Chapter Summaries

The Chancellor confronted the General Who Assists the State in prison and delivered the sentence for his failed plot against the king. At the Eleventh Prince's residence, Xiao Yu discovered that he and Little Yun Cheng enjoyed eating grass, while Tantai Yun Heng fled when Xiao Yu offered him some.

• The Chancellor blamed the General Who Assists the State for backing the First Prince and admitted that the general had acted from selfish ambition.
• The Chancellor gave the General Who Assists the State poison and promised not to implicate his family; the First Prince was sentenced to plow fields for life, while the cow and calf were ordered killed as fertilizer.
• Little Yun Cheng tried the cooked grass Xiao Yu had prepared and found it delicious, and Xiao Yu tasted it too.
• Tantai Yun Heng arrived at the Eleventh Prince's residence, saw Xiao Yu and Little Yun Cheng eating grass, and hurried away when Xiao Yu invited him to join them.
• Xiao Yu promised to take Little Yun Cheng to the meadows outside the city to eat grass and play with other calves and lambs.

Xiao Yu pursued the human traffickers who had abused a little black horse after secretly marking them with a Tracking Talisman. After hearing that children were disappearing around the capital, he wondered whether the missing children had transformed into animals like Yun Cheng, but Dantai Yunheng caught him as he tried to sneak out that night.

• Yun Cheng and Xiao Yu collided with a wounded little black horse, who begged them to save him.
• Several men claimed the horse belonged to their dealership and dragged him away, while Xiao Yu secretly planted a Tracking Talisman on them.
• Xiao Yu sent Yun Cheng back to the palace and told him not to reveal their plans to his royal brother.
• Prefect Xiang told Xiao Yu that children had been mysteriously disappearing around the royal capital, and Yun Cheng wondered if they had turned into animals.
• Xiao Yu dressed in stealth clothes and tried to leave the palace, but Dantai Yunheng confronted him.

Xiao Yu and Dantai Yunheng infiltrated a village where traffickers were holding people transformed into horses, and Xiao Yu treated and freed the captives. Dantai Yunheng surrounded the village, and Prefect Xiang ordered his men to bring the captives out and kill anyone who resisted.

• Xiao Yu and Dantai Yunheng disguised themselves as mosquitoes and found the traffickers’ hideout outside the city.
• Xiao Yu reached the injured little black horse, gave him water, and learned the traffickers had transformed more than twenty children into horses.
• The little black horse recognized Xiao Yu as his rescuer, and the other children returned to human form after drinking water.
• Xiao Yu taught the children to turn into mosquitoes so they could escape without alerting the traffickers.
• Dantai Yunheng told Xiao Yu he had already surrounded the village, and Prefect Xiang ordered his men to bring out the captives and kill anyone who resisted.

Xiao Yu interrogated a trafficker, learned that Master Miaofa was behind the child abductions, and went to confront him with Tantai Yun Heng. After Xiao Yu exposed Master Miaofa as a weasel possessing a man, the man took his own life.

• Xiao Yu tortured the trafficker until he revealed that Master Miaofa supplied potions and ordered child abductions, and that Miaofa was hiding in a ruined temple.
• Xiao Yu ordered Prefect Xiang to use the trafficker to find the missing children and set out to deal with Master Miaofa himself.
• Tantai Yun Heng met Xiao Yu outside the prison and insisted on accompanying him to fight.
• At the ruined temple, Xiao Yu confronted Master Miaofa, who tried to flee after denying responsibility for the children's abuse.
• Xiao Yu caught Master Miaofa and flung him into his true form, revealing that a weasel had possessed him.
• After regaining consciousness, Master Miaofa lamented the sins committed through him and swallowed a sharp stone, killing himself.

Xiao Yu buried Master Miaofa and turned down Li Yingjie's advances, reaffirming his love for Tantai Yun Heng. Back at the palace, Xiao Yu welcomed Bai Mo and Bai Xue as Yun Cheng's companions, then found Tantai Yun Heng had filled his chambers with flowers to ward off future suitors.

• Xiao Yu buried Master Miaofa, but before he could punish Weasel, a stranger's attack reduced Weasel to ashes.
• Li Yingjie offered Xiao Yu flowers and proposed, but Xiao Yu told him he already had a husband and loved Tantai Yun Heng.
• After Li Yingjie left, Tantai Yun Heng kissed Xiao Yu, and they returned to the palace so Tantai Yun Heng could review his memorials.
• Xiao Yu let Bai Mo and Bai Xue stay as Yun Cheng's playmates and guards, then changed Yun Cheng back into human form at his request.
• Xiao Yu found his chambers filled with flowers, and Tantai Yun Heng explained that he wanted to make sure no one else could lure Xiao Yu away.

Dantai Yunheng reassured Xiao Yu that he wanted to stay with him, then brought him to a banquet for Eastern Li’s envoys, where Princess Li Lanru proposed to Dantai Yunheng and insulted Xiao Yu. The chapter ended with Dantai Yunheng ordering guards to imprison Li Yingjie after he flirted with Xiao Yu.

• Xiao Yu moved Dantai Yunheng’s flowers outside, and Dantai Yunheng worried that Xiao Yu felt confined until Xiao Yu reassured him he wanted to stay by his side.
• Dantai Yunheng told Xiao Yu that Eastern Li’s envoys had arrived and asked him to attend their audience; Xiao Yu agreed.
• At the welcome banquet, Li Lanru proposed marriage to Dantai Yunheng, who told her she was blocking Xiao Yu’s light.
• Li Lanru insulted Xiao Yu and condemned Dantai Yunheng for making a man his Queen, prompting Dantai Yunheng to invoke the law against insulting the Queen.
• Li Yingjie slapped Li Lanru and apologized, then flirted with Xiao Yu, so Dantai Yunheng ordered the guards to take him to the dungeon.

At the banquet, Xiao Yu calmed Dantai Yun Heng after a confrontation with Li Yingjie and Li Lanru, then learned through Li Lanru’s thoughts that Eastern Li’s ruler might be using her as a pretext for war. Li Lanru began to fear her father’s intentions, while Li Yingjie watched the King and Queen with growing interest.

• Dantai Yun Heng threatened Li Yingjie and the Eastern Li envoys, but Xiao Yu soothed him and warned them not to cause trouble.
• Dantai Yun Heng dismissed Li Yingjie, Li Lanru, and the envoys, then focused on serving Xiao Yu at the banquet.
• Li Lanru heard Xiao Yu’s thoughts describing how Eastern Li’s ruler used his daughters to provoke other nations and justify invasions.
• Li Lanru recalled her elder sister’s fate and collapsed after hearing that she herself had been abused and abandoned in a previous life.
• Dantai Yun Heng warned that he would eliminate Li Lanru if she disturbed their peace, while Xiao Yu reassured him.
• Li Yingjie observed Xiao Yu and Dantai Yun Heng affectionately and decided his trip to Southern Zhao had been worthwhile.

Li Lanru discovered that her father had ordered her death and sought refuge with Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu refused to protect her, leaving her at his door with her danger unresolved.

• Li Lanru overheard Eastern Li envoys planning to poison her and make her death a pretext for war with Southern Zhao.
• Li Yingjie revealed that he had heard the plot and helped distract the envoys with a black cat.
• Li Lanru asked Li Yingjie to save her, and he directed her to seek protection from Xiao Yu.
• Li Yingjie brought Li Lanru safely to Xiao Yu's bedchamber, where she told Xiao Yu someone wanted to kill her.
• Xiao Yu denied that protecting Li Lanru was his duty and told her to leave his door.

Li Lanru sought protection in Xiao Yu’s chambers, and Dantai Yunheng let her stay in a nearby side hall after suspecting Eastern Li had a scheme. The couple discussed the danger before Dantai Yunheng tried to seduce Xiao Yu, who fell asleep before things went further.

• Li Lanru refused to leave Xiao Yu’s side, insisting that he was the only person she could trust.
• Dantai Yunheng arrived, accused Li Lanru of intruding, and threatened her with a guard’s sword when she refused to return to the Post Station.
• Xiao Yu stopped Dantai Yunheng and warned him not to fall for Eastern Li’s scheme, so Dantai Yunheng ordered Uncle Fu to place Li Lanru in the side hall.
• At the Post Station, Li Yingjie learned that Li Lanru had been allowed to stay in the palace and decided to wait and see what happened.
• Xiao Yu and Dantai Yunheng discussed Eastern Li’s possible plans, then turned their attention to bed, but Xiao Yu fell asleep while Dantai Yunheng was trying to seduce him.

At court, Xiao Yu gained authority to investigate Wang Liang’s alleged embezzlement after Dantai Yunheng declared him equal to the king. Wang Liang returned home and proposed to Xiaodie, who accepted, while the investigation and the threat from Minister Li remained unresolved.

• Minister Li accused Wang Liang of embezzling one million taels, while Wang Liang denied the charge and Xiao Yu learned that Minister Li and the Prince of Pingxi had conspired to frame him and seize the Wang Family’s fortune.
• Xiao Yu offered to investigate the Revenue Bureau’s accounts, and Dantai Yunheng rebuked Minister Li and granted Xiao Yu full authority over the investigation.
• Dantai Yunheng canceled the Lantern Festival palace banquet and ordered preparations for Xiao Yu’s Empress Coronation Ceremony to be expedited and announced to every kingdom.
• Wang Liang hurried after Xiao Yu and Dantai Yunheng after court but fled when Dantai Yunheng glared at him.
• Wang Liang returned to the Wang residence and proposed to Xiaodie, who accepted after he assured her that he wanted to spend his life with her.

Cui Rong won Emperor Jinyuan’s approval to become the Crown Prince’s Attendant, though the emperor remained wary of his motives. In the Eastern Palace, Little Xiyue coaxed the overworked Crown Prince into going outside, and he offered to guide Cui Rong to the Noble Consort’s chambers.

• Cui Rong told Emperor Jinyuan that serving the Crown Prince was his own wish and that Prince Xuan had also wanted him to return to Capital City.
• Emperor Jinyuan approved Cui Rong’s appointment as Crown Prince’s Attendant after the Lantern Festival, and Cui Rong asked to visit the Noble Consort.
• Little Xiyue brought the Crown Prince food and persuaded him to take a break from his work and go outside with her.
• Little Xiyue collided with Cui Rong at the doorway, and the Crown Prince checked that she was unharmed.
• The Crown Prince offered to guide Cui Rong to the Noble Consort’s chambers, and Cui Rong accepted.

On Lantern Festival, Dantai Yunheng gave Xiao Yu an intimate surprise in a chest and promised they would be buried together one day. After their passionate day together, he took Xiao Yu to a mountaintop hot spring and presented him with a mountainful of lanterns.

• Li Yingjie sprang out of a chest as Xiao Yu’s supposed Lantern Festival gift, and Dantai Yunheng ordered him sent back to Eastern Li.
• Uncle Fu brought Dantai Yunheng to Xiao Yu in a golden chest, and Dantai Yunheng asked Xiao Yu to accept him as his gift.
• Xiao Yu agreed to lie beside Dantai Yunheng in the chest, and they exchanged declarations of love and promised to be buried together.
• By nightfall, Xiao Yu knocked Dantai Yunheng unconscious to escape, but Dantai Yunheng soon caught him and refused to let him go alone.
• Dantai Yunheng took Xiao Yu to a mountaintop hot spring, where Xiao Yu rebuked him for overdoing their intimacy.
• Dantai Yunheng revealed a mountainful of decorative lanterns and wished Xiao Yu peace, joy, happiness, and lasting tranquility.

During the Lantern Festival, Xiao Yu offered Dantai Yunheng a wish, and Dantai Yunheng declared that Xiao Yu was his heart’s desire before they embraced beside the hot spring. In Jin Kingdom, the Crown Prince became separated from his companions in the crowd, reunited with Cui Rong, and let him hold his hand as they walked together.

• Xiao Yu offered to grant Dantai Yunheng any wish, and Dantai Yunheng told him that Xiao Yu was his heart’s desire.
• Fireworks lit the sky as Xiao Yu and Dantai Yunheng embraced beside the hot spring.
• At the Lantern Festival, Little Xiyue ran toward a Dragon Lantern Dance, and the Crown Prince sent Wei Yi after her when the crowd separated them.
• The Crown Prince stumbled into Cui Rong, who said he was looking for his Little Nephew, though the Crown Prince saw no child with him.
• The crowd separated the Crown Prince and Cui Rong, but they found each other again, and Cui Rong took the Crown Prince’s hand under the pretense of keeping him safe.

Cui Rong escorted the Crown Prince through the crowded streets and revealed to Chancellor Cui that he loved him and intended to serve in the Eastern Palace. After Chancellor Cui ordered him to kneel and then leave the residence, Cui Rong refused to abandon his plans.

• Cui Rong held the Crown Prince's hand as they made their way through the crowd, and the Crown Prince felt safe with him.
• Shen Zhijie and Su Xun found the Crown Prince, learned Cui Rong had rescued him, and joined them on their stroll.
• Cui Rong returned to the Chancellor's Residence, where Cui Sheng accused him of visiting his future aunt and a servant summoned him to the study.
• Chancellor Cui confronted Cui Rong about the proposed Eastern Palace appointment, and Cui Rong said he was in love with the Crown Prince.
• Chancellor Cui threw an inkstone at Cui Rong, ordered him to kneel in the Ancestral Hall, and then demanded he leave, but Cui Rong refused to change his plans to report for duty at the Eastern Palace.

After leaving the Chancellor’s residence, Cui Rong took up his appointment at the Eastern Palace and arrived while the Crown Prince was bathing. The Crown Prince offered him a place to stay, while Cui Rong sought to remain close to him as his steward and personal attendant.

• The Chancellor’s wife accepted Cui Rong’s love for the Crown Prince and watched him leave, while Chancellor Cui complained that she favored their son.
• Cui Rong told Changfeng to keep watching the assassins who had followed the Crown Prince at the lantern festival.
• Cui Rong entered the Crown Prince’s bath and startled him when he asked for help washing his back.
• Cui Rong showed the Crown Prince his appointment letter and said he had nowhere to stay after his father drove him out.
• The Crown Prince offered Cui Rong a place in the side hall, but Cui Rong said he wanted to serve as both steward and personal attendant.
• The Crown Prince asked whether Sixth Imperial Brother knew Cui Rong was joining the Eastern Palace.

Cui Rong struggled to hide his desire for the Crown Prince and left him alone in the room. In Southern Zhao, Xiao Yu turned the Prince of Pingxi’s attempted assault against him, but Dantai Yunheng arrived and found him tormenting the prince.

• Cui Rong helped the Crown Prince put on his slippers, then hurried outside when he realized he was lusting after him.
• The Crown Prince sat alone and felt hurt when Cui Rong left without making his bed.
• The Prince of Pingxi revealed that he had abducted Xiao Yu to punish him for interfering at court and threatened to assault him.
• Xiao Yu used his power to switch places with the Prince of Pingxi and retaliated by dripping candle wax on him.
• Dantai Yunheng arrived as Xiao Yu was tormenting the Prince of Pingxi, and Xiao Yu explained that he had only been teaching the man a lesson.

Dantai Yunheng killed the Prince of Pingxi after the prince revealed he had poisoned Xiao Yu and demanded his release in exchange for an antidote. Dantai Yunheng carried the unconscious Xiao Yu away, while Xiao Yu faintly responded to his promise to protect him.

• Dantai Yunheng threatened the Prince of Pingxi for coveting Xiao Yu, while Xiao Yu urged him not to kill the prince for political reasons.
• Xiao Yu suddenly spat blood as the poison given to the Prince of Pingxi by the Immortal Master took effect.
• The Prince of Pingxi demanded that Dantai Yunheng release him in exchange for the antidote, but Dantai Yunheng slit his throat instead.
• Uncle Fu found no antidote on the Prince of Pingxi, and Dantai Yunheng ordered the place burned down.
• Dantai Yunheng carried the unconscious Xiao Yu outside and promised not to let anything happen to him; Xiao Yu's eyelashes fluttered.

Dantai Yunheng was sent six years into the past by the Heaven and Earth Mirror and reunited with Xiao Yu, whom he remembered as An An. Xiao Yu rejected his claims about their future, but Dantai Yunheng fainted before he could leave.

• Dantai Yunheng woke in the Jin Kingdom's Cold Palace as an eleven-year-old and stabbed Li Chunlai with a hidden stone when he tried to kick him.
• Dantai Yunheng ordered Little Seven to deal with Li Chunlai and the others, then washed off the blood before hurrying to meet An An.
• Xiao Yu and Qinggeng approached the commotion, and Dantai Yunheng called Xiao Yu An An.
• Xiao Yu heard Dantai Yunheng's thoughts about wanting to hold and kiss him, then tried to leave in his wheelchair.
• Dantai Yunheng told Xiao Yu he was his A-Heng from the future and that they would become deeply devoted partners, but Xiao Yu rejected the claim.
• Xiao Yu softened when he saw Dantai Yunheng's distress, but Dantai Yunheng suddenly fainted.

Xiao Yu cared for the feverish Dantai Yunheng at the Eastern Palace and accepted his claim of coming from six years in the future, though he insisted their future romance was impossible. The next morning, the Crown Prince endured the Sixth Prince’s bullying until Cui Rong intervened and the Sixth Prince backed him up.

• Qinggeng carried the feverish Dantai Yunheng to the Eastern Palace, where Xiao Yu treated his wounds and cared for him through the night.
• The Crown Prince returned without an imperial physician, and Xiao Yu revealed that his legs were healthy as he treated Dantai Yunheng alongside the Crown Prince.
• After Dantai Yunheng woke, he asked Xiao Yu to sleep beside him, and Xiao Yu climbed into bed while denying any romantic feelings.
• At the Hall of Diligent Study, the Sixth Prince and his followers knocked down and trampled the Crown Prince’s book.
• Cui Rong ordered one of the boys to kneel for trampling the book, and the Sixth Prince kicked the boy and told him to obey his Little Uncle.

Cui Rong stood up for the Crown Prince at the Hall of Diligent Study, then noticed how poorly he lived and invited him to share a meal. Meanwhile, Emperor Jinyuan revealed that he had returned from six years in the future, and Xiao Yu confirmed that someone else had traveled back as well.

• Cui Rong stopped the Sixth Prince from bullying the Crown Prince, returned the Crown Prince's books, and began teaching the princes.
• Emperor Jinyuan told Xiao Yu that he had returned from six years in the future and asked how he could return to that time.
• Xiao Yu revealed that he knew he would become both Emperor Jinyuan's younger imperial brother and the Queen of Southern Zhao, and Emperor Jinyuan learned that someone else had come from the future.
• Dantai Yunheng woke to find Xiao Yu gone and set out to look for him.
• Cui Rong found the Crown Prince and Wei Yi digging up a bamboo shoot, then asked the Crown Prince to join him for a meal.