Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• On Mid-Autumn Festival, the emperor orders officials of fourth rank or higher to bring their twelve-year-old children to a palace banquet. Assistant Minister Song must bring his daughter, Song Yaoyao, despite the family’s fear of exposing her unusual ability.
• Since infancy, Yaoyao has privately chatted with Guagua, a system that knows people’s secrets. Her family—her parents and three siblings—can hear her thoughts, and the accurate revelations have made them keep her secluded for years to protect her.
• At the banquet, Yaoyao enthusiastically comments on the elaborate food, then compares the fruit unfavorably to what she remembers from the “Modern Era,” mentioning airplanes and rapid transport.
• The emperor and other guests realize they can hear an unidentified young woman’s inner voice. They search for its source, then awkwardly remember to start the banquet’s entertainment.
• Yaoyao admires the dancers and makes an unreservedly suggestive remark in her thoughts. Several guests choke on their tea. Unaware her thoughts are audible, she suspects something is wrong with the tea; Guagua assures her it is fine.

Character development and interactions

• Song Yaoyao is cheerful, food-loving, and outspoken in her thoughts, but oblivious to the disruption they cause. Her modern knowledge and candid reactions clash comically with palace etiquette.
• Assistant Minister Song, Madam Song, and Yaoyao’s siblings remain outwardly composed but are deeply anxious about her thoughts being heard. Years of living with her secret have made them accustomed to the phenomenon, though not to the danger it may bring.
• Guagua acts as Yaoyao’s conversational companion and mildly scolds her for being lewd, while helping her interpret events.
• The emperor and banquet guests silently investigate the mysterious voice, then react with confusion and embarrassment to Yaoyao’s comments.

Significant themes

• Private thoughts versus public propriety: Yaoyao believes her inner voice is private, while the court hears her unfiltered opinions.
• Family protection and secrecy: The Song family’s long isolation of Yaoyao reflects their fear that her knowledge could endanger her.
• Humor through cultural contrast: Modern references and blunt observations disrupt the formal setting of the imperial court.
• Knowledge as risk: Guagua’s access to secrets—and Yaoyao’s uncontrolled thoughts—could have serious consequences.

Plot points and events

• During the Mid-Autumn banquet, Song Yaoyao’s private thoughts about the dancers are accidentally heard by those around her. Her frank remarks embarrass several women and alarm her family, who fear her unfiltered mind will ruin her marriage prospects.
• The emperor proposes that everyone offer a blessing or poem, partly to identify the voice behind the thoughts. When Yaoyao takes her turn, her inner commentary openly praises the emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager before she gives a graceful blessing for a happy, prosperous life.
• The hall recognizes Yaoyao as the voice’s owner. She introduces herself as Assistant Minister Song’s daughter, attending the palace for the first time.
• The Empress Dowager rewards her with jade bracelets, and the Empress gives her a pearl-and-ruby hairpin. Yaoyao hands the gifts to her mother, then privately wonders if she received them because she is so charming. Her system mocks her vanity and undeveloped figure.

Character developments

• Yaoyao remains cheerful, curious, and completely unaware of how revealing her thoughts are. Though her outward behavior is respectful, her inner monologue is bold and irreverent.
• Her family, especially her parents, grows increasingly anxious as the secret of her thoughts becomes impossible to hide.
• The emperor and the two royal women move from curiosity to affection: Yaoyao’s sincere, flattering thoughts amuse and please them.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus inner self: Yaoyao seems quiet and well-mannered, but her private thoughts are lively and audacious.
• Public exposure and social reputation: Her involuntary thoughts threaten her family’s standing and future marriage prospects.
• Sincerity and unintended consequences: Yaoyao’s candid praise wins royal favor even as her lack of restraint causes embarrassment.
• Comic vanity: Yaoyao’s self-admiration is undercut by Guagua’s blunt teasing.

Character interactions

• Yaoyao’s imagined conversation with Guagua supplies the chapter’s humor; the system alternates between indulging and mocking her.
• The emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager hear Yaoyao’s thoughts and react with amusement and warmth.
• The Empress and Empress Dowager reward Yaoyao, while her mother accepts the gifts and quietly bears the family’s embarrassment.

Key plot points and events

• At a palace banquet, Song Yaoyao’s inner conversation with her Gossip System entertains the guests, though they must hide their laughter while the emperor remains silent.
• The System warns that a tall dancer is a man disguised as a woman and an assassin, carrying a poisoned dagger and a flexible sword. Yaoyao panics over how to warn everyone without appearing involved.
• Before she can think of a plan, the assassin attacks the emperor. Guards intercept him, and the guests scatter.
• Yaoyao hides under a table but leaves her backside exposed. Her brother pulls her to safety, while her family finds her and scolds her for her undignified hiding.
• Yaoyao placates her mother by promising to massage her shoulders and legs.
• The chapter then reveals Yaoyao’s past: in her previous life, she was an orphan who became a highly trained military doctor. She died from exhaustion while treating the wounded and was reborn into the Song family in a fictional dynasty, where she bonded with the Gossip System.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao is clever and capable but also fearful, impulsive, and comically unfiltered in her private thoughts. Her admiration for a guard’s fighting technique quickly distracts her from the danger.
• The Gossip System (“Guagua”) alerts Yaoyao to the assassination and repeatedly criticizes her silly commentary and poor hiding.
• Song Qingyu, her eldest brother, acts protectively by carrying her away from danger.
• Madam Song is exasperated by Yaoyao’s behavior but softens when Yaoyao acts frightened and affectionate. Their exchange shows both maternal concern and Yaoyao’s knack for getting out of trouble.
• The Song family is presented as close and affectionate: Yaoyao’s parents have a loving marriage, and her siblings are established as accomplished and protective.

Significant themes

• Comedy amid danger: The assassination creates real peril, but Yaoyao’s inner monologue and awkward hiding repeatedly puncture the tension.
• Second chances and identity: Yaoyao’s rebirth gives her a new family after a life shaped by orphanhood and self-reliance.
• Family and belonging: Unlike her previous life, Yaoyao now has loving parents and siblings, even when they scold her.
• Competence versus decorum: Yaoyao’s medical and military background contrasts with her irreverent, unladylike conduct in her new life.

Chapter Summary

• Song Yaoyao’s outlook: In her previous life, Song worked herself to exhaustion and died without ever having a boyfriend. Reborn into a wealthy, loving family, she wants a comfortable, carefree life. Though her parents restrict her from leaving home, she avoids the activities expected of a young lady and instead snacks on sunflower seeds while listening to the servants’ gossip. Madam Song’s attempts to discipline her have failed, and she worries about the family’s uncertain future after the Palace Banquet.
• The assassination attempt: Guards capture the assassin, who is revealed to be a man disguised as a woman. They remove poison concealed in his mouth and confiscate his hidden flexible sword—details that match information Song had received from Guagua. The assassin is taken away, and the Empress has the damaged hall cleared so the banquet can continue.
• Song and the guests: The guests suspect Song somehow knew the assassin’s identity and weapons, but her inner thoughts reveal she has no idea why everyone is staring at her. Her casual reaction to the banquet resuming—wondering whether she is too old to handle excitement at age twelve—amuses and exasperates those around her. Bored by the performances, she asks Guagua for gossip.
• Liu Guangxu’s history: Guagua begins recounting the respectable-looking Counsellor Grandee Liu Guangxu’s past. Liu was a gifted student whose widowed mother struggled to afford his education after his father died. His teacher, Wang, agreed to support Liu in exchange for Liu eventually caring for him and marrying his daughter, Wang Xiuxiu. Xiuxiu cared devotedly for Liu’s mother, while Wang continued funding Liu’s studies. After Liu passed an examination, however, his mother began looking down on Xiuxiu, despite the family’s dependence on Wang’s support. Song privately condemns Liu’s mother as shameless; the account ends before Liu’s later actions are revealed.

Character Developments and Interactions

Song’s irreverence and desire to live on her own terms contrast with the formal expectations surrounding her. Guagua serves as her source of entertaining, revealing gossip, while the adults around them react to her unexplained knowledge and unfiltered thoughts. Madam Song’s anxiety reflects the family’s vulnerability, and Liu’s backstory introduces a contrast between Xiuxiu’s loyalty and Liu’s mother’s growing arrogance.

Significant Themes

• Freedom versus social expectations: Song resists the prescribed hobbies and behavior of a young noblewoman.
• Appearance versus reality: Liu looks upright and scholarly, while Guagua’s account suggests a morally troubling history.
• Obligation and exploitation: Wang’s support is tied to a family duty, while Xiuxiu’s care and loyalty are met with contempt.
• Composure in crisis: The banquet’s quick resumption contrasts with Song’s astonishment at how readily everyone accepts the assassination attempt.

Key plot points and events

• Liu Guangxu wins the affection of wealthy merchant Li Huilan by portraying himself as an abused, unwilling fiancé. Outraged on his behalf, Li arranges for thieves to murder his teacher, Teacher Wang, and Wang Xiuxiu, then has the thieves eliminated. The crime remains unsolved.
• Liu and Li begin a relationship without formal marriage arrangements, and Li becomes pregnant. Her father, Master Li, accepts Liu as a son-in-law, hoping his scholarship will bring the family status. Liu enjoys the Li family’s wealth and brings his mother to live comfortably in the county town.
• Seeking control of the Li household, Liu engineers the deaths or incapacitation of Master Li’s sons and coerces a trusted attendant into poisoning Master Li. After Master Li dies, Liu takes over the household.
• Liu passes the provincial examination and becomes a juren, then earns second place in the palace examination. He agrees to marry Cheng Qinqin, a daughter of Duke Zhenguo’s household, and demotes Li Huilan from wife to concubine.
• When Li tries to use the old murders to stop the demotion, Liu has her and their daughter killed and stages their deaths as a bandit attack. He then presents himself publicly as a devoted widower and marries Cheng, whose powerful family helps advance his career.
• Liu’s rise to a Subordinate Fourth Rank Counsellor Grandee is exposed through Guagua’s account. The revelations horrify the court, and the emperor recognizes the danger of having such a ruthless man among his officials.

Character developments and interactions

• Liu Guangxu is revealed as a calculating opportunist who hides behind the image of a bookish, refined scholar. He manipulates Li Huilan, eliminates people who obstruct his ambitions—including his teacher, benefactor, wife, and daughter—and leverages wealth and political connections to climb the ranks.
• Li Huilan is first manipulated into acting as Liu’s instrument against Teacher Wang, then becomes his wife and a source of wealth and influence. When she resists being demoted, Liu has her killed.
• Master Li initially accepts Liu for his scholarly promise but trusts him disastrously, allowing Liu to seize the family’s fortune and power.
• Cheng Qinqin, despite Liu’s private contempt for her appearance, becomes his new wife because her noble family offers valuable influence.
• Song Yaoyao reacts with indignation and condemns Liu’s crimes, while the gathered officials recoil from him and the emperor is alarmed by what the revelations imply.

Significant themes

• Deception and appearances: Liu’s respectable scholarly persona conceals extraordinary cruelty.
• Ambition and exploitation: He builds status and wealth through the lives, money, and influence of others, especially women.
• Betrayal of trust and family: Liu turns against his teacher, benefactor, household, wife, and child.
• Justice and power: His crimes go unpunished for years, raising fears about what he might do if given greater authority.

Key plot points and events

• The emperor secretly orders an investigation into Liu Guangxu to verify Song Yaoyao’s revelations about his crimes.
• Song Yaoyao and her system, Guagua, discuss whether Duke Zhenguo knows Liu’s history. Guagua says he investigated Liu’s family before arranging his daughter’s marriage but remains confident Liu poses no threat.
• After the banquet, the emperor gathers the officials. He discovers that only about half can hear Song Yaoyao’s thoughts; those who cannot are dismissed.
• Assistant Minister Song explains that his family has heard Yaoyao’s thoughts since her birth, that Guagua has been with her all along, and that the information they reveal has repeatedly proved true.
• The emperor orders the officials who can hear Yaoyao to keep the ability secret from her, threatening execution if anyone tells her.
• Back at home, Yaoyao is again forbidden to leave the estate. She resigns herself to her parents’ protective reasons, while Guagua urges her to find a way out because its energy is running low without new gossip.

Character developments

• The emperor shifts from curiosity to cautious investigation, taking Yaoyao’s revelations seriously and enforcing secrecy.
• Song Xiuyuan openly confirms his family’s long-standing knowledge of Yaoyao’s thoughts and Guagua, while emphasizing that they have kept her confined for her safety.
• Song Yaoyao feels disappointed and trapped by her parents’ continued restrictions, though she recognizes the danger of abduction. Her vanity remains apparent as she jokes that her beauty makes her a target.
• Guagua supports Yaoyao but also agrees that her parents have valid concerns; its need for fresh gossip gives Yaoyao a reason to seek more freedom.
• Duke Zhenguo is portrayed as overly confident in his ability to control or dismiss Liu Guangxu.

Significant themes

• Truth and verification: The emperor tests Yaoyao’s claims rather than accepting them blindly.
• Secrecy and power: The unusual ability to hear Yaoyao’s thoughts creates a hidden divide among the officials and becomes a matter of state.
• Protection versus freedom: Yaoyao’s parents restrict her for safety, but their care leaves her feeling isolated.
• Gossip as knowledge: Private thoughts expose wrongdoing and shape political decisions, while also sustaining Guagua.

Character interactions

• The emperor questions Song Xiuyuan about Yaoyao, Guagua, and her past, then instructs the officials who can hear her to conceal the truth.
• Officials react with shock and disgust at the allegations against Liu Guangxu.
• Yaoyao debates her confinement with Guagua: she complains, accepts the risks her parents fear, and is encouraged to find a way to leave the estate.

Plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao’s parents refuse to let her leave the estate and increase security at the gates. Unable to get out, she returns to listening to the household matrons’ gossip to gain energy for Guagua.
• The emperor receives the results of an investigation into Liu Guangxu, confirming his crimes and showing that Duke Zhenguo’s Estate had no part in Li Huilan’s death. He orders Liu, his family, and his property seized.
• In prison, Liu agrees to divorce Cheng Qinqin, hoping the separation might spare their children. Cheng leaves immediately, abandoning them to save herself. Liu is sentenced to execution; his young children are sold into official servitude.
• Uncertain what Song Yaoyao’s unusual presence means for the dynasty, the emperor summons Master Liaoran. The monk reveals that he foresaw a “star of fortune” descending twelve years earlier and identifies Song as that star, destined to bring great prosperity to Tianfeng. He assures the emperor that other kingdoms will not discover her nature.
• The emperor appoints twelve-year-old Song Yaoyao a Subordinate Sixth Rank Court Recorder, responsible for recording his words and actions, and orders her to attend court with her father the next day.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao remains restless and bewildered: first confined to the estate, then abruptly summoned to receive an edict appointing her to court.
• The emperor moves from relying on Song’s revelations to seeking spiritual confirmation of her significance. Convinced she is a blessing to the dynasty, he gives her an unusual official role.
• Duke Zhenguo recognizes that Liu’s case is beyond rescue and urges Cheng Qinqin to divorce him to protect herself.
• Cheng Qinqin reveals her self-preservation above all else by abandoning her children after securing the divorce.
• Liu Guangxu misjudges the situation, expecting help from Duke Zhenguo’s family and later hoping the divorce will protect his children; both hopes fail.
• Master Liaoran confirms the emperor’s suspicions, framing Song’s arrival as heaven’s favor.

Significant themes

• Fate and providence: Song is presented as a divinely destined source of fortune for the dynasty.
• Self-interest and family loyalty: Cheng abandons her children to escape punishment, while Liu’s assumptions about family protection prove misplaced.
• Power and justice: The emperor acts decisively against Liu after confirming the investigation.
• The burden of exceptional status: Song’s supposed destiny brings not only honor but an unexpected, demanding position at court.

Key plot points and events

• Eunuch Wang delivers an imperial decree appointing twelve-year-old Song Yaoyao to record the emperor’s words and actions during court and his discussions with ministers. She will not have to record his activities at other times.
• Yaoyao begs her father, Assistant Minister Song, and then her mother to get the decree withdrawn. Both refuse: an imperial command cannot be rejected. Her mother consoles her by promising her favorite dishes.
• Yaoyao enjoys the braised pork and squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, then stays up late reading a scandalous romance despite knowing she must rise before dawn for court.
• In the morning, she refuses to wake. Her maid and two older servants dress and wash her while she keeps her eyes shut; her father eventually carries her to the carriage. She promptly falls asleep again, leaving him exasperated.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao is shown as carefree, stubborn, and comically unmotivated. She resents being made to “go to work,” prioritizes sleep and romance novels, and accepts her father’s help without embarrassment.
• Assistant Minister Song is dutiful but increasingly frustrated by his youngest daughter’s childish behavior. He obeys the decree and personally gets her to court, while worrying about her future.
• Madam Song is affectionate and indulgent, but firm that the decree must be followed.
• Bi Tao and the other servants dutifully manage Yaoyao’s morning preparations.

Significant themes

• Duty versus personal wishes: Yaoyao’s reluctance contrasts with the unquestionable authority of an imperial decree.
• Family affection and exasperation: Her parents support her, but their care comes with firm expectations and humorous frustration.
• Youth and responsibility: Yaoyao’s appointment places a child in an adult role, while her behavior remains thoroughly childish.
• Comic domesticity: Her late-night reading, oversleeping, and food-fueled contentment make the burden of court duty a source of humor.

Character interactions

• Yaoyao tries unsuccessfully to persuade both parents to intervene with the emperor; her mother redirects her with a meal promise.
• She chats with Guagua about the romance novel, brushing aside reminders about her early start.
• Bi Tao and the older servants struggle to wake and prepare her, while Assistant Minister Song takes over by carrying her to the carriage.

Key plot points and events

• Assistant Minister Song carries his sleepy twelve-year-old daughter, Song Yaoyao, from the carriage toward the palace gates. Her new appointment as a Subordinate Sixth Rank Court Recorder has already become a topic of gossip among officials.
• Assistant Minister Yan, who missed the palace banquet and knows nothing of Yaoyao’s unusual abilities, resents her appointment. He mocks her for being carried, criticizes her upbringing, and suggests she needs to be beaten into behaving properly.
• Yaoyao reveals she has been awake and orders her father to put her down. She then verbally dismantles Yan with a string of sarcastic insults and jokes about his breakfast and meddling.
• When Yan appeals to Assistant Minister Song to discipline his daughter, Song backs Yaoyao. Father and daughter then pretend Yan might fake a collapse and extort money from them, and hurry away before he can do so. Their exchange leaves the watching officials astonished and Yan furious but unable to respond.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao is established as lazy and fond of being carried, but also quick-witted, fearless, and fiercely protective of herself. She refuses to defer to an older official who insults her or tries to dictate how her father should raise her.
• Assistant Minister Song is affectionate and indulgent toward Yaoyao. Rather than reprimanding her for confronting Yan, he supports her and joins in her comic escape.
• Assistant Minister Yan is revealed as resentful, condescending, and easily provoked. His confidence in criticizing Yaoyao falters when she answers him directly.

Significant themes

• Rank, merit, and resentment: Yan questions Yaoyao’s relatively high appointment, while the officials’ reactions show how unusual her place in court is.
• Age and authority: Yaoyao rejects the idea that age alone entitles Yan to lecture or control her.
• Family loyalty: Song’s public defense of his daughter strengthens their bond.
• Wit as power: Yaoyao uses humor and sharp language to turn a scolding into a public embarrassment for Yan.

Character interactions

• Yan’s condescending attack prompts Yaoyao’s rapid-fire retorts; their clash becomes a spectacle for the officials gathered near the palace gates.
• Yan tries to redirect the dispute through Song, but Song sides with Yaoyao.
• Father and daughter coordinate their exaggerated concern about Yan’s supposed attempt to faint and extort money, then leave together.

Key plot points and events

• After Song Yaoyao humiliates Lord Yan at the palace gates, officials expect him to suffer for provoking her. The emperor enjoys hearing about the incident and orders four Shadow Guards to protect her.
• Song Yaoyao arrives at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where a eunuch introduces her to Lord Jiang, her supervisor. He explains her recording duties and tells her to observe him on her first day before taking over the work.
• When court begins, Lord Yan objects to a woman serving in the imperial court, framing the appointment as an unprecedented breach of tradition.
• Song Yaoyao privately vents to Guagua, insulting Lord Yan and wondering why he is targeting her. Their exchange is somehow audible to the court, even though she never speaks aloud.
• Guagua identifies Lord Yan as Yan Kuan, Assistant Minister of Rites, and says he resents Song Yaoyao and her father. Song Yaoyao mocks him for being jealous and suggests his own shortcomings are to blame.
• The emperor and officials realize they can hear Song Yaoyao’s thoughts. At the emperor’s signal, they conceal this from her while continuing the debate and listening for further revelations.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao is confident and unbothered by scrutiny, respectful toward Lord Jiang, but inwardly irreverent and quick to retaliate against those who challenge her.
• Lord Yan (Yan Kuan) is shown to be personally resentful of Song Yaoyao and her father, not merely principled in his objection to women at court.
• Lord Jiang appears kind and cautious, concerned that Song Yaoyao’s youth could put her at risk if she makes mistakes.
• The emperor supports Song Yaoyao, finds her disruptive presence amusing, and takes practical steps to protect her.
• Assistant Minister Song is proud of his daughter’s appointment but embarrassed by her crude private thoughts.

Significant themes

• Tradition versus change: Yan invokes precedent to oppose a woman’s place in court, while the emperor’s support signals a willingness to challenge convention.
• Hidden thoughts and public behavior: Song Yaoyao’s private voice becomes an unexpected source of information and entertainment for the court.
• Power and protection: The emperor’s favor shields Song Yaoyao, but her new position also exposes her to political hostility.
• Humor and exposure: Her blunt inner commentary punctures the formal dignity of court and threatens to reveal officials’ motives.

Character interactions

• Lord Jiang welcomes Song Yaoyao and gently instructs her, while Song Yaoyao responds respectfully.
• Lord Yan confronts the emperor over Song Yaoyao’s appointment, continuing his antagonism from the palace gates.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua trade insults and speculate about Yan Kuan, inadvertently giving the court insight into his motives.
• The emperor silently coordinates with the officials to hide that they can hear her thoughts, turning the court debate into a covert listening session.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao asks her system, Guagua, for compromising information on Lord Yan Kuan, intending to turn his secrets into public gossip.
• Guagua reveals that Yan was raised among eight older sisters, developed a love of women’s clothing and cosmetics, and was harshly punished by his parents for behaving femininely. Though he outwardly conformed, he secretly continued cross-dressing.
• After becoming a successful official, Yan built a hidden chamber filled with women’s clothing and accessories, where he privately dresses up and admires himself.
• Guagua also exposes Yan’s private bedroom role-play with his wife and concubines. The court hears the revelations, while Yan is prevented from confronting Song by the other officials and the emperor’s warning.
• Humiliated and trapped, Yan suddenly coughs up blood and faints. An imperial physician is summoned as the court descends into chaos. Song and Guagua keep commenting on the incident, and the officials conclude she has effectively “taken down” a court official on her first day.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao proves curious, fearless, and gleefully provocative, showing little concern for the consequences of exposing a powerful man’s secrets.
• Guagua acts as her enthusiastic source of gossip, supplying detailed information and teasing her with another revelation.
• Yan Kuan is shown as a man who concealed his private interests after childhood punishment and built a secret life behind a respectable public image. His composure collapses under public exposure.
• The court officials shift from curiosity to shock and wary respect for Song’s ability to uncover—and broadcast—damaging secrets.

Significant themes

• Public image versus private identity: Yan’s respectable official persona hides a closely guarded personal life.
• Shame and social conformity: His parents’ efforts to force him into conventional masculinity shape his secrecy.
• Gossip as power: Private information becomes a weapon capable of undermining status and control.
• Humor through contrast: The court treats a serious public scandal alongside Song and Guagua’s irreverent commentary.

Character interactions

• Song prompts Guagua for information, while Guagua alternates between revealing secrets and playfully prolonging the suspense.
• Yan tries to rush at Song, but nearby officials physically restrain him, and the emperor’s warning keeps him in place.
• The court witnesses the revelations together, then attends to Yan after he collapses; Song and Guagua’s detached banter contrasts with everyone else’s alarm.

Plot points and events

• During morning court, Song Yaoyao jokes internally about selling the story of Assistant Minister Yan’s cross-dressing past. Yan wakes, hears her plan, and faints again.
• The officials are alarmed by the thought that Song might expose their own secrets. They resolve to stay on her good side and hope her father will keep her in check. The emperor has Yan carried out, and court continues.
• Song watches Lord Jiang take notes, knowing she must do the job herself the next day. After court, she rushes home, hungry and exhausted from the exceptionally early start.
• Over lunch, Song complains that court begins before dawn. Her mother warns her to watch what she says, since criticizing the emperor could cause trouble.
• After Song goes to sleep, her parents discuss the trouble she caused Yan and worry that her outspokenness may alienate officials. They accept that they cannot control her private thoughts or prevent her from speaking freely.
• Song dreams again of her past life: first working while studying, then rescuing people amid a battlefield’s carnage. She wakes in a cold sweat, checks the time, and asks Bi Tao to prepare bathwater.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao remains blunt, irreverent, and preoccupied with food and money, but she is also attentive to her new duties, watching how court notes are taken. Her recurring nightmares hint at painful memories from her past life.
• Assistant Minister Yan is humiliated by Song’s exposure of his secret and faints upon hearing she might profit from it.
• Song’s parents are protective and increasingly anxious about the political consequences of their daughter’s honesty. Her mother reprimands her for speaking recklessly; her father recounts the incident and shares her concerns.
• The officials respond to Song’s threat of public gossip with nervous self-interest, hoping to avoid becoming her next subject.

Significant themes

• Candor versus political caution: Song’s unfiltered speech entertains and frightens those around her, while her family worries about the danger it creates.
• Reputation and secrets: Yan’s humiliation makes the court fear that private misconduct could become public entertainment.
• Past trauma: Song’s repeated battlefield dreams suggest unresolved memories from her previous life.
• Everyday priorities: Amid court politics and family worries, Song’s immediate concerns remain food, rest, and getting through her duties.

Plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao, eager to see the capital for the first time, goes to ask her mother for permission to leave the estate.
• She tries flattery and shoulder-massaging, but her jokes and irreverent inner monologue irritate Madam Song. After a brief outburst, her mother asks what she wants.
• Yaoyao explains that, despite being twelve and now an official, she has never seen the city. Madam Song agrees, gives her fifty taels for shopping, and requires her eldest sister and guards to accompany her.
• Yaoyao excitedly tells Song Qingling, who joins her. They set off by carriage toward the shops and a restaurant, with Yaoyao eagerly taking in the streets and buildings.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao is playful, impulsive, and enthusiastic. She uses affection and comic flattery to get what she wants, but quickly notices when her mother is truly angry and tries to appease her.
• Madam Song initially responds with exasperation, yet ultimately shows care and trust by allowing Yaoyao to go out with sensible precautions. She recognizes that keeping her confined is no longer practical.
• Song Qingling readily accommodates her younger sister, putting aside her embroidery to accompany her.
• Yaoyao and Madam Song’s teasing, affectionate exchange gives way to genuine tenderness when Yaoyao kisses her mother before rushing off.

Significant themes

• Growing independence: Yaoyao’s new official status and maturity make it harder to keep her sheltered.
• Family affection beneath comic friction: Madam Song’s annoyance coexists with concern and love.
• Curiosity and discovery: Yaoyao’s first glimpse of the capital marks a small but meaningful expansion of her world.
• Dual perspective: Her spoken politeness contrasts humorously with her unfiltered thoughts shared with Guagua, who also asks her to include it in future gossip-hunting for energy.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao and her elder sister, Song Qingling, visit the capital’s largest clothing shop. Yaoyao admires its trained staff and notices that the many ready-made outfits are mostly a small number of styles shown in different colors.
• Qingling buys two bolts of fabric. At a jewelry shop afterward, she admires a jeweled Begonia Jade Dangling Hairpin.
• Rong Feifei arrives and claims the hairpin before Qingling can buy it, dismissing her objection that they saw it first. Several girls accompanying Rong greet Yaoyao as “Little Lord Song” and watch her closely, curious about what makes her unusual.
• Guagua reveals that Rong Feifei is the concubine-born daughter of an official of the same rank as Yaoyao’s father. Her principal-wife-born sister, Rong Miaomiao, is the Third Prince’s secondary consort; Rong Feifei is secretly involved with the prince and expects to enter his manor.

Character developments and interactions

• Yaoyao observes the shops with a sharp, practical eye, while Qingling remains gracious and focused on shopping. Qingling’s earlier realization that Yaoyao was an exceptional scholar also shows how closely she listens to her younger sister.
• Rong Feifei acts boldly toward Qingling despite their difference in status, relying on her connection to the Third Prince. The sisters in her family are said to be bitter rivals.
• Yaoyao questions Rong Feifei’s arrogance internally and jokes that her habit of “snatching” things might extend to anything—including dog excrement. Her private exchange with Guagua is overheard by the other girls, who notice that her voice seems to reach them without her moving her mouth and become more intrigued by her.
• The shop encounter sets up a confrontation over the hairpin, with Qingling challenging Rong Feifei and Yaoyao’s unusual presence drawing attention.

Significant themes

• Social hierarchy and status: The chapter highlights the strict distinction between principal-wife-born and concubine-born daughters, and the ways official rank and royal connections shape behavior.
• Power and entitlement: Rong Feifei’s confidence comes from her affair with the Third Prince, allowing her to disregard etiquette and others’ claims.
• Appearance versus reality: The clothing shop seems to offer great variety, but Yaoyao sees that most garments are repeated styles in different colors; likewise, Rong Feifei’s respectable social image conceals a secret relationship.
• Observation and hidden knowledge: Yaoyao and Guagua’s private commentary reveals information unknown to the people around them, while the girls’ reaction hints at the mystery of Yaoyao’s unusual abilities.

Key plot points and events

• In a crowded jewelry shop, Song Yaoyao privately consults Guagua about Rong Feifei. Their conversation reveals that Rong Feifei is secretly having an affair with the Third Prince, her elder sister’s husband.
• Rong Feifei’s mother helped arrange the affair, and Rong Feifei hopes to conceive the prince’s child before her legitimate-born elder sister does. She has sought medicine to improve her chances.
• Guagua explains that the medicine Rong Feifei bought is actually a powerful aphrodisiac intended for animals. The dubious physician who sold it has fled, leaving the Third Prince at risk if Rong Feifei gives him too much.
• The bystanders overhear Song Yaoyao’s thoughts and learn the scandal. They become wary of Rong Feifei, fearing she could endanger the Third Prince and bring disaster on the entire Rong family.
• Song Yaoyao considers warning the Rong family, since Rong Ping is a loyal official, but decides against approaching the Third Prince directly because it could expose her to danger.
• Seeing Rong Feifei bully her elder sister, Song Qingling, Yaoyao steps in. She mocks Rong Feifei with a bawdy retort and an exaggerated imitation that makes herself—and the onlookers—retch with disgust and laughter.
• When Rong Feifei moves to strike Yaoyao, Yaoyao invokes her status as an imperial official and threatens to report the assault to the Capital Prefecture.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao is sharp, theatrical, and protective of her sister. Though she jokes and provokes Rong Feifei, she also thinks strategically about how to warn the Rong family without risking herself.
• Guagua supplies the crucial information and supports Yaoyao’s cautious plan, emphasizing that safety comes first.
• Rong Feifei is portrayed as arrogant and reckless: she is pursuing her sister’s husband, plotting to conceive his child, and willing to use dangerous medicine. Her anger escalates when Yaoyao publicly humiliates her.
• Song Qingling is the target of Rong Feifei’s bullying and is comforted and defended by Yaoyao. She checks on Yaoyao after the latter’s comic performance.
• The onlookers shift from eager gossip-seekers to horrified witnesses, then struggle to contain their laughter at Yaoyao’s insults.

Significant themes

• Scandal and public reputation: Private misconduct becomes public through overheard thoughts, changing how the crowd views Rong Feifei.
• Recklessness and consequences: Rong Feifei’s affair and dangerous scheme could harm the prince and imperil her whole family.
• Family loyalty and protection: Yaoyao intervenes for Qingling and considers warning the Rong family.
• Caution and self-preservation: Yaoyao weighs the risks of confronting the prince directly and chooses a safer route.
• Humor as social retaliation: Yaoyao uses sharp wit and absurd performance to resist bullying and undermine Rong Feifei’s authority.

Plot and events

• At a jewelry shop, Rong Feifei argues with Song Yaoyao after snatching a hairpin from Song Qingling. Yaoyao invokes her new position as a court official, making Rong afraid to strike her.
• Rong breaks the hairpin and is forced to pay three thousand taels. The shopkeeper backs Yaoyao, partly because the shop belongs to the Second Prince and Rong cannot safely refuse.
• Unable to ask her father or his principal wife for money, Rong gets the sum from her mother. She privately plans to marry the Third Prince soon and later retaliate against the Song sisters.
• After Rong leaves, Qingling takes Yaoyao to Fortune House, the capital’s grandest restaurant. Though it is full, their eldest brother, Song Qingyu, invites them to join him and his two classmates in a private room.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao shows her usual sharp tongue and confidence, using her official rank to protect herself and Qingling. She enjoys humiliating Rong and later reacts with open curiosity to the restaurant’s grandeur.
• Rong Feifei is exposed as domineering but powerless when challenged. Her mother supports her out of hope that she will marry the Third Prince, while Rong’s resentment turns into a plan for revenge.
• Song Qingling looks after Yaoyao, first accepting the shop confrontation and then taking her to eat. She checks that Yaoyao is comfortable before joining Qingyu’s group.
• Song Qingyu welcomes his sisters warmly and makes room for them among his classmates, Xiao Minglang and Gao Jiayou. The group’s easy interaction reflects the kingdom’s relaxed social customs.

Significant themes

• Rank and power: Yaoyao’s newly granted official status deters Rong from violence, while the jewelry shop’s royal ownership reinforces its leverage.
• Family ambition and retaliation: Rong’s mother funds her despite her anger, hoping for a prestigious marriage; Rong focuses on revenge rather than remorse.
• Public gossip and spectacle: Onlookers gather to watch the shop dispute, and Yaoyao and Guagua joke that people seek entertainment in the absence of modern diversions.
• Social hierarchy and custom: Fortune House separates diners by status across its floors, yet mixed-gender meals with family and classmates are socially acceptable.

Key events

• Song Yaoyao is introduced to her eldest brother’s classmates, Xiao Minglang and Gao Jiayou. Unbeknownst to her, nearby private rooms are full of officials’ families who have gathered to listen to her unusually audible thoughts.
• Yaoyao privately admires both men’s looks and manners. Her blunt praise embarrasses her sisters and makes Xiao Minglang’s ears redden, while Gao Jiayou eagerly awaits his own appraisal.
• When Guagua repeatedly teases Yaoyao about “pouncing” on Gao, he panics, recites an elaborate poem, and abruptly leaves. Yaoyao and everyone listening eventually realize the poem is about needing to use the toilet.
• Guagua adds a second poem on the same subject, which Yaoyao finds impressive. She ultimately decides Gao is best admired from afar, since she imagines he might compose poetry for every ordinary activity.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao remains candid and oblivious to the embarrassment her thoughts cause. She insists her praise is only aesthetic appreciation, not romantic interest, and shows pride in her education from a past life.
• Guagua continues teasing Yaoyao, then displays its unexpected talent for composing comic poetry.
• Xiao Minglang is quietly flattered by Yaoyao’s praise, while Gao Jiayou is amused at first but becomes so flustered by Guagua’s teasing that he flees.
• Song Qingyu and Song Qingling, along with the other listeners, are repeatedly embarrassed and astonished by Yaoyao’s unfiltered thoughts.

Significant themes

• The chapter’s humor comes from the contrast between elegant, refined language and an utterly mundane subject.
• Yaoyao’s private thoughts expose how easily appearances can mislead: Gao seems like a gentlemanly poet, but his unusual behavior is caused by embarrassment, not a habit of composing verse.
• The scene also highlights the comic consequences of Yaoyao’s thoughts being overheard by everyone nearby.

Key plot points and events

• After the meal, gossip spreads about Gao Jiayou’s overly literary poem for saying he needed to use the privy. People tease him about it, while others defend his scholarly refinement.
• In the carriage home, Song Yaoyao tells her siblings that Rong Feifei bought a drug intending to use it on the Third Prince. She wants to warn Rong Ping, the Left Remonstrance Councillor, because an attack could bring ruin on the entire Rong family.
• Song Qingyu promises to handle the warning without demanding to know how Yaoyao learned about it. He believes information from her system, Guagua, is reliable.
• Song Qingyu tells their father, Assistant Minister Song, who sends Lord Rong a confidential letter. Lord Rong has already received similar warnings from other officials and has begun investigating.
• Lord Rong confirms that Rong Feifei has not yet left the residence to carry out her plan. He and Madam Rong confront her, order her removed from her room, and begin searching it. Rong Feifei protests, but her parents wait for the search results.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao shows concern for both the Third Prince’s safety and the Rong family, and trusts her brother to act on her warning.
• Song Qingyu responds with warmth and confidence in his sister, then takes responsibility for passing the information on.
• Assistant Minister Song agrees that Lord Rong is worth protecting and acts discreetly, while reminding Qingyu to return to his studies.
• Lord Rong and Madam Rong take the threat seriously and move quickly to stop their daughter.
• Rong Feifei shifts from attempted secrecy to an injured, innocent pose when her parents search her room.
• Gao Jiayou becomes the target of public teasing over his privy poem; he endures it rather than resorting to violence.

Significant themes

• Trust and family support: Yaoyao is believed without being pressed to reveal her source.
• Duty and prevention: Officials cooperate to avert harm before Rong Feifei can act.
• Reputation and gossip: A comic incident involving Gao’s poem spreads rapidly and shapes public opinion.
• Public truth versus private wrongdoing: Rong Feifei’s secret is exposed, while her parents begin investigating before damage is done.

Key plot points and events

• Doctor Han identifies the powder found with Rong Feifei’s belongings as an animal-breeding aphrodisiac, not a fertility aid. He confirms his diagnosis when Feifei challenges him, and Lord Rong pays him to leave discreetly.
• Lord Rong reads Feifei’s letter to the Third Prince, in which she declares her love and asks him to meet at their usual place. He accuses her of pursuing her own brother-in-law and risking the prince’s life—and the entire Rong family’s safety—with the drug.
• Feifei insists she meant to help herself conceive a child by the prince and blames the doctor who supplied the powder. Lord Rong rejects her excuses and kicks her.
• Concubine An begs for her daughter’s forgiveness. Lord Rong instead has her beaten and orders her sold, blaming her for encouraging Feifei’s scheme.
• Feifei protests that she and her mother only wanted a good marriage. Lord Rong argues that their ambition became dangerous because Feifei targeted her brother-in-law and could have brought ruin on the whole clan.
• Feifei is sent to the country estate under close guard. Madam Rong selects six harsh attendants, and Feifei is bound and forced into the carriage.

Character developments and interactions

• Rong Feifei shifts from denial and self-justification to devastated silence once her father spells out the consequences, though she shows little remorse before then.
• Lord Rong acts decisively to protect the family’s standing and safety, punishing both Feifei and Concubine An.
• Concubine An is exposed as the driving force behind her daughter’s ambitions, but her pleas fail; she is brutally punished and sold.
• Madam Rong supports Lord Rong’s decision and takes the opportunity to ensure Feifei will be treated harshly at the estate.
• Doctor Han, initially nervous about being drawn into trouble, firmly defends his professional judgment when Feifei questions him.

Significant themes

• Ambition and its consequences: The desire for status and a better marriage leads Feifei and her mother into a scheme with potentially deadly results.
• Family reputation and collective responsibility: Lord Rong emphasizes that one person’s actions could endanger the entire Rong clan.
• Power and punishment: The household’s elders control the fates of the women, using violence, confinement, and sale as discipline.
• Denial versus accountability: Feifei blames the doctor and protests her motives, while Lord Rong insists that good intentions cannot excuse reckless choices.

• Rong Feifei’s punishment: Still unable to work out how her father uncovered her schemes, Rong Feifei grows suspicious of those around her. The Third Prince learns she drugged him and is furious, but decides not to pursue her after hearing she has been sent to an estate under strict supervision; he prefers that she suffer there.
• Song Yaoyao’s lazy afternoon: Back home, Song Yaoyao promptly goes to sleep. Bi Tao struggles to wake her until she learns that her father will dock her allowance if she ignores his summons. The threat works instantly.
• Yan Kuan’s unexpected visit: Guagua tells Song that Yan Kuan—the man who recently vomited blood—is visiting to apologize. Song suspects a trick, but finds him waiting with two chests of gifts. Yan Kuan stands to greet her despite his higher rank, further fueling her suspicion that he is a “Big Bad Wolf” plotting something.
• Why Yan Kuan apologizes: He apologizes to Song and her father for his behavior earlier that day. More urgently, he hopes to prevent Song from turning his embarrassing affairs into popular storybooks. He has already asked Assistant Minister Song for help; her father can only promise to try to influence her.
  Character developments and interactions: Song remains playful, suspicious, and motivated by her allowance, while Bi Tao is accustomed to her absurd excuses. Yan Kuan shifts from adversary to ingratiating visitor, anxious about his reputation and Song’s storytelling. Song’s father acts as the practical intermediary between them.
  Themes: The episode contrasts revenge with calculated restraint, and explores reputation, face-saving, and the power of stories to shape public opinion. Song’s irreverent inner thoughts also create comedy by clashing with the characters’ formal manners.