Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao treats five more patients, accepting fees of sixty thousand taels per person. She donates the resulting three hundred thousand taels to the emperor for disaster relief.
• The emperor praises her generosity and offers to grant her a reasonable request, but she says she wants nothing.
• Over five days, Song performs one operation a day. All five succeed, and the patients are expected to recover fully if they follow her instructions.
• The predicted earthquake strikes the kingdom’s northeast, devastating Lookout City. Because the emperor ordered an evacuation, many people survive.
• Guagua reveals that villagers initially refused to leave their homes and fields, even when local officials warned them. The government ultimately used troops to force them to safety.
• At court, officials who had doubted Guagua and Song realize how costly their skepticism could have been. The emperor’s decision to prepare is widely vindicated.

Character developments and interactions

• Song continues to show compassion and generosity, directing her medical earnings toward the public good rather than personal reward. Her father supports her donation and accompanies her to present it to the emperor.
• The emperor demonstrates decisiveness: he trusts the warning, organizes an evacuation, and accepts Song’s contribution for relief efforts. He publicly thanks her and recognizes her concern for ordinary people.
• Song and Guagua share credit and affection, with Song thanking Guagua for the warning and Guagua warmly dismissing the need for thanks.
• The officials’ earlier confidence turns to regret and fear, while the evacuated villagers later express gratitude to the emperor for saving them.

Significant themes

• Preparedness and decisive leadership: Acting on an uncertain warning prevents far greater loss of life.
• Public duty and compassion: Song uses her medical work and wealth to help others.
• Trust versus disbelief: The villagers’ and officials’ initial resistance shows the danger of dismissing warnings; events prove the value of listening and preparing.
• Responsibility after disaster: Even after the earthquake, aftershocks and reconstruction remain urgent concerns.

• Key events: Song Yaoyao and Guagua bicker over Yaoyao’s offer to help Guagua find romance. Guagua doubts the love advice of someone with no relationship experience, and Yaoyao insists she would be bold if she ever liked someone. Meanwhile, Li Mingyu, Zhuang Yiran, Pang Fei, and Director Li continue learning from Yaoyao’s surgeries and dressing changes. On her day off, Yaoyao wakes early out of habit and reads a dusty storybook from her space, unaware that it belonged to a previous owner. Song Qingling invites Yaoyao to accompany her on an outing with Liu Zheheng, but Yaoyao refuses to be a “third wheel.” She later goes into town with Bi Tao and Ying Huiyan, where they witness a woman brutally beating a would-be robber. Guagua reveals the beating has another cause, leaving Yaoyao curious.
• Character developments: Yaoyao remains energetic, opinionated, and teasing, but shows little interest in romance—especially when it means watching a couple together. She also continues her practical medical teaching, while the younger doctors eagerly learn from her. Qingling seems shy but willing to spend time with Liu Zheheng. Guagua is easily flustered when Yaoyao suspects it wants to watch the couple’s date.
• Interactions: Yaoyao and Guagua trade playful insults about romance and matchmaking. Yaoyao encourages Qingling and Liu Zheheng to get to know each other but refuses to accompany them. In town, Yaoyao and her companions observe the fight, and Guagua supplies information about the robber while hinting at a more personal motive for the woman’s violence.
• Themes: The chapter contrasts romantic curiosity with Yaoyao’s reluctance to act as an onlooker in someone else’s courtship. It also highlights friendship expressed through teasing, the value of hands-on learning, and the gap between appearances and the full story behind an event.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao watches a video explaining why Lan Yingniang is beating a purse-snatcher. When he stole her purse, she was furious that he took only her money and didn’t attempt to violate her—an expectation shaped by the operas she had seen.
• The robber escapes briefly, but Lan Yingniang pursues him. Even after he returns her purse, she catches him off guard and resumes beating him.
• Guagua explains that Lan Yingniang’s unmarried status has become a sore point: despite being capable and from a comfortable household, villagers avoid her and her father because they mistakenly believe he was a bandit.
• In fact, her father, Lan Ling, was never a bandit. He is a respected martial-world figure from the prominent Lan Family who chose seclusion to spare the family a dispute over leadership. He knows the villagers’ rumors but prefers they keep their distance.
• As Song Yaoyao gets absorbed in the gossip, familiar people gather around her, having come to see her after hearing Princess Jiahe had left her residence.

Character developments

• Lan Yingniang is revealed as bold, capable, and hot-tempered, but also insecure about being considered undesirable and overlooked for marriage.
• Lan Ling appears unconcerned about his daughter’s marriage prospects and quietly accepts the villagers’ mistaken assumptions. His history hints that he may eventually return to his influential family.
• Song Yaoyao reacts with comic disbelief at the bizarre misunderstanding and eagerly asks about Lan Ling’s past.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: The villagers mistake Lan Ling for a former bandit, while his true background is far more distinguished.
• Rumor and social isolation: Fear of being associated with a supposed criminal keeps the village from approaching the Lan family.
• Insecurity and expectations: Lan Yingniang interprets the robber’s restraint as proof that she is unattractive, revealing how deeply her lack of marriage prospects troubles her.
• Comic reversal: A robber’s attempt to steal and flee becomes an absurd confrontation because Lan Yingniang’s expectations are shaped by melodramatic opera stories.

Character interactions

• Lan Yingniang confronts, chases, and beats the robber, while he misunderstands her anger as sexual interest and begs to be left alone.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua discuss the incident, with Guagua supplying the background that explains Lan Yingniang’s behavior and her father’s reputation.
• The familiar onlookers’ arrival sets up a new social gathering around Song Yaoyao’s appetite for gossip.

Plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao watches Lan Yingniang beat a man, privately wishing his bruises were symmetrical. When his other eye also turns black and blue, she is pleased. Government troops arrive and take both Lan Yingniang and the man away.
• Yaoyao spots her elder sister, Song Qingling, and General Liu Zheheng among the spectators and tries to avoid them, not wanting to intrude on their outing. Qingling catches up and insists they shop together.
• Yaoyao leads them to two storefronts she received from Lord Peng as payment for medical treatment. She plans to inspect them and decide what businesses might suit them. A group of gossip-seekers quietly follows.
• When a man collapses nearby, Yaoyao rushes to help. Guagua identifies poisoning, so she gives the unconscious man a powerful antidote pill. Since he cannot swallow, Liu Zheheng uses acupressure points to make him take it.

Character developments

• Yaoyao’s medical instincts override her other concerns: she promptly treats the collapsed man, using medicine she had prepared at her own expense.
• Qingling shows affection and persistence in pursuing her sister, while Yaoyao remains awkward about being a third wheel.
• Liu Zheheng demonstrates quick, practical medical knowledge by helping the unconscious man swallow the antidote. He also understands why the crowd is following them.

Significant themes

• Comedy and gossip: Yaoyao’s fixation on symmetrical bruises and her attempt to flee her sister fuel the crowd’s appetite for rumors.
• Duty and compassion: Yaoyao acts immediately when someone needs medical help.
• Family and social awkwardness: Her reluctance to interrupt Qingling and Liu Zheheng’s outing contrasts with Qingling’s desire to spend time together.
• Preparedness and resourcefulness: Yaoyao’s personally prepared antidote proves useful in an emergency.

Character interactions

• The crowd reacts to Yaoyao’s private thoughts about the bruises, then speculates when she runs from Qingling.
• Qingling stops Yaoyao from leaving and invites her to join the outing; Yaoyao reluctantly agrees and shows the couple her storefronts.
• Guagua confirms the man has been poisoned, and Liu Zheheng assists Yaoyao’s treatment when the patient cannot swallow the antidote.

Chapter Summary: Niu Dali

• Song Yaoyao discovers an unconscious man has been poisoned. She gives him an Antidote Pill and arranges for him to be taken to a nearby Medical Hall, postponing the group’s shopping.
• Guagua identifies the poison as corn cockle seeds, which cause severe symptoms and can be fatal. The poisoning was deliberate: someone mixed the seeds into the man’s soup to kill him.
• Guagua reveals the man is Niu Dali, whose parents died when he was nine, leaving him responsible for his three-year-old brother, Niu Xiaobao. With no one in the village able to adopt them, Dali promised his dying mother he would protect his brother.
• To support them, Dali found work running errands for women at a brothel. He saved enough to provide for both of them, and later agreed to pay for Xiaobao’s schooling, despite being only eleven himself.
• Xiaobao proved a diligent, gifted student and eventually changed his name to Niu Tingxuan. Song Yaoyao recognizes the name as belonging to the handsome scholar who placed third in the previous imperial examination—and realizes the poisoned man is his elder brother.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Song Yaoyao shows medical judgment by treating the man and compassion by prioritizing his life. She reacts with shock and sympathy to Dali’s past, and curiosity as Guagua continues the story.
• Niu Dali is portrayed as steadfast and self-sacrificing. He takes on adult responsibilities as a child and repeatedly puts his brother’s needs before his own.
• Niu Xiaobao/Niu Tingxuan emerges as ambitious and studious, asking to attend school and ultimately achieving distinction.
• Guagua supplies the crucial information that turns an apparent medical emergency into a suspected murder case.
• Liu Zheheng and Song Yaoyao’s group cooperate in moving the unconscious man to safety.

Significant Themes

The chapter emphasizes family devotion and sacrifice, as Dali dedicates his childhood to raising his brother. It also highlights poverty and limited social support, which leave the boys to fend for themselves, and the power of education to change Xiaobao’s future. The deliberate poisoning introduces a theme of hidden danger and injustice, setting up questions about who wants Niu Dali dead.

Key plot points and events

• Niu Tingxuan’s classmates trick him into visiting a brothel, claiming they are taking him out to “experience life.” At the entrance, he sees his older brother, Niu Dali, leaving the establishment.
• Dali pretends not to know Tingxuan, and Tingxuan denies they are related so his classmates will not discover the truth. Shocked, Tingxuan returns to the academy without going inside.
• Two days later, Dali explains that after their parents died and he could not find other work, he took a job running errands for the brothel. He insists he never did anything beyond errands and says the income supported Tingxuan’s education.
• The brothers grow quieter with each other. Dali continues sacrificing for Tingxuan, living on very little and accepting occasional leftover food from sympathetic brothel staff.
• After Tingxuan passes the provincial examination and earns money tutoring, Dali leaves the brothel to protect his brother’s career prospects. He becomes a laborer, saves what he can, and hopes to provide for Tingxuan’s marriage.
• Tingxuan later rises further, placing third in the imperial examination. General Qi Kang arranges for his daughter, Qi Shuang, to marry him; they are engaged and expected to wed that year.

Character developments

• Niu Dali is revealed as deeply self-sacrificing: he hides his work to protect Tingxuan’s reputation, endures poverty, and gives up his own prospects—including marriage—to support his brother.
• Niu Tingxuan is initially stunned and anguished by learning how his education was funded. Though he protects Dali’s secret in front of his classmates, the discovery leaves the brothers more distant.
• The brothel staff show compassion by helping Dali with leftover food, recognizing his devotion to his younger brother.

Significant themes

• Sibling devotion and sacrifice: Dali consistently puts Tingxuan’s future ahead of his own comfort and happiness.
• Class, stigma, and reputation: Dali conceals his brothel employment because he fears it could damage Tingxuan’s standing and official career.
• The cost of social advancement: Tingxuan’s success is made possible by Dali’s years of hardship, while their shared shame and silence strain their relationship.
• Kindness amid hardship: Even people at the brothel support Dali when they understand his circumstances.

Character interactions

• Tingxuan’s classmates mock his bookishness and pressure him into the brothel, unknowingly exposing the secret behind his family’s support.
• At the brothel entrance, Dali avoids acknowledging Tingxuan, and Tingxuan denies their relationship to shield him from scrutiny.
• When they later speak privately, Dali explains his choices, but the revelation leaves both brothers largely silent rather than bringing them closer.
• Guagua recounts the brothers’ history to Song Yaoyao, who responds with strong admiration for Dali’s devotion.

Key plot points

• Niu Dali travels to the capital after years without news from his younger brother, Niu Tingxuan. He discovers Tingxuan has become the third-place scholar and is engaged to General Qi’s daughter, Qi Shuang.
• Tingxuan lives in a comfortable residence Qi Shuang bought and furnished for him. Though initially uneasy about her generosity, he has gradually come to accept it as his due.
• When Dali visits, Tingxuan reacts with disgust and worry that his humble appearance—and especially his past work in a brothel—might threaten his marriage prospects.
• Tingxuan gives Dali two hundred taels and tells him not to return, effectively trying to sever their relationship. Dali is heartbroken but refuses to keep the money, thinking Tingxuan will need it for his wedding.
• When Dali returns the silver, Tingxuan mistakenly accuses him of greed. He then learns Dali only came to give it back. Qi Shuang arrives, accepts Tingxuan’s explanation that Dali is an old benefactor, and encourages Dali to take the money and stay for a meal. Dali is led away to eat.

Character developments and interactions

• Niu Dali remains devoted to his brother despite Tingxuan’s rejection. He is sensitive to Tingxuan’s displeasure, readily offers to leave, and puts Tingxuan’s needs ahead of his own.
• Niu Tingxuan has become status-conscious and ungrateful, ashamed of his origins and eager to hide his dependence on Dali. He tries to buy distance from his brother, then misreads Dali’s return as greed.
• Qi Shuang is generous toward Tingxuan and courteous to Dali, though she does not know the full history between the brothers. Her arrival interrupts their tense exchange.
• Dali’s reunion with Tingxuan shifts from hope and joy to humiliation and grief, with their awkward exchange over the silver revealing the widening gulf between them.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and ingratitude: Dali devoted decades to raising and educating Tingxuan, but Tingxuan now rejects him.
• Class and shame: Tingxuan fears that Dali’s poverty and past will damage his respectable new life.
• Family bonds and money: The two hundred taels become a symbol of Tingxuan’s attempt to replace a lifelong relationship with a payment.
• Appearance versus truth: Tingxuan presents Dali as merely an old acquaintance, concealing their true bond. Guagua also reveals that Tingxuan later poisons Dali, foreshadowing a far darker betrayal.

Key plot points and events

• Niu Tingxuan secretly poisons his older brother, Niu Dali, by putting corn cockle seeds in his soup. He wants Dali dead so no one discovers that his brother is alive and learns the truth about the hardship and prostitution-funded earnings behind his upbringing—information that could ruin Tingxuan’s marriage prospects with the Qi family.
• Dali collapses in the street after leaving Tingxuan’s residence. Song Yaoyao and her companions rescue him, and Yaoyao uses an Antidote Pill to neutralize the poison.
• At the Medical Hall, a physician confirms the poisoning and warns that Dali’s long-term malnutrition has weakened him. Dali wakes and realizes the bitter soup at his brother’s home may have been poisoned, but he struggles to accept that Tingxuan tried to kill him.
• Government troops arrive after witnesses report the attempted murder. Dali questions whether the poisoning might have been accidental, but the large quantity of poison makes deliberate tampering likely. He agrees to go to the Capital Prefecture, and Yaoyao’s group follows.

Character developments and interactions

• Niu Dali is shown to be trusting and self-sacrificing: despite noticing the soup tasted wrong, he finished it out of gratitude to his brother. On waking, he is shaken by the possibility of betrayal and initially hesitant to accuse Tingxuan.
• Niu Tingxuan is exposed as calculating and ruthless, willing to murder the brother who raised him to protect his reputation and marriage prospects.
• Song Yaoyao and her companions act quickly to save Dali and ensure the authorities are informed. Yaoyao stops Dali from kowtowing, while the group encourages him to live for himself rather than excuse his brother’s cruelty.
• The physician explains Dali’s condition, and witnesses—not Dali—set the investigation in motion by reporting the crime.

Significant themes

• Betrayal within family: Dali’s trust in the brother he raised is met with attempted murder.
• Self-sacrifice and exploitation: Dali has spent his life enduring hardship for Tingxuan, even when that devotion puts him in danger.
• Justice and accountability: The witnesses and authorities pursue the case despite Dali’s uncertainty and reluctance.
• Survival and hope: Dali’s rescue offers the possibility of recovery and a life beyond his brother’s needs.

Plot points and events

• Princess Jiahe attends the hearing into Niu Dali’s poisoning. Prefect Lord Yang lets the weakened Niu Dali give evidence seated.
• Before Niu Tingxuan arrives, Song Yaoyao warns the bailiffs to watch him and search for the clay pot used to cook the poisoned soup. The bailiffs prevent him from discarding the corn cockle seeds hidden on him, though the pot is accidentally broken.
• Niu Tingxuan arrives with his fiancée, Qi Shuang. Seeing Niu Dali alive, he grows anxious and opens by portraying himself as generous and Niu Dali as demanding.
• Song Yaoyao’s thoughts reveal the truth: Niu Dali raised and educated Niu Tingxuan, who tried to poison him to hide their relationship and protect his engagement. Niu Dali survived because Song and her companions intervened.
• Niu Dali recounts his lifelong sacrifices and his younger brother’s betrayal. Qi Kang arrives, learns what happened, and realizes Niu Tingxuan may be a danger to the Qi family.

Character developments and interactions

• Niu Dali is portrayed as selfless and heartbroken: he never regretted raising his brother, but never expected to be repaid with attempted murder.
• Niu Tingxuan reveals his ingratitude and coldness. He tries to control the hearing’s first impression, but his conduct and the evidence undermine him.
• Qi Shuang shifts from defending her fiancé to doubting him after hearing Song’s thoughts; she is horrified to learn Niu Dali is his brother.
• Qi Kang becomes alarmed for his daughter and family, recognizing the engagement can still be ended.
• Song Yaoyao uses Guagua’s warnings to help preserve evidence, while Lord Yang conducts the hearing and orders the investigation.

Significant themes

• The chapter contrasts familial sacrifice with betrayal, showing how Niu Dali’s years of care are met with greed and violence.
• It explores truth and appearance: Niu Tingxuan presents himself as charitable, but the hearing exposes his motives.
• It also emphasizes justice and accountability, as testimony and physical evidence begin to reveal the crime.

Plot points and events

• Niu Tingxuan bitterly insults his elder brother, Niu Dali, calling him filthy for working around brothels and accusing him of greed. He claims the 200 taels he gave Dali were already generous.
• Dali explains that he only came to return the money because Tingxuan would soon need funds for a marriage. He planned to leave the Capital afterward. His brother’s accusations devastate him.
• Tingxuan denies poisoning Dali and accuses him of trying to ruin his life. Bailiffs search Tingxuan and find corn cockle seeds, which Princess Jiahe identifies as the poison used against Dali.
• Guagua reveals that Tingxuan prepared the seeds after Dali’s first visit, intending to poison him if he kept coming back. Lord Yang threatens torture; after only two strokes, Tingxuan breaks and confesses.
• Tingxuan’s confession is recorded, and Lord Yang sentences him to public beheading in three days. As the crowd celebrates, Tingxuan begs Qi Shuang to save him, claiming fear of losing her drove him to commit the crime.

Character developments

• Niu Dali is shown to have sacrificed years of effort for his brother, even quitting his brothel job so it would not harm Tingxuan’s prospects. He is crushed to learn how contemptuously Tingxuan views him.
• Niu Tingxuan reveals himself as cruel, ungrateful, and self-serving. He lies and shifts blame until the evidence and threatened punishment force a confession; afterward, he presents himself as a desperate lover.
• Song Yaoyao helps establish the evidence and supports pursuing the truth.
• Lord Yang moves from questioning to punishment once Tingxuan’s guilt is confirmed.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and ingratitude: Dali’s devotion to his brother is repaid with contempt and an attempt on his life.
• Family duty and sacrifice: Dali’s support for Tingxuan contrasts sharply with Tingxuan’s refusal to value it.
• Truth and justice: Physical evidence, testimony, and confession expose Tingxuan’s crime.
• Self-interest and blame: Tingxuan disguises his greed and fear as righteous grievance, then frames the murder as a response to romantic anxiety.

Character interactions

• The confrontation between the brothers lays bare their radically different views of their shared past: Dali remembers sacrifice, while Tingxuan treats it as an obligation he resents.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua discuss the evidence and predict Tingxuan will quickly break under torture.
• Lord Yang challenges Tingxuan’s excuses, orders the beating, and pronounces sentence after his confession.
• Tingxuan turns to Qi Shuang at the end, pleading for her help and invoking their past relationship.

Key plot points and events

• After Niu Tingxuan is exposed for attacking his elder brother, Qi Kang cancels his engagement to him, and Qi Shuang ends their relationship. Lord Yang orders Tingxuan taken away.
• As he is dragged off, Tingxuan refuses to repent, blaming Niu Dali and cursing him instead. Niu Dali sits stunned by the upheaval.
• Song Yaoyao approaches Dali and offers him work in one of her future shops. She reassures him that his past work running errands at a brothel was honest labor, not a disgrace.
• Dali accepts the offer. Song arranges for him to recover at the Medical Hall and asks Ying Mingkang to send someone to care for him and help prepare for his future employment.
• Song and her companions then continue toward the shop premises. Meanwhile, gossip-seeking onlookers trail her, having learned to wait along the street she regularly takes on her days off so they can catch events firsthand.

Character developments and interactions

• Niu Tingxuan is disgraced and loses both his engagement and freedom, yet remains bitter and self-righteous, still holding Dali responsible for his downfall.
• Niu Dali is shaken and unsure how to live without his family, but Song’s kindness helps him recognize the value of his past sacrifices and consider a new future.
• Song Yaoyao shows compassion and practical generosity: she comforts Dali, affirms his dignity, and offers him meaningful work rather than merely pitying him.
• Qi Kang and Qi Shuang decisively reject Tingxuan, making clear that his actions have destroyed their trust.
• Guagua worries that Dali may remain trapped in grief, while Song believes he needs time to recover.

Significant themes

• Consequences and accountability: Tingxuan faces punishment, but his refusal to take responsibility underscores his moral failure.
• Dignity in honest work: Song rejects prejudice about Dali’s past and treats his efforts to survive as honorable.
• Healing and second chances: Dali’s grief is acknowledged, while Song offers him a path toward independence and belonging.
• Found family and support: With his relatives gone, Dali begins to find security through Song’s practical help and trust.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao visits two shops in a busy part of the Capital to assess them for future businesses. Both are spacious but only two stories.
• At the first shop, she decides to turn it into a barbecue restaurant, believing the city has no barbecue restaurants and the location will draw customers. She plans to add at least two floors, despite the unspoken convention that restaurants should not rival the emperor’s four-story establishment.
• Song Yaoyao uses a modern laser distance meter to survey the buildings and records the measurements in a notebook.
• At the second shop, she plans a comprehensive women’s business offering cosmetics, skincare, perfume, beauty treatments, and other services. She also thinks it will need extra floors.
• After surveying both properties, the group goes to eat. Liu Zheheng then escorts Song Yaoyao and Song Qingling to the Marquis’s Residence.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao’s entrepreneurial ambition is clear: even while joking that she wants to “lie flat,” she keeps taking on projects and planning expansions.
• Liu Zheheng is fascinated by Song Yaoyao’s modern measuring device and fountain pen. She explains the device, lets him try it, and gives him a pen. He promises to treat Song Qingling well after Song Yaoyao’s pointed reminder.
• Song Qingling stays close to Song Yaoyao, linking arms with her and accepting Liu Zheheng’s invitation to eat.
• Song Yaoyao’s gifts of fountain pens to Liu Zheheng recall her generosity toward her brother, father, and the emperor.

Significant themes

• Innovation and commerce: Song Yaoyao applies modern tools and business ideas to the Capital.
• Ambition versus social convention: Her plans to build taller restaurants challenge customs shaped by deference to the emperor.
• Relentless responsibility: Despite wanting a carefree life, Song Yaoyao remains busy planning, measuring, and organizing.
• Affection and trust: Her gifts and her reminder to Liu Zheheng show her care for those close to her.

Key plot points and events

• After several days of measuring and planning, Song Yaoyao completes designs for two new shops: a restaurant featuring grilled food and a business aimed at women.
• She summons Ying Mingkang, tells him to look after Niu Dali, and plans to employ him under Ying Mingkang because he is capable and hardworking.
• Song Yaoyao gives Ying Mingkang detailed building designs and instructions to find several more properties, including a bookshop near an academy. She also asks him to recruit men and women with specific skills, purchase a residence for training them, and keep the expansion discreet.
• She provides 100,000 taels in startup funds, drawn from her existing business profits, and begins writing a staff-training plan.
• When she tries to exchange for modern beauty and personal-care products through Guagua, they get sidetracked watching a comic video of a man performing as a eunuch. Their teasing argument ends with Guagua declaring they have cut ties again, leaving Song Yaoyao without the supplies.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao shows herself to be an ambitious, meticulous entrepreneur: she researches, plans carefully, invests her profits, and insists that anything she undertakes should be done exceptionally well. At the same time, she wants to grow her businesses quietly rather than attract attention.
• Ying Mingkang is increasingly confident with Song Yaoyao and asks about Niu Dali. He accepts responsibility for the new projects and listens closely, seeking clarification where needed.
• Niu Dali, though absent from the scene, is given a chance to recover and eventually work under Ying Mingkang.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua share playful, familiar banter. Their jokes escalate into mock insults over Guagua’s awkward imitation of the performer’s graceful sway, ending in another comical “breakup.”

Significant themes

• Enterprise and preparation: Song Yaoyao turns unexpected opportunities into a carefully planned business expansion.
• Responsibility and compassion: She ensures Niu Dali receives proper care and intends to give him meaningful work.
• Ambition balanced with discretion: She wants her ventures to succeed without drawing the spotlight.
• Humor and companionship: The chapter’s ending contrasts business planning with the lighthearted, affectionate bickering between Song Yaoyao and Guagua.

Key plot points and events

• Ying Mingkang delivers the indenture contracts for the staff Song Yaoyao purchased, along with the deed to their new residence. Song Yaoyao prepares to begin training them.
• She reconnects with Guagua, who has been sulking because she criticized its plan to imitate a popular eunuch’s hip-swaying mannerisms. Their teasing argument ends when Song Yaoyao reassures Guagua that its genuine personality is best.
• Song Yaoyao exchanges with Guagua for a wide range of modern cosmetics, skincare and manicure tools, massage equipment, and barbecue seasonings. Guagua offers detailed product recommendations and earns a commission from the trade.
• Over the next month, Song Yaoyao juggles court duties, work at the Imperial Medical Academy, staff training, and making products such as perfume, essential oils, and soap. She teaches Ying Huiyan these skills so Huiyan can eventually oversee production.
• Song Yaoyao focuses on getting two shops operating first, postponing her other business plans. At the chapter’s end, she receives an invitation to the wedding of the Sixth Prince and Zhang Zhixi.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao shows affection beneath her teasing, reassuring Guagua that it does not need to change to be valued. She remains ambitious and practical, carefully prioritizing her projects despite her heavy workload.
• Guagua shifts from hurt and defensive to cheerful and helpful. Its eagerness to earn trading commissions—and interest in upgrading or buying fashionable skins—adds a playful glimpse into system-world economics.
• Ying Huiyan begins learning how to make Song Yaoyao’s products, preparing for a future role managing production.

Significant themes

• Authenticity and acceptance: Song Yaoyao argues that Guagua is best when it acts like itself and that genuine companionship matters more than outside approval.
• Friendship expressed through teasing: Their mock arguments and reconciliation reveal the closeness of their long-standing partnership.
• Enterprise and diligence: Song Yaoyao steadily turns her business plans into practical steps, training staff and delegating skills while balancing official responsibilities.
• Mutual benefit: The trade helps Song Yaoyao obtain supplies while earning Guagua energy, showing how their partnership serves both of them.

Character interactions

• Song Yaoyao and Guagua bicker over Guagua’s attempted flirtatious imitation, then reconcile through reassurance and humor.
• Guagua acts as Song Yaoyao’s enthusiastic adviser during her purchases, while Song Yaoyao playfully probes it about its earnings.
• Song Yaoyao mentors Ying Huiyan in product-making, establishing a working partnership for the shops.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao receives a separate wedding invitation from Chen Yixiao and asks Guagua what gift to give him and Zhang Zhixi.
• Guagua helps her create an illustrated album tracing the couple’s story, from Chen Yixiao’s accidental arrival at the Bandit Inn and abduction into the mountains through to their wedding. Song Yaoyao is delighted by its detail and humorous captions.
• At the wedding banquet, Song Yaoyao presents the album but refuses to explain or show it to curious onlookers, insisting it is meant for the bride and groom.
• Song and her female relatives are initially led toward the seats of honor. Song worries this is inappropriate given the presence of higher-ranking princesses and princess consorts, but learns they are seated at that table too.
• The Seventh Princess, Chen Xitong, watches Song closely. Song jokingly concludes in her thoughts that the princess has fallen for her, prompting embarrassment and amusement among the guests.
• Guagua teases Song about her vanity, then offers gossip. A screen appears above Song, showing a refined-looking man, and the guests eagerly anticipate the revelation.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao shows affection for Chen Yixiao and Zhang Zhixi through a thoughtful, personalized gift. She remains playful and self-assured, though she is sensitive to etiquette and rank.
• Guagua acts as Song’s creative collaborator and comic foil, helping with the album before trading teasing banter with her.
• Chen Xitong is revealed to be curious about how Song’s thoughts are transmitted, not romantically interested in her. She is embarrassed when Song misreads her attention.
• Chen Yixiao and Zhang Zhixi are honored through a gift that reflects their shared history, though they have not yet appeared in person.

Significant themes

• Friendship and meaningful gifts: The album celebrates the couple’s relationship and shared past rather than offering a conventional present.
• Etiquette and social rank: Song is careful not to claim a place of honor that might be inappropriate at a royal wedding.
• Humor and misunderstanding: Song’s self-flattering interpretation of Chen Xitong’s stare creates a public comic moment.
• Curiosity and gossip: The guests’ interest in Song’s unusual thought-screen and the newly revealed man sets up the next scene.

Character interactions

• Song and Guagua collaborate on the wedding gift, then bicker affectionately over Song’s vanity.
• Song politely checks the seating arrangement with a maid and receives clarification from a princess consort.
• Song’s mistaken assumption about Chen Xitong’s feelings embarrasses the princess and entertains the surrounding guests.
• The banquet guests gather around Song’s apparent source of gossip, eager to learn who the man on the screen is.

Key plot points

• At Chen Yixiao and Zhang Zhixi’s wedding, a mysterious handsome man appears on the screen. Guagua identifies him as Qi Yan, Chen Yixiao’s maternal cousin. The Qi family has returned to the Capital by invitation, with the emperor’s approval.
• Guagua reveals that Qi Yan’s polished, scholarly public image conceals a promiscuous private life. He charms women who deliberately engineer encounters with him, then marries Bai Yishu for her family’s influence.
• Their marriage begins happily, but Qi Yan soon takes concubines, later adds several more, keeps numerous mistresses, and frequents brothels.
• Hoping to cultivate ties with Chen Yixiao and the Capital’s elite, Qi Yan has been behaving respectably in the city. However, his desire leads him to an extreme private act: he inserts iron beads and becomes unable to urinate. Too ashamed to seek medical help, he tries—and fails—to remove them himself.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao eagerly asks Guagua for gossip, joking about Qi Yan’s seductive manner and reckless behavior. Her teasing turns to shock when she hears about his injury.
• Guagua supplies the backstory and scandalous details, while repeatedly skipping or losing the video during intimate scenes.
• Qi Yan is presented as charming and refined in public but selfish, unfaithful, and dangerously impulsive in private.
• Bai Yishu is initially happy in her marriage, but Qi Yan’s repeated infidelity undermines their relationship.
• The wedding guests are fascinated by Qi Yan at first, then stunned by the revelation of his predicament.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Qi Yan’s cultivated reputation hides a much wilder character.
• Marriage and self-interest: He chooses Bai Yishu partly for her family’s status, then disregards their marriage.
• Desire and recklessness: Qi Yan’s pursuit of pleasure leads to a humiliating, potentially serious consequence.
• Gossip as social entertainment: Song and Guagua’s exchange turns private scandal into a spectacle for the wedding audience.

Key plot points and events

• At the Sixth Prince’s wedding banquet, guests in the men’s hall realize the tormented, restless Qi Yan is the “legend” Guagua has been discussing. They misinterpret his predicament as the result of inserting beads into himself and speculate about his private behavior.
• Desperate to relieve himself, Qi Yan heads to the privy. A crowd follows and blocks his way out, then whistles at him until his discomfort becomes obvious. He pushes through and flees back to the hall.
• Qi Yan’s father, Qi Wei, and grandfather, Qi Yunchang, notice the crowd’s scrutiny but do not yet know what Qi Yan has done. They resolve to question him after the banquet.
• Meanwhile, Song Yaoyao and Guagua keep the guests entertained with gossip, a riddle, and a couplet. Song answers quickly and cleverly, impressing those who hear her.
• The waiting ends when the announcement comes that the groom has returned with the bride.

Character developments and interactions

• Qi Yan shifts from anxious discomfort to humiliation as the guests’ attention and teasing make his situation worse.
• Qi Wei and Qi Yunchang remain outwardly composed but become increasingly uneasy, concerned about the scrutiny directed at their family.
• Song Yaoyao shows her playful, mischievous humor and quick wit through her reactions to the gossip and her effortless answers.
• Guagua acts as Song’s teasing conversational partner, sharing updates and challenging her with wordplay.
• The wedding guests bond through shared curiosity and amusement, though their intrusive crowding and mockery turn Qi Yan’s plight into a spectacle.

Significant themes

• Public humiliation and gossip: Private behavior becomes entertainment once rumors spread.
• Crowd complicity: Guests’ curiosity escalates into deliberate harassment.
• Humor amid waiting: Song and Guagua’s banter distracts the banquet from the delay.
• Wit and reputation: Song’s cleverness reinforces her reputation for talent, while Qi Yan’s secret conduct damages his standing.

Plot points and events

• At Chen Yixiao and Zhang Zhixi’s wedding banquet, the guests notice Chen Yixiao’s happy, lively mood. After the ceremony, he asks the Qi family to stay and privately explains what he has learned about Qi Yan’s secret, reckless sexual behavior and hidden concubines.
• Qi Yan’s shocked question about how Chen found out effectively confirms the accusations. Qi Wei slaps his son repeatedly, while the family is ashamed by how badly Qi Yan’s conduct clashes with their reputation as an upright scholarly clan.
• The revelation overwhelms Qi Yunchang, who faints. A physician says anger and shock caused the collapse, and warns the family not to upset him further.
• Once conscious, Qi Yunchang and Qi Wei blame themselves for overlooking Qi Yan’s indulgence. Qi Yunchang fears Qi Yan is ruined: as a eunuch, he could not serve as a court official, despite his provincial examination success.
• Desperate, Qi Yan begs Chen to save him. Chen promises to arrange an Imperial Physician’s examination the next day, while cautioning Qi Yan to change his behavior. The Qi family leave anxious and unable to sleep.
• After seeing them off, Chen returns to the bridal chamber and lifts Zhang Zhixi’s veil, beginning their wedding night.

Character developments

• Qi Yan is forced to confront the consequences of his long-ignored excesses. He shows genuine remorse and promises to reform, though his future depends on whether the Imperial Physicians can help him.
• Qi Wei shifts from shock to anger, then regret, recognizing that he focused on his son’s academic success while neglecting his character.
• Qi Yunchang is devastated by his own failure to intervene earlier and fears for both Qi Yan’s prospects and the family’s reputation.
• Chen Yixiao handles the revelation directly but offers Qi Yan a chance to seek treatment, balancing reprimand with compassion.
• Chen and Zhang reach the private celebration of their marriage after a day dominated by the Qi family’s crisis.

Significant themes

• Neglectful parenting and responsibility: The elders see how their tolerance of Qi Yan’s behavior helped it worsen.
• Conduct versus achievement: Academic promise cannot compensate for a lack of self-restraint or moral character.
• Consequences and accountability: Hidden wrongdoing leaves traces and can destroy personal and professional prospects.
• Regret and the possibility of reform: Qi Yan’s remorse arrives only after his behavior has brought him close to ruin.

Character interactions

• Chen tells Qi Yunchang and Qi Wei the truth; Qi Yan inadvertently confirms it.
• Qi Wei responds with physical anger, while Qi Yunchang collapses from the emotional shock.
• After the physician revives him, Qi Yunchang and Qi Wei admit their failures and reproach themselves.
• Qi Yan appeals to Chen for help, and Chen offers an examination but urges him to change.
• The chapter closes with Chen reuniting with his bride, Zhang Zhixi, after the family leaves.

Key plot points and events

• After their wedding night, Chen Yixiao and Zhang Zhixi visit the palace to pay their respects, then go to the Imperial Medical Academy.
• Zhang Zhixi assumes Chen Yixiao needs medical attention after their night together. He embarrassingly clarifies that he is seeking a physician for Qi Yan, whose condition he explains to her.
• Director Li agrees to accompany Chen Yixiao on a house call. Song Yaoyao learns through Guagua that Qi Yan is the patient and privately concludes that surgery is the only cure.
• Though unwilling to operate herself because of the social consequences for her family, Song Yaoyao plans to provide a surgical plan and have her trained students—Li Mingyu, Zhuang Yiran, and Pang Fei—perform the procedure. Chen Yixiao asks Director Li to bring them.
• Zhang Zhixi unexpectedly hears Song Yaoyao’s inner voice. She realizes that her wedding and entry into the Imperial Jade Register have given her the ability to hear it. Once Song Yaoyao goes into her office, the thoughts stop, leaving Zhang Zhixi eager to hear more.

Character developments

• Chen Yixiao shows concern for Qi Yan and acts decisively to secure medical help.
• Zhang Zhixi moves from playful teasing to astonishment and curiosity as she discovers her new ability.
• Song Yaoyao demonstrates medical confidence and responsibility, balancing her desire to help with concern for her family’s safety. She chooses to train others rather than operate herself.
• Director Li and the three surgeons are set to assist with Qi Yan’s treatment.

Significant themes

• Medical progress versus social constraints: Surgery may save Qi Yan, but Song Yaoyao must account for the judgment and risks imposed by her society.
• Marriage and belonging: Zhang Zhixi’s formal inclusion in the imperial household brings a supernatural change in what she can perceive.
• Knowledge and cooperation: Song Yaoyao’s expertise can help through teaching, while Chen Yixiao mobilizes the medical team.

Character interactions

• The newlyweds exchange affectionate banter, with Zhang Zhixi teasing Chen Yixiao about his visit to the physicians.
• Chen Yixiao explains Qi Yan’s situation and requests Director Li’s help.
• Zhang Zhixi addresses Song Yaoyao as “sister-in-law,” then secretly listens in on her thoughts.
• Chen Yixiao responds to Song Yaoyao’s unspoken recommendation by arranging for her students to join the house call.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Zhixi suddenly discovers she can hear Princess Jiahe’s thoughts. Chen Yixiao realizes it is the same ability he has had for some time. They speculate that Zhang’s recent marriage to Chen may have triggered it.
• Chen warns Zhang not to discuss what she hears, especially not where people in the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom might hear, and not to let Princess Jiahe know. Zhang learns that Guagua is the one speaking with the princess.
• At Chen’s residence, the physicians examine Qi Yan, who has severe swelling and abdominal hardness. When he tries to urinate, he passes blood and faints. The physicians are unable to diagnose or treat the unusual condition.
• Li Mingyu, Zhuang Yiran, and Pang Fei consult Song Yaoyao. She says Qi Yan needs surgery and encourages the three to perform it themselves, promising to provide a surgical plan.
• The next morning, the three return with Qi Wei’s consent. Zhuang Yiran performs the operation, assisted by Pang Fei, and the surgery succeeds.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang and Chen share the secret of hearing Princess Jiahe’s thoughts. Chen is protective and anxious about the risks; Zhang accepts his warnings, though Chen worries her curiosity will lead to trouble.
• Qi Wei and Qi Yunchang are frightened by Qi Yan’s worsening condition but agree to let the physicians operate when conventional treatment offers no hope.
• Song Yaoyao shows confidence in her students, trusting them to apply what they have learned. Li Mingyu, Zhuang Yiran, and Pang Fei move from uncertainty to resolve, with Zhuang taking the lead as surgeon.

Significant themes

• Trust and secrecy: Chen urges Zhang to guard the newly shared ability, while Qi’s family must place their trust in the physicians.
• Learning through responsibility: Song Yaoyao pushes her students to handle a serious case independently rather than doing the work for them.
• Medical uncertainty and courage: Faced with an unprecedented condition, the physicians must act despite limited experience—and their confidence is rewarded by a successful operation.