Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Jiang He finally gives Ye Wanru a gift he brought back from the south: a mutton-fat jade hairpin he carved himself. He admits his workmanship may need polishing, though he initially tries to disguise how nervous he was about giving it to her.
• Ye Wanru likes the hairpin and asks him to put it in her hair. Jiang He does so awkwardly, first inserting it vertically like incense, then correcting it horizontally after realizing his mistake.
• Pleased with the result, Ye Wanru invites him to drink tea she brews and asks him to accompany her to a rolling banquet the next day as compensation for failing to complete her matching couplet. Jiang He eagerly accepts.
• Jiang He then spots Jiang Yourning eavesdropping at a window and playfully messes up her hair. She protests, and he pretends not to recognize her.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang He overcomes his reluctance enough to give Ye Wanru the gift, revealing both his sincere affection and his nervous, clumsy side. He is delighted by her acceptance and invitation. He also enjoys teasing his sister.
• Ye Wanru responds warmly to Jiang He’s handmade gift, lets him put it in her hair, and offers him tea and company at the banquet—clear signs of growing closeness.
• Jiang Yourning silently comments on events from the window, mocking Jiang He’s excuses and awkwardness while comparing his carving skills with their third brother’s. Her teasing helps Jiang He correct the hairpin, but she becomes the target of his retaliation.
• Their sibling rivalry remains affectionate: Jiang He’s triumph at winning Ye Wanru’s favor turns into mischievous revenge on Jiang Yourning.

Significant themes

• Affection shown through effort: Jiang He’s handmade gift matters more than its imperfections.
• Romance and vulnerability: His confident public manner contrasts with his genuine nervousness around Ye Wanru.
• Family teasing and rivalry: Jiang Yourning’s commentary and Jiang He’s prank frame the romantic scene with playful sibling humor.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Yourning, disguised as a stranger, accuses Jiang He of stealing her hair ornament and ruining her hair. She pretends to be distressed and demands compensation, first asking for ten thousand taels—then specifying gold—and tries to raise the amount.
• Jiang He recognizes her when she slips and uses her real name. He calls out her disguise, then attempts to tidy her hair, clumsily pulling out several strands.
• Jiang Yourning chases him in anger. Ye Wanru arrives with tea, learns that the “stranger” is Jiang He’s younger sister, and offers to fix her hair.
• Ye Wanru carefully combs and restyles Jiang Yourning’s hair, winning her affection. Afterward, Ye Wanru signals the maids to close the courtyard gates, and Jiang Yourning takes up a feather duster to resume chasing Jiang He.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yourning is playful, greedy, and quick to improvise, but her disguise fails because she forgets to change her voice. Her teasing turns to genuine irritation when Jiang He tangles her hair.
• Jiang He indulges his sister’s performance at first, then exposes her identity. Their bickering shows their familiar, affectionate sibling dynamic, even as he teases and annoys her.
• Ye Wanru responds warmly to Jiang Yourning and helps restore her hair. Jiang Yourning immediately likes and trusts her, while Jiang He openly praises her skill.

Significant themes

• Family teasing and affection: The exaggerated quarrel and pursuit are rooted in the siblings’ closeness.
• Disguise and deception: Jiang Yourning’s scheme nearly works, but a small oversight gives her away.
• Warmth and acceptance: Ye Wanru’s patient kindness quickly builds a bond with Jiang Yourning.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Yourning leaves Ye Wanru’s teahouse after sharing tea with her. Ye warmly welcomes her back and agrees to her playful suggestion of a future hot-spring outing. Jiang He resents their closeness, while Jiang Wanrong quietly hopes she will be invited too.
• That night, Jiang Yourning suffers a vivid nightmare replaying the massacre of her family: Lin Xiangyin, her father Jiang Huai’an, and her brothers Jiang Heng and Jiang Li all die horribly, before Chu Haoze tortures and kills Jiang Yourning. She wakes in distress, pleading for her family to be spared.
• Jiang Wanrong comforts her. Jiang He, who heard his sister’s sleep-muttered words, suspects she truly experienced the family’s extermination and wonders whether the Seventh Prince, Chu Haoze, was responsible.
• Though he tells Jiang Yourning he is leaving for an appointment, Jiang He cancels it and orders his men to gather in the western courtyard. Showing unusual murderous intent, he announces that he intends to “kill a dog.”
• Qing Qianxue learns of both Jiang Yourning’s nightmare and Jiang He’s mobilization. Concerned that Chu Haoze may be involved, he orders a diversion to draw the Court of Judicial Review’s key personnel away, leaving fewer people on duty.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yourning appears cheerful and sociable with Ye Wanru, but her nightmare reveals deep trauma and fear tied to her family’s future—or a past she remembers.
• Jiang He shifts from comic jealousy over Ye Wanru to fierce, protective resolve after hearing Jiang Yourning’s anguish. His decision to abandon his appointment signals he is preparing to act against someone.
• Jiang Wanrong tends to her sister gently and recognizes that the dream likely concerns the family’s slaughter.
• Ye Wanru shows genuine affection for Jiang Yourning, contrasting with her teasingly dismissive treatment of Jiang He.
• Qing Qianxue responds strategically: rather than simply keep Jiang Yourning under surveillance, he moves to clear the way for action involving the Judicial Review authorities.

Significant themes

• Family loyalty and protection: Jiang He’s response underscores how far he will go to defend his sister and family.
• Trauma and foreboding: Jiang Yourning’s nightmare makes the threatened massacre emotionally immediate and raises questions about what she has experienced or foreseen.
• Affection and belonging: The lighthearted teahouse banter contrasts with the nightmare, while Jiang Yourning’s bonds with Ye Wanru and her siblings offer warmth amid danger.
• Imminent conspiracy and justice: The orders from Jiang He and Qing Qianxue suggest that the threat involving Chu Haoze may soon provoke a coordinated response.

Plot points

• Qing Qianxue orders Qian Miao to watch the Court of Judicial Review and weaken the Seventh Prince’s support, even suggesting he be stabbed if needed. Afterward, Qing suffers another bout of cold poison, with attacks coming more frequently, and asks Qian Yan to prepare a medicinal bath.
• Jiang Yourning has caught a chill and is weak, so she eats bland food and takes medicine. Jiang Wanrong comforts her with water and candied fruit, and offers to write her a story—an offer Yourning privately dreads because she has already endured too many of her sister’s stories.
• To keep the sick Yourning entertained, Lin Xiangyin sends Little Wukong and Jiang Heng to study in her courtyard. Bound to their chairs to stop them escaping, the boys try to hop into Yourning’s room and tumble over at the doorway. They say they came to visit and beg her to have them untied.

Character developments and interactions

• Qing Qianxue appears ruthless and politically calculating, but his worsening illness hints at growing vulnerability.
• Jiang Yourning is weak but dryly amused and candid in her inner thoughts. She accepts her sister’s care while gently wishing to be spared more stories.
• Jiang Wanrong is affectionate and indulgent, rewarding Yourning for taking her medicine and attending to her comfort.
• Jiang Heng and Little Wukong show concern for Yourning, but their visit becomes slapstick chaos. Jiang Heng tries to keep the noise down; Little Wukong’s tearful plea suggests he hopes to charm Yourning into helping them.

Significant themes

• The passage contrasts court intrigue and violence with the warmth and humor of family life.
• Care and affection appear through small gestures—medicine, treats, and visits—while the boys’ antics provide comic relief.
• Vulnerability links the scenes: Qing’s worsening poison and Yourning’s illness both leave characters physically weakened, though their circumstances differ sharply.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Yourning frees her younger brothers, Little Wukong and Jiang Heng, but has them guarded by dogs and sends them to their lesson when the tutor arrives.
• The boys initially behave in class, but when the tutor falls asleep, Jiang Heng draws turtles on his face while Little Wukong ties him to his chair.
• Yourning watches the prank and arranges for a physician to wait nearby, anticipating the tutor’s anger.
• The system reports that Chu Haoze’s protagonist halo has fallen sharply to 17%, though it cannot explain why.
• The tutor wakes, chases the boys, then summons four matrons—people belonging to their mother, Lin Xiangyin—to restrain them. Yourning bolts her door rather than helping.
• The chapter ends with the boys tied down as the tutor raises a jade ruler and demands that they submit to discipline.

Character developments and interactions

• Yourning is amused and opportunistic: she presents herself as a caring older sister while enjoying the boys’ predicament and protecting herself from their appeals.
• Little Wukong and Jiang Heng remain mischievous and rebellious. Their teamwork in tricking the tutor gives way to panic when he calls for help.
• The tutor’s patience runs out; he responds to their prank with firm authority and outside assistance.
• Yourning’s relationship with her brothers is teasing rather than protective: she frees them, sends them to class, then refuses to rescue them.

Significant themes

• Mischief and consequences: the boys’ prank turns into a lesson in accountability.
• Authority and resistance: the tutor asserts his role, while the boys challenge his methods and legitimacy.
• Comic role reversal: Yourning lectures the boys about wasting time even as she plays a game, and the students briefly get the better of their sleeping teacher.
• A larger plot mystery: Chu Haoze’s rapidly weakening halo signals an important change whose cause remains unknown.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Heng and Little Wukong protest their teacher’s punishment, but quickly surrender after several strokes with the ruler. They are assigned fifty sheets of calligraphy and more sesame-seed picking.
• When the boys try to escape, Big Yellow and Big Black block the way. Nanny Li and the others catch and carry them off.
• Jiang Yourning sneaks out of the Jiang Residence under her Invisibility Cloak and rides atop Jiang Li’s carriage to the Court of Judicial Review.
• She finds the prison on fire. After the flames are mostly extinguished, Jiang Li and Zhao Yi discover that the Seventh Prince, Chu Haoze, is missing, with fresh blood in his cell. They order a thorough search.
• Once alone, Jiang Yourning enters the prison and uses her Dog Nose ability to follow Chu Haoze’s blood. She finds a scrap of black clothing along the way and takes it.
• The trail leads to an abandoned City God temple. Jiang Yourning incapacitates two guards with her stun baton and enters the hall, where she finds Chu Haoze lying on the floor beside several masked figures.

Character developments

• Jiang Heng and Little Wukong’s defiance collapses under punishment; their bravado turns to pleading, comic excuses, and a hasty attempt to escape further chores.
• Jiang Yourning remains mischievous and resourceful, disguising her escape and using her abilities and quick thinking to investigate Chu Haoze’s disappearance.
• Jiang Li is composed about the likely consequences of the missing prince, while Zhao Yi is anxious and tries to learn whether Chu Haoze was captured by friend or foe.

Significant themes

• Discipline and moral instruction: The teacher frames punishment and calligraphy practice as lessons in character and what it means to be a good person.
• Cunning and resourcefulness: Jiang Yourning evades supervision, tracks evidence, and overcomes the temple guards.
• Uncertainty and danger: The fire, bloodstains, and Chu Haoze’s disappearance leave his fate and the identity of his captors unclear.
• Comedy amid suspense: The boys’ punishment and Jiang Yourning’s irreverent thoughts contrast with the increasingly serious mystery.

Character interactions

• Jiang Yourning mocks the boys’ shifting defiance, while Nanny Li and the dogs prevent their escape.
• Jiang Yourning follows Jiang Li to the Court without his knowledge; she overhears his and Zhao Yi’s discussion of Chu Haoze.
• She indirectly draws attention to clues by shouting about blood, then follows the trail herself and confronts the temple’s guards.

Key plot points and events

• Chu Haoze is found badly injured and poisoned. A mysterious lord insists he be kept alive, despite doctors warning that his hand cannot be saved.
• The lord’s forces report that they have lost most of their men to two skilled groups. Chu wakes and blames General Zheng Wanba for crippling him, but claims Baojin betrayed his otherwise flawless plan.
• Jiang Yourning realizes Chu is allied with a foreign power and decides to strike before escaping. She throws Stink Bomb Beads and fires Qing Qianxue’s sleeve crossbow, but misses Chu and hits the foreign marquis in the backside.
• As the attackers retreat with Chu, Jiang combines the stink beads with Explosive Beads. The resulting blast sets several men alight and knocks others unconscious; the marquis and Chu’s rescuers escape.
• Jiang notices a tattoo on the marquis’s hand, then becomes dizzy and collapses. Qing Qianxue, who has tracked her down, carries her back to the residence. He is struggling to contain a worsening chill within himself.

Character developments

• Jiang Yourning acts on her resentment toward Chu, improvising with her magical items despite having little skill with the crossbow. Her attack succeeds spectacularly, but leaves her weakened.
• Chu Haoze is revealed to be involved in a treasonous foreign alliance. Injured and furious, he blames Baojin for his failure.
• Qing Qianxue shows concern for Jiang by finding and carrying her home, while concealing his own deteriorating condition.
• The foreign marquis emerges as a dangerous ally of Chu, though his forces are badly damaged and he is forced to flee.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and political conspiracy: Chu’s alliance with a foreign power reframes his earlier schemes as treason.
• Revenge and consequences: Jiang gets a measure of payback, but her risky intervention costs her physically.
• Hidden strength and concealed vulnerability: Jiang’s unexpected weapons turn the tide, while Qing Qianxue quietly suffers through his own illness.
• Comic chaos amid danger: Jiang’s poor aim, the marquis’s injury, and the explosive stink-bomb attack add slapstick humor to a deadly confrontation.

Character interactions

• The mysterious lord orders Chu saved, revealing Chu’s importance to a larger plan.
• Chu accuses Baojin of betraying him; the marquis criticizes Chu’s rashness and failure to eliminate his enemies.
• Jiang attacks the group from hiding, disrupting their retreat and injuring the marquis.
• Qing Qianxue retrieves the collapsed Jiang and takes her home, while his subordinate Qian Yan is baffled by his master’s apparently empty-handed gestures.

Plot points and events

• While transporting the unconscious, invisible Jiang Yourning to the National Preceptor’s Residence, Qing Qianxue tries to keep her warm. She suddenly wakes enough to slap him, shout at him, then lapse back into a feverish state.
• At the residence, Qing places her in a side room. Since her invisibility makes it difficult to call a physician, he realizes the black cape may be responsible. Removing it makes Jiang visible again.
• Qing summons his attendants: Qian Miao is sent to notify the Jiang family and fetch the physician Ye Tianque. Qian Yan mistakenly worries that Qing intends to behave scandalously with Jiang, then celebrates when he learns she is merely ill.
• Ye examines Jiang and diagnoses a fever caused by intense emotional distress. He prescribes pills for two days. Qing personally prepares to give her the medicine, prompting Ye to question their relationship.

Character developments and interactions

• Qing Qianxue remains controlled and reserved, but shows unusual concern: he carries Jiang home, keeps her warm, arranges discreet medical care, and intends to feed her medicine himself. He recognizes her as an unpredictable “variable” in his fate.
• Jiang Yourning is mostly unconscious and unseen, but her brief, forceful outbursts reveal a feisty side. Her cape appears to be the source of her invisibility.
• Qian Yan is comically protective of his master’s “chastity,” misreading Qing’s actions and becoming relieved once he learns Jiang is sick.
• Qian Miao handles Qing’s requests efficiently and teases Qian Yan for his needless anxiety.
• Ye Tianque is irritated at being summoned urgently for a simple fever, but is surprised by Qing’s attentiveness to Jiang.

Significant themes

• Care and vulnerability: Qing’s considerate actions contrast with his usual aloofness.
• Mystery and fate: Jiang’s unusual powers and possessions mark her as an unexplained disruption in Qing’s expected destiny.
• Comic misunderstanding: The attendants’ assumptions and Ye’s teasing add humor to an otherwise tender scene.

Key plot points and events

• While Jiang Yourning is unconscious with a fever, she kicks off her covers and curses. Ye Tianque takes offense and vows never to treat her again; Qing Qianxue calmly lets him leave.
• Qing Qianxue gives Jiang her medicine and water, then goes to take a medicinal bath to suppress his cold poison, enduring intense pain.
• Qian Miao informs Jiang He that his sister is at the National Preceptor’s Residence. Jiang He quietly collects her, accepts her medicine, and says he will bring her back to thank Qing Qianxue later.
• After sleeping through the night, Jiang wakes hungry and eats food from her mysterious shop. She then realizes her Invisibility Cloak is missing.
• While waiting for Chun Tao to wake, Jiang braids her hair. Chun Tao startles, falls, and strains her back. She tells Jiang that Jiang He carried her home from the National Preceptor’s Residence.
• Jiang realizes she had still been invisible when Qing Qianxue picked her up, and is bewildered by how he managed to find and carry her.

Character developments

• Jiang Yourning recovers quickly, but her impulsiveness remains: she sneaks out while ill and later startles Chun Tao without thinking. The missing cloak and Qing Qianxue’s ability to handle her invisibility unsettle her.
• Qing Qianxue quietly takes responsibility for Jiang’s care, while continuing to endure the painful effects of his cold poison.
• Jiang He shows concern for his sister and handles the situation discreetly to avoid alarming their household.
• Chun Tao is devoted to Jiang but exasperated by her recklessness; her attempt to get up quickly leaves her injured.
• Ye Tianque is offended by Jiang’s unconscious insult and makes an exaggerated vow never to treat her again.

Significant themes

• Care expressed through action: Qing Qianxue treats Jiang without seeking recognition, and Jiang He retrieves her with practical concern.
• Recklessness and protection: Jiang’s independence repeatedly puts her at risk, prompting those around her to look after her.
• Mystery and hidden abilities: The missing cloak raises questions about what happened at the temple and how Qing Qianxue could interact with an invisible Jiang.

Character interactions

• Qing Qianxue and Ye Tianque clash indirectly over Jiang’s unconscious curse; Qing remains composed as Ye storms off.
• Jiang He and Qian Miao coordinate her quiet return home and discuss a future thank-you visit.
• Jiang and Chun Tao’s playful morning exchange turns into a reprimand, revealing Chun Tao’s worry and Jiang’s casual approach to danger.
• Jiang’s final realization redirects her attention from her lost cloak to Qing Qianxue’s unexplained ability to find her.

Key plot points and events

• Fearing that Qing Qianxue might have taken or discovered her Invisibility Cloak, Jiang Yourning decides to confront him. Before leaving, she gives Chun Tao a knockout pill so the maid will remain asleep.
• Jiang arrives at the National Preceptor’s Residence, where the servants welcome her without hesitation.
• Qian Miao explains that Qing’s cold poison flared up early after he went to the City God Temple to bring Jiang back. Feeling guilty, she claims she came to retrieve something she lost.
• In the side room, Jiang finds her cloak lying untouched beside the bed. She realizes she wrongly suspected Qing of taking it and resolves to make it up to him.
• In the main room, Qing appears without his mask, pale and visibly ill. Jiang is struck by his beauty, then privately imagines an inappropriate fantasy about him before rebuking herself. The chapter ends as she feels warmth beneath her nose.

Character developments

• Jiang Yourning shifts from suspicion and readiness to fight to guilt and gratitude when she learns Qing’s illness worsened after helping her. Her attraction to him is mixed with comic, irreverent thoughts and self-reproach.
• Qing Qianxue remains considerate toward Jiang: he left her cloak untouched and welcomed her into his residence. His illness and unmasked appearance reveal a vulnerable, striking side.
• Qian Miao is hospitable and straightforward, unknowingly easing Jiang’s suspicions.

Significant themes

• Misjudgment and trust: Jiang’s fears prove unfounded, prompting her to reconsider how she sees Qing.
• Debt and guilt: Learning that Qing suffered after helping her makes Jiang feel she owes him a kindness in return.
• Comic contrast: Jiang’s dramatic plans and scandalous inner monologue clash with her outwardly polite behavior and Qing’s fragile, elegant appearance.

Character interactions

• Jiang drugs Chun Tao before slipping away, showing both her affection for the maid and her impulsive secrecy.
• The residence’s servant and Qian Miao treat Jiang warmly, reinforcing how welcome she is there.
• Jiang asks Qian Miao about Qing’s health and follows his directions to the side room, where she confirms the cloak was not taken.
• Jiang then sees Qing unmasked; her private reaction contrasts sharply with her guilty respect for him.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Yourning gets a nosebleed while looking at Qing Qianxue and panics that she has embarrassed herself. Qing teases her, then kindly supplies an excuse—“excess internal heat”—and has mung bean soup brought for her.
• Once she returns, Jiang asks how Qing found her while she was invisible. He explains that he went to the City God Temple after his aide tracked the group involved in an attempt to kill the Seventh Prince. He spotted Jiang’s sleeve dart fly out of empty space and found her when he investigated.
• Qing reassures her that he will not harm her, but says they must first “settle an account”: while feverish, Jiang slapped him twice, insulted him, and called herself his grandfather while he cared for her.
• Mortified, Jiang tries to deny or explain away her behavior and offers to cook him unfamiliar dishes instead of accepting his proposed three conditions. Qing accepts the offer, then asks how she planned to thank him for saving her, noting that she brought nothing.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yourning is impulsive, anxious, and deeply embarrassed, though she tries to hide it behind excuses and bargaining. Her private thoughts reveal her attraction to Qing, fear that he knows her secret, and reluctance to owe him anything.
• Qing Qianxue shows a playful, teasing side beneath his cool manner. He protects Jiang’s secret, treats her gently, and uses humor to remind her of her unruly behavior. His coughing and sickly appearance also emphasize his frail condition.
• Their exchange shifts from awkward concern to teasing negotiation: Qing calmly exposes Jiang’s drunken-fever insults, while she scrambles to preserve her dignity and avoid a debt.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus inner thoughts: Jiang’s outward politeness contrasts with her panicked, candid internal monologue, which Qing can hear.
• Vulnerability and trust: Qing’s discovery of Jiang’s invisibility puts her secret at risk, but he reassures her rather than threatening her.
• Debt, gratitude, and bargaining: Qing frames his rescue as an account to settle, while Jiang tries to repay him on her own terms.
• Embarrassment and growing intimacy: Their teasing reveals increasing familiarity and attraction, even as Jiang remains flustered.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Yourning is embarrassed after an awkward exchange with Qing Qianxue, but Qian Miao arrives with mung bean soup and gives her a chance to recover.
• Noticing a distinctive pattern on Qian Miao’s clothes, Jiang realizes the scrap of cloth she found in the Criminal Jail must belong to Qing Qianxue’s household. She uses it as leverage, joking that it could bring him before the emperor.
• Qing Qianxue agrees to accept her “peace offering” and orders Qian Miao to find the careless culprit, without punishing him.
• He explains that his fate star had nearly gone dark, but a spark of life appeared—and he believes it came from Jiang. He says he will protect her because she may be tied to his survival.
• After learning Qing Qianxue is extraordinarily wealthy, Jiang offers to cure his poison for 1.5 million taels of gold: one million for medicine and half a million as her fee. Qing agrees to her terms and pledges his life and loyalty if she succeeds.

Character developments

• Jiang Yourning shifts quickly from awkwardness to confidence, using wit and leverage to regain control. Her concern for Qing’s despondent state emerges briefly before she turns the conversation to money and business.
• Qing Qianxue reveals the reason behind his protection of Jiang and shows rare vulnerability about his shortened life and lack of control over his fate. Hope at the prospect of a cure stirs strong emotion in him.
• Qian Miao is relieved to escape punishment and suspects Jiang’s presence may be changing how his master treats him.

Significant themes

• Fate versus agency: Qing feels his life is controlled by forces beyond him, while the newly appeared “spark” offers hope.
• Life, loyalty, and obligation: A possible cure leads Qing to promise extraordinary devotion to Jiang.
• Pragmatism and bargaining: Jiang treats a life-saving cure as a clear transaction, setting an enormous price and distinct costs.
• Humor amid danger: Jiang’s irreverent inner thoughts and blunt money questions undercut the chapter’s serious revelations.

Character interactions

• Jiang and Qing spar over the cloth scrap, balancing teasing, suspicion, and negotiation.
• Qing explains his motives directly, while Jiang challenges his certainty and then offers a cure.
• Qian Miao’s service and the clothing clue help Jiang regain leverage; Qing’s restrained leniency toward him hints at the shifting dynamics around Jiang.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Yourning challenges the National Preceptor, Qing Qianxue, to offer more than an oath as proof he won’t exploit or kill her after she cures his cold poison.
• Qing gives her a rare jade sword hairpin that represents his authority. His followers must obey her, and she can use his resources. He also permits her to poison his antidote as leverage, provided she supplies the counter-antidote on time.
• Yourning accepts the arrangement and agrees to prepare the cure. Qing escorts her out and sends Qian Yan to take her home.
• Qian Yan is astonished that Qing has given away one of a unique pair of hairpins, and concludes that his master has become attached to Yourning.
• At the Jiang Residence, Yourning uses the hairpin’s authority to ask Qian Yan to have the Shadow Pavilion investigate Evil Incense.
• Before leaving, Qian Yan urges Yourning to treat Qing better because he has suffered greatly.
• Yourning finds her siblings waiting at the gates. She explains that she visited Qing to thank him for saving her, then asks her second brother, Jiang He, to speak privately—apparently to question him about his attempted attack on Chu Haoze.

Character developments

• Jiang Yourning remains cautious and practical, insisting on tangible security before trusting Qing. She is also resourceful, promptly using her new authority to pursue information about Evil Incense.
• Qing Qianxue shows unusual trust by handing Yourning a treasured symbol of power. The prospect of being cured lifts his spirits, and he openly smiles at her farewell.
• Qian Yan recognizes how much Yourning has changed his master, though he worries that Qing has endured too much and deserves greater care.
• Jiang He and Jiang Wanrong appear concerned about Yourning’s movements, and both react with surprise when she requests a private conversation with Jiang He.

Significant themes

• Trust backed by leverage: Yourning does not rely on promises; the hairpin, Qing’s resources, and the option to poison the antidote create mutual safeguards.
• Growing affection and emotional healing: Qing’s willingness to entrust Yourning with his authority, and his renewed smiles, suggest that their friendship is becoming personally significant.
• Power and responsibility: Yourning gains influence over Qing’s network and immediately puts it to use.
• Secrets and suspicion: Yourning’s private questions about Jiang He and Chu Haoze point to unresolved danger and concealed motives.

Character interactions

• Yourning negotiates firmly with Qing, who answers her mistrust with a substantial pledge of protection and authority.
• Qing and Yourning part warmly, calling each other friends; Qian Yan watches their growing closeness with resignation.
• Yourning gives Qian Yan an investigation order, which he accepts despite his evident reluctance.
• Qian Yan’s parting plea catches Yourning off guard.
• Yourning reassures her siblings about her visit, then seeks a private explanation from Jiang He, leaving him and Jiang Wanrong startled.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Li leaves to handle official business, and Jiang He notices Jiang Yourning has apparently been responsible for piling work onto their third brother before. Jiang Wanrong keeps quiet about Ningning’s secret exploits.
• Jiang He privately tells Jiang Yourning he tried to kill the Seventh Prince, Chu Haoze, because he dreamed the prince would bring disaster on their family. He believes Jiang Yourning has been reborn after hearing her thoughts refer to rebirth.
• Ningning supports the idea of stopping Chu Haoze and thinks the failed attempt is no great loss. She also recalls an unfamiliar marquis she shot with an arrow and plans to have “Grumpy” investigate him, imagining she could use the marquis’s presence to implicate Chu Haoze in treason.
• Jiang He realizes the men from the previous day were foreigners and that Ningning encountered them. He decides to investigate and quietly keep her from getting involved herself.
• After two days spent recovering at home, Ningning still cannot identify the marquis. The General of Agile Cavalry, Zheng Wanba, returns to the capital, prompting an imperial welcome banquet. The family is allowed to enter the palace shortly before the feast.
• Chu Lange reappears and brings Ningning expensive medicinal ingredients he says he stole from his father for her recovery.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang He reveals a serious, protective side beneath his usual manner. His dream has convinced him that Chu Haoze threatens the family, and he resolves to pursue Ningning’s lead while shielding her from danger.
• Jiang Yourning remains mischievous and scheming, but her private thoughts show she is focused on eliminating threats to her family—and sees political framing and rewards as useful tools.
• Jiang Wanrong supports Ningning by keeping her secrets, while Jiang Li remains preoccupied with official duties.
• Jiang He and Ningning share a candid conversation about Chu Haoze; afterward, he escorts her back and decides to act on what he learned.
• Chu Lange’s thoughtful, if improper, gift hints at his concern for Ningning.

Significant themes

• Family loyalty and protection: Both siblings are willing to take drastic action to prevent harm to their family.
• Hidden knowledge and fate: Jiang He’s prophetic dream and Ningning’s apparent knowledge of events blur the line between foresight, rebirth, and coincidence.
• Political intrigue and scheming: The plot to investigate the foreign marquis and discredit Chu Haoze turns personal danger into a possible political strategy.
• Humor amid danger: Ningning’s irreverent inner monologue contrasts with the serious threats surrounding the family.

Plot points and events

• Chu Lange visits the recovering Jiang Yourning with stolen medicinal ingredients and several hundred taels of silver, joking that she has taken them from her stingy father. Jiang accepts both gifts enthusiastically.
• Chu Lange has secured a site for their planned beauty salon: the confiscated Drunken Spring House. Jiang approves of its busy location and lavish interior, and immediately gives Ministry of Works officials renovation instructions.
• Jiang, Chu Lange, and Little Wukong then visit the palace. The previously disturbed palace grounds have largely been restored.
• Empress Cui Zhao’an welcomes Jiang and Little Wukong with an elaborate meal, urging them to eat their fill before the evening banquet. She hints that they will later understand the reason, while giving Chu Lange a reproachful look.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yourning remains practical and openly delighted by money and useful gifts. She quickly turns from accepting Chu’s presents to planning the salon’s renovations. She also notices that the Empress seems more relaxed than during their last visit.
• Chu Lange shows her affection through generous, if dubious, gifts and by securing the salon location through her influence with her father. Her impatience and closeness with Jiang are evident.
• Little Wukong enjoys being outside after being cooped up, stays close to Jiang, and innocently asks whether eating now will spoil their appetite for the banquet.
• Cui Zhao’an is warmly attentive to Jiang and Wukong, but keeps the reason for the extra food to herself. Her glance at Chu suggests the two share an understanding.

Significant themes

• Friendship and generosity: Chu supports Jiang with money, medicine, and the salon premises.
• Resourcefulness and ambition: Jiang swiftly converts an opportunity into a concrete business plan.
• Secrecy and anticipation: The stolen goods and the Empress’s unexplained instruction to eat foreshadow developments at the banquet.
• Changing atmosphere: Jiang senses that the palace—and especially the Empress—feels freer than before.

Plot and events

• After uncovering a palace conspiracy, Cui Zhao’an and the emperor removed Nanny Mei and other attendants with suspicious intentions. Cui learned that the woman who had served her for years was an impostor planted by her trusted eldest aunt; the Cui relatives had hoped to advance their own daughter into the palace.
• Cui is relieved that Jiang Yourning has not pressed her for details, and credits Yourning’s recent closeness with making that easier.
• Yourning and Little Wukong are swept into the palace banquet alongside the emperor and empress. When the guests kneel, Yourning slips outside to avoid having her family kneel to her, then goes to sit with her parents and sister, Jiang Wanrong.
• At the banquet, the emperor orders the food served. Yourning discovers that nearly every dish is fish—and recognizes it as fish Chu Lange has sold to the palace.

Character developments and interactions

• Cui Zhao’an shows warmth toward Yourning, guiding her to join her family and keeping her close after the palace intrigue.
• Jiang Wanrong grows suspicious that Yourning may not be the Jiang family’s biological daughter. Seeing her beside the emperor and empress, Wanrong notices a possible resemblance between Yourning and the emperor and wonders whether Yourning, like Little Wukong, could be one of his children. She considers asking Yourning about her past to help investigate the sisters’ mysterious switch.
• Yourning remains irreverent and food-focused, joking inwardly about the kneeling ceremony and the endless fish. Her casual explanation for attending—that the empress invited her and Little Wukong to eat—also leaves the emperor mock-offended that he wasn’t invited.
• Chu Wenzong and the empress seem to have grown closer after resolving the threat in the palace, though the emperor still reacts humorously to being left out of the empress’s private feast.

Significant themes

• Betrayal within trusted families: Cui’s trusted relatives exploit her position for their own ambitions.
• Hidden identity and family secrets: Wanrong’s doubts reopen the mystery of the switched children and suggest a larger, possibly orchestrated pattern.
• Power and perspective: The banquet’s ceremony contrasts with Yourning’s irreverent inner commentary, while Wanrong fears that someone may be controlling events behind the scenes.
• Food and comic relief: Yourning’s appetite and the mountain of fish provide humor amid the chapter’s political intrigue.

Key plot points

• Emperor Chu Wenzong hosts an all-fish banquet to celebrate General Zheng’s return. The palace is overwhelmed with fish because Princess Ge’er bought an enormous supply using the Imperial Household Department’s food budget.
• Xie Ciyan, sick of eating fish brains, avoids the meal. The emperor teasingly orders ice and a maid to fan him, leaving Xie wishing he could escape.
• Jiang Yourning and Little Wukong are already full and occupy themselves with sunflower seeds and the entertainment.
• The emperor presses Jiang to eat and then asks her to play a welcoming tune for General Zheng. She agrees, but plays a mournful suona melody resembling funeral music.

Character developments and interactions

• Chu Wenzong maintains a genial, controlling manner while quietly resenting the endless fish and Jiang’s influence over his daughter. Jiang’s unspoken thoughts reveal that Ge’er also took valuables from his private treasury and gave them to Jiang, enraging him.
• Jiang Yourning remains outwardly obedient but privately mocks the emperor’s hospitality and suspects a trap. Her thoughts also connect General Zheng to the missing bellyband belonging to the emperor’s mother, suggesting a serious scandal.
• Xie Ciyan is visibly uncomfortable around fish, while the emperor’s exaggerated “concern” only intensifies his misery.
• Zhao Yi realizes Jiang’s remark about the bellyband and the Empress Dowager could endanger him, since the investigation has not confirmed those details. Jiang Li, meanwhile, remains oblivious, focused on the food and Lin Qingrao.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: The emperor’s warm smiles conceal irritation and suspicion; Jiang’s courteous compliance masks her sharp criticism.
• Power and consequences: The princess’s extravagant fish purchase—and her taking from the emperor’s treasury—has affected the whole palace and provoked her father.
• Humor amid political tension: Banquet etiquette, Xie’s discomfort, and Jiang’s funeral-like performance turn a potentially serious gathering into comic mischief, while the bellyband revelation hints at deeper intrigue.

Key plot points

• Jiang Yourning finishes her suona performance, calling the tune Celebration even though her thoughts reveal its real title is Little Widow Visits the Grave. The emperor is unsettled but, unable to criticize her outwardly faultless performance, lets her return to her seat.
• Empress Cui Zhao’an unexpectedly offers the emperor a toast, and he is visibly moved by her gesture.
• Zheng Wanba introduces eight foreign dancers to entertain the banquet. When a maid spills wine on a man standing behind him, Jiang Yourning recognizes him as the physician associated with the marquis who rescued Chu Haoze.
• The accidental reveal gives Jiang He and Zhao Yi a promising lead in their investigation. The emperor, hearing Jiang Yourning’s thoughts, grows suspicious of the assembled marquises and alarmed by the possibility of treason and foreign involvement.
• Jiang Yourning notices a tattoo on the lead dancer and suspects she too is connected to the neighboring-country marquis. She considers trying to keep the dancer at court.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yourning remains outwardly composed and irreverent in her private thoughts, repeatedly stumbling onto useful information without realizing its wider consequences.
• Chu Wenzong moves from discomfort and amusement to suspicion and dread as her thoughts expose possible links between Chu Haoze’s rescue, a marquis, and Zheng Wanba.
• Jiang He is delighted that a long, fruitless investigation has finally produced a lead; Zhao Yi shares his excitement.
• Cui Zhao’an’s warm toast surprises and touches the emperor, hinting at distance in their relationship and a rare moment of renewed closeness.
• Zheng Wanba provides the entertainment without apparently realizing that his physician and dancers may reveal dangerous connections. Xie Ciyan quietly arranges the spill that gives Jiang Yourning a clear view of the physician.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus truth: Jiang Yourning’s polite performance masks her provocative thoughts, while the banquet’s entertainment conceals possible political intrigue.
• Accidental disclosure and political danger: A minor mishap turns into a lead in a potential treason investigation.
• Comedic irony: The emperor cannot openly react to information he learns through Jiang Yourning’s unspoken thoughts, and her casual speculations make the political stakes worse.

Plot points and events

• After Jiang Yourning’s inner thoughts suggest that the emperor should acquire the dancer and have her restrained for questioning, several people recognize the opportunity.
• The Crown Prince, Zhao Yi, and Jiang He all ask General Zheng Wanba for favors. The Crown Prince requests the dancer; Zhao Yi seeks help interrogating prisoners; Jiang He asks for a military anesthetic formula on behalf of his elder brother and border troops.
• Jiang Yourning thinks she knows a better anesthetic, one effective with a single whiff. Those who can hear her thoughts realize its potential, though she does not notice their interest.
• Zheng agrees to all three requests, pleased that the dancer has attracted the Crown Prince’s attention.
• The banquet ends. The emperor sends the officials home with gifts, while privately considering how to get Jiang Yourning to offer the anesthetic herself.
• As the Jiang family prepares to leave, Xie Ciyan approaches them. His pallid face startles the family, and Jiang Yourning privately insults his ghostly appearance.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang He becomes alarmed when he realizes other people may hear his sister’s thoughts—and suspects the emperor might, too. He briefly considers fleeing with his family to protect her.
• The Crown Prince openly asks for the dancer, while Zhao Yi avoids competing with him and requests military assistance instead.
• Zheng Wanba remains eager to please powerful figures, viewing the Crown Prince’s interest in the dancer as a fortunate reward.
• Jiang Yourning remains unaware that her thoughts are influencing events and that others are reacting to her knowledge.
• Xie Ciyan’s sudden appearance prompts a comic, if harsh, reaction from the Jiang family and especially Jiang Yourning.

Significant themes

• Hidden thoughts and unintended consequences: Jiang Yourning’s unspoken remarks shape other people’s decisions and reveal potentially valuable information.
• Power and political maneuvering: The men’s requests reflect their differing positions and priorities, from the Crown Prince’s personal interest to Zhao Yi’s official duties and Jiang He’s concern for the army.
• Family protection and comic tension: Jiang He’s fear for his sister contrasts with the humor of her oblivious inner commentary.

Key plot points

• Xie Ciyan appears with an extremely pale, corpse-like face, hoping to impress Jiang Yourning. Instead, she and Jiang Wanrong are frightened and tap their Little Wooden Fish to ward off ghosts and monsters.
• Mortified, Xie collapses and has to be carried away by his attendant Shuo Feng. He blames Shuo Feng for his failed plan and threatens him jokingly.
• As the Jiang family leaves the palace, Chief Eunuch Fu Kang summons Jiang Li and Jiang He to meet the emperor. Jiang He privately fumes, having planned to take the family out of the capital that night, and wonders whether another share of his business profits could buy their safety.
• The rest of the family continues to the palace gates, where each household receives a barrel of live fish. The JIangs and nearby officials assume the emperor has given them a generous gift and offer thanks. Lin Xiangyin tips the attendants, who remain by the carriage as the excerpt ends.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie Ciyan is shown as lovestruck and insecure: he goes to absurd lengths to attract Jiang Yourning, but her fearful reaction leaves him despondent. His banter with Shuo Feng reveals their familiar, teasing dynamic.
• Jiang Yourning and Jiang Wanrong share the same comic suspicion that Xie looks like a ghost; they respond together by tapping their wooden fish.
• Jiang He is increasingly anxious and resentful about the emperor’s repeated summons, while Jiang Li accepts the request calmly.
• Jiang Huai’an and Lin Xiangyin handle the family’s departure and the apparent gift courteously, unaware—or not yet aware—of any hidden significance behind the barrels.

Significant themes

• Comic misunderstandings and romantic misfires: Xie’s attempt to look handsome backfires spectacularly.
• Family loyalty and anxiety under imperial power: Jiang He’s escape plan is repeatedly obstructed by the emperor’s authority.
• Appearance versus intention: Xie means to charm Jiang Yourning, but his makeup produces the opposite effect.
• Hidden meaning beneath apparent generosity: The fish are treated as a lavish gift, though the scene leaves their purpose uncertain.