Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Jian Ruonan tries the upgraded gossip system’s new features. The buttons for summoning groundhogs and punishing malicious spectators seem to do nothing—but “Groundhogs +1” briefly appears whenever someone hears her thoughts.
• In the Imperial Study, Emperor Deyuan realizes that Ruonan’s seemingly outrageous remarks are actually her inner thoughts, which he can hear. He also discovers that she cannot speak certain subjects aloud, though he remains free to hear her think them.
• Ruonan’s thoughts expose corruption among the senior officials. She identifies Minister of Revenue Hang Zhenghe as having embezzled enormous sums, including disaster-relief tax reductions meant for suffering citizens.
• Hang tries to deny the charges, but Ruonan reveals hidden caches of gold, valuables, and even pandas. The emperor orders the Fourth Prince to lead the Embroidered Uniform Guard in searching Hang’s properties, and Hang is taken away.
• Ruonan also reveals that Minister of Rites Shi Fan’s five sons are not biologically his, and that he drugged his wife to facilitate the affairs. Shi’s shocked outburst interrupts her train of thought.
• The chapter ends with Ruonan’s next revelation: a eunuch who drugged the emperor with an aphrodisiac escaped punishment and regained his favor. The remark leaves her younger brother Teng emotionally exhausted.

Character developments

• Jian Ruonan remains innocent-looking and oblivious to the turmoil her thoughts cause. Her gossip proves unexpectedly useful in exposing wrongdoing.
• Emperor Deyuan shifts from confusion and irritation to decisive action, using Ruonan’s information to pursue Hang. He is startled by her ability but keeps his discovery private.
• The Fourth Prince, Dantai Mo, is accustomed to Ruonan’s unusual ability and promptly carries out the emperor’s order.
• Teng, Ruonan’s young brother, is frightened that her disclosures will bring disaster on their family, but relieved when the investigation targets others.
• Hang Zhenghe moves from confident denial to panic as Ruonan reveals his crimes and concealed wealth.
• Shi Fan is exposed not for embezzlement, but for a shocking secret about his family and marriage.

Significant themes

• Truth revealed through gossip: Ruonan’s casual inner commentary uncovers secrets that formal investigations might miss.
• Corruption and injustice: Hang’s embezzlement worsened the suffering of disaster victims, prompting the emperor to act.
• Power and accountability: Even high-ranking officials can be brought down when their hidden conduct reaches the throne.
• Comedy amid danger: Ruonan’s matter-of-fact thoughts contrast with the officials’ terror and the emperor’s increasingly strained reactions.

Character interactions

• The emperor tries to identify the source of Ruonan’s voice, then silently reacts as her thoughts reveal one secret after another.
• The ministers and Eunuch Cao hear—or are affected by—Ruonan’s gossip, while the Second Prince initially mistakes it for spoken conversation.
• Hang repeatedly argues with the emperor, only for Ruonan’s thoughts to undermine each defense; the emperor ultimately orders his properties searched.
• Teng tries to protect Ruonan from the consequences, but realizes that covering her mouth cannot stop her thoughts.

Plot points and events

• Emperor Deyuan hears Jian Ruonan’s irreverent inner thoughts and initially considers punishing her. Each time he forms a harmful intention, however, his chest is painfully squeezed; when he decides to protect and reward her, the pain stops. He realizes he cannot safely harm her.
• Ruonan’s thoughts reveal that the emperor’s treasury is poor and that a buried treasure from the Previous Dynasty may enable a future rebellion. This alarms the emperor and the ministers, though Ruonan offers no further details.
• The emperor awkwardly orders that Ruonan be given a seat, then tea and pastries. Her siblings, Jian Xilu and little Huateng, are rattled by the emperor’s behavior and by Ruonan’s habit of thinking aloud—while she remains oblivious to their distress.
• The Embroidered Uniform Guard reports finding gold hidden beneath cabbages in Minister of Revenue Hang Zhenghe’s ancestral home. The guard still needs time to locate his other properties.
• Ruonan’s thoughts expose gossip about the Minister of War’s granddaughter eloping with an actor and being forcibly betrothed to the Minister of Works’ grandson. The ministers react angrily, and the emperor tells the coughing Minister of War to go home so Ruonan can continue.
• The emperor asks Ruonan to divine an answer to a difficult problem. She claims that her divinations have temporarily failed after revealing too much, though the emperor suspects she is making excuses.
• When offered a reward for exposing Prince Consort Xue Yuanyu’s scheme to swap the Eldest Princess’s child, Ruonan asks whether she may choose anything. Her answer is that she wants to play “Blindfolded Consort Hunt” with the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Character developments and interactions

• Emperor Deyuan shifts from anger and suspicion to cautious protectiveness. He recognizes Ruonan’s power and potential usefulness, but also fears the mysterious force that punishes him for threatening her. Despite himself, he enjoys hearing her gossip.
• Jian Ruonan appears timid and well-mannered to the court, but her inner voice is bold, mischievous, and relentlessly candid. She is unaware of the panic her thoughts cause.
• Little Huateng is terrified by the emperor and Ruonan’s antics, while Jian Xilu is similarly shaken; both have become accustomed to Ruonan’s startling revelations.
• The ministers react with shock to Ruonan’s claims and indignation at her gossip. Minister of Works Pang blames Minister of War Pei for the betrothal scandal, while Pei tries to interrupt Ruonan.

Significant themes

• Power and helplessness: Even an emperor cannot act freely when a mysterious force protects Ruonan.
• Public appearance versus private nature: Ruonan’s demure behavior contrasts sharply with her unruly inner thoughts.
• Truth, gossip, and political danger: Her candid thoughts reveal corruption, hidden wealth, and possible rebellion, making even casual observations consequential.
• Comic reversal: The court’s most powerful figures are repeatedly thrown into confusion by a ten-year-old who simply wants pastries—and an unusual game with the guards.

• Jian Ruonan’s imperial reward: Emperor Deyuan hears Ruonan’s thoughts and briefly imagines her proposed game of blindfolded “catch the consort” with the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Ruonan ultimately asks for permission to flip tables without being punished. The emperor grants it by decree. Her brother Teng is disappointed she did not request the game he had hoped for, while Fourth Prince Dantai Mo’s changing mood suggests jealousy.
• The family returns home: Min is relieved to see her children safe. She is bewildered by Ruonan’s unusual decree. Jian Xilu is drenched in cold sweat, and Teng has wet his trousers after being frightened during the audience. The children silently blame Ruonan, but cannot voice it.
• The court discovers its limits: In the imperial study, ministers find that they cannot speak or write about Ruonan’s inner thoughts; attempts to act maliciously toward her bring physical consequences. Emperor Deyuan tests who can hear her and learns that the effect does not reach everyone. He plans to summon Ruonan again with officials, nobles, and the Eldest Princess, hoping her thoughts may reveal hidden family secrets or help with the princess’s situation.
• The system explanation: Dantai Mo learns that Ruonan’s system accidentally enabled more people to hear her gossip thoughts while trying to unlock a video feature. The Black Tortoise System says this exposes others’ secrets more than Ruonan’s, and reassures him that his own secrets—including his lamp-oil thefts and Ruonan’s mission to win him over—will remain private. Dantai Mo is far from reassured.
• The cliffhanger at the marquis’s residence: The old madam summons Min’s family and complains that Ruonan did not bring the other girls to the palace, insisting the family should share its advantages. Teng, Jian Xilu, and Min retreat, leaving Ruonan at the front. Taking advantage of her new decree, Ruonan flips the old madam’s table.
  Character developments and themes: Ruonan remains sweet-faced but boldly unconventional, using an absurd reward to gain freedom to act. Emperor Deyuan shifts from bafflement to curiosity and sees her as a possible source of political intelligence, though he fears provoking her. Dantai Mo’s jealousy and concern grow, while the systems provide comic relief through their incompetence. The chapter mixes family conflict and court intrigue with themes of power, privacy, and the comic consequences of unchecked gossip.

Plot points

• Jian Ruonan uses the imperial edict granting her immunity for flipping tables to stop Old Madam Shi from scolding her. She pretends the whole household must kneel to hear it, then makes her grandmother praise her “clean” table flip.
• Old Madam Shi announces a proposed match for Jian Xilu: the third son of a senior official. Matchmaker Madam Wang praises him, but Ruonan’s blunt inner commentary exposes his stinginess, poor hygiene, weakness, and lack of talent, effectively derailing the proposal.
• When Madam Zhang argues the match could benefit the family, Ruonan’s thoughts reveal a far darker secret: Madam Zhang’s husband, Shi Fan, drugs her and allows his male relatives to assault her. She also says none of his five sons are biologically his.
• Madam Zhang and the others hear these revelations, leaving the room stunned.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan remains mischievous and fearless, using the emperor’s decree as both legal protection and a way to humiliate Old Madam Shi. Her candid thoughts repeatedly disrupt the formal matchmaking.
• Little Teng proves quick-witted and loyal: he helps Ruonan tease their grandmother, distracts her with pastries, and encourages Xilu by saying the match will not succeed with Ruonan present.
• Old Madam Shi is furious but powerless to punish Ruonan. Her attempts to manage the family gathering are further undermined by Ruonan’s revelations.
• Jian Xilu is protected from an unsuitable match by Ruonan’s intervention; Min also directly says the pairing is not suitable.
• Madam Wang tries to present the third young master as a desirable match, but Ruonan’s disclosures contradict every compliment.
• Madam Zhang initially supports the match, then is confronted—through Ruonan’s overheard inner thoughts—with the shocking truth about her husband and sons.

Significant themes

• Power and defiance: Ruonan turns imperial authority into a shield against family control.
• Truth versus social performance: Polite matchmaking praise collapses under Ruonan’s unfiltered disclosures.
• Hidden abuse and injustice: The comic scene turns grave when Madam Zhang learns of the exploitation she has endured.
• Family loyalty: Ruonan and Little Teng use humor and cunning to protect their sisters, while the elders’ respectable appearances conceal serious wrongdoing.

Plot points and events

• During a matchmaking visit, Madam Wang and Old Madam Shi discuss Shi Fan’s five sons. Jian Ruonan’s inner thoughts reveal that none of the boys is Shi Fan’s: each has a different biological father from the Shi clan, chosen because Shi Fan disliked his own stature.
• The chapter explains that Shi Fan drugged Madam Zhang before each encounter, disguising the knockout medicine as a secret fertility formula. Madam Zhang believed it helped her conceive—and had even shared it with her sisters.
• Horrified by the revelation, Madam Zhang overturns a table and rushes home to confront Shi Fan. Little Teng, Min, Jian Ruonan, and the others eagerly follow under the pretense of checking on her. Madam Wang has already sent for the Zhang family.
• At the Shi residence, Madam Zhang confronts Shi Fan in front of her relatives, his sons, and clan members. She demands to know why he betrayed and humiliated her. Shi Fan claims he acted out of concern for her because she was distressed about not having children, and describes her prayers and efforts to conceive.

Character developments and interactions

• Madam Zhang shifts from respected, confident matriarch to a woman reeling from the discovery that her marriage and motherhood were built on deception. Her shock turns into fury as she confronts Shi Fan.
• Shi Fan presents himself as a caring husband, but his elaborate justification only highlights his manipulation. The chapter ends before Madam Zhang responds to his defense.
• Jian Ruonan is sleepy at first, then instantly becomes eager to follow the scandal. Little Teng cleverly supplies a pretext for joining her, while Min and Madam Wang also show a strong appetite for the unfolding drama.
• The gathered relatives and onlookers move from quiet speculation to active spectatorship, with the Zhang family arriving to back Madam Zhang in the confrontation.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and deception: Shi Fan’s scheme violated Madam Zhang’s trust and concealed the truth about her sons’ parentage.
• Gendered pressure to bear sons: The family’s obsession with heirs shapes Madam Zhang’s anguish and gives Shi Fan a pretext for his actions.
• Gossip as spectacle: The characters treat a devastating personal revelation as irresistible entertainment, creating a comic contrast with its serious consequences.
• Public image versus private reality: Madam Zhang’s status as a celebrated mother of five masks the exploitation behind her family life.

Key plot points and events

• Shi Fan attempts to defend himself after Madam Zhang learns that their five sons are not biologically his. He argues that she benefited from having sons—gaining security, status, and a large family—and insists that his scheme was an act of love.
• A Shi clan elder backs him up, urging the Zhangs to overlook the scandal. The family seems ready to let the matter go until Teng nudges Jian Ruonan toward them. Her pointed thoughts remind the Zhangs that allowing the insult to pass would invite future humiliation.
• The Zhang family attacks Shi Fan and the clan elder. Shi Fan’s five sons hesitate when they learn that he is not their biological father, then become even more confused when Jian Ruonan’s thoughts suggest the clan elder might be related to them.
• Jian Ruonan’s unspoken gossip exposes Shi Fan’s real motive: he arranged for clansmen to father the children to secure clan support. It also reveals that he considers Madam Zhang “dirty,” while keeping young concubines himself. Madam Zhang resumes the beating.
• Separately, Commander Wei reports that Hang Zhenghe and his brother-in-law Qin Taigui have been caught embezzling tax revenue. Confiscated wealth will cover disaster relief and military pay.
• Emperor Deyuan hears that Jian Ruonan is at Shi Fan’s residence watching the brawl. Intrigued by her seemingly boundless knowledge, he considers how to make use of her—and then asks which of his sons remain unmarried.

Character developments and interactions

• Shi Fan proves himself shameless and persuasive, trying to recast exploitation as devotion. His public defense collapses when Jian Ruonan’s gossip reveals his self-serving motives.
• Madam Zhang initially struggles to answer Shi Fan’s arguments, but the new revelations turn her anger into action. The Zhang family supports her once they recognize that tolerating the scandal would set a dangerous precedent.
• Teng and Jian Ruonan enjoy the spectacle together; Teng’s nudge helps keep the Zhangs from backing down. Jian Ruonan’s unspoken thoughts repeatedly shape the crowd’s understanding of events.
• Shi Fan’s sons are caught between loyalty to the man who raised and supports them and the discovery that he is not their biological father.
• Emperor Deyuan becomes increasingly interested in Jian Ruonan, both as a source of intelligence and as a potential influence on the imperial family.

Significant themes

• Power and persuasion: Shi Fan uses status and rhetoric to excuse wrongdoing, but the Zhangs ultimately respond to solidarity and action rather than argument.
• Family, identity, and legitimacy: The sons’ uncertain parentage unsettles their loyalties and exposes the gap between biological and social fatherhood.
• Truth as spectacle and leverage: Jian Ruonan’s gossip turns hidden scandals into public revelations, changing events and influencing even the emperor.
• Hypocrisy and gendered injustice: Shi Fan claims to have acted out of love while denying Madam Zhang intimacy and keeping young concubines; her family’s intervention challenges the expectation that she should simply accept the benefits he cites.

Key plot points and events

• A brawl erupts at the minister’s residence between the Zhang and Shi families. The Zhang side soundly beats Shi Fan and his relatives until soldiers arrive. Madam Zhang later seeks a divorce and takes her five sons home.
• Shi Fan is impeached for misconduct. Jian Zhang’s petition succeeds, making him the rightful heir to the Jinyang Marquis’s Residence.
• Min discovers that only people within three meters of Jian Ruonan can hear her thoughts. He limits which maids may attend her closely.
• Consort Xian and the Empress Dowager object to the proposed match between the Third Prince, Dantai Huai, and ten-year-old Jian Ruonan, seeing her family as an unsuitable match. Huai, however, wants to marry her because he witnessed her abilities and hopes they will help him gain influence.
• Emperor Deyuan summons Ruonan to the palace. Her upgraded system begins broadcasting scandalous secrets about officials present. Ruonan reacts with amused curiosity, while the emperor and Dantai Mo struggle not to laugh—and realize the gossip concerns people in the room.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan remains carefree and devoted to food and sleep, but her curiosity awakens when the system’s gossip involves people she can identify. She resents having spent 100 points on the upgrade.
• Dantai Huai reveals an ambitious, strategic side: he sees Ruonan as a source of political advantage and believes he can win her over.
• Consort Xian and the Empress Dowager prioritize status and powerful family connections, though Huai’s account of Ruonan’s abilities makes Consort Xian reconsider.
• Min responds practically to the newly discovered limits of Ruonan’s thought-hearing range.
• The chapter’s comic tension comes from the contrast between Ruonan’s uninhibited inner commentary and the officials’ efforts to maintain decorum.

Significant themes

• Gossip and hidden reputations: The system exposes the private scandals behind respectable public roles.
• Marriage as political strategy: Huai and his mother view a marriage alliance in terms of influence, status, and future advantage.
• Power and family standing: Jian Zhang’s recognition as heir and Shi Fan’s impeachment show how quickly status can shift.
• Comedy through dramatic irony: Ruonan’s thoughts are private only in theory; those nearby hear them, forcing powerful figures to react to truths—and insults—they were never meant to hear.

Key plot points

• At an imperial meeting, Jian Ruonan’s unfiltered inner thoughts expose rumors about the ministers. Pei Junfei, the Minister of War, is mistaken for the man who uses sheep urine on his age spots; Pang Lianggong, the Minister of Works, is suspected of drinking dog’s milk and indulging his concubines. The embarrassed officials straighten their backs, and Pang injures his waist in the process.
• To end the distracting gossip, Emperor Deyuan sends Jian Ruonan to the imperial gardens with several princes. The Second Prince stays behind, as he is too timid to handle her thoughts—and the emperor remains unsure whether he has the temperament to become crown prince.
• In the gardens, Jian Ruonan learns that the “gossip-boost” button mainly replenishes the system’s energy. She switches it off, meaning the princes can no longer hear her thoughts.
• The attentive Third Prince, Dantai Huai, guides her around, while Jian Ruonan privately mocks his looks and suspects he is trying to charm her.
• They encounter Commandery Princess Jiarou, who is devoted to the Third Prince and hostile toward women near him. Expecting her to behave like a cruel antagonist from the original novel, Jian Ruonan instead accepts the two gold ingots Jiarou offers to make her leave, picks up the Ninth Prince, and departs.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan remains irreverent and practical: she treats palace intrigue as gossip, but when given a chance to leave with money, she takes it without protest.
• Emperor Deyuan tries to maintain control of court business while redirecting the chaos—and effectively leaves his sons to manage Jian Ruonan.
• The ministers are rattled by Jian Ruonan’s thoughts, while their reactions create comic misunderstandings and expose their vanity.
• The Third Prince is eager to spend time with Jian Ruonan, but she sees his attention as an attempt at seduction. The other princes mostly withdraw or observe.
• Commandery Princess Jiarou makes an imperious entrance and asserts her claim on the Third Prince’s attention, but Jian Ruonan’s easy compliance turns the expected confrontation into a comic escape.

Significant themes

• Public image versus private thoughts: Jian Ruonan’s inner commentary punctures the dignified façades of ministers and princes.
• Power and status: Jiarou’s rank lets her dismiss Jian Ruonan, while Jian Ruonan turns the insult into a small material gain.
• Comic subversion of tropes: The supposed villainous supporting character behaves as expected, but the “victim” refuses to play her assigned role.
• Court politics and succession: The emperor’s doubts about the Second Prince hint at unresolved questions over the heir.

Key events

• Commandery Princess Jiarou gives Jian Ruonan two Gold Sycee to leave her alone with the Third Prince. Jian gladly accepts the money and hurries away with the Ninth Prince, leaving both the Third and Fourth Princes stunned.
• The Ninth Prince, Dantai Hong, asks why Jian isn’t angry about Jiarou’s behavior. Jian genuinely doesn’t consider it an insult and says Jiarou’s difficult childhood may explain her temper. Her kindness impresses the little prince—and the Black Tortoise System—though Dantai Mo suspects she is simply greedy.
• Jian takes the Ninth Prince out of the palace to visit her estate, with Dantai Mo arranging the trip. The Third Prince, frustrated that the Fourth Prince remains a rival despite his paralysis, watches them leave.
• On the carriage ride, the Big System urges Jian to try winning Dantai Mo over. She gives him what she considers a warm smile, then resumes eating pastries. Dantai Mo, who had braced himself for a bold advance, doesn’t even notice the smile.
• At the estate, Jian shows them potatoes. She fries some with her barbecue seasoning, and Dantai Mo is impressed by their taste. When she says they can yield 5,000–6,000 jin per mu—far more than ordinary crops—he realizes they could help relieve famine.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan remains carefree, food-loving, and openly motivated by money, but she also shows genuine empathy toward Jiarou and enthusiasm for sharing new crops. Her attempt to court Dantai Mo is so understated that neither he nor the systems recognizes it.
• Dantai Mo is reserved and inexperienced around women. He expects Jian to make a direct romantic move, then becomes confused when her attention returns to food. His response to the potatoes reveals his growing concern for practical solutions to the harvest crisis.
• The Ninth Prince is affectionate toward Jian and admires her kindness, though he cannot understand why she doesn’t see Jiarou’s actions as humiliating.
• Commandery Princess Jiarou tries to provoke Jian but is instead surprised by her easy compliance; she sees potential in Jian as a subordinate.
• The Third Prince grows resentful of Dantai Mo and views him as a competitor.

Significant themes

• Comedy through mismatched expectations: Jian’s “romantic” smile is invisible to everyone else, while her priorities remain firmly on food.
• Kindness and misunderstanding: Jian interprets Jiarou generously, while others suspect greed or fail to understand her motives.
• Practical hope amid hardship: The discovery of high-yield potatoes offers a possible answer to famine and poor harvests.

• Potatoes and corn impress Dantai Mo: Jian Ruonan demonstrates that potatoes yield about 5,500 jin per mu, can be planted twice yearly, store well, and grow in sandy soil. Corn also offers strong yields and keeps well when dried. Dantai Mo is astonished by their potential to ease food shortages across Great Xia, though Jian mistakes his practical enthusiasm for romantic interest.
• Jian discovers how to earn points: Each time she describes an agricultural benefit, her system awards points for Dantai Mo’s positive emotional reactions. She gains an especially large bonus by claiming she has a formula to make cows bear eight calves at once. Convinced he is a “farming enthusiast,” she believes she has found the secret to winning him over.
• The princes receive produce: The Ninth Prince happily eats several ears of tender corn, then falls asleep in the carriage. Jian sends carts of potatoes and corn as gifts to both princes and plans to breed cattle. Since the estate has no cows, Dantai Mo funds the purchase of several from neighboring estates. Jian also teaches the farmers how to plant, store, and prepare the crops.
• A surprising corruption reading: Jian’s system reveals Dantai Mo’s corruption value. It was already high at 90 before she arrived, and it has risen to 95 despite the day’s many positive reactions and her newly earned points. Jian is baffled and laments her supposed failure; Dantai, listening in, is alarmed when she wonders whether he has discovered that the accident that paralyzed him was deliberate.
• The systems’ comic mishap: Jian’s system says its upgraded energy bar is replenished by gossip, then realizes someone has been stealing its energy. Dantai Mo and his Black Tortoise System react in surprise, while the chapter’s mini-theater jokes about shame and blame.
  Character developments and interactions: Jian grows more confident in her ability to “conquer” Dantai, but her self-congratulation contrasts with his private annoyance: he is interested in the crops, not in her as she assumes. Dantai remains outwardly composed while secretly hearing Jian and her system, and his own system recognizes that his contact with her is motivated by the lamp oil rather than affection. Meanwhile, his practical support for the agricultural project shows his concern for the realm’s resources.
  Themes: The chapter combines comedy and dramatic irony with the gap between appearance and intention. It also highlights food security, agricultural innovation, and the tension between visible happiness and hidden inner turmoil.

Plot and events

• Jian Ruonan’s system notices energy being stolen, but the culprit is Dantai Mo’s “Black Tortoise” system. It had been siphoning energy and hoped to avoid detection by taking only excess power. Dantai and his system blame each other, while Jian Ruonan’s own system dismisses the brief loss as an upgrade glitch.
• Hoping to earn more system points, Jian Ruonan plans to teach the estate’s farmers to make compost. Meanwhile, the steward brings back three cows and two bulls.
• Jian Ruonan feeds the cows a “many-offspring pill” and gives all five cattle an aphrodisiac to encourage mating. The bulls fight over the cows; the black bull wins, while the yellow bull is fatally injured.
• Jian Ruonan reassures the farmers that she will replace any injured cattle. The yellow bull is cooked with potatoes, and Jian Ruonan and the Ninth Prince eat heartily. Dantai Mo hesitates over the meal, worried about the aphrodisiac, but Jian Ruonan assures him it is harmless after cooking.
• On the ride home, Jian Ruonan learns through the gossip system that the Old Madam has bribed Taoist priests to expose or subdue her as a demon. She resolves to draw magical items from the Points Mall and uncover gossip about the priests.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan remains inventive, confident, and comically food-motivated. She is proud of her farming expertise, though her mistake in placing two bulls together nearly costs the estate a valuable work animal. Even her grief over the bull quickly gives way to thoughts of beef stew.
• Dantai Mo remains outwardly composed but privately criticizes his incompetent system and reacts with disbelief to Jian Ruonan’s behavior. Their internal contrast—his dignity against her chaotic pragmatism—continues to drive the humor.
• The Ninth Prince is innocent and curious: Jian Ruonan covers his eyes during the cattle’s mating and tells him they are “playing poker” and having a “group fight.”
• The farmers worry that the bulls’ fight will endanger the estate’s plowing capacity. Jian Ruonan’s promise to replace an injured bull reassures them.
• The two systems provide comic commentary: Dantai’s system boasts about avoiding detection, while Jian Ruonan’s system raises practical questions about the cattle and relays the crucial gossip.

Significant themes

• Comedy through misunderstandings and contrast: The systems’ schemes, Jian Ruonan’s improvised explanations, and Dantai’s silent reactions turn ordinary events into farce.
• Pragmatism and appetite: Jian Ruonan treats even a disastrous animal fight as a chance to feed everyone, balancing concern for the estate with her love of food.
• Power, ambition, and resourcefulness: Points, pills, and system tools are treated as practical resources, while the Old Madam’s attempt to undermine Jian Ruonan sets up a new conflict.

Key plot points and events

• Minister of Rites Shi Fan, recently disgraced and facing family troubles, proposes marrying Jian Ruonan into the Shi family. Unlike his sister, Madam Shi, he recognizes Ruonan’s influence and says he would treat her well. Madam Shi objects, but eventually accepts that he is set on the match.
• Still determined to stop Ruonan from joining the Shi family, Madam Shi takes the women of the household to Clear Void Abbey, where Daoist Li has prepared an exorcism ritual.
• During the carriage ride, Ruonan spends the points she earned from the Fourth Prince on card draws. She persuades her system to let her borrow extra points, leaving her in debt, and wins hybrid rice capable of producing exceptionally large, frequent harvests. She plans to give it to the farming-obsessed Fourth Prince to earn more points.
• Ruonan jokes that the Fourth Prince might become a “dark farmer” who plants rice in a rage. Dantai Mo overhears her thoughts, and the Fourth Prince’s darkness rises by one point.
• At the abbey, a black dog chases Daoist Zhang. The Daoists claim the dog is an evil former bandit seeking revenge against Zhang, supposedly a righteous general in a past life. Ruonan’s gossip ability reveals a different story: Zhang allegedly lured the dog with pork and castrated it, and the dog has returned daily for five years to curse him.
• Ruonan begins uncovering the real reason behind the incident, but the chapter ends before she can share what she learned.

Character developments

• Shi Fan reveals himself as pragmatic and opportunistic: despite his recent losses, he sees Ruonan as valuable and is willing to humble himself to bring her into his family.
• Madam Shi remains hostile and fearful of Ruonan, and quietly plans to use the abbey’s exorcism ritual against her.
• Jian Ruonan shows her usual confidence and knack for manipulating the system, while her card-drawing enthusiasm leaves her in debt. Her farming jokes also continue to affect the Fourth Prince’s darkness.
• Dantai Mo follows Ruonan to the abbey and hears her thoughts, though he says nothing.
• Daoist Zhang is publicly presented as a virtuous spiritual figure, but the dog’s story casts doubt on the abbey’s explanation.

Significant themes

• Public image versus truth: The abbey’s account of the dog’s past is challenged by Ruonan’s gossip, exposing how easily a crowd can be persuaded by a convincing story.
• Self-interest and power: Shi Fan’s marriage proposal is driven by Ruonan’s usefulness, while Madam Shi’s response reflects fear and family rivalry.
• Humor and unintended consequences: Ruonan’s jokes about the Fourth Prince repeatedly increase his darkness, despite her belief that farming should make him harmless.
• Gossip as social force: Rumors spread through the crowd and reshape how people view Daoist Zhang.

Character interactions

• Shi Fan tries to persuade Madam Shi to welcome Ruonan, while she argues that Ruonan is a danger to the family.
• Ruonan bargains with the system for more draws and plans how to turn her hybrid rice into points.
• Dantai Mo silently witnesses Ruonan’s thoughts about the Fourth Prince.
• At the abbey, the worshippers first accept the Daoists’ tale, then react with shock and sympathy as Ruonan reveals the dog’s alleged grievance.

Plot points and events

• At Clear Void Abbey, worshippers gather around Daoist Zhang and a black dog while Jian Ruonan’s private thoughts reveal the Daoist’s past. Five years earlier, too poor to pay a professional castrator, Zhang lured the dog with a dead rat and castrated it while practicing the procedure.
• Zhang then castrated himself in hopes of becoming a palace eunuch, but failed to get into the palace and instead became a Daoist. His impressive beard is fake, made from cat fur and worshippers’ hair.
• A child pulls off the beard, proving Ruonan’s gossip true. Outraged worshippers call Zhang a fraud, demand their money back, and urge the dog to take revenge.
• After enjoying the spectacle, Ruonan goes with her mother, Min, to join the family in a side room. When fruit is offered, Ruonan takes the largest apples for herself and her siblings. Her sister Jian Chuyun scolds her for greed and poor manners, but Ruonan deftly turns the criticism around, pretending to be frightened and asking their grandmother to discipline Chuyun.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan is bold, mischievous, and quick-witted: she knowingly draws the crowd into the scandal and later uses shamelessly clever reasoning to fend off Chuyun.
• Min supports Ruonan, choosing to stay for the gossip despite her duty to attend Old Madam Shi, and reassures Ruonan that she will handle any consequences.
• Jian Xilu and Little Teng stick close to Ruonan. Little Teng admires her verbal maneuvering and resolves to record her “sophistry.”
• Jian Chuyun tries to shame Ruonan by invoking etiquette and indirectly insulting Min, but Ruonan turns the accusation back on her.
• Daoist Zhang is exposed before the worshippers, while the black dog is treated as a wronged victim whom the crowd encourages to retaliate.

Significant themes

• Gossip and public exposure: Ruonan’s thoughts turn a private scandal into a spectacle that damages Zhang’s standing.
• Hypocrisy and deception: Zhang’s supposed spiritual authority contrasts with his desperate past and fake beard.
• Family rivalry and wit: Ruonan’s clash with Chuyun shows how humor and clever framing can shift power in a family dispute.

Key plot points and events

• Jian Ruonan’s blunt claim that the abbey’s Daoists are frauds initially draws a scolding from Old Madam Shi. Teng backs her up, explaining that Daoist Zhang abused a black dog and that the abbey’s story about the dog’s supposed past life was a cover. Worshippers outside are demanding refunds.
• Abbey Master Li distances the abbey from Zhang, claiming he was merely an itinerant practitioner the abbey had once taken in. Old Madam Shi accepts the explanation and proceeds with the paid ritual.
• Ruonan calculates how much money the abbey makes and decides to expose its practitioners. Min, knowing the abbey master has powerful connections and that accusations of evil could endanger Ruonan, tells Zang Chun to watch her closely.
• During the ritual, Abbey Master Li climbs a tall pole barefoot on exceptionally sharp blades. The feat impresses the crowd and seems to restore their faith in him—until Ruonan’s thoughts reveal that Li used to perform acrobatics in a brothel, where women supported him.
• Ruonan then reveals that Li was also a male prostitute. The worshippers are stunned and eagerly wonder what other secrets she might uncover.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan remains fearless and sharp-eyed, turning her suspicion into a mission to expose the abbey’s supposed holy men. Her inner thoughts repeatedly undermine their public reputations.
• Teng enthusiastically supports Ruonan and relishes the prospect of more scandal, even though Min worries about what he is hearing.
• Min is protective and increasingly anxious: she trusts Ruonan’s instincts but fears the consequences of provoking Abbey Master Li.
• Jian Chuxue feels overlooked as Min and the others focus on Ruonan, and resents their change in attention.
• Old Madam Shi is initially wary of Ruonan’s accusations, but accepts Li’s excuse and follows through with the ritual.
• Abbey Master Li presents himself as a benevolent, spiritually powerful leader, while Ruonan’s revelations expose a disreputable past.

Significant themes

• Faith versus fraud: The chapter contrasts religious spectacle with the possibility of deception and exploitation.
• Reputation and hidden truths: Li’s dramatic blade-climbing performance wins the crowd’s admiration, but Ruonan’s disclosures quickly reshape how they see him.
• Money and power: The abbey’s lucrative rituals prompt Ruonan to question the business behind its spiritual authority.
• Risk and protection: Min’s concern highlights the danger of challenging influential figures, even when the accusations may be true.

Plot points

• At Clear Void Abbey, worshippers learn that Abbot Li once worked as a male courtesan for wealthy clients, a service euphemistically called “communing with the gods.” They also discover that his blade-walking and oil-cauldron stunts rely on tricks, not divine protection.
• When the crowd challenges Li to swear he never worked as a courtesan, Jian Ruonan secretly has Granny Chen set off firecrackers each time he begins his oath. Humiliated, Li finally admits the truth—and retaliates by revealing that the grand general used to be a household slave.
• Rather than leave, the worshippers stay to trade gossip about Li, the abbey’s other Taoists, and everyone’s private affairs. Jian enjoys the lively chatter and sees the abbey as an ideal, low-cost gossip network.
• On her way back to the guest rooms, Jian is told that Dowager Shi has fallen and is asked to come immediately. The System warns her that the dowager is actually safe: Taoists are waiting in the back courtyard to douse Jian with black dog blood in an attempted exorcism. Jian pretends to be alarmed and agrees to go.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan shows her mischievous streak by orchestrating Li’s failed oath, enjoys the worshippers’ gossip, and stays alert to the family’s plans against her.
• Abbot Li shifts from confident performer to exposed and furious target of public scrutiny. He accepts the gossip so long as nobody demands refunds, but lashes out by exposing the grand general’s past.
• Granny Chen proves adept at lighting the firecrackers with perfect timing, earning Jian’s promise of a reward.
• The worshippers function as a lively chorus: they investigate, speculate, joke, and eagerly spread each new revelation.
• Dongshuang tries to lure Jian with a false emergency, but Jian’s calm response disrupts her plan. The System supplies Jian with the real explanation.

Significant themes

• Public image versus hidden past: Li’s respectable religious persona cannot conceal his former livelihood.
• Performance and deception: Both the abbey’s “miracles” and the attempted family exorcism rely on staged appearances.
• Gossip as social power and entertainment: The crowd’s curiosity overwhelms the ritual, while Jian recognizes gossip as a useful source of information.
• Exposure and hypocrisy: Li’s attempt to condemn malicious rumors collapses when his oath is repeatedly interrupted and his past comes out.

Plot points and events

• At a Daoist temple, Madam Shi keeps Min occupied with petty errands while Jian Ruonan goes to the rear courtyard. Min suspects the old madam is deliberately distracting her, and Madam Shi seems confident Jian will reach the courtyard.
• Three dubious Daoists—Abbot Li, Daoist Zhang, and Daoist Xu—prepare to confront Jian, whom they believe is a dangerous ghost. The marchioness has paid them to exorcise her. Their young assistant carries a basin of dog’s blood, while the Daoists arm themselves with ritual props.
• Jian enters with Granny Chen. The assistant is unexpectedly shoved face-first into the dog’s blood by Granny Chen, disrupting the exorcists’ plan.
• The Daoists attack with theatrical spells and talismans. Jian answers with elaborate hand seals, a sparkling “lotus” effect created by Granny Chen, and—most decisively—a firearm. Her shots destroy the Daoists’ ritual objects and terrify them into surrender.
• Jian declares herself a Heavenly Venerable, spares the kneeling Daoists, and gives them the deliberately commercial-sounding name: “I, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable. Send money. Investiture of the gods. Got it?”

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan turns the exorcism into a confident, gleefully over-the-top performance. She enjoys acting like a god, while her real weapon makes the performance frighteningly effective.
• Granny Chen helps stage Jian’s dramatic entrance and ambushes the young Daoist, supporting her young mistress despite her private discomfort with the spectacle.
• The three Daoists go from self-assured performers to panicked believers, then blame Madam Shi for deceiving them and beg Jian for mercy.
• Min remains occupied with Madam Shi and worries that she is missing gossip. Madam Shi’s apparent certainty that Jian will reach the courtyard hints at her role in the scheme.
• Little Teng watches from hiding and becomes convinced that Jian is truly divine. The Fourth Prince, who had arranged backup in case she needed help, realizes she can handle herself.

Significant themes

• Performance and power: The Daoists’ ritual theatrics are outmatched by Jian’s own showmanship and modern weaponry.
• Fear and belief: The Daoists’ confidence collapses once Jian demonstrates real, overwhelming force.
• Comedy through contrast: Grand religious language and ritual props collide with crude deception, awkwardness, and firearms.
• Authority and money: The Daoists act for a donor’s payment, while Jian’s invented divine title ends in an unapologetic demand for money.

Key events

• Jian Ruonan convinces Clear Void Abbey’s leaders that she is the Primordial Heavenly Venerable. Her flintlock and supposed divine authority leave Abbey Master Li and Daoists Zhang and Xu awestruck.
• Dantai Mo learns that the flintlock can pierce armor—and could make its wielder a one-person army. The system urges him to court Jian Ruonan to obtain one, but he refuses to manipulate her and says he will reconsider only if he can walk again.
• Jian Ruonan presents Granny Chen as her disciple, Cihang Daoist, then warns the abbey’s leaders to stop deceiving or harming people. She exposes their private misdeeds, frightens them into confessing, and demands they surrender their ill-gotten gains.
• Rather than simply shutting down the abbey, Jian Ruonan decides to make its leaders behave responsibly, since other abbeys could take its place.
• She instructs them to tell the marquis’s wife that Jian Ruonan was a spirit disguised as a rod and has been “destroyed.” The old madam believes the story, pays the Daoists, and prays in gratitude.
• Later, Jian Ruonan appears at the old madam’s bedside covered in talismans, accuses her of mistreating her, and frightens her into fainting.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan uses intimidation, theatrical deception, and her flintlock to protect herself and curb the Daoists’ abuses. She shows practical judgment by choosing reform over merely closing the abbey.
• Dantai Mo is impressed by Jian Ruonan’s inventions and capabilities, but rejects the system’s suggestion that he exploit her affection for personal gain.
• Abbey Master Li and Daoists Zhang and Xu shift from opportunistic scheming to terrified submission. Their private behavior also becomes a source of embarrassment and comic tension among them.
• Granny Chen plays along when Jian Ruonan introduces her as a powerful Daoist, silently tolerating the exaggeration.
• Old Madam Shi moves from relief and religious gratitude to terror when Jian Ruonan confronts her in a nightmare-like appearance.

Significant themes

• Power and social control: Jian Ruonan uses reputation, technology, and performance to restrain people who exploit their authority.
• Justice and reform: She aims to protect ordinary people by changing the Daoists’ conduct, not just punishing one institution.
• Deception as a tool: The fabricated story about Jian Ruonan becoming a rod-spirit turns the old madam’s own superstitions against her.
• Technology and ambition: The flintlock’s potential excites Dantai Mo, while his refusal to manipulate Jian Ruonan reveals his personal integrity.

Key plot points and events

• After Old Madam Shi orders a Daoist to splash Jian Ruonan with dog’s blood, the old madam faints in terror when Jian slips away. She wakes, relieved not to see Jian, and calls for the Daoist master again.
• Jian reunites with her mother, Min, at Clear Void Abbey and pretends to be a frightened, wronged child. Min comforts her and checks that she is unharmed, while the Daoists struggle to reconcile her helpless act with the powerful “Heavenly Venerable” they witnessed earlier.
• The Daoists claim Jian has an exceptionally auspicious fate and advise Min to hide her temporarily, since filial duty prevents her from openly retaliating against her grandmother. Min realizes the Daoists have switched sides and agrees to their plan.
• Jian’s younger brother, Little Teng, tries to stay home so he can witness the coming trouble, but Min initially refuses. He negotiates to attend school as a day student, and Min agrees.
• The three Daoists hand Jian their ill-gotten money and arrange for her to receive Clear Void Abbey’s offerings, effectively making her its real power behind the scenes while Abbot Li remains in charge.
• The old madam returns home believing Jian’s disappearance proves the “demon” has been removed. She goes to the ancestral hall to pray for the family. With Little Teng’s help distracting the maids, Jian sneaks inside and stages a frightening ghostly encounter. She crawls out from under the offering table, complains of suffering, writes “misery” on the old madam’s clothes with cinnabar, and makes her faint again.

Character developments

• Jian Ruonan proves both cunning and theatrical: she uses a victim’s act to win Min’s protection, secures control of the abbey’s income, and plans a playful revenge on her grandmother.
• Min shows fierce devotion to her daughter. Though ready to confront the old madam, she understands Jian’s plan and supports it.
• Little Teng reveals himself as a mischievous, opportunistic ally who wants to watch Jian’s revenge, even while claiming he is worried about her.
• The Daoist masters abandon their original role in the old madam’s scheme and become Jian’s eager followers, hoping her favor will advance their own spiritual prospects.
• Old Madam Shi remains convinced Jian is a demon, but her fear and superstition leave her easy to manipulate.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Jian shifts between a pitiful child and a formidable, mischievous power.
• Family loyalty and protection: Min and Little Teng support Jian, while the old madam’s hostility fractures family bonds.
• Superstition and manipulation: The old madam’s belief in demons makes her especially vulnerable to staged hauntings.
• Power and patronage: Jian turns the Daoists’ allegiance into practical control over the abbey’s resources.

Character interactions

• Min comforts Jian after hearing her account, while Jian silently signals that she is only pretending to suffer.
• The Daoists compete to advise Min and demonstrate loyalty to Jian, despite their private thoughts and rivalry.
• Little Teng bargains with Min to remain near Jian and help set up the distraction.
• Jian confronts the old madam in the ancestral hall, turning the old woman’s own fears into the source of her punishment.

Plot points and events

• Jian Ruonan and her brother Teng stage another haunting in the ancestral hall. She frightens the old lady into fainting and wetting herself, then escapes.
• The old lady describes seeing Jian Ruonan’s ghost. Jian Lang suspects the Daoists were bribed to help stage the scare; Wen Xue’s report confirms Jian Ruonan was hiding rather than missing.
• The old lady recovers enough to plot revenge. She gathers servants, clubs, nets, and five basins of dog blood to ambush Jian Ruonan.
• Jian Ruonan learns the old lady knows the truth, but delays her next attack. For five days she lets the household remain on alert, allowing its vigilance and morale to fade.
• At last, Jian Ruonan and Zang Chun sneak to the Joy and Longevity Court. She falsely calls out the ghost’s location, then throws firecrackers into the crowd. In the resulting panic, servants hit and net one another and splash dog blood everywhere. The old lady is drenched and struck by a club while Jian Ruonan escapes.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan remains playful, calculating, and theatrical. She turns the old lady’s preparations against her by using patience and misdirection rather than confronting her directly.
• Teng eagerly helps with the ghost performances, though Jian Ruonan repeatedly abandons their plans and blames his enthusiasm for tempting her.
• Jian Lang recognizes that the haunting was likely staged, and tells his mother to consider whether the Daoists were bribed. He also helps her prepare for the supposed next attack.
• The old lady shifts from terrified victim to vengeful planner, but her elaborate ambush ultimately collapses into chaos.
• Wen Xue exposes Jian Ruonan’s deception, but her earlier false reports have damaged her credibility; by the time Jian Ruonan acts, the household is unlikely to trust her warnings.

Significant themes

• Deception and counter-deception: Jian Ruonan and the old lady each try to outwit the other, with Jian Ruonan prevailing through timing and misdirection.
• Revenge and comeuppance: The old lady’s plan to punish Jian Ruonan with dog blood instead results in her own humiliation.
• Patience as strategy: Jian Ruonan wins not by acting immediately, but by letting the household’s fear and readiness wear down.
• Chaos and mistaken targets: Once panic takes hold, the servants’ weapons and defenses turn against their own side.

Key plot points and events

• The old madam is badly beaten and drenched in dog blood by an unknown attacker; even her eldest son strikes her in the face. Terrified of Jian Ruonan and suspicious of Min, she decides to marry the fifth young lady into the Shi family to get Jian Ruonan out of the estate.
• Jian Ruonan sells Wen Xue after Wen fails to value the chance she was given, prompting the Deer Song Courtyard’s maids to behave more cautiously.
• In the Imperial Study, Dantai Mo reports that corn and potatoes yield over a thousand jin per mu. Emperor Deyuan gives him authority to promote their cultivation in his fief. Their search for the Previous Dynasty’s treasure remains stalled because Jian Ruonan has been enjoying storybooks instead of setting out.
• Emperor Deyuan summons Jian Ruonan again. She privately curses him for disrupting her sleep, while Min anxiously warns her to watch what she says.
• At the palace, Jian Ruonan’s thoughts reveal that Eunuch Cao takes bribes and is involved with three palace maids. He returns Min’s red envelope and adds extra money, hoping to stay on Jian Ruonan’s good side.
• Jian Ruonan is seated near the emperor during a meeting with his trusted ministers. The officials recognize her as a threat to their secrets, while the emperor welcomes her presence as a way to expose their hidden conduct. The chapter ends with her first thought insulting him for summoning her so early.

Character developments and interactions

• Jian Ruonan remains irreverent, sharp-minded, and fearless in her private thoughts; her reputation as an “estate-confiscating menace” makes even powerful officials wary.
• Min is increasingly anxious about her daughter’s dangerous bluntness, but her warnings cannot stop Jian Ruonan’s inner monologue.
• Emperor Deyuan is amused by Jian Ruonan and deliberately uses her presence to keep his ministers honest.
• Dantai Mo demonstrates his competence in agricultural matters but has made little progress on the treasure investigation.
• Eunuch Cao, initially offended by Jian Ruonan’s earlier insults, quickly switches to flattery and generosity after realizing she knows his secrets.
• The old madam becomes more fearful and resentful of Jian Ruonan, while the estate’s servants grow more cautious around her.

Significant themes

• Private thoughts versus public conduct: Jian Ruonan’s unfiltered inner commentary repeatedly exposes truths that others try to conceal.
• Power and corruption: The emperor’s court is filled with hidden misconduct, and Jian Ruonan’s presence threatens to bring it to light.
• Fear and self-preservation: From Min to Eunuch Cao to the ministers, characters adjust their behavior to avoid provoking Jian Ruonan or being exposed.
• Humor through contrast: Jian Ruonan appears harmless and obedient while internally insulting the emperor and revealing damaging gossip.