Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Rumors spread through Great Chu’s capital that Consort Xue had repeatedly tried to visit the Crown Prince and been turned away. The gossip casts him as unfilial and suggests she may have been seeking a chance to harm him or pass information to his enemies.
• Fourth Prince Chu Tianyin privately reveals that Consort Xue is unknowingly acting as his puppet, and begins writing a secret letter.
• At the Northern States frontier, Ruthis returns with the sick, unconscious Nan Jiaxi. His officers report that local officials have been bribed with promises of high positions after a Western Regions conquest of Great Chu.
• Ruthis learns that Chu Tianyin’s faction and the Second Prince’s faction have united against the Crown Prince, working to undermine his standing with the public. A high-ranking official is also encouraging neutral princes to unite against him while secretly aiding the Western Regions.
• Nan Jiaxi wakes and recalls that, feverish and afraid of delaying Ruthis, he tried to slip away and die alone. Ruthis had caught and brought him back.

Character developments and interactions

• Chu Tianyin emerges as a calculating conspirator, manipulating Consort Xue without her knowledge to weaken the Crown Prince.
• Ruthis is portrayed as an ambitious strategist, yet his political coldness gives way to visible concern when Nan Jiaxi is uncomfortable or hurt. He gently carries the boy himself and rebukes a soldier for handling him roughly.
• Nan Jiaxi is devoted to Ruthis but believes that leaving him might be the selfless choice. His fear and grief surface when Ruthis brings him back, and he confesses through his actions how much he loves the prince.
• Ruthis’s soldiers admire him and speculate about Nan Jiaxi’s place in his life, revealing both their loyalty and their eagerness to please him.

Significant themes

• Political manipulation and rumor: gossip is weaponized to damage the Crown Prince’s reputation and destabilize the court.
• Ambition and foreign intervention: internal rivalries create an opening for Ruthis’s planned conquest.
• Devotion and care: Nan Jiaxi’s self-sacrifice contrasts with Ruthis’s insistence on protecting him.
• Public loyalty and power: Ruthis’s followers’ confidence in him fuels their sense that territorial expansion is both possible and imminent.

Key events

• After Nan Jiaxi is bitten by a snake, the army physician says the bite is likely not highly venomous. Ruthis orders the physician to oversee his treatment. When Ruthis tries to leave, Nan Jiaxi clutches his clothes and tearfully asks him to stay; Ruthis relents.
• Su Shang meets Liang Wenjin, a remarkably skilled disguiser whose face resembles Su Shang’s. Liang asks to be given Su Shang’s residence in payment for a job. Su Shang refuses but offers to seek him a home from the Crown Prince, and says he will investigate Liang’s background before deciding what work to assign him.
• In the palace, Shen Yangge bumps his already sore waist while listening to Su Shang’s report. Chu Xuanzhen notices, dismisses Su Shang, and insists on examining the injury despite Shen Yangge’s attempts to return to official business. He lifts Shen’s clothes, checks the bruising, and says he will fetch medicine from his bedchamber and apply it himself.

Character developments and interactions

• Nan Jiaxi is emotionally vulnerable but clings to Ruthis for reassurance. Ruthis, though initially reprimanding him, responds with tenderness and chooses to stay.
• Su Shang is cautious and protective of his property, matching Liang’s wariness with his own. Liang Wenjin comes across as alert, calculating, and casually audacious; his shifting appearance makes Su Shang suspect even his plain face is a disguise.
• Shen Yangge tries to minimize his injury and keep work moving, but internally resents Chu Xuanzhen’s forceful attention. Chu Xuanzhen, currently shrunken, remains commanding and stubborn; his insistence on caring for Shen reveals concern beneath his stern manner. Their exchange is intimate but comically awkward, as Shen worries about his clothes and about neglecting official duties.

Significant themes

• Care expressed through action: Ruthis stays with Nan Jiaxi, and Chu Xuanzhen personally tends to Shen Yangge.
• Duty versus personal concern: Shen Yangge tries to prioritize official business, while Chu Xuanzhen refuses to put it ahead of his injury.
• Trust and concealed identities: Su Shang’s meeting with Liang highlights the risks of deception and the need to investigate before trusting someone.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Yangge examines the painful, darkening injury at his waist and grows suspicious of a large rat that keeps appearing nearby at opportune moments.
• Chu Xuanzhen returns with medicine and treats Shen’s wound. Shen playfully ruffles his hair, earning a firmer application of ointment in response.
• While Chu questions Su Shang, Shen pretends to rest and listens in. Later, he searches the side hall for danger but finds only a rat hole.
• During a bath, the rat approaches and reveals itself through messages as System 615. Shen is startled but hides the encounter from Chu.
• System 615 explains that it was forced offline after its connection to Shen was severed. While investigating a suspected virus, it somehow ended up inside a rat’s body.
• The system believes it brought the virus back from the Main God Hall; the virus has since developed its own consciousness and taken over its former place.
• 615 says it has remembered details from its original contract: Shen was selected because he already had a slight connection to this world. It begins to explain more, but the chapter ends before the revelation is completed.

Character developments

• Shen Yangge becomes increasingly alert to the rat’s strange behavior, then shifts from suspicion to astonishment when it identifies itself as 615. He remains quick-witted, playful, and careful to conceal the conversation from Chu.
• Chu Xuanzhen continues to show concern through practical care, though his manner remains stern. His familiar dynamic with Shen includes both authority and teasing physical retaliation.
• System 615 is now vulnerable and physically embodied as a rat. Its confusion and distress contrast with the clarity it says it has gained after being forced offline.

Significant themes

• Identity and consciousness: The virus has developed a consciousness and may have replaced 615, raising questions about what defines a person or a system.
• Hidden connections and fate: Shen’s pre-existing link to the world may explain why he was chosen.
• Secrecy and trust: Shen keeps the system’s return private while continuing to observe Chu and the rat cautiously.
• Comic reversal: A supposedly powerful system reduced to a giant rat adds humor to the story’s supernatural and technological mystery.

Character interactions

• Shen and Chu exchange care and teasing: Chu treats Shen’s injury, while Shen tests their playful dynamic by ruffling Chu’s hair.
• Shen silently watches the rat and suspects it is more than an ordinary animal before learning its identity.
• Shen and 615 communicate mentally in private; 615 explains its situation and hints at a major revelation about Shen’s connection to the world.

Key plot points

• System 615, Shen Yangge’s original system, reveals it survived the virus system’s attempt to erase it. It believes Shen Yangge’s current world is real—not the novel he thought he had entered—and that the virus tampered with the story information he received.
• The virus system has limited access to System 615’s functions, explaining why it could not fully control Shen Yangge or reliably separate him from Chu Xuanzhen.
• Shen Yangge’s mission to die still stands, but System 615 may be able to preserve his soul if he fails. Shen Yangge realizes he might have another path: complete the virus’s elimination task and choose between returning home and staying with Chu Xuanzhen.
• Shen asks whether System 615 can change its rat body, thinking of a stray cat as a possible model. Before they can discuss it further, Chu Xuanzhen appears, and the system vanishes.

Character developments

• Shen Yangge moves from shock at the revelation to cautious excitement: staying with Chu Xuanzhen may no longer mean losing his soul. He also begins to reconsider his feelings, which now seem to outweigh his desire to return.
• System 615 is revealed as a surviving ally, angry at the virus and cut off from the Main God Hall, but willing to find a loophole to protect Shen Yangge.
• Shen Yangge’s assumptions about Chu Xuanzhen are shaken: if this is not the novel, the idealized version of Chu Xuanzhen—and the romances Shen imagined—may never have existed. He quickly reframes the discovery by wondering if he himself is Chu Xuanzhen’s great love.

Character interactions

• Shen Yangge treats the rat gently and questions System 615 closely, relying on it to explain the altered world and his options.
• Chu Xuanzhen catches Shen Yangge with the rat and asks what he was communicating. Shen denies it, while privately finding Chu Xuanzhen less frightening—and more appealing—than the system apparently does.

Significant themes

• Reality versus fiction: Shen Yangge must confront that the world and its people may be real, not characters following a book’s plot.
• Choice and survival: The possibility of preserving his soul opens a choice between returning home and remaining with Chu Xuanzhen.
• Uncertainty and desire: With the novel’s supposed future no longer reliable, Shen Yangge has to rethink what he wants and what his relationship with Chu Xuanzhen might mean.

Key plot points and events

• System 615, still inhabiting a giant rat, is terrified by Chu Xuanzhen’s sudden appearance and his chilling stare. Shen Yangge, unaware of the system’s panic, tries to brush off his own earlier remarks.
• Chu Xuanzhen asks Shen Yangge to crouch to his level, wipes his face, and carefully cleans the fingers that held a cloth. He then asks what books Shen usually reads. Shen answers with titles befitting the body’s reputation as a prodigy, relieved that Chu does not question him about his identity.
• Chu returns to his memorials while Shen watches the trapped system from across the room.
• Remembering Shen’s romantic-sounding phrases—“white moonlight, cinnabar mole, palm lines”—Chu writes them down and sends Su Shang to investigate them. Su Shang takes the cryptic assignment seriously, spends two days gathering information, and reports back while discreetly omitting the more dubious material.
• After Su Shang leaves, Chu happily repeats the phrases and wonders where Shen learned such “honeyed words,” then heads eagerly toward the bedchamber.
• Meanwhile, Shen has found a Little Orange Cat body for System 615. He brings the cat and the giant rat together and offers the system the chance to transfer into the new body. The chapter ends as the transfer begins, marked by a shift in the air and a cool sensation on Shen’s skin.

Character developments

• Chu Xuanzhen shows growing tenderness and fascination with Shen, mixing childlike affection with an increasingly deliberate interest in his words.
• Shen Yangge remains cautious about revealing that he is an impostor from another era, but is increasingly affected by Chu’s attention. He also takes responsibility for helping System 615 escape its rat body.
• System 615 remains frightened and vulnerable, but is given a possible way out through the cat body.
• Su Shang proves loyal and diligent, though his literal-mindedness leads him to misunderstand Chu’s romantic curiosity as a serious secret investigation.

Significant themes

• Affection and miscommunication: Chu interprets Shen’s phrases as meaningful romantic expressions, while Shen does not realize he has prompted an investigation.
• Secrecy and identity: Shen carefully conceals his otherworldly origins, fearing how disclosure might affect Chu’s view of him.
• Care and vulnerability: Chu’s intimate gesture of cleaning Shen’s hands contrasts with the danger and helplessness System 615 faces in its animal body.

Character interactions

• Chu’s close, gentle handling of Shen creates a charged moment that leaves Shen flustered.
• Shen and System 615 exchange silent, helpless looks while Chu works nearby.
• Chu delegates his curiosity to Su Shang, whose earnest investigation becomes comic because he does not understand the romantic subtext.
• Shen supports System 615 by arranging a potential transfer into the Little Orange Cat.

Plot points and events

• Shen Yangge watches System 615’s attempted transformation, unsure whether the huge rat or the orange kitten is the system.
• Chu Xuanzhen appears unexpectedly and pulls Shen Yangge out of the way as both animals leap toward him. He kicks the rat aside when it scurries toward his feet; it escapes into hiding.
• Shen Yangge holds the kitten and claims he found it in the side hall and took it in because it resembles a childhood pet. When Chu Xuanzhen questions why he is holding it, Shen remembers the Crown Prince’s intense dislike of touching animals.
• To avoid suspicion, System 615 pretends its front legs are injured. Shen backs up the story, insisting the kitten needs no physician and that he can treat it himself.
• Chu Xuanzhen remains unconvinced, while the frightened system keeps up its helpless-kitten act and begins crying in Shen’s arms.

Character developments

• Shen Yangge improvises a string of lies to protect System 615, even claiming expertise in animal care. Though anxious about how much Chu Xuanzhen heard, he tries to stay composed.
• System 615 is frightened of Chu Xuanzhen and schemes to conceal its identity by posing as a crippled kitten. Its panic—and tears—undermine the disguise.
• Chu Xuanzhen appears cold and suspicious, particularly toward the kitten. His reaction also hints at jealousy or possessiveness when Shen Yangge holds another creature, though Shen recognizes this may be his own imagining.

Themes

• Deception and improvisation: Shen Yangge and the system build a fragile cover story on the spot.
• Fear and power: Chu Xuanzhen’s presence is intimidating enough to make the system panic.
• Affection and possessiveness: The scene humorously suggests Chu Xuanzhen resents Shen Yangge’s attention going to the kitten.
• Comedy through contrast: Shen’s cool-sounding explanations clash with the system’s terror and the absurdity of its fake injury.

Character interactions

• Shen Yangge protects the kitten from Chu Xuanzhen’s scrutiny, while Chu Xuanzhen questions its origins and supposed injury.
• System 615 communicates its fears and plan to Shen through its thoughts and behavior; Shen silently follows along with the lie.
• Chu Xuanzhen’s icy attention keeps both of them on edge, while the escaped rat avoids him entirely.

Key events

• Chu Xuanzhen demands to inspect the ginger cat, but Shen Yangge keeps System 615’s presence concealed and eventually hands the cat to a palace maid.
• Shen Yangge discovers that the apparently recovered Chu Xuanzhen is actually Liang Jinwen, a highly skilled impersonator hired to stand in for the Crown Prince. He nearly tests Liang by touching his hand, but the real Chu Xuanzhen interrupts.
• Chu Xuanzhen criticizes Liang for standing too close to Shen Yangge, then takes Shen’s hand himself. Liang admits he could not fully reproduce the Crown Prince’s natural authority. Chu Xuanzhen gives him a ten-day assignment rather than dismissing him.
• Liang meets with the officials over the following days without arousing suspicion, while Consort Xue remains secluded and apparently ill after attacking Chu Xuanzhen.
• On the final day, the ministers petition Chu Xuanzhen to take the throne. The unexpected demand leaves Shen Yangge startled, and he wonders whether the moment to choose a path has arrived.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Yangge remains protective of System 615 and increasingly playful with Chu Xuanzhen, though he is careful not to reveal how much he suspects or thinks about the Crown Prince.
• Chu Xuanzhen displays possessiveness and jealousy when Shen Yangge reaches toward Liang, while keeping his feelings outwardly controlled.
• Liang Jinwen proves convincing as the Crown Prince but recognizes the limits of his imitation. He accepts the ten-day role and develops a wary, respectful awareness of Chu Xuanzhen’s distinct presence.
• Shen and Chu continue their teasing, tense closeness: Chu watches Shen closely, and Shen privately interprets Chu’s reactions as jealousy.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus identity: Liang can copy Chu Xuanzhen’s looks and mannerisms, but not his innate authority.
• Secrecy and performance: Shen conceals System 615, while Liang sustains a public impersonation.
• Jealousy and attachment: Chu’s interruption and possessive gestures reveal feelings he does not openly acknowledge.
• Power and choice: The ministers’ call for Chu to become emperor turns the chapter toward a consequential political decision.

Key events

• Shen Yangge, once eager to leave this world, now dreads abandoning Chu Xuanzhen and the mother who would mourn him. But System 615 warns that he will die if he stays.
• He remembers that killing the other “bug” might give him another way out. With the system still able to locate targets and one transformation left, he plans to assassinate the Western Regions prince, then deal with the Second Prince, Chu Xuanzhi.
• Determined to keep Chu Xuanzhen from stopping him or worrying, Shen Yangge secretly plans to leave for the Shen Residence and then slip out of the city.
• He asks Chu Xuanzhen for leave. After Shen Yangge falls silent rather than explain himself, Chu Xuanzhen gives in, though he limits the absence to four days.
• Chu Xuanzhen unexpectedly returns to his adult form. Shen Yangge embraces and kisses him, resolving that he must survive and come back.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Yangge shifts from wanting to escape the world to fighting for a future with Chu Xuanzhen. He hides the danger from his lover out of care, while accepting the risk of acting alone.
• Chu Xuanzhen is reluctant to let Shen Yangge go and admits he cannot sleep without him. Despite his guarded manner, he responds to Shen Yangge’s affection and welcomes his embrace.
• System 615 warns Shen Yangge that telling Chu Xuanzhen could lead to him being confined, and helps identify a possible path forward.
• Their exchange blends teasing, stubborn silence, and tenderness: Shen Yangge coaxes for permission, while Chu Xuanzhen questions his motives and then offers closeness when he changes back.

Significant themes

• Love and separation: Shen Yangge’s attachment to Chu Xuanzhen outweighs his earlier wish to leave.
• Protective secrecy: He conceals his mission to spare Chu Xuanzhen fear and preserve his hope if Shen Yangge fails.
• Choice against fate: Though he feels powerless before the force threatening his life, Shen Yangge chooses to pursue a dangerous chance to survive.
• Hope and determination: His embrace turns his fear into a firm resolve to return and share Chu Xuanzhen’s future.

Plot points and events

• Chu Xuanzhen overwhelms Shen Yangge with kisses and intimacy despite Shen’s attempts to slow him down. Shen is exhausted by the end of the night.
• The next morning, Shen wakes sore and finds lingering marks on his hands. He curses Chu Xuanzhen but acknowledges that he has kept his promise to let him return to the Shen Residence.
• Chu Xuanzhen orders servants to carry Shen out of the palace in a palanquin. Shen accepts when told refusing could cost the servants their lives, then rides on in discomfort.
• System 615 climbs onto Shen, but Shen—too sore to tolerate it—warns the cat off. The ministers who see Shen’s palanquin speculate that he is especially favored by the prince.
• Chu Xuanzhen has a carriage prepared with cushions for Shen. Touched by the consideration despite his resentment, Shen grows drowsy on the ride home.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Yangge is physically exhausted and irritated with Chu Xuanzhen, yet recognizes his care and complies with his orders. His private thoughts mock Chu as an authoritarian ruler-in-waiting.
• Chu Xuanzhen displays possessiveness and forcefulness, but also attends to Shen’s comfort afterward by arranging transport and cushions.
• System 615 tries to show affection, but retreats when Shen rebuffs it.
• The palace servants obey Chu’s orders and plead with Shen to cooperate. Ministers interpret Shen’s privileged treatment as evidence of his closeness to the prince.

Significant themes

• The chapter contrasts power and intimacy: Chu’s authority shapes both Shen’s private experience and his public treatment.
• Favor and reputation are central: Chu’s special attention to Shen fuels court speculation and envy.
• Care mixed with control complicates Shen’s feelings, as he appreciates Chu’s thoughtfulness while resenting his behavior.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Yangge returns to the Shen Residence exhausted and visibly unwell. He lets his mother believe he was caned by His Highness rather than reveal the real cause.
• He plans to stay only one night before leaving again. At dinner, he avoids his mother’s questions by claiming he needs to rest.
• His younger sister privately asks whether he and His Highness are romantically involved. Shen Yangge confirms it. She worries their mother may struggle to accept the relationship, but promises to keep it secret and asks him not to tell their mother yet.
• Shen Yangge warns his sister to protect their mother from anyone who might expose the matter.
• He briefly sees He Yimo and little He Nuan, warmly greeting the girl but admitting through his weakness that he cannot hold her for long.
• After finally getting some sleep, Shen Yangge wakes before dawn and prepares to leave. He discovers that Chu Xuanzhen has stationed people to watch him, making a direct escape risky.
• He decides to use a disguise or other trick to draw the watchers away. The chapter ends with him telling a startled servant to take off his clothes; the servant misunderstands the request and panics.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Yangge is protective and secretive: he hides his condition and relationship from his mother, while trusting his sister with the truth. Despite his exhaustion, he is determined to leave without alerting Chu Xuanzhen.
• Shen Mother shows deep concern for her son and restrains her curiosity when he appears unwell.
• Shen Yangge’s younger sister is embarrassed but supportive. She worries about their mother’s reaction and agrees to keep the relationship confidential.
• He Yimo remains dutiful and mature, minding his younger sister and offering to fetch a physician for Shen Yangge.
• He Nuan is affectionate and delighted to see Shen Yangge, though she is startled when her brother scolds her.

Significant themes

• Family affection and protection: Shen Yangge and his sister try to shield their mother from distress, while their mother’s care for him is evident.
• Secrecy and acceptance: Shen Yangge’s relationship with His Highness must remain hidden for now, reflecting the family’s uncertainty about how it will be received.
• Duty versus personal choice: Shen Yangge’s urgent plan to leave conflicts with the family time he has just resumed.
• Humor amid tension: The servant’s alarmed misunderstanding provides a comic ending to an otherwise uneasy escape setup.

Plot points and events

• Shen Yangge disguises his escape by ordering a frightened servant to change into a bedbound decoy. He makes clear that he has no sexual interest in the man, instructs him to face away from the door, and leaves a letter explaining the arrangement so the servant will not be blamed.
• Worried that Chu Xuanzhen would notice another man in his bed, Shen Yangge has the servant replace all the bedding before lying down.
• Shen puts on the servant’s robe and copies his appearance. With System 615’s temporary disguise ability, he slips past the guard outside his room while leaving the door ajar so the guard can see the decoy.
• Shen and the cat leave the Shen residence by separate routes, reunite outside, and head for the city gates. At dawn, Shen joins a departing merchant caravan and gets out of the capital.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen is anxious and cautious, carefully anticipating how his escape might be discovered—especially by the jealous Chu Xuanzhen. Despite the urgency, he reassures the servant and takes steps to protect him from punishment.
• The servant begins terrified and assumes Shen intends to exploit him, then becomes flustered by Shen’s beauty. He ultimately follows the instructions without asking many questions.
• Shen and System 615 work smoothly as a team: the system provides the disguise and escape route, while they split up and reunite as planned.
• Chu Xuanzhen does not appear, but his jealousy shapes Shen’s decisions throughout the escape.

Significant themes

• Disguise and deception: Shen relies on a decoy, borrowed clothes, and a temporary magical disguise to evade detection.
• Trust and vulnerability: The servant must trust Shen’s assurances, while Shen entrusts System 615 with crucial parts of the plan.
• Care amid danger: Even while escaping, Shen makes an effort to spare the servant from blame and avoid provoking Chu Xuanzhen.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Yangge slips out of the capital with System 615, now disguised as a black cat with an orange tail. His “existence rationalization” ability makes people accept him as part of whatever group he joins—and makes his departure seem unremarkable.
• A hired carriage takes him beyond the capital’s boundary. Shen Yangge pays the driver and switches to horseback to avoid being traced, following a route recommended by System 615.
• He evades major roads and patrols, but reaches one northern town just as soldiers begin locking down its gates. He rides out in time to avoid being trapped.
• At the docks, Shen Yangge disguises himself as a mud-covered beggar. When soldiers begin checking people against a portrait, he notices the leader recognize him and slips away by pretending he must return to his spouse.
• The soldier behind him takes his place in line, buying Shen Yangge a moment. The search leader then realizes the mistake and orders the patrols after him. Surrounded from both directions, Shen Yangge is trapped with no easy escape.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Yangge is resourceful and increasingly experienced at evading the imperial family, though his pampered body struggles with days of rough travel. He remains wary of Chu Xuanzhen’s pursuit and adapts quickly when his disguise is at risk.
• System 615 proves much more useful now that it has real authority: its ability smooths Shen Yangge’s departure, and its route advice helps him avoid danger. Its cat form, however, is physically vulnerable.
• Chu Xuanzhen never appears, but his response to Shen Yangge’s disappearance is swift and intense, prompting searches and tightened security.
• Shen Yangge’s interactions with the driver and the queue are shaped by the system’s influence and his improvisation. The driver briefly forgets transporting him, while a stranger unwittingly helps him escape detection.

Significant themes

• Freedom versus control: Shen Yangge’s attempted escape is repeatedly threatened by surveillance and official force.
• Adaptability and deception: Disguises, route changes, and quick excuses keep him ahead—until the authorities recognize him.
• The power and cost of supernatural assistance: System 615’s ability makes escape possible, but cannot guarantee safety once Shen Yangge is directly identified.

Key plot points and events

• A panicked crowd disrupts the orderly lines. When a woman’s baby is knocked from her arms, Shen Yangge catches the child and returns it safely.
• Pursuers close in, so Shen jumps into the water rather than be captured. A middle-aged official stops the soldiers from following, warning that Shen’s safety is important, then sends a report by carrier pigeon.
• Shen swims toward a departing ship and uses System 615’s special privilege to appear on deck when his strength is failing.
• The ship’s guards question him. Shen says someone is trying to take him back, and they guess—incorrectly—that he has fled an arranged marriage. The passengers become engrossed in the gossip.
• A lump beneath Shen’s wet clothes makes the crowd wonder whether he is a woman. The orange cat, System 615, then wriggles out of his clothes, ending the confusion and prompting an awkward retreat by the guards.
• Shen changes into dry clothes at considerable expense. System 615 reports that they are close to the target character’s location. The chapter then shifts to a few days earlier, introducing Shen Mother in the capital with a letter.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen shows compassion by rescuing the baby, then resourcefulness and resolve by escaping into the water and using the system’s ability to reach the ship.
• The official’s fierce concern for Shen reveals that Shen’s identity or safety carries unusual importance, though the reason is not yet explained.
• The ship’s guards initially suspect Shen but ultimately let him be, apparently because of their strained relationship with the people on the opposite bank. Their mistaken marriage theory and embarrassment add comic relief.
• Passengers quickly shift from homesickness to curiosity, while a young woman reacts intensely to Shen before System 615’s appearance exposes the misunderstanding.
• Shen and System 615 remain closely coordinated: the system helps him escape and then guides him toward the target.

Significant themes

• Compassion amid danger: Shen risks his escape to save a child.
• Survival and ingenuity: He adapts quickly, using the river, the departing ship, and the system’s special ability to evade capture.
• Secrecy and uncertain identity: The official’s warning and the shipboard misunderstandings suggest that Shen’s circumstances are more complicated than he reveals.
• Humor and human curiosity: The crowd’s eagerness for gossip provides a comic contrast to Shen’s dangerous flight.

Plot points and events

• Shen Mother learns from Shen Yangge’s letter that he has gone alone to the Northern States. She is distressed, but forgives Zhou Dashi, the servant who had impersonated him at Yangge’s request.
• Zhou Dashi is seized immediately after leaving and held for several days. He is eventually brought before Crown Prince Chu Xuanzhen, where he explains the impersonation. Though terrified of the prince, he is released and returns to the Shen Residence shaken but oddly grateful to be back among ordinary people.
• Chu Xuanzhen receives a message revealing that Shen Zhuanxie jumped into the sea. He orders his Death Soldiers to stop pursuing or trying to capture him, threatening death to anyone who disobeys.
• Alone afterward, Chu Xuanzhen smashes objects in his study and cuts his hand. He struggles between rage and regained composure, furious that Shen Zhuanxie left without explanation and that others apparently forced him into the sea.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Mother shows deep concern for Yangge but follows his request to forgive Zhou Dashi.
• Zhou Dashi shifts from fear and regret to relief after surviving his audience with the Crown Prince; he is released without punishment.
• Chu Xuanzhen is shown as dangerous and volatile, yet capable of abruptly restraining himself. His reaction to the news exposes intense, possessive concern for Shen Zhuanxie.
• Chu Xuanzhen and his subordinates interact through an absolute order: the search must end, and no one may attempt to seize Shen Zhuanxie.

Significant themes

• Power and fear: Even innocent people like Zhou Dashi tremble before the Crown Prince, while palace staff survive by avoiding notice.
• Control versus concern: Chu Xuanzhen’s command to stop the pursuit may protect Shen Zhuanxie, but his furious response reveals how strongly he wants to control or understand him.
• Hidden suffering and unexplained departures: Shen Zhuanxie’s unexplained journey—and the revelation that he jumped into the sea—raises questions about what happened and why he left.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• Chu Xuanzhen’s illness flares up severely, turning his eyes pitch-black and making it difficult for him to control his actions. He considers taking a red pill but fears risking his health—and losing the chance that “Little Liar” might return.
• Overwhelmed, he scatters and tramples the ministers’ memorials urging him to take the throne, then pours ink over them. His eerily slight smile makes the watching eunuch fear that the Crown Prince has become a tyrannical, almost supernatural figure.
• That evening, while servants clean the room, Chu Xuanzhen silently appears and frightens them into kneeling. He asks the eunuch whether he would remain at his side in exchange for wealth and status.
• The eunuch vows loyalty, understanding that the offer is also a dangerous test. Chu Xuanzhen leaves him with the warning, “Remember what you said.”

Character developments

• Chu Xuanzhen is shown struggling against a worsening illness and a loss of self-control. His attachment to Little Liar influences his decision not to take a potentially risky pill. His destruction of the memorials and his ominous presence reveal how frightening and powerful he can be.
• The eunuch is cautious and politically shrewd. Although terrified, he recognizes the chance to advance and gives the answer Chu Xuanzhen expects. He also realizes that being near the Crown Prince is far more dangerous than he had assumed.

Significant themes

• Power and tyranny: The ruined memorials symbolize Chu Xuanzhen’s contempt for attempts to restrain or pressure him.
• Fear and control: Chu Xuanzhen struggles to control his body, while everyone around him carefully controls their words and movements to avoid provoking him.
• Loyalty as a bargain: The eunuch’s pledge is driven by ambition and survival as much as devotion.
• The abyss within: The chapter contrasts the eunuch, who stands at the edge of danger, with Chu Xuanzhen, who embodies that danger.

Character interactions

• The eunuch watches Chu Xuanzhen destroy the memorials, then hides his fear and obeys him.
• Chu Xuanzhen tests the eunuch with an offer of wealth and a place at his side; the eunuch responds with a vow of lifelong loyalty.
• The servants’ silent fear reinforces the distance between Chu Xuanzhen and those under his authority.

Plot points and events

• A young eunuch, Little Table, voices regret about leaving his former master and serving the frightening prince. The senior eunuch immediately strikes and repudiates him, insisting that everyone who entered the prince’s service now belongs to him alone. Little Table is dragged away and sentenced to fifty strokes; the others are warned not to visit him. The senior eunuch privately vows to act as the prince’s ruthless enforcer and help him bring prosperity to Great Chu.
• Shen Yangge, exhausted and hungry after swimming to a ship, is harassed by several thugs who mistake his appearance for weakness. When they threaten his cat, System 615, Shen punches one of them; the cat attacks another. Shen then uses a temporary system-granted strength boost to defeat the entire group and warns them not to harass anyone again.
• As the ship reaches shore, Shen sees a crowd and officials conducting inspections. He worries they may be looking for him, though he reasons that news of his jump into the sea could not have reached them so quickly.

Character developments and interactions

• The senior eunuch demonstrates fierce loyalty to the prince, enforcing absolute obedience even at the cost of punishing his own godson. His private vow reveals his ambition to serve as the prince’s instrument.
• Little Table is frightened and remorseful after his careless remark, but his punishment shows the dangers of divided loyalty in the prince’s household.
• Shen Yangge proves resourceful and formidable despite his weak natural body, using a limited power boost to protect himself and his cat. His warning to the defeated thugs also suggests concern for others aboard the ship.
• System 615 shifts from lounging indifferently to defending Shen, showing its attachment and willingness to fight alongside him.
• The thugs’ predatory assumptions about Shen are overturned when he and the cat swiftly overpower them; nearby passengers take note and decide not to provoke him.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and belonging: The senior eunuch treats service to the prince as total allegiance, with betrayal punished harshly.
• Appearance versus reality: Shen’s delicate looks conceal both his resolve and temporary enhanced strength.
• Power and vulnerability: Characters act under dangerous limits—Little Table faces brutal authority, while Shen must make the most of a short-lived advantage.
• Protection and ambition: The senior eunuch’s devotion is both personal loyalty and a commitment to advancing the prince’s rule.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Yangge realizes he was stabbed during his earlier fight, but tries to avoid drawing attention while passing a soldiers’ inspection. Rumors reveal the search is likely for a husband for Yu Lianxi, the city lord’s daughter—not for a criminal.
• To avoid being recognized, Shen lets down his hair, hides System 615 inside his clothes, and adopts a frail, sickly appearance. The soldiers let him pass, but the men he beat accuse him of being an escaped “pet.” The soldiers instead arrest the thugs, mistaking Shen for a sickly young woman.
• Shen slips away, rents an inn room, and settles in to eat. Two masked attackers burst in and fight him, insisting they have the right person because the second young master described his face.
• Shen wonders whether Chu Xuanzhi is behind the attack, but dismisses the possibility because Chu is blind. Using the last moments of a system-granted combat advantage, Shen knocks the attackers unconscious and has the frightened waiter fetch rope. He binds both men.

Character developments

• Shen Yangge remains resourceful and cautious, using disguise and quick thinking to evade attention. Once attacked, he reveals considerable fighting ability and a more intimidating, confident side.
• System 615 stays close to Shen and offers a practical explanation for the waiter’s fear.
• The waiter is so unnerved by Shen—and the unconscious attackers—that he avoids entering the room.
• Chu Xuanzhi appears only in Shen’s thoughts; Shen briefly considers him as the person behind the attack, then rules him out.

Significant themes

• Disguise and mistaken identity: Shen’s appearance causes people to misread his gender, health, and intentions.
• Vulnerability versus strength: Though injured and pretending to be frail, Shen can defend himself effectively.
• Power and coercion: The thugs’ claim that Shen is an escaped “pet” hints at the abuse and control he has faced.
• Suspicion and uncertainty: The attack raises questions about who is pursuing Shen and what the “second young master” wants.

Character interactions

• Shen uses silence and disguise to avoid the soldiers, while the injured thugs draw the authorities’ attention to themselves and are arrested.
• During the inn attack, Shen fights the masked men, who recognize him from someone else’s description but do not explain their mission.
• Shen orders the waiter to bring rope; the waiter obeys from a distance, while System 615 comments on his fear.

Plot points and events

• At the inn, Shen Yangge captures two assassins and ties them up. While eating in front of them, he asks who sent them and why they targeted him, but they refuse to answer.
• Rather than keep them prisoner, Shen carries them to the government office and leaves them bound and unmasked outside its entrance, intending for officials to find them.
• Guided by System 615, Shen sneaks into a walled compound at night to pursue his plan to kill Ruthis. He accidentally lands in a pond, hides from a passing patrol, and waits for his target to approach.
• In the capital, the old emperor dies. Chu Xuanzhen visits him shortly beforehand and, feeling little satisfaction despite the long-awaited moment, whispers that “she” will soon join him. After the emperor dies, Chu’s eunuch quietly manages the servants and prepares the body. The excerpt ends as Chu is asked whether the emperor’s open eyes should be closed.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Yangge is resourceful, playful, and ruthless in handling the assassins, using food and threats to unsettle them. He treats their capture as an obstacle to clear before pursuing Ruthis.
• System 615 guides Shen to the target but nearly lets him jump into the pond; their bickering highlights their comic, familiar rapport. Shen also keeps the system’s cat form quiet while they sneak around.
• The assassins remain defiant and silent, though Shen’s meal tests their composure.
• Chu Xuanzhen appears emotionally numb and meticulous. His chilling remark suggests another death is planned, while his cold authority leaves the palace staff terrified and silent.
• The eunuch carefully shields Chu from scrutiny and attends to the emperor’s body, while still deferring to Chu’s wishes.

Significant themes

• Power and fear: Shen intimidates captives, while Chu’s authority silences the palace.
• Emotional emptiness after revenge: Chu’s lack of satisfaction complicates his apparent triumph.
• Dark comedy amid danger: Shen’s absurdly casual treatment of the assassins and his accidental pond landing contrast with the chapter’s violence and death.
• Death and foreshadowing: The emperor’s passing marks a major political shift, and Chu’s warning that someone else will soon die signals further danger.

Key plot points

• The old emperor dies, and the Empress arrives in a frenzy of grief. She accuses Chu Xuanzhen, the Eighth Prince, and the other princes of causing the death, then faints after the eunuch silences her. The eunuch announces that the Noble Consort will oversee the funeral.
• The Eighth Prince arrives and feels little grief for the emperor, whom he regarded as cruel and nearly a stranger. He believes the emperor died with unresolved regret.
• In private, the Eighth Prince finds Chu Xuanzhen dressed in Crown Prince robes rather than mourning clothes. He warns him about propriety but recognizes that Chu’s history with the emperor makes conventional mourning an unreasonable expectation.
• The Eighth Prince asks after Shen Yangge, whose absence makes him suspect that the pair may have fallen out.
• Chu Xuanzhen orders the Eighth Prince to return to the Northern States. The prince protests, remembering how dangerous his previous journey was, but the order is enforced. The other princes are also sent away—on the day of the emperor’s burial.

Character developments and interactions

• Chu Xuanzhen remains cold and politically decisive amid the emperor’s death. His lack of mourning reflects deep estrangement, while his choice to send the princes away suggests he is securing control and removing potential complications.
• The Eighth Prince is wary of Chu but speaks candidly with him in private. He is uneasy about the funeral’s impropriety, curious about Shen Yangge’s absence, and frightened of being sent north again.
• The Empress moves from grief to furious accusation, revealing a personal sense of betrayal and resentment toward the emperor as well as hostility toward Chu.
• The eunuch manages the Empress and funeral proceedings, using tactful words to conceal a sarcastic edge and prevent her from speaking further.
• The exchange between Chu and the Eighth Prince mixes their familiar closeness with a sharp imbalance of power: the prince can protest, but Chu’s decree leaves him no choice.

Significant themes

• Estrangement and betrayal: The emperor’s relationships with the Empress, Chu, and the Eighth Prince are marked by broken trust and painful histories.
• Power over ritual: Mourning customs and funeral arrangements become tools of political authority rather than expressions of genuine affection.
• Forced separation and uncertainty: Shen Yangge’s unexplained absence and the princes’ sudden exile leave relationships and motives unresolved.

Plot points and events

• After the old emperor dies, ministers urge Crown Prince Chu Xuanzhen to take the throne. He repeatedly refuses, despite the Grand Tutor warning that further delay could destabilize the court.
• Chu Xuanzhen postpones the enthronement yet again, sending the ministers into disarray; several elderly officials faint.
• Elsewhere, Shen Yangge watches Ruthis fight a group of armed attackers, hoping to learn what Ruthis can do. Ruthis easily overwhelms them with strength and a strangely glowing sword.
• Shen Yangge and System 615 consider indirectly causing Ruthis’s death to complete their mission. Their attempt to use system privileges triggers a contract violation: 615 is struck by a backlash, and Shen is assigned a 15-day mermaid transformation that will leave him unable to change forms.

Character developments

• Chu Xuanzhen remains composed and decisive, but his repeated refusal to ascend the throne suggests an undisclosed reason for resisting power.
• The Grand Tutor becomes increasingly anxious and emotionally invested, pleading with Chu Xuanzhen as both his trusted student and the ruler he believes the country needs.
• Shen Yangge shows a pragmatic, opportunistic streak, but his plan backfires and leaves him facing a dangerous punishment.
• System 615 is eager to escape its predicament by killing Ruthis, yet grows suspicious that the supposed “second option” may be another trap.
• Ruthis demonstrates formidable, possibly nonhuman abilities.

Significant themes

• Duty versus reluctance: Chu Xuanzhen’s hesitation conflicts with the ministers’ belief that he must take the throne.
• Manipulation and uncertainty: Shen and 615 cannot tell whether the system’s offer is genuine or deceptive.
• Consequences of rule-breaking: Their attempt to exploit the system results in a severe punishment.
• Power and hidden identity: Ruthis’s extraordinary combat ability raises questions about what he is.

Character interactions

• The Grand Tutor presses Chu Xuanzhen to accept the throne; Chu calmly dismisses the appeal by postponing the ceremony.
• Shen Yangge silently observes Ruthis battling the attackers, then consults System 615 about using them to achieve his goal.
• Shen’s partnership with 615 turns tense when their plan violates their contract and the system’s backlash punishes him.