Chapter Summaries

Shen Yangge and Chu Xuanzhen shared a tender confession before Xue Pingyuan arrested the rebels and their accomplices. Shen Yangge and Chu Xuanzhen returned to the Eastern Palace, where Shen Yangge wondered whether the emperor's consorts had stopped sending spies.

• Chu Xuanzhen caught Shen Yangge and caged the carrier pigeon, while Shen Yangge teased the bird with a glass bead until it cheered up.
• Shen Yangge found Chu Xuanzhen's drawing of him and wrote that he would stand by him in life and death and that he adored him.
• Chu Xuanzhen repeated Shen Yangge's confession aloud, leaving Shen Yangge embarrassed.
• Four days later, Xue Pingyuan arrested the rebels and officials who had supported the Crown Prince's faction, and their households were taken into custody.
• Shen Yangge and Chu Xuanzhen moved back into the Eastern Palace, where Shen Yangge found the new palace staff reassuring.

After securing the palace, Chu Xuanzhen kept Shen Yangge waiting in his study before agreeing to walk with him. Shen Yangge left the study sulking and stayed silent as they admired the flowers.

• The palace quietly dealt with figures tied to the princes' factions, while the Empress was sent to Nanli Temple and rumors turned public opinion against the fugitive Fourth Prince.
• Shen Yangge enjoyed hearing the rumors until a palace maid warned him not to eat too much fruit, then brought him an erotic story collection sent by Chu Xuanzhen's servant.
• Shen Yangge went to Chu Xuanzhen's study to ask why he had sent the book and invited him to admire the flowers.
• Chu Xuanzhen refused, and when Shen Yangge tried to leave, guards blocked the door and kept him in the study for about an hour.
• Chu Xuanzhen finally agreed to go, while Shen Yangge walked beside him in silence and the servants feared their masters had fallen out.

Shen Yangge found the lost Xiao Zhi in the rear garden and took him back to the Imperial Medical Bureau, while Chu Xuanzhen teased him with false directions. Meanwhile, Chu Xuanzhen went to the Heavenly Prison to question the man imprisoned for impersonating the emperor.

• Shen Yangge discovered Xiao Zhi hiding in a flower bed and agreed to take the lost, hungry boy to the Imperial Medical Bureau.
• Chu Xuanzhen refused to provide a guide, then led Shen Yangge astray with false directions before a palace maid corrected him.
• Shen Yangge learned that an elder from the Imperial Medical Bureau had told Xiao Zhi to wait in the rear garden, then returned him to his senior brother.
• Shen Yangge recognized Xiao Zhi's senior brother as a child he had met during his first escape and left the two boys at the Imperial Medical Bureau.
• Chu Xuanzhen entered the Heavenly Prison with Xue Pingyuan to interrogate the emperor's impostor, who insisted he was the real emperor.

Chu Xuanzhen interrogated Jin Xian, who revealed that the Daoist connected to the South Seas Curse-Head Sorcery had gone to the Western Regions Kingdom. Xue Pingyuan suspected Xue Qian might also be cursed and went to investigate, while Chu Xuanzhen returned to the Eastern Palace and found Shen Yangge reading and grumbling.

• Xue Pingyuan told Jin Xian that he was a discarded impostor, and Chu Xuanzhen frightened Jin Xian by calling him by name.
• Jin Xian offered to reveal the Daoist's whereabouts and the Fourth Prince's role in exchange for his life, then admitted that the Daoist had taken a job in the Western Regions Kingdom.
• Xue Pingyuan recognized the mention of South Seas Curse-Head Sorcery and suspected Xue Qian had been affected by it.
• Chu Xuanzhen told Xue Pingyuan to ask whether anything had bitten him during the battle at Jiang Family Village, and Xue Pingyuan left to investigate.
• Chu Xuanzhen went to the Eastern Palace and found Shen Yangge reading a story collection and silently complaining about his restrictions.

Shen Yangge grew annoyed when Chu Xuanzhen went to sleep in the side bedroom, so he chose to spend the night in the side hall instead. Left alone and unable to reach System 615, he considered the option of killing the other bug.

• Chu Xuanzhen entered the bedchamber, ignored Shen Yangge's formal greeting, and went into the side bedroom.
• Shen Yangge told a servant to take him to the side hall, despite the servant's concern about Chu Xuanzhen's permission.
• Shen Yangge found a rotten smell in the side hall, and the servant said stray-cat fish bones were likely the cause.
• Shen Yangge asked a servant to fetch his story collection, but the servant never returned, and palace maids arrived to clean the hall instead.
• Shen Yangge found System 615 offline and paused at the interface option to kill the other bug.

Shen Yangge suspected Ruthis, Chu Xuanzhi, and Jiang Qinghuan of being behind the strange events, then endured an exhausting night with Chu Xuanzhen. After Chu Xuanzhen suggested summoning an imperial physician, Shen Yangge realized he was worried about his belly.

• Shen Yangge considered Ruthis, Chu Xuanzhi, and Jiang Qinghuan as suspects but set them aside for lack of evidence.
• Chu Xuanzhen ignored Shen Yangge's protests and spent the night with him, leaving him exhausted.
• Chu Xuanzhen attended court as regent and refused the officials' calls for him to ascend the throne while the emperor remained alive.
• Chu Xuanzhen returned to the Eastern Palace for lunch, where Shen Yangge coldly rejected the food he served him.
• Chu Xuanzhen suggested summoning an imperial physician and looked at Shen Yangge's belly, prompting Shen Yangge to understand his concern.

Shen Yangge endured Chu Xuanzhen’s strange attention, then encountered a rat he recognized from the Dungeon and saved it from a palace cat. System 615 warned him that the Database would punish him for failing to actively help Chu Xuanzhen become emperor, leaving him shocked and confused.

• Shen Yangge challenged Chu Xuanzhen’s fixed stare until a messenger reported that the rebel Jin Xian had suddenly died, and Chu Xuanzhen ordered his subordinates to protect Shen Yangge.
• Chu Xuanzhen sent the Old Imperial Physician to examine Shen Yangge, who was told his vital energy was depleted and he should avoid excessive intercourse for several days.
• Shen Yangge found a white cat chasing a large rat, recognized the rat as the one that had saved him in the Dungeon, and stopped the cat so the rat could escape with the dried fish.
• A palace maid begged Shen Yangge to forgive her for screaming, and Shen Yangge returned to bed because his back and waist still hurt.
• System 615 warned Shen Yangge that the Database would punish him for failing to actively help the male lead ascend the throne, leaving him bewildered.

Shen Yangge was transported by System 615 to an enclosed courtyard and had to escape within two days, while Chu Xuanzhen and the others discovered he was missing. The chapter left Shen Yangge preparing to escape and Chu Xuanzhen beginning a search across the palace.

• System 615 transported Shen Yangge to a walled location in Capital City and warned that failure to escape within two days would mean death and annihilation.
• Shen Yangge examined the courtyard walls and trees, then thought of a way to get out before Chu Xuanzhen discovered he was missing.
• In the Heavenly Prison, the Eighth Prince found a poisonous scorpion mark on a dead rebel and wanted to pursue the group, but Chu Xuanzhen told him to stay out of it.
• Palace maids and servants reported that Shen Yangge had disappeared after their vision briefly blurred.
• The Eighth Prince and Xue Pingyuan urged Chu Xuanzhen to focus on finding Shen Yangge, and Xue Pingyuan offered to send people to search.

Chu Xuanzhen left the Heavenly Prison after confirming he knew where Shen Yangge was, while Consort Xue stepped back from court affairs and reassigned Qiao Luo. Meanwhile, Shen Yangge tried to escape a walled courtyard but ended up dangling beside a big dog and then lowered it to the ground.

• Chu Xuanzhen told Xue Pingyuan he knew where Jin Xian was, then left the Heavenly Prison without punishing the servants.
• The Eighth Prince ordered the servants to receive twenty strokes each and report to the Laundry Bureau.
• Consort Xue approached Chu Xuanzhen to speak, but he refused and left; she then reassigned Qiao Luo to a sweeping post after noticing her interest in him.
• Shen Yangge cut his clothes into strips, tied them to branches, and used the makeshift rope to climb the courtyard wall.
• Shen Yangge discovered the branches had caught in a chained big dog's collar, apologized to it, and released the rope so they both came down.

Shen Yangge returned to the Eastern Palace with Chu Xuanzhen, where they shared a charged exchange as Chu Xuanzhen gave him medicine. Shen Yangge promised to stay by his side wherever he went, and Chu Xuanzhen clung to those words.

• Shen Yangge jumped down from the wall, and Chu Xuanzhen caught him while the chained dog cowered nearby.
• Chu Xuanzhen carried Shen Yangge back to the Eastern Palace as Shen Yangge worried that rumors about them might threaten Chu Xuanzhen's path to the throne.
• Chu Xuanzhen brought Shen Yangge medicine and asked whether there was something he wanted to ask.
• Shen Yangge reassured Chu Xuanzhen that he would stay by his side wherever he went.
• Chu Xuanzhen threw the medicine aside, pulled Shen Yangge into his arms, and insisted, "You said it yourself."

Chu Xuanzhen found Shen Yangge in Qinglian Court and brought him back to the Eastern Palace, where he discovered a maid had drugged Shen Yangge’s medicine. After quietly replacing the bowl, Chu Xuanzhen cared for him as Shen Yangge reflected that his feelings for Chu Xuanzhen would never change.

• Chu Xuanzhen searched the palace for Shen Yangge, found him climbing over a wall at Qinglian Court, and caught him when he jumped down.
• Chu Xuanzhen brought Shen Yangge back and ordered a medicinal decoction to restore his qi and blood.
• Chu Xuanzhen caught a palace maid tampering with the medicine and learned the Noble Consort had ordered her to add an arousing drug.
• Chu Xuanzhen had the maid taken away, then smashed the drugged bowl before Shen Yangge could drink it.
• Shen Yangge accepted Chu Xuanzhen’s excuse that the medicine had gone cold and waited for a fresh bowl, while Chu Xuanzhen fed him and Shen Yangge thought that his affection for him would never change.

Shen Yangge and Chu Xuanzhen shared a tender night before Shen Yangge learned that Xue Qian had been afflicted with gu poison and found relief near him. He agreed to let Xue Qian stay nearby, but worried Chu Xuanzhen might not know about it.

• Chu Xuanzhen warmed Shen Yangge's bare foot against his chest, and Shen Yangge discovered that Chu Xuanzhen's body was unusually cold before cuddling close and falling asleep.
• Shen Yangge woke the next day to find Chu Xuanzhen gone and learned that the attendants who had been replaced were sent to the Laundry Bureau on the Eighth Prince's orders.
• Xue Pingyuan brought Xue Qian to see Shen Yangge and explained that Xue Qian had gu poison and felt better when near him.
• Xue Pingyuan knelt and asked Shen Yangge to let Xue Qian serve nearby for a few days, and Shen Yangge agreed.
• Shen Yangge asked whether Chu Xuanzhen knew, and Xue Pingyuan said he should know by now and promised to report it after leaving the Eastern Palace.

Shen Yangge looked after Xue Qian, whose gu poison caused him to become confused and suffer a sudden fit. Meanwhile, Xue Pingyuan informed Chu Xuanzhen that he had left his brother in Shen Yangge’s care, and Chu Xuanzhen dismissed him without revealing his feelings.

• Xue Pingyuan left Xue Qian with Shen Yangge and went to explain the situation to Chu Xuanzhen.
• Shen Yangge saw Xue Qian become confused and clutch his head, then ordered the palace maids not to summon an imperial physician or tell anyone what they had seen.
• Xue Qian calmed down and recognized Shen Yangge, then refused Shen Yangge’s offer to take him secretly to the Imperial Medical Bureau.
• Xue Pingyuan requested an audience with Chu Xuanzhen and explained why he had brought Xue Qian to Shen Yangge.
• Chu Xuanzhen calmly acknowledged Xue Pingyuan’s explanation and dismissed him.

Chu Xuanzhen allowed Xue Qian to stay in the Eastern Palace so Shen Yangge could help ease his gu poison. After Xue Qian’s symptoms returned and he rushed to find someone, Shen Yangge worried that Chu Xuanzhen was angry with him.

• Shen Yangge learned that Xue Qian’s gu poison had worsened his headaches and said he would ask Chu Xuanzhen to let him stay in the Eastern Palace.
• Chu Xuanzhen arrived, pulled Shen Yangge onto his lap, and asked what he and Xue Qian had discussed.
• Shen Yangge explained Xue Qian’s condition, and Chu Xuanzhen agreed to follow the Divine Dragon’s instructions and let Xue Qian stay.
• Xue Qian dismissed the servants attending him, then suffered another headache, dressed, and rushed out to find someone.
• Chu Xuanzhen carried Shen Yangge to the main bedchamber, where Shen Yangge nervously asked whether he was angry and offered him a kiss at the corner of his mouth.

Chu Xuanzhen's side story revealed how he became the Crown Prince despite being Prince Anping's missing son, and how the emperor and Empress later tormented him with Gu Worms. Years later, a young man’s presence briefly eased his madness, leaving Chu Xuanzhen unsettled when he heard the man was near death.

• After the Empress's infant died, the emperor demanded that Prince Anping surrender his newborn son to replace the dead Crown Prince, then sent Prince Anping north, where he never returned.
• Prince Anping's wife died of melancholy, and their son disappeared, while Chu Xuanzhen grew up believing he was Great Chu's Crown Prince.
• At ten, Chu Xuanzhen learned the truth of his birth and attacked the Empress, but stopped when the emperor persuaded him to spare her.
• Six months later, the emperor and Empress pinned Chu Xuanzhen down and implanted Gu Worms in him, driving him into madness.
• At the palace gates, a young man’s vibrant appearance eased Chu Xuanzhen's madness, and Chu Xuanzhen later sent someone to check on him after hearing he was near death.

Chu Xuanzhen recalled how Shen Zhuanxie first amused him and gradually became the person he cared for most. After Shen Zhuanxie vanished and returned as a badly injured kitten, Chu Xuanzhen found him, cared for him, and welcomed him when he turned human again.

• At the Empress’s birthday banquet, Chu Xuanzhen heard Shen Zhuanxie’s irreverent thoughts and was delighted by them.
• Chu Xuanzhen kept Shen Zhuanxie close, teased him, and grew attached to him, especially after discovering that Shen Zhuanxie’s blood could slightly suppress his madness.
• When Shen Zhuanxie fainted, Chu Xuanzhen panicked and avoided harming him during a frenzy.
• After Shen Zhuanxie disappeared, Chu Xuanzhen searched the Eastern Palace until he recognized him as a kitten hidden in a Death Soldier’s sleeve.
• Chu Xuanzhen found the weakened kitten with the Eleventh Prince, brought him back, and cared for him until he turned human again.

Chu Xuanzhen recounted how his feelings for Shen Zhuanxie deepened into possessive obsession as he kept him close and tried to control his world. The chapter ended with Chu Xuanzhen recognizing that he had fallen too deeply to escape.

• Chu Xuanzhen let Shen Zhuanxie stay overnight in the Eastern Palace, where they faced another group of assassins together and Chu Xuanzhen secretly kept a lock of Shen Zhuanxie's hair.
• Chu Xuanzhen followed Shen Zhuanxie after he left the bedchamber and found him, then told him, "You are mine."
• Chu Xuanzhen learned that Shen Zhuanxie suffered a mysterious affliction requiring physical contact, and he kept him close while consulting physicians who could not identify it.
• When the Imperial Guards came to take Shen Zhuanxie away on Consort Shen's orders, Chu Xuanzhen agreed only on the condition that he accompany him.
• At Shen Zhuanxie's home, Chu Xuanzhen grew furious when a child kissed his cheek, then bit the same cheek to assert his claim.
• Chu Xuanzhen watched himself fall deeper into his feelings for Shen Zhuanxie until he could no longer free himself.

Shen Yangge reassured Chu Xuanzhen of his devotion before Xue Qian interrupted them with another headache. The next morning, Shen Yangge found Chu Xuanzhen, Xue Qian, and Xue Pingyuan gathered outside, while a eunuch tried to keep him out of the sun.

• Shen Yangge told Chu Xuanzhen that he belonged to him, and Chu Xuanzhen vowed to bring him back if he ever disappeared.
• Xue Qian interrupted their kiss and told Shen Yangge that his headache had returned.
• Shen Yangge settled Xue Qian on a chaise longue in the courtyard with servants to watch over him, then returned to bed with Chu Xuanzhen.
• Chu Xuanzhen turned into a beast in the middle of the night, leaving Shen Yangge sore the next morning.
• Shen Yangge saw Chu Xuanzhen and Xue Qian sitting together with Xue Pingyuan, while a eunuch held a parasol over him and urged him back inside.

Shen Yangge joined Chu Xuanzhen, Xue Pingyuan, and Xue Qian as they discussed Chu Tianyin's whereabouts and revealed that the missing Second Prince, Chu Xuanzhi, was alive and living under an assumed name in Capital City. The men considered using Chu Xuanzhi's network to track down Chu Tianyin and Jia Zhengyuan.

• Shen Yangge joined Chu Xuanzhen, Xue Pingyuan, and Xue Qian, and Chu Xuanzhen reacted jealously when Shen Yangge's neck marks showed.
• Shen Yangge asked whether they were discussing Chu Tianyin and agreed that the Fourth Prince was likely still in Capital City.
• Xue Pingyuan said his investigations had found no sign of Chu Tianyin's or Jia Zhengyuan's troops, suggesting they were hiding somewhere in the city.
• Shen Yangge proposed investigating the Second Prince, Chu Xuanzhi, and revealed that Chu Xuanzhi was alive under an assumed name in Capital City.
• Shen Yangge explained that Chu Xuanzhi's people had abducted him near Chu Tianyin and taken him to a hidden, enclosed place.

Shen Yangge and Chu Xuanzhen discovered that the Imperial Secret Guards secretly answered to the Second Prince, who had controlled the old emperor for years. They found the Second Prince’s hidden passage beneath the emperor’s bedchamber and uncovered evidence of his long-running scheme.

• Xue Pingyuan realized the Imperial Secret Guards might hold the key to finding the Second Prince and left to investigate them.
• Shen Yangge asked Chu Xuanzhen to take him to see the unconscious old emperor.
• Shen Yangge spotted a pearl in the old emperor’s mouth, and Chu Xuanzhen had it removed and cracked open.
• A note hidden inside the pearl revealed that the Imperial Secret Guards took orders from the Second Prince and that the old emperor had been his puppet.
• That night, Chu Xuanzhen and Shen Yangge searched beneath the old emperor’s bedchamber, found a secret passage, and discovered the Second Prince’s hiding place.