Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• The Southeast Heir Apparent’s Consort tries to avoid confessing to her affair with the Prince of the Southeast by pretending to faint. A supernatural Light Screen exposes their repeated sexual encounters, while Jian Ruonan’s commentary makes the evidence unmistakable.
• The Consort gives up and admits that the child she is carrying is the Prince’s, not her husband’s. Top Graduate Hou sends for the Southeast Heir.
• Meanwhile, the Southeast Heir, the Southwest Heir, and disguised assassin Zi Azha discuss their plot to assassinate Emperor Deyuan. They are counting on Gao Shou to neutralize Jian Ruonan, but Gao Shou has not returned from a contest with Northern Kingdom warriors.
• The Southeast Heir leaves the planning meeting when told his pregnant consort urgently needs him. In the Side Hall, he mistakes her tears and hesitation for signs that she has lost the baby. He angrily demands to know who harmed the child and threatens to exterminate the culprit’s entire clan.

Character developments

• The Consort moves from denial and attempted evasion to reluctant confession after the Light Screen destroys her hope of hiding the affair.
• The Southeast Heir appears devoted and protective toward his pregnant consort, but his certainty that the child is his makes his reaction to the supposed loss both emotional and explosive.
• Zi Azha and the Southwest Heir remain focused on their conspiracy and display confidence in Gao Shou’s abilities, despite his unexplained absence.
• Jian Ruonan is presented as the key obstacle to the conspirators’ plans—and as a force whose supernatural exposure of secrets makes concealment futile.

Significant themes

• Truth and public exposure: The Light Screen turns private betrayal into undeniable spectacle.
• Appearance versus reality: The Consort’s fake fainting and the Heir’s mistaken belief that the baby is gone both show how easily appearances mislead.
• Betrayal and misplaced trust: The Heir’s sincere concern for his consort contrasts with her affair and the false paternity of her child.
• Political danger: The personal scandal unfolds alongside a conspiracy against the emperor, linking domestic drama to the larger struggle for power.

Character interactions

• Jian Ruonan’s commentary and the Light Screen expose the Consort before the assembled witnesses, prompting her confession.
• Zi Azha and the Southwest Heir reassure one another about Gao Shou while the Southeast Heir worries over his consort and departs.
• On arriving, the Southeast Heir embraces his crying consort and challenges the Empress, who clarifies that no one forced her to kneel.
• The Heir then misreads the Consort’s inability to speak as evidence of a miscarriage and threatens retribution—unaware that the scandal concerns the child’s father.

Key plot points and events

• During the Longevity Celebration, Jian Ruonan prevents the Prince of the Southeast’s heir from attacking her by apparently saving him with “talk therapy.” She first calms him by saying his pregnant consort carries a legitimate son, then bluntly reveals the child is actually his father’s—making the heir’s son also his younger brother. The consort and the officials’ wives confirm it.
• Gao Shou is found strapped to a spinning wheel in the Hall of Martial Valor. Before the Southwest heir and Zi Azha can free him, Golden Guards surround them. The Southeast heir is arrested as well, completing the roundup of the three feudal princes’ heirs.
• Jian Ruonan’s next goal is to manifest and punish Black Tortoise. Her system says this requires an enemy’s heartfelt blessing. She suspects Madam Wu may provide one, since Wu is both an enemy and a sensible businesswoman whose life Jian’s words may have changed.
• Madam Wu returns to the Southeast, consults a physician, and spends seven days resting—something she previously would not have dared do. Watching her household during that time confirms that her relatives exploit and belittle her, her children barely visit, and her maid Yanque has betrayed her by becoming pregnant by her husband.
• Feeling isolated and distrustful of everyone except her childhood nursemaid, Madam Wu wishes Jian Ruonan were there. A visitor’s card arrives from her younger female cousin, lifting her spirits; Jian Ruonan is on her way in disguise.

Character development

• Jian Ruonan remains irreverent and theatrically ruthless, using reassurance to revive the Southeast heir before delivering devastating news. She shifts her attention from the celebration’s arrests to her plan to draw Black Tortoise into physical form.
• The Southeast heir moves from murderous anger to relief, then shock and humiliation when he learns the truth about his consort’s pregnancy. He is ultimately arrested.
• Madam Wu begins to reclaim agency: she follows medical advice, observes her family rather than automatically serving them, and recognizes how thoroughly she has been mistreated. Her trust narrows to her longtime nursemaid.
• Gao Shou is shown in a helpless, badly exhausted state, while the Southwest heir and Zi Azha are unable to rescue him.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and exploitation: Madam Wu’s family and trusted maid take advantage of her wealth and labor.
• Self-recognition and agency: Rest gives Madam Wu the chance to see her circumstances clearly and begin questioning the life she accepted.
• Justice and retribution: The heirs are swept up in arrests, while Jian Ruonan continues pursuing a way to confront Black Tortoise.
• Comedy through bluntness: Jian Ruonan’s “talk therapy” and unrestrained revelations turn a life-threatening scene into dark farce.

Character interactions

• Jian Ruonan manipulates the Southeast heir’s emotions by first soothing his fears, then exposing the paternity scandal; the consort and officials’ wives corroborate her claim.
• Golden Guards prevent the Southwest heir and Zi Azha from rescuing Gao Shou and arrest the gathered heirs.
• Madam Wu’s observations reveal cold, transactional relationships with her mother-in-law, husband, in-laws, children, and maid. Her wish for Jian Ruonan—and the cousin’s arrival—sets up their likely reunion.

Key plot points and events

• General Jian Ruonan arrives at Madam Wu’s household in disguise as her poor, sickly younger cousin, Little Jian. She claims she has come to sponge off Madam Wu, though she is secretly accompanied by Embroidered Uniform Guard agents and has the emperor’s approval to investigate the Prince of the Southeast.
• Madam Wu welcomes her warmly, outfits her lavishly, and lets her share her bed. Jian Ruonan explains that looking frail should help her avoid suspicion.
• While Madam Wu takes her medicine, her senior maid Yanque repeats the old madam’s criticisms of Madam Wu and her generosity toward Little Jian. Jian Ruonan is thrilled by the prospect of household conflict, while Madam Wu realizes Yanque is trying to turn her against the old madam and her cousin.
• Madam Wu orders Yanque sold. Yanque reveals she is pregnant by the household master, but Madam Wu has her gagged and taken away anyway.

Character developments

• Jian Ruonan uses an unassuming, impoverished disguise to pursue her mission—and enthusiastically seeks out the household gossip and intrigue along the way.
• Madam Wu shows more resolve than Yanque expects. She recognizes the maid’s manipulation and acts decisively, with Little Jian’s presence giving her confidence.
• Yanque is exposed as a schemer who has been stirring conflict while concealing her relationship with the master and her pregnancy.

Significant themes

• Disguise and hidden motives: Little Jian’s apparent helplessness conceals a powerful investigator; Yanque’s trusted-servant image conceals her own agenda.
• Power and confidence: Madam Wu moves from being the target of household maneuvering to taking control.
• Gossip as entertainment and danger: Jian Ruonan relishes intrigue, while Yanque uses rumors and criticism as tools of manipulation.

Character interactions

• Jian Ruonan and Madam Wu quickly establish a playful, affectionate “cousin” relationship, despite Madam Wu’s initial confusion.
• Yanque tries to provoke Madam Wu against the old madam and Little Jian; instead, her remarks alert Madam Wu to her scheme.
• Madam Wu’s nursemaid helps expose Yanque, and Madam Wu refuses to spare her even after learning of the pregnancy.

Key plot points and events

• Trapped in the Wu household and worried that her in-laws might seize her dowry, Madam Wu considers selling Yanque, her pregnant maid, who has been secretly involved with Wu Li.
• Jian Ruonan persuades her not to sell Yanque. Instead, Madam Wu makes her a concubine, gives her clothes, jewelry, servants, and a courtyard beside Li Chenchen’s. Jian’s plan is to make Wu Li’s affairs public and pit the two women against each other.
• Yanque misunderstands the promotion as a sign of her mistress’s generosity and expects Wu Li to visit her. He does not: he prefers the secrecy of their former affair and continues visiting Li Chenchen.
• Li Chenchen tells Wu Xinxin about Madam Wu’s spending, prompting the spoiled young woman to complain that her own clothes and dowry are inadequate. Li encourages her to take her grievances to the Old Madam.
• After hearing servants mock her, Yanque spies through a hole in the wall and sees Wu Li embracing Li Chenchen. She reports them to Madam Wu, but Jian points out that Li Chenchen is the Old Madam’s niece and beyond Madam Wu’s authority.

Character developments and interactions

• Madam Wu shifts from acting out of jealousy and hurt to thinking strategically about her own position. Jian’s advice helps her see Yanque’s pregnancy as betrayal rather than a romantic rival’s triumph.
• Jian Ruonan demonstrates sharp political insight: she identifies the motives behind Madam Wu’s reactions and proposes a solution that protects her reputation while exposing the men’s fickleness.
• Yanque rises in status but discovers that becoming an acknowledged concubine costs her the thrill that made Wu Li pursue her. Her disappointment turns into resentment toward Li Chenchen.
• Wu Li reveals that he values secrecy and novelty more than Yanque herself; once their affair is no longer illicit, he ignores her.
• Li Chenchen uses Wu Xinxin’s frustrations to deepen her resentment of Madam Wu, while continuing her open affair with Wu Li.
• Wu Xinxin is easily provoked and focused on her own status and dowry; she rushes to enlist the Old Madam’s help.

Significant themes

• Power and survival within marriage: Madam Wu cannot easily leave the household, so she uses its rules and relationships to protect herself.
• Romance versus self-interest: Jian suggests that love clouds judgment, while emotional detachment can bring clarity and strength.
• Illicit desire and status: Wu Li’s interest depends on secrecy; formal recognition makes Yanque less appealing to him.
• Household hierarchy and limited authority: Madam Wu can control her own maid-turned-concubine but cannot discipline Li Chenchen, whose family ties protect her.

Key plot points

• Yanque, emboldened after Madam Wu rewards her for complaining, repeatedly curses Li Chenchen over her affair with Wu Li. With Wu Li away and Li unable to confront a concubine, she quietly endures the abuse.
• Li Chenchen appeals to Old Madam and Wu Xinxin, turning them against Madam Wu. Old Madam orders Madam Wu to expel a supposedly “poor relative.” Madam Wu complies so literally that the servants pack the relative’s belongings.
• Jian Ruonan arrives on a reclining carrying chair and settles in for tea and pastries rather than leaving. When Wu Xinxin demands to know why the poor relative has not been thrown out, Jian reveals that her properties earn more annually than the Wu residence does.
• Madam Wu clarifies that the belongings being expelled are Li Chenchen’s. Li is humiliated, then argues that she earns her keep by teaching, unlike Jian.
• Jian counters that she uses her cousin Zeng-shi’s dowry, just as the Wu household does—and that the family’s claim to the dowry is hardly as righteous as it pretends. She threatens to publicize their behavior, stopping Old Madam from pressing the issue.
• Old Madam orders Li’s belongings returned. Jian jokingly claims the Wu family meant to expel her instead, then grandly calls herself the “Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix.”

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan proves audacious, clever, and comic: she turns the Wu family’s own “poor relative” insult against them, exposes their dependence on Zeng-shi’s dowry, and uses the threat of public shame to gain leverage.
• Madam Wu appears meek and obedient before Old Madam, but her compliance is strategic: she takes the “poor relative” order as a chance to target Li Chenchen.
• Li Chenchen shifts from quietly tolerating Yanque’s insults to seeking allies, but she is then publicly embarrassed and cannot effectively answer Jian’s attack.
• Wu Xinxin tries to exploit the family gathering to pressure Madam Wu for shops for her dowry. Jian’s arrival disrupts her plans, and their argument escalates into mutual insults.
• Old Madam initially wields authority over the household, but Jian’s pointed logic and threat of scandal force her to retreat and order Li’s belongings restored.

Significant themes

• Hypocrisy and self-interest: The household condemns “freeloaders” while freely relying on Zeng-shi’s dowry.
• Status and appearances: Li’s pride in being self-sufficient makes the “poor relative” label especially humiliating, while Jian uses wealth and confidence to overturn the family’s assumptions.
• Power through words: Insults, public reputation, and quick-witted argument become tools for challenging household authority.
• Comic reversal: Jian’s exaggerated claims and absurd self-praise turn a tense family confrontation into farce.

• Madam Wu’s dowry becomes the center of a dispute. The old madam expects her to add more assets to Wu Xinxin’s already lavish dowry. Jian Ruonan bluntly points out that this amounts to demanding Madam Wu’s personal property. To end the argument, Madam Wu proposes stopping Jian Ruonan’s annual tuition payments of 800 taels and saving that money for Xinxin instead. Xinxin and the old madam accept; Li Chenchen, who depends on those funds, is distressed. The old madam allows her five more days before she must leave. Madam Wu also reclaims the deed to the oil shop.
• Madam Wu and Jian Ruonan quietly protect her wealth. The Wu family’s income cannot sustain its lavish lifestyle, and Madam Wu’s dowry has effectively been supporting the household. She and Jian Ruonan sell her shops, replace displayed valuables with imitations, move other possessions out, and switch household merchants from annual to monthly payments—reducing the family’s access to her assets.
• Li Chenchen tries to secure her position through Wu Li. After learning that Wu Li spends the night with Yanque rather than Madam Wu, Li Chenchen grows jealous and stages a conspicuous rivalry. Yanque flaunts gifts from Madam Wu and announces plans to expand her courtyard for her coming child. In response, Li Chenchen intercepts Wu Li and spends the night with him, abandoning the aloof, “pure” image she has cultivated.
• The children witness Li Chenchen’s hypocrisy. The next morning, Yanque summons Wu Li’s son and daughter to Li Chenchen’s courtyard. They see their admired teacher behaving seductively and speaking in ways she had previously condemned.
  Character developments and relationships: Madam Wu shifts from concealed sacrifice to actively reclaiming control of her property, with Jian Ruonan as her outspoken ally. Jian Ruonan confronts the old madam and Xinxin directly, using humor and threats to expose their demands. Xinxin readily accepts the tuition arrangement because it benefits her. Li Chenchen’s precarious dependence on the Wu household and her jealousy of Yanque drive her to drop her carefully maintained façade. Yanque uses her pregnancy, new gifts, and rivalry with Li Chenchen to assert her place with Wu Li and Madam Wu.
  Themes: The chapter highlights the exploitation of women’s property within a family, the tension between public virtue and private conduct, and the way money and status shape household relationships. It also contrasts Madam Wu’s long-suffering generosity with her new determination to protect herself.

Plot points and events

• Madam Wu fears exposing her children to Li Chenchen’s affair, but Jian Ruonan explains that seeing the truth may help them choose to leave with their mother. Madam Wu agrees to pursue an unconventional divorce that would let her take the children, even if she forfeits her dowry.
• Li Chenchen is caught with Wu Li and becomes his concubine. Madam Wu carefully avoids blame, feigns illness, and lets the household believe she is the victim.
• The children are removed from Li’s care. They watch their former teacher quarrel with Madam Wu over money and lose some of their admiration for her, gradually warming toward their mother.
• Madam Wu leaves for the Farm Estate with Jian Ruonan, supposedly to recover. Lady Li takes over the household accounts and indulges the Old Madam and Wu Xinxin with lavish purchases, while making Concubine Yan’s meals cold or spoiled.
• Lady Li’s unchecked spending creates more than ten thousand taels in merchant debt. When the merchants demand payment, Wu Residence is besieged and rumored to be bankrupt. Rather than return their purchases, the Old Madam sends for Madam Wu; Wu Li borrows from usurers to settle the bills, expecting Madam Wu to repay him—or hoping to seize her dowry if she dies.

Character developments and interactions

• Madam Wu shifts from hesitation over her children to committing to a plan that may let her take them. She and Jian Ruonan work together while keeping Madam Wu’s role in Li’s downfall hidden.
• Jian Ruonan remains the strategist, urging Madam Wu to let the children see Li’s true character and helping her leave the residence.
• Lady Li falls from favored cousin and teacher to concubine, but uses flattery and household authority to secure affection and spend freely. Her rivalry with Concubine Yan intensifies.
• The children begin to question Lady Li and soften toward Madam Wu after seeing her behave selfishly and quarrel over allowances.
• Wu Li grows less attentive to Lady Li after she becomes his concubine and responds to the debt crisis with a predatory expectation of profiting from Madam Wu’s death.
• The Old Madam and Wu Xinxin enjoy Lady Li’s generosity and praise her, while continuing to look down on Madam Wu.

Significant themes

• Money and power: Lady Li’s influence depends on controlling household funds, while Madam Wu’s dowry remains both her leverage and the target of Wu Li’s greed.
• Appearance versus reality: Madam Wu’s “illness” conceals her plan, and Lady Li’s generosity wins affection at first but exposes reckless self-interest.
• Family loyalty and children’s judgment: The children’s changing view of Li creates the possibility that they may choose their mother.
• Women’s vulnerability and strategy: Madam Wu’s choices are constrained by divorce customs and motherhood, so she relies on patience, concealment, and careful alliances.

• Key events: Zeng-shi sells off her dowry, secures her father’s agreement to move the entire Zeng family, and leaves Wu Li a divorce agreement. Wu Li discovers that her property and valuables are gone, then learns her natal family has also relocated. In debt, he sells the Wu household’s assets and forces the family into a rented courtyard. Wu Xinxin loses nearly all her dowry, and the household’s servants and concubines are dismissed or sold.
• Character developments: Zeng-shi proves resourceful and decisive, escaping with her wealth and family’s future protected. Master Zeng agrees to leave after Jian Ruonan promises him a son with Multiple-Birth Pills. Wu Li shifts from smug entitlement to financial ruin, while the family turns on Li-shi and blames her for Zeng-shi’s departure. Li-shi, once favored, is reduced to harsh labor and constant abuse. Jian Ruonan moves on to her next target after receiving Zeng-shi’s blessing.
• Interactions and themes: The Wu family first indulges in spending, then quarrels and scapegoats one another when the money vanishes. Wu Li’s attempt to exploit the Zeng family fails because they have already left. The chapter emphasizes the consequences of greed, entitlement, and mistreating others, alongside Zeng-shi’s self-determination and the family’s swift reversal of fortune.
• Ending: Jian Ruonan waits near Prince Rui’s residence to capture Black Tortoise. Dantai Mo mistakes her visit for a personal call, then realizes the unusually silent Black Tortoise may be in trouble. The chapter ends with Jian confronting Black Tortoise, now a frightened young boy in a turtle shell, who calls for Xiaosi to save him.

Key plot points

• Jian Ruonan confronts the “Black Tortoise System,” who has appeared as a small, childlike figure. She mocks his flower-bud-shaped shell and resemblance to Bulbasaur.
• Black Tortoise tries to flatter Jian Ruonan and claim credit for the Fourth Prince’s emotional ups and downs, but she accuses him of bad-mouthing her.
• Jian Ruonan says the Dog System has surpassed Black Tortoise in level. When he refuses to believe her, she summons the upgraded Hou System to prove it. Black Tortoise is devastated by the news and breaks down in tears.
• The Hou System privately tells Jian Ruonan that this child does not look like the Black Tortoise it remembers—a handsome adult—and urges her to question him.
• Jian Ruonan claims the Hou System has revealed that the boy has stolen Black Tortoise’s identity. Frightened by her bluff and her backscratcher, he confesses: he is Xuan Xiaowu, Black Tortoise’s younger brother, who borrowed his identity to come out and play.

Character developments

• Jian Ruonan is confident, teasing, and quick-witted. She uses Black Tortoise’s insecurity and a convincing bluff to uncover the truth.
• Xuan Xiaowu is revealed to be fragile, vain about his system rank, and easily frightened. His tears over being surpassed make him an unexpectedly comic contrast to the fearsome identity he borrowed.
• The Hou System is proud of its new status and enjoys taunting Black Tortoise, but also spots that the apparent Black Tortoise is an impostor.
• Black Tortoise himself does not appear directly; the chapter establishes that Xuan Xiaowu is his younger brother.

Significant themes

• Status and insecurity: Xuan Xiaowu’s confidence rests largely on his supposedly superior system level, so losing that distinction shakes him badly.
• Identity and deception: The apparent Black Tortoise is actually his younger brother, and Jian Ruonan uses a false claim of inside knowledge to expose him.
• Playful power reversals: The scene turns a supposedly powerful system into a frightened child while Jian Ruonan controls the exchange through wit and intimidation.

Character interactions

• Jian Ruonan mocks and interrogates Xuan Xiaowu, while he alternates between flattering her and begging for mercy.
• The Hou System taunts Xuan Xiaowu over being “low-level” and privately alerts Jian Ruonan to the identity mismatch.
• Jian Ruonan and the Hou System coordinate through their private link: she bluffs about what it told her, and it naively praises her cleverness.

Key plot points and events

• Jian Ruonan discovers that the “Black Tortoise System” is actually Xuan Xiaowu, an eight-year-old member of the Black Tortoise Clan who stole his older brother’s identity and assignment because he wanted to be like him.
• After Xiaowu is caught, Jian Ruonan threatens to punish him and spanks him when his attempt to charm her fails. He calls to Dantai Mo for help, but she silences him with a cushion.
• Dantai Mo arrives and privately confesses that he once bonded with Black Tortoise. The system helped heal his injured legs and let him hear Jian Ruonan’s conversations with the Hou System. He admits to eavesdropping but conceals his theft of energy and the fact that he could hear her thoughts.
• Xiaowu contradicts Dantai Mo, revealing that the prince repeatedly stole energy from Jian Ruonan and ordered him to spy on her. Jian Ruonan brings Xiaowu into view so the two can compare accounts.
• The group returns to the residence to sort things out. Xiaowu asks whether he can return to Dantai Mo’s head, but neither Jian Ruonan nor the Hou System knows how to put him back.
• Afraid of being left on his own, Xiaowu tries to bargain with Dantai Mo: he will take the blame and help the prince win Jian Ruonan’s favor if Dantai Mo acknowledges him as a son. When Dantai Mo hesitates, Xiaowu calls Jian Ruonan “Mommy,” ending the chapter on a comic cliffhanger.

Character developments

• Jian Ruonan remains forceful and quick to punish wrongdoing, but also practical: once she realizes Xiaowu cannot simply be returned, she brings everyone to the residence to resolve the problem.
• Dantai Mo finally confesses his connection to Black Tortoise, suggesting he wants to be honest with Jian Ruonan before pursuing marriage. However, his confession is incomplete, and Xiaowu exposes the parts he omitted.
• Xuan Xiaowu is revealed as an insecure but mischievous child who envies his older brother. When cornered, he shifts from flirtation to bargaining and shamelessly tries to secure a place in the prince’s household.
• The Hou System continues to be Jian Ruonan’s ally, though it cannot solve the practical problem of how to return Xiaowu.

Significant themes

• Honesty and accountability: Dantai Mo’s attempt to confess is undercut by his omissions, while Xiaowu forces the hidden misconduct into the open.
• Envy and identity: Xiaowu’s impersonation stems from wanting to match his older brother’s reputation.
• Power, dependence, and survival: Once separated from Dantai Mo, Xiaowu has no clear place to go, so he uses threats and affection to secure protection.
• Comedy through role reversal: A childlike system becomes a captive, and his desperate attempt to turn the prince into “Dad” transforms a tense confrontation into farce.

Character interactions

• Jian Ruonan treats Xiaowu like a misbehaving child, ignoring his attempts to flirt and punishing him instead.
• Dantai Mo approaches Jian Ruonan with an apology, but Xiaowu challenges his version of events and exposes his past behavior.
• Dantai Mo is eager to confront the system that tormented him, while Xiaowu fears being punished and abandoned.
• Xiaowu tries to enlist Dantai Mo as his father, then turns to Jian Ruonan as “Mommy,” exploiting their complicated relationship for his own protection.

Plot points and events

• Xuan Xiaowu, the little turtle, bursts into the Jinyang Marquis’s residence and claims Jian Ruonan and Dantai Mo as his “Mommy” and “Daddy,” causing servants and family members to assume Jian Ruonan has had a child.
• Min panics, first suspecting her older children, then learns the supposed child is Jian Ruonan’s. She and the household rush to the main hall.
• Chen Pozi calmly removes the turtle from Dantai Mo, while Jian Ruonan angrily confronts him for his shameless act. Xuan Xiaowu continues his performance, claiming Jian Ruonan’s scolding makes her a strict mother and that Dantai Mo’s kindness makes him a loving father.
• The turtle tries to protect Dantai Mo by saying his own misdeeds—including stealing Lamp Oil and eavesdropping—were entirely his responsibility. Jian Ruonan, unimpressed, orders Chen Pozi to restrain and spank him.
• Xuan Xiaowu receives a thorough beating despite pleading for help. Teng offers advice from the sidelines, and Min ends up comforting the tearful turtle.
• Jian Ruonan tells Dantai Mo to take the turtle away now that the matter of the stolen energy has been settled. Dantai Mo ominously promises to stop the turtle’s nonsense. Frightened by his threat, Xuan Xiaowu begs Min to let him stay.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan remains sharp-tempered and practical: she sees through the turtle’s theatrics, disciplines him, and wants him gone so she can finally rest. Her outrage is heightened by the fact that she is only eleven and cannot possibly be the turtle’s mother.
• Xuan Xiaowu proves outrageously shameless and quick-witted, using fake tears and family-roleplay to bind Jian Ruonan and Dantai Mo together. Yet his bravado gives way to real fear when Dantai Mo threatens him.
• Dantai Mo is mostly silent and coldly intimidating. He is exasperated by the turtle but ultimately appears ready to take responsibility for dealing with him.
• Min is easily alarmed by the apparent scandal, then softens into a grandmotherly role by comforting the turtle. The family gathers to witness the commotion, while Teng treats the situation with teasing amusement.

Significant themes

• Shamelessness and comic role reversal: The turtle turns a serious household into an audience for an absurd “family” scene.
• Found-family performance and manipulation: Xuan Xiaowu uses parental labels to connect Jian Ruonan and Dantai Mo, even as neither accepts the arrangement.
• Discipline and consequences: His performance cannot shield him from punishment for his actions.
• Contrasting power and safety: The turtle considers Jian Ruonan’s spanking preferable to returning to Dantai Mo, whom he fears may be genuinely dangerous.

Key plot points and events

• Xuan Xiaowu, an eight-year-old Black Tortoise from the future, wins over Min by calling her Grandmother. She takes him in, and the family accepts his claim that he is Jian Ruonan and Dantai Mo’s future son.
• Xiaowu explains that his name’s “Wu” means martial arts, not that he is their fifth child, easing the family’s alarm. He says his divine shell is what lets him travel through time, and a little black snake living inside it amazes everyone.
• After recovering from a day’s sleep, Ruonan finds Xiaowu settled comfortably with Min. She warns him not to cause trouble but leaves him in the family’s care.
• Ruonan heads to the palace to report to Emperor Deyuan and collect rewards. Her recent success includes acquiring a defense map, recruiting the commercially powerful Zeng family, and weakening the southeastern prince. Meanwhile, three rebellious fief princes are preparing to raise armies after their heirs were arrested for treason.
• Dantai Mo checks whether Xiaowu has troubled Ruonan and offers to take him in. Their exchange feels like an awkward custody discussion between estranged spouses.
• The Hou System reports that returning Xiaowu to Dantai Mo’s head is highly unlikely, but he can leave once Ruonan completes her mission. Xiaowu reveals that the mission requires Ruonan and Dantai Mo to marry.

Character developments and interactions

• Xuan Xiaowu uses his adorable appearance and strategic appeals to win Min’s affection and secure a place in the household. He is playful and evasive about the future, especially when asked about Ruonan’s marriage.
• Min quickly becomes protective of Xiaowu, treating him as her grandson and caring for his clothes and meals.
• Teng accepts the time-travel explanation and enjoys being called Xiaowu’s “Little Uncle.”
• Jian Ruonan remains unimpressed by Xiaowu’s antics and focused on her political work, though she intends to get him back where he belongs.
• Dantai Mo is concerned for Xiaowu and offers to care for him. His restrained manner and blush around Ruonan hint at lingering feelings.

Significant themes

• Family and belonging: Xiaowu’s arrival prompts the household to accept him as family despite the strangeness of his origin.
• Fate and time travel: Xiaowu’s existence points toward a future marriage, but he avoids revealing details that might alter it.
• Duty versus romance: Ruonan’s mission is political in form, yet its completion depends on marriage, bringing her and Dantai Mo’s personal relationship back into focus.
• Political upheaval: Ruonan’s gains in the Southeast and the princes’ preparations for rebellion set the stage for wider conflict.

Key events

• The Hou System confirms that Jian Ruonan can complete her mission by marrying the Fourth Prince, Dantai Mo. It also says Jian Chuxue and Mechuan Yaokuzi having a son and remaining together could count—but that would take years, and they are imprisoned for treason.
• Ruonan rejects the long wait as impractical, though she says she will keep the prisoners alive and try to secure a future for them. The System suggests a sham marriage to Dantai Mo followed by a mutual divorce, but Ruonan recognizes that ending a marriage to an imperial prince may not be simple.
• Dantai Mo tells Ruonan the decision is hers, then offers to share custody of Xuan Xiaowu. Ruonan agrees, deciding it is the prince’s turn to take the boy for the next week.
• As Dantai Mo and Xiaowu leave the courtyard, members of the Jinyang Marquis’s household gather to spy and gossip. The elder branch worries Ruonan is sending the child away; others speculate that she and the prince have fallen for each other. The other branches gossip about Xiaowu’s parentage and Ruonan’s supposed secret way of having a grown child without pregnancy.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan remains practical and guarded about marriage, weighing the mission’s options rather than acting on romantic assumptions. She is also determined to manage Xiaowu and protect Jian Chuxue’s future.
• Dantai Mo is increasingly indulgent toward Xiaowu, quietly defending him when Ruonan scolds him. He appears pleased at the prospect of marrying Ruonan, though he conceals it and lets her choose.
• Xuan Xiaowu confidently pushes the marriage solution and teases Dantai Mo, while also reminding Ruonan that Jian Chuxue is a child and warning of the dangers of pregnancy in prison.
• The household relatives reveal their contrasting attitudes: Jian Zhang and others are fond of Xiaowu, Min sees royal upbringing as useful, and Jian Huayuan imagines a romance between Ruonan and Dantai Mo. Their gossip is interrupted when the prince and boy emerge.

Themes

• The chapter plays romantic expectations against Ruonan’s practical outlook: marriage is discussed chiefly as a way to satisfy a mission.
• Family, parenthood, and custody are treated humorously, especially through Xiaowu’s cheeky behavior and the relatives’ speculation.
• Gossip and hypocrisy form the closing joke: the family members who enjoy discussing others’ private lives become subjects of gossip themselves.

Key plot points and events

• Jian Ruonan resents the household’s gossip as she and Dantai Mo escort him out of the Jinyang Marquis’s residence. Everyone misreads the situation, assuming she is a cruel mother separating Xuan Xiaowu from his family.
• To stop the rumors, Jian Ruonan insists Xiaowu is the child of an old acquaintance. Her relatives claim they will keep quiet, but she expects the story to spread anyway.
• Dantai Mo takes Xiaowu to the palace. Xiaowu immediately calls Emperor Deyuan “Imperial Grandfather” and reveals that Dantai Mo is his father and Jian Ruonan is his mother.
• Xiaowu explains that he is eight despite Jian Ruonan being only eleven, attributing the age difference to time travel. The emperor accepts the explanation and is delighted to discover he has a grandson.
• Emperor Deyuan asks whether Dantai Mo will marry Jian Ruonan, but Dantai Mo says the matter needs further consideration. The emperor readily backs off rather than pressure his “little darling.”
• Xiaowu wins over the emperor and Consort Yan, who want to keep him in the palace. He then asks the emperor to spare Jian Chuxue and Mechuan Yaokuzi, suggesting his parents should have time together so he can exist in the future.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan is embarrassed and frustrated by the household’s gossip, but remains the target of Xiaowu’s teasing and schemes.
• Xuan Xiaowu proves charming, shameless, and manipulative: he uses tears and affection to win over the emperor and Consort Yan, then leverages his existence to argue for clemency.
• Dantai Mo stays composed and cautious, refusing to rush into marriage discussions while recognizing that Xiaowu’s antics may bring trouble for them both.
• Emperor Deyuan shifts from suspicion to exuberant pride in his newly discovered grandson, though Xiaowu’s claim that he had told only the emperor quickly proves unreliable.
• Xiaowu also forges an affectionate bond with Consort Yan, calling her “Imperial Grandmother.”

Significant themes

• Gossip and appearances: Jian Ruonan’s attempt to correct a misunderstanding only fuels the family’s knowing speculation.
• Family, affection, and belonging: Xiaowu quickly creates a place for himself among his imperial grandparents.
• Cleverness and manipulation: His charm lets him influence powerful adults and advance his goals.
• Fate and relationships: Xiaowu links his own future existence to his parents spending more time together, using that claim to seek mercy for others.

Plot points and events

• Emperor Deyuan and Consort Yan insist that Xuan Xiaowu remain in the palace. He quickly settles in—and, with no money of his own, loses at games and agrees to borrow from Commandery Princess Jiarou at interest. She and Princess Funing plan to make Fifth Miss pay his growing debt.
• Dantai Mo visits the overcrowded Imperial Prison, where executions have been delayed until after the Longevity Celebration. He orders the prison cleaned, aired, and scented because an honored guest will visit the next day. Mechuan Yaokuzi mistakes this for false kindness; Dantai Mo makes clear the changes are only temporary.
• At a trousseau banquet for Jian Xilu’s upcoming wedding, Young Shi-shi blames Jian Ruonan for Jian Chuyun’s canceled marriage to Zi Azha, who has been arrested for treason. Jian Ruonan rebuts her sharply and pressures her to give Jian Xilu a proper gift.
• Jian Ruonan uses the gathering of elite women to pursue gossip and access to potential clients for her Parentage Testing Center. She asks the Eldest Princess to help her become a physician in two wealthy households, hoping to witness their dramatic family scandals firsthand.

Character developments and interactions

• Xuan Xiaowu is bold and shameless, but his lack of money leaves him vulnerable to Jiarou and Funing’s scheme. His carefree borrowing may bring trouble when Fifth Miss finds out.
• Dantai Mo shows practical concern for the prison’s condition and for Fifth Miss’s comfort, while remaining unsentimental toward the prisoners.
• Jian Ruonan is quick-witted, domineering, and unapologetic. She confronts Young Shi-shi, protects the Elder Branch’s interests, and treats social gatherings as opportunities to collect gossip and advance her business.
• Young Shi-shi resents Jian Ruonan and blames her for Chuyun’s misfortune, but yields when threatened. Jian Chuyun silently suffers the humiliation, while the Old Madam and Third Madam also contribute gifts.
• Jian Ruonan and the Eldest Princess trade barbs over the Parentage Testing Center before Ruonan recruits her to help gain entry into influential households.

Significant themes

• Gossip as power and entertainment: Jian Ruonan turns family troubles and elite social networks into potential business opportunities.
• Family rivalry and obligation: The banquet exposes tensions between the Elder and Younger Branches, while gifts become another arena for competition.
• Comic audacity and consequences: Xuan Xiaowu’s carefree borrowing and Jian Ruonan’s ruthless humor create laughter, but both hint at trouble ahead.
• Pragmatism over sentiment: Dantai Mo’s prison preparations serve a specific purpose, not an expression of sympathy.

Plot points and events

• Jian Ruonan wants to disguise herself as a female physician so she can make house calls and eavesdrop on the household drama she has missed since her rapid rise in status. The Eldest Princess agrees to help only if she can come along, but Jian refuses because the Princess’s presence would make people behave differently.
• At a bridal-trousseau gathering, Jian discovers that the guests are gossiping about her and Prince Rui, Dantai Mo, who has come to the Marquis’s residence again. Jian suspects Xuan Xiaowu of starting the rumor.
• Dantai tells Jian that Jian Chuxue and the Wa general Mechuan Yaokuzi face execution. Since their deaths would prevent them from fulfilling the “two babies in three years” plan—and leave Jian stuck with Xuan Xiaowu—Jian visits them in prison.
• Jian uses her ability to uncover prison spies posing as jailers and has them removed. She also learns that an escape attempt is planned for the execution day. Rather than let the Wa generals escape or be returned home, she proposes demanding a ransom and selling the captured generals.
• Jian sends Wang Defa to advertise her as a skilled female physician and disciple of the Miracle Physician. Two households accept the offer. That evening, servants from Commandery Prince Anping’s household rush Jian to treat an endangered concubine. The excerpt ends as they arrive.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan remains resourceful, mercenary, and driven by curiosity: she turns medical work into a way to access gossip, protects the plot’s lead characters for practical reasons, and quickly exploits the chance to ransom prisoners. Her servants’ cooperation also earns Chen Pozi a substantial pay raise.
• The Eldest Princess sees through Jian’s excuses and insists on joining the house-call scheme, showing her familiarity with Jian’s motives.
• Dantai Mo brings Jian news about the prisoners and accompanies her to the jail. He takes her scolding calmly, suggesting their interactions are becoming familiar.
• Mechuan Yaokuzi performs defiance and claims he would rather die, while Jian recognizes that he expects help escaping. Their exchange highlights the gap between his dramatic posturing and her pragmatic plans.
• Wang Defa and Chen Pozi help Jian establish her medical cover and keep it running smoothly; Chen even prepares Jian’s disguise and ensures the house-call opportunity is not blocked.

Significant themes

• Gossip as social power: Rumors spread quickly, and Jian is often more interested in observing them than correcting them.
• Status and performance: Jian’s new rank makes ordinary people hesitant to approach her, so she adopts a false identity; the Eldest Princess’s presence would disrupt the performance.
• Pragmatism over sentiment: Jian’s choices are guided by practical outcomes—preserving the leads, stopping escape plans, and turning prisoners into ransom.
• Protagonist fate and plot armor: The system warns that the central characters have protagonist halos and are difficult to kill, shaping Jian’s strategy.
• Comedy through contrast: Jian’s grand schemes and blunt remarks clash with the melodrama of the people around her, including her insistence on continuing to eat while being hurried to a medical emergency.

Key plot points and events

• Jian Ruonan rushes to treat someone at Prince Anping’s residence, accompanied by the Eldest Princess, Fourth Prince Dantai Mo, and Wang Defa. The royals disguise themselves as medical staff to observe the household drama.
• They arrive at the room of Shu Feichen, the residence’s third young master and a Thousand-Household Commander, where his new concubine, Lü Xinxiang, is holding a porcelain shard against his neck after a quarrel.
• Shu taunts Lü into cutting him, and she accidentally draws blood but cannot bring herself to hurt him. He takes her hesitation as proof that she loves him, then kisses her.
• Jian Ruonan and her companions watch in fascinated disbelief. When they enter to treat the injuries, Shu angrily orders them out and refuses care, insisting he may as well die.
• Dantai Mo prevents the Eldest Princess from revealing herself in anger, then fetches two maids to help calm the scene. Jian Ruonan prepares to use the maids’ intervention to persuade Shu and Lü to accept treatment, but the excerpt ends before she finishes.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan remains practical as a physician but is also delighted by the unfolding romantic spectacle. She directs the group and tries to turn the maids’ arrival into an opportunity to intervene.
• The Eldest Princess is eager to gossip but is quick to observe that Lü’s fear and inability to hurt Shu do not necessarily mean she loves him.
• Dantai Mo shows restraint and quick judgment, covering the Eldest Princess’s mouth to keep her identity secret, then bringing in the maids. He also quietly takes note of her thoughts on love, though he tries to dismiss the lesson.
• Wang Defa helps maintain the group’s covert “medical team” disguise and reads Lü’s hesitation as evidence of attachment.
• Shu Feichen and Lü Xinxiang are shown in a volatile, coercive dynamic: Shu provokes Lü and interprets her fear and reluctance as affection, while Lü is distressed, stubborn, and apparently wants to leave.

Significant themes

• Love versus coercion: The scene questions whether being unable to hurt someone is evidence of love, especially when fear and pressure are involved.
• Public performance and disguise: The royals’ flimsy medical disguises contrast with their secret appetite for gossip.
• Comic relief amid danger: Jian’s humorous inner commentary and the group’s reactions play against the genuine threat of Shu’s bleeding neck and Lü’s distress.

Key plot points and events

• During a violent, prolonged kiss, Lü Xinxiang bites the Qianhu. He responds by kissing her again, injuring his already wounded mouth and neck.
• Lü begs him to have his wound treated, but he refuses and complains that she is being distant by calling him “Lord Qianhu.” He declares that he must be mad to love her, then resumes kissing her.
• Jian Ruonan waits with her medicine chest, while Dantai Mo brings her a chair. The Eldest Princess also wants to sit, but the Fourth Prince refuses, exposing his double standard.
• Jian learns that Lü was once engaged to another man, whose distant younger uncle—the Qianhu—took a liking to her and forcibly brought her home after paying her family.
• The Commandery Prince arrives and mocks his son for failing to “handle” one woman. He gives the Qianhu three days before he intervenes.
• After the interruption, the Qianhu finally allows Jian to treat his wound. Jian coaxes Lü to show concern for him; Lü asks him to stop the bleeding and calls him “Third Master.” Satisfied, he lets Jian proceed.

Character developments and interactions

• The Qianhu is intensely possessive and domineering, but his reactions reveal a desperate need for Lü’s affection. Her change in address visibly pleases him.
• Lü Xinxiang resists him and is distressed by his behavior, yet eventually speaks up about his injury.
• Jian Ruonan acts as an amused observer and then an unconventional mediator, using playful encouragement to prompt Lü to care for the Qianhu.
• The Commandery Prince exerts authority over his son and threatens to step in, briefly ending the Qianhu’s relentless kissing.
• Dantai Mo and the Eldest Princess watch from hiding; the Princess envies Jian’s chance to participate in the scene.

Significant themes

• Possessive love and coercion: The Qianhu’s passion is presented as overwhelming, but Lü’s resistance and his forceful behavior make the relationship deeply troubling.
• Power and family influence: The Commandery Prince’s authority shapes his son’s actions, while the Qianhu’s status enables his control over Lü.
• Comic melodrama and self-awareness: Jian’s inner commentary, romantic-story tropes, and the bystanders’ reactions undercut the scene’s intensity with humor.

Plot and events

• The Thousand-Household Commander’s neck wound reopens. When he berates Jian Ruonan for failing to stop the bleeding, she applies a sanitary pad, which absorbs the blood neatly and impresses his cleanliness-obsessed lordship. He names it an “Uncle Protector” and rewards Jian Ruonan with silver.
• The Commander asks for his concubine Lü Xinxiang’s injured hand to be examined, but explodes when the Eldest Princess touches her. He hurls the blood-soaked pad at her, and Dantai Mo quickly escorts the humiliated princess away. Jian Ruonan then gives the Commander rubbing alcohol so he can treat the concubine himself.
• Back home, Jian Ruonan finds her family gathered on the eve of Jian Xilu’s wedding. Despite the generous dowry and Xilu’s affection for her fiancé, she fears being mistreated, missing her family, and facing the expectations placed on wives.
• Jian Ruonan, Teng, and Min reassure Xilu that her family will support her and she can return home if unhappy. Min warns Jian Ruonan and Teng not to encourage Xilu to act recklessly.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan improvises a practical medical solution, wins a reward, and deftly avoids becoming the target of the Commander’s rage. At home, she comforts Xilu and promises her protection.
• The Thousand-Household Commander is shown as volatile, intensely possessive of his concubine, and fastidious—but also pleased by Jian Ruonan’s invention.
• The Eldest Princess plays along with the rescue effort, then suffers the Commander’s outburst. Dantai Mo intervenes and criticizes her acting, suggesting Jian Ruonan was better suited to the role.
• Jian Xilu reveals anxiety beneath her anticipation of marriage, especially about separation from her family and pressure to tolerate her husband’s possible concubines.
• Teng fiercely backs his sister and boasts that Jian Ruonan’s influence will protect her; Min shares Xilu’s concerns but tries to keep the others from inflaming them.

Significant themes

• Possessiveness and control: The Commander’s “devotion” to Lü Xinxiang is expressed through jealousy and exclusion of others.
• Women’s security and marital expectations: Xilu fears the unequal burdens marriage may impose, while her family offers a refuge and support.
• Improvisation and family loyalty: Jian Ruonan solves problems creatively and uses her status to protect those close to her.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• The family prepares for Jian Xilu’s wedding to Top Graduate Hou. Min and Xilu share a tearful but affectionate farewell, while Jian Huayuan promises to defend his sister if she ever needs help. Teng promptly warns him not to cause trouble, earning the whole Elder Branch’s agreement.
• Nan Nan’s motherly concerns shift from Xilu to Nan Nan herself—especially when Nan Nan angrily refuses to discuss the absent Xuan Xiaowu.
• On the wedding morning, Nan Nan rises early to help Min check the dowry and oversee preparations. As she reflects on how quickly the family has changed, she realizes that despite once viewing herself as an outsider who had transmigrated into someone else’s body, she now feels she truly belongs to the Jinyang Marquis’s family.
• The palace sends wedding gifts through Cao Degui, including presents from the Empress Dowager and imperial consorts, as well as a pair of jade ruyi scepters from Emperor Deyuan. Xiaowu appears hoping to collect red envelopes, easing Nan Nan’s melancholy.
• Dantai Mo leads the bridal-preparation party with the Fourth Prince and the Embroidered Uniform Guards, creating an impressive spectacle. The Fourth Prince’s appearance makes him look almost like a groom himself, and Jian Chuyun’s mother jokingly urges her to choose one of the handsome young men.
• At the bridal procession, Xiaowu proudly displays the many red envelopes Dantai Mo has given him. When the auspicious hour arrives, Xilu takes leave of her family, rides on Jian Huayuan’s back, and enters the bridal sedan. Nan Nan watches tearfully, wishing her sister happiness.

Character developments

• Jian Ruonan (Nan Nan) recognizes how deeply she has come to identify with the Marquis’s household. Her usually carefree attitude gives way to genuine attachment and sadness at her sister’s departure.
• Jian Xilu faces her wedding with composure and affection for her family, while sharing an emotional farewell with her mother and sisters.
• Min is proud and relieved about Xilu’s marriage but remains a worried, protective mother.
• Jian Huayuan expresses a sincere desire to protect Xilu, though the family sees his protective impulses as liable to become disruptive.
• Xuan Xiaowu returns to the household and brings levity to the occasion by seeking red envelopes; his cheerful dependence on Nan Nan contrasts with her earlier anger toward him.
• Dantai Mo displays generosity and takes an active role in the wedding procession, notably rewarding Xiaowu with a tray full of red envelopes.

Significant themes

• Family bonds and belonging: Nan Nan’s realization that the household has become her home is the chapter’s emotional center.
• Marriage and separation: Xilu’s wedding is joyful, but it also marks her departure from the family and prompts grief beneath the celebrations.
• Growing up and the passage of time: Nan Nan notices how quickly her siblings and the household have changed, including her own physical growth.
• Humor amid emotion: Teasing, family disagreements, and the red-envelope scramble soften the sadness of the farewell.

Character interactions

• Min and Xilu embrace and cry together, while Nan Nan watches over both of them during the preparations.
• Jian Huayuan offers to stand up for Xilu; Teng and the rest of the family immediately caution him against interfering.
• Xiaowu seeks red envelopes from Nan Nan and later boasts about those Dantai Mo gives him.
• The family receives the Fourth Prince and the Embroidered Uniform Guards as part of the wedding procession, while Jian Chuyun’s mother jokes about matchmaking.
• Jian Huayuan carries Xilu to the bridal sedan, and Nan Nan stands with Teng and Xiaowu as the family sends her off.