Recaps

At the old madam’s gathering, Jian Ruonan watched Jian Chuyun win praise for refusing grapes, then exposed the old madam’s unhygienic habits in a private whisper. Jian Chuyun was left speechless.

• Xue-shi brought tribute grapes, and Jian Ruonan eagerly ate several while Jian Chuyun refused hers to appear filial to the old madam.
• The old madam and her attendants praised Jian Chuyun and mocked Jian Ruonan, while Jian Xilu tried not to laugh at Jian Ruonan’s thoughts.
• The old madam fed the remaining grapes to Jian Chuyun, who smugly urged her grandmother to dote on Jian Ruonan as well.
• Jian Ruonan approached Jian Chuyun and whispered that the old madam had picked at her itchy, smelly athlete’s-foot and fed Jian Chuyun grapes without washing her hands, then asked whether they tasted sweet.
• Jian Chuyun was left speechless.

Jian Ruonan’s family gathered to enjoy the old madam’s humiliation, but the news that Jian Lang had been jailed for adultery turned the tables on her. The old madam discovered that she herself had ordered Jian Lang’s arrest, and Jian Ruonan’s thoughts exposed her attempt to blame Jian Zhang.

• Jian Chuyun vomited after Jian Ruonan pointed out the old madam’s foot flakes, then denied that the grapes had made her sick.
• Min stalled in the old madam’s room with Jian Ruonan and Jian Xilu until a servant announced that Jian Lang had spent the night in jail for adultery.
• The servant revealed that Jian Lang had been caught with Jian Zhang’s concubine, Concubine Wei, and that the old madam’s calling card had prompted the authorities to punish him severely.
• The old madam blamed Young Shi-shi for Jian Lang’s behavior, then realized she had ordered the severe punishment herself.
• Jian Zhang arrived, and the old madam accused him of trying to kill his brother; Jian Ruonan’s inner voice reminded him that the old madam had ordered him to use Grandfather’s calling card and report the affair.

Jian Zhang faced the old madam’s accusations and pressure to surrender the marquisate after Jian Lang was imprisoned for an affair with Concubine Wei. When the old madam tried to force Jian Zhang into submission by kneeling, Jian Ruonan staged a wild tantrum that stunned the household.

• The old madam blamed Jian Zhang for Jian Lang’s imprisonment, struck him with a teacup, and accused him of being unfit to inherit the marquisate.
• Jian Zhang pretended he had only just learned Jian Lang had been caught with Concubine Wei and ordered a servant to prepare a horse to secure his release.
• The old madam demanded that Jian Zhang give the marquisate to his younger brothers and tried to kneel before him, threatening his reputation for filial piety.
• Jian Zhang wavered under the pressure while the younger Shi-shi and Jian Chuyun anticipated gaining the title and rank.
• Jian Ruonan overturned a table, clung to Jian Zhang, and rolled on the floor crying that the old madam had hurt him; the old madam froze in fright.

Jian Ruonan pretended that the Queen Mother of the West had possessed her and used secret gossip to convince the household of her supernatural powers. She left the old madam frightened into another illness after threatening to expose a scandal from her past.

• The old madam accused Jian Ruonan of being possessed and ordered servants to drive her out, while Min, Jian Xilu, and Jian Zhang protected her.
• Jian Ruonan claimed the Queen Mother of the West had descended into her body and bewildered the household with English and Japanese phrases.
• Jian Ruonan exposed Granny Wang’s secret affair with the master, her son, and her grandsons, prompting Granny Wang to kneel and beg for mercy.
• Jian Ruonan revealed that Granny Li’s husband, Steward Wu, was Steward Zhang’s lover, and the household grew convinced she was an immortal.
• Jian Ruonan began to reveal the old madam’s secret with a groom from the stables, and Shi Yiqiao fainted from fright.
• The old madam was frightened into falling ill again that night.

Jian Ruonan frightened the old madam into fainting, then acted like a dutiful granddaughter while her family rescued the situation. After dinner, she agreed to visit Jian Zhang’s office the next morning and revealed that the old madam’s secret involved the Groom and his feet.

• Jian Zhang, Min, and Jian Xilu knelt and pleaded for the old madam, and Jian Ruonan declared she would spare her before fainting into Jian Zhang’s arms.
• The old madam and Jian Ruonan regained consciousness, and Jian Ruonan pretended to be worried about her grandmother as the family returned to Westglow Garden.
• Min promoted Wen Xue to first-class maid at Jian Ruonan’s request, and the family ate dinner while Jian Zhang kept his promise to abstain from meat for a year.
• Jian Ruonan agreed to accompany Jian Zhang to the Ministry of Justice Office after he promised she could wake at the start of Si Hour.
• Jian Ruonan revealed that the old madam’s secret involved the Groom and his large feet, leaving Jian Zhang, Min, and Jian Xilu stunned.

Jian Ruonan’s family listened as her gossip exposed the old madam’s affair and nearly revealed Jian Zhang’s own past, while her wish for better meat led her to imagine using Multiple-Birth Pills to raise cattle. At Snowsoft Palace, Dantai Mo learned that Jian Ruonan had no plans to approach him, though he believed seeing her again might help him regain the use of his legs.

• Jian Ruonan’s inner gossip revealed that the old madam had pursued the groom and that Second Uncle and Third Uncle were still Grandfather’s biological sons.
• Jian Ruonan’s gossip about Second Uncle and Concubine Wei nearly exposed Jian Zhang’s own affair, so he distracted her by asking what food she wanted.
• Jian Ruonan wished she could use Multiple-Birth Pills to make cattle produce eight calves and considered teaching the estate’s farmers to improve pig raising.
• Jian Zhang secretly considered how Great Xia might obtain Multiple-Birth Pills to expand cattle raising, while Jian Ruonan and the system argued over the cost of leveling up.
• Consort Yan urged Dantai Mo to consider marriage, but he refused and recalled that his legs had regained sensation after meeting Jian Ruonan.
• Dantai Mo asked his system what Jian Ruonan was doing and learned she was eating and gossiping rather than trying to win him over.

Dantai Mo decided to attend the Grand Princess’s flower-viewing gathering and invited Jian Ruonan, while Old Madam plotted against her after suspecting she had exposed the household’s secrets. The chapter ended with Jian Lang returning from prison badly beaten as Old Madam vowed to retaliate against Jian Zhang’s branch.

• Consort Yan encouraged Dantai Mo to attend the Grand Princess’s matchmaking gathering, and he invited the Fifth Miss of the Jinyang Marquis’s Residence.
• Jian Ruonan gained twenty points and resisted drawing cards so she could save them to upgrade her system.
• Old Madam told Daoist Li that Jian Ruonan had been possessed, and they agreed to lure her to Clear Void Abbey for an exorcism after making preparations.
• Old Madam suspected Jian Zhang had taught Jian Ruonan the household’s secrets and ordered an investigation into her upbringing and Westglow Garden.
• Jian Lang was carried home after receiving twenty strokes in prison, and he accused Jian Zhang of trying to ruin him.
• Old Madam promised Jian Lang she would not let him suffer for nothing and said Jian Zhang could not inherit the Marquis’s Estate while Shi Fan remained in office.

Jian Ruonan woke late and met her younger brother Jian Huateng, whose thoughts revealed that he had skipped school and hidden a mischievous streak behind his good manners. Min prepared to discipline him, but Jian Ruonan pleaded for him and sheltered him in her arms.

• Jian Xilu woke Jian Ruonan after she slept late, and Jian Ruonan met the young Jian Huateng while washing up.
• Jian Huateng fled from Jian Ruonan after hearing her thoughts, and Min realized that their ability to hear those thoughts could not be discussed aloud.
• Jian Ruonan's thoughts exposed that Jian Huateng had faked illness to skip a dull lesson at the Imperial College.
• Jian Huateng claimed he had already known the lesson, but Jian Ruonan's thoughts revealed his pranks and poor grasp of the material.
• Min called for a disciplinary ruler, but Jian Huateng clung to Jian Ruonan and asked her to save him.
• Jian Ruonan pleaded for Min to give Jian Huateng another chance and held him protectively while pinching his cheeks.

Jian Huateng won Min’s reprieve by acting adorable, then tried to use guilt and concern about marriage to tease Jian Ruonan. After he collapsed beside Emerald Wave Lake, Jian Ruonan learned through the system that he was faking and returned to confront him.

• Jian Huateng charmed Jian Ruonan into pleading for him, then recited his examination essay to earn Min’s forgiveness.
• Jian Huateng questioned why Jian Ruonan slept late and warned that her habits might displease her future husband, while Jian Ruonan said she did not want to marry.
• Jian Ruonan and Jian Huateng went to Emerald Wave Lake, where the maids went to fetch shrimp baskets.
• Jian Huateng collapsed and pretended to convulse, prompting Jian Ruonan to run for help and ask the system for emergency medicine.
• The system revealed gossip, and Jian Ruonan realized Jian Huateng was playing a trick and returned to the lake to confront him.

Jian Ruonan exposed Teng’s fake illness and spanked him, but he later followed her to the Ministry of Justice Office after hearing their father had been impeached. There, Jian Ruonan’s thoughts revealed that Censor Cao was secretly corrupt, leaving Jian Zhang and Teng stunned.

• Jian Ruonan saw through Teng’s trick and spanked him until Min and Jian Xilu agreed he deserved it.
• Teng overheard that Jian Zhang had been impeached and followed Jian Ruonan to the Ministry of Justice Office.
• Jian Zhang told Jian Ruonan that Censor Cao had accused him of failing to govern his household and causing his mother’s illness.
• A clerk delivered the impeachment memorial, and Jian Ruonan thought that Censor Cao secretly took bribes and hid gold in his ancestral hall.

Jian Ruonan’s private knowledge led Jian Zhang and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to raid Censor Cao’s home for hidden bribes. The search stalled at the ancestral hall, where Jian Ruonan’s thoughts revealed exactly where the gold bricks were hidden.

• Jian Zhang learned from Jian Ruonan’s thoughts that Censor Cao secretly served the First Imperial Prince and ordered a search of his residence.
• Teng comforted Jian Ruonan when the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrived, then suggested they go watch the raid.
• Jian Ruonan and Teng climbed over a neighboring wall to enter Censor Cao’s residence and reach the ancestral hall.
• Censor Cao threatened to kill himself if the Embroidered Uniform Guard entered the ancestral hall, while Madam Song insisted their household was poor.
• Deputy Commander Zhang and Jian Zhang began to doubt the accusation after the first search of the ancestral hall found nothing.
• Jian Ruonan’s thoughts revealed that Censor Cao had hidden the gold bricks beneath the stone tiles under the offering table.

Jian Zhang uncovered Censor Cao’s hidden bribes and learned of his concubine and mistress through Jian Ruonan’s inner voice. As Madam Song and Censor Cao fought, Prince Rui Dantai Mo arrived and heard Jian Ruonan urge her to help Madam Song.

• Jian Zhang found gold bars hidden beneath the Ancestral Hall’s offering table and accused Censor Cao of corruption.
• Jian Zhang led the group to the concubine’s room, where they found jewelry, jade ornaments, and banknotes.
• Jian Ruonan revealed through her inner voice that Censor Cao had bribed his concubine’s family and kept a lavishly housed mistress in Kitten Alley.
• Jian Zhang ordered the concubine’s brothers arrested and exposed the mistress’s residence, prompting Madam Song to attack Censor Cao.
• Jian Zhang let Madam Song and Censor Cao fight while the group watched, and Dantai Mo arrived as Jian Ruonan’s inner voice urged her to help Madam Song.

Prince Rui Dantai Mo joined Jian Zhang and Commissioner Zhang Ying as they discussed an unsolved case in which Emperor Deyuan had repeatedly been drugged. Jian Ruonan realized a eunuch had smuggled the drug into the palace in his anus, leaving the group on the verge of uncovering how the emperor had been dosed.

• Dantai Mo ordered Censor Cao taken to the Embroidered Uniform Guard and agreed to report the case to Emperor Deyuan.
• Jian Zhang took Jian Ruonan and Teng to Zhang Ying’s residence, where she asked for help with the palace drugging case.
• Zhang Ying explained that investigators had searched the palace and its staff but still could not discover how the drug had been brought inside.
• Jian Ruonan realized that a eunuch had smuggled the drug into the palace in his anus and suspected Emperor Deyuan had ingested it.

Jian Ruonan’s inner thoughts revealed that a young eunuch had been drugging the emperor in hopes of rekindling his affection, and Jian Zhang devised a plan to identify him. Meanwhile, Dantai Mo’s system tried to prove Jian Ruonan was meant to win his heart, but her thoughts suggested she had abandoned that goal.

• Jian Ruonan’s thoughts exposed a young eunuch’s secret crush on the emperor and his plan to use a stronger dose of medicine to make the emperor desire him again.
• Jian Zhang sent Teng home, then concluded the culprit was an eunuch who served the emperor and arranged searches of returning palace servants.
• Zhang Cairong visited and admired the Fourth Prince, while Jian Ruonan hoped she would become Prince Rui’s consort.
• The Black Tortoise System used its power to transmit Jian Ruonan’s conversation with her system to Dantai Mo, who heard that she had decided to give up on winning his heart.

Dantai Mo tried to keep the Black Tortoise System online while learning about Jian Ruonan’s mission and the suspicious accident that paralyzed him. Back at the Jinyang Marquis’s Residence, Jian Ruonan learned that members of the powerful Shi family had arrived and asked her system for their gossip.

• The Black Tortoise System repeatedly ran out of lamp oil, while Jian Ruonan gained and lost affection points from Dantai Mo’s changing feelings.
• Dantai Mo escorted Jian Ruonan home, and her question about whether his fall had been staged made him recall the suspicious wild horses and his unusually agitated horse.
• Dantai Mo took Jian Ruonan’s hand to help her from the carriage, bringing the Black Tortoise System back online, and accompanied her into the residence.
• Jian Ruonan hurried to greet Madam Zhang, the wife of Minister Shi Fan, while Teng pressed her for news and Min helped her dress.
• Jian Ruonan asked her system for gossip about the Shi family, and the system announced that it had a major story.

Madam Zhang proposed that Jian Xilu marry Shi Li, while Jian Ruonan’s gossip revealed that Minister Shi’s five sons had all been fathered by a clan cousin because Shi Fan could not have children. The chapter left Min scrambling to stop the match, and Teng suggested letting Grandfather decide so he could hear Jian Ruonan’s thoughts.

• Madam Zhang visited the old madam, delivered Jian Chuyun an invitation to the Eldest Princess’s flower-viewing banquet, and proposed Shi Li as a husband for Jian Xilu.
• The old madam agreed that Jian Xilu should marry into the Shi Family while Min and her children walked to Joy and Longevity Court.
• Jian Ruonan’s gossip revealed that Shi Fan had arranged for an older male cousin to father his five sons, while Madam Zhang knew nothing about it.
• The old madam told Min that Shi Li was suitable for Jian Xilu, leaving Min worried about preventing the marriage.
• Teng suggested that Min let Grandfather decide, knowing he could hear Jian Ruonan’s thoughts.

At the Flower Hall, Jian Zeyang discovered he could hear Jian Ruonan’s thoughts and learned that his elixir pills might be poisoning him. When the old madam proposed Jian Xilu marry Fifth Young Master Shi, Jian Zeyang abruptly refused after hearing Ruonan’s warning about the Shi family.

• Jian Ruonan sat beside Jian Zeyang at the feast, and he realized he could hear her thoughts but could not speak openly about them.
• Dantai Mo learned from the Black Tortoise System that his moods affected Jian Ruonan’s points and that her rewards could be used for medicine and card draws.
• Jian Zeyang invited Jian Ruonan to move to Pine and Crane Hall so he could teach her Daoist arts, but she thought his cultivation was foolish and dangerous.
• Jian Ruonan’s thoughts warned Jian Zeyang that his elixir pills contained poisonous substances, so he ordered his servant to tie up the coachman for questioning.
• The old madam suggested Jian Xilu marry Fifth Young Master Shi, but Jian Zeyang refused after hearing Jian Ruonan say the Shi family’s sons and grandsons were illegitimate.

Jian Ruonan’s inner voice exposed Minister Shi’s ruthless rise and Old Madam’s secret affair with a groom, prompting Marquis Jian to investigate and reject Jian Xilu’s proposed match with the Shi Family. The chapter left Old Madam plotting against Jian Ruonan and vowing to force Jian Xilu into the marriage.

• Jian Ruonan’s inner voice revealed that Shi Fan had his wife bear sons for five cousins to secure clan support and advance his career.
• Old Madam urged the family to marry Jian Xilu to Fifth Young Master Shi, but Dantai Mo defended Jian Xilu and cleared her reputation regarding Gao Yang.
• Marquis Jian interrogated the Groom, who confessed to his affair with Old Madam, and Marquis Jian decided Jian Xilu would not marry into the Shi Family.
• Marquis Jian returned to the estate, berated Old Madam, transferred household management to Eldest’s wife, and revealed he had learned that Wang Juhua secretly bore him a son.
• Old Madam ordered someone to check whether Daoist Li was ready and plotted to eliminate Jian Ruonan while forcing Jian Xilu to marry into the Shi Family.

Jian Zhang and Min avoided sending Xilu into the Shi Family and began settling into new household arrangements, while Jian Ruonan enjoyed her own courtyard and slept late. Jian Chuxue grew jealous of the attention Jian Ruonan received and decided to attend the Eldest Princess’s flower-viewing banquet.

• Min told Jian Zhang that the Old Madam had tried to marry Xilu into the Shi Family, and Jian Zhang warned her to keep the Shi Family’s secret confidential.
• Jian Zhang learned that the Marquis had given Min the household authorization tallies, and he planned to take Jian Ruonan to his office until Min reminded him that she slept late.
• Min moved Jian Ruonan into Deer Song Courtyard, where Jian Ruonan slept until nearly noon while Wen Xue waited outside.
• Teng visited Jian Chuxue after finding Jian Ruonan asleep, and he defended Jian Ruonan when Jian Chuxue asked whether he liked her.
• After learning that Teng had gone to Jian Ruonan’s courtyard, Jian Chuxue decided to ask her grandmother to let her attend the Eldest Princess’s flower-viewing banquet.

Jian Ruonan prepared a lackluster paper-cutting performance for the Eldest Princess's flower-viewing banquet, while Jian Chuxue worried over her changed family status and future marriage prospects. At the banquet, Jian Ruonan heard about a scandal in the rockery and chose to investigate it instead of greeting the arriving Fourth Prince or watching the male and female leads meet.

• Jian Chuxue learned that Concubine Zhou had switched her and Jian Ruonan as babies, and feared that Min's resentment and lack of a dowry would ruin her marriage prospects.
• Teng visited Jian Ruonan and found her lazing in bed; she attempted a snowflake paper cut but produced a mess.
• Dantai Mo prepared for the banquet, recalling that time with Jian Ruonan had briefly let him move his big toe and confirming that she had a mission to win him over.
• Jian Ruonan arrived at the Eldest Princess's residence and heard the system report that the Eldest Princess's husband was having a sexual encounter in the rockery.
• After learning that the Fourth Prince and the male and female leads were also nearby, Jian Ruonan decided to head for the rockery to pursue the gossip.

Jian Ruonan rushed to Jingxiang Garden to spy on the imperial son-in-law’s illicit gathering, but a servant barred her from the rockery. Dantai Mo arrived and invited her to stroll with him, giving her a way inside as they headed toward the gossip.

• Jian Ruonan chose to seek out the rumored affair at Jingxiang Garden while Dantai Mo passed by, and his bad mood repeatedly cost her points.
• Jian Ruonan reached the garden but a manservant refused to let her approach the rockery, claiming it was filled with venomous creatures.
• The system told Jian Ruonan that the imperial son-in-law was inside with the Northern Kingdom Hostage and Prince Kang’s Second Son.
• Dantai Mo invited Jian Ruonan to accompany him on a stroll, and she eagerly pushed his wheelchair toward the rockery.

Jian Ruonan sold Dantai Mo pain-relief pills for a hundred taels of gold while he listened to her thoughts and managed his reactions. Their garden tour ended at a path her heavy wheelchair could not cross, where her idea of an iron wheelchair intrigued him.

• Dantai Mo asked Jian Ruonan to sell him pain-relief pills, and she inwardly calculated how much she could earn.
• Jian Ruonan claimed she had only ten pills and planned to keep them scarce to raise the price, while Dantai Mo's mood shifted as he heard her thoughts.
• Dantai Mo ordered a hundred taels of gold sent to the Marquis's Estate, and Jian Ruonan gave him ten capsules with instructions for taking them.
• Jian Ruonan pushed Dantai Mo through Jingxiang Garden, but the wheelchair could not pass along the narrow, uneven path to the rockery.
• Jian Ruonan imagined an iron wheelchair that would be easier to push, and Dantai Mo became intrigued by the idea.

Jian Ruonan and Dantai Mo stumbled upon prince consort Xue Yuanyu, Su Haoyan, and Dantai Wuyang fleeing a garden after venomous snakes appeared, while Jian Ruonan’s thoughts exposed their intimate entanglements. As Dantai Mo left, she revealed that Su Haoyan would return to the Northern Kingdom and help the Third Prince seize the throne.

• Jian Ruonan spotted a venomous Banded Krait in the garden, and Chen Pozi carried her out of the covered walkway.
• Jian Ruonan saw Xue Yuanyu, Su Haoyan, and Dantai Wuyang emerge from the rockery with disheveled clothes as they fled the snakes.
• Su Haoyan eyed Jian Ruonan and Dantai Mo with murderous intent, while Dantai Wuyang shielded him and claimed there were no snakebites.
• Jian Ruonan’s thoughts revealed that Dantai Wuyang had mistaken the snakes for props and that Su Haoyan and the two men had been intimate.
• Xue Yuanyu claimed the three had been sparring when snakes fell into their clothes, and Dantai Mo advised them to see an Imperial Physician.
• As Dantai Mo left, Jian Ruonan’s thoughts revealed that Su Haoyan had also been involved with the Third Prince and would help him seize the throne.

Dantai Mo uncovered the Third Prince’s palace-coup plans and unexpectedly stood up after the Black Tortoise System secretly gathered power. Jian Ruonan prepared for her talent performance, then learned someone intended to harm her and had stolen her scissors and red paper.

• Dantai Mo decided to watch the Third Prince and monitor the Golden Guards and Five City Garrison Command after learning of the coup plot.
• Dantai Mo pushed himself out of his wheelchair and stood, while the Black Tortoise System revealed it had stolen a massive haul.
• Jian Ruonan learned that contact with the Fourth Prince weakened her system, which wanted to level up to investigate him and unlock gossip visuals.
• Jian Ruonan discovered she had only 10 points left after spending points on card draws and losing them through the Fourth Prince’s moods.
• Min asked Jian Ruonan about her talent performance, and Jian Ruonan planned to use dry ice to impress the audience.
• Jian Ruonan’s system warned that someone wanted to harm her and had stolen her scissors and red paper to make her embarrass herself.

Xue Yuanyu, Dantai Wuyang, and Su Haoyan plotted to turn the Eldest Princess against Jian Ruonan after she witnessed their secret. Dantai Mo managed to stand briefly and later watched Jian Ruonan meet the Third Prince, Dantai Huai, at the Flower-Viewing Banquet.

• Xue Yuanyu identified Jian Ruonan as the Jinyang Marquis's Residence's Fifth Miss, and Dantai Wuyang planned to make the Eldest Princess suspect her.
• Dantai Mo briefly stood with support, felt sensation return to his legs, and ordered his attendants to keep the recovery secret and send Jian Ruonan five hundred taels of gold.
• Jian Ruonan discovered her scissors and red paper were missing and went to search the weeds by the lake before her talent performance.
• Dantai Mo approached Jian Ruonan in his wheelchair as she met the Third Prince, Dantai Huai, and heard her thoughts praise him.
• After learning Dantai Huai was the male lead, Jian Ruonan sharply criticized his appearance in her thoughts, lifting Dantai Mo's spirits and earning five points.