Chapter Summaries

Key events

• Cen Xue tells Jiang Nuan she expects trouble from the family that has suddenly summoned her home. With Jiang Nuan’s support, she decides she may cut ties with her father rather than submit to his plans.
• The two travel to the Cen Residence together. On the carriage ride, Jiang Nuan explains the history and circumstances of Great Xia to Cen Xue, who has spent years isolated in the countryside.
• Cen Xue wonders why her family has called her back. Through her gossip system, Jiang Nuan learns the reason: Cen Xue’s stepmother wants to marry her to an intellectually impaired nephew—or, if she is deemed unsuitable as a wife, have her become his concubine and bear him a child. Cen Xue’s father agrees so long as no one learns she is his daughter.

Character development

• Cen Xue shifts from anxiety to confidence after reuniting with Jiang Nuan. Learning the family’s true intentions leaves her furious and emotionally shaken, because she recognizes how deeply the original Cen Xue had hoped for her father’s affection.
• Jiang Nuan becomes Cen Xue’s outspoken ally. Once she learns the plan, she is determined to stop it rather than let Cen Xue face her family alone.
• Guagua is initially jealous of Jiang Nuan’s attention but is quickly won over by her praise and reveals the family’s secret through its gossip system.

Character interactions and themes

• Jiang Nuan and Cen Xue’s friendship is warm and supportive: Cen Xue trusts her enough to rely on her, while Jiang Nuan offers both practical help and companionship.
• Jiang Nuan’s playful flattery of Guagua contrasts with her anger at Cen Xue’s family.
• The chapter highlights parental neglect and betrayal, the exploitation of women for marriage and childbearing, and the power of friendship and chosen family. It also shows how the original Cen Xue’s past longing for parental love still weighs on the present-day Cen Xue.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan warns Cen Xue that her stepmother, Rao Chunlan, plans to marry her off to an intellectually disabled nephew.
• Cen Xue dismisses the threat and says she intends to use Jiang Nuan’s support to confront her family. The two devise a plan to humiliate them.
• At the Cen Residence, Rao Chunlan deliberately leaves them waiting outside. Jiang Nuan and Cen Xue avoid the intended insult by napping in the carriage, then pass the time playing cards with Chunhua and Qiuyue.
• Frustrated that her tactic has failed, Rao Chunlan finally summons them inside.
• Rao insults Cen Xue’s upbringing and compares her unfavorably with “Qiqi.” Cen Xue fires back, accusing Rao of helping drive her into the countryside and of turning her father against her.
• Rao tries to slap Cen Xue, but Chunhua intervenes. Cen Xue openly challenges her stepmother and says she would rather have her father sever their ties.
• Cen Xue is disappointed that her father, Cen Yansheng, is absent; just as she thinks of him, he sneezes after returning home.

Character developments and interactions

• Cen Xue remains composed about the marriage scheme and grows more openly defiant toward Rao, asserting her independence and resentment over her childhood abandonment.
• Jiang Nuan acts as Cen Xue’s confidante and ally, warning her of the plot and helping her turn the family’s deliberate slight into a source of amusement.
• Rao Chunlan reveals her contempt for Cen Xue and her desire to dominate her, but her efforts to embarrass Cen Xue do not go as planned.
• Chunhua protects Cen Xue by stopping Rao’s attempted slap; Qiuyue and Jiang Nuan accompany and support her.

Significant themes

• Resilience and agency: Cen Xue refuses to be intimidated or controlled, including through a forced-marriage scheme.
• Chosen support: Jiang Nuan and the others give Cen Xue practical and emotional backing.
• Family betrayal and unresolved hurt: Cen Xue’s anger reflects her mother’s death, her father’s absence, and her stepmother’s role in sending her away.
• Status and hypocrisy: Rao condemns Cen Xue’s manners while using cruel, demeaning insults herself.

Key plot points and events

• Rao Chunlan berates Cen Xue and says she has arranged a marriage for her—as a concubine to Rao Chunlan’s intellectually disabled son. She insists Cen Xue has no say in the matter.
• Cen Xue rejects the arrangement, mocking the proposed match and suggesting Rao Chunlan marry the man herself.
• Rao Chunlan’s husband, Cen Yansheng, arrives with Rao Shuchang, the prospective groom’s father. Cen Yansheng tries to discipline Cen Xue and orders a servant to fetch a bamboo switch.
• Jiang Nuan steps in to protect Cen Xue. Cen Xue reveals that Jiang Nuan is the Ninth Princess, but neither man believes her.
• Jiang Nuan presents an imperial token. Instead of accepting her identity, Cen Yansheng accuses Cen Xue of forging it—a crime punishable by death.

Character developments

• Cen Xue is outspoken and defiant, refusing to submit to a forced marriage or her family’s authority. She also reveals the neglect she endured: she grew up alone in the countryside after her mother died, with her father largely absent.
• Jiang Nuan moves from quiet observer to Cen Xue’s bold defender. Her confidence falters when the officials fail to recognize her, but she still produces proof of her status.
• Cen Yansheng displays a stark double standard: he is deferential toward Rao Shuchang but harsh and controlling toward Cen Xue. He seems more concerned with preserving face than acknowledging his daughter’s mistreatment.
• Rao Chunlan expects Cen Xue to obey and is angered when her authority fails. Rao Shuchang is offended by Cen Xue’s insults toward his son.

Significant themes

• Female autonomy and forced marriage: Cen Xue challenges the belief that parents can decide her fate without her consent.
• Neglect and hypocrisy: Cen Yansheng claims authority as a father despite having abandoned Cen Xue to fend for herself.
• Power, status, and recognition: Jiang Nuan’s imperial identity should command respect, but her low-ranking audience does not recognize her.
• Defiance and loyalty: Cen Xue resists abuse, while Jiang Nuan risks confrontation to protect her.

Character interactions

• Cen Xue spars verbally with Rao Chunlan, rejecting both her insults and her marriage scheme.
• Cen Yansheng and Rao Shuchang arrive together; Cen Yansheng tries to appease his guest by chastising Cen Xue.
• Jiang Nuan intervenes when Cen Yansheng threatens to beat Cen Xue, prompting Cen Xue to regard her with admiration.
• When Cen Xue names Jiang Nuan as the Ninth Princess, the men dismiss the claim. Jiang Nuan’s token shifts their attention—but Cen Yansheng responds by accusing them of forgery rather than showing deference.

Key plot points and events

• Cen Yansheng declares Jiang Nuan’s Imperial Token a fake and orders it destroyed, convinced she is an impostor. He also tells Cen Xue to stop associating with Jiang Nuan and prepare for an arranged marriage.
• Cen Xue rejects him and says she came to sever ties: he abandoned her in the countryside for over ten years. She describes surviving through her own labor and the villagers’ kindness, despite Cen Yansheng’s claim that he sent supplies.
• Jiang Nuan’s companion Guagua reveals that Rao Chunlan secretly kept those supplies and used the money for her own daughter. Cen Yansheng and Rao Shuchang realize the likely truth, but Cen Yansheng dismisses Cen Xue’s suffering and insists his status as her father entitles him to obedience.
• Jiang Nuan defends Cen Xue and condemns Cen Yansheng for trying to force her to marry an idiot. He orders servants to throw Jiang Nuan out.
• Capital Prefect Xu Jincheng arrives, kneels to Jiang Nuan, and addresses her as the Ninth Princess. Cen Yansheng’s and Rao Shuchang’s confidence collapses as they realize they have insulted a genuine imperial princess.

Character developments

• Cen Xue openly confronts her father, voices years of neglect, and commits to cutting ties with him. Speaking about her past brings her relief.
• Jiang Nuan remains amused by Cen Yansheng’s mistaken certainty, but takes offense at his insults and forcefully supports Cen Xue.
• Cen Yansheng grows increasingly arrogant as he mistakes silence for proof, then is abruptly exposed as having badly misjudged the situation.
• Rao Chunlan is revealed to have diverted the supplies meant for Cen Xue.
• Xu Jincheng acts quickly to protect Jiang Nuan and formally confirms her identity.

Significant themes

• Neglect and parental responsibility: Cen Xue challenges the idea that biological fatherhood alone makes Cen Yansheng a worthy parent.
• Abuse of authority and prejudice: Cen Yansheng uses his position as a father to demand obedience and assumes he can judge Jiang Nuan’s identity without evidence.
• Deception and accountability: Rao Chunlan’s theft and Cen Yansheng’s false claims come to light.
• Dramatic irony and reversal: The men dismiss the authentic token as fake, setting up their humiliation once Jiang Nuan’s identity is confirmed.

Character interactions

• Cen Xue confronts Cen Yansheng over her abandonment; he denies responsibility and tries to silence her through paternal authority.
• Jiang Nuan backs Cen Xue and clashes directly with Cen Yansheng, who orders her expelled.
• Rao Shuchang’s view of Cen Yansheng shifts as he hears Cen Xue’s account, while Cen Yansheng pressures Rao Chunlan to confirm his claims.
• Xu Jincheng’s respectful salute to Jiang Nuan reverses the power dynamic and leaves Cen Yansheng and Rao Shuchang facing the consequences of their accusations.

Key events

• Cen Yansheng realizes Jiang Nuan is the Ninth Princess and panics after having insulted her and threatened to destroy her imperial token.
• He tries to use his daughter Cen Xue’s friendship with Jiang Nuan to escape blame, but Cen Xue mocks him and refuses to help.
• Jiang Nuan insists the token be returned and makes Cen Yansheng hold it, confronting him with the seriousness of his actions.
• Cen Yansheng begs forgiveness, then blames his wife, Rao Chunlan, for keeping Cen Xue’s belongings from her.
• Cen Xue rejects his excuses, pointing out that he neglected her for years and knowingly agreed to marry her off to an unsuitable man to advance his career.
• Jiang Nuan proposes that Cen Yansheng and Cen Xue sign a Severance Letter. When she asks Xu Jincheng about the legal penalty for disrespecting a princess and threatening an imperial token, he confirms it is beheading.
• Cen Yansheng agrees to sign, but tries to make his cooperation conditional on Jiang Nuan dropping the matter. Jiang rejects the implied threat, while Rao Shuchang urges Cen Yansheng to comply.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan remains composed and authoritative, using both the law and Cen Yansheng’s own conduct to hold him accountable.
• Cen Xue openly rejects her father’s sudden affection and exposes the self-serving motives behind his behavior.
• Cen Yansheng shifts from arrogance to panic, then tries flattery, blame, and emotional pressure. His desire to preserve a useful connection to Cen Xue clashes with his long record of neglect.
• Rao Chunlan is hurt when Cen Yansheng blames her to save himself, though she cannot deny withholding Cen Xue’s belongings.
• Xu Jincheng recognizes Cen Yansheng’s poor judgment, and Rao Shuchang tries to steer him toward signing.

Significant themes

• Accountability and justice: Rank and family ties do not erase offenses against the law.
• Hypocrisy and self-interest: Cen Yansheng’s sudden paternal affection appears only when Cen Xue becomes useful to him.
• Family estrangement: Cen Xue’s rejection reflects the lasting consequences of years of neglect.
• Power and leverage: Jiang Nuan turns Cen Yansheng’s attempted intimidation into a confrontation with the law and a decisive break in the father-daughter relationship.

Key plot points and events

• Cen Xue secures a Severance Letter from Cen Yansheng, ending her ties to the Cen household. Jiang Nuan’s intervention makes the confrontation straightforward, while Cen Yansheng remains oblivious to the others’ disapproval.
• Cen Xue leaves with Jiang Nuan and asks for help, explaining that she is alone and penniless in the capital. Jiang Nuan brings her to the courtyard where An Yan and Yun Shining are working.
• Cen Xue quickly fits in with the group. An Yan recognizes how well she understands Jiang Nuan’s ideas and recruits her as an assistant, though Cen Xue has little business experience.
• Three days later, Cen Xue confides that she has fallen for Jiang Nuan’s brother Jiang Chengze. Jiang Nuan thinks she may have a chance with him, but Cen Xue reconsiders: she will not accept a life involving multiple wives and concubines.
• Cen Xue instead decides to pursue the Imperial Examination route, determined to build an independent career. Women have only recently been permitted to sit the exams in Great Xia, on a limited trial basis.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan helps Cen Xue break free from her former family, offers her a place to stay, and supports her ambitions. She is pleased by Cen Xue’s praise and briefly worries that Cen Xue may have fallen for her Fourth Brother.
• Cen Xue moves from seeking shelter and emotional support to asserting a clear goal: she wants a public role based on her own abilities, not dependence on marriage. Her attraction to Jiang Chengze is real, but her independence matters more.
• An Yan warms to Cen Xue and values her sharp understanding, bringing her into the team as an assistant.
• Yun Shining meets Cen Xue at the courtyard; the women quickly become comfortable with one another.
• Cen Yansheng is left behind at the Cen Residence, angry but unable to challenge the outcome.

Significant themes

• Female independence and ambition: Cen Xue rejects the constraints of polygamous marriage in favor of public service and self-determination.
• Women’s access to power: The opening of the Imperial Examination to women is presented as a modest but meaningful step toward a less male-dominated government.
• Solidarity and opportunity: Jiang Nuan and An Yan help Cen Xue find both safety and a way to contribute.
• Love versus personal freedom: Cen Xue’s feelings for Jiang Chengze do not outweigh her refusal to surrender her independence.

Key events

• Cen Xue tells Jiang Nuan she dreams of becoming a renowned chancellor and promises to help her friends prosper. The others join in imagining their futures: Yun Shining as a celebrated martial heroine, An Yan as the world’s richest businesswoman, and Jiang Nuan as their supporter.
• Yun Shining reports that Cen Xue’s former father and stepmother have divorced after losing their positions and blaming each other. Cen Xue’s stepsister’s engagement has also been broken, and the family is now widely despised.
• Yun Shining reveals that she secretly beat the former couple using a martial technique that leaves no visible marks. Cen Xue thanks her, and Jiang Nuan asks to join her if there is a “next time.”
• Jiang Nuan recalls how Cen Xue’s circulated poems and couplets helped expose a plagiarist at a poetry gathering and helped Great Xia’s ministers win a diplomatic contest—gaining ten cities from a Goryeo envoy.

Character developments and interactions

• Cen Xue remains focused on building a future with her friends and has little interest in her estranged family’s fate. She accepts Yun Shining’s revenge with amused gratitude rather than sympathy for her former relatives.
• Jiang Nuan admires Cen Xue’s ambition and supports her friends’ dreams. She is also pleased that Cen Xue’s earlier work let her stay out of the spotlight while helping the court succeed.
• Yun Shining shows fierce loyalty to Cen Xue, taking direct action against those who mistreated her. She is also playful and ambitious, imagining herself as a protector of the group.
• The women reinforce their friendship through shared jokes, encouragement, and plans to back one another in the future.

Significant themes

• Friendship and mutual support: The women confidently imagine succeeding together and protecting one another.
• Justice and retribution: Cen Xue’s former family faces social and personal consequences for its cruelty, while Yun Shining takes revenge on Cen Xue’s behalf.
• Influence without recognition: Cen Xue’s poems and couplets shape public and diplomatic events, even as Jiang Nuan avoids drawing attention to herself.
• Ambition and loyalty: Each woman’s dream is framed not only as personal success but as a way to support the others.

Key plot points and events

• Cen Xue admits she is a transmigrator after realizing Jiang Nuan believes she is one. She is actually using the claim to stop Jiang Nuan worrying, while keeping secret that she can hear Jiang Nuan’s thoughts.
• Cen Xue notices that Goryeo may renege on its promise to surrender ten cities. Jiang Nuan explains that her father, Emperor Jiang Yunsheng, may welcome such a breach as a justification to invade: Great Xia has ample funds and increasingly powerful gunpowder weapons.
• Half a month later, Jiang Yunsheng prepares a campaign after Goryeo apparently refuses to hand over the cities. The generals eagerly compete to lead, hoping to gain easy merit with Great Xia’s new cannons. He selects Sha Zhang.
• Just as Jiang Yunsheng finishes drafting the decree, news arrives that Goryeo has agreed to surrender the ten cities, become Great Xia’s vassal, and pay tribute. A second report says its envoys are already on their way with a border-defense map and the head of General Fan Wuqi.
• Because Goryeo has made a conspicuous show of submission, Great Xia lacks a just cause to invade. Jiang Yunsheng reluctantly abandons the immediate campaign.
• Ten days later, Goryeo’s delegation arrives during court. Jiang Nuan hears the announcement and feels that the group’s strong leader and trembling young companion seem oddly familiar.

Character developments and interactions

• Cen Xue shows quick judgment: she spots the risk of Goryeo breaking its promise, then understands how that could give Great Xia a pretext for war. She also conceals her ability to hear Jiang Nuan’s thoughts by claiming to be the supposed transmigrator.
• Jiang Nuan shares what she knows about Great Xia’s military and finances, and is amused by the prospect of Goryeo’s envoys discovering the consequences of their actions. At court, her curiosity is reignited by the delegation’s arrival.
• Jiang Yunsheng weighs military ambition against the need for a defensible cause. His frustration at Goryeo’s perfectly timed concessions is clear, but he accepts that its submission prevents an immediate attack.
• The generals quarrel eagerly over command, revealing their confidence in Great Xia’s new weapons and their desire for military credit. Sha Zhang is chosen, then immediately undercut by the news from Goryeo.
• Goryeo’s envoys interact with the court by offering substantial tokens of submission, including the defense map and Fan Wuqi’s head.

Significant themes

• Deception and concealed knowledge: Cen Xue hides how she knows things, while Jiang Nuan’s inner thoughts shape what others believe.
• Power and diplomacy: Great Xia’s weapons and resources strengthen its position, but political legitimacy constrains how it can use that power.
• Comic timing and irony: Goryeo’s concessions arrive just after Jiang Yunsheng completes the invasion decree, frustrating him and humiliating Sha Zhang’s prediction.
• Foreboding familiarity: Jiang Nuan’s sense that the arriving delegation resembles something she has encountered before sets up an unresolved mystery.

Key plot points and events

• A Goryeo delegation presents Emperor Jiang Yunsheng with a border-defense map. Its leader, Jie Ke, claims his visibly trembling companion is simply frightened by the emperor.
• Jiang Nuan recognizes the scene as resembling the tale of Jing Ke Assassinating the King of Qin. Guagua confirms her suspicion: a poisoned dagger is hidden inside the map, and the delegation intends to assassinate Jiang Yunsheng.
• Jiang Nuan tries to warn her father, but Jiang Yunsheng cuts her off by asking the envoys whether they know the story. He tells a version in which the Qin emperor spots the plot and has the assassin arrested.
• The story unsettles Jie Ke, whose thoughts reveal that the details match his own plan. Jiang Yunsheng then orders the conspirators seized.
• Jie Ke protests that the story is fictional. Jiang Yunsheng challenges him to unroll the map and prove there is no dagger; Jie Ke’s refusal makes his guilt apparent.

Character developments

• Jiang Yunsheng remains composed despite the threat. Rather than approach the dangerous map, he uses the story to expose the plot and seize control of the encounter.
• Jiang Nuan shifts from playful speculation to alarm when Guagua confirms the danger. Once she sees her father has understood the scheme, she relaxes and returns to enjoying the drama.
• Jie Ke begins confident enough to press the emperor to accept the map, but becomes increasingly rattled as Jiang Yunsheng’s story mirrors his plan. His anger and evasiveness further undermine him.
• The ministers and guards move from confusion to outrage and readiness to act once they learn of the assassination attempt.

Character interactions

• Jiang Yunsheng watches for Jiang Nuan’s insight, while she silently assesses the danger and tries to warn him.
• Jiang Yunsheng confronts Jie Ke indirectly through the story, provoking visible unease before issuing his arrest order.
• Jie Ke argues with the emperor and tries to challenge the legitimacy of the accusation, but Jiang Yunsheng counters by demanding that he open the map.

Significant themes

• Perception and deception: The map’s diplomatic appearance conceals a deadly weapon, but Jiang Yunsheng sees through the disguise.
• Knowledge as power: Jiang Nuan’s foreknowledge and Jiang Yunsheng’s ability to recognize the scheme prevent the assassination.
• Composure versus guilt: Jiang Yunsheng stays calm, while Jie Ke’s growing agitation exposes his culpability.
• Humor amid danger: Jiang Nuan’s pillar-related thoughts and eagerness for court gossip provide comic relief during a life-threatening confrontation.

• The assassination attempt fails: Jie Ke refuses to prove his innocence and then attacks Emperor Jiang Yunsheng with a poisoned dagger hidden in a map. Jiang dodges, and a guard deflects the dagger back into Jie Ke’s abdomen. The poison kills Jie Ke after he makes a final, defiant gesture at the emperor.
• Jiang responds to Goryeo: Jie Ke’s companions plead that they knew nothing of the plot, but Jiang has them imprisoned, intending to put them to work before deciding their fate. He declares war on Goryeo and orders Sha Zhang to lead 300,000 troops in a swift conquest. Jiang Nuan privately approves, reasoning that a decisive victory could end the recurring border clashes.
• A banquet brings new gossip: At the imperial farewell banquet for the campaign, Jiang Nuan asks Guagua about a dejected guest, Yu Henan, son of Grand Tutor Yu Xianzhi. Yu Xianzhi hopes the princess’s revelations will disillusion his son, who has been estranged from the family over a woman.
• Yu Henan’s dangerous obsession is revealed: Guagua explains that the woman engineered their apparent chance meeting, married Yu Henan in a remote temple, and pursued him for wealth and status. When Yu Xianzhi blocked the marriage into his household and cut off Yu Henan’s allowance, she faked her death and disappeared. Yu Henan mistook the deception for a real tragedy, blamed his family, and devised a plan to make them die alongside his supposed lost love.
  Character developments and interactions: Jiang Yunsheng proves alert and decisive, turning the failed assassination into a military response. Jie Ke’s reckless desperation ends in his own death. Yu Xianzhi appears perceptive about the woman’s motives and worried about his son, while Yu Henan’s devotion is exposed as irrational and dangerous. Jiang Nuan and Guagua’s gossip session draws the officials’ attention, though Yu Henan appears not to hear her thoughts—an ominous contrast to most people unable to hear them.
  Themes: The chapter contrasts political danger with personal delusion: a concealed plot sparks war, while romantic manipulation drives a son toward violence against his own family. It also highlights the consequences of obsession, the limits of pleading innocence, and the value of decisive action.

Chapter summary: “Dragging the Whole Family to the Grave”

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan’s inner thoughts, relayed by Guagua, reveal that Yu Henan intends to assassinate Emperor Jiang Yunsheng at the farewell banquet. He believes the attempt could get his entire clan executed and sees death as preferable to life without the woman he loves.
• The revelation shocks the court. Yu Xianzhi realizes his son’s plan could destroy their family and asks the emperor to let him leave with Yu Henan.
• Yu Henan refuses to go, but Yu Xianzhi forcibly takes him home, preventing the assassination. Yu Henan, unaware that his plan has been exposed, decides to try again later.
• At home, Yu Xianzhi has Yu Henan beaten, removes him from the family genealogy, and casts him out. He tells him that the woman he believes is dead is actually living in Fengyuan Village with her true husband and their child.
• Yu Henan travels there on foot, impoverished and badly injured. Seeing the woman alive with her family, he laughs, collapses, and dies.
• Yu Xianzhi later buries his son, giving him what he describes as the last remnant of paternal affection.

Character developments

• Jiang Nuan remains incredulous at Yu Henan’s extreme, self-destructive plan and questions the logic behind it.
• Emperor Jiang Yunsheng is angered by the assassination plot but permits Yu Xianzhi to leave with his son.
• Yu Xianzhi shifts from shame and fear over his son’s actions to decisive rejection, then shows a final, limited act of care by burying him.
• Yu Henan is revealed as dangerously fixated and willing to sacrifice himself and his family. Learning the truth about the woman he mourned leaves him with no will to continue.

Significant themes

• Obsession and self-destruction: Yu Henan’s devotion turns into a plan that would ruin both himself and his family.
• Truth versus illusion: His belief that the woman died for love is false; confronting her real life destroys the story he has built around her.
• Family loyalty and its limits: Yu Xianzhi’s love gives way to protecting the wider family, though he still grants his son burial.
• Consequences of delusion: Yu Henan’s refusal to understand the situation leads to disgrace, exile, and death.

Character interactions

• Guagua informs Jiang Nuan—and, through her thoughts, those around her—of the assassination plan and the woman’s whereabouts.
• Yu Xianzhi confronts the danger by forcing Yu Henan to leave the banquet, then punishes and disowns him.
• Yu Henan’s final encounter with the woman and her family is one-sided: they do not recognize him and retreat indoors, while he faces the truth alone.

Plot points and events

• Emperor Jiang Yunsheng announces a tour of Great Xia, with the Crown Prince governing during his absence. A minister proposes bringing Princess Jiang Nuan, arguing her presence and knack for uncovering hidden wrongdoing would benefit the journey. The other ministers agree, and Jiang Yunsheng decides she will go.
• Jiang Nuan is delighted: she sees the tour as a chance to travel and immediately wants her friend Cen Xue to come too. Her father agrees, and Cen Xue eagerly accepts the invitation.
• Back at the palace, Guagua tells Jiang Nuan it can upgrade to the highest level among newborn systems, thanks to money earned selling gossip gathered with her. The Check-In System visits to congratulate it and gives Jiang Nuan and Guagua a gift intended to make their journey safer.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan is excited by the prospect of travel and grateful to the ministers for helping make it possible. She also shows how much she values Cen Xue’s company by arranging for her to join.
• Jiang Yunsheng supports his daughter’s wishes, approving both her participation in the tour and her request to bring Cen Xue.
• Cen Xue responds enthusiastically, eager to travel with Jiang Nuan.
• Guagua celebrates its major upgrade and shares the news with Jiang Nuan and its system group.
• The ministers cooperate in recommending Jiang Nuan’s inclusion, seeing her as both fortunate and practically useful. The Check-In System’s affectionate visit reinforces its bond with Guagua and offers the pair protection.

Significant themes

• Trust and companionship: Jiang Nuan wants Cen Xue by her side, while the systems celebrate and support one another.
• Practical value of unusual gifts: Jiang Nuan’s ability to uncover gossip is treated as a useful asset in governing and exposing corruption.
• Adventure and opportunity: The inspection tour promises new experiences, while Guagua’s upgrade marks progress and reward for its work.

Key plot points and events

• The Check-In System gives Jiang Nuan an Invisibility skill as a gift. She can use it for two hours per day; Advanced Mode consumes time twice as fast but makes her intangible as well as invisible.
• Excited, Jiang Nuan tests the skill by sneaking out of her room and into the Hall of Diligent Governance.
• Jiang Yunsheng, Jiang Chengze, and Chi Hengji all hear Jiang Nuan’s thoughts despite being unable to see her. They learn about her new ability—and that she mainly wants to use it to watch gossip more conveniently.
• Jiang Yunsheng instructs Chi Hengji to support Crown Prince Jiang Chengze while the emperor is away on an inspection tour.
• Chi Hengji approaches the spot where he suspects Jiang Nuan is standing. She switches to Advanced Mode just in time to avoid colliding with him, confirming that the skill can make her untouchable.
• Jiang Nuan returns to her chambers, then makes a roundabout trip to Cen Xue’s shop. She plans to share two pieces of good news and invite Cen Xue to join her travels.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan is delighted by the gift and eager to experiment with it, though her chief motivation is still indulging her love of gossip. She quickly learns to use Advanced Mode when danger arises.
• The Check-In System shows affection for Jiang Nuan and rewards her with a practical ability, partly because Jiang Nuan treats Guagua well.
• Guagua shares Jiang Nuan’s excitement and encourages her to test the skill.
• Jiang Yunsheng demonstrates trust in both Chi Hengji and his son, while relying on Chi to guide the less-seasoned crown prince.
• Chi Hengji quietly tests the limits of Jiang Nuan’s invisibility and shows consideration by approaching carefully.
• Jiang Nuan and the three men share an unspoken connection: they can hear her thoughts, though she does not know it.

Significant themes

• Invisibility and hidden knowledge: Jiang Nuan can conceal herself physically, but her thoughts still expose her presence to the men.
• Comedy through dramatic irony: Jiang Nuan believes she cannot show off her ability, unaware that the others have already learned about it.
• Power used for personal pleasure: Though the skill could serve many purposes, Jiang Nuan is most excited to use it for gossip.
• Care and trust: The system’s gift reflects the bonds formed through Jiang Nuan’s kindness, while Jiang Yunsheng’s instructions show confidence in Chi Hengji’s loyalty and competence.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Nuan invites Cen Xue on Emperor Jiang Yunsheng’s inspection tour of Great Xia. Cen Xue eagerly accepts, delighted to finally take the spontaneous trip they once dreamed about.
• Jiang Nuan also reveals that Guagua has upgraded and can link another person to its gossip-sharing system. Cen Xue joins, and the two successfully communicate through their thoughts.
• Cen Xue discovers she cannot tell Jiang Nuan about the strange inner voices—even mentally. She also realizes that people nearby can hear their thought-based exchanges, so they must be careful.
• Three days later, the pair set off with the imperial party, disguised as daughters of a wealthy merchant. Jiang Yunsheng travels separately, easing Cen Xue’s anxiety about being alone with him.
• After a long, uncomfortable day on rough roads, the party camps in the wilderness. Jiang Nuan and Cen Xue join Jiang Yunsheng as he speaks with another merchant. The merchant describes the heavy unofficial taxes and bribery merchants face, prompting Jiang Yunsheng to reconsider what he knows about the tax system.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Nuan is enthusiastic about sharing both the journey and Guagua’s gossip link with Cen Xue. Her carefree excitement contrasts with Cen Xue’s caution and awareness of the dangers of court etiquette.
• Cen Xue eagerly accepts the trip but remains wary of Jiang Yunsheng and of accidentally violating the customs of the era. She is increasingly alert to the limits and risks of communicating through the system.
• Jiang Yunsheng appears convincingly as a merchant during the disguise, though he privately recognizes that his past experience selling refined salt gave him an incomplete picture of merchants’ burdens.
• Jiang Nuan boldly pulls Cen Xue into the men’s conversation, while Jiang Yunsheng silently permits them to stay.

Significant themes

• Adventure and companionship: The trip fulfills an old wish and gives Jiang Nuan and Cen Xue a shared experience.
• Secrecy and communication: The system enables private-feeling conversations, but those exchanges are not truly private, and Cen Xue’s attempt to reveal a secret is blocked.
• Privilege and perspective: Jiang Yunsheng’s conversation with the merchant exposes the gap between official tax policy and the corruption merchants experience in practice.
• Cultural adjustment and survival: Cen Xue’s preparation for unfamiliar rules reflects her determination to adapt and stay safe.

Plot points and events

• Merchant Zhu Zhizhuan complains that corrupt officials have taken large sums from him, including the bribe demanded by Qingshui County’s magistrate.
• Jiang Yunsheng confidently refuses to pay, unaware at first that Zhu’s complaint is about the magistrate’s routine extortion.
• Jiang Nuan’s private thoughts reveal that Jiang Yunsheng is the emperor. Zhu realizes this and panics, but Eunuch Wang Dehai takes him aside and instructs him to act as though he has learned nothing.
• Zhu resumes speaking freely, detailing how the magistrate exploits merchants. Jiang Yunsheng listens closely, apparently taking the allegations seriously.
• Jiang Nuan asks Guagua to uncover Zhu’s background. Guagua reveals that Zhu was a gifted village boy whose neighbors funded his schooling, but he was unfairly barred from becoming a Xiucai after offending an examiner’s nephew. He eventually gave up the examinations.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yunsheng shifts between his commanding confidence as emperor and an approachable “Brother Jiang” persona. He appears ready to investigate the magistrate’s abuses.
• Zhu Zhizhuan moves from weary resignation to terror when he recognizes the emperor, then manages to continue talking under pressure. He takes pride in having, in effect, brought his grievance directly to the throne.
• Jiang Nuan is eager to witness the magistrate’s downfall and feels sympathy for Zhu after hearing how his education was obstructed.
• Eunuch Wang discreetly manages Zhu’s discovery of the emperor’s identity, helping preserve the group’s cover.
• Zhu speaks openly to Jiang Yunsheng, while Jiang Nuan and Cen Xue react privately; Guagua supplies the hidden history that deepens their understanding of him.

Significant themes

• Official corruption and abuse of power: Merchants are forced to pay officials to keep their businesses running.
• Justice and accountability: The emperor’s presence offers a chance for the magistrate’s conduct to be exposed.
• Talent thwarted by privilege: Zhu’s promising scholarly future was ruined by a powerful examiner’s relative.
• Social support and resilience: Zhu’s village rallied to help educate him, even though the examination system later failed him.

Key plot points and events

• Zhu Zhizhuan tells the group how he failed to earn the Xiucai degree despite the villagers’ support. Rather than give up, he turned to business and helped Riverside Village prosper.
• Guagua reveals that Zhu has also brought grain to famine-stricken areas, sometimes selling it at a loss and earning a reputation as a benefactor.
• Guagua then warns that Zhu is fated to die in Qingshui County: after he objects to the county magistrate’s excessive demands for money, the magistrate will have him killed.
• Zhu decides he can leave the county if necessary, but is reassured by Jiang Yunsheng, who hints that he has enough influence to protect him.
• Jiang Nuan considers inviting Zhu to cooperate with her expanding business.
• The caravan reaches Qingshui County, where guards demand an entry fee of one thousand taels. Zhu recognizes this as the magistrate’s test of whether newcomers can be exploited. A soldier angrily moves to shove Jiang Yunsheng when he does not pay.

Character developments

• Zhu Zhizhuan is shown to be resilient, generous, and loyal to his roots. His pride in his achievements gives way to fear when he learns his life is in danger, then to confidence once Jiang Yunsheng offers protection.
• Jiang Nuan admires Zhu’s character and begins to see him as a potential business partner.
• Jiang Yunsheng quietly positions himself as a protector, while concealing the full extent of his authority from Jiang Nuan.
• Cen Xue and Jiang Nuan respond with strong admiration for Zhu’s service to his village and to famine victims.

Significant themes

• Resilience and service: Zhu turns personal failure into a different kind of success, using business to improve others’ lives.
• Integrity versus greed: Zhu’s generosity contrasts with the county magistrate’s corruption and exploitation.
• Power and protection: The corrupt local system threatens ordinary people, but Jiang Yunsheng’s authority may be able to challenge it.
• Opportunity through adversity: Zhu’s impending danger may also lead to a valuable partnership with Jiang Nuan.

Character interactions

• Guagua reveals Zhu’s past, good works, and predicted fate, prompting admiration and alarm from Jiang Nuan and Cen Xue.
• Jiang Yunsheng reassures Zhu that the magistrate cannot easily harm him.
• Zhu privately looks to Jiang Yunsheng for protection, then feels confident enough to anticipate the magistrate’s downfall.
• At the city gate, the soldiers’ demand and attempted shove create the immediate confrontation that ends the chapter.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Yunsheng’s party reaches Qingshui County, where soldiers demand an illicit 1,000-tael entry fee. Jiang pays, while the soldiers assume he is easily intimidated.
• Zhu Zhizhuan expects the county magistrate to bully the newcomers, and Jiang Nuan, Cen Xue, and Guagua privately condemn the magistrate’s greed and look forward to exposing him.
• After settling in, Jiang asks Zhu about the magistrate and learns that the magistrate holds a Hongmen banquet to intimidate new caravan leaders. An arrogant messenger delivers an invitation.
• Jiang agrees to bring Jiang Nuan and Cen Xue. At the magistrate’s residence, the gatekeepers demand 5,000 taels to enter without an invitation and threaten that Jiang’s goods cannot leave the county.
• A Wei reports that unknown men are surrounding the party’s warehouse and trying to seize its goods. Jiang pays the fee, then is seated in a remote, low-status corner.
• One guest recognizes Jiang and immediately falls from his chair and kneels, hinting that the magistrate’s scheme may soon collapse.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yunsheng stays outwardly agreeable and pays each fee, but his calm smiles suggest he is deliberately allowing the magistrate to overreach. He is amused by the disrespect, an experience he has rarely faced as emperor.
• Jiang Nuan is initially angry about the county’s corruption, then becomes eager to attend the banquet for the spectacle and gossip. Her father indulges her request.
• Cen Xue reassures Jiang Nuan and shares her determination to uncover the magistrate’s crimes; Jiang treats her as Jiang Nuan’s “little sidekick.”
• Zhu Zhizhuan candidly explains the magistrate’s tactics and anticipates the coming confrontation.
• The soldiers, servants, and magistrate’s men act with contempt and coercion, while the final guest’s startled recognition of Jiang suggests the party’s true standing is about to become clear.

Significant themes

• Abuse of power and corruption: The magistrate’s unofficial fees, threats, and attempted seizure of goods reveal systematic exploitation.
• Arrogance and misjudgment: The officials mistake Jiang’s restraint for weakness and underestimate whom they are targeting.
• Justice and impending reversal: Jiang’s party appears to submit, but their composure and the guest’s reaction foreshadow consequences for the corrupt magistrate.

Plot points and events

• A well-connected merchant recognizes Jiang Yunsheng from a previous imperial procession and realizes the county magistrate has targeted the emperor. Jiang Yunsheng silently warns him not to reveal what he knows.
• Jiang Nuan’s inner voice exposes the merchant’s recognition to several people nearby. Those who hear it become cautious and avoid antagonizing Jiang Yunsheng.
• County Magistrate Yang Junnan arrives and is displeased to find Jiang Yunsheng seated at the back. He gives a speech about the county’s financial troubles, then falsely claims Jiang Yunsheng has pledged 50,000 taels to help its people.
• Jiang Yunsheng flatly denies making the pledge. Yang threatens to seize his shipment, ruin its reputation, and block his business across the surrounding counties.
• Yang calls on the merchants to support a “Jiang Trade Restriction Order.” Most side with Yang, but those who heard Jiang Nuan’s inner voice stand with Jiang Yunsheng.
• Just as Yang threatens Jiang Yunsheng again, a panicked servant rushes in with an urgent warning: “Something’s wrong!”

Character developments

• Jiang Yunsheng remains composed and defiant, refusing both the banquet’s coercion and Yang’s demands.
• Jiang Nuan is eager for the confrontation to unfold, though food briefly distracts her.
• Yang Junnan reveals his greed and insecurity: he exploits merchants to raise money and wants Jiang Yunsheng’s Hot Spring Manor, escalating to open threats when challenged.
• The recognizing merchant and other listeners shift from fear or indifference to cautious loyalty toward Jiang Yunsheng, aware of his true identity.
• Zhu Zhizhuan quietly enjoys seeing others react with the same shock he once experienced.

Significant themes

• Corrupt authority and exploitation: Yang disguises extortion as aid for the people while keeping the merchants’ contributions for himself.
• Coercion versus resistance: Yang uses economic power and collective pressure, but Jiang Yunsheng refuses to submit.
• Hidden knowledge and dramatic irony: Jiang Nuan’s inner voice lets selected characters understand the danger before the others do, shaping their choices.

Character interactions

• Jiang Yunsheng uses a warning glance to stop the recognizing merchant from exposing his identity.
• Yang publicly tries to shame Jiang Yunsheng into donating; Jiang Yunsheng counters bluntly, prompting Yang to threaten him.
• The merchants’ divided response to Yang’s order reveals who has heard Jiang Nuan’s inner voice—and who is still acting without that knowledge.

Key plot points and events

• Yang Junnan learns that his men were beaten while trying to intercept a shipment and left at the county magistrate’s residence. He angrily confronts Jiang Yunsheng.
• Jiang Yunsheng warns Yang that even his supposed patron could not protect him. Yang boasts that Chancellor Chi Hengji is his maternal cousin and demands Jiang kneel and pay him 100,000 taels.
• Jiang Nuan secretly consults Guagua, who reveals that Yang has never met Chi Hengji and is not related to him. Yang began accepting gifts after someone mistakenly assumed he was the chancellor’s relative, then gradually turned the misunderstanding into a deliberate scheme to extort merchants.
• Jiang Nuan resolves to expose Yang that night. The merchants, realizing they have been deceived, are outraged but remain cautious about challenging a magistrate.
• Yang further claims the emperor praises him and threatens the merchants for laughing. Unbeknownst to him, the emperor is present, and those who know Jiang Yunsheng’s identity struggle not to laugh. The chapter ends with Yang demanding an answer from Jiang.

Character developments

• Yang Junnan is shown as greedy, boastful, and increasingly reckless. Having escaped exposure for over a year, he has even convinced himself that his fabricated connection to Chi Hengji is real.
• Jiang Nuan moves from quiet observation to decisive action, determined to reveal Yang’s fraud.
• Jiang Yunsheng remains composed despite Yang’s threats, while his silence is mistakenly read as fear.
• The merchants shift from fearful compliance toward anger and hope that Jiang will hold Yang accountable.

Significant themes

• Corruption and abuse of power: Yang exploits his office and a false political connection to extort merchants.
• Self-deception and unchecked greed: Repeated success lets Yang’s lie grow until he appears to believe it himself.
• Dramatic irony: Yang boasts of the emperor’s favor while failing to recognize the emperor standing before him.

Character interactions

• Yang threatens and tries to intimidate Jiang Yunsheng, who calmly challenges his supposed protection.
• Jiang Nuan and Cen Xue silently share their surprise at Guagua’s revelation and support the plan to expose Yang.
• The merchants watch anxiously, while those who know Jiang Yunsheng’s identity find Yang’s claims especially ridiculous.
• Yang’s threats against the laughing merchants deepen the contrast between his imagined authority and his actual ignorance.

Key plot points

• Jiang Yunsheng confronts Magistrate Yang Junnan for falsely claiming to be connected to Chancellor Chi Hengji and for using the emperor’s name to intimidate others.
• Jiang Yunsheng reveals that he is the emperor. A merchant recognizes him, and the nearby general’s arrival and submission confirm his identity.
• Yang’s earlier extortion becomes clear: he charged Jiang Yunsheng at the city gate and at the residence, then demanded a further hundred thousand taels. Jiang Yunsheng mockingly has Wang Dehai hand Yang the hundred thousand taels Yang demanded.
• Jiang Yunsheng also calls out the merchants who had agreed to exclude his trading caravan. He offers them a chance to be spared if Yang can persuade Chi Hengji to intercede.
• Pressured by the merchants, Yang finally admits he fabricated his kinship with the chancellor.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yunsheng shifts from appearing mild and unassuming to exercising unmistakable imperial authority. He uses sarcasm and the merchants’ own assumptions to expose Yang’s fraud and make him confront the consequences of his greed.
• Yang Junnan goes from boastful and domineering to terrified and humiliated. His false claim of being Chi Hengji’s relative collapses when he is asked to produce the chancellor’s help.
• The merchants first kneel in fear when Jiang’s identity is revealed. Some try to distance themselves from the conspiracy to exclude his caravan, while others regret having followed Yang and turn on him once they realize his supposed influence was fabricated.
• Jiang Nuan and Cen Xue remain relaxed, eating through the confrontation. Jiang Yunsheng jokes that they should enjoy the food, which Yang had effectively made them pay dearly for.
• Wang Dehai promptly carries out Jiang Yunsheng’s order to give Yang the demanded money.

Significant themes

• Abuse of authority and accountability: Yang exploits his position to extort money and manipulate merchants, but his actions are exposed once he faces genuine imperial power.
• Deception and false status: Yang’s invented connection to Chancellor Chi is central to his influence—and to his downfall.
• Power and performance: Yang’s confidence depends on others believing his claims; Jiang Yunsheng’s identity is confirmed by loyal officials and soldiers.
• Humiliation as justice: Jiang Yunsheng forces Yang to accept the money he demanded and to depend on the very false connection he used to intimidate others.