Chapter Summaries

Plot and events

• In prison, the Chancellor confronts the General Who Assists the State over his failed attempt to force the king to abdicate. He argues that the General’s claims of acting for Southern Zhao’s prosperity were a cover for ambition: the General backed the eldest prince because he seemed easy to control.
• The Chancellor points out that the eldest prince is corrupt and unfit to rule, while the Queen’s skillful oversight of Jin’s finances helped keep its people and army prosperous.
• The General admits privately that his power had fed his selfish desires. He regrets his choices and asks the Chancellor to spare his innocent family. The Chancellor agrees and delivers poison, allowing the General to die with his body intact.
• The transformed eldest prince is sentenced to plow fields for the people for the rest of his life. The Chancellor also orders the cow and calf in the cell—both conspirators—put to death.
• At the Eleventh Prince’s residence, Xiao Yu serves Little Yun Cheng cooked grass. Yun Cheng enjoys it, and Xiao Yu tries it too, finding it surprisingly tasty. When Tantai Yun Heng arrives, Xiao Yu invites him to join them. He panics and makes an excuse to flee.
• Yun Cheng is delighted to have Xiao Yu to himself. Xiao Yu promises to take him to a meadow to eat grass and play with other young animals.

Character developments and interactions

• The General recognizes that his stated concern for the country masked personal ambition. His shame and regret culminate in a plea to protect his family.
• The Chancellor is firm but measured: he offers the General a dignified death and agrees to shield his family, while enforcing harsh punishment on the conspirators. He values ordinary people above royal status.
• The eldest prince remains defiant, but his transformation and punishment strip him of power and reduce him to serving the people he once endangered.
• Xiao Yu shows playful, caring affection toward Yun Cheng, patiently encouraging him to try a new food.
• Yun Cheng grows comfortable with his animal form and bonds warmly with Xiao Yu. He enjoys his brother’s apparent absence.
• Tantai Yun Heng is affectionate but comically embarrassed by the prospect of eating grass, escaping rather than admitting his reluctance.

Significant themes

• Ambition and self-deception: The General’s downfall comes from mistaking personal power-seeking for service to the state.
• Leadership and public welfare: The chapter contrasts a ruler’s fitness with the needs of ordinary people, whom the Chancellor considers more important than royal rank.
• Justice and mercy: Punishments are severe, but the General receives a measure of compassion and his family is spared.
• Warmth and humor after political conflict: The domestic scene of grass-eating provides a lighthearted contrast to the prison’s grim reckoning.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yu takes Little Yun Cheng, now in calf form, outside the palace. While they wander, Yun Cheng accidentally collides with a badly injured black horse.
• The horse begs for help. Yun Cheng understands him and translates, revealing that several men are human traffickers who have been mistreating and trying to recapture him.
• The men claim the horse as their property, citing a special rope as proof, and threaten Xiao Yu when he challenges them. Xiao Yu lets them take the horse but secretly places a Tracking Talisman on them so he can follow later.
• Xiao Yu sends Yun Cheng back to the palace and forbids him from joining the rescue, warning him not to tell his royal brother.
• On the way, they encounter Prefect Xiang, who reports that children have been vanishing around the capital despite a lockdown and an extensive search. Yun Cheng wonders whether the missing children may have transformed into animals like him.
• That night, Xiao Yu dresses for a covert mission. Dantai Yunheng catches him as he is leaving and asks where he intends to go.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yu shows compassion toward both Yun Cheng and the injured horse, but acts cautiously rather than confronting the traffickers immediately. His tracking spell reveals that he intends to pursue them later. He is also still uncomfortable being addressed as “the Queen.”
• Little Yun Cheng remains playful and animal-like, but demonstrates empathy and a strong desire to help the black horse. His transformation lets him understand and relay the animals’ speech.
• The black horse is frightened and wounded, yet briefly hopes Xiao Yu will save him. When the men reclaim him, his hope fades.
• Prefect Xiang is respectful toward Xiao Yu and focused on the unexplained disappearances. Xiao Yu listens to his report, which connects the horse-trafficking incident to a wider mystery.
• Dantai Yunheng appears at the end, confronting Xiao Yu before his secret departure and setting up tension over the mission.

Significant themes

• Compassion versus danger: Xiao Yu and Yun Cheng want to help the horse, but the traffickers outnumber and threaten them.
• Hidden exploitation: The traffickers’ claim of ownership disguises cruelty and hints at a broader criminal operation.
• Mystery and transformation: The missing children may be linked to people turning into animals, as Yun Cheng did.
• Secrecy and protection: Xiao Yu tries to shield Yun Cheng from danger—and from Yunheng—while pursuing the traffickers alone.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yu tries to slip away alone, but Dantai Yunheng catches him and insists on joining him. Xiao Yu gives Yunheng night clothes, then leads him to a village outside the city.
• The village is run by traffickers who beat and imprison people transformed into horses. A badly injured black horse, desperate to find help, has been repeatedly punished for escaping.
• The traffickers discuss a potion supplied by Master Miaofa, which can turn people into horses. Their leader plans to kill the master if he ever becomes a threat.
• Using a Tracking Talisman, Xiao Yu and Yunheng locate the village, disguising themselves as mosquitoes to investigate.
• Xiao Yu reaches the injured black horse and gives him water. The horse returns to human form, revealing that the traffickers withheld water from their captives to keep them transformed. Xiao Yu then discovers more than twenty captive children.
• Xiao Yu plans to smuggle the children out by turning them into mosquitoes. Yunheng arrives and says the village is already surrounded. Prefect Xiang orders his men to rescue the captives and kill anyone who resists.

Character developments

• Xiao Yu shows compassion and resourcefulness, risking discovery to rescue the captives. He also takes charge by treating the injured boy and teaching the children how to escape.
• Dantai Yunheng remains devoted and protective, following Xiao Yu despite the unusual mosquito disguise. He uses his authority to arrange a larger operation rather than let Xiao Yu face the traffickers alone.
• The black horse persists in seeking help despite repeated abuse and, once rescued, advocates for the other captives.
• The white horse is initially distrustful but moves aside after the black horse recognizes Xiao Yu, showing its concern for its companion and fear of the traffickers.

Significant themes

• Compassion and rescue: Xiao Yu’s concern extends from one injured captive to all the children.
• Abuse of power and exploitation: The traffickers profit from transforming and imprisoning their victims.
• Trust and loyalty: The captives cautiously trust Xiao Yu, while Yunheng’s devotion is expressed through his willingness to follow and protect him.
• Courage and resistance: The black horse’s repeated attempts to escape—and the children’s willingness to learn to fly—show persistence despite danger.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yu and Yunheng exchange playful, affectionate banter, with Yunheng insisting on accompanying Xiao Yu and warning him to be careful.
• Xiao Yu earns the captives’ trust through his calm reassurance, medical care, and water.
• The black horse reassures the wary white horse by recognizing Xiao Yu as their rescuer.
• The traffickers discuss the potion and their plans among themselves, exposing their greed and willingness to betray Master Miaofa.
• Yunheng coordinates with Prefect Xiang, whose forceful order sets the rescue in motion.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yu interrogates a human trafficker, who reveals that Master Miaofa supplies a potion to trafficking gangs in exchange for money. The gangs abduct children, and there are several networks beyond the trafficker’s own.
• The trafficker agrees to guide Prefect Xiang’s men to the missing children after Xiao Yu threatens to send him to join his accomplices, whom Xiao Yu has transformed into horses and sent to the battlefield.
• Xiao Yu sets out to deal with Master Miaofa alone, but Tantai Yun Heng catches him leaving the prison and insists on coming along.
• At a ruined temple, Master Miaofa tries to flee and claims the children were unharmed and simply given new parents. Xiao Yu condemns him for enabling their abuse and rejects his excuses.
• When Miaofa attempts to escape, Xiao Yu throws him into his true form: a weasel that had possessed him. Miaofa regains consciousness, laments the sins committed through his body, and kills himself.

Character developments

• Xiao Yu is decisive and unsparing with criminals, but his focus is on rescuing the children and holding those responsible accountable. He tries to pursue Miaofa without Tantai Yun Heng knowing.
• The trafficker shifts from defiant contempt to cooperation once tortured and threatened. His willingness to help appears driven by fear of death.
• Tantai Yun Heng shows concern for Xiao Yu and recognizes his attempt to sneak away. He chooses to accompany him, framing it as helping his queen.
• Master Miaofa first denies responsibility and minimizes the harm, then tries to flee when challenged. His later remorse comes after the weasel possessing him is expelled.

Significant themes

• Accountability and complicity: Miaofa’s claim that he did not know how the children were treated is rejected; employing criminals does not absolve him of responsibility.
• Protection of the vulnerable: The chapter centers on the children’s abduction, mistreatment, and recovery.
• Justice through cooperation and force: Xiao Yu combines interrogation, threats, and investigation to pursue both the traffickers and their supplier.
• Trust and partnership: Xiao Yu’s attempt to act alone is met by Tantai Yun Heng’s insistence on joining him.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yu questions and pressures the trafficker, then delegates the search for the children to Prefect Xiang.
• Tantai Yun Heng challenges Xiao Yu about sneaking off and accompanies him despite Xiao Yu’s objections.
• Xiao Yu confronts Miaofa over the consequences of his dealings and stops his attempted escape.
• Miaofa’s final remorse follows the revelation that a weasel had possessed him, though the chapter leaves the precise extent of his own culpability ambiguous.

Plot points and events

• After Master Miaofa dies from his injuries, Xiao Yu buries him and prepares to punish Weasel for causing his death. Before he can act, a mysterious newcomer, Li Yingjie, blasts Weasel to ashes.
• Li Yingjie introduces himself, gives Xiao Yu flowers, and proposes marriage. Tantai Yun Heng pulls Xiao Yu into his arms and declares that Xiao Yu already has a husband. Xiao Yu confirms this and turns down Li’s offer, affirming his love and loyalty to Tantai.
• Li leaves disappointed. Tantai kisses Xiao Yu, and they return to the palace—where Xiao Yu reminds him that he still needs to review his memorials.
• The rescued siblings Bai Mo and Bai Xue choose to stay at the palace rather than return to their neglectful father. Xiao Yu arranges for them to be Yun Cheng’s playmates and guards.
• Yun Cheng complains that Bai Mo and Bai Xue have returned to human form while he is still transformed. Xiao Yu admits he delayed changing him back because he found him cute, then restores him. Yun Cheng hides because he is naked, while the siblings politely turn away.
• When Xiao Yu returns to his chambers, he finds the room filled with flowers. Tantai explains that he brought them so Xiao Yu will not be tempted by someone else’s bouquet.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yu demonstrates compassion by burying Master Miaofa and arranging a safe home for the siblings. He openly reassures Tantai of his devotion and playfully gives in to Yun Cheng’s complaint.
• Tantai Yun Heng shows jealousy and affection: he claims Xiao Yu as his husband, responds to Li’s advances with a passionate kiss, and fills Xiao Yu’s room with flowers as a humorous, possessive gesture.
• Li Yingjie is bold and flirtatious, but accepts Xiao Yu’s refusal with regret and leaves still hoping for another chance.
• Yun Cheng is affectionate and expressive, teasingly reproaches Xiao Yu for keeping him transformed, then gets embarrassed when returned to human form.
• Bai Mo and Bai Xue move from nervousness in the palace to comfort as they meet Yun Cheng and begin to look forward to staying.

Significant themes

• Devotion and commitment: Xiao Yu makes clear that his love for Tantai is lasting and that he will not trade it for a new admirer.
• Jealousy expressed as affection: Tantai’s possessiveness is played for humor and tenderness.
• Care and belonging: Xiao Yu offers the siblings safety and companionship, while the children’s interactions establish a new household bond.
• Lighthearted intimacy: Romantic teasing and playful embarrassment balance the chapter’s opening tragedy.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yu reassures Dantai Yunheng that he wants to stay with him, easing Dantai’s hurt when Xiao Yu moves the flowers Dantai brought into the courtyard.
• Dantai tells Xiao Yu that Eastern Li’s envoys have arrived and asks him to attend their reception. Xiao Yu agrees, privately wondering whether the delegation includes a princess.
• At the welcoming banquet, Eastern Li’s Tenth Princess, Li Lanru, boldly asks Dantai to marry her.
• Dantai dismisses her for blocking the light reaching Xiao Yu, making clear where his attention lies. Xiao Yu is moved, realizing he had misread Dantai’s gaze.
• Jealous and humiliated, Li Lanru insults Xiao Yu. Dantai invokes the law’s severe punishment for insulting the Queen. When she then condemns Dantai’s marriage and fitness to rule, her brother, Li Yingjie, slaps her and apologizes.
• Li Yingjie flirts with Xiao Yu, prompting Dantai to order the guards to take him to the dungeon.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yu and Dantai Yunheng: Xiao Yu’s affectionate reassurance dispels Dantai’s fear that he is keeping Xiao Yu against his will. Their closeness is reinforced through embraces and Dantai’s public devotion.
• Xiao Yu: He briefly fears Dantai may be attracted to Li Lanru, but Dantai’s remark reveals his gaze was focused on Xiao Yu all along.
• Li Lanru: Her confidence turns to embarrassment and hostility when Dantai rejects her. She escalates from an unwanted proposal to insulting the Queen and the king.
• Li Yingjie: He tries to manage the diplomatic fallout by apologizing for his sister, but his flirtation with Xiao Yu provokes Dantai further.
• The Southern Zhao court witnesses the king’s open devotion to his male Queen; the Eastern Li delegation must contend with both the insult and Dantai’s forceful response.

Significant themes

• Devotion and reassurance: Honest affection resolves Dantai’s insecurity.
• Jealousy and rivalry: Li Lanru’s advances and Li Yingjie’s flirtation spark conflict.
• Public loyalty and dignity: Dantai defends Xiao Yu’s status as Queen before both courts.
• Power and diplomacy: A ceremonial reception turns tense as personal feelings collide with royal protocol and political relations.

Plot points and events

• The Southern Zhao ministers try to stop King Dantai Yun Heng from escalating a confrontation with Eastern Li’s third prince, Li Yingjie. Dantai argues that he has already shown restraint.
• Xiao Yu calms Dantai by assuring him that he belongs only to him. Dantai immediately softens, then theatrically complains that everyone is picking on him. Xiao Yu reassures him and warns that anyone who causes trouble will have their legs broken.
• Dantai dismisses Li Yingjie, Princess Li Lanru, and the Eastern Li envoys, and the banquet resumes.
• As Dantai peels shrimp for Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu thinks about Eastern Li’s next move and criticizes Li Lanru. Li Lanru somehow hears Xiao Yu’s thoughts, including the claim that her father uses his daughters as political pawns, provoking wars under the pretext of avenging them.
• Xiao Yu’s thoughts also reveal Li Lanru’s fate in a previous life: after being sent to another nation and mistreated, she was abandoned by her father, who then used her death to justify destroying that country. Shaken, Li Lanru drops her chopsticks and begins doubting her father’s intentions.
• Dantai notices Li Lanru’s distress but says he will leave her alone unless she threatens their peace. He and Xiao Yu return to their affectionate exchange.
• Li Yingjie observes the couple closely and decides his visit to Southern Zhao is becoming interesting.

Character developments

• Dantai Yun Heng shifts quickly from threatening sovereign to clingy, emotionally expressive partner. Xiao Yu’s reassurance reliably calms him, though he remains fiercely protective.
• Xiao Yu demonstrates influence over Dantai and a protective, politically alert nature. His private thoughts reveal insight into Eastern Li’s strategy and Li Lanru’s likely danger.
• Li Lanru moves from arrogance and certainty about her father’s affection to fear and suspicion after hearing Xiao Yu’s thoughts. Her confidence begins to crack.
• Li Yingjie becomes increasingly intrigued by the King and Queen, watching them as potential sources of opportunity or entertainment.

Significant themes

• Public power versus private affection: Dantai’s fearsome royal image contrasts with his childlike dependence on Xiao Yu.
• Political manipulation and family loyalty: The possibility that Eastern Li’s ruler treats his daughters as tools undermines Li Lanru’s faith in her father.
• Hidden knowledge and altered fate: Xiao Yu’s recollections of a previous life expose dangers Li Lanru does not yet understand.
• Possessiveness and protection: Dantai’s devotion to Xiao Yu is both tender and threatening toward anyone who might disturb them.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yu soothes Dantai with intimate reassurance, and Dantai responds by embracing him and obeying his direction.
• The Southern Zhao ministers and Eastern Li envoys silently react with disbelief to Dantai’s dramatic change in demeanor.
• Xiao Yu and Dantai openly show affection at the banquet, while Li Yingjie watches and evaluates them.
• Li Lanru’s unintentional access to Xiao Yu’s thoughts unsettles her and prompts her to question her father’s motives.

Key plot points and events

• After the banquet, Li Lanru is shaken by doubts about her father, especially because of the suspicious deaths of her older sisters.
• Unable to sleep, she overhears Eastern Li envoys plotting to poison her at breakfast. Their plan is to leave her dead in Southern Zhao and give her father a pretext to attack the kingdom.
• Li Lanru nearly gets caught, but Li Yingjie secretly distracts the envoys by sending a black cat into the bushes.
• He tells her he cannot openly oppose their father, but suggests that Xiao Yu, Southern Zhao’s queen, may be able to protect her. He then takes her to Xiao Yu’s bedchamber.
• Xiao Yu refuses responsibility for her safety, telling her to seek protection through official channels and warning her to leave before their late-night meeting causes gossip.

Character developments

• Li Lanru loses her remaining trust in her father when she learns he ordered her death. Terrified and desperate, she turns to her brother and then to the person she previously offended.
• Li Yingjie appears to help Li Lanru, but stresses that he will not defy their father. His calculated advice and “one last” offer of help leave his motives uncertain.
• Xiao Yu remains cool and practical. He keeps his distance from Li Lanru and declines to take on a role that is not officially his.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and political power: Li Lanru discovers that her father treats her as a disposable instrument of state policy.
• Trust and survival: With her faith in her family shattered, she must seek safety from former adversaries.
• Duty and complicity: Li Yingjie’s reluctance to oppose his father highlights the constraints—and moral compromises—created by authority.
• Appearances and hidden motives: The envoys’ public diplomatic role conceals a murder plot, while Li Yingjie’s assistance remains ambiguous.

Character interactions

• Li Lanru overhears the envoys’ plan and narrowly avoids discovery.
• Li Yingjie reassures her that he helped save her, then points her toward Xiao Yu as her best chance of protection.
• Li Lanru approaches Xiao Yu directly, but he rejects personal responsibility and insists she follow formal channels.

Plot points

• Princess Li Lanru refuses to leave Xiao Yu’s chambers, saying she fears for her life and trusts only him.
• Dantai Yunheng arrives, jealous and suspicious, and demands to know why she is there. Li Lanru says she will not return to the Post Station, even if it means dying.
• Dantai draws a guard’s sword to frighten her, but Xiao Yu stops him, warning that Eastern Li may be trying to provoke a conflict. They agree to lodge Li Lanru in a nearby side hall while they investigate.
• At the Post Station, Li Yingjie learns his sister has been allowed to stay in the palace and decides to wait and see what happens.
• Xiao Yu and Dantai discuss Eastern Li’s possible motives: driving a wedge between them or arranging Li Lanru’s death to trigger war. Dantai vows the plan will fail.
• Dantai turns the conversation toward intimacy. Xiao Yu teases him by beginning to undress him, then agrees when Dantai declares his desire—only to fall asleep before anything happens. Dantai playfully nips his ears, then cuddles him.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Lanru is frightened and desperate, but determined to protect herself; she believes Xiao Yu is kind and is relieved when he lets her stay.
• Xiao Yu remains calm and strategic, restraining Dantai and treating Li Lanru’s arrival as a possible political trap. He also playfully teases Dantai.
• Dantai Yunheng shows jealousy toward Li Lanru and protective affection toward Xiao Yu. Though he threatens the princess, he follows Xiao Yu’s judgment and later responds to his teasing with tenderness.
• Li Yingjie appears calculating: he views his sister’s presence as potentially useful and chooses to observe events before acting.

Significant themes

• Political manipulation and mistrust: Li Lanru’s presence may be part of a scheme to destabilize the relationship between the rulers or provoke war.
• Trust and protection: Li Lanru seeks safety through Xiao Yu, while Dantai relies on Xiao Yu’s judgment.
• Affection expressed through teasing: The chapter contrasts political danger with the couple’s playful, intimate relationship.

Key plot points and events

• The morning after Xiao Yu falls asleep before fulfilling his promise to Dantai Yunheng, the two exchange affectionate teasing. Their private moment ends when Xiao Yu reminds the King that they must attend court.
• At court, Minister Li accuses Revenue Director Wang Liang—his own former student—of embezzling one million taels. Wang insists he is innocent.
• Xiao Yu’s thoughts reveal the real scheme: Minister Li and the Prince of Pingxi intend to frame Wang, seize the wealthy Wang family’s property, and take Wang’s beloved maid, Xiaodie. Minister Li has long exploited Wang for money, while Wang remains unaware of his mentor’s greed.
• Dantai Yunheng gives Xiao Yu full authority to investigate the case, firmly declaring that the Queen is his equal and may take part in governing. Wang is relieved and thanks both rulers.
• The King rejects a palace banquet for the Lantern Festival so he can spend the holiday privately with Xiao Yu, but orders elaborate preparations for Xiao Yu’s upcoming coronation ceremony and invitations to every kingdom.
• After court, Wang tries to ask Xiao Yu about his maid but retreats under Dantai Yunheng’s intimidating stare.
• Back at the Wang residence, Wang confesses to Xiaodie and asks her to marry him. She worries her low status will harm his reputation, but he reassures her that he wants to spend his life with her. She accepts, and both are left bashful and delighted.

Character developments

• Xiao Yu shows both affection and growing political confidence: he volunteers to investigate the financial case and accepts Dantai Yunheng’s public recognition of his abilities.
• Dantai Yunheng is openly devoted and protective of Xiao Yu, insists on his equal status, and makes plans to celebrate their relationship publicly through the coronation.
• Wang Liang learns that his trusted teacher may be betraying him, but gains hope when Xiao Yu is put in charge of the investigation. He also finally acts on his long-standing love for Xiaodie.
• Xiaodie loves Wang but fears her humble status will hold him back. His reassurance allows her to accept his proposal.
• Minister Li is exposed in Xiao Yu’s thoughts as greedy and complicit in a conspiracy, despite performing the role of a distressed mentor in court.

Significant themes

• Trust and betrayal: Wang’s loyalty to his teacher contrasts with Minister Li’s self-interest.
• Equality and recognition: Dantai Yunheng rejects the idea that Xiao Yu should be confined to the inner palace and affirms his political standing.
• Love overcoming social barriers: Wang and Xiaodie must confront concerns about class and reputation before choosing each other.
• Public duty versus private affection: Dantai Yunheng balances the demands of court with his desire to devote personal time to Xiao Yu.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yu and Dantai Yunheng share playful intimacy, then present a united front in court; the King’s praise visibly moves Xiao Yu.
• Minister Li publicly condemns Wang while posing as a disappointed mentor; Wang challenges him, hurt and confused by the betrayal.
• Dantai Yunheng’s glare deters Wang from pressing Xiao Yu after court, while Xiao Yu’s smile softens the King’s jealousy.
• Wang’s heartfelt proposal and Xiaodie’s acceptance turn their mutual but unspoken love into a commitment.

Plot points

• Cui Rong asks Emperor Jinyuan to appoint him Crown Prince’s Attendant and let him oversee the Eastern Palace. Though the emperor suspects he may be acting for the sixth prince, Cui Rong insists the appointment is his own wish and pledges not to harm the Crown Prince.
• Cui Rong explains that the sixth prince’s past conflicts with the Crown Prince were partly an attempt to win their father’s attention. The emperor reflects on why he exiled the sixth prince to Jiangzhou: he believed it was necessary to protect both princes and preserve the Crown Prince’s position.
• The emperor approves Cui Rong’s appointment, effective after the Lantern Festival. Cui Rong then asks to visit the Noble Consort with a message from the sixth prince, prompting the emperor to ruefully note that his son has sent no message to him.
• At the Eastern Palace, Little Xiyue brings the overworked Crown Prince food prepared by the Empress and persuades him to take a break and accompany her outside.
• As they leave, Xiyue bumps into Cui Rong. The Crown Prince offers to guide his uncle to the Noble Consort’s chambers, and Cui Rong gladly accepts.

Character developments and interactions

• Cui Rong presents himself as sincerely committed to helping the Crown Prince, while his concealed delight at the appointment hints at a personal motive or deeper attachment. He is tactful but direct with the emperor.
• Emperor Jinyuan shows lingering concern and guilt about the sixth prince’s exile, alongside continued suspicion of Cui Rong. He recognizes that the Crown Prince needs capable support and decides to let Cui Rong prove himself.
• The Crown Prince is diligent to the point of neglecting his health, but readily yields to Xiyue’s care and concern. He treats Cui Rong warmly and offers help without hesitation.
• Little Xiyue is affectionate, spirited, and determined to look after her elder brother, using food and persuasion to get him away from work.
• The emperor and Cui Rong discuss the sixth prince’s estrangement; Xiyue and the Crown Prince share a tender, familiar sibling bond; and the Crown Prince’s courteous offer to guide Cui Rong creates a warm opening for their renewed contact.

Significant themes

• Family distance and unspoken affection: The emperor worries that the sixth prince resents him, while the prince’s message to the Noble Consort rather than his father underscores their estrangement.
• Duty, protection, and succession: The emperor’s choices are framed as attempts to keep the princes alive and maintain the Crown Prince’s position.
• Trust and political ambiguity: Cui Rong’s appointment may be genuine service or concealed strategy, and the emperor chooses cautious observation over refusal.
• Care amid responsibility: Xiyue’s insistence that the Crown Prince rest highlights the human cost of his heavy duties.

Plot points and events

• On the morning of the Lantern Festival, Xiao Yu finds a chest labeled as a gift. Li Yingjie jumps out and declares himself the gift, but Dantai Yunheng immediately shuts him inside and orders him sent away—ultimately back to Eastern Li.
• Dantai then presents Xiao Yu with a golden chest containing himself, dressed with a red flower. Xiao Yu plays along with the romantic gesture, though he refuses Dantai’s suggestion to be intimate in the courtyard.
• Once the chest is brought indoors and they are alone, they lie together inside it. Dantai speaks earnestly about wanting them buried together when they grow old, and Xiao Yu agrees.
• Their affectionate time becomes physically exhausting for Xiao Yu. By evening, he knocks Dantai unconscious to escape, but Dantai soon wakes and catches him. Xiao Yu reassures him that he does not want to leave, only to hide from him briefly.
• Dantai takes Xiao Yu to a mountaintop hot spring, where Xiao Yu keeps his distance and scolds him for ignoring his requests to stop. Dantai then reveals a mountain decorated with lanterns and offers a blessing for Xiao Yu’s peace, joy, and lasting happiness.

Character development and interactions

• Dantai Yunheng is playful and possessive, showing jealousy toward Li Yingjie, but also reveals deep devotion and vulnerability through his wish to remain with Xiao Yu for life. He is affectionate yet overzealous, and becomes hurt at the thought of Xiao Yu leaving him.
• Xiao Yu indulges Dantai’s romantic antics and returns his affection, while setting limits when Dantai’s enthusiasm overwhelms him. He reassures Dantai rather than rejecting him, showing both tenderness and growing comfort in their relationship.
• Their exchanges blend teasing and intimacy with moments of sincere emotional reassurance. Uncle Fu and the attendants assist with the chest, while Li Yingjie’s brief appearance provides the opening comic disruption.

Significant themes

• Love and commitment: Dantai’s gift and wish to be buried together express his desire for a lasting bond.
• Affection balanced by boundaries: Xiao Yu’s insistence that Dantai stop highlights the need to respect limits within intimacy.
• Playfulness and reassurance: Romantic comedy gives way to genuine vulnerability as both men affirm their attachment.
• Celebration and wishes for happiness: The Lantern Festival setting culminates in Dantai’s blessing for Xiao Yu’s future peace and joy.

Key plot points and events

• During the Lantern Festival, Xiao Yu offers to grant Dantai Yunheng any wish in return for his romantic surprises. Dantai says Xiao Yu himself is what he wants. They share a passionate moment beside the hot spring as fireworks light the sky.
• In the Jin Kingdom, the Crown Prince attends the crowded festival with his younger sister, Xiyue. When she runs toward a Dragon Lantern Dance, he tells Wei Yi to follow her, then finds himself stranded and frightened in the crowd.
• Cui Rong appears and says he is looking for his “Little Nephew,” though the child is actually being watched safely elsewhere. The crowd repeatedly separates the men, but Cui Rong finds the Crown Prince again and takes his hand, claiming it is safer in the crush.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yu responds warmly to Dantai’s devotion, though his embarrassment shows as their affection turns intimate. Dantai expresses his love openly and treats Xiao Yu as his deepest desire.
• The Crown Prince’s confidence falters when he is alone among strangers, and he feels lonely without his Little Imperial Uncle, whom he wonders about in Southern Zhao.
• Cui Rong is attentive and protective toward the Crown Prince, using the affectionate name “Xiao Ruo” and reassuring him when they are separated. The Crown Prince blushes at their closeness but accepts Cui Rong’s explanation for holding hands; Cui Rong privately cherishes the contact.

Significant themes

• Love and devotion: Dantai’s wish is not for a treasure but for Xiao Yu; Cui Rong’s quiet longing is revealed through his eagerness to hold the Crown Prince’s hand.
• Longing and separation: The Crown Prince’s thoughts turn to the absent Little Imperial Uncle, while Cui Rong’s feelings remain mostly unspoken.
• Festival intimacy: The crowds and celebrations create moments of vulnerability and closeness, allowing feelings to surface beneath romantic gestures and protective excuses.

Plot points

• Cui Rong guides the Crown Prince through a crowded street after the prince is separated from his guards. The prince feels reassured by Cui Rong’s hand in his, and Cui Rong’s affection becomes increasingly obvious.
• Cui Rong squeezes the prince’s hand too tightly, then gently tends to the reddened palm. When Shen Zhijie and Su Xun arrive, the prince lets go of Cui Rong’s hand, disappointing him.
• Shen and Su question why the prince is unguarded. After the prince explains that Cui Rong rescued him, they thank Cui Rong but try to take over. Cui Rong insists on staying, and the prince agrees to continue strolling with him.
• Back at the Chancellor’s Residence, Cui Sheng teases Cui Rong about visiting a future aunt. Cui Rong denies it, though he admits inwardly that he loves someone.
• Chancellor Cui confronts his son about accepting an appointment in the Eastern Palace, suspecting he plans to help the Crown Prince against Prince Xuan and the Cui clan. Cui Rong openly declares that he is in love with the Crown Prince and intends to serve him.
• His father objects and fears the Crown Prince may eventually harm Prince Xuan or the family. Cui Rong insists the family will survive whichever prince takes the throne. Chancellor Cui throws objects at him and orders him to kneel or leave, but Cui Rong refuses to abandon his appointment and calmly departs.

Character developments and interactions

• Cui Rong grows more openly tender toward the Crown Prince, despite trying to maintain composure around others. He also shows resolve by choosing his love and political allegiance even at the cost of a confrontation with his father.
• The Crown Prince appears to trust and enjoy Cui Rong’s company, defending him to Shen and Su and agreeing to keep walking with him. His small complaint about the tight grip also suggests he may be testing Cui Rong’s concern.
• Shen Zhijie and Su Xun remain protective of the prince and wary of Cui Rong, interpreting the prince’s closeness to him as suspicious.
• Chancellor Cui shifts from questioning his son’s political motives to furious disbelief at the romantic confession. Cui Sheng provides a lighthearted contrast by teasing his uncle about romance.

Significant themes

• Love versus family and political duty: Cui Rong’s feelings lead him to support the Crown Prince despite the risks to his family’s political position.
• Trust and protection: The prince’s sense of safety with Cui Rong contrasts with Shen and Su’s guarded suspicion.
• Choice and consequence: Cui Rong accepts the possibility of conflict and hardship rather than retreating from his convictions.

Key plot points and events

• Cui Rong prepares to leave the Chancellor’s residence after his father rejects his choice to serve in the Eastern Palace. His mother reassures him that he is welcome at home and supports his decision.
• Cui Rong admits his love for the Crown Prince is unrequited, but says he only wants to protect him quietly.
• As he leaves, Cui Rong orders Changfeng to keep watch over the assassins who had followed the Crown Prince at the lantern festival.
• Cui Rong arrives at the Eastern Palace during the night and finds the Crown Prince bathing. Mistaking him for his usual attendant, the Crown Prince asks him to add hot water and wash his back, then tumbles into the bath when he realizes who it is.
• Cui Rong explains that he has come to take up his appointment and implies he has nowhere to stay because his father drove him out. Concerned, the Crown Prince invites him to sleep in the side hall.
• Cui Rong says he wants to stay near the Crown Prince and offers to help him dress, but the Crown Prince refuses, noting that Cui Rong is his household steward, not his personal attendant.

Character developments

• Cui Rong chooses duty and proximity to the Crown Prince despite his father’s disapproval. He remains guarded about his feelings, presenting his devotion as quiet protection, while his private tenderness and desire to serve more intimately show through.
• The Chancellor’s wife openly accepts her son’s love and worries about the pain he may face when the Crown Prince eventually marries.
• The Crown Prince responds to Cui Rong with concern and kindness, though he is awkward about their closeness and cautious about how Cui Rong’s appointment might look to others.

Significant themes

• Unrequited love and self-sacrifice: Cui Rong expects nothing in return and is content simply to protect the person he loves.
• Family acceptance versus social expectations: His mother supports him, while his father’s rejection reflects the difficulty of his choice.
• Duty and intimacy: Cui Rong’s official role gives him a legitimate place near the Crown Prince, but his wish to be more than a steward creates quiet tension.

Character interactions

• Cui Rong and his mother share a tender farewell: she accepts his decision and promises that the Chancellor’s residence remains his home.
• Cui Rong and the Chancellor clash indirectly over his departure; the Chancellor’s wife rebukes her husband for driving their son away.
• Cui Rong and Changfeng discuss palace security, showing Cui Rong’s continued vigilance over the Crown Prince’s safety.
• The bathhouse encounter exposes the contrast between the Crown Prince’s trustful familiarity and Cui Rong’s restrained, flustered affection. The Crown Prince’s concern over Cui Rong’s lodging brings them closer, while his final question about whether the Sixth Imperial Prince knows of the appointment hints at potential political or personal complications.

Key plot points and events

• After bathing, the Crown Prince is reassured that Prince Xuan knows the truth and that the Crown Prince has never wanted to compete with his younger brother for the throne.
• Cui Rong helps the Crown Prince with his slippers, but his attraction becomes difficult to control. He abruptly leaves to compose himself.
• The Crown Prince is left embarrassed and hurt, interpreting Cui Rong’s departure as neglect.
• In Southern Zhao, Xiao Yu wakes blindfolded and tied up after being abducted on his way to audit the Ministry of Revenue’s accounts.
• The Prince of Pingxi reveals that he kidnapped Xiao Yu to punish him for interfering in court and thwarting his pursuit of a woman. He threatens to assault Xiao Yu, but Xiao Yu uses his abilities to switch their positions.
• Xiao Yu retaliates by dripping candle wax on the Prince of Pingxi. Dantai Yunheng arrives during the confrontation, and Xiao Yu’s attention shifts immediately to him.

Character developments

• The Crown Prince voices his lack of ambition against his brother and shows vulnerability through his embarrassment and hurt when Cui Rong withdraws.
• Cui Rong struggles with intense, shame-laden desire for the Crown Prince. Though he wants to serve him, he fears his feelings will be discovered and removes himself from the situation.
• Xiao Yu proves resourceful and confident under threat, turning his captor’s plan against him and using retaliatory humiliation rather than remaining helpless.
• Dantai Yunheng arrives angry and jealous, but his concern is tangled with possessiveness.

Character interactions

• Cui Rong’s intimate act of helping the Crown Prince with his footwear creates tension: the Crown Prince responds instinctively to his instructions, while Cui Rong’s touch overwhelms him. Cui Rong retreats, leaving the Crown Prince feeling abandoned.
• The Prince of Pingxi taunts and threatens Xiao Yu, but Xiao Yu reverses their positions and makes him experience the vulnerability he intended to inflict.
• Dantai Yunheng confronts Xiao Yu about handling the situation alone and jokes bitterly that Xiao Yu should have come to him instead. Xiao Yu denies enjoying the retaliation.

Significant themes

• Desire and restraint: Cui Rong’s attraction conflicts with his sense of duty and shame.
• Vulnerability and misread intentions: Cui Rong withdraws to protect his secret, but the Crown Prince reads his departure as rejection.
• Power and reversal: Xiao Yu’s captor relies on force and status, only to have control abruptly taken from him.
• Jealousy and possessiveness: Dantai Yunheng’s anger reveals how strongly he cares about Xiao Yu.

Plot points and events

• Dantai Yunheng arrives to find Xiao Yu in a compromising-looking situation with the Prince of Pingxi. Jealous and protective, he pulls Xiao Yu’s clothes back into place and confronts the prince.
• The prince demands that Yunheng arrest and execute Xiao Yu. Yunheng instead threatens the prince for daring to covet “his An An.”
• Xiao Yu tries to prevent Yunheng from killing the prince, reasoning that another execution could unite the royal relatives against Yunheng and plunge Southern Zhao into civil conflict.
• Xiao Yu suddenly collapses and spits blood. The prince reveals that he poisoned him with a substance meant to harm cultivators, and demands his own release in exchange for the antidote.
• Yunheng kills the prince rather than bargain. Uncle Fu finds no antidote on the body, so Yunheng orders the entire place burned and carries the unconscious Xiao Yu away, promising to protect him.

Character developments and interactions

• Yunheng displays intense jealousy and possessiveness, but also fierce devotion. He acts decisively to protect Xiao Yu, even when doing so may leave them without an antidote.
• Xiao Yu reassures Yunheng that the prince did not touch him, then tries to restrain Yunheng for political reasons. Though unconscious, he seems to hear Yunheng’s promise.
• The Prince of Pingxi shifts from threatening Xiao Yu and demanding Yunheng’s obedience to using the poison as leverage, but his confidence proves fatal.
• The tension between Yunheng’s personal protectiveness and Xiao Yu’s concern for political stability drives the confrontation.

Plot and events

• Dantai Yunheng wakes in his eleven-year-old body, six years in the past, in the Jin Kingdom’s Cold Palace. He realizes the Heaven and Earth Mirror sent him back after he tried to stabilize An An’s poisoned soul.
• Li Chunlai and his men are tormenting him. Yunheng fights back, stabbing Li Chunlai with a concealed stone, then has Little Seven deal with the gang.
• Knowing Xiao Yu—whom he calls An An—is nearby, Yunheng cleans himself up before approaching, hoping to make a good impression.
• Xiao Yu, traveling in a wheelchair with his attendant Qinggeng, investigates the disturbance. Yunheng calls him “An An,” but Xiao Yu does not recognize him and retreats after overhearing Yunheng’s intimate thoughts.
• Yunheng insists they are destined partners from the future: he says he is the king of Southern Zhao and Xiao Yu his beloved Queen, bound by a Three-Lifetime Pact. Shocked and disbelieving, Xiao Yu denies being that person and tells Yunheng to stop following him.
• Seeing Yunheng’s distress, Xiao Yu softens—then Yunheng suddenly faints.

Character developments and interactions

• Dantai Yunheng is transformed from the timid boy others expect into a confident, ruthless fighter. His devotion to Xiao Yu drives his actions, and he is eager to reunite despite Xiao Yu’s confusion and mistrust.
• Xiao Yu is cautious and practical, relying on Qinggeng for protection. Though unsettled by Yunheng’s thoughts and claims, he shows compassion when he sees the boy’s vulnerability.
• Qinggeng remains protective and wary, while Uncle Fu notices that Yunheng seems unusually lively, guessing he has met someone he likes.
• Yunheng’s reunion with Xiao Yu is marked by a sharp contrast: Yunheng feels deep familiarity and affection, while Xiao Yu sees a strange, delusional child.

Significant themes

• Time, fate, and memory: Yunheng’s return from the future creates an imbalance between his certainty about their shared bond and Xiao Yu’s lack of recognition.
• Devotion and misunderstanding: Yunheng’s love is sincere but overwhelming, while Xiao Yu interprets his declarations as delusion.
• Vulnerability and compassion: Beneath Yunheng’s fierce new confidence is a thin, neglected child whose distress begins to soften Xiao Yu’s resistance.

Key plot points and events

• Dantai Yunheng collapses with a high fever and numerous wounds. Xiao Yu has Qinggeng carry him to the Eastern Palace, then reluctantly keeps him close when Yunheng unconsciously clings to him and murmurs that he loves and misses him.
• The Crown Prince cannot secure an imperial physician, so Xiao Yu treats Yunheng’s wounds and helps lower his fever with the Crown Prince’s assistance. Yunheng’s condition improves before dawn.
• Xiao Yu considers whether Yunheng truly came from six years in the future and decides to trust him for now, suspecting the Heaven and Earth Mirror may be involved.
• When Yunheng wakes, he asks Xiao Yu to lie beside him so he can hold him. Xiao Yu rebukes him for acting on adult feelings in an eleven-year-old’s body, though he eventually gets into bed because he is tired.
• The next morning at the Hall of Diligent Study, the Sixth Prince and his followers bully the Crown Prince, knocking down and trampling his book. Cui Rong arrives, orders one bully to kneel for disrespecting books, and the Sixth Prince unexpectedly enforces the punishment by kicking the offender.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yu shows concern for Yunheng despite his distrust, personally tending his injuries and allowing him to stay close. He remains embarrassed and defensive about Yunheng’s affectionate claims, insisting their supposed future romance is impossible.
• Dantai Yunheng is vulnerable while ill but remains openly affectionate once awake, interpreting Xiao Yu’s care as proof that he will not be abandoned.
• The Crown Prince reveals that he is accustomed to being neglected when sick and feels guilty about failing to obtain a physician. His kindness and cooperation earn Xiao Yu’s respect.
• Cui Rong appears stern and principled, intervening against the students’ cruelty. The Sixth Prince, despite bullying his elder brother, recognizes Cui Rong’s authority and orders his follower to obey.

Significant themes

• Care amid hardship: The Crown Prince and Xiao Yu sympathize with one another and Yunheng because they are all trapped in difficult circumstances.
• Trust and uncertainty: Xiao Yu cautiously considers Yunheng’s claims about the future without fully accepting them.
• Affection versus denial: Yunheng is candid about his feelings, while Xiao Yu reacts with embarrassment and insists there can be no romance.
• Power, cruelty, and principle: The Sixth Prince’s bullying contrasts with Cui Rong’s defense of respect and discipline.

Key plot points and events

• In class, Cui Rong stops the Sixth Prince from bullying the Crown Prince, returns the Crown Prince’s scattered books, and begins teaching the princes. His calm authority gets both boys to sit up and pay attention.
• Emperor Jinyuan discovers that he has returned six years into the past, to the time before he abdicated. Dismayed at having to govern and reform the court all over again, he asks Xiao Yu how he can return to the future.
• Xiao Yu says someone else has also come back and asks why, in the future, he became both the emperor’s younger imperial brother and the Queen of Southern Zhao. The emperor confirms the latter, angrily recalling that Xiao Yu left for Southern Zhao with its king. Xiao Yu is troubled by the revelation.
• Meanwhile, Dantai Yunheng wakes to find Xiao Yu gone and sets out to look for him.
• At noon, Cui Rong finds the Crown Prince and his attendant digging for bamboo shoots for food. He is struck by the contrast between the Crown Prince’s hardship and the Sixth Prince’s privilege.
• Cui Rong invites the Crown Prince to share a meal, claiming he is curious about dining with someone.

Character developments

• Cui Rong shows both firm authority as a teacher and growing concern for the Crown Prince, despite his usual reluctance to interfere.
• The Crown Prince is unused to kindness and initially feels embarrassed by his poverty, but begins to trust Cui Rong after he defends him.
• The Sixth Prince is possessive of Cui Rong and used to getting his way, yet he responds to Cui Rong’s authority.
• Emperor Jinyuan is shocked and frustrated by his return to the past, while Xiao Yu’s questions reveal that the future’s events are mysterious even to him.
• Xiao Yu feels guilty upon learning he left for Southern Zhao, and wonders whether his future attachment to its king explains his choice.

Significant themes

• Power and unequal treatment: The Crown Prince’s deprivation contrasts sharply with the Sixth Prince’s indulgence.
• Kindness and trust: Cui Rong’s small acts of protection and invitation offer the Crown Prince rare care.
• Fate, time, and uncertainty: The characters’ knowledge of a future they have left behind raises questions about how events can be changed.
• Possessiveness and belonging: The Sixth Prince’s claim that Cui Rong is “his uncle alone” echoes the emotional attachments shaping the larger story.

Character interactions

• Cui Rong reprimands the Sixth Prince, protects the Crown Prince, and establishes authority over both in class.
• The Crown Prince thanks Cui Rong quietly and later accepts his invitation to talk and share a meal.
• Xiao Yu challenges the emperor’s strange request to call him “Elder Imperial Brother,” prompting their discussion of the future.
• Dantai Yunheng’s search for Xiao Yu underscores their closeness and his disappointment at being left behind.