Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• As a group of Remnants of the Former Dynasty surrounds Jiang Nuan and her companions, Zhou Youjia urges an escape. Chunhua Qiuyue calmly tells him to wait.
• A much larger force of soldiers arrives just as the attackers charge, capturing the rebels. Zhou Youjia learns the group chose to attack while Jiang Nuan was present—an especially dangerous target, given the protection she receives from powerful figures at court.
• The captured leader, Du Hai, refuses to reveal his accomplices and tries to take poison hidden in his teeth. Zhou Youjia disarms him and orders the rebels taken to the Court of Judicial Review for interrogation.
• Jiang Nuan’s inner voice prompts her companion Guagua to identify the rebels, their connections, and their escape route. Zhou Youjia uses this information to uncover a suspected insider at the Court and sends soldiers to intercept fleeing accomplices.
• Zhou Youjia asks Jiang Nuan to visit the Court of Judicial Review so he can make use of her ability. Jiang Yehua initially objects, worried the grim place will frighten her, but agrees when Jiang Nuan shows interest. Jiang Zixuan offers to accompany her, and they plan to go the next day.
• With the streets deserted after the disturbance, Jiang Nuan’s outing ends early.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Youjia moves from anxiety to confidence, then recognizes how valuable Jiang Nuan’s revealed inner thoughts and Guagua’s information are. He begins treating her as an investigative resource, though he remains mindful of her royal status.
• Chunhua Qiuyue stays composed throughout, trusting that help will arrive.
• Jiang Yehua is protective of Jiang Nuan and objects to exposing her to the Court’s frightening environment, but ultimately respects her wishes.
• Jiang Zixuan volunteers to accompany Jiang Nuan. Zhou Youjia’s admiration of her, and Jiang Mengqing’s observation of Jiang Zixuan’s attention to him, hint at possible romantic interest.
• Jiang Nuan remains curious and spirited, even after the attack disrupts her enjoyment of the outing.

Significant themes

• Hidden information as power: Jiang Nuan’s inner voice and Guagua’s revelations turn a dangerous confrontation into an easy arrest and investigation.
• Protection and vulnerability: Jiang Nuan appears carefree, but her safety depends on extensive efforts by those around her.
• Loyalty and corruption: The rebels’ ties to someone within the Court of Judicial Review suggest that threats to the dynasty may also come from inside its institutions.

• Jiang Nuan and Jiang Zixuan visit the Court of Judicial Review. Jiang Zixuan arrives unusually dressed up, and Zhou Youjia’s obvious nervousness around her makes her laugh. Jiang Nuan, unaware of their mutual attraction, assumes the visit is simply for her amusement.
• They examine Zhao Xianglin’s case. He is suspected of murdering his wife after neighbors heard the couple arguing; a woman’s body was later found buried beneath a tree in his yard. With the corpse badly decomposed and no conclusive evidence, Zhou Youjia resisted calls to condemn Zhao and kept investigating.
• Guagua reveals Zhao is innocent. The body belongs to a neighbor’s distant female relative, who was killed when that neighbor tried to assault her. The neighbor buried her beneath Zhao’s tree to frame him while Zhao was away searching for his wife. Zhao’s wife, meanwhile, had returned to her parents’ home after their argument, then was abducted and sold by Huijue of Pure Brahma Temple. Authorities have traced the trafficking victims and are expected to bring her back the next day.
• Jiang Nuan checks that Zhao will remain safe. Zhou says the case will not be tried for at least five days, giving time for the evidence—and Zhao’s wife—to arrive. Zhao overhears Jiang Nuan’s inner thoughts, realizes someone knows he is innocent, and regains hope.
• A new mystery emerges. Zhou takes Jiang Nuan to see Wu Mazi, a steamed-bun shop owner arrested after a customer found what appeared to be a human finger in a bun. Wu insists his meat came from Butcher Wang, but searches of the butcher’s premises have found nothing suspicious.
  Character developments and interactions: Jiang Nuan’s unusual ability to hear Guagua’s revelations provides a route to justice, while Zhou’s experience and reluctance to punish without proof keep Zhao from being condemned prematurely. Zhao shifts from despair to hope after hearing that his innocence may be established. Jiang Zixuan and Zhou’s shy, playful exchange hints at growing affection.
  Themes: The chapter emphasizes the danger of circumstantial evidence and wrongful conviction, the value of patience and due process, and the hope that hidden truths can still be uncovered.

Key plot points

• Guagua reveals the severed finger found in the meat did not belong to one of Wu Mazi’s victims. Butcher Wang killed that person at his cousin’s slaughterhouse, sold some of the body as donkey meat, and disposed of the rest in a pigpen. A finger was accidentally mixed into the meat Wu Mazi bought.
• Wu Mazi is nevertheless a murderer: he killed three young women who rejected him, minced their flesh into steamed buns, and kept their heads hidden in his cellar.
• Butcher Wang is also a serial killer, preying on vagrants and beggar children because their disappearances are unlikely to be investigated. Jiang Nuan decides to gather evidence and bring both men to justice.
• Zhou Youjia takes Jiang Nuan and Jiang Zixuan around more prison cells, listening closely to Jiang Nuan’s inner commentary.
• Later, Yun Shining offers them steamed buns. Jiang Nuan refuses, while Jiang Zixuan reacts with disgust; Guagua’s revelations explain why. After hearing Jiang Nuan’s thoughts, Yun Shining also becomes sick and loses her appetite.
• Yun gives the untouched buns to a nearby beggar. The group then finds An Yan at work and takes her to lunch. When the restaurant recommends its new steamed buns, all three recoil in unison, leaving An Yan confused.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan is horrified by the murders but determined to see the criminals punished. She keeps the worst details from Yun Shining at first, not wanting to upset her.
• Zhou Youjia realizes Wu Mazi’s guilt came from his own crimes, not from killing the person represented by the finger. He also values Jiang Nuan’s observations and hopes she will visit the Court of Judicial Review again.
• Yun Shining is initially cheerful and generous, then becomes nauseated after learning what Wu Mazi did. She passes her buns to a beggar rather than waste them.
• An Yan is overworked but finds satisfaction in her busy life. She joins the group for lunch, unaware of the reason everyone refuses steamed buns.
• Jiang Zixuan responds especially strongly to the thought of eating meat buns, covering her face and dry-heaving.

Significant themes

• Hidden crime and misplaced suspicion: Wu Mazi did not cause the finger’s presence in the meat, but his own terrible crimes make him seem guilty for good reason.
• The vulnerability of the overlooked: Butcher Wang targets people whose disappearances are easily ignored, exposing how society’s indifference enables violence.
• Justice and responsibility: Jiang Nuan resolves to use what she has learned to ensure both killers are held accountable.
• Dark humor and dramatic irony: The grim revelations turn an ordinary offer of steamed buns into a shared source of horror, while An Yan remains puzzled by the group’s synchronized refusal.

Key plot points and events

• The group enjoys a meal together after ordering the restaurant’s specialties. Yun Shining apologizes for leaving An Yan to manage the shop during the busy New Year period, but An Yan says she is happy with her work and has received help.
• Zhangsun Yi unexpectedly joins their table, sitting beside An Yan with startling ease. He explains that he is supposedly penniless and homeless, and jokes that he could marry into An Yan’s family and become a stay-at-home husband.
• Jiang Nuan’s thoughts reveal that Zhangsun Yi is actually Grand Tutor Zhangsun’s son, and that his father had arranged for him to marry Jiang Zixuan. Jiang Nuan realizes Zixuan is interested in Lord Zhou instead. An Yan hears these thoughts and assumes Zhangsun Yi has been deceiving her and playing with people’s feelings.
• Zhangsun Yi realizes An Yan can hear Jiang Nuan’s thoughts and that his plan to explain himself gradually has unraveled. An Yan leaves the meal, and he follows her.
• Back at the shop, An Yan formally ends Zhangsun Yi’s temporary employment now that Yun Shining has returned. She offers to pay him what he is owed, but remains cold. Zhangsun Yi looks to Yun Shining for help; she misunderstands and wonders if she should leave too.

Character developments and interactions

• An Yan is warm and appreciative toward her friends, but becomes guarded and businesslike toward Zhangsun once she suspects he concealed his background and an arranged marriage.
• Zhangsun Yi appears playful and brazen, openly teasing An Yan about marriage. Beneath the humor, he is anxious when she turns against him and wants a chance to explain.
• Jiang Nuan provides comic relief through her lively inner thoughts, which reveal information that changes An Yan’s view of Zhangsun.
• Jiang Zixuan understands the situation and quietly supports the others, while her interest in Lord Zhou becomes clear.
• Yun Shining is cheerful and considerate, but misses the complicated subtext and takes Zhangsun’s appeal for help literally.

Significant themes

• Misunderstanding and trust: Information revealed indirectly through Jiang Nuan’s thoughts makes An Yan suspect Zhangsun before he can explain himself.
• Family expectations versus personal choice: Zhangsun’s arranged match with Zixuan contrasts with her apparent preference for Lord Zhou; Zhangsun also resists his family’s expectations.
• Humor amid tension: The lively meal and Zhangsun’s outrageous proposal provide comedy, even as the scene creates a rift between him and An Yan.

Key plot points and events

• Yun Shining pulls Jiang Nuan away from An Yan and Zhangsun Yi to give the pair time alone. At the other shop, she finds Jiang Yehua and deliberately goes elsewhere to avoid suspicion; Jiang Yehua wants to speak to her but stays silent.
• Jiang Nuan is summoned to see the Black Earth School’s newly built Curved Shaft Plow. Jiang Zixuan leaves after receiving a message from her father.
• At a village field, Jiang Nuan finds Chi Hengji, who regularly visits nearby villages to help residents and is well regarded by them.
• Jiao Ping worries that a public demonstration might fail, but Jiang Nuan is confident in the plow. To show its value, Chunhua proposes a contest: Jiao Chengwang will use the new plow against a farmer using a traditional one.
• The Curved Shaft Plow needs only one ox, while the old plow requires two. The strong farmer narrowly wins the race but collapses from exhaustion; Jiao Chengwang finishes in better condition. Chunhua gives the farmer the promised prize, and villagers ask whether the new plow is for sale.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan shows confidence in the invention and uses a public contest to demonstrate its practical advantages.
• Jiao Ping moves from anxiety about the test to pride in the device and faith in his son.
• Jiao Chengwang, though still recovering and physically frail, proves capable of keeping pace with a strong farmer.
• Chi Hengji’s visits to villages reveal a helpful, approachable side that has earned him the people’s respect.
• Yun Shining and Jiang Yehua remain awkwardly distant: she avoids him, while he cannot bring himself to speak.
• An Yan and Zhangsun Yi are left alone together, though the chapter does not show what passes between them.

Significant themes

• Practical innovation: The plow’s efficiency is demonstrated through direct comparison rather than claims alone.
• Public trust and usefulness: The villagers’ interest turns the test into a first step toward wider adoption.
• Service and reputation: Chi Hengji’s hands-on concern for ordinary people contrasts with the image of distant officials.
• Unspoken feelings: Yun Shining and Jiang Yehua’s strained silence suggests unresolved personal tension.

Key plot points and events

• The Curved Shaft Plow proves nearly as quick to use as a powerful laborer, suggesting that ordinary farmers could reclaim more land and improve harvests.
• Jiang Nuan promises to make the plow widely available at a modest fee. Chi Hengji offers to oversee production and plans to present it to the emperor, while Jiang Nuan proposes an assembly-line method to speed up manufacturing before spring plowing.
• Jiao Ping and Jiao Chengwang claim their reward for completing the plow: a new blueprint. They choose a waterwheel.
• Xue Jian arrives with inexpensive, high-quality paper he has developed. He and Jiao Ping argue over whose invention will benefit society more: the plow through greater agricultural output, or paper through cheaper books and education.
• Jiang Nuan quiets their rivalry by offering another blueprint. Xue Jian chooses cement, while Jiao Ping smugly guards his waterwheel design.
• At court the next day, Chi Hengji reports the plow’s creation and credits Jiang Nuan’s design and the Capital City branch of the Black Earth School. Jiang Nuan and the makers receive rewards.
• An Laiyun notes that the Spring Examination is only two months away. Jiang Nuan privately realizes she needs to “pick up the pace on the gossip.”

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan shows practical leadership: she supports affordable access to the plow, delegates its rollout to Chi Hengji, and suggests a way to scale production. She also recognizes that rivalry between the school branches can be irritating but productive.
• Chi Hengji takes initiative in organizing the plow’s promotion and manufacture, while crediting Jiang Nuan and its makers at court.
• Jiao Ping and Xue Jian remain fiercely competitive. Each takes pride in his branch’s achievement and argues over which invention will have the greatest impact; their rivalry motivates them to work harder.
• Jiao Chengwang helps demonstrate the plow’s practical value and joins Jiao Ping in choosing a new project.

Significant themes

• Innovation for public benefit: The plow, affordable paper, and upcoming inventions are intended to improve agriculture, learning, and everyday life.
• Cooperation and competition: Jiang Nuan coordinates the inventors, while their rivalry drives productivity even as it causes comic friction.
• Social advancement: The plow promises better harvests, while cheap paper could make books and education more accessible, especially to students from humble families.

Plot points and events

• With the Spring Examination approaching, Jiang Nuan decides she can gather gossip more freely: new officials will soon enter the court to replace anyone exposed for serious crimes.
• Guagua introduces two playful ways to choose a target for investigation: a “gossip handbook” and a spinning wheel. Jiang Nuan chooses the wheel.
• The wheel selects Vice Minister of Personnel Zhuang Zhenghao. Guagua reveals that he lures promising scholars—especially those without powerful family connections—with offers of advancement, then mutilates them and keeps their hands as trophies. Survivors are enslaved or left helpless in other cities.
• Guagua adds that Zhuang once coveted Emperor Jiang Yunsheng’s hands and nearly acted on it in a previous life, when a weakened emperor and palace rebellion left him vulnerable.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan enjoys the game but is horrified as its target’s crimes emerge. Her casual approach to gossip is balanced by her willingness to expose serious wrongdoing.
• Guagua is eager to win Jiang Nuan’s favor, inventing entertaining formats for investigations. Its revelations turn the game into a grave threat to the guilty.
• Jiang Yunsheng reacts with anger when he learns his hands were once targeted, gripping the throne as the ministers notice his hands.
• The ministers first fear the wheel may select them, then recoil at Zhuang’s crimes. Their brief admiration of his “taste” quickly turns to horror once they understand what he does.

Significant themes

• Gossip as accountability: Information gathering can uncover corruption and violence, not merely provide amusement.
• Power and vulnerability: Zhuang exploits scholars without connections, while the previous life’s weakened emperor becomes vulnerable when authority and protection falter.
• Fate and altered history: The previous-life revelation contrasts with the present, in which Jiang Yunsheng is still powerful and secure.
• Dark comedy and suspense: Guagua’s cheerful game-show presentation clashes with the horrific crimes it exposes.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan learns that Zhuang Zhenghao once considered collecting Emperor Jiang Yunsheng’s hands but gave up because illness had left them unattractive to him. Jiang Nuan vows to gather evidence and report him to the Court of Judicial Review.
• Already frustrated by pointless memorials, Jiang Yunsheng lashes out at officials who waste his time with empty greetings.
• Jiang Nuan consults her gossip handbook and discovers that Zhang Jitao, Grand Minister of Splendid Happiness, promotes officials based on their feet—especially strong-smelling ones. He does not collect severed feet; he prefers them attached to living people.
• Officials previously promoted by Zhang feel embarrassed as their colleagues scrutinize their feet. Others realize they wrongly rejected relatives who had tried to tell them about Zhang’s bizarre preference and resolve to reconcile.
• Guagua recounts how the fetish was first revealed: an under-promoted minister tried his relative’s seemingly ridiculous suggestion, gained a promotion, and later apologized to the relative for having doubted him. The relative was so mortified by the misunderstanding that he berated himself afterward.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan remains more interested in gossip and an easy life than court politics, but becomes protective of her father and intends to expose Zhuang Zhenghao.
• Jiang Yunsheng is increasingly exasperated by both wasteful bureaucracy and the alarming number of ministers with disturbing fixations.
• The officials react in varied ways: some fear being associated with Zhang’s promotion scheme, while others reconsider their estranged family relationships.
• Guagua delights in revealing the absurd details and drawing out the stories for comic effect.

Significant themes

• Corruption and arbitrary advancement: Zhang’s promotions depend on a personal fetish rather than merit, suggesting one reason incompetent officials may hold office.
• The absurdity of court life: Serious imperial duties coexist with bizarre scandals and gossip.
• Family misunderstandings and reconciliation: Advice that sounds unbelievable can be sincere, and discovering the truth prompts some officials to repair damaged relationships.
• The burdens of power: Jiang Nuan recognizes how relentless the emperor’s responsibilities are, even as she has no desire to pursue authority herself.

Character interactions

• Jiang Nuan’s thoughts about Zhuang Zhenghao intensify Jiang Yunsheng’s anger, though he disguises his fury as a reprimand about useless memorials.
• Jiang Nuan and Guagua trade guesses and revelations about Zhang Jitao, while Jiang Yunsheng silently reacts to the increasingly outrageous gossip.
• Zhang’s promoted officials become self-conscious under their colleagues’ glances, and the revelations encourage others to reconsider how they treated their relatives.

Key plot points

• Jiang Nuan’s gossip exposes several officials who advanced through corrupt, degrading means. Zheng Feiyu is among them: he has avoided washing his feet or changing his socks for a month in preparation for a dinner with Zhang Jitao.
• Jiang asks Guagua to name officials who displaced genuinely capable people; Guagua lists seven or eight. The revelation alarms corrupt officials but reassures those promoted on merit.
• Jiang and Guagua discuss Liu Jitao’s fondness for smelling dirty feet and his resulting lung problems. They consider using his skilled physicians to prepare for next year’s anticipated cold and respiratory illnesses, and Jiang mentions sharing methods for cultivating antibiotics.
• After court, a minister confronts Zhuang Zhenghao over a cousin who disappeared after being promised a path to advancement. Zhuang dismisses the man’s fate, provoking a fight; other ministers let the accuser beat him while pretending to intervene.
• Liu Jitao is mocked by a rival and responds angrily, dropping his usual politeness.
• A minister who lost a promotion to Zheng Feiyu knocks off his shoe “by accident,” exposing the stench. Zheng says nothing and retreats.
• At home, Zheng rejects his relative’s demand for 50,000 taels, realizing the relative had exploited him. He orders servants to throw him out.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan remains indignant about unfair advancement, but also thinks pragmatically about preparing for future public-health needs.
• Zhuang Zhenghao abandons his pretense once exposed and is physically punished by ministers who resent him.
• Liu Jitao becomes openly hostile after his scandal is revealed; even his former rival takes pleasure in his downfall.
• Zheng Feiyu is humiliated in court and begins to see that his relative used him for personal gain. He finally cuts off that relative’s financial demands.
• The ministers’ reactions range from relief and fear to revenge: those harmed by corruption seek answers, while others look for chances to settle old scores.

Significant themes

• Corruption and merit: Unqualified officials’ rise comes at the expense of talented people.
• Exposure and accountability: Gossip brings hidden misconduct into public view and triggers immediate consequences.
• Hypocrisy and self-interest: Officials who once maintained appearances drop them when exposed, while rivals exploit scandals for revenge.
• Preparation and public welfare: Amid the intrigue, Jiang’s concern about disease and cold weather highlights the value of planning ahead.

Key events

• After spending four hours reviewing evidence against Zhuang Zhenghao, whose victims numbered over a hundred, Jiang Nuan leaves the palace angry and visits her newly opened milk-tea shops.
• The shops serve different customers: Milk Tea caters to ordinary people, while Refined Milk Tea targets wealthier households. A delivery service run by the Hungry Squad, a group of formerly homeless children, has helped sales multiply.
• Jiang Nuan visits her free school on its first day of trial classes. Beggar children alternate between studying and making deliveries, while local village children attend too. Lessons combine moral education and literature with practical skills such as embroidery and bookkeeping.
• Coastal members of the Black Earth School present Jiang Nuan with inexpensive refined salt. Their process costs a fraction of the market price, though the group recognizes that powerful salt merchants would make selling it difficult.
• Jiang Nuan gives them detailed blueprints for a large steamship and urges them to build it quickly. She intends to use ships for overseas expansion, alongside the gunpowder development already underway. The project leader leaves to recruit more Black Earth School members to help.
• Left holding the sample salt, Jiang Nuan wonders whether to give it to Brother Chengze or her father.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan continues turning ambition into practical projects: she creates work for poor children, funds their education, and supports technological development. She is warm with the children but forceful and expansive in her political plans.
• The Hungry Squad children show gratitude and initiative, insisting on contributing even when Jiang Nuan tries to limit their work. Their delivery jobs and schooling are organized to let them do both.
• The Black Earth School leader is excited by the salt’s promise but wary of the entrenched merchants. He accepts the shipbuilding assignment, then decides to enlist additional help rather than shoulder the difficult task alone.
• Jiang Nuan’s visit to the school lets her observe the children’s progress, while her meeting with the coastal group shifts her focus from domestic improvements to overseas ambitions.

Significant themes

• Social uplift through opportunity: Work and education give vulnerable children both support and a chance to shape their futures.
• Practical innovation: Delivery networks, inexpensive paper, refined salt, and steamships reflect Jiang Nuan’s drive to improve society through new systems and technology.
• Education and national strength: The school’s lessons connect children’s personal development with the prosperity of the country.
• Ambition and imperial expansion: Jiang Nuan frames overseas conquest as inevitable, whether through cultural influence or force, revealing the more aggressive side of her vision.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan decides to give the salt-making method to her father, Emperor Jiang Yunsheng, rather than to Jiang Chengze. She reasons that the court urgently needs money and can operate the salt trade while she focuses on other matters.
• She presents him with refined salt and explains that her method costs only one-tenth as much to use as the market’s process—or even less. Jiang Yunsheng, whose treasury is nearly depleted after increased military spending, is delighted and sees government salt as a potential solution.
• At the next court assembly, Jiang Nuan draws the name of Right Commander-in-Chief Xing Yuanzheng. Through her private exchange with Guagua, she learns that Xing is secretly aligned with Prince Xin, Jiang Yunsheng’s sixth brother.
• Guagua reveals that Prince Xin had quietly built a network of supporters while appearing loyal, and that officials once persuaded Jiang Yunsheng to spare him. Jiang Yunsheng realizes those officials may have been protecting Prince Xin rather than acting in the emperor’s interest. Several officials grow visibly anxious.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan shows practical political judgment: she gives the profitable salt method to the court because its finances are in crisis, despite the risks and effort involved in managing the business herself.
• Jiang Yunsheng moves from uncertainty about the salt gift to hope and excitement. The revelation about Prince Xin also makes him reassess past decisions and the loyalty of his advisers.
• Guagua introduces a lot-drawing game that exposes hidden political connections, becoming the source of a major revelation.
• Xing Yuanzheng remains outwardly composed when singled out, even as suspicion falls on him.
• Prince Xin, though absent, emerges as a patient, calculating potential threat who has concealed his ambitions behind apparent obedience.

Significant themes

• Public duty and financial survival: Jiang Nuan chooses to strengthen the treasury rather than pursue personal profit.
• Hidden loyalties and political deception: Seemingly loyal officials may serve concealed interests, while apparent obedience can mask long-term schemes.
• Trust and the consequences of past choices: Jiang Yunsheng is forced to reconsider whether sparing Prince Xin—and listening to those who urged it—was a mistake.

Character interactions

• Jiang Nuan warmly presents her gift to Jiang Yunsheng; he responds with gratitude and sees her as a source of relief for the court.
• During the assembly, Jiang Nuan’s lot draw draws attention to Xing Yuanzheng. Guagua’s revelations lead Jiang Yunsheng to scrutinize both Xing and the officials who once defended Prince Xin.

Key plot points and events

• Guagua reveals that Right Commander-in-Chief Xing Yuanzheng is Prince Xin’s long-standing spy in the capital, despite his high rank and Jiang Yunsheng’s past trust in him.
• Xing’s loyalty is driven by an obsessive, unreturned love for Prince Xin. After meeting him as a young man, Xing fell for him and willingly became his agent.
• Xing’s devotion has turned him from an aspiring honest official into a corrupt conspirator. He has taken bribes, built a force of ten thousand private troops, and placed some of his men among the capital’s garrison.
• When Prince Xin was preparing to move against the capital, an enemy invasion delayed him. Xing took troops to protect Prince Xin, leaving his own wife and children behind.
• Guagua says Xing’s story would end the same way in either scenario: Prince Xin would use him and eventually kill him. Jiang Nuan resolves to stop Xing from bringing his forces to Prince Xin.
• Guagua reveals that Xing is not Prince Xin’s only court spy. General Dingyuan Meng Wenyao is another powerful agent—and, like Xing, is attracted to men.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan is shocked and disgusted by Xing’s “stand-in romance” with wives chosen for their resemblance to Prince Xin. She sees his obsession as dangerous and commits to intervening.
• Xing Yuanzheng appears outwardly composed while overhearing the conversation, but breaks when he learns Prince Xin does not return his feelings. He refuses to believe it.
• Jiang Yunsheng is furious to learn that a trusted, promoted commander has secretly worked against him and that the capital’s defenses are compromised.
• Prince Xin emerges as a calculating manipulator who exploits Xing’s devotion, though he apparently does not share Xing’s attraction.

Significant themes

• Obsession disguised as loyalty can corrupt a person and endanger many others.
• The chapter condemns treating spouses and children as substitutes or tools in a fantasy romance.
• Political betrayal is especially dangerous when it hides behind trusted positions and official institutions.
• Unrequited love and manipulation intersect with the struggle for power.

Character interactions

• Jiang Nuan listens as Guagua exposes Xing’s history and motives, reacting with disbelief and moral disgust.
• Xing silently overhears their gossip, then loses his composure when he learns Prince Xin finds their interactions repellent.
• Guagua’s revelations deepen Jiang Yunsheng’s outrage and reveal a wider network of Prince Xin’s agents within the court and military.

Key plot points and events

• Guagua reveals that Meng Wenyao discovered a silver mine on his land. Prince Xin recruited him to exploit the mine and supply him with money.
• Meng initially refused to join Prince Xin’s faction, but Prince Xin framed him and forced him into service. Jiang Nuan decides that Meng and two other coerced informants should be allowed to atone through meritorious service.
• Guagua identifies five additional informants: two coerced and three who joined Prince Xin willingly for personal gain. Jiang Nuan prepares evidence and sends it to the Court of Judicial Review, whose officers promptly summon the suspects.
• The Court is overwhelmed by the growing number of cases and prisoners. A proposal to expand its facilities is rejected because the treasury is short of funds.
• Jiang Zixuan and Zhou Youjia’s families settle their marriage; the wedding is planned for early spring next year.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan’s instinctive compassion leads her to distinguish between coerced informants and willing conspirators. Though she had hoped to live an idle life, she accepts her growing role in protecting Great Xia and eagerly continues uncovering Prince Xin’s network.
• Jiang Yunsheng listens closely to the revelations, supports giving the coerced men a chance to make amends, and is struck by the silver mine’s immense value.
• Meng Wenyao is portrayed as fortunate but reluctant to enter political intrigue; he became Prince Xin’s financial source only after being blackmailed. The coerced informants feel grateful for Jiang Nuan’s mercy, while the willing ones regret their exposure but are not offered the same leniency.
• The Court of Judicial Review’s staff are strained by the influx of cases, with even enthusiastic Zhou Youjia complaining about the workload.

Significant themes

• Coercion versus responsibility: The chapter distinguishes victims forced into wrongdoing from those who chose corruption for profit.
• Mercy and accountability: Jiang Nuan’s compassion offers a path to redemption without excusing willing conspirators.
• The costs of justice: Exposing corruption creates practical burdens, from overcrowded cells to pressure on an already limited treasury.
• Duty and personal change: Jiang Nuan moves from wanting to “lie flat” toward finding purpose in helping her country improve.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan organizes a relaxing outing at Farmstead for An Yan. Yun Shining, Jiang Yehua, Jiang Chengze, Zhou Youjia, and Jiang Zixuan join, turning the small gathering into a seven-person excursion.
• The group arrives with barbecue supplies and meets young General Mao Zhonglin, who is visiting the Farmstead with Ji Anxian, the physician who once saved him. He plans to introduce her to his father and says he intends to marry her.
• Ji Anxian is nervous about meeting Mao’s family. Jiang Nuan’s unspoken thoughts reveal that Mao Zhonglin’s father is eager for his son to marry and would welcome Ji Anxian. Ji Anxian and Mao Zhonglin are startled to discover that everyone can apparently hear Jiang Nuan’s thoughts, but Ji Anxian is reassured.
• The group splits up: Jiang Chengze, Jiang Yehua, Zhou Youjia, and Yun Shining go to catch game for the barbecue. Jiang Nuan invites the people remaining with her to play mahjong.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan shows warmth and social ease, using her curiosity about Ji Anxian’s medicine chest and inherited silver needles to help her feel comfortable.
• Ji Anxian’s initial anxiety eases after Jiang Nuan’s thoughts reassure her about Mao Zhonglin’s father’s likely approval.
• Mao Zhonglin openly expresses his devotion to Ji Anxian and his intention to marry her.
• Jiang Chengze and Jiang Yehua compete to provide for Jiang Nuan, while Zhou Youjia offers to catch a rabbit for Jiang Zixuan. Yun Shining eagerly joins the hunt and promises a feast.

Significant themes

• Family and romantic support: The outing highlights affection among friends and siblings, while Mao Zhonglin’s commitment to Ji Anxian points toward a welcoming family future.
• Comfort through kindness: Jiang Nuan’s friendly attention helps Ji Anxian overcome her nervousness.
• Playful rivalry and companionship: The brothers’ eagerness to please Jiang Nuan and the group’s shared plans give the chapter a lighthearted, sociable tone.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Chengze returns from hunting and helps Jiang Nuan win at a game after she struggles against the others.
• The group gathers their game and starts preparing a barbecue. Zhou Youjia brings back a tiny fox, which delights Jiang Zixuan and the others.
• Jiang Yehua and Yun Shining are late returning from the hill. Jiang Nuan learns that Yehua sprained his ankle while chasing a rabbit.
• Yun Shining arrives carrying the much taller Yehua bridal-style, while also holding two pheasants. Yehua is mortified, especially when the others notice.
• Ji Anxian checks Yehua’s ankle and says it should recover with a few days’ rest. The group prepares barbecue and Beggar’s Chicken, then relaxes together.
• Their leisure is interrupted when the farmstead proprietor begs for help: his wife has gone into premature labor, and the midwife fears neither mother nor baby can be saved. Ji Anxian offers to examine her, and Jiang Nuan goes with her.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Chengze playfully rescues Jiang Nuan from her losing streak, showing their easy sibling rapport.
• Jiang Zixuan and the others warmly fuss over Zhou Youjia’s fox.
• Yun Shining remains calm and practical while carrying Yehua and protecting her catch; Yehua’s embarrassment contrasts with her composure. Their predicament becomes a source of teasing, though the group is relieved to learn he is not badly hurt.
• Jiang Nuan takes initiative with the meal, introducing Beggar’s Chicken, and the group cooperates in preparing food.
• Ji Anxian responds decisively to the emergency, while Mao Zhonglin helps keep the distressed proprietor from grabbing her. Jiang Nuan accompanies her to assist.

Significant themes

• Friendship and camaraderie: The group hunts, cooks, jokes, and rests together.
• Humor and embarrassment: Yehua’s dramatic rescue provides comic relief and reveals his bashful side.
• Care and responsibility: The group looks after Yehua, and Ji Anxian immediately steps forward to help a stranger in danger.
• A shift from leisure to urgency: The chapter moves from a relaxed outing to a medical crisis, setting up the next conflict.

Plot points and events

• A laboring woman is in critical condition: her water has broken, the baby is stuck, and the umbilical cord is wrapped around its neck. Ji Anxian judges that ordinary delivery is unlikely to save either mother or child.
• Jiang Nuan proposes a cesarean section. The midwife condemns the idea as reckless and tries to turn the innkeeper against the doctors, but the mother gives her consent and orders the midwife out.
• Ji Anxian agrees to attempt the operation. Jiang Nuan explains the procedure and supplies alcohol from her system space to clean the blades. With no anesthetic available, Yun Shining knocks the mother unconscious and keeps her from waking during the surgery.
• Ji Anxian delivers the baby, who initially appears blue but cries after being stimulated. She then stitches the mother’s abdomen closed. Both mother and child stabilize.
• The innkeeper enters, sees his unconscious wife, and assumes she has died. The midwife seizes the moment to accuse the doctors of causing her death, but the innkeeper defends them and tells them they may leave. Jiang Nuan finds his reaction suspicious, leaving the scene unresolved.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Anxian moves from examining the case to taking the risk of performing a groundbreaking operation. Its success gives her confidence that she may save others with the same procedure.
• Jiang Nuan supplies crucial medical knowledge and materials, while recognizing the danger of operating without anesthesia.
• Yun Shining responds quickly to Jiang Nuan’s request and helps keep the patient unconscious.
• The mother asserts her choice despite the midwife’s warnings, trusting the young doctors with her life.
• The midwife is hostile and dismissive, repeatedly undermining the doctors; the innkeeper, by contrast, initially trusts their judgment and later defends them.
• Jiang Nuan’s unease at the innkeeper’s behavior hints that the apparent resolution may conceal a problem.

Significant themes

• Innovation versus convention: The midwife rejects cesarean delivery as unthinkable, while the doctors’ willingness to try it saves both lives.
• Trust and agency: The mother makes an informed choice about a desperate procedure, while the innkeeper chooses to trust the doctors over the midwife’s accusations.
• Courage under uncertainty: The operation is risky and lacks proper anesthesia, yet the characters act to prevent avoidable deaths.
• Medical progress: The successful surgery marks a breakthrough for Ji Anxian and suggests future lives may be saved.

Key plot points and events

• Ji Anxian successfully saves Zhu Xiu and her newborn after a dangerous childbirth. She assures the proprietor that both are safe, gives instructions for Zhu Xiu’s recovery, and plans to return the next day.
• As the women prepare to leave, Guagua warns Jiang Nuan that the proprietor is dangerous. Its investigation reveals that he is really Du Daniu, now calling himself Du Zhuoran, and that he has secretly poisoned Zhu Xiu’s parents to seize the Zhu family’s property.
• Du Zhuoran had intended for Zhu Xiu and the baby to die during childbirth, then planned to blame the tragedy on Ji Anxian and ruin her medical career. Ji’s intervention thwarted that plan.
• Yun Shining takes the baby from Du Zhuoran and keeps her, making an excuse about how to hold her properly. Du Zhuoran tries to persuade the women to leave, but Zhu Xiu wakes and warns him not to touch her child, accusing him of poisoning her.
• Du Zhuoran maintains his outward performance of a caring husband, offering food and telling Zhu Xiu she can scold or strike him.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan reacts with outrage and resolves not to let Du Zhuoran harm Zhu Xiu or the baby.
• Yun Shining trusts Guagua’s warning, protects the baby, and begins to recognize that something is wrong despite her usual naïveté.
• Ji Anxian is shaken by the threat to her vocation but joins the others in seeking justice.
• Zhu Xiu, newly conscious, shows that she has heard the warning about her husband and openly rejects his apparent concern.
• Du Zhuoran shifts from the role of grateful, devoted husband to an increasingly suspicious figure trying to regain control and get the women to leave.

Significant themes

• Deception and appearances: Du Zhuoran’s dutiful image conceals greed and murderous intent.
• Justice and protection: The women’s intervention prevents further harm and puts them in a position to expose him.
• Women’s agency and solidarity: Jiang Nuan, Yun Shining, Ji Anxian, and Zhu Xiu act together to protect mother and child.
• The vulnerability of reputation and vocation: Du Zhuoran’s plan to frame Ji Anxian shows how easily malicious accusations could destroy her ability to practice medicine.

Key plot points and events

• Zhu Xiu realizes that Du Zhuoran’s reputation as a devoted husband is a carefully maintained act. She suspects he has been manipulating others into seeing her as unreasonable, making her death in childbirth easy to disguise.
• Jiang Nuan learns from Guagua that Du has secretly fathered two sons with Gong Xiaofang, the Farmstead’s cook. Du had also been giving Zhu Xiu contraceptive pills, despite supposedly wanting children with her.
• Yun Shining confronts Du about Gong Xiaofang. Zhou Youjia brings Gong and her sons into the room; the boys call Du “Daddy,” exposing the affair in front of witnesses.
• Gong asks Zhu Xiu to accept the boys into the family and let her serve as a maid. Zhu Xiu points out that Du married into the Zhu family and owns nothing himself, so the children have no rightful claim to the family lineage.
• Zhu Xiu announces that she is divorcing Du. He pleads that the affair was an accident, but she notes that his older child is already five, despite their six-year marriage. She signs the divorce document and has him removed from her home.
• Zhu Xiu also suspects Du may have caused her parents’ deaths and offers a reward for reporting the matter. Zhou Youjia reveals he works for the Court of Judicial Review and takes Du into custody.

Character developments

• Zhu Xiu moves from self-doubt to clear-eyed resolve, recognizing Du’s deception and asserting her right to end the marriage.
• Du Zhuoran’s devoted-husband persona collapses once his children are revealed. His panic and inability to deny Zhu Xiu’s account expose his selfishness and ambition.
• Gong Xiaofang discovers that Du’s promises of status were built on a false assumption: he has no family estate or authority to offer her children a place in the Zhu lineage.
• Yun Shining and Zhou Youjia help bring Du’s secrets into the open and ensure he faces consequences.

Significant themes

• Deception and reputation: A convincing public image can hide cruelty and manipulation.
• Women’s agency and self-trust: Zhu Xiu stops accepting others’ judgments and acts on what she now understands.
• Power, inheritance, and status: Du’s control of the Farmstead created a false impression of ownership, while his marriage into the Zhu family gave him access to its wealth.
• Justice and accountability: Public witnesses and the intervention of the authorities turn private betrayal into a matter with legal consequences.

Character interactions

• Yun Shining’s direct accusation forces Du to react before the gathered visitors.
• Gong appeals to Zhu Xiu as a “sister,” but Zhu Xiu rejects her request and exposes the truth about Du’s position in the family.
• Du tries to regain Zhu Xiu’s sympathy, but she refuses to be swayed by his pleas.
• Zhou Youjia acts on Zhu Xiu’s accusation and takes Du away for investigation.

Key plot points and events

• After Du Zhuoran is taken away, Ji Anxian stays with the injured Zhu Xiu. Zhu Xiu grieves that she once misjudged Du and brought harm to her parents, and wishes to offer them incense.
• Guagua reveals that Zhu Xiu’s parents had suspected Du and arranged for the village chief to ensure he would leave with nothing if he mistreated her. In Zhu Xiu’s previous life, the village chief eventually uncovered Du’s crimes and turned him over to the authorities—but only after Zhu Xiu had died.
• With Ji Anxian’s reassurance and Guagua’s reminder that she must care for her unborn child, Zhu Xiu regains some resolve. She thanks the group and tells them to rest before heading home.
• At a crossroads, Guagua urges Jiang Nuan to visit the General’s Residence, where General Mao has prepared a dramatic welcome for Mao Zhonglin and Ji Anxian. The others invent flimsy reasons to come too: a misplaced jade pendant, medicinal ointment, chestnut-pastry advice, or simply not wanting to be left out. Yun Shining offers to carry the injured Jiang Yehua, recalling how she once carried him—and two chickens—down a mountain.
• Ji Anxian is pleased to have company, since she would have felt nervous visiting Mao’s family alone. Mao Zhonglin reluctantly accepts the growing entourage, hoping his father will not do anything to frighten Ji Anxian away.
• Their concern proves justified: a red carpet stretches along the street toward the General’s Residence, and a servant rushes ahead announcing the return of the eldest young master and young madam.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhu Xiu begins in grief and self-blame but chooses to keep going for her child. Ji Anxian comforts her and prevents her from getting up while injured.
• Ji Anxian’s growing ease with Jiang Nuan’s group is clear; their shared experiences have made her feel comfortable around them.
• Mao Zhonglin is embarrassed and apprehensive about his father’s elaborate welcome, while the others cheerfully pile on excuses to witness the spectacle.
• Yun Shining’s strength and bluntness again leave Jiang Yehua uneasy, recalling her dramatic rescue of him on the mountain.

Significant themes

• Justice after loss: Du is exposed and ultimately punished, but justice cannot undo the harm done to Zhu Xiu and her parents.
• Resilience and responsibility: Zhu Xiu must move beyond grief for the sake of herself and her child.
• Found companionship: The group’s humor and willingness to accompany Ji Anxian ease her anxiety.
• Comic anticipation: The characters’ elaborate excuses and Mao Zhonglin’s dread build suspense around General Mao’s over-the-top welcome.

Key plot points and events

• Mao Zhonglin returns to the General’s Residence with Ji Anxian, where his parents arrange an extravagant welcome complete with servants shouting greetings and setting off firecrackers.
• Tao Ying initially offers Ji Anxian fifty thousand taels to leave her son. Ji Anxian, bewildered, tentatively agrees—upending the romantic scene Tao Ying expected from a storybook.
• When Ji Anxian starts to leave, Tao Ying urgently stops her, admits the offer was a joke, and presents her with a hundred thousand taels as a welcoming gift instead.
• Jiang Nuan and her companions have followed to watch the spectacle. Tao Ying recognizes the royal visitors, and Mao Qiantao invites them inside.
• Once indoors, Tao Ying enthusiastically reassures Ji Anxian that she will be a kind mother-in-law, praises her son’s devotion, offers to fund a medical clinic or accompany her on travels, and proposes sharing her storybooks.

Character developments and interactions

• Mao Zhonglin is embarrassed by his parents’ theatrical matchmaking and worried they will sabotage his relationship. He tries to introduce Ji Anxian and later reclaim her from his mother, but Tao Ying keeps taking charge.
• Ji Anxian is confused by Tao Ying’s abrupt changes of heart. Her unexpected willingness to accept the money exposes how poorly the planned “storybook” scene fits real life.
• Tao Ying swings rapidly from mock rejection to enthusiastic acceptance, revealing that she is imitating a romantic trope she read. She warmly overwhelms Ji Anxian with promises and attention.
• Jiang Nuan recognizes the events as resembling a plot from one of her published dramatic storybooks and delights in the comedy. The others realize her writing inspired the scene.
• Mao Qiantao welcomes the royal group, while they watch Tao Ying’s energetic conversation with Ji Anxian.

Significant themes

• Fiction versus reality: Tao Ying’s storybook-inspired plan goes awry when Ji Anxian reacts in an unexpected, practical way.
• Romance and family interference: Mao Zhonglin’s main obstacle is not Ji Anxian’s feelings but his parents’ chaotic attempts to help.
• Comedy through misunderstanding: Sudden reversals, mismatched expectations, and public spectacle drive the chapter’s humor.