Chapter Summaries

The Prince of the Southeast's Heir Apparent's Consort confessed that her unborn child belonged to the Prince of the Southeast after Jian Ruonan's Light Screen exposed their affair. The Prince of the Southeast's Heir arrived at the Side Hall believing his child was in danger, but he still did not know the truth as he erupted in rage.

• The Prince of the Southeast's Heir Apparent's Consort pretended to faint, but Jian Ruonan's Light Screen revealed her repeated affairs with the Prince of the Southeast.
• The Prince of the Southeast's Heir Apparent's Consort confessed that the child in her womb belonged to the Prince of the Southeast, and Top Graduate Hou summoned the Prince of the Southeast's Heir.
• The Prince of the Southeast's Heir met with the Heir of the Prince of the Southwest and Zi Azha, who discussed their plan to find Gao Shou and keep Jian Ruonan in check.
• A servant told the Prince of the Southeast's Heir that his consort had urgently called for him over a matter concerning his offspring, so he left the banquet and hurried to the Side Hall.
• The Prince of the Southeast's Heir found his consort crying and assumed she had lost the child, then shouted that he would exterminate the clan of whoever had harmed it.

Jian Ruonan exposed the Prince of the Southeast’s heir as a cuckold before the Golden Guards arrested him and the other fief heirs. She then headed for the Southeast, hoping Madam Wu’s changed fate would earn her the heartfelt blessing she needed to give Black Tortoise physical form.

• Jian Ruonan used talk therapy to revive the Prince of the Southeast’s heir, then revealed that his unborn child was fathered by his own father.
• Zi Azha and the Heir of the Prince of the Southwest found Gao Shou bound to a spinning wheel, but Golden Guards surrounded them before they could rescue him.
• The Golden Guards arrested the three heirs of the Princes of a Fief, while Jian Ruonan decided to travel incognito to the Southeast and seek Madam Wu’s blessing.
• After returning to the Southeast, Madam Wu rested for seven days and observed how the Wu Residence mistreated and exploited her.
• Madam Wu received a visiting card from her younger female cousin and eagerly asked for her to be shown in.

Jian Ruonan visited Madam Wu in disguise as her sickly, impoverished cousin, hoping to enjoy the household intrigue. She helped inspire Madam Wu to expose and dismiss Yanque, who revealed she was pregnant with the master’s child.

• Jian Ruonan arrived at Madam Wu’s residence disguised as her distant cousin Little Jian and explained that she had come to sponge off her.
• Madam Wu arranged new clothes and furnishings for Jian Ruonan, who settled beside her and eagerly listened as Yanque criticized the household.
• Madam Wu realized Yanque was trying to stir conflict and ordered her nursemaid to strike Yanque for slandering the old madam.
• Madam Wu ordered Yanque sold, but Yanque confessed that she was pregnant with the master’s child.
• Jian Ruonan questioned why Madam Wu had waited to deal with Yanque, and Madam Wu said Little Jian had given her the confidence to act.

Madam Wu followed Jian Ruonan's advice and made Yanque a concubine, placing her next to Li Chenchen's courtyard. When Yanque discovered Wu Li openly embracing Li Chenchen, she complained to Madam Wu, but Jian Ruonan reminded her that the Old Madam's niece was beyond Madam Wu's authority.

• Jian Ruonan advised Madam Wu to make pregnant Yanque a concubine and place her beside Li Chenchen rather than sell her.
• Madam Wu made Yanque a concubine, gave her new clothes, jewelry, and maids, and assigned her a courtyard next to Li Chenchen's.
• Li Chenchen stirred Wu Xinxin's resentment over her sister-in-law's spending and dowry, prompting Wu Xinxin to go confront the Old Madam.
• Wu Li greeted Yanque but did not visit her courtyard, instead spending several nights with Li Chenchen.
• Yanque overheard servants say Wu Li preferred secret affairs, then peeked through a hole in the wall and saw him embracing Li Chenchen.
• Yanque complained to Madam Wu, and Jian Ruonan said Li Chenchen was the Old Madam's niece and outside Madam Wu's authority.

Jian Ruonan confronted the Wu family over their treatment of Li Chenchen and their use of her cousin’s dowry. She exposed their hypocrisy, forced Old Madam to order Li Chenchen’s belongings returned, and ended by declaring herself the legendary Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix.

• Yanque celebrated Madam Wu’s rewards by loudly insulting Li Chenchen, who endured the harassment while Wu Li stayed away.
• Li Chenchen complained to Old Madam and Wu Xinxin, prompting Old Madam to order Madam Wu to throw out the poor relative’s belongings.
• Jian Ruonan arrived reclining on a carrying chair, and Madam Wu revealed that the belongings being thrown out belonged to Li Chenchen, not Jian Ruonan.
• Jian Ruonan argued that the Wu family lived off her cousin Zeng-shi’s dowry and threatened to spread the story through hired storytellers.
• After Jian Ruonan traded insults with Wu Xinxin and Old Madam, Old Madam ordered Li Chenchen’s belongings returned.
• Jian Ruonan mocked the Wu family for mistaking her for the poor relative and called herself the legendary Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix.

Madam Wu and Jian Ruonan thwarted the old madam’s attempt to take shops from Madam Wu’s dowry, and Madam Wu secretly moved her wealth out of the Wu residence. Li Chenchen tried to secure her place by pursuing Wu Li, but Wu-shi’s children caught her behaving in a way that shattered their idealized image of her.

• Jian Ruonan exposed the old madam’s demand for shops from Madam Wu’s dowry, and Madam Wu proposed using the eight hundred taels of annual tuition to fund Wu Xinxin instead.
• The old madam agreed to let Li Chenchen stay five more days, and Madam Wu reclaimed the deed to the oil shop.
• Madam Wu and Jian Ruonan transferred most of her dowry out of the Wu residence and changed the merchants’ payment schedule to monthly settlements.
• Li Chenchen tried to summon Wu Li but learned he had gone to Yanque’s courtyard, where Yanque later flaunted Madam Wu’s gifts and planned to expand her courtyard.
• Li Chenchen intercepted Wu Li and spent the night with him, so Yanque sent Wu-shi’s son and daughter to witness Li Chenchen clinging to their father and speaking obscenely.

Madam Wu and Jian Ruonan arranged for Li Chenchen to be exposed as Wu Li’s lover, while Madam Wu’s children gradually turned away from their former teacher. After Madam Wu left for the Farm Estate, Lady Li’s extravagant spending left Wu Residence unable to pay its merchants, and Wu Li borrowed from usurers as he waited for Madam Wu to recover.

• Madam Wu agreed to let her children discover Li Chenchen’s affair so they might choose to leave with her in an unconventional divorce.
• Li Chenchen became Wu Li’s concubine after Concubine Yan brought people to catch them together, and Madam Wu pretended to know nothing.
• Madam Wu’s children grew disappointed in Li Chenchen and became more sympathetic toward their mother.
• Madam Wu left for the Farm Estate to recuperate, leaving Lady Li in charge of Wu Residence’s domestic affairs.
• Lady Li lavished expensive goods on the household, but merchants demanded payment for more than ten thousand taels in outstanding bills.
• Wu Li borrowed from usurers to pay the merchants, expecting Madam Wu to repay the debt if she recovered.

Madam Wu sold off her dowry and moved away with Master Zeng, leaving the Wu Family to collapse under debt and blame Li-shi. After receiving Zeng-shi’s blessing, Jian Ruonan returned to capture Black Tortoise and found him in the form of a frightened boy.

• Jian Ruonan persuaded Master Zeng to leave with Madam Wu by promising him a son and a chance to return honorably later.
• Wu Li discovered that Zeng-shi had sold her properties and left a divorce agreement, then learned that the entire Zeng Family had moved away.
• Wu Li forced the family to return its purchases and sell its property to repay debts, while the Wu Family blamed and mistreated Li-shi.
• Jian Ruonan returned from the Southeast and waited near Prince Rui’s residence to capture Black Tortoise.
• Dantai Mo saw Jian Ruonan visit briefly and realized Black Tortoise had gone unusually quiet.
• Jian Ruonan confronted Black Tortoise, who appeared as a small boy wearing a turtle shell and called for Xiaosi to save him.

Jian Ruonan confronted the Black Tortoise System and learned that the small boy had been pretending to be Black Tortoise. He revealed that he was Xuan Xiaowu, Black Tortoise’s younger brother, and had borrowed his identity to play.

• Jian Ruonan mocked the Black Tortoise System’s childlike appearance and confronted him for bad-mouthing her.
• Jian Ruonan summoned the Hou System, which confirmed that it had surpassed Black Tortoise in level.
• Black Tortoise broke down in tears over being surpassed, while the Hou System doubted that he was the real Black Tortoise.
• Jian Ruonan revealed that she knew his identity was false and threatened him with a backscratcher.
• The boy confessed that he was Xuan Xiaowu, Black Tortoise’s younger brother, and had borrowed his identity to come out and play.

Jian Ruonan caught Xuan Xiaowu, a young Black Tortoise who had stolen his brother’s identity, and punished him while Dantai Mo confessed that Black Tortoise had helped him spy on her and steal her energy. After Xuan Xiaowu exposed Dantai Mo’s role, the trio headed to the Jinyang Marquis’s Residence, where Xuan Xiaowu tried to secure his future by calling Dantai Mo “Daddy” and Jian Ruonan “Mommy.”

• Jian Ruonan learned that eight-year-old Xuan Xiaowu had stolen his brother’s identity to take a mission, then spanked him when he tried to charm his way out of punishment.
• Dantai Mo asked Jian Ruonan’s forgiveness and confessed that Black Tortoise had helped heal his legs and let him overhear her conversations with the Hou System.
• Xuan Xiaowu accused Dantai Mo of stealing energy and ordering him to spy on Jian Ruonan, prompting her to reveal Xuan Xiaowu to Dantai Mo.
• Jian Ruonan invited Dantai Mo to the Jinyang Marquis’s Residence to discuss the matter, while Xuan Xiaowu worried that he could not return inside Dantai Mo’s head.
• Xuan Xiaowu clung to Dantai Mo’s leg and called him “Daddy,” offering to take the blame and help him win Jian Ruonan over before calling Jian Ruonan “Mommy.”

Xuan Xiaowu pretended to be Dantai Mo and Jian Ruonan’s son, stirring up the Jinyang Marquis’s Residence before Jian Ruonan beat him for his shameless act. Dantai Mo prepared to take him away, but Xuan Xiaowu clung to Min and begged to stay at the residence.

• Xuan Xiaowu hugged Dantai Mo and Jian Ruonan, calling them Daddy and Mommy and claiming to be their child.
• Teng told Min that she was going to be a grandmother, and the family hurried to the main hall to see Xuan Xiaowu.
• Xuan Xiaowu claimed he regarded Dantai Mo as a loving father and Jian Ruonan as a strict mother, while Jian Ruonan and Dantai Mo denied being old enough to have a child.
• Xuan Xiaowu tried to protect Dantai Mo by saying his theft of the Lamp Oil and eavesdropping were his own decisions, but Jian Ruonan ordered Chen Pozi to hold him down and spanked him.
• Dantai Mo said he would take Xuan Xiaowu away, and Xuan Xiaowu clung to Min and begged to stay at the Jinyang Marquis’s Residence.

Jian Ruonan dealt with the arrival of Xuan Xiaowu, who claimed to be her future son, while preparing to report her successes in the Southeast to Emperor Deyuan. The Hou System later revealed that Xiaowu could leave only after Jian Ruonan completed her mission to win over Dantai Mo, which Xiaowu said meant getting married.

• Min took Xuan Xiaowu into her care, and he told the family he had traveled from the future as Jian Ruonan and Dantai Mo's son.
• Xuan Xiaowu explained that his turtle shell was a divine artifact needed for his return, and the family accepted his story.
• After recovering from a day's sleep, Jian Ruonan found Xiaowu living in Min's Green Gauze Alcove and warned him not to cause trouble.
• Jian Ruonan met Dantai Mo at the palace gates and told him she would leave Xiaowu where he was.
• The Hou System reported that putting Xiaowu back into Dantai Mo's head was highly unlikely, but he could leave once Jian Ruonan completed her mission.
• Xuan Xiaowu said Jian Ruonan would complete the mission by marrying Dantai Mo.

Jian Ruonan weighed the Hou System’s options for completing its mission and decided to keep Jian Chuxue and Mechuan Yaokuzi alive while waiting for them to have a son. She arranged for Dantai Mo to take Xuan Xiaowu for the next week, while the Jinyang Marquis’s Residence gossiped about their meeting and watched the Fourth Prince leave with the child.

• The Hou System said Jian Ruonan could complete the mission by marrying Dantai Mo or by ensuring Jian Chuxue and Mechuan Yaokuzi stayed together and had a son.
• Xuan Xiaowu argued that keeping the couple alive was difficult, but Jian Ruonan decided to wait and pursue that plan.
• Dantai Mo offered to share custody of Xuan Xiaowu, and Jian Ruonan agreed that he should take the child for the next seven days.
• The Elder Branch speculated about Jian Ruonan and Dantai Mo, while the Old Madam and others gossiped about Xuan Xiaowu and Jian Chuyun’s imprisoned Heir.
• The Fourth Prince emerged from Deer Song Courtyard with Xuan Xiaowu, and Jian Ruonan found the household gathered outside to watch them leave.

Dantai Mo took Xuan Xiaowu to the palace, where the boy revealed to Emperor Deyuan and Consort Yan that he was Dantai Mo and Jian Ruonan’s future son. He persuaded the emperor to let Dantai Mo discuss sparing Jian Chuxue and Mechuan Yaokuzi with Jian Ruonan, while he stayed in the palace with his grandparents.

• Jian Ruonan tried to stop the Jinyang Marquis’s household from gossiping about her and Xuan Xiaowu, but her explanation only prompted them to exchange knowing looks.
• Dantai Mo took Xuan Xiaowu to the Imperial Palace and introduced him to Emperor Deyuan.
• Xuan Xiaowu called Emperor Deyuan his Imperial Grandfather and explained that he was Dantai Mo and Jian Ruonan’s eight-year-old son from the future.
• Emperor Deyuan welcomed Xuan Xiaowu and summoned Consort Yan, who also warmly accepted him as her grandson.
• Dantai Mo asked Emperor Deyuan to spare Jian Chuxue and Mechuan Yaokuzi, and Xuan Xiaowu urged the emperor to let him and Jian Ruonan discuss the matter first.

Xuan Xiaowu settled into palace life while Dantai Mo prepared the Imperial Prison for an honored visitor. At Jian Xilu’s trousseau banquet, Jian Ruonan confronted the Younger Branch and recruited the Eldest Princess to help her pursue fresh gossip.

• Xuan Xiaowu agreed to borrow money from Commandery Princess Jiarou after losing games in the Imperial Garden.
• Dantai Mo ordered the Imperial Prison cleaned and aired out before an honored guest arrived the next day.
• Jian Ruonan rebuked Young Shi-shi for blaming her for Jian Chuyun’s canceled wedding and pressured her to give Jian Xilu a proper trousseau gift.
• Jian Ruonan asked the Eldest Princess to help her gain access to the homes of several noble families as a physician so she could hear their gossip.

Jian Ruonan arranged to keep Mechuan Yaokuzi and Jian Chuxue alive long enough to fulfill their mission, then disguised herself as a physician to pursue gossip at the homes of powerful families. She was rushed to Commandery Prince Anping’s residence, where a concubine urgently needed treatment.

• Jian Ruonan learned that Mechuan Yaokuzi and Jian Chuxue faced execution and went with Dantai Mo to the Imperial Prison.
• Jian Ruonan identified and removed prison spies plotting to help Mechuan Yaokuzi escape, then proposed ransoming the Wa Kingdom’s generals instead of executing them.
• Jian Ruonan sent Wang Defa to arrange family-doctor visits at Commandery Prince Anping’s residence and the Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief’s residence.
• Jian Ruonan waited at her rented house for a chance to investigate gossip and was called to treat someone at Commandery Prince Anping’s residence.
• Chen Pozi disguised Jian Ruonan on the carriage ride, and servants urged her to save a concubine before Third Master punished the household.

Jian Ruonan and her companions entered Prince Anping's Residence to treat Lü Xinxiang and Commander Shu, only to find the couple locked in a volatile confrontation. They interrupted the scene to tend to their injuries, and Jian Ruonan tried to recruit Lü Xinxiang to calm Commander Shu.

• Jian Ruonan arrived at Prince Anping's Residence with the disguised Eldest Princess, Dantai Mo, and Wang Defa after being summoned to treat someone.
• The group found Lü Xinxiang holding a porcelain shard to Commander Shu's neck while he dared her to cut him.
• Commander Shu forced Lü Xinxiang's hand against his neck until the shard drew blood, then kissed her as she cried.
• Jian Ruonan entered to treat their wounds, and Dantai Mo stopped the Eldest Princess from revealing herself when Commander Shu shouted at them.
• Dantai Mo brought two maids inside to plead with Commander Shu, and Jian Ruonan urged Lü Xinxiang to persuade him before she cried out.

Jian Ruonan watched the Qianhu torment Lü Xinxiang with relentless kisses until the Commandery Prince interrupted them and ordered his son to win her over within three days. After Lü Xinxiang finally urged the Qianhu to stop his bleeding, Jian Ruonan began treating his wound while encouraging their reconciliation.

• The Qianhu resumed kissing Lü Xinxiang after she bit him, then refused to have his bleeding wound bandaged.
• Jian Ruonan learned that Lü Xinxiang had been engaged to the Qianhu's nephew before the Qianhu forcibly brought her home.
• The Commandery Prince arrived, mocked his son, and gave him three days to handle Lü Xinxiang before intervening himself.
• Jian Ruonan offered to bandage the Qianhu and persuaded Lü Xinxiang to ask him to stop the bleeding.
• The Qianhu accepted treatment after Lü Xinxiang called him Third Master, and Jian Ruonan praised his smile.

Jian Ruonan stopped the Thousand-Household Commander’s bleeding with a sanitary pad, then watched his possessiveness spark a confrontation when the Eldest Princess tried to treat Lü Xinxiang. Back at home, Jian Ruonan and Teng reassured Jian Xilu, who was anxious about her wedding the next day, that her family would support her.

• Jian Ruonan used a sanitary pad to stop the Thousand-Household Commander’s neck from bleeding, and he rewarded her with silver after praising the pad as an “Uncle Protector.”
• The Thousand-Household Commander threw the blood-soaked pad at the Eldest Princess when she tried to examine Lü Xinxiang’s injured hand, and Dantai Mo pulled the furious princess out of the room.
• Jian Ruonan let the Thousand-Household Commander treat Lü Xinxiang’s hand himself, then returned home and gave the reward silver to the steward in exchange for being called if he had stomach trouble.
• Jian Ruonan found the family gathered around Jian Xilu’s dowry and learned that the bride-to-be feared being mistreated or missing her family after marriage.
• Jian Ruonan and Teng promised Jian Xilu that she could return home whenever she needed help, while Min warned them not to lead her astray.

Jian Ruonan helped her family prepare for Jian Xilu’s wedding and reflected on how deeply she had come to belong to the Jinyang Marquis’s Residence. Jian Xilu left for her new home in a bridal sedan as Jian Ruonan watched her go with tears in her eyes.

• Min and Jian Xilu cried together, while Jian Huayuan promised to stand up for his eldest sister and the family told him not to cause trouble.
• Jian Ruonan rose early to help Min check Jian Xilu’s dowry and assist with the wedding preparations.
• Jian Ruonan and Min received palace wedding gifts, and Xuan Xiaowu arrived hoping to collect red envelopes.
• The Fourth Prince and Embroidered Uniform Guards brought bridal-preparation gifts, while Dantai Mo took charge of urging the bride to finish getting ready.
• Top Graduate Hou handed out red envelopes, and Jian Xilu bid farewell before riding on Jian Huayuan’s back to the bridal sedan.