Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• After court, Ning Ziteng heads home expecting a visit from Jia Tong, his childhood sweetheart. Xiang Zhan follows, ostensibly to protect him from being swayed by her, though he clearly wants to watch the drama.
• A crowd of ministers accompanies them. Ning gives up trying to send them away, provides stools, and even serves them food while they wait.
• Princess Jiang Nuan secretly climbs the wall to watch. Her inner thoughts—heard by the ministers—build anticipation, while Guagua announces that Jia Tong is about to arrive.
• Jia Tong arrives with her husband and children, claiming to have saved Ning’s life. The ministers are disappointed that she is not the stunning beauty they imagined.
• Jia tries to greet Ning with familiarity and physical affection, but he backs away and reminds her that they have been apart for years and that she has a husband and children.
• When Jia asks to speak privately and then requests his help, Ning immediately refuses before she can explain.

Character developments

• Ning Ziteng has shed his idealized view of Jia. Now clear-eyed and wary, he rejects her attempts at closeness and refuses to help her.
• Jia Tong appears unsettled when Ning treats her coldly, suggesting she expected him to remain devoted and compliant.
• Xiang Zhan acts as a teasing, enthusiastic spectator rather than a discreet friend.
• Jiang Nuan remains an eager observer, while her thoughts unintentionally expose the gathering’s purpose and make Ning feel unfairly blamed.

Significant themes

• Disillusionment and changed perceptions: Ning’s former admiration for Jia gives way to distrust once his romanticized view is broken.
• Public gossip and embarrassment: Ning’s personal encounter becomes entertainment for a crowd of colleagues.
• Manipulation and self-interest: Jia’s visit appears connected to a request for help, while her husband has come hoping Ning’s influence will benefit him.
• Private thoughts versus public behavior: Jiang Nuan’s inner commentary shapes the crowd’s expectations, even though she is watching from the wall.

Character interactions

• Xiang teases Ning about the embarrassing name “Lord Du” and follows him to witness the encounter.
• The ministers watch, gossip, and wait together; Jiang Nuan’s thoughts reach them without her speaking aloud.
• Jia tries to revive old intimacy, but Ning firmly keeps his distance.
• Jia’s husband watches their exchange with suspicion and hope, while Ning refuses both a private conversation and her unspoken request.

Key plot points and events

• Jia Tong demands money and help from Ning Ziteng, claiming she once saved his life and threatening to damage his reputation if he refuses.
• Ning exposes her story: he had landed safely on a tree, and Jia Tong had searched for the precious taisui he carried rather than helping him. He also rejects her appeal to childhood friendship, pointing out they had never been close.
• Ning has Jia Tong, her husband, and their child escorted out, then dismisses his official guests. Jiang Nuan leaves with Chunhua and Qiuyue.
• Back at the separate residence, Jiang Nuan finds the ingredients and equipment ready for hot pot. She prepares a divided pot of spicy chili-oil broth and mild mushroom broth, with food for both the family and the household staff.
• An Yan, Yun Shining, Jiang Chengze, and Jiang Yehua join the meal. Yun Shining initially struggles with the spicy broth but soon enjoys it, eating most of the remaining ingredients. Jiang Chengze ends by asking Jiang Yehua whether the pot gives him ideas.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Ziteng shows greater discernment and firmness than Jiang Nuan expected. He refuses Jia Tong’s manipulation, calmly challenges her claims, and warns her against spreading rumors.
• Jia Tong shifts from guilt-tripping Ning with a supposed life debt to invoking their shared past, but neither tactic works. Her startled reaction confirms his accusation.
• Jiang Nuan brings the group together through her inventive cooking and thoughtfully provides both spicy and mild options.
• Yun Shining goes from suspicion of the unfamiliar meal to enthusiastic participation, apologizing after mistaking Jiang Nuan’s advice about warm water for a prank.
• An Yan and the others eagerly enjoy the hot pot; their differing tolerance for spice adds humor to the meal.

Significant themes

• Seeing through manipulation: Ning refuses to let obligation, threats, or nostalgia override the truth.
• Trust and reputation: Jia Tong’s attempt to use public gossip as leverage fails when Ning stands his ground.
• Shared enjoyment and invention: Jiang Nuan’s hot pot turns a new culinary idea into a lively communal gathering.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Chengze notices that Jiang Nuan’s divided iron pot is made from unusually strong, high-quality metal. She explains that she commissioned the pot and kitchen knives and helped a craftsman improve iron production with plans for a recirculating furnace.
• Jiang Chengze and Jiang Yehua test a kitchen knife against an ordinary dagger. The knife splits the dagger without being damaged, revealing that it outperforms many of the army’s blades.
• Jiang Nuan agrees to share the manufacturing method with the army. Jiang Chengze promises she will be fairly compensated.
• An Yan suggests opening a Hot Pot restaurant, but Jiang Nuan explains that its costly, scarce seasonings make the idea impractical for now.
• Jiang Chengze takes two knives to Emperor Jiang Yunsheng, who recognizes their military value. He orders Jiang Chengze to bring Jiang Nuan to the army’s year-end inspection the next day.
• The chapter ends with Jiang Chengze inviting Jiang Nuan to visit the army.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan is generous with her inventions and readily agrees to help strengthen the army. Her practical judgment also shows when she rejects An Yan’s restaurant idea because ingredients are too expensive and limited.
• Jiang Chengze recognizes the weapons’ potential and quickly brings the discovery to the emperor, turning Jiang Nuan’s craftwork into a matter of military importance.
• Jiang Yehua initially sees nothing special about the pot, but notices its superior material after Jiang Chengze prompts him.
• An Yan spots the commercial opportunity in Hot Pot, while Jiang Nuan gives her a realistic reason it cannot yet be pursued.
• Emperor Jiang Yunsheng is impressed by Jiang Nuan’s abilities and sees the army inspection as a chance to make use of them. He also reflects on the corruption uncovered through her earlier talent for exposing court gossip.

Significant themes

• Ingenuity and practical innovation: A household pot and kitchen knives reveal advances that could improve military equipment.
• Public service and personal benefit: Jiang Nuan’s invention could strengthen Great Xia’s army, while Jiang Chengze ensures she will be compensated.
• Opportunity constrained by resources: Hot Pot may be popular, but scarce, expensive seasonings prevent it from becoming a viable business for now.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Chengze takes Jiang Nuan to a military camp with Jiang Yunsheng, where they watch Great Xia’s infantry and cavalry demonstrate their skills.
• Jiang Nuan is impressed by the soldiers but has no useful tactical advice to offer.
• During the cavalry display, she realizes Great Xia’s horses have neither saddles nor horseshoes. She reasons that horseshoes could prevent hoof wear and help preserve costly warhorses; saddles may also improve riding.
• Jiang Yunsheng recognizes the military value of these inventions and is delighted. After the visit, Jiang Nuan finds instructions for both in her time-traveler’s guidebook.
• Realizing she lacks the people needed to develop all her ideas, Jiang Nuan decides to give the saddle and horseshoe project to her Crown Prince brother and seek skilled craftsmen.
• Her guide, Guagua, tells her about the Black Earth School, a craft-focused group whose relationship with the ruling dynasty is strained because its founders refused to help Great Xia’s founders and Jiang Nuan’s grandfather later suppressed the school.
• Despite the risk of rejection, Jiang Nuan decides to approach them.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan is curious and enthusiastic, but recognizes the limits of her knowledge. She turns her observations into practical ideas and shows growing ambition to organize help for her projects. Her decision to contact the Black Earth School also reflects concern for the group’s survival, not just her own needs.
• Jiang Yunsheng watches closely for Nuan’s insights. He is initially disappointed that she offers no military assessment, but becomes excited when she identifies the potential value of horseshoes and saddles. He affectionately calls her his “lucky star.”
• Jiang Chengze encourages Nuan’s interest by taking her to see the army.
• Guagua supplies historical context, warning Nuan that the Black Earth School may distrust the royal family.

Significant themes

• Practical innovation: Careful observation reveals simple technologies that could have major military benefits.
• Knowledge and its limits: Nuan is eager to help but knows her modern experience does not make her an expert in warfare or craftsmanship.
• Cooperation and institutional mistrust: Advancing her ideas will require skilled collaborators, but past political conflict stands in the way.
• Preserving overlooked knowledge: Nuan wants to give the Black Earth School a chance rather than let its tradition fade away.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan searches Capital City for members of the persecuted Black Earth School. Guagua points her toward a street where artisans gather, where she meets shopkeeper Zhuang Leyou.
• When Jiang Nuan thinks about the Black Earth School, Guagua reveals that Zhuang knows one of its members. Jiang Nuan asks about Jiao Chengwang, but Zhuang initially denies knowing him and tries to send her away.
• Jiang Nuan says she wants to help the school. Zhuang realizes she is a princess and eagerly takes her to a remote village, where his close friend Jiao lies unconscious.
• Zhuang explains that Jiao was once the school’s most gifted member and a possible future leader, but an accident left him incapacitated. A physician believes a specific medicinal catalyst—kept in the imperial palace—is needed to cure him. Jiang Nuan agrees to try to obtain it.
• Jiao’s uncle arrives and angrily declares that he will never reconcile with the imperial court. Zhuang introduces Jiang Nuan as a distant relative’s child, concealing her identity to avoid raising hopes prematurely.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan shows persistence, compassion, and confidence that she can use her royal connections to help the Black Earth School. She is surprised that Zhuang recognizes her status.
• Zhuang Leyou shifts from suspicion to trust and hope once he realizes Jiang Nuan is a princess. His loyalty to Jiao is clear, and he cautiously protects Jiao’s uncle from disappointment.
• Jiao Chengwang remains unconscious, but his former talent and importance to the school are established.
• Jiao’s uncle expresses deep hostility toward the imperial court, underscoring the school’s bitterness over its persecution.
• Guagua helps Jiang Nuan locate the right lead, while Zhuang serves as her guide and introduces her to the school’s urgent need.

Significant themes

• Compassion amid political conflict: Jiang Nuan seeks to help people harmed by imperial policy.
• Distrust and reconciliation: Jiao’s uncle’s anger contrasts with Jiang Nuan’s willingness to assist.
• Hope tempered by caution: The needed medicine may offer a path to Jiao’s recovery, but Zhuang avoids promising too much before Jiang Nuan can deliver.

Key plot points and events

• Zhuang Leyou explains that Jiao Ping had opposed making peace with the court, despite his son Jiao Chengwang needing a medicinal catalyst only the court could provide. He distrusted the emperor and felt the Black Earth School would betray its resistance by submitting.
• Jiang Nuan obtains the catalyst from Jiang Yehua, who gives it to her readily. Jiao Chengwang takes the medicine and wakes that night.
• Jiang Nuan approaches Jiao Ping with a proposal for the Capital City branch of the Black Earth School to submit to the court and work with her. She offers blueprints for new inventions, future designs, financial rewards, and prestigious titles for exceptional contributors.
• She also proposes officially elevating one submitting branch to lead the Black Earth School throughout the realm. Jiao Ping agrees to consult his community.
• After reviewing Jiang Nuan’s offer, Jiao Yu and the other members support submission, partly to gain an advantage before the Jiangnan and other branches arrive. Jiao Ping informs Jiang Nuan that the group has agreed.
• News of the Capital City branch’s decision causes an uproar among the Black Earth School’s other branches.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan shifts from helping Jiao Chengwang recover to using the opportunity to recruit the Black Earth School. She proves pragmatic and strategic, combining material incentives with rivalry between branches.
• Jiao Ping changes from a firm opponent of reconciliation to supporting submission after his son is saved and Jiang Nuan presents the potential benefits.
• Jiao Yu initially doubts Jiao Ping’s sudden reversal but quickly becomes enthusiastic about securing Capital City’s position.
• Zhuang Leyou explains Jiao Ping’s motives to Jiang Nuan, while Jiang Nuan’s informal manner makes their conversation easy and familiar.

Significant themes

• Pragmatism over principle: Jiao Ping’s stance changes when cooperation offers a practical future for his son and school.
• Incentives and ambition: Jiang Nuan uses rewards, recognition, and competition to encourage innovation and political loyalty.
• Power through influence: Rather than relying on force, she seeks to bring the school under the court’s authority by offering opportunity and shaping its leadership.
• Legacy and historical memory: Jiang Nuan hopes the Capital City branch will survive rather than disappear, while her plan to privilege one branch risks dividing the wider school.

Key plot points and events

• After court, Jiang Nuan visits the Black Earth School members to discuss moving them from their remote lodgings. She arrives to find Jiao Ping arguing with Xue Jian, a representative of another branch.
• Xue condemns Jiao Ping for submitting to the imperial court and threatens to expel his branch. Jiao counters that other branches abandoned Capital City’s members when the imperial authorities were suppressing them, and reminds Xue’s group that they refused to help.
• Jiang Nuan decides not to intervene—but her private conversation with Guagua is apparently heard by everyone. Guagua reveals embarrassing details about both men: Xue wrote a popular explicit novel, while Jiao illustrated risqué books.
• The revelations mortify both men and distract everyone so thoroughly that the confrontation fizzles out. When a young man asks why Jiang Nuan has come, she asks Jiao Ping to explain.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiao Ping shifts from anger at Xue’s hypocrisy to amusement when Xue’s secret is exposed, then is embarrassed when Guagua reveals his own.
• Xue Jian, initially self-righteous and dignified, is exposed as the author of an indecent bestseller. Though humiliated, he takes some comfort in Jiao being embarrassed too.
• Jiang Nuan remains an amused observer rather than trying to mediate directly. Her casual inner commentary—and Guagua’s gossip—accidentally breaks up the fight.
• The two branches’ members begin in open hostility but end in awkward silence, united by their embarrassment and unease about Jiang Nuan’s seemingly audible thoughts. Jiao Chengwang and Zhuang Leyou also arrive and react with surprise.

Significant themes

• Hypocrisy and abandonment: Jiao challenges the other branch’s moral accusations by recalling how they refused to help Capital City during its persecution.
• The power of gossip and embarrassment: Private scandals prove more effective than direct intervention at defusing the argument.
• Comedy through contrast: The men’s respectable appearances clash with their secret involvement in risqué books, turning a tense confrontation into farce.

Key plot points and events

• Jiao Ping presents Xue Jian with the imperial court’s rewards for submission, including the prospect of high rank and wealth.
• Xue Jian tries to appear unimpressed, but the offer—and especially a set of technological blueprints—quickly wins him over. He refuses to return the blueprints and promptly claims he has always supported the court.
• Jiao Ping lets him keep one blueprint, on the condition that he research it and persuade arriving members of the Black Earth School to submit as well.
• Xue Jian asks to see Jiao Ping’s chosen blueprint, but Jiao Ping refuses. Xue Jian then realizes Jiang Nuan supplied the designs.
• Jiang Nuan says more blueprints will be available once the current projects are completed. Xue Jian eagerly accepts the challenge and looks forward to converting his fellow sect members.

Character developments and interactions

• Xue Jian shifts from proud resistance to enthusiastic cooperation as soon as he sees the rewards and designs. His shameless reversal and competitive pride are played for humor; he is also energized by the chance to conduct research.
• Jiao Ping remains calm and teasing, using Xue Jian’s greed and pride to secure his cooperation. Their long familiarity fuels their sharp, antagonistic banter.
• Jiang Nuan emerges as the source of the blueprints and as someone with a much larger supply of plans. Her confidence gives Xue Jian a new incentive to serve the court.

Significant themes

• Pragmatism over principle: Material rewards and access to knowledge swiftly overcome Xue Jian’s stated opposition.
• Power of innovation: The blueprints make submission valuable not only politically but also intellectually and practically.
• Persuasion through pride and opportunity: Jiao Ping turns Xue Jian’s ambition into a tool for bringing others into the fold.
• Comic hypocrisy: Xue Jian’s instant change of allegiance highlights the gap between his earlier declarations and his actual priorities.

Plot points and events

• After Xue Jian pledges allegiance to Jiang Nuan, she offers Jiao Ping and the other Black Earth School members a new place to live and work. They eagerly accept, and she also gives Xue Jian’s group rooms nearby.
• Jiao Ping and Xue Jian remain rivals. Xue Jian spies on Jiao Ping and discovers that he is nearly finished with a project based on Jiang Nuan’s blueprint, hoping it will earn his branch leadership of the school.
• Their competition inspires both groups to work late into the night. Jiang Nuan checks on them and is satisfied that they are working hard.
• Jiang Nuan visits An Yan, where the first batch of glass ornaments is ready. They unveil a flawless, half-meter-tall Glazed Coral Tree. Pleased with its beauty, Jiang Nuan considers how to promote it and decides the imperial palace—especially her father—could help.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan acts as a practical patron, providing housing and resources while planning to turn the glassworks into a profitable venture. She also shows her knack for inventive marketing.
• Jiao Ping eagerly accepts Jiang Nuan’s support and is secretly ambitious to gain recognition and leadership for his branch.
• Xue Jian remains competitive and suspicious, but his rivalry with Jiao Ping pushes him to focus on his work.
• An Yan has shifted from running the shop to producing glass and is confident in the quality of the new ornaments.

Themes and interactions

• Rivalry as motivation: Jiao Ping and Xue Jian’s hostility drives both groups—and eventually the newcomers—to work harder.
• Patronage and productivity: Jiang Nuan supports her future workers with housing and facilities, expecting their talents to help her projects.
• Innovation and commerce: The beautiful glass tree represents a new product, while Jiang Nuan’s plan to use palace influence highlights the role of promotion in selling it.
• Character interactions: Jiang Nuan treats both rival groups generously; Jiao Ping and Xue Jian exchange mutual resentment; and Jiang Nuan and An Yan share confidence in the glasswork’s commercial potential.

Key events

• Jiang Nuan attends her first New Year’s Eve banquet with her family, delighted to feel she is no longer alone. She arrives with Jiang Chengze and Jiang Yehua in a festive red outfit, carrying an awkwardly embroidered sachet from Xiao Xiao that she treasures.
• Her siblings watch her with curiosity, wondering why their father favors her so much. She meets her toddler brother, Jiang Gaoyan, and is quickly charmed by him.
• Jiang Nuan remembers that Gaoyan will die before age five. When Consort Rou accidentally breaks her tableware, Jiang Nuan assumes she is unwell, but privately recalls that Consort Rou later dies after losing her son.
• Through Guagua, Jiang Nuan learns that Gaoyan is exceptionally gifted and that Jiang Ruihui arranged his drowning, fearing he might threaten his claim to the throne. Jiang Nuan is furious.
• Consort Rou, sensing the danger her son faces, resolves to become stronger and protect him.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan’s happiness at sharing the holiday with family contrasts with her grief and anger over Gaoyan’s fate. She shows immediate warmth toward him, indulging him with a pastry and making room for him beside her.
• Gaoyan is affectionate and innocent: he calls Jiang Nuan “Sister,” briefly sulks when she pinches his cheek, then returns to play with her.
• Consort Rou moves from gentle restraint to quiet determination after recognizing that her son may need her protection. Her tender bond with Gaoyan is shown when he instinctively reaches for her after she breaks the dishes.
• Jiang Yehua gently cautions Jiang Nuan to slow down, while Jiang Yunsheng graciously excuses Consort Rou and has her tableware replaced.
• Jiang Ruihui is revealed as a ruthless threat who is willing to murder a small child for political advantage.

Significant themes

• Family and belonging: The banquet marks Jiang Nuan’s first holiday surrounded by family.
• A mother’s love and resolve: Consort Rou’s devotion to Gaoyan gives her the will to resist danger.
• Innocence threatened by ambition: Gaoyan’s talent makes him a target in the struggle for succession.
• Fate, memory, and anger: Jiang Nuan’s knowledge of future tragedy turns an affectionate family moment into a source of grief—and a possible warning of the danger ahead.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan and Jiang Yunsheng reflect on Jiang Ruihui’s attempt to harm five-year-old Jiang Gaoyan by pushing him into a pool. Jiang Yunsheng decides Ruihui should remain alive to face punishment, and his last remaining affection for him disappears.
• Consort Rou thanks Jiang Nuan and invites her to spend time with Gaoyan. Jiang Nuan agrees, and her other siblings begin approaching her too, exchanging New Year gifts with her.
• At the palace banquet, Jiang Nuan presents the emperor with a glass Glazed Coral Tree she made herself. Its beauty astonishes the guests and inspires a sudden craze for glassware. An Yan’s previously quiet shop sells out, prompting her to make more.
• Jiang Nuan notices her sickly Ninth Imperial Uncle, Jiang Yan, is present without his wife. Guagua reveals that the couple’s quarrel began after the wife’s elder sister interfered and stirred up jealousy over Jiang Yan’s supposed “white moonlight.” The wife left for a temple, while Jiang Yan remains troubled.
• Jiang Nuan questions whether Jiang Yan truly lacks feelings for his wife. Her observation makes him wonder if he has already developed feelings for her.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yunsheng becomes resolute in punishing Jiang Ruihui, viewing continued life as a harsher consequence than death.
• Consort Rou grows grateful to Jiang Nuan and encourages a friendship between her and Gaoyan. Jiang Nuan, in turn, warms to the boy.
• Jiang Nuan strengthens her ties with her siblings and demonstrates her ingenuity through the glass gift, which unexpectedly boosts An Yan’s business.
• Jiang Yan appears distracted and emotionally unsettled; hearing Jiang Nuan’s thoughts prompts him to reconsider his feelings for his absent wife.
• Guagua supplies the gossip that draws the banquet guests’ attention, including Jiang Yan’s, despite his attempt to appear indifferent.

Significant themes

• Justice and cruelty: Jiang Ruihui’s actions destroy his father’s remaining affection and invite deliberate punishment.
• Family bonds: Gratitude, gift-giving, and Jiang Nuan’s growing relationships contrast with the family conflict surrounding Jiang Ruihui and Jiang Yan.
• Ingenuity and influence: Jiang Nuan’s craftsmanship turns a palace gift into a citywide commercial sensation.
• Love and miscommunication: Jiang Yan and his wife’s relationship is strained by jealousy and outside interference, while Jiang Nuan’s questions expose a possible gap between his feelings and his understanding of them.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan’s “Gossip System” reveals that Prince You, Jiang Yan, and his wife, Yueyi, first became pen pals after admiring each other’s poems in the Peach Blossom Garden.
• Jiang Yan was already engaged to Yueyi’s legitimate-born elder sister. When the late emperor refused to let him end the engagement, the Duke’s Mansion exploited a loophole and substituted Yueyi, a concubine-born daughter, for her sister. The family then cut Yueyi off.
• Before the wedding, Yueyi’s sister forged a farewell note that made Jiang Yan believe his poetic confidante had died. After marrying Yueyi, he failed to realize she was the woman he had loved through their letters.
• When Yueyi tried to reveal the truth, Jiang Yan—drunk and convinced she was deceiving him—scolded and rejected her. They endured a year-long cold war. Though he eventually came to love her, he continued to treat her inconsistently.
• In the present, a shared poem sparks another misunderstanding: Jiang Yan assumes Yueyi is imitating his lost “white moonlight.” Her sister deliberately worsens the conflict, prompting Yueyi to leave for Stillness Temple.
• Yueyi has now prepared divorce papers. Jiang Yan learns that she was his long-lost correspondent just as he discovers she may leave him.

Character developments

• Jiang Yan is exposed as a devoted but prideful and emotionally avoidant man. He regrets his past cruelty, but has repeatedly failed to listen or recognize the truth.
• Yueyi is revealed as Jiang Yan’s former poetic soulmate, as well as a patient wife who has finally grown tired of his behavior and is prepared to end the marriage.
• Jiang Nuan reacts with anger and sharp humor, condemning Jiang Yan’s refusal to communicate and strongly supporting Yueyi’s choice to divorce.
• Jiang Yunsheng is reminded of his old resentment toward Jiang Yan, whose favor with the late emperor once threatened his own position.
• Yueyi’s elder sister emerges as a spiteful instigator who interferes in the couple’s relationship.

Significant themes

• Misunderstandings grow when people refuse to communicate or listen.
• Romantic devotion can become harmful when idealization and pride prevent someone from seeing the person beside them.
• Yueyi’s story highlights the vulnerability of women treated as bargaining pieces by their families, as well as the importance of setting limits.
• Jiang Nuan’s modern, blunt perspective contrasts with the court’s traditional expectation that a wife should simply endure her husband’s behavior.

Character interactions

• Jiang Nuan mentally rebukes Jiang Yan while the assembled court silently hears the revelations; Jiang Yan recognizes his mistakes but is devastated by the prospect of losing Yueyi.
• The chapter also recalls the late emperor’s favor toward Jiang Yan and the resulting tension between Jiang Yan and Jiang Yunsheng.
• Yueyi’s sister’s interference turns the couple’s latest misunderstanding into a crisis, while Jiang Nuan sides decisively with Yueyi.

Plot and events

• Furious at her imperial uncle Jiang Yan’s history of foolish marital misunderstandings, Jiang Nuan decides to write a novel based on his and her aunt’s relationship. She also wants to use fiction—and traveling storytellers—to spread useful ideas to people who cannot read.
• She plans to include An Laiyun’s story as well, so readers will condemn his father for the injustice done to An Yan. Jiang Yan is relieved to have company in the novel, while An Laiyun is angry but keeps quiet after Jiang Yunsheng warns him with a look. The ministers privately fear that their secrets might also become story material.
• The mood shifts when Jiang Gaoyan begins choking. Jiang Nuan recognizes the danger and directs Chunhua through a Heimlich maneuver. After several attempts, the prince expels the food and recovers.
• Imperial Physician Sun confirms that Jiang Gaoyan is safe and asks Jiang Nuan to help spread the choking-relief technique. She agrees and realizes she can also collect other first-aid methods in a booklet.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan turns her anger into a creative plan, combining entertainment with public education.
• Jiang Yan’s embarrassment gives way to relief when he learns An Laiyun will also be included.
• An Laiyun resents the prospect of being portrayed, but defers to Jiang Yunsheng.
• Consort Rou is terrified by her son’s choking and relieved when he recovers. Imperial Physician Sun recognizes the value of Jiang Nuan’s knowledge and respectfully asks her to share it.
• Jiang Nuan acts decisively in the emergency, relying on Chunhua to carry out her instructions.

Significant themes

• Public knowledge can save lives: The Heimlich maneuver becomes an example of practical information worth sharing widely.
• Storytelling as education: Jiang Nuan sees novels and oral storytelling as ways to spread ideas, not merely entertain.
• Exposure and accountability: The prospect of private scandals becoming public stories unsettles those in power.
• Family embarrassment and solidarity: Jiang Yan’s self-consciousness is softened when he discovers he will not be the only one portrayed.

• Cheap paper and agricultural plans: Jiang Nuan reflects on her plan to make paper affordable for ordinary people, which she had previously postponed for lack of workers. With more members joining the Black Earth School, she can finally begin developing it. Jiao Ping’s group chooses to build the Curved Shaft Plow and aims to finish it before spring planting so it can make an impact across Great Xia.
• Fireworks for New Year’s Eve: After the palace banquet, Jiang Nuan brings her parents and Crown Prince Jiang Chengze to the imperial garden, where she unveils fireworks made from a weaker form of gunpowder. The dazzling display draws the palace outside and wins praise from her family, especially Empress Xiao Xiao, who calls Jiang Nuan the best.
• Games and playful competition: Jiang Nuan introduces playing cards and Mahjong, confidently expecting to win money from her family. She wins the first card game while they learn the rules, but their intelligence—and her habit of revealing her hand through her thoughts—soon leaves her losing her New Year’s money. The family then deliberately lets her win at Mahjong to cheer her up. Jiang Nuan gives the games to Xiao Xiao for amusement and promises gifts for both Jiang Yunsheng and Jiang Chengze as well.
• Family dynamics: Jiang Nuan is affectionate and thoughtful toward her family, preparing entertainment and gifts for them. Xiao Xiao responds warmly, while Jiang Yunsheng playfully shows jealousy that Jiang Nuan has a present for the empress before him. Jiang Chengze also gives her an accusing look until she assures him he will receive something too.
• Prayer visit and coming gossip: After taking a day to rest, Jiang Nuan learns she will join the emperor’s third-day prayer ceremony at Stillness Temple. She realizes her imperial aunt and uncle are there, and, encouraged by the lively Guagua, eagerly heads off expecting gossip.
  Themes: Jiang Nuan’s inventive, forward-looking plans; family affection expressed through gifts and shared fun; and comic irony, as her confidence in games is undone by her transparent thoughts.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan sneaks away to find her imperial uncle, Jiang Yan, and aunt, Jin Yueyi, hoping to overhear their reconciliation. Her cousin Jiang Zixuan follows, curious about Jiang Nuan’s apparent plan.
• In a plum grove, they find Jiang Yan asking Jin Yueyi to forgive him. He has finally learned that Yueyi was the woman who exchanged letters with him in the past.
• Nuan privately urges Yueyi not to forgive him, and Yueyi hears her thoughts. She discovers the girls hiding nearby and brings them out.
• Yueyi gives Nuan a Jade Buddha and offers both girls sachets made with her plum-blossom fragrance. Their conversation turns to scented balms, perfume, and Yueyi’s skill at making fragrances.
• Nuan suggests Yueyi sell her products and offers to open a shop with her. The idea sparks Yueyi’s interest.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan is energetic and mischievous, but also observant and entrepreneurial: she recognizes Yueyi’s talent and encourages her to turn it into a business.
• Jiang Zixuan steps beyond her usual distance from Nuan, follows her, and enjoys sharing the secret drama.
• Jin Yueyi remains hurt and weary of Jiang Yan, but her enthusiasm for fragrance-making emerges, and Nuan’s suggestion opens up a possible future independent of her marriage.
• Jiang Yan realizes how badly he has treated Yueyi, recalling that he once dismissed her handmade sachets. He wants another chance but cannot bring himself to plead with the girls watching.

Significant themes

• Accountability and reconciliation: Jiang Yan’s regret does not erase his past behavior, and Yueyi is not yet ready to respond to his plea.
• Women’s independence and opportunity: Nuan’s business idea offers Yueyi a path to pursue her own talent and livelihood.
• Family, curiosity, and connection: A shared taste for gossip brings Nuan and Zixuan together, while their encounter with Yueyi creates a new bond.

Character interactions

• Nuan and Zixuan move from distant cousins to companions as they secretly observe Jiang Yan and Yueyi.
• Nuan’s candid inner thoughts unsettle Jiang Yan and help reveal his own guilt.
• Yueyi welcomes the girls warmly, gives them gifts, and shares her knowledge; Nuan responds with admiration and a practical business proposal.
• Jiang Yan is left watching Yueyi bond with the girls, feeling excluded from the closeness he wants to regain.

Key plot points and events

• Jin Yueyi agrees to open a shop with Jiang Nuan, who promises to bring her recipe the next day. When Jiang Yan worries about their partnership, Yueyi rejects his offer to help and reminds him she is prepared to divorce him.
• Jiang Yan quickly volunteers to keep the shop’s accounts, then agrees to fund it when Jiang Nuan hints they will need money. Jiang Zixuan also contributes her savings, wanting to join the venture.
• After returning to the palace, Jiang Nuan writes out the recipe. The next day, on her way to Prince You’s Mansion, she spots her young cousin Jiang Linxi sneaking toward an alley.
• Guagua reveals that Linxi is being lured to a gambling den by a planted “friend,” Chen Mu, as part of an enemy’s scheme. In the original plot, Linxi is cheated, beaten, and develops a gambling addiction that ruins the Prince’s Mansion.
• Jiang Nuan stops Linxi and warns him about bad friends. He dismisses her concerns and insists on meeting Chen Mu. Jiang Nuan pretends to leave, but decides to follow and intervene if necessary.

Character developments and interactions

• Jin Yueyi asserts her independence, choosing to build a business with Jiang Nuan rather than rely on Jiang Yan.
• Jiang Yan tries to regain favor by offering his labor and money. He recognizes that Jiang Nuan has maneuvered him into funding the shop, but accepts it.
• Jiang Zixuan shows trust and support by investing her private savings.
• Jiang Nuan takes responsibility for protecting Linxi, shifting from warning him to planning a direct intervention.
• Jiang Linxi is initially dismissive, but overhearing Jiang Nuan’s thoughts makes him question what Chen Mu intends. Despite this, he remains reluctant to believe his friend is manipulating him.

Significant themes

• Independence and self-determination: Yueyi chooses a future for herself after years of hardship.
• Family loyalty and support: The shop brings several relatives together, while Jiang Nuan works to protect Linxi from danger.
• Manipulation and misplaced trust: Linxi’s faith in Chen Mu leaves him vulnerable to a calculated scheme.
• Humor and irony: Jiang Nuan’s teasing “buy one, get one free” attitude contrasts with the serious risks facing Linxi.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Linxi meets Yu Liangzhe, who leads him toward a gambling den under the pretense of showing him something fun.
• Jiang Linxi refuses to enter, but Yu Liangzhe keeps pressuring him and tries to pull him inside.
• Jiang Linxi calls for Jiang Nuan. She and her attendants intervene, and Jiang Linxi accuses Yu Liangzhe of trying to lead him astray and ends their friendship.
• Jiang Nuan takes Jiang Linxi to Yu Liangzhe’s village and pays an elderly woman for information.
• The woman reveals that Yu Liangzhe—known locally as “Black Egg”—failed the Tongsheng examination, despite his family’s claims of his promise. His mother borrowed money for his studies, which remains unpaid, and he recently came into money and moved her away.
• Jiang Linxi realizes Yu Liangzhe’s story was fabricated: he had claimed to be a poor but ambitious young licentiate who passed the examination at fifteen.

Character developments

• Jiang Linxi begins to recognize Yu Liangzhe’s manipulation and manages to refuse him, though he remains emotionally vulnerable and is devastated by the betrayal.
• Jiang Nuan acts as his protector and investigates Yu Liangzhe’s background to make the truth clear.
• Yu Liangzhe is exposed as dishonest and opportunistic, apparently cultivating Jiang Linxi for his wealth.

Character interactions

• Yu Liangzhe uses friendly persuasion and physical pressure to get Jiang Linxi into the gambling den.
• Jiang Linxi turns to Jiang Nuan for help; she and her attendants block Yu Liangzhe from approaching him.
• Jiang Nuan questions a village woman, whose account directly contradicts Yu Liangzhe’s claims.
• Jiang Linxi’s longing for friendship makes the discovery especially painful.

Significant themes

• Trust and betrayal: Jiang Linxi’s sincere wish for friendship is exploited.
• Manipulation and discernment: His refusal marks a first step toward recognizing bad intentions.
• Truth versus self-invention: Yu Liangzhe’s polished account of his background collapses under local testimony.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Linxi asks Jiang Nuan to keep his earlier foolishness secret. She agrees, but her inner thoughts soon reveal that he nearly fell for a scheme connected to a gambling den—and that he may be vulnerable to deception.
• At the Prince’s Mansion, Jin Yueyi learns that Linxi and Nuan returned together. Nuan’s thoughts expose Linxi’s poor attempt to disguise himself as an ordinary person: his expensive jade pendant and refined tastes gave him away. Jin Yueyi becomes alarmed and considers watching him more closely.
• Nuan also wonders how her uncle made an enemy in the martial world, whose revenge apparently brought an entire princely household to ruin. Jin Yueyi takes note of this clue.
• Jin Yueyi and Nuan discuss opening a shop and the perfume formulas.
• Jiang Zixuan arrives with her twin, Jiang Mengqing. She then privately asks Nuan and Mengqing for advice about marriage prospects, since her father has suggested several families.
• The first candidate is Shao Wenrui, a cultured, handsome, gentle second son. Nuan asks Guagua to investigate him; it finds no major concerns from the limited information available, so Nuan hopes to meet him in person. Zixuan begins to introduce the next candidate.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Linxi is embarrassed by his mistake and realizes that Nuan’s private inner monologue can reveal more than her spoken promises. His confidence in his disguise is punctured, and he fears his mother’s reaction.
• Jiang Nuan balances keeping Linxi’s secret with worrying about his safety; she decides to have him watched rather than disclose everything immediately. She also uses Guagua to investigate Zixuan’s suitor.
• Jin Yueyi shifts from concern over Nuan’s late return to alarm about Linxi’s recklessness, while quietly registering Nuan’s thoughts about the martial-world enemy.
• Jiang Zixuan trusts Nuan and Mengqing enough to seek their candid advice about marriage.
• Jiang Mengqing is introduced as Linxi’s composed twin and contributes her favorable knowledge of Shao Wenrui.

Significant themes

• Secrecy versus involuntary disclosure: Nuan keeps her spoken promise, but her thoughts reveal Linxi’s secret to those who can hear them.
• Status and deception: Linxi’s attempt to pass as ordinary fails because his habits and possessions betray his privileged background.
• Family protection and trust: Nuan wants to protect Linxi without exposing him, while Zixuan turns to trusted companions for help with a consequential personal choice.
• Marriage and reputation: The women weigh a prospective match through both public character and private investigation.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Zixuan reviews five potential marriage candidates with Jiang Mengqing and Jiang Nuan.
• Zhou Youjia is praised as capable and respectable, but Jiang Nuan warns that his devotion to work might leave a wife neglected.
• Shen Haoyu is rejected because of his many female admirers. Mao Zhonglin is ruled out because he has fallen for the healer who saved him.
• The women know little about Zhangsun Yi, so Jiang Mengqing suggests observing the candidates at the Lantern Festival.
• In the days before the festival, Jiang Nuan rests, prepares medical-book copies for Gu Qingfeng, and organizes blueprints as members of the Black Earth School arrive.
• At the festival, the three women disguise themselves with masks and use Guagua’s guidance to locate Shao Wenrui near a lantern-riddle stall. Guagua reveals troubling information about him and his mother.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan uses Guagua’s knowledge to help her sister assess potential husbands, while concealing how she gets that information.
• Jiang Zixuan approaches the search thoughtfully and readily rules out men whose circumstances could bring unhappiness or disrupt another couple’s romance.
• Jiang Mengqing takes an active role in arranging the investigation, partly hoping Jiang Nuan’s unusual insight will help reveal the candidates’ true natures.

Character interactions

• Jiang Nuan cautions Jiang Zixuan about Zhou Youjia’s work habits.
• Jiang Mengqing warns the sisters against Shen Haoyu’s reputation.
• Jiang Nuan explains why Mao Zhonglin is unavailable, and the group agrees to exclude him.
• At the festival, Jiang Mengqing provides masks and steers the group toward the lantern-riddle area; Jiang Nuan follows Guagua’s lead while pretending their choices are guesses.

Significant themes

• Marriage and compatibility: The women consider not only status and talent but also a man’s habits, character, and family dynamics.
• Hidden truths and appearances: The candidates’ reputations may not tell the whole story, so the women seek to observe them firsthand.
• Agency and protection: Jiang Zixuan and her companions carefully weigh choices, hoping to avoid an unhappy match and respect existing romantic bonds.
  The chapter ends as the women spot Shao Wenrui beside his mother, whom Guagua describes as controlling and possessive; Shao, in turn, is said to be unable to resist her influence.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Zixuan rules out Shao Wenrui as a potential match after seeing how closely he clings to his mother. Her remaining possibility is Zhangsun Yi.
• Guagua spots Zhangsun Yi watching from a private room. He is clever but has no ambition and prefers an idle life. Jiang Zixuan finds his lack of interest in official advancement appealing.
• Jiang Linxi discovers his money pouch is missing, prompting other festivalgoers to check their belongings. Zhou Youjia catches the pickpocket and returns the stolen pouches, including Linxi’s conspicuous red one.
• Zhou warns Jiang Nuan and her companions that the lantern festival may become dangerous. They learn the authorities are seeking remnants of the former dynasty, who have uncovered something and plan to cause trouble.
• As the group tries to leave, Guagua reveals the conspirators have already surrounded them. About twenty disguised attackers draw weapons, while Zhou, Chunhua, and Qiuyue form a protective line around Jiang Nuan and the others. The chapter ends with a confrontation imminent.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Zixuan shows she values a comfortable, unambitious partner over someone consumed by political ambition; Zhangsun Yi becomes a possible choice.
• Jiang Linxi’s carefree outing turns frightening when he loses his pouch and later faces armed attackers. He depends on Jiang Mengqing to pay for him and is quickly subdued by her glare.
• Zhou Youjia acts decisively as both rescuer and protector: he apprehends the thief, returns the stolen goods, respectfully greets the women, and warns the group of danger.
• Jiang Nuan reacts cautiously to the threat and tries to get everyone to safety, but the attackers’ encirclement prevents their escape. Jiang Zixuan and Jiang Mengqing remain composed despite their fear.

Significant themes

• Prudence and self-preservation: Jiang Nuan avoids taking unnecessary risks, especially without adequate guards.
• Different measures of a suitable partner: Jiang Zixuan’s preferences challenge the assumption that status and ambition are essential.
• Loyalty and protection: Zhou and the attendants place themselves between the attackers and the imperial family.
• Sudden danger beneath ordinary life: A festive outing shifts abruptly from petty theft to a coordinated political attack.