Chapter Summaries

Shen Yangge uncovered the divided inheritance of the Imperial Secret Guards and learned that Chu Xuanzhen held a hidden share of authority capable of checking Chu Xuanzhi. The chapter ended with Chu Xuanzhen leaning close to Shen Yangge as he asked about the size of his forces.

• Shen Yangge read the records explaining how Great Chu’s founding emperor divided authority over the Imperial Secret Guards among court factions after the princes fought over it.
• Shen Yangge discovered that the old emperor’s name had been crossed out beside Chu Xuanzhi’s in the latest record, while Chu Xuanzhen remained silent.
• Shen Yangge realized Chu Xuanzhi had inherited most of the authority, while the old emperor had only been a figurehead and the Fourth Prince had acquired another portion.
• Shen Yangge found Chu Xuanzhen’s name carved into the wall a year earlier as successor to a third portion of the authority, making his forces a check on Chu Xuanzhi.
• Chu Xuanzhen told Shen Yangge that ten of his Imperial Secret Guards could match a hundred, then laid his hand over Shen Yangge’s and leaned close as Shen Yangge asked how many he commanded.

Chu Xuanzhen used his authority over the Imperial Secret Guards to locate the Second Prince and Fourth Prince, but they escaped after an informant exposed Shen Yangge’s plan. As the traitor’s death left their trail cold, Shen Yangge suspected that helping Chu Xuanzhen ascend the throne could reveal the truth about the Database and System 615.

• Chu Xuanzhen revealed that he commanded nine thousand of the fourteen thousand Imperial Secret Guards and summoned the guards under his authority.
• Chu Xuanzhen’s investigation found the Second Prince and Fourth Prince at the Sacrificial Altar and Sky-Measurement Tower.
• Shen Yangge used his status as the Divine Dragon to lead men to arrest the rebels at both locations, but the Second Prince and Fourth Prince had already fled.
• Chu Xuanzhen discovered that one of his Death Soldiers had leaked the plan, but the traitor died before he could be questioned.
• Chu Xuanzhen reassured Shen Yangge that the princes would not escape for long, while Shen Yangge considered how Chu Xuanzhen’s accession might expose the truth about the Database and System 615.

Shen Yangge urged Chu Xuanzhen to ascend the throne after the middle of the month, while struggling with the possibility that completing his mission would separate them. Elsewhere, Chu Tianyin tortured Chu Xuanzhi for a token, but Chu Xuanzhi refused to give it up.

• Shen Yangge rushed to the imperial study and asked Chu Xuanzhen whether he could ascend the throne after the middle of the month.
• Chu Xuanzhen questioned Shen Yangge about his interest in the succession, then reassured him that he trusted him and kissed him.
• Xue Pingyuan reported the whereabouts of the Second Prince and his party, then left the imperial study after seeing Chu Xuanzhen hold Shen Yangge on his lap.
• Chu Tianyin whipped Chu Xuanzhi and demanded to know where the token was.
• Chu Xuanzhi taunted Chu Tianyin instead of revealing the token, and Chu Tianyin threatened to make him suffer.

Chu Tianyin confronted the chained Chu Xuanzhi, who remained dangerously fixated on him and plotted to take his eyes. Meanwhile, Ruthis and Nan Jiaxi shared a meal in a ruined temple before a group of armed men attacked them.

• Chu Xuanzhi kissed Chu Tianyin, who shoved and kicked him before vowing to kill him after taking the throne.
• Chu Tianyin left the dungeon determined to claim the throne so he could finally kill Chu Xuanzhi.
• Chu Xuanzhi freed himself from his shackles, sat where Chu Tianyin had been, and said he would soon take Chu Tianyin's eyes.
• Nan Jiaxi returned to Ruthis with a rabbit, cooked it, and persuaded him to eat some.
• A group of black-clad men burst into the ruined temple, and Nan Jiaxi stepped in front of Ruthis to protect him.

Ruthis survived an attack and resolved to continue his campaign against Great Chu. In the Imperial Study, Shen Yangge questioned Chu Xuanzhen's refusal to ascend the throne, then left the palace upset and determined to understand what Chu Xuanzhen was hiding.

• Nan Jiaxi shielded Ruthis as they fought off the men in black, and Ruthis's Western Regions allies arrived to rescue them.
• Ruthis learned that Commander Ake had fallen and the plan to attack the capital had failed, but he declared that the Western Regions would conquer Great Chu.
• Shen Yangge read Minister Liu's memorial urging Chu Xuanzhen to ascend the throne and asked why he had not read it.
• Chu Xuanzhen asked whether Shen Yangge wanted him to ascend, and Shen Yangge said it was the best opportunity before backing down and asking for leave.
• Shen Yangge returned to the Eastern Palace to retrieve a hidden box, believing Chu Xuanzhen was concealing his reasons for remaining silent about the throne.

Shen Yangge returned to the Shen Residence to reassure his family after leaving the palace, then sent a hairpin to Miss Su. Chu Xuanzhen secretly came to him that night, and Shen Yangge tearfully asked why he had taken so long.

• Shen Yangge walked from the palace to the Shen Residence, where Shen Mother welcomed him home and embraced him in tears.
• Shen Yangge learned that Shen Mother had taken in He Yimo and He Nuan, and explained that he had returned to protect his family from rumors about his identity.
• Shen Yangge sent a hairpin to the Su Residence, saying it came from an old acquaintance from Lingnan.
• Chu Xuanzhen entered Shen Yangge's room through the window and joined him in the bath.
• Shen Yangge woke in Chu Xuanzhen's arms, hugged him, and tearfully asked why he had taken so long.

Shen Yangge woke after spending the night with Chu Xuanzhen, but Shen Mother noticed the marks on his wrist and asked him to explain. Meanwhile, Chu Xuanzhen learned that the death soldiers pursuing the prince of the Western Regions had been wiped out, and Xue Pingyuan was summoned before news arrived that Xue Qian had fainted.

• Shen Yangge and Chu Xuanzhen shared a tender kiss after Chu Xuanzhen apologized for arriving too late.
• Shen Yangge woke sore and found Chu Xuanzhen had already left, then covered the marks on his neck and wrists before going to breakfast.
• Shen Mother spotted the marks on Shen Yangge's wrist and told him to speak with her after the meal.
• Chu Xuanzhen read a report that the death soldiers sent after the prince of the Western Regions had all been wiped out and summoned Xue Pingyuan.
• An eunuch reported that Xue Qian had fainted after waking with a headache, prompting Xue Pingyuan to demand an explanation.

Xue Pingyuan brought his injured brother to the Shen Residence, where Su Huaihuan was visiting Shen Yangge. After hearing that Shen Yangge had company there, Chu Xuanzhen set out to catch his supposed cheating spouse in the act.

• Xue Pingyuan asked Chu Xuanzhen where Shen Yangge was so he could bring Xue Qian to him, but learned Shen Yangge had taken leave and was away from the palace.
• Xue Pingyuan carried the unconscious Xue Qian to the Shen Residence and recognized a carriage from the Su Residence outside.
• After hearing that a visitor was at the Shen Residence, Chu Xuanzhen asked his eunuch what he would do if his wife were entangled with someone else, then left to catch Shen Yangge in the act.
• At the Shen Residence, Shen Mother chatted with Su Huaihuan while Shen Yangge sat aside, and Xue Pingyuan dropped off Xue Qian before fleeing.
• Shen Mother asked Su Huaihuan what she thought of Shen Yangge, making Shen Yangge spit out his tea.

Chu Xuanzhen arrived at the Shen Residence and grew jealous after seeing Su Huaihuan’s box and hearing her call it a token of love from her childhood sweetheart. The chapter ended with him asking Shen Yangge whether he had secretly pledged himself to someone else.

• Shen Yangge coughed as Shen Mother noticed red marks concealed around his neck.
• Chu Xuanzhen arrived at the Shen Residence, and Shen Yangge nervously tried to appease him with tea.
• Chu Xuanzhen noticed the box Su Huaihuan was holding and hinted that Shen Yangge was a romantic.
• Su Huaihuan explained that the box was a token of love from her childhood sweetheart.
• Chu Xuanzhen leaned close to Shen Yangge and asked if he had secretly pledged himself to someone else.

Shen Yangge clarified to Chu Xuanzhen and Su Huaihuan that he had no romantic attachment to Su and already loved someone. After Shen Mother and Su Huaihuan left, Shen Yangge declared his love directly to Chu Xuanzhen.

• Chu Xuanzhen’s jealous assumptions embarrassed Shen Yangge and Su Huaihuan, so Shen Yangge explained that Su had come to thank him for returning something belonging to the man she loved.
• Shen Yangge told everyone he already loved someone, prompting Shen Mother to ask who the woman was.
• Su Huaihuan told Shen Mother she would rather remain unmarried than wed someone she did not love, then left the hall.
• After Shen Mother and Su Huaihuan departed, Shen Yangge teased Chu Xuanzhen for being jealous, and they kissed.
• Shen Yangge told Chu Xuanzhen that the person he loved was the one before him.

Chu Xuanzhen carried Shen Yangge to his room, but Shen Yangge fought to keep him from closing the door by wedging himself across the doorway. As servants gossiped and Shen Mother came to visit, Shen Yangge remained stuck there while the maids rushed to help him.

• Chu Xuanzhen carried Shen Yangge back to his room, and Shen Yangge braced himself against the door to stop him.
• Servants gossiped about Chu Xuanzhen's closeness with Shen Yangge and his ties to General Xue while Su Shang listened from the shadows.
• Shen Yangge stretched across the doorway to resist Chu Xuanzhen, and Su Shang covered He Yimo's eyes before taking the crying boy aside.
• News of Shen Yangge's predicament reached Shen Mother, who sent two maids ahead to announce her visit.
• The maids found Shen Yangge still stuck in the doorway and called for help before he fell.

Shen Yangge balanced his love for Chu Xuanzhen with his wish to spare Shen Mother distress, reassuring her while refusing the marriage she proposed. After Shen Mother left, Shen Yangge thanked Chu Xuanzhen for understanding and the two shared a kiss.

• Chu Xuanzhen stopped the maids from approaching Shen Yangge, and Shen Yangge steadied himself as Shen Mother entered the courtyard.
• Shen Yangge helped Shen Mother aside and listened as she warned him against improper closeness with the Crown Prince and urged him to avoid political entanglements.
• Shen Yangge reassured Shen Mother that Chu Xuanzhen was a good man and asked her to see a physician, but she insisted she was well.
• Chu Xuanzhen stayed quiet while Shen Mother apologized to him, and Shen Yangge tried to keep the two comfortable.
• When Shen Mother raised the subject of marriage, Shen Yangge said he loved someone and would never take a wife, so she left to rest.
• Shen Yangge kissed Chu Xuanzhen and thanked him for not forcing Shen Mother to choose, and Chu Xuanzhen drew him into another kiss.

Shen Yangge discovered that his blood could ease Xue Qian’s Gu Poison and wondered whether this connected him to the Original Novel Heroine. Meanwhile, Chu Xuanzhi tried to persuade his torturer, Chu Tianyin, to join forces with him.

• Chu Xuanzhen visited Shen Yangge, who refused his advances because he was still sore, and shortened Shen Yangge’s leave so he would return to the palace the following afternoon.
• After Xue Qian visited, Shen Yangge suspected his blood had something to do with the disappearance of Chu Xuanzhen’s South Seas Curse-Head Sorcery symptoms.
• When Xue Qian suffered a sudden headache, Shen Yangge gave him a drop of his blood, which quickly eased his pain.
• Xue Qian thanked Shen Yangge and asked about his older brother, while Shen Yangge explained that Xue Qian had to remain in the Capital City because of his Gu Poison.
• Chu Xuanzhi endured another whipping from Chu Tianyin and proposed that they join forces against Chu Xuanzhen.
• Chu Tianyin rejected the proposal, and Chu Xuanzhi teased him about still holding a grudge over an old incident.

Chu Tianyin confronted Chu Xuanzhi in the cell, but learned little about the danger surrounding Chu Xuanzhen. Shen Yangge went to the palace to test whether his blood could help Xue Qian, only for the system to show a huge red exclamation mark.

• Chu Tianyin shoved Chu Xuanzhi away from an attempted kiss, then grew uneasy when Chu Xuanzhi lay motionless.
• Chu Xuanzhi tricked Chu Tianyin into falling, but Chu Tianyin overpowered him and demanded to know what he knew about Chu Xuanzhen.
• Chu Xuanzhi warned that they were out of time and that Chu Xuanzhen was too lucky to confront directly, but Chu Tianyin left to investigate.
• Shen Yangge went to the palace to confirm whether his blood could help Xue Qian with his gu poison.
• As Shen Yangge approached the Imperial Study to see Chu Xuanzhen, the system interface appeared with a huge red exclamation mark.

After Database punished Shen Yangge for failing to help Chu Xuanzhen ascend the throne, the punishment somehow transformed Chu Xuanzhen into a child. Shen Yangge hid the Crown Prince from visitors and picked him up, while Chu Xuanzhen silently considered biting him.

• System 615 punished Shen Yangge for fifteen days after accusing him of failing to complete his mission.
• Shen Yangge entered the Imperial Study and found Chu Xuanzhen transformed into a five- or six-year-old child.
• Chu Xuanzhen refused to see the Minister of Rites, and Shen Yangge sent the minister away by claiming the Crown Prince was unwell.
• Chu Xuanzhen ordered Shen Yangge to pick him up, and Shen Yangge lifted him while secretly stroking his back and neck.

After Chu Xuanzhen shrank into a child, Shen Yangge helped him hide his condition and summoned Su Shang, who was tasked with finding someone to impersonate the Crown Prince. Consort Xue arrived seeking an audience, and Shen Yangge went out to meet her while Chu Xuanzhen remained hidden in the Imperial Study.

• Shen Yangge reassured the shrunken Chu Xuanzhen, who told him to summon Su Shang and prepare clothes that would conceal his condition.
• Shen Yangge brought Su Shang into the Imperial Study, where Su Shang recoiled at Chu Xuanzhen's appearance and was ordered to receive twenty strokes and roll on nails before Chu Xuanzhen relented.
• Chu Xuanzhen ordered Su Shang to find someone to temporarily impersonate him, and Su Shang accepted the task and left.
• A guard announced that Consort Xue requested an audience, so Shen Yangge left the Imperial Study to meet her and keep Chu Xuanzhen hidden.

Shen Yangge kept Consort Xue from discovering that the shrunken Crown Prince was unwell and helped Chu Xuanzhen send a letter to Xue Pingyuan. That night, Shen Yangge secretly brought Chu Xuanzhen to the Eastern Palace and began preparing a bath for him.

• Shen Yangge greeted Consort Xue and insisted that Chu Xuanzhen had only caught a cold, so she left without questioning the Crown Prince further.
• Shen Yangge returned to the Imperial Study, where Chu Xuanzhen asked him to hold down paper as he wrote a letter for Xue Pingyuan.
• Chu Xuanzhen told Shen Yangge to deliver the sealed letter himself because Xue Pingyuan would doubt its authenticity if Su Shang carried it.
• Shen Yangge secretly brought Chu Xuanzhen back to the Eastern Palace after nightfall and pinched his cheek, drawing a stern look from the Crown Prince.
• Chu Xuanzhen ordered Shen Yangge to help him bathe, and Shen Yangge carried buckets of hot water behind a screen and poured them into the tub.

Shen Yangge helped the shrunken Chu Xuanzhen bathe, teasing him as he washed his hair and upper body. After Chu Xuanzhen insisted on washing himself, he fell into the tub while trying to put on his underpants.

• Shen Yangge finished preparing the bath and carried Chu Xuanzhen into the tub.
• Shen Yangge washed Chu Xuanzhen's hair and upper body, laughing when he accidentally dunked the back of Chu Xuanzhen's head.
• Chu Xuanzhen told Shen Yangge to leave so he could wash himself, and Shen Yangge waited outside the screen.
• Chu Xuanzhen called Shen Yangge back for his underpants and ordered him to turn around.
• Chu Xuanzhen fell into the water while trying to dress himself, and Shen Yangge turned back in alarm.

Shen Yangge discovered that someone had poisoned the Eastern Palace and that Chu Xuanzhen was suffering from South Seas Curse-Head Sorcery. He gave Chu Xuanzhen a medicinal catalyst, then endured its painful effects with him through the night.

• Shen Yangge rescued Chu Xuanzhen from the bath, noticed the incense making them dizzy, and extinguished it.
• Shen Yangge found bloodied soil in a porcelain container and recalled that a maid accompanying Consort Xue had dirt on her shoes.
• Shen Yangge discovered that Chu Xuanzhen had a high fever, and Chu Xuanzhen directed him to a hidden compartment containing a red pill.
• Chu Xuanzhen identified the pill as a medicinal catalyst that suppressed South Seas Curse-Head Sorcery, but Shen Yangge insisted on knowing its effects before giving it to him.
• Shen Yangge licked the pill and fed it to Chu Xuanzhen, then suffered intense waves of heat, cold, and pain while Chu Xuanzhen held him through the night.
• By dawn, Shen Yangge's agony had begun to subside, and Chu Xuanzhen remained beside him.

After Chu Xuanzhen woke in miniature form, Shen Yangge cared for him and tried to conceal his condition from Consort Xue and the Imperial Physician. Su Shang later reported what Consort Xue had learned and revealed that he had found a double, but an unexpected event disrupted their plan.

• Chu Xuanzhen woke beside Shen Yangge, who dismissed Consort Xue and dressed and cared for the shrunken Crown Prince.
• Shen Yangge discovered that he had mangled Chu Xuanzhen's letter and blamed the damage on Chu Xuanzhen's illness when questioned.
• Shen Yangge hid Chu Xuanzhen behind the bed curtains while the Old Imperial Physician examined him and prescribed medicine.
• Consort Xue questioned the Old Imperial Physician, and Su Shang listened before secretly returning to report what he had heard to Chu Xuanzhen.
• Su Shang told Chu Xuanzhen that he had found a double, but an unexpected turn of events followed.