Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Jiang Huai’an angrily leaves the palace after spending two days there on an imperial assignment: writing distinct hundred-character tributes to the ancestors and helping Princess Yongning with her punishment of praising them.
• He is hurt to learn that Jiang Li did not even realize he had been away. Jiang Li is confused, while Zhao Yi teases him about being an exceptionally unfilial son.
• The family discusses bringing Jiang Huai’an food. Lin Xiangyin plans to take Jiang Wanrong and Jiang Yourning to visit him that afternoon.
• Xie Ciyan visits the Jiang household. During lunch, Jiang He watches him with suspicion over his closeness to Jiang Wanrong, while Jiang Yourning remains wary of him.
• After the meal, Xie gives Jiang Wanrong a rare, long-lost acupuncture manual. Recognizing it as the Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Needles, she is thrilled and offers to help him with anything in return.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Huai’an feels neglected and increasingly resentful of his sons, though he remains burdened with the task of tutoring Princess Yongning.
• Jiang Li is oblivious to his father’s absence, underscoring the family’s casual, teasing dynamic.
• Jiang Wanrong shows intense enthusiasm for the manual because it may help awaken her master. Her gratitude gives Xie Ciyan a new opening.
• Xie Ciyan arrives anxious after Jiang Wanrong seemed to ignore him the previous night, but his thoughtful gift quickly restores his hopes.
• Jiang He is jealous and distrustful of Xie’s attention to his sister; Jiang Yourning also questions his intentions.
• Jiang Yourning and Little Wukong bicker playfully over food, escalating from stealing a drumstick to a mock physical tussle.

Significant themes

• Family affection and neglect: Jiang Huai’an’s hurt contrasts with the younger generation’s distracted, joking attitude.
• Romance and suspicion: Xie’s gift may bring him closer to Jiang Wanrong, while her siblings scrutinize his motives.
• Loyalty and hope: The acupuncture manual represents a possible path to saving Jiang Wanrong’s master.

Plot points and events

• Xie Ciyan asks Jiang Wanrong for a handmade sword tassel in exchange for the ancient book. He hints that he would also like a handmade sash or sachet, but Jiang offers him a whole box of tassels instead.
• Jiang Yourning’s thoughts reveal that Jiang Wanrong is terrible at needlework, embarrassing her and making Xie Ciyan reconsider his hopes for embroidered gifts.
• Jiang Wanrong and her family travel to the palace to visit her father, Lord Jiang.
• The Empress Dowager summons Emperor Chu Wenzong and Empress Cui Zhao’an to Cining Palace. The couple are delighted, particularly Cui, who has repeatedly been unable to see the Empress Dowager.
• On the way, they meet Lin Xiangyin and her children. Cui invites Lin to visit Perching Phoenix Palace after seeing Lord Jiang.
• The Empress Dowager’s chief eunuch then delivers a separate summons for Jiang Yourning and Little Wukong. Lin worries but is reassured that the children will be safe. The two agree to go with the eunuch.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie Ciyan’s affection for Jiang Wanrong is clear in his wish for personal, handmade gifts. He accepts her offer of tassels as a positive outcome, even though it is less intimate than he hoped.
• Jiang Wanrong is flustered by Xie’s attention and her sister’s teasing, but responds practically and maintains their usual familiar relationship.
• Jiang Yourning’s blunt inner commentary exposes her sister’s weakness at needlework, creating comic embarrassment.
• Lin Xiangyin is protective of her children and cautious about the Empress Dowager’s unexpected summons. The chief eunuch’s reassurance eases her concern.
• Cui Zhao’an’s happiness at being summoned suggests she hopes to repair or resume her relationship with the Empress Dowager.

Significant themes

• Romantic affection and restraint: Xie’s personal requests reveal his feelings, while Jiang Wanrong keeps the exchange within comfortable bounds.
• Family intimacy and teasing: Jiang Yourning’s candid thoughts embarrass Jiang Wanrong but also show their closeness.
• Court uncertainty and shifting relationships: The Empress Dowager’s summons raises questions about her intentions, especially toward Cui and the two children.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Yourning and Little Wukong are summoned to Cining Palace and told to wait in the Empress Dowager’s Buddhist shrine.
• While examining the portraits, Yourning notices a series of faceless pictures of a girl and a boy. She guesses the girl is the Empress Dowager’s missing daughter, who is the same age as her and shares her birthday; the boy is clearly Little Wukong.
• In the main hall, Emperor Chu Wenzong hears Yourning’s remarks and begins to suspect she may be his long-lost sister. He imagines the advantages—and chaos—that would come with such a discovery.
• The Empress Dowager appears, and Yourning recognizes her voice as “Granny Sparrow,” the woman she previously met and even traded insults with. Realizing she may have insulted and taken food from the Empress Dowager, Yourning panics.
• Chu Wenzong and Empress Cui also react with shock to the revelation, but the Empress Dowager remains unaware of their private confusion. She turns the conversation to the matter of Great General Zheng.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yourning shifts from curious observer to horrified, anxious participant when she recognizes the Empress Dowager. Her irreverent inner commentary contrasts with her outward politeness.
• Little Wukong cheerfully recognizes the Empress Dowager’s voice as Granny Sparrow’s, inadvertently revealing their connection.
• Chu Wenzong entertains the possibility that Yourning is his sister, weighing family affection against the prospect of her causing even more trouble.
• Empress Cui is eager to see her son but is thrown off by the sudden possibility that Yourning is connected to the imperial family.
• The Empress Dowager appears composed and turns to official business, while the others struggle to process the coincidence.

Significant themes

• Coincidence and hidden identity: Yourning’s shared age and birthday with the missing princess, alongside her connection to the Empress Dowager, suggest a deeper family secret.
• Humor amid court intrigue: The characters’ dramatic inner reactions and Yourning’s irreverence make a potentially weighty revelation comic.
• Family and belonging: The possibility that Yourning is the Emperor’s sister reframes their relationships and even the money and favors exchanged between them.

Key plot points and events

• The Empress Dowager warns Emperor Chu Wenzong that Zheng Wanba may retaliate after the court seizes his wealth, possibly attempting a coup. The Emperor has already tightened security, confined Zheng’s daughter—the Noble Consort—and stationed forces around the capital.
• The Empress Dowager reveals that, five years ago, she anticipated danger in the palace and arranged for the newborn Crown Prince to be secretly switched with another child. The son Zheng Wanba took and raised is therefore not the Emperor and Empress’s true child; he is Zheng blood, and the Emperor need not spare him.
• Jiang Yourning realizes that Little Wukong may be the missing prince. Little Wukong, having just learned that the Empress Dowager is the “Granny Sparrow” who has long treated him as family, asks Jiang whether the Emperor and Empress could be his birth parents.

Character developments and interactions

• The Empress Dowager demonstrates the foresight and political skill that made her a powerful palace-intrigue strategist. She has waited to acknowledge her grandson until the Zheng threat could be dealt with.
• The Emperor responds efficiently to the danger and quickly understands why his mother summoned him and the Empress: to prevent hesitation when confronting Zheng Wanba.
• The Empress is eager to reclaim her lost son, though the revelation leaves her and the Emperor facing the possibility of an imminent crisis.
• Little Wukong shifts from confusion to tentative hope. Although the Jiang family has given him a loving home and softened his longing for his birth parents, he cannot help wishing the Emperor and Empress might truly be his parents.
• Jiang Yourning follows the political revelations with anxious, irreverent inner commentary, then gently asks Little Wukong what he understood.

Significant themes

• Family and belonging: Little Wukong has found a home with the Jiang family, yet still longs to know his origins.
• Protection through secrecy: The Empress Dowager’s long-hidden substitution saved the true prince but delayed his recognition.
• Power and political danger: The Zheng family’s influence and the threat of a coup frame the personal reunion as part of a wider struggle.
• Hope mixed with uncertainty: Little Wukong’s possible identity offers the promise of a reunion, but the danger surrounding Zheng Wanba makes that future precarious.

Key plot points and events

• As Little Wukong waits to meet the Emperor and Empress, Jiang Yourning recognizes his mixture of hope and fear from her own childhood experience of being abandoned and later mistaken for a missing child.
• She reassures him that his parents are indeed the Emperor and Empress, and that she will remain his sister. Little Wukong worries that reuniting with them might mean leaving Jiang and the family he loves.
• The Empress Dowager summons them to the hall. Before entering, Little Wukong promises to protect Jiang if she gets in trouble for having spoken rudely to his grandmother.
• The Empress Dowager greets him as her grandson. Confused by her youthful appearance, Little Wukong asks whether she has taken someone else’s face, startling everyone.
• The Emperor, Chu Wenzong, notices Jiang’s possible resemblance to his own family and wonders whether she might be his unknown sister. He resolves to investigate after dealing with Zheng Wangba.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yourning balances her wistfulness at the approaching reunion with genuine happiness for Little Wukong. She comforts him and shows concern that he might feel forced to choose between his birth family and his adoptive one.
• Little Wukong is excited to meet his parents but deeply attached to Jiang and his siblings. His blunt question about the Empress Dowager’s face reveals his innocent, unfiltered nature.
• Chu Wenzong shifts from focusing on Little Wukong’s reunion to considering Jiang’s identity, recalling her resemblance to his family and worrying about how he may have treated her.
• Wu Qingluan, the Empress Dowager, takes Little Wukong’s startling remark in stride and jokingly explains that she disguised herself to avoid being recognized outside the palace.

Significant themes

• Family and belonging: Little Wukong’s reunion raises the question of whether birth family and the family who raised him can coexist.
• Hope and vulnerability: Jiang’s memories of her own childhood sharpen her empathy for Little Wukong’s anxious anticipation.
• Identity and recognition: The Empress Dowager’s disguise and Chu Wenzong’s suspicions about Jiang both make appearance and family origins central to the scene.
• Humor amid emotion: Little Wukong’s bluntness and Jiang’s irreverent inner thoughts punctuate an otherwise tender, momentous reunion.

Key plot points and events

• Wu Qingyuan and Little Wukong recognize one another as grandmother and grandson and share an emotional reunion. Chu Wenzong and Cui Zhao’an are moved, while Jiang Yourning is left holding an awkward curtsy because everyone forgets about her.
• Chu Wenzong eventually notices Jiang’s discomfort and tells her to rise and sit. After waiting through the long embrace himself, he realizes firsthand why her silent complaints about being kept waiting were justified—and leaves the hall to relieve himself.
• Wu Qingyuan introduces Little Wukong to Cui Zhao’an as his mother. He obediently calls her “Mother,” prompting another tearful reunion.
• Wu Qingyuan reassures Jiang Yourning that she does not blame her for their earlier encounter, then explains that she summoned Jiang to reward her for bringing Little Wukong home and giving him a happy time.
• She presents Jiang with the Phoenix Crown and Bridal Robe she wore at her own wedding. Jiang is captivated by the crown and, despite some hesitation, accepts the gift.

Character developments

• Little Wukong accepts Wu Qingyuan as his grandmother and warmly responds to Cui Zhao’an as his mother.
• Wu Qingyuan shows deep affection for her grandson and a growing fondness for Jiang, despite uncertainty about whether Jiang may be her lost granddaughter.
• Cui Zhao’an is overwhelmed by hearing her son call her “Mother.” She also grows suspicious when Jiang’s thoughts mention an East Sea headdress previously gifted to her.
• Chu Wenzong moves from exasperation at Jiang’s irreverent thoughts to understanding her frustration after experiencing the wait himself.
• Jiang Yourning shifts from playful impatience to cautious deference, then eagerly accepts a lavish reward.

Significant themes

• Empathy through experience: Chu learns to understand Jiang’s complaint only after enduring a similar wait.
• Family reunion and belonging: The chapter centers on Little Wukong’s reunion with his grandmother and mother.
• Uncertainty and hidden identity: Wu’s affection for Jiang hints at a possible family connection, while Cui’s suspicions about the headdress raise questions about earlier events.
• Formality versus private thoughts: Jiang maintains proper etiquette aloud while her irreverent inner commentary punctures the solemn atmosphere.

Character interactions

• Wu and Little Wukong embrace and affirm their relationship; Chu and Cui watch emotionally.
• Chu and Jiang share a comic, unspoken contrast between his imperial authority and her candid inner complaints.
• Wu welcomes Jiang without resentment and rewards her for caring for Little Wukong.
• Cui watches Jiang closely while reconnecting with her son, especially after hearing about the headdress.

Key plot points and events

• Empress Dowager Wu Qingyuan gives Jiang Yourning a jewelry set, insisting she accept it as an elder’s gift. She also tells Jiang that Little Wukong will need to remain with the Jiang family for a while because of the Zheng Family situation.
• Wu promises to send two people to protect the boy and warns Jiang not to wander outside.
• The Emperor and Empress see Jiang and Little Wukong off. After they leave, Wu wonders whether Jiang resembles the Emperor’s long-lost aunt, Princess Zhaohua. The Empress agrees that the resemblance is striking, and Wu decides to investigate Jiang’s origins secretly.
• On the way back, Little Wukong marvels at having found his parents and grandmother. Jiang cautions him to keep the news quiet, explaining that people might be listening.
• At the Imperial Ancestral Shrine, Lin Xiangyin grows anxious about Jiang and the boy’s delay. Princess Yongning says she likes Jiang and hopes the Empress Dowager will adopt her, making them sisters.

Character developments

• Jiang Yourning remains courteous and composed, but becomes more comfortable around Wu after receiving her kindness. She is also careful about protecting Little Wukong and keeping their family news confidential.
• Wu Qingyuan shows affection and concern for both Jiang and Little Wukong. Her suspicion that Jiang may be related to the imperial family prompts her to begin a secret investigation.
• Chu Wenzong is unsettled by the possibility that Jiang resembles his aunt, though he promises to care for any sister who has been lost.
• Cui Zhao’an openly acknowledges the resemblance and worries that the children’s closeness to Jiang may have deeper meaning.
• Little Wukong is joyful but bewildered by his newly discovered family ties, and his literal interpretation of Jiang’s warning adds comic relief.
• Princess Yongning grows cheerful in company and expresses a strong wish to become Jiang’s sister.

Significant themes

• Family and belonging: Little Wukong begins to accept his newly revealed relatives, while Jiang’s possible connection to the imperial family raises the prospect of another reunion.
• Protection and secrecy: Wu arranges guards, and Jiang stresses caution as the family’s circumstances remain uncertain.
• Resemblance and identity: Jiang’s likeness to Princess Zhaohua sparks the central mystery of her origins.
• Affection across generations: Wu’s gift and concern suggest a growing bond between the older generation and Jiang.

Character interactions

• Wu firmly presses the jewelry on Jiang, then entrusts her with Little Wukong’s care and warns her to stay safe.
• The Emperor and Empress discuss Jiang’s resemblance to Zhaohua, with the Empress’s agreement deepening their concern.
• Jiang gently but unsuccessfully tries to explain “walls have ears” to Little Wukong, whose questions turn the warning into a humorous exchange.
• At the shrine, Princess Yongning chats with Jiang Huai’an and Lin Xiangyin, then voices her hope that Jiang will become her adopted sister.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Xiangyin warns Chu Lange that making Jiang Yourning an imperial goddaughter—and therefore a princess—could expose her to political danger and sacrifice, despite the status and protection it appears to offer.
• Chu Lange abruptly decides to make the Jiang parents her own godparents. She kneels in the Ancestral Hall and offers them tea, startling everyone present.
• Jiang Yourning and Little Wukong arrive during the scene. Chu Lange says she will protect Yourning and her little brother once the adoption is complete, but Jiang Huai’an and Lin Xiangyin are alarmed about the possible consequences.
• Little Wukong tells Chu Lange that, as his sister, she already shares his parents. Chu Lange instead wonders whether he could become the Empress’s godson, since a prince would not face marriage-alliance obligations.
• Before the situation develops further, a royal decree orders Jiang Huai’an to return home and reflect in seclusion for one month for failing to complete an assigned task. Relieved, he immediately hustles Lin Xiangyin out of the palace.

Character developments

• Chu Lange shows affectionate but impulsive protectiveness toward Jiang Yourning, repeatedly trying to secure family ties through sudden adoptions.
• Lin Xiangyin demonstrates political wisdom by warning Chu Lange that royal status can bring peril as well as privilege.
• Jiang Yourning responds practically, pulling Chu Lange up and trying to prevent the Jiang family from becoming entangled in palace trouble.
• Little Wukong cheerfully reframes the situation: because Chu Lange is his sister, she can already regard the Jiangs as family.
• Jiang Huai’an is less concerned with ceremony than survival; the emperor’s disciplinary order feels like a fortunate escape from the adoption scheme.

Significant themes

• Privilege and its price: A princess’s honor may entail political duties and personal sacrifices.
• Family beyond formal ties: The characters’ affection and playful sense of kinship matter more than official adoption.
• Court politics and danger: Even a seemingly warm gesture can create serious risks for the people involved.
• Comedy amid tension: Chu Lange’s impulsive plans contrast with the Jiang family’s understandable panic.

Character interactions

• Lin Xiangyin advises Chu Lange as a candid, protective elder.
• Chu Lange tries to draw the Jiang parents into her family and promises to care for Jiang Yourning and Little Wukong.
• Jiang Yourning and Jiang Huai’an resist the proposal for different reasons: Yourning acts to defuse the situation, while her father fears royal repercussions.
• Little Wukong teases Chu Lange with a simple, affectionate argument about shared parents, prompting her to redirect her adoption plan toward him.

Plot points

• Jiang Huai’an and Lin Xiangyin flee the palace in a panic, leaving their daughter and godson behind. Once they realize the children are probably safe, Lin scolds Jiang for running off; he apologizes theatrically, promises he would protect the family in a real emergency, and clings to her until she gets into the carriage.
• Back in the Imperial Ancestral Shrine, Jiang Yourning remembers why she came: to help Chu Lange finish reciting the Blessing Words. She secretly gives Lange two pastries containing pills said to grant perfect recall for a short time, and warns her to keep the secret.
• Lange eats a pastry, memorizes the text at once, and recites it flawlessly. Proud of finishing, she leaves the shrine but runs into her father, Chu Wenzong.
• Wenzong is furious that Lange has acknowledged Jiang Huai’an as a godfather. Lange explains she only wanted to become true sisters with Jiang Yourning, but Wenzong is unconvinced. Since Jiang Huai’an has already left, Wenzong orders Lange confined to Perching Phoenix Palace for her safety, amid concerns connected to the Zheng Family affair.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Huai’an and Lin Xiangyin: Their familiar, comic marital dynamic is on display: he is anxious and shamelessly affectionate, while she is exasperated and tries to hold him accountable for abandoning the children.
• Jiang Yourning and Chu Lange: Yourning acts as a resourceful, protective friend, helping Lange complete her task and trusting her with a secret. Lange responds with excitement and gratitude, even promising her future earnings.
• Chu Lange and Chu Wenzong: Lange shifts from triumphant confidence to nervous pleading when confronted by her father. Wenzong’s anger reflects both wounded paternal pride and concern for her safety.

Themes

The chapter uses humor to explore family loyalty, responsibility, and affection. It contrasts Jiang Huai’an’s panicked escape with his insistence that he would protect his family, while Yourning and Lange’s friendship is shown through practical help and trust. Beneath the comedy, the palace’s political danger remains present in Wenzong’s decision to keep Lange under protection.

Plot points and events

• After returning to the estate, Lin Xiangyin arranges for everyone to eat in their own rooms, giving Jiang Yourning a chance to rest.
• At her courtyard, Yourning finds a peach-faced lovebird causing havoc. Her maid Chun Tao explains that Official Zhao sent it as a thank-you gift and that it escaped after feigning death.
• Yourning recognizes the bird as the thief that stole a bellyband. She uses a magical pet collar to prevent it from flying beyond her reach and bargains with it: cooperate and enjoy a comfortable life, or risk becoming dinner.
• The bird reluctantly agrees and starts sharing neighborhood gossip. Its revelations about Zhao Yi’s father amuse Yourning, who settles in to hear more.
• Jiang Wanrong arrives to discuss Azure Cloud Temple but gets drawn into the gossip. At the mention of the temple, the bird suddenly announces that “the big villain” is still alive.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yourning is amused, resourceful, and comfortably in control: she restrains the troublesome bird without losing her good humor, then treats its gossip as entertainment.
• The lovebird proves clever and mischievous, initially trying to escape and then cooperating while secretly hoping for another chance to flee. Its unexpected knowledge may make it useful.
• Chun Tao is flustered by the bird’s destruction but Yourning reassures her and gives her time to clean up.
• Jiang Wanrong comes with a serious purpose but readily joins Yourning’s lighthearted gathering—until the bird’s startling remark redirects their attention.
• Yourning’s laughter at the gossip about Zhao Yi’s father also suggests sympathy for Zhao Yi, whom she sees as unfortunate to have such a father.

Significant themes

• Control and freedom: The bird resists confinement, while Yourning offers comfort in exchange for obedience.
• Humor amid trouble: A chaotic pet and scandalous gossip provide comic relief after recent turmoil.
• Gossip as a source of information: The bird’s entertaining stories may also reveal useful truths.
• Suspense: The claim that Azure Cloud Temple’s “big villain” is still alive introduces a potentially serious threat.

Key events

• The peach-faced lovebird reveals that a “big bad guy” stole a child, while its master—a good person—raised the child. Jiang Yourning connects this to the Empress Dowager’s alleged infant swap and realizes the child Zheng Wanba had was smuggled away.
• The bird identifies the frightening man by the distinctive patterns on his hands. Yourning concludes he is not only Zheng Wanba’s accomplice but also connected to the supposedly destroyed Azure Cloud Temple.
• The bird reveals that the temple has a secret passage into the Imperial Palace. Recognizing the danger, Yourning proposes discreetly passing the information to Third Brother so he can alert the emperor. Jiang Wanrong agrees and goes to do so.
• After everyone leaves, Yourning orders an extravagant private meal and shares it with the bird, which eagerly devours the food.
• A system notification reports that Jiang Huai’an’s character persona has suddenly collapsed by 85%, earning Yourning a skill book and points; she is baffled by the change.
• At the Zheng Residence, Zheng Wanba learns that the Azure Cloud Temple has been surrounded and its people apparently killed. His ugly associate dismisses the losses as manageable and hints that Prince Anhe’s arrival—and the banquet held for him—will provide an opportunity for their uprising.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yourning pieces together the bird’s clues quickly, takes a pragmatic approach to warning the emperor, and remains more interested in avoiding thankless work—and enjoying her food—than acting as a formal investigator.
• Jiang Wanrong recognizes the political danger and cooperates, prioritizing the palace threat over her earlier personal questions about Ningning.
• The lovebird shifts from frightened witness to enthusiastic, comic dinner guest; its memories provide crucial intelligence about the temple and the palace passage.
• Zheng Wanba is angry that his forces suffered losses but remains committed to the rebellion.
• The ugly accomplice stays composed, revealing that the rebels still have a plan tied to Prince Anhe’s arrival.

Significant themes

• Hidden identities and concealed history: The child’s origins, the temple connection, and the accomplice’s identity suggest multiple layers of deception.
• Political danger and intrigue: A secret route into the palace gives the rebellion a direct threat to imperial security.
• Pragmatism amid crisis: Yourning chooses a low-effort route to get the warning to the emperor rather than taking responsibility herself.
• Comedy and tonal contrast: Serious revelations and rebellion planning are juxtaposed with Yourning’s food cravings, the bird’s appetite, and the unexplained system notification.

Key plot points and events

• Zheng Wanba realizes the emperor suspects him. He revises his coup plans around Prince Anhe’s arrival, orders troops near the Capital secured, and tells his men to conceal Azure Cloud Temple’s secret passage. His forces will use a whistling arrow as their signal.
• Emperor Chu Wenzong consults State Preceptor Qing Qianxue, who predicts the emperor has a nine-to-one advantage and promises the uprising can be survived. Qing declines military protection but asks for an edict allowing him to protect the little prince at the Jiang residence.
• Jiang Li reports that a captured parrot revealed two dangers: a survivor from Azure Cloud Temple is with Zheng Wanba, and the temple contains a passage leading into the Imperial Palace. The emperor orders Fan Chengfeng summoned and has the palace searched for its entrance.
• Jiang Yourning unlocks the skill Light as a Swallow, which lets her move silently and remain hidden. Thrilled to be able to leap onto the roof, she shouts her love for her father. Her timing startles Jiang Huai’an, who accidentally bites his wife’s lip and gets slapped and kicked out of bed.
• The Jiang household remains unusually quiet while Jiang Li moves openly about and Jiang He secretly searches for Chu Haoze. Meanwhile, Jiang Yourning enjoys her bed and jokes about marrying it.

Character developments and interactions

• Zheng Wanba grows more urgent and cautious as suspicion closes in, focusing on troop positions and protecting the secret passage.
• Chu Wenzong is initially anxious but gains confidence from Qing Qianxue’s prediction; Jiang Li’s warning then reveals a serious new threat.
• Qing Qianxue remains composed despite poor health and seeks permission to safeguard the little prince, hinting at a personal plan.
• Jiang Yourning gains a powerful new ability and remains exuberant and irreverent. Her shout of affection unintentionally disrupts her parents’ private moment.
• Jiang Huai’an and Lin Xiangyin share a tender moment that turns comic when he bites her lip; Lin retaliates immediately.

Significant themes

• Conspiracy and looming danger: The coup plan and secret passage suggest a crisis is approaching.
• Family affection: Jiang Yourning’s excited declaration reflects her growing sense of her father’s love.
• Humor amid tension: Her playful attitude—and the mishap between her parents—contrasts with the political threat.
• Luck and empowerment: Jiang Yourning’s new skill offers her a way to protect herself as events intensify.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Yourning jokes with Chun Tao about making her bed an official “beloved consort” and planning a wedding-style funeral for Chu Haoze, showing her increasingly eccentric mood after staying indoors.
• Chun Tao reports that the emperor has assigned National Preceptor Qing Qianxue to protect Little Wukong. Qing will stay at the Jiang Residence and personally tutor Little Wukong and the fourth young master for two days.
• Yourning is startled by Qing’s arrival, then learns he is also staying to protect her because she is a friend of the State Preceptor. She briefly hopes for romantic gossip about Chun Tao and Qing’s guards, but there is none.
• Qing sends Yourning food from the Flourishing Kingdom. She enjoys the lighter, unfamiliar dishes and quickly turns her attention to eating.
• The next day, Prince Anhe arrives in the Capital with local specialties and a large tribute of precious goods. Emperor Chu Wenzong welcomes him and arranges a palace banquet.
• That night, heavy rain falls. Jiang Li works through the night, while Yourning grows uneasy, fearing that Zheng Wanba’s anticipated rebellion could bring widespread bloodshed.
• As she sits lost in thought, a white-clad figure appears before her.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yourning shifts between comic irreverence, playful matchmaking, and genuine anxiety about the coming political violence. Food briefly distracts her from her worries.
• Chun Tao patiently handles Yourning’s odd remarks, explains Qing’s arrangements, and gently teases her when she tries to invent a romance.
• Qing Qianxue remains mostly offstage, but his actions suggest concern for both the children and Yourning: he takes on their protection, offers lessons, and sends her food.
• Jiang Li is occupied with urgent work connected to the tense situation in the Capital.

Significant themes

• Humor amid tension: Yourning’s absurd jokes and gossip-seeking contrast with the serious political danger looming over the household.
• Protection and care: Qing’s decision to stay at the Jiang Residence extends beyond his assignment to protect Little Wukong.
• Foreboding and uncertainty: Prince Anhe’s arrival, the storm, Jiang Li’s absence, and Yourning’s fears signal that conflict may soon erupt and cost many lives.

Key plot points and events

• Qing Qianxue visits Jiang Yourning at night, concerned that the Zheng Family is likely to act the next day. Jiang is confident the emperor has prepared for the threat, though her private thoughts suggest the Jiang household may still be in danger.
• Qing reveals that the secret passage between Azure Cloud Temple and the Imperial Palace remains undiscovered. Jiang is alarmed, since the temple’s guards may not be enough to stop an attack.
• Qing asks Jiang to help search for the passage. She initially refuses because of the heavy rain, then declines again after it stops, saying they should trust her third brother to keep looking.
• Jiang secretly considers going alone to the temple—or even assassinating Zheng Wanba—but doubts she can bring herself to kill someone.
• Meanwhile, Emperor Chu Wenzong has already sent several groups of assassins after Zheng Wanba. They killed some of his men, but all the emperor’s fighters died, leaving him distressed by the losses.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yourning appears casual and reluctant to get involved, but her thoughts reveal both sharp strategic instincts and a willingness to take drastic action. Her hesitation about killing shows a moral boundary beneath her boldness.
• Qing Qianxue is considerate and observant. He brings Jiang information, offers his divination skills, and suspects she may be able to find the passage. He is also amused—and concerned—by her thoughts of assassination.
• Their exchange is warm and teasing: Jiang offers Qing a hot-water warmer, while he gently presses her to help. Her concern that he is too frail for the journey disguises her own intention to act alone.
• Chu Wenzong is revealed to be desperate enough to order repeated assassination attempts, though these have failed at great cost.

Significant themes

• Foreknowledge versus uncertainty: Jiang’s expectations about rebellions and Qing’s divination help anticipate events, but the hidden passage remains an unpredictable danger.
• Power and legitimacy: Zheng Wanba’s popularity and influence make removing him difficult without a defensible reason.
• Moral limits and responsibility: Jiang considers killing to prevent a larger disaster but questions whether she can cross that line.
• Courage and vulnerability: Jiang’s daring contrasts with Qing’s physical frailty and her own reluctance to enter danger directly.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Yourning persuades Qing Qianxue to search for the secret passage at Azure Cloud Temple, motivated largely by the emperor’s reward.
• She reveals extraordinary control over her new “lightness skill,” vanishing without a trace and travelling through the capital as if weightless. Qing Qianxue and Qian Miao are astonished; Qing also privately wonders whether she could successfully assassinate Zheng Wanba.
• Jiang detours to the Great General’s Residence, where another assassination attempt is already underway. She avoids the fighting and uses explosions to draw guards away from Zheng Wanba’s candlelit meeting room.
• From the roof, she overhears Zheng Wanba and his advisers planning an assault on Azure Cloud Temple. Xuan Lingzi claims he has spread medicinal powder that will make the guards’ feet painfully rot, weakening their defenses. Zheng promises him a temple and the title of Grand Imperial Preceptor if they succeed.
• Jiang mocks the conspirators’ premature celebration, then buys a Golden Bell Shield and a large supply of explosive and stink-bomb beads. She throws the bombs into the room and activates the shield, trapping the people inside.

Character developments

• Jiang Yourning is energetic, opportunistic, and increasingly confident in her unusual abilities. Her concern for her brother is mixed with excitement at the prospect of claiming the reward and disrupting Zheng’s plans.
• Qing Qianxue is impressed by Jiang’s sudden mastery and begins to recognize how dangerous and capable she could be. His reaction also includes a small, unexplained sense of disappointment when she leaves without him.
• Zheng Wanba and Xuan Lingzi are shown as ambitious conspirators, already behaving as though their planned coup has succeeded.

Significant themes

• Comic contrast: Jiang frames her greed as “justice” and treats a potentially dangerous conspiracy with irreverence.
• Power and deception: Supernatural-looking movement, invisibility, and hidden schemes make it difficult to tell who has the advantage.
• Overconfidence: Zheng’s supporters celebrate victory before acting, leaving themselves vulnerable to Jiang’s intervention.

Character interactions

• Jiang teases Qing about joining the search, then leaves him and Qian Miao behind through her superior movement.
• Qian Miao jokes that he is unwell to avoid carrying her; Qing and Qian Miao react with amazement to her disappearance.
• Zheng rewards Xuan Lingzi’s promised help, and the advisers echo their loyalty by hailing Zheng as emperor—an exchange Jiang silently ridicules before trapping them.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Yourning slips into a general’s residence under an Invisibility Cloak and traps the people inside by setting off Explosive Beads and Stink Bomb Beads. The guards outside cannot force their way in, while she escapes, pleased with the chaos.
• On her way to the Azure Cloud Temple, Jiang Yourning gets lost and accidentally crashes into her brother Jiang He, using him as a “human cushion.”
• To hide her detour to the general’s residence, she claims the National Preceptor, Qing Qianxue, invited her to help search for a secret passage. Qing arrives shortly afterward, lending the lie some credibility.
• Jiang He notices a foul smell on his sister, but Qing redirects everyone toward the urgent search. Jiang Yourning takes Qing by the wrist and leads the group off in a random direction.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yourning is mischievous and resourceful, but her confidence often outruns her sense of direction. She improvises excuses to conceal her escapades and relies on Qing to cover for her.
• Qing Qianxue quietly supports the search and understands the source of the smell from his earlier experience with her beads. When Jiang takes his wrist, he is briefly unsettled but dismisses the moment as harmless.
• Jiang He is suspicious of his sister’s story and detects the lingering odor, though he does not learn what she has been doing. He becomes visibly jealous—or protective—when he sees her holding Qing’s hand.
• Qian Miao reads the hand-holding as a sign of romance and is delighted, interpreting it as nearly equivalent to Qing meeting Jiang’s family.

Significant themes

• Comedy through concealment and misunderstanding: Jiang’s secret mischief, flimsy excuses, and accidental collision drive the humor.
• Growing intimacy and family protectiveness: Jiang and Qing’s casual physical contact unsettles Qing, delights Qian Miao, and provokes Jiang He’s possessive reaction.
• Contrast between chaos and composure: Jiang’s explosive antics and improvisation are set against Qing’s calm, practical handling of the situation.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Yourning leads Qing Qianxue in the wrong direction while looking for the secret passage, then learns the entrance is near the Taoist Temple’s main hall.
• Jiang He interrupts when he sees them holding hands, wedging himself between them to keep them apart. Yourning and Qianxue are unbothered, though Qian Miao thinks Jiang He is obstructing his master’s romance.
• The group reaches the main hall, where Jiang Li and Zhao Yi have also been searching. Yourning explains that she came because the National Preceptor believed she could help, and because she worries about her exhausted Third Brother.
• While Qing Qianxue performs calculations and the others search, Yourning consults the system. It reveals that the passage is beneath the group, but its hidden entrance opens only after sunrise, when the sundial’s shadow aligns with a totem.
• The system says destroying the sundial would prevent the passage from appearing. Yourning promptly kicks it, pretends it injured her, and urges Jiang He to smash it.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yourning is impulsive and cheeky, but also concerned for Jiang Li. She enjoys teasing Qing Qianxue and uses a staged injury to disguise her attempt to destroy the mechanism.
• Qing Qianxue is reserved and easily flustered by Yourning’s physical closeness and bold thoughts, while continuing to focus on solving the mystery.
• Jiang He acts as an overprotective brother, jealous and suspicious of Yourning’s closeness with the National Preceptor.
• Jiang Li is moved by his sister’s concern and drops his objections to her involvement.
• Qian Miao watches the awkward interactions with amused sympathy, especially Jiang He’s interference.

Significant themes

• Romantic tension and jealousy: Yourning and Qing Qianxue’s attraction is evident, while Jiang He tries to prevent their closeness.
• Family loyalty and care: Yourning’s concern for Jiang Li persuades him to accept her help.
• Secrets and ingenuity: The hidden passage depends on a cleverly timed mechanism rather than ordinary searching.
• Comic deception: Yourning’s false claim that the sundial injured her turns the discovery into a mischievous scheme.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Yourning pretends to hurt herself beside the sundial, then asks her brothers to smash it. Her thoughts reveal she wants to prevent the secret passage from being opened—and she remembers that Zheng Wangba poisoned rainwater with medicine that could cause people’s feet to rot.
• Worried that Jiang He may have been exposed to the contaminated water, Jiang Li orders the sundial destroyed. Beneath it, they find a heavy iron chain connected to the secret passage, though the guards cannot move it.
• Jiang Yourning hints that she expects a residence from the Emperor and later wants a thousand taels of gold and red coral. Qing Qianxue clarifies to the reader that he—not the Emperor—had promised her the treasure.
• Qing Qianxue summons the physician Ye Tianque to examine the exhausted group. Ye tries to flee, but Jiang He catches him and insists that he take his pulse.
• Jiang Yourning recognizes Ye as the Divine Healer and privately recalls how he once used a feminine disguise to enlist Jiang He’s help rescuing abducted women, then pushed Jiang He into danger to protect himself. Jiang He was nearly kissed by the corrupt official, while Ye escaped after blowing him a kiss.

Character developments

• Jiang Yourning is resourceful and mischievous, using a fake injury to influence events. Her thoughts also reveal her concern for Jiang He and her eagerness to follow romantic gossip.
• Jiang He is protective of his sister and still harbors resentment toward Ye Tianque for their past encounter. He seizes the chance to confront his old nemesis.
• Jiang Li acts decisively to protect Yourning and treats her supposed discovery as a valuable contribution.
• Ye Tianque appears reluctant and evasive, but ultimately submits to Jiang He’s demand that he examine him.
• Qing Qianxue quietly manages the situation, concealing that he promised the reward and arranging medical help.

Significant themes

• Family protection and trust: Jiang He and Jiang Li respond immediately to Yourning’s distress, while Yourning worries about Jiang He’s health.
• Secrets and hidden knowledge: The sundial conceals a passage mechanism, and Yourning knows details about both the danger and Jiang He’s past that others do not.
• Comic contrast: Serious threats—the secret passage and poisoned water—are mixed with teasing, gossip, and exaggerated reactions.
• Old grudges and unexpected reunions: Jiang He and Ye’s past rescue mission turns their reunion into a tense, comic confrontation.

Character interactions

• Jiang Yourning’s apparent injury prompts Jiang He and Jiang Li to rush to her aid; she then persuades them to destroy the sundial.
• Jiang Li orders the guards to smash it, and the discovery of the chain confirms that Yourning has stumbled onto part of the passage mechanism.
• Qing Qianxue offers medical examinations, bringing Ye Tianque face-to-face with Jiang He.
• Jiang He forces Ye to take his pulse, while Yourning’s revealing inner commentary—and Zhao Yi’s startled reaction—turns their reunion into a spectacle for the onlookers.

Chapter Summary

• Ye Tianque confirms that Jiang He and others have been poisoned. They trace the toxin to rainwater on the ground, though it has been diluted, and prepare medicine at Azure Cloud Temple.
• Jiang He insists that Jiang Yourning take some as a precaution, despite her protest that she is unpoisoned. Jiang Li helps persuade her by offering candy afterward. Yourning privately compares her brothers’ fussing to A Lian’s.
• At Zheng Wanba’s residence, the explosion and foul mist cause severe injuries. Several of his advisers die and most of the survivors are gravely hurt. Zheng Wanba remains unconscious and does not realize that Xuan Lingzi is the least injured person—and the only one still awake.
• The next morning, Emperor Chu Wenzong learns that the mechanism at the secret passage has been destroyed and that Zheng Wanba has suffered some kind of trouble. In a good mood, he gives Jiang Li the land deed associated with Jiang Yourning’s discovery.
• At the evening banquet in the Imperial Garden, the Imperial Guards secretly seal off the area. Jiang He and Jiang Li attend; Jiang He keeps Yourning away by leaving her with their mother and promising her money for jewelry.
• Zheng Wanba requests an audience and arrives alone. Chu Wenzong is disappointed that he is not visibly injured, but calmly agrees to receive him.

Character Developments and Interactions

Jiang He shows a protective, tender side toward Yourning, while Jiang Li supports him with candy and gentle persuasion. Yourning is exasperated but ultimately gives in. Chu Wenzong’s improved mood reflects his confidence after the secret passage’s mechanism is dealt with, though his disappointment at Zheng Wanba’s apparent lack of injury reveals his hostility toward the general.

Significant Themes

The chapter mixes danger and intrigue with domestic comedy. Poisoning, the destroyed mechanism, and the guarded banquet sustain the political suspense, while the medicine scene emphasizes family care and teasing. The explosion’s aftermath also leaves uncertainty around Zheng Wanba and Xuan Lingzi as the banquet begins.

Key events

• At the palace banquet, General Zheng Wanba accuses Prince Anhe of deceiving the throne and secretly controlling fifteen gold and silver mines.
• Prince Anhe denies having such wealth or ambitions, arguing that he has focused on protecting and enriching the people in his fief. Emperor Chu Wenzong postpones judgment until an investigation can be made, rather than immediately punishing him.
• Meanwhile, armed intruders attack the homes of senior officials, including the Jiang residence. The Jiang family has anticipated the raid and traps the attackers with nets, itching powder, and explosive beads.
• Jiang Yourning, Jiang Wanrong, Jiang Huai’an, Little Wukong, and Jiang Heng help repel the attackers. When a second group appears on the rooftops with crossbows, Qian Miao, Qian Yan, and their people counter them.
• Qing Qianxue kills an attacker with a silver needle but remains exposed on the roof. Jiang Yourning pulls him to safety, then jokingly asks him to pay her for the rescue.

Character developments and interactions

• Chu Wenzong weighs both the law and Prince Anhe’s record of good governance. Though he resents the prince’s wealth, he prefers to investigate before deciding on punishment.
• Prince Anhe presents himself as a wealthy but benevolent ruler, insisting his concern has been the welfare of his people.
• Zheng Wanba uses the banquet to press accusations against Prince Anhe, while the emperor watches how the general’s actions might affect Consort Zheng.
• Jiang Yourning shows confidence, humor, and quick action, leading the defense and rescuing Qing Qianxue.
• Jiang Wanrong joins her sister in springing the trap. The younger fighters turn the defense into a playful contest, even amid the violence.
• Qing Qianxue demonstrates skill and composure, but his conspicuous position worries Jiang Yourning. Their exchange ends with her treating the rescue as a chance to demand a reward.

Significant themes

• Justice versus political suspicion: The emperor must distinguish between Prince Anhe’s deception and his apparently beneficial rule.
• Preparation and cooperation: The Jiang family’s planning, together with Qian Qianxue’s allies, defeats a coordinated attack.
• Humor amid danger: The playful banter and children’s rivalry give the violent defense a comic, almost festive tone.
• Selflessness and performance: Jiang Yourning rescues Qing Qianxue while immediately disguising her concern with a joking demand for silver.