepts, touched by Jiang Nuan’s sincere affection.
• Jiang Nuan personally feeds An Yan rice porridge. An Yan cries, prompting Guagua to explain that the food recalls a painful memory involving a cousin who once cared for her but later rejected and humiliated her.
• Jiang Nuan resolves, in her thoughts, to keep feeding An Yan porridge until she is sick of it. After three days of plain porridge, An Yan is indeed thoroughly tired of it.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan acts decisively to rescue An Yan and quickly forms an affectionate, protective bond with her. Her admiration for An Yan’s future success fuels her anger at the mistreatment she has suffered.
• An Yan moves from isolation and distrust toward accepting Jiang Nuan’s kindness. Being openly welcomed as a sister gives her a rare sense of belonging and encouragement to pursue her future.
• Jiang Chengze supports his sister without demanding an explanation, showing his trust in her judgment.
• Guagua guides Jiang Nuan to An Yan and supplies important context about An Yan’s past and future.

Significant themes

• Found family and belonging: Jiang Nuan offers An Yan the home and affection her birth family has denied her.
• Kindness and emotional healing: Small gestures, especially being cared for while ill, carry deep meaning for An Yan because of her past.
• Resilience and future potential: Jiang Nuan sees An Yan not only as a vulnerable runaway but as someone capable of becoming a powerful merchant.
• Humor amid hardship: Jiang Nuan’s anxious, often misguided inner commentary contrasts with the serious pain An Yan carries.

Character interactions

• Jiang Chengze trusts Jiang Nuan enough to help her leave the palace and sends guards along.
• Jiang Nuan rescues and nurses An Yan, then proposes that they become sisters; An Yan accepts and affectionately strokes her new little sister’s head.
• An Yan hears Jiang Nuan’s thoughts, creating a contrast between Jiang Nuan’s earnest care and her comic misunderstandings—especially over why An Yan is crying.
• Guagua explains the painful associations behind An Yan’s reaction, while Jiang Nuan’s well-meant but excessive porridge routine becomes a running joke.

Plot points and events

• An Yan wakes feeling better and reaffirms her decision to accept Jiang Nuan as her younger sister, reasoning that Jiang Nuan has treated her with more kindness than her own relatives.
• Jiang Nuan leaves An Yan at the Minister’s Residence and goes to court. Despite being sleepy, she attends and quietly listens to gossip through her thoughts and conversations with Guagua.
• Jiang Nuan condemns An Laiyun for favoring his adopted daughter and allowing servants to mistreat his biological daughter, An Yan.
• She learns that Great General Mao Qiantao has discovered he is infertile and has summoned his concubine and her children back after realizing she had been unfaithful. Jiang Nuan would like to witness the coming drama, but has other plans.
• Jiang Nuan asks where her beloved Fourth Brother, Jiang Yehua, is. Guagua explains that he and the Fifth Prince have finished dealing with bandits and should return tomorrow.
• Excited for Jiang Yehua’s arrival, Jiang Nuan plans to prepare dishes for him. She reacts with open dislike to the Fifth Prince, alarming his supporters at court.
• Court concludes, and Emperor Jiang Yunsheng announces that morning court will begin later, sparing ministers from having to rise before dawn.

Character developments and interactions

• An Yan embraces Jiang Nuan as family despite knowing little about her, showing how deeply Jiang Nuan’s kindness has affected her.
• Jiang Nuan displays strong loyalty to the people she loves: she treasures Fourth Brother for protecting her in her previous life and wants to welcome him home. Her feelings toward the Fifth Prince remain hostile.
• Jiang Yunsheng and Jiang Chengze privately feel jealous when they hear how much Jiang Nuan misses Fourth Brother. They also judge An Laiyun for failing to notice that An Yan has been away all night.
• An Laiyun is portrayed as inattentive and unjust toward An Yan, while Mao Qiantao is quietly preparing to confront his unfaithful concubine.
• The ministers react nervously to Jiang Nuan’s gossip and thoughts, while some resist the new court schedule but are silenced by their colleagues.

Significant themes

• Chosen family and loyalty: An Yan and Jiang Nuan form a sisterly bond based on care rather than blood.
• Neglect and favoritism: An Laiyun’s treatment of An Yan underscores the harm caused by favoring an adopted child while mistreating one’s own.
• Affection and gratitude: Jiang Nuan’s memories of Fourth Brother show how kindness and protection shaped her deepest attachment.
• Courtly comedy and gossip: Jiang Nuan’s candid inner thoughts expose secrets and unsettle powerful officials, balancing serious family tensions with humor.
• Practical reform: The emperor’s later start to court is welcomed by Jiang Nuan and accepted despite objections from traditionalists.

Key plot points and events

• After court, Jiang Nuan visits An Yan, who has prepared several dishes for her. Jiang Nuan loves the food so much that Guagua asks for a taste; Jiang secretly feeds the sprite beneath the table. An Yan sees Guagua and realizes that her younger sister has unusual secrets.
• Jiang Nuan invites An Yan shopping and presses a gold ingot on her as a gift, refusing to take no for an answer.
• An Yan chooses mostly things for Jiang Nuan, so Jiang takes charge and buys clothes and accessories for her big sister instead. She imagines a chance to confront An Yuxue, but Guagua explains that An Yuxue is at a temple in the opposite direction.
• An Yan tries on a sea-green jacket and looks strikingly beautiful. As the shopkeeper admires her, two young men enter. Guagua identifies them as sons of Great General Mao’s concubine and the general’s guard, born from their affair—promising new gossip.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan is generous and affectionate toward An Yan, determined to spoil and defend her. She also notices that she is growing more childlike and attributes it to returning to her true nature.
• An Yan is increasingly intrigued by Jiang Nuan’s wealth, unusual sprite companion, and mysterious background. She is hesitant to spend on herself, but begins to accept Jiang Nuan’s care.
• Guagua acts as Jiang Nuan’s companion and source of information, joining in the meal and providing context about the newcomers.

Significant themes

• Sisterly affection and care: Jiang Nuan uses food, gifts, and shopping to show love and support.
• Self-worth and transformation: An Yan’s new clothes reveal a beauty and presence long obscured by neglect.
• Secrets and gossip: Jiang Nuan’s hidden companion and Guagua’s revelations suggest that unexpected truths will shape events.

Character interactions

• An Yan’s cooking delights Jiang Nuan, while the sight of Guagua eating surprises An Yan.
• Jiang Nuan insists that An Yan accept her gift and later chooses purchases for her, despite An Yan’s modesty.
• The shopkeeper praises An Yan’s appearance, just as two men arrive and draw Guagua’s attention with a scandalous family secret.

Plot points and events

• In an establishment in the Capital City, Mao Yonghong and his elder brother, Mao Yi, approach Jiang Nuan and An Yan. Mao Yonghong acts entitled and threatens them when they do not respond; Mao Yi appears polite but probes their family background with open disdain.
• An Yan tries to leave, but the brothers invoke the General’s Residence and pressure her into going with them. Jiang Nuan secretly welcomes the chance to uncover gossip, and An Yan realizes her sister is acting rather than genuinely afraid.
• The brothers attempt to exclude Jiang Nuan, but An Yan insists that her sister come too. The men agree, privately assuming the women will be powerless once inside the residence.
• At the General’s Residence, the brothers are treated coldly by Steward Zhang. They vent their anger and reveal their resentment toward Mao Zhonglin, whom they see as the favored young master.
• Mao Yonghong then makes a predatory advance on An Yan. She dodges the maids sent to seize her and kicks him hard, leaving him in agony.
• Mao Yi orders the household staff to restrain both women. Mao Yonghong threatens to kill them and their families, but neither woman is intimidated. Just as Jiang Nuan considers summoning her Shadow Guards, her system, Guagua, says Great General Mao will arrive within seconds.

Character developments

• An Yan is cautious at first but willingly plays along to support Jiang Nuan’s curiosity. Once threatened, she proves physically capable and fiercely protective of her sister.
• Jiang Nuan remains bold and irreverent, treating the brothers’ threats as an opportunity for gossip. Her confidence hints that she has powerful protection.
• Mao Yonghong is revealed as arrogant, abusive, and accustomed to using his status to intimidate and control women.
• Mao Yi presents himself as the more courteous brother, but shares Yonghong’s contempt for the women and helps draw them into danger.
• The brothers’ anger toward Steward Zhang and their remarks about Mao Zhonglin expose their insecurity and rivalry within the General’s household.

Significant themes

• Entitlement and abuse of power: The brothers assume their rank lets them command women and act without consequences.
• Appearance versus reality: The sisters seem vulnerable, but An Yan is formidable and Jiang Nuan is far from helpless.
• Sisterly loyalty: An Yan refuses to leave Jiang Nuan behind, while Jiang Nuan worries about An Yan’s safety.
• Hidden power and impending accountability: The brothers’ threats are undercut by the protection and authority soon expected to arrive.

Character interactions

• Mao Yi’s outward politeness contrasts with his contemptuous questioning, while Yonghong openly bullies the sisters.
• Jiang Nuan’s private thoughts guide An Yan’s decisions; An Yan’s wink reassures Jiang Nuan that she is only pretending to submit.
• The brothers try to separate the sisters, but An Yan’s insistence keeps them together.
• When Yonghong attacks, An Yan answers with force, prompting Mao Yi to call for the household staff. The confrontation pauses on the brink of intervention from Great General Mao.

Plot points and events

• Mao Qiantao arrives just as Mao Yonghong threatens Jiang Nuan and An Yan. He kicks both brothers aside and apologizes to Jiang Nuan, revealing that she is the Ninth Princess.
• Jiang Nuan savors the shock this causes and reminds Mao Yonghong that his threat against her family could bring the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince down on him.
• Mao Qiantao declares that Mao Yi and Mao Yonghong are not his sons: they were born from his concubine’s affair with a Wei guard. He says he was already preparing to deal with the matter.
• Mao Yi collapses at the revelation, while Mao Yonghong misunderstands it as his father disowning him for offending the princess. He begs Mao Qiantao, then Jiang Nuan, for mercy.
• Jiang Nuan lets Mao Qiantao handle his “family matters,” while An Yan supports her. Mao Qiantao summons the concubine and the guard; letters and the concubine’s garment are produced as evidence of their affair.
• The concubine blames the guard for keeping the evidence. The guard stays silent, glaring at Mao Qiantao. Guagua announces that he has major gossip about the guard.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan uses her royal status openly for the first time and enjoys the leverage it gives her. She remains composed and treats the unfolding scandal as entertainment.
• Mao Qiantao is furious at the brothers’ misconduct and eager to distance himself from them once their parentage is exposed.
• Mao Yi proves more perceptive than Mao Yonghong: he has suspected something about his mother and understands how much his position depends on being recognized as Mao Qiantao’s son.
• Mao Yonghong remains arrogant and self-serving until confronted with danger, then turns to panicked pleading.
• An Yan grows more confident in Jiang Nuan and accepts her protection, though she is struck by the contrast between Jiang Nuan’s noble rank and her affectionate “sister” manner.

Significant themes

• Status and power: Jiang Nuan’s identity as a princess instantly changes the balance of the confrontation.
• Hypocrisy and reputation: The brothers’ respectful public image conceals their bullying and abuse of the General’s influence.
• Bloodline and legitimacy: The revelation that the brothers are not Mao Qiantao’s sons threatens their identities and social standing.
• Consequences and exposure: Their misconduct—and the adults’ secret affair—can no longer remain hidden.

Character interactions

• Jiang Nuan confronts Mao Yonghong over his threat, while Mao Qiantao intervenes and apologizes on his sons’ behalf.
• Mao Qiantao publicly rejects the brothers’ claims to be his children; Mao Yi and Mao Yonghong react in sharply different ways.
• An Yan stands by Jiang Nuan, who lets Mao Qiantao proceed with the investigation.
• The concubine tries to persuade Mao Qiantao she is innocent, then turns on the guard when the evidence appears.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan’s inner-voice companion, Guagua, reveals that a guard in Great General Mao’s household is Han Xingzhou, a Goryeo native and the son of a defeated general. After his family’s fall, Han came to Great Xia and secretly sought revenge against Mao.
• Han seduced Mao’s concubine and fathered two of the General’s three children. He also poisoned Mao’s only son, Young General Mao, hoping the boy would die and leave the household’s future to Han and his sons.
• Young General Mao has been poisoned for two months. Now trapped in a snowbound mountain while leading troops, he is critically ill.
• Great General Mao tries to ask Jiang Nuan for help, but an unexplained force chokes him whenever he attempts to speak directly about her inner voice.
• Guagua then reveals that a female herbalist has already rescued Young General Mao. She can cure the poison and possesses the rare medicinal catalyst required. The two are expected to fall in love and eventually marry.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan moves from curiosity about the guard’s secrets to alarm for Young General Mao, then relief when she learns he has been rescued.
• Mao Qiantao realizes that a trusted guard has been plotting against him for years. His fear for his son’s life overwhelms his usual restraint, though he cannot explain the danger to Jiang Nuan aloud.
• Han Xingzhou is exposed as driven by both national resentment and personal revenge, using his position in the household to pursue power through his sons.
• Young General Mao is shown to be in grave danger, but his rescue sets up a hopeful future with the healer.

Significant themes

• Hidden betrayal: A seemingly loyal household guard conceals long-standing schemes.
• Revenge and ambition: Han’s family grievance grows into a plan to destroy Mao’s heir and seize the household’s future.
• Fate and timely intervention: Just as Young General Mao’s condition becomes dire, the healer arrives with the means to save him.
• The limits of knowledge and speech: Mao gains vital information through Jiang Nuan’s inner voice but is mysteriously prevented from discussing it directly.

Character interactions

• Jiang Nuan and Guagua exchange revelations, with Jiang Nuan guessing at Han’s plans and Guagua confirming the poisoning and its consequences.
• Mao Qiantao silently listens to their exchange, learning the truth about Han and his son’s peril.
• Mao tries to appeal to Jiang Nuan, but cannot get the words out; Jiang Nuan mistakes his distress for shock over the affair.
• Guagua reassures Jiang Nuan by revealing that the healer has already saved Young General Mao and will become his future partner.

Plot points and events

• Mao Qiantao is relieved that his son, Mao Zhonglin, has survived and seems to have fallen for a female physician. He beats Han Xingzhou, the man who poisoned Zhonglin, until his anger eases.
• Mao Yi and Mao Yonghong fear their mother’s affair will lead Mao Qiantao to doubt their parentage. Their mother insists the boys are his and cites a blood-mingling test, but Jiang Nuan notes that such tests are unreliable.
• Mao Qiantao whispers something to the woman and her sons; all three are devastated and taken away, leaving Han Xingzhou behind.
• Jiang Nuan realizes Han is smug because he has planted evidence in the general’s study and bedroom to frame Mao Qiantao for colluding with an enemy state. He has also arranged for investigators to arrive soon.
• Jiang Nuan warns Mao Qiantao indirectly, blaming her knowledge on Storybooks. Mao immediately orders his men to search the residence, causing Han’s composure—and confidence—to falter.

Character developments and interactions

• Mao Qiantao shifts from joy over his son’s recovery and romantic prospects to fury at Han, then to alert resolve when Jiang Nuan warns him.
• Han drops his submissive manner once he believes he will die, but his confidence cracks when Jiang Nuan’s warning threatens his scheme.
• Mao Yi and Yonghong try to preserve their standing as Mao’s sons, while their mother focuses on protecting them.
• Jiang Nuan uses her unusual insight to protect Mao Qiantao, and Mao trusts her warning enough to act at once.

Significant themes

• Family, lineage, and legitimacy: The affair and disputed parentage threaten the General’s household.
• Loyalty and betrayal: Han’s long-term infiltration and planned framing reveal the danger of a trusted subordinate turning against his superior.
• Foreknowledge and intervention: Jiang Nuan’s knowledge of Han’s plans lets her avert a political disaster.
• Composure under pressure: Han’s carefully maintained confidence breaks when his scheme is exposed.

Key plot points and events

• Mao Qiantao confronts Han Xingzhou with a box of forged letters intended to make it appear Mao had colluded with an enemy nation. Mao pretends he knew about Han’s scheme all along, prompting Han to confess and reveal how thoroughly he had imitated Mao’s handwriting and style.
• Jiang Nuan realizes Mao’s claim does not fit what she knows about the affair between his concubine and a guard. Mao understands that his bluff has worked on Han but left Jiang with a very wrong impression of him.
• Mao discovers the letters describe battles in which his victories were imperfect or costly. He burns them, then has the other planted evidence destroyed before officials arrive to search the residence.
• Officials report that someone has accused Mao of treason and drawn a crowd to the Court of Judicial Review. Mao calmly agrees to a search; the officers find nothing and leave.
• Han, watching his plan collapse, loses his composure and threatens the guards. Mao orders him taken away, partly to protect the Ninth Princess.
• Grateful to Jiang Nuan for warning him, Mao gives her gold ingots. She accepts them enthusiastically.

Character developments and interactions

• Mao Qiantao uses a bluff to unsettle Han, then acts decisively to destroy the evidence and cooperate with the investigation. His gratitude toward Jiang Nuan is sincere, though his effort to appear generous also reveals his practical preference for gold over elegant gifts.
• Han Xingzhou shifts from confidence in his elaborate plot to terror, regret, and apparent madness when it fails.
• Jiang Nuan spots a contradiction in Mao’s story and privately misjudges him as having a strange sexual “penchant.” She also proves instrumental in protecting him and openly enjoys her reward.
• An Yan, watching the confrontation, discovers how entertaining other people’s drama can be.

Significant themes

• Deception and miscalculation: Han’s forged evidence is convincing, but Mao’s bluff and Jiang Nuan’s insight disrupt his plan.
• Appearance versus reality: Mao acts as though he had long known the truth, while Han mistakes a last-minute performance for deliberate control.
• Loyalty, justice, and reputation: The treason accusation threatens Mao’s name, but the missing evidence allows the investigation to end without incriminating him.
• Humor amid danger: Jiang Nuan’s mistaken interpretation and Mao’s awkwardness, followed by her eager acceptance of the gold, lighten the tense confrontation.

Key plot points and events

• After the dispute at the General’s Residence, Jiang Nuan divides the gold she recovered with An Yan, presenting An Yan’s half as an investment in her business ideas.
• An Yan identifies a well-situated jewelry shop with poor sales as a promising opportunity. They visit and ask to buy it, but the shopkeeper refuses, explaining that he is only an employee and cannot reveal the owner’s identity.
• Guagua tells Jiang Nuan that the shop belongs to her Fourth Brother, the Fourth Prince. Jiang Nuan is confident she can persuade him to hand it over and reassures An Yan.
• Jiang Nuan is called back to the palace, where Emperor Jiang Yunsheng introduces Chunhua and Qiuyue as her new personal maids. Both are highly skilled martial artists, and he insists they accompany her outside the palace.
• Back at the Lotus Palace, Jiang Nuan looks at the two maids and has a sudden idea; the chapter ends before she reveals it.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan shows enthusiasm for turning her recovered money into a business venture and supports An Yan’s ambitions. Her trust in her Fourth Brother is absolute. She is also touched by her father’s protective gesture, though her thoughts still humorously reveal their complicated past.
• An Yan moves from being an observer of business to taking a concrete step toward entrepreneurship. She accepts Jiang Nuan’s investment and begins assessing potential opportunities.
• Jiang Yunsheng continues trying to repair his relationship with Jiang Nuan through practical care. He provides capable guards disguised as palace maids and hopes the gesture will improve his standing with her.
• Guagua supplies key information about the shop’s owner and the maids’ exceptional abilities, while Jiang Nuan’s private thoughts—and An Yan’s awareness of them—help guide their decisions.

Significant themes

• Female agency and entrepreneurship: Jiang Nuan’s financial support gives An Yan a chance to act on her commercial instincts.
• Family reconciliation through care: Jiang Yunsheng’s protection and Jiang Nuan’s gratitude suggest their relationship is gradually improving.
• Trust and loyalty: Jiang Nuan readily relies on her sister and Fourth Brother, while An Yan takes seriously the trust placed in her.
• Comedy through contrast: Jiang Nuan’s playful inner commentary contrasts with the serious business and palace matters around her.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan asks her martial-arts guards, Chunhua and Qiuyue, to help her make a cake, using their speed and strength to whip egg whites and cream by hand.
• She makes three small, imperfect cakes as a test, intending to prepare a fresh one for her fourth brother, Jiang Yehua, the next day.
• Chunhua and Jiang Nuan enjoy their cakes. Qiuyue initially refuses, distrustful of Jiang Nuan’s cooking, but changes her mind after discovering Chunhua secretly liked hers. She then eagerly eats the cake and asks to help make more.
• Jiang Nuan promises to save a cake for each guard when she makes more the following day.
• Jiang Nuan hopes to visit her fourth brother early the next morning, but sleeps too late and decides to see him after court instead.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan is resourceful, cheerful, and confident in her experiment. She is generous toward her guards and takes her late start in stride.
• Chunhua adapts readily to an unfamiliar domestic task and tries to hide how much she enjoys the cake, hoping to get Qiuyue’s portion.
• Qiuyue begins skeptical and resentful of her posting, but the cake wins her over. Her hunger for another serving reveals a playful, less guarded side.

Significant themes

• Martial skill put to unexpected use: The guards’ combat abilities become useful in an ordinary, amusing kitchen task.
• Trust and first impressions: Qiuyue assumes Jiang Nuan’s cooking will be poor, then revises her judgment after tasting it.
• Small acts of kindness: Jiang Nuan’s invitation and promise to share more cake help warm the relationship between her and the guards.

Character interactions

• Jiang Nuan gives Chunhua and Qiuyue clear kitchen instructions and treats their help appreciatively.
• Chunhua and Qiuyue whisper about the cake, with Chunhua misleading Qiuyue about its taste; their rivalry over the last serving turns into comic teasing.
• Jiang Nuan notices their disappointment and reassures both guards that they will get cake the next day.

Key plot points and events

• Ninth Princess Jiang Nuan enters the great hall and is thrilled to see the young Chancellor, Chi Hengji, whom she admired in her previous life.
• Her thoughts reveal that Chi is destined to die young and that his death will contribute to Great Xia’s decline. Officials initially mistake this to mean he will betray the dynasty, but Jiang Nuan clarifies that his service is so important that the court falls into chaos after he dies.
• Emperor Jiang Yunsheng orders physicians to examine Chi. They diagnose only a cold, but Jiang Nuan recalls that Chi has a lifelong congenital illness the doctors cannot detect.
• Jiang Nuan’s system, Guagua, explains that Chi has an exceptionally rare genetic disease. Though ordinary medicine cannot treat it, a medical book in Jiang Nuan’s transmigration supplies contains a possible cure. Jiang Nuan resolves to study it.
• After focusing on Chi, Jiang Nuan remembers she came to find her Fourth Brother, Prince Jiang Yehua. He is nearby and is surprised to learn she seems fond of him.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan shifts from excited admiration of Chi to concern for his fate, then hope when she learns a cure may exist. Her thoughts repeatedly affect the people around her.
• Chi Hengji briefly fears that he may be responsible for Great Xia’s downfall, then understands that his importance lies in his loyalty and service. He accepts his limited lifespan but gains hope when Jiang Nuan hints that his illness may be treatable.
• Emperor Jiang Yunsheng values Chi’s contributions and promptly seeks medical help, hoping that saving him might preserve the dynasty.
• Prince Jiang Chengze feels a moment of jealousy at Jiang Nuan’s praise of Chi, then sympathy and regret when he learns Chi may die even sooner than he will.
• Prince Jiang Yehua is surprised by Jiang Nuan’s apparent affection, since he does not recall having much connection with her.
• The Imperial Physicians panic when they fear their failure to diagnose Chi’s illness will anger the emperor, then feel relieved when Guagua explains the disease is beyond their era’s medical knowledge.

Significant themes

• Fate and the possibility of changing it: Chi’s foretold death may not be inevitable if Jiang Nuan can find and apply the treatment.
• Loyalty and legacy: Chi is no threat to Great Xia; his death would instead deprive the dynasty of a uniquely capable servant.
• Knowledge across time: Jiang Nuan’s future knowledge and the medical book offer solutions unavailable to the court’s physicians.
• The power of words and hidden thoughts: Jiang Nuan’s inner monologue repeatedly changes how others understand Chi and influences their actions.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan sees the Fifth Prince, Jiang Ruihui, and thinks with disgust about his future: he will kill or ruin his siblings, devastate Great Xia, and ultimately surrender to an invading enemy.
• The emperor, Jiang Yunsheng, and Jiang Yehua realize Jiang Ruihui is the future tyrant Jiang Nuan has described. The court’s ministers also turn against him, fearing his role in their deaths and the kingdom’s collapse.
• Jiang Ruihui dismisses Jiang Nuan’s warnings as nonsense, but her detailed account of his future leaves him frightened and unable to defend himself.
• Jiang Nuan hopes he might have been switched at birth, but her inner companion Guagua confirms he is the emperor’s biological son.
• The emperor has Jiang Ruihui taken away by imperial physicians, with lifelong confinement appearing to be his likely fate.
• The emperor then summons Jiang Ruihui’s teachers, Qu Weide and Han Yaou. Jiang Nuan recalls that Ruihui later has them executed on fabricated charges. The two men realize their reputations and lives are in danger.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan continues to expose the future through her unfiltered inner thoughts. Her hatred of Ruihui is intense, and she vents it privately to Guagua.
• Jiang Yunsheng shifts from searching for the future threat to confronting the possibility that it is his own son. Though disappointed and alarmed, he still shows Ruihui a trace of familial mercy by ordering him removed rather than immediately executed.
• Jiang Yehua learns that Ruihui may be responsible for his death and becomes more curious and wary of his younger brother.
• Jiang Ruihui goes from dismissing Jiang Nuan as an irritating child to recognizing that the court has turned against him and fearing her seemingly impossible knowledge.
• Qu Weide and Han Yaou are caught in suspicion because they are Ruihui’s appointed teachers. They silently plead for Jiang Nuan’s thoughts to clarify their innocence, but learn that Ruihui will later have them killed regardless.

Significant themes

• Foreknowledge and accountability: Jiang Nuan’s revelations make Ruihui’s alleged future crimes a present political crisis.
• Family loyalty versus justice: The emperor’s blood ties temper his response, even as the court sees Ruihui as a threat.
• Reputation and suspicion: The teachers are endangered by their association with Ruihui, despite denying responsibility for his conduct.
• The cost of bad leadership: Jiang Nuan’s vision links Ruihui’s personal failures to the suffering of officials, ordinary people, and the entire realm.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan learns why Fifth Prince Jiang Ruihui would eventually kill his teachers: they taught him moral principles rather than how to compete for the throne, and he blamed them for obstructing his ambitions.
• The teachers, Hu Junchen and Qiu Chenwei, had once tried to recruit Fourth Prince Jiang Yehua. They abandoned the effort when they found he cared only about helping the Crown Prince, Jiang Chengze, succeed.
• Jiang Yunsheng, persuaded by Jiang Nuan’s confidence in her brother, appoints the two scholars as Jiang Yehua’s teachers. They accept eagerly, hoping the connection will keep them safe.
• Guagua reveals that Jiang Yehua has quietly helped his siblings and the Crown Prince, including secretly providing grain for disaster relief. He has done so simply because he considers helping family natural.
• Despite having no political designs, Jiang Yehua has unknowingly gained a substantial following at court: ministers mistake his straightforward remarks and thoughtful silences for hidden schemes.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan shows her trust in Jiang Yehua and uses her insights to influence her father’s decision.
• Jiang Yehua emerges as kind, guileless, and devoted to his siblings and the Crown Prince. His serious-looking face causes others to misread him.
• Jiang Chengze is touched to learn how steadfastly his brother supports him.
• Jiang Yunsheng continues to trust Jiang Nuan’s inner thoughts and acts on her recommendation.
• Hu Junchen and Qiu Chenwei are shown to be self-serving political operators, while the teachers who trained Jiang Ruihui are revealed to have helped isolate him from other potential instructors.

Significant themes

• Misread intentions: Jiang Ruihui interprets principled teaching as hostility, while ministers mistake Jiang Yehua’s sincerity for strategy.
• Family loyalty and affection: Jiang Yehua’s quiet acts of support reflect his longing for the closeness he was denied as a child.
• The danger of political ambition: Characters’ assumptions and maneuvering can create conflicts—and factions—even when someone has no desire for power.
• Irony and gossip: Jiang Nuan and Guagua’s playful revelations expose the gap between how people appear and what they truly intend.

Character interactions

• Jiang Nuan’s confidence in Jiang Yehua reassures the others that he poses no threat to the Crown Prince.
• Jiang Yunsheng’s appointment gives Jiang Yehua two new teachers, whom he welcomes as potential guides.
• Jiang Chengze learns of his brother’s hidden generosity and feels grateful.
• Jiang Nuan eagerly presses Guagua for details about Jiang Yehua, while Jiang Yehua becomes uneasy at the prospect of his private life being exposed.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan reveals that court factions secretly favor the Fourth Prince, Jiang Yehua, or the Fifth Prince, Jiang Ruihui. Jiang Yehua is stunned and insists inwardly that he is unfit to rule; Emperor Jiang Yunsheng is equally surprised by how little he understood his son.
• Jiang Nuan notes that many officials backing Jiang Ruihui later suffer when enemy forces invade: some are robbed, while others are hunted down. With the treasury nearly empty, she wonders whether the emperor should confiscate corrupt officials’ wealth.
• Her companion Guagua identifies Revenue Minister Qiu Rongri as a misleading possibility, then names Deputy Revenue Minister You Fengzhe as the real culprit. You’s extravagance includes slaughtering 300 chickens just to serve their tongues.
• Guagua reveals that You embezzles heavily from disaster relief and military pay, leaving disaster victims with little aid and soldiers short of food. It also discloses that You concealed his stolen silver inside Pure Brahma Temple.
• Jiang Yunsheng’s anger hardens into resolve, suggesting that You and other corrupt officials will face investigation and punishment.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yehua learns that ministers support his claim to the throne, but his disbelief and self-doubt contrast with their secret political maneuvering.
• Jiang Yunsheng reassesses his son and, despite being tempted by the prospect of seizing corrupt wealth, restrains himself before responding to the revelations about You.
• Jiang Nuan uses her inner thoughts to uncover political allegiances and corruption, while remaining concerned about ordinary people.
• You Fengzhe, who has tried to avoid attention, is exposed in open court. Qiu Rongri is briefly alarmed when named, then relieved when Guagua clarifies that he is not the corrupt official.
• The officials react with anxiety, embarrassment, or suspicion as hidden loyalties and crimes come to light.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: You looks stern and upright, yet is deeply corrupt.
• Political ambition and its consequences: Court factions choose sides, often without the supposed candidate’s knowledge, and backing the losing side can prove dangerous.
• Corruption’s human cost: Embezzled relief funds and military pay harm civilians and weaken the army.
• Justice and public resources: The chapter raises the question of recovering stolen wealth to help an impoverished state, while showing the emperor’s need to temper temptation with reason.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan and Guagua consider secretly taking You Fengzhe’s silver, but postpone the plan because rain will prevent their trip to Jingfan Temple that night. Jiang Nuan instead focuses on finding a prescription for Chancellor Chi and preparing cakes for Fourth Brother Jiang Yehua.
• After court, Jiang Nuan welcomes Yehua back and invites him to the Hibiscus Pavilion. She makes cream cakes and sends them to her family and friends, including the emperor, Crown Prince, Empress, Jiang Chengze, Xiao Xiao, and An Yan. She also shares cakes with her maids, Chunhua and Qiuyue.
• Yehua praises the unfamiliar dessert and suggests it could be popular in the capital. He gives Jiang Nuan several deeds to shops he owns, offering to absorb any losses and benefit if her venture succeeds.
• Jiang Nuan discovers that one deed is for a shop she and An Yan already wanted. She accepts the properties as an investment and eagerly plans to start a business.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan shows affection through food and generosity, while also revealing her ambition to turn her cooking into a business. Her busy plans—and her wish to make a cake for Yehua—make her brothers playfully compete for her attention.
• Jiang Yehua quickly warms to his younger sister. His gift is an act of support intended to make her happy, not a calculated investment.
• Jiang Yunsheng feels jealous when Yehua seems to outrank him in Jiang Nuan’s affections, but is pleased when he receives a cake. Jiang Chengze likewise worries about losing his place, then feels reassured by her gift.
• Xiao Xiao loves the cake and considers making something for Jiang Nuan, but decides she is better suited to embroidering clothes. An Yan, moved by being remembered, cries with happiness. Chunhua and Qiuyue are delighted to receive cakes too.
• Chi Hengji quietly considers how he might repay Jiang Nuan if she finds a cure for him, thinking money would suit her needs.

Significant themes

• Family affection and belonging: Small gestures, such as sharing food, reassure characters that they are valued.
• Generosity and mutual support: Yehua gives Jiang Nuan the means to pursue her idea, while she treats the deeds as an investment and promises to share the profits.
• Ambition and opportunity: Jiang Nuan’s creativity turns a dessert into a possible business venture.
• Humor and playful rivalry: Her brothers’ jealousy, Guagua’s eagerness for silver, and Jiang Nuan’s packed schedule lend the chapter a light, comic tone.