Chapter Summaries

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.

Jian Ruonan recovered her performance props after Jian Chuxue had them stolen, while the Third Prince tried to charm her and Dantai Mo overheard her thoughts about the princes’ future. At the flower-viewing banquet, Jian Chuxue captivated the Princess Royal and the Third Prince with her dance, deepening their romance.

• The Third Prince retrieved Jian Ruonan’s cloth bag and tried to impress her, but she mocked him and took it back.
• Dantai Mo hurried toward Jian Ruonan, then slowed down after hearing her thoughts about the Third Prince’s twitching eye and their possible future coup.
• Jian Ruonan returned to Min with the bag, discovered its red paper had been soaked, and learned from the system that Jian Chuxue had sent a maid to steal it.
• Jian Chuxue performed the Flying Apsara Dance, earning the Princess Royal’s praise and a reward of fruit.
• The Third Prince gave Jian Chuxue his jade ring, while Jian Ruonan inwardly urged them to stay together.

Min explored a possible match between Jian Ruonan and Wang Enze after discovering that Ruonan liked him, while Jian Ruonan prepared for her paper-cutting performance at the Eldest Princess's banquet. The chapter ended when the system warned her that the Eldest Princess planned to have her pushed into the lake, and Jian Ruonan prepared to unleash her ultimate.

• Jian Chuxue performed a dance, and Min considered asking whether she wanted to marry into the imperial family.
• Min learned that Wang Enze was Madam Wang's fifteen-year-old son and began considering him as a match for Jian Ruonan.
• Jian Ruonan befriended Wang Yuan over food, while Min and Madam Wang warmed to the idea of a match between the families.
• Jian Xilu performed flawlessly, and the Eldest Princess and Xue Yuanyu discussed Jian Ruonan's medical skills and marriage prospects.
• Jian Ruonan was called to perform before her red paper had been returned, so she took toilet paper to the Lake Pavilion.
• The system warned Jian Ruonan that the Eldest Princess planned to have her pushed into the lake and that the Third Prince intended to rescue her; Jian Ruonan prepared to unleash her ultimate.

Jian Ruonan used her supposed paper-cutting divination to identify where the Ninth Prince’s missing Nine Linked Rings were hidden, earning the guests’ admiration. As the Eldest Princess asked her to find a missing piece of jade, Jian Ruonan and Dantai Mo learned from the Gossip System that Xue Yingxuan was not the Eldest Princess’s biological son.

• Jian Ruonan arrived at the Lake Pavilion in a misty, fairy-like display, while the Eldest Princess secretly planned to have her pushed into the lake and rescued by an attendant.
• Chen Pozi threw two maids into the lake, and Jian Ruonan claimed she had divined that they intended to push her in.
• The Ninth Prince asked Jian Ruonan to find his missing Nine Linked Rings, and she consulted the Gossip System after he cut the paper.
• The Gossip System revealed that Xue Yingxuan had hidden the rings in a lotus-leaf water vat at the Fragrance Pavilion and that he was not the Eldest Princess’s biological son.
• Jian Ruonan announced where the rings were, and an attendant retrieved them from the vat.
• The Eldest Princess asked Jian Ruonan to divine the whereabouts of her missing jade, interrupting Jian Ruonan’s interest in hearing more gossip about Xue Yingxuan.

Jian Ruonan revealed that the jade hanging around Su Haoyan’s neck had been made by Xue Yuanyu for the eldest princess before he secretly gave it to Su. The eldest princess confronted them, but Xue Yuanyu claimed he had lost it in a wager, and she seemed to believe him.

• Jian Ruonan’s divination revealed that Xue Yuanyu had made the heart-shaped jade for Su Haoyan, then disguised its origin and secretly returned it to him.
• Dantai Mo urged the eldest princess to enter the Lake Pavilion with Xue Yuanyu, and Chen Pozi announced that Su Haoyan was wearing the missing jade.
• An Imperial Guard restrained Su Haoyan before he could destroy the jade, and Dantai Mo drew it from his neck for the eldest princess to recognize.
• The eldest princess accused Su Haoyan of seducing Xue Yuanyu, while Dantai Wuyang shielded Su and Xue Yuanyu tried to calm her.
• Xue Yuanyu claimed he had lost the jade to Su Haoyan in a wager, and the eldest princess’s anger eased as she appeared to accept his explanation.

At the Flower-Viewing Banquet, Jian Ruonan was asked to find proof that the Eldest Princess's consort did not love her and uncovered that he had secretly swapped their newborn daughter with his mistress's son. As Jian Ruonan worried the Eldest Princess would not believe her, Dantai Mo offered to help.

• The Eldest Princess and her consort acted out an elaborate reconciliation, while Jian Ruonan and the others watched in disbelief.
• The Eldest Princess used her final divination to ask Jian Ruonan to find proof that her consort did not love her.
• Jian Ruonan called on the Black Tortoise System for gossip and learned that Xue Yingxuan was the consort's son with his mistress, exchanged at birth for the Eldest Princess's daughter.
• Jian Ruonan feared that telling the Eldest Princess would earn her hatred and put her in danger.
• Dantai Mo offered Jian Ruonan his help, and she eagerly accepted.

Jian Ruonan used her toilet-paper divination to reveal that Xue Yuanyu had switched the Eldest Princess’s newborn daughter with his mistress’s son, and Dantai Mo began investigating. While the guests waited for his findings, Xue Rubo arrived and took a place beside Dantai Mo.

• The prince consort, Xue Yuanyu, secretly replaced the toilet paper on the divination tray, hoping to thwart Jian Ruonan.
• Jian Ruonan told Dantai Mo that Xue Yuanyu had switched the Eldest Princess’s daughter with his mistress’s son and identified witnesses and clues.
• Dantai Mo believed Jian Ruonan, ordered eight guards to investigate, and promised to report the results within four hours.
• The guests debated Jian Ruonan’s powers, and she became the center of attention at the Eldest Princess’s residence.
• Xue Rubo arrived, had maids move Jian Ruonan aside, and sat beside Dantai Mo.

At the Princess Royal’s residence, Jian Ruonan declared that Xue Rubo and Dantai Mo were incompatible, prompting Xue Yuanyu to accuse her of fraud. Dantai Mo revealed that Xue Yuanyu had switched the Princess Royal’s daughter at birth, leaving the Princess Royal confronted with the truth about her husband.

• The Princess Royal urged Dantai Mo to marry Xue Rubo and adopt an imperial clansman’s son, but Dantai Mo stayed silent.
• Jian Ruonan divined that Xue Rubo and Dantai Mo were incompatible and that their marriage would bring ruin and death, earning points from Dantai Mo.
• Xue Yuanyu accused Jian Ruonan of insulting the State Preceptor’s favorable match and ordered guards to throw her out.
• Dantai Mo’s Embroidered Uniform Guard arrived with Prince Kang and brought in a woman and a scarred little girl.
• Dantai Mo ordered Xue Yuanyu bound and revealed that the girl was the Princess Royal’s biological daughter, whom Xue Yuanyu had switched at birth.
• Jian Ruonan told the Princess Royal that the revelation proved her husband did not love her.

After Xue Yuanyu was exposed for switching the Eldest Princess’s children, she still defended him, and Prince Kang had him taken into custody. Jian Ruonan then realized she could locate the Previous Dynasty Treasure by learning the names of the Previous Dynasty Nobility and resolved to find it before the Third Prince.

• Prince Kang’s guards presented Xue Yuanyu, the midwife, and former Xue Residence stewards Xue Da and Xue San as evidence of the children’s switch.
• The Eldest Princess begged Prince Kang to spare Xue Yuanyu and believed his claim that he switched the baby because he feared neglecting her.
• Prince Kang ordered Xue Yuanyu taken into custody and said His Majesty would decide his punishment, ending the Flower-Viewing Banquet.
• Jian Chuxue watched the Shi Family warm to her because she was Jian Ruonan’s sister, while guests discussed Jian Ruonan’s prominence at the banquet.
• Min received invitations from powerful officials, and Madam Wang and Min agreed to arrange a meeting between Jian Ruonan and Wang Defa.
• Wang Yuan asked Jian Ruonan to divine the location of the Previous Dynasty Treasure, and Jian Ruonan realized she could find tomb entrances using the names of the Previous Dynasty Nobility.

After solving several cases, Jian Ruonan attracted Emperor Deyuan’s attention and was summoned to the palace, while her attempt to upgrade the system consumed all her points without producing the promised visuals. The chapter ended with her maid hearing Jian Ruonan’s furious thoughts as she was called to wake for the imperial audience.

• Emperor Deyuan rejected the Eldest Princess’s defense of Xue Yuanyu and ordered her taken away, then decided the recovered little commandery princess would stay with Consort De.
• Dantai Mo praised Fifth Miss Jian Ruonan’s role in solving the child-switching case and uncovering other crimes, prompting Emperor Deyuan to summon her to the palace.
• Jian Ruonan dismissed the idea of joining the Embroidered Uniform Guard because she disliked getting up early, while little Teng encouraged her to seek the previous dynasty’s treasure.
• After receiving twenty affection points, Jian Ruonan spent her hundred points upgrading the system, but the only apparent change was that it called itself the “big system.”
• The next morning, Jian Ruonan’s maid tried to wake her for the imperial audience and heard Jian Ruonan’s angry thoughts about the useless system.

Jian Ruonan went to the palace for an audience with Emperor Deyuan, while her unfiltered thoughts repeatedly alarmed her family and the imperial officials. As the emperor and his ministers struggled to fund disaster relief and other urgent needs, Jian Ruonan proposed confiscating corrupt officials’ estates.

• The maids in Deer Song Courtyard began hearing Jian Ruonan’s thoughts, and Min feared she might offend Emperor Deyuan during the audience.
• Min prepared Jian Ruonan for the imperial audience, teaching her etiquette while Jian Ruonan complained about studying and little Teng tried to win her favor.
• On the way into the palace, Jian Ruonan’s thoughts about Eunuch Cao’s bribe and castration made him stammer, while little Teng and Jian Xilu realized he could hear her thoughts.
• Emperor Deyuan asked the Second Prince and Fourth Prince to find a solution to the empty treasury and repeated disasters as the ministers argued over funding.
• After Jian Ruonan arrived with Jian Xilu and little Teng, she heard that the court lacked money and suggested arresting corrupt officials and confiscating their estates.